Displaying items by tag: violence

In the South, the rifle-bearing eagle insignia of the National Rifle Association is seen everywhere, and support of the Second Amendment is as common a topic in country music as sweet tea and tailgates. The bond between the NRA and country music spurred the formation of an entire branch of the gun lobbying group, prompting a series of concerts and events sponsored by the organisation and headlined by country stars to bring the two entities together formally . But the Las Vegas mass shooting at a country music festival has rocked some of the most ardent supporters of gun rights. Country guitarist Caleb Keeter, who performed at the festival, wrote on Twitter, ‘I've been a proponent of the Second Amendment my entire life, until the events of last night. Now I cannot express how wrong I was.’

When locusts descended on the American Midwest in 1875, they didn’t just devour crops and forests. They destroyed years of hard-earned progress from settlers struggling to build a better life. In the same way, everyday violence is destroying the efforts of millions trying to rise out of poverty today and, because they are unsafe, the poor cannot benefit from the world’s best efforts to help them thrive. There is an undercover plague that the world is ignoring or has failed to see. The violence crisis is silently undermining the fight against poverty. For the poor, violence is as much a part of life as hunger, illness or unemployment - but it is less visible. Without effective justice systems to protect them from violence (like rape, trafficking and police brutality), the world’s poor live in a state of constant fear.

Hamburg's police have already had to deal with violent protests at the G20 summit. Hi-tech water cannons were used to disperse crowds on 4 July, injuring five people. Protesters are expected to hoard weapons at secret locations ahead of the summit where global trade, terrorism, climate change, North Korean missiles, Brexit, digitalisation and empowering women will be on the agenda. Body language will be scrutinised in the first face-to-face meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin: pray for a working dialogue between these two leaders. US attitude to trade following Trump's 'America First' policy could be a bone of contention, as will climate change after President Trump pulled out of the Paris climate change agreement. Pray that globalisation and climate solutions are negotiated with a win/win attitude. Angela Merkel has based the talks around an 'interconnected' world, and will address differences between countries.

Africa's Sahara desert is increasingly encroaching upon traditional farmlands. Muslim Fulani herdsmen, the largest nomadic tribe in Africa, are desperate for grazing land and water for their cattle, but farmers can't tolerate their crops being eaten, trampled, and destroyed by those cattle. This conflict for survival gives rise to violence. The mainly Christian Nigerian farmers have no defence against marauding herdsmen wielding guns and machetes. The central Christian area of Nigeria was once the main target, but with increasing desert encroachment, more areas are targeted. The Fulani are now even more of a threat than Boko Haram insurgents. Farmers are being slaughtered, and some are considering abandoning their farms. AK-47 assault rifles from the conflicts in neighbouring Libya and Mali come across porous borders. A recent anti-grazing law has failed to stop the Fulani. President Muhammadu Buhari, a Fulani, has ordered military crackdowns on them. Pray for God to destroy their sources and stockpile of weapons.

As Papua New Guinea’s official election campaign period started, violence dominated the news. Three people were killed and more injured, following fights between supporters of two candidates. Shops, schools and businesses are shut in Kimbe. Things are very tense. The electoral commission needs another $US25 million for polling officials' allowances. The People's National Congress Party is confident it will win in two months’ time. A Christian in PNG writes, ‘Please stand with us in prayer for our elections. We are praying that no unrighteous leader will rise up again to lead our nation, and for God to intervene and establish a Kingdom-model nation.’ See also and