Men support International Women’s Strike Actions on 24 October

Dear brothers,

We urge you to support the call made by Women* Rising for an International Women’s Strike on 24 October, the anniversary of the historic 1975 Iceland women’s strike, “to demand a future that prioritises caring for people and the planet – across every race, gender, and generation.” They have invited ”all women, non-binary people and allies to stand with us in solidarity”, and we urge you to take action together with striking women wherever we are (information on UK event below)

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For over 45 years, we in Payday, a multiracial and international network of men, have campaigned with the Global Women’s Strike, which is one of the organisers of the 24 October strike. We want a caring society, free of violence and poverty of which women and children are the main victims, and we reject relationships between women and men based on financial coercion, violence and rape. We support the main demand of the Global Women’s Strike for a care income for those who take care of people and the planet.

From day one (in 2017) we have attended the monthly Support Not Separation picket of Family Court in London (now also happening in Los Angeles and Philadelphia), which demands an end to the unwarranted and damaging separation of children from their mother or other primary carer. In particular we have raised our voices against violent fathers who use the family court to extend their abusive control over mothers and children, especially when the mothers have fled domestic violence, and insist on contact with children who want nothing to do with them.  When mothers try to protect their children the courts too often make them live with their fathers who have sometimes ended up killing them.

We also condemn the child removal industry which takes children from their mothers, usually poor and very often women of color and/or immigrants, and puts them into foster care or residential homes run by private companies for huge profits, or into forced adoptions.

The vast majority of men are also poor, but women have usually less money and power. Violent men make it more difficult for us to unite with and support women campaigning against poverty, which is at pandemic levels globally. Let’s not forget that two women are killed every week by partners or ex-partners – three during the COVID pandemic.

Being against violent men means also being against the military, women and children are among the highest casualties in most wars. For many years Payday have supported refuseniks, soldiers who refuse to fight, in many countries, from the UK to the US, Israel, Greece, Turkey. We are encouraged by the fact that there is a small but growing movement of soldiers who are refusing to fight in the Israeli military (IDF) and to take part in the genocide of Palestinian women, children and men.

We therefore support the demand of the 24 October International Women’s Strike: To affirm our commitment to women and families in Palestine and demand an end to every genocide.

Members of Payday attend the Friday picket organised by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) demanding that the Israeli ambassador in the UK Tzipi Hotovely is expelled for inciting genocide. 

This year strike is preparing the 50th anniversary of the Iceland women strike next year. We urge all genders to support the 24 October Strike any way we can!