Peace prize for drone researcher: Refuses to make weapons
”I don't want to build drones for the military”,
wrote Dylan Cawthorne in the Danish trade magazine for engineers - and for this attitude the peace organisation ”Aldrig Mere Krig” (”Never More War”) has now honoured him with the association's Peace Rose. Cawthorne is an aerospace engineer and associate professor at the Drone Centre at the University of Southern Denmark.
Cawthorne warns of a
”militarization of public Danish universities”, and that he himself is exposed to
”increased pressure from management to work on military projects”, with
”financial gain as the primary motive”.
Despite the pressure, Cawthorne refuses to work on military projects, and will insist on developing only civilian drones – for the benefit of healthcare and similar humanitarian tasks:
”Then I can combine my love of flight and fabrication, with my dream of making the world a better place.”The Peace Rose was awarded to Dylan Cawthorne on Sunday the 10th of September in front of his artwork
”Kites for Peace”. The award certificate from the peace organisation honours Cawthorne for
”the courage to demand technology for peace and not for war”.
”In a world where science has made our leaders all too skilled at creating havoc and causing destruction, but not at solving their conflicts peacefully, it is important for daring individuals to speak out against the onslaught of militarisation”, said Tom Vilmer Paamand, who is chairman of the peace organisation, at the presentation:
”Freedom of research is threatened, just as freedom of speech is, when suddenly there is no room for sober thoughts against war. That is why people like Dylan Cawthorne, who dare anyway, are so badly needed.””Aldrig Mere Krig” is the Danish section of War Resisters' International, and has been handing out its
Peace Roses for over 50 years. Over the years, the prize has been given for many forms of action, and to many types of actors - from dock workers to artists, journalists and even to a commander of the special forces. And in a similar case to Cawthorne's, to the engineering company Rambøll, which at that time had a
philosophy of not wanting to
”make money from the arms industry”.
Tom Vilmer Paamand - september 2023
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> En fredeligere verden med nedbrudte IC4-kampfly!Fredsbevægelsens hemmelige plan lykkedes til fulde denne gang. Generaler og politikere var ustoppelige i deres drømme om fortsat dyrere og mere dødbringende kampfly, så projektet gik ud på at lade dem tro, at de fik det. Dette ny kampfly var den perfekte løsning, og snart havde det meste af NATO derfor udskiftet deres effektive små dræberfly. Men afløseren var en gøgeunge, der uskadelig
sad fast i hangaren, men den opåd alle militærbudgetter.
Uden brugelige kampfly blev resultatet en fattigere, men også
fredeligere verden, hvor politikerne
ikke længere frit kan kaste bomber mod udpegede slyngelstater. I stedet må de finde på andre og billigere løsninger som forhandling, diplomati og udviklingshjælp. Alle deres så dyrt fejlkøbte kampfly står kronisk ubrugelige nedpakket i mølkugler, mens kun alverdens jurister fortsat slås med dem.
Producenten Lockheed Martin er for længst gået konkurs, og ingen kan længere gennemskue millionerne af kodelinjer, der skulle få kampflyets computere til at lystre. Det tog en del år, før politikerne endeligt gav op. Inden da havde de utallige lappeløsninger, som producenten lovede ville hjælpe, kostet landene
så dyrt at de nu også stod med forældede og nedslidte kampvogne og krigsskibe.
Fredsbevægelsen glæder sig over, at politikere og generaler hoppede i fælden. Selv om det blev en dyr omgang, og pengene kunne have været brugt så meget bedre, er den nyvundne fred hele prisen værd.
Tom Vilmer Paamand - maj 2016
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