Picnic for peace at the Parco della Pace

The picnic in the park is an opportunity for people to come together and enjoy street artists, entertainers and other surprises to amuse both young and old alike, as well as a chance to show support for the World March for Peace and Non Violence. This international and multicultural organisation will see one million people leave Wellington, New Zealand on 2^nd October 2009 and arrive in Punta de Vacas in Argentina on the 2^nd January 2010. In preparation of the event itself all groups supporting the march will hold local initiatives all over the world.

The picnic for peace is organised by Nessuno Tocchi Pierino, a European campaign for the Humanist Movement and a promoter of the march, which aims to raise awareness of the dangers of drug abuse at a young age and to prevent hardships suffered by young people. This trip to the countryside therefore combines enjoyment and a civil duty to spread the culture of non-violence against conflict, discrimination, injustice and every kind of violence, be it economic, racial, psychological, religious or sexual, in order to defend two irrefutable rights - peace and freedom.

The proposal for the march is: nuclear disarmament on a global scale, immediate withdrawal of troops fighting in occupied territories, the progressive and proportional reduction of conventional weapons, signing treaties of non-aggression between countries, and for governments to stop using war as a means to resolve conflict. Support for the march: In Italy the march has already received more than 100 supporters and sponsors, including the Region of Lazio and the Province of Rome, numerous associations, unions, political parties, local bodies and renowned figures such as Umberto Veronesi, Dario Fo, Sergio Castellitto, Luciana Littizzetto, Dacia Maraini, Giobbe Covatta, Niki Vendola and Fausto Bertinotti, to name a few. On an international level it has the backing of around 3,000 institutions and people such as the Dalai Lama, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu.