Presseaussendung1 Englisch — peacewave festival — Für mehr Toleranz, Umweltschutz und Weltfrieden!

Press information, 21st of February 2024

First Peacewave Festival in Vienna/Austria/Europe demands more tolerance, environmental protection and world peace

Photo: Gerhard Kofler

Hiking for Peace is organizing a peace march, followed by a diverse program and Sea of Lights on Vienna's Heldenplatz and worldwide. Starting with the 1st of April candles are called to be placed in windows every evening around the world.

(Vienna)- Hiking for Peace, an interreligious, non-political association is organizing a peace march on April 1st, Easter Monday. Easter marches started in 1958 in Aldermaston, England against nuclear weapons to „Ban the Bomb“. The tradition is kept by Europe, Germany in particular and is not a Christian event. The peace march will be followed by a diverse program with speeches, performances, live-music, readings and a Sea of Lights on Vienna's Heldenplatz. National and political flags are not allowed. Participation in the entire festival is free. Several religious communities, NGOs and civil society organizations around the world are helping to spread the word: Everyone on this planet is kindly asked to organize and join Sea of Lights in her/his region worldwide and to a put a candle in the window every evening starting from 1st of April to demand more tolerance, environmental protection and world peace.

“End all wars immediately! The funds are intended for peace work, social benefits and environmental protection instead of weapons!” - that's what the volunteer festival organizers want to achieve. “We are fundamentally against war and against any form of violence - whether against women, children or men! Wars are always wrong and must be stopped as quickly as possible. These people are always the ones who suffer.,” says the founder of the association and festival organizer Isabella Haschke.

She and her team are supported by the Dalai Lama, who in his greetings to the organizers emphasizes the importance of dialogue and mutual respect: “Conflicts are often entangled with emotions and a sense that problems can be solved by the use of force, which is not the case. We must endeavour to settle disputes through dialogue and mutual respect, not through violence and the use of weapons. Initiatives like those in Vienna, which also promote greater awareness of climate change, can serve as an inspiration, encouraging individuals to make a difference. As we all know, this blue planet is our only home and we must take care of it.“

The federal president of Austria, Mr. Van der Bellen, also supports the peacewave festival with a video message. On Vienna`s Heldenplatz there are many artists and a scientist on stage: climate researcher Helga Kromp-Kolb, Aiko Kazuko Kurosaki, Harald Pomper with his band, WanDeRer, Marlene Streeruwitz, Elisabeth Schimana, Gina Mattiello, Peter Koger, Wolfgang Kindermann and Marie Spaemann. You find more information about the festival and the artists on www.peacewavefestival.org

All these actions have the goal that people around the world put candles in their windows every evening to show their solidarity with environmental protection, peace, tolerance and compassion for all human beings and our planet.

„If we think about peace, believe in peace and demand peace worldwide, then worldpeace will be possible.“, the association Hiking for Peace is convinced.

About Hiking for Peace:

The association Hiking for Peace is a nonprofit, non-political and interreligious peace movement that was founded in 2021. They are voluntarily initiating hikes worldwide (e.g. in Austria, Sweden and Iceland), walks, demonstrations and big peace marches over several days.

More hiking dates worldwide taking place at the same time: