resigned from the U.S. military to protest the US invasion of Iraq. Supporters of the crossing met criticism with insistence that war, which divides and destroys families, impacts women, as well as men; therefore, if governments led by men cannot or will not lead the peace process, grassroots women have every right to take to the streets—and even the DMZ. Participants said the crossing focused global attention on the unnecessarily protracted Korean War, with support from world leaders, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, former US President Jimmy Carter and South Korean lawmakers. For Ahn and the others, the crossing symbolized a reaffirmation of peace through dialogue, as opposed to an escalating arms race. Crossing participant Kozue Akibayashi, International President, Women's League for Peace and Freedom, wrote, "Addressing the division and bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula is not only the task for North and South Korea, but a responsibility of the international community." Akibayashi said Women Cross DMZ strongly condemns the North Korean government's human rights violations while recognizing that such violations must be viewed through the lens of a "society where the priorities of the military outweigh the basic needs of its people." Akibayashi also featured as a keynote speaker at the first annual Peace Education Conference, held virtually in September 2021. See also Claude Anshin Thomas Peace Pilgrim Terasawa Junsei Dhammayietra References External links European Peace Walk Blog on Peace Walks and related issues Anti-war movement Anti–nuclear weapons movement Nonviolence Articles containing video clips