Far From Home Citizen of the World
Apr 21, 2025
Garry Davis, an American activist who renounced U.S. citizenship to champion world citizenship. He recounts the dramatic renunciation in Paris and the global fallout. He describes founding a World Government movement and issuing World Passports. He tells stories of arrests, legal limbo, and surprising cases where world documents helped people travel.
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Historic Renunciation At The U.S. Embassy
- Gary Davis formally renounced his U.S. citizenship at the U.S. Embassy in Paris by reading a sworn statement off a sheet of paper.
- The minute-long act in 1948 set off six decades of detentions, press attention, and a life as a stateless activist.
War Converted A Performer Into A World Citizen
- World War II service and losing his brother shifted Gary Davis from entertainer to political radical who rejected the nation-based morality of war.
- His combat and bomber missions led him to see citizenship as complicit in mass killing and prompted lifelong rejection of nation-state loyalty.
Storming The United Nations For Publicity
- After being declared stateless in France, Gary camped at the UN Trocadero and then interrupted a General Assembly meeting to declare himself "first citizen of the world."
- The dramatic interruption drew global press and endorsements from figures like Einstein and Camus.