english stöd

bröd inte bomber / engagemang / engelskt stöd

I was thinking that it would be good for you all in the support and "amplifing" work to know what I have been doing during my four months of state-care in the HMP Preston Hotel. So I am sending a report on different things.

Lobbywork:
Several individuals have been writing to their local MPs, The Prison Service, The Prosection Service or The Home Secretary. Peter Billington made MP Gregory Pope to ask the Attorney General and CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) to answer on why we have been charged of conspiracy and been held on remand for so long. David Calvert-Smith QC, says that the Code for Crown Prosecution have been properly applied, and denies that our nationality have anything to do with the harsh charge (Letter to Mr Pope on 1st December)

Our case has also been raised in a letter to Audrey Wise MP in a letter from Lancashire Association of Trade Unions, by Peter Billington as Secretaray.

Our case has also been raised in two official letters to Janet Anderson MP by Alan Johnson, Treasurer at Rossendale & Hyndburn TUC. A J Pearson, Director of Security at HM Prison Service have been on the 9th November answering a complaining letter from Alan Johnson forwarded by Ms Janet Anderson MP. Unfortunately the complaint involves misunderstandings, minor problems as well as major problems. This resulted in my first meeting with a Governer during the automne which in any case was good to recieve.

The Minister of State in the Lord Chancellor's Department, Geoff Hoon MP, have been on the 27th of November answering a letter written by Piara S. Khabra MP, stating that this is a matter for the court upon which he can not answer.

The NorthWest TUC Executive Committee meeting in November circulated a special letter to all affiliated unions in the region with information on our case, asking for support letters and lobbying on MPs.

Robert Aldrige from Pacific Life Research Centre, 631 Kiely Boulevard, Santa Clara, CA 95051, US (email: janbob1@yahoo.com), have been writing a strong letter of support for us to The Home Secretary Jack Straw. (Mr Aldrige have been working on and researching the Trident system for 28 years!)

Michael Hindley, Member of European Parliament (MEP) from Lancashire South, 2nd Floor, Transport House, 40-42 Abbey Streat, Accrington, Lancs. BB5 1EB, have through Peter Billington expressed interest to make a stand as an expert witness during the trial! He is a leading Labour MEP on international trade.

So far I have:

• recieved 560 letters (+some 20 books)
• written and mailed 160 letters.
• been meeting different local activists and supporters during 50 visits
• discussed with over 150 prisoners and prison officers (for some minutes or a couple of hours)
• written 30 pages of thoughts for the trial
• written 30 pages research text on Power and Nonviolent Movements. Now I am working on a research text on Mass-Disobedience and Social Movement Theory.
• handed out information on plowshares to about 15 prisoners and officers
• been given about 200 £ in postal orders from different people and all my necessary stamps I have got as gifts in letters
• several people writing and telling their MPs or other authorities (e.g. all the Welsh MPs)
• written some 12 pages answers on questions from swedish supportworker
• talked/written to five people that said they will join the TP2000 or a peace organisation
• spended about 170 £ on buying food-supplies (juice, candy, cheese) and phonecards (70£ of the total 170) so far.
• shorter articles of mine have been mailed to Morning Star, Radical Alliance Newsletter, SchNews, The Mirror and Readers Digest.
• I have been commenting on the drafts of two action handbooks, The GenteiX Snowball Handbook and Trident Ploughshares 2000 Handbook (2nd ed).
• lobby letters on the coordination group for Trident Plowshares Sweden and Svard till Plogbillar, trying to get financial help to our group.
• Several letters have been mailed to people in Sweden and England, asking for help in support work.

 Letters of support or greetings from for example:

• People from Germany, Switzerland, Norway, USA, Australia, Wales, Scottland, England, Sweden, Holland, Denmark, Finland and Spain.
• Melanie and Annie Harrison in Manchester have been leafletting meetings, spreading information on our action and prisonadresses.
• Gerrard Sables from Devon CND have been writing to BBC Television Centre, News at Ten, Nine o'clock News, Channel 4 news pushing for attention on our case.
• Greetings from Chatolic Worker Europe Gathering September 1998
• Greetings from several local CND groups, e.g. North Devon CND, Southhampton CND, Lancashire CND, Kingston CND and members from the CND-Council meeting
• Seften Green Party
• PAX Gothenburg
• WRI-Triennal participants
• Greetings from Dialogue Group in Kalrskoga (Bofors and Plowshares)
• PhD-Students at Padrigu + some IR-students
• George Farebrother World Court Project, UK.
• Support letter form Trade Union Council (TUC) of Lancashire (via Peter Billington)
• Members of War Resisters Leauge, US.
• Gilbert Karlsson (Poliskontakt Linkoping Avrustningslaegret 1992-1995)
• Abolition 2000, California US.
• Members of Amnesty International Group at Liverpool University
• Brighton and H. Action for Peace (via Bruce Smith)
• Several TP2000 groups and members, e.g. Pips for Peace in Brighton
• Fredskommitten Danmark (via Ulla Roder)
• Peace Link Group Leeds City Council
• R.W.Axford President of Recareering Institute USA
• Friedensforum Zurich
• Anonymous letter of support from "two pensioners"
• Greetings from Greenham Women from Hastings and Rother CND
• Letter of support from Ilse Meyer, a 92 year old refugee from Nazi-Germany
• DFG-VK Karlsruhe and DFG-VK Mainz, Germany.
• Greetings from activists that took part in the massaction at School of the Americas, US.
• Supportletter from Peggy Owen, an activist together with Committe of 100 in the early 60ies.
• Vapenvaegrarforbundet, Finland
• The Peace Price 1998 was given to the Ploughshares movement by the Committe of 100 in Finland, Peace Station, Veturitori 3, Fin-00520 Helsinki (mkantola@kaapeli.fi).
• Greetings from Manchester Trades Union Council
• Support letter from Bert, a solider in WWII. He says he knows what war is like and that there can't be any more terrible weapon than nuclear weapons.
• Marango's S.M. Christian Community
• Support letter from Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union - North West, Stanborough House, Great North Road, Stanborough, Welwyn garden City, Herfordshire AL8 7TA. The letter is signed by Gina Mayhew, Preston District Secretary on 11th January and mailed to me. Quote: "I am writing on behalf on our members in the North West. Nuclear Weapons are a threat to mankind and because you have taken up the cause on behalf of your fellow man, you are being treated like a criminal. Our members are being made aware of your plight and hopefully pressure will be put onto Members of Parliament to get justice, in the meantime remember you are not alone."

 Prisonadresses have been published in:

• Morning Star (Daily left paper)
• SchNews (Manchester Eco paper)
• Action Update (Earth First!)
• Speeding the Plough (TP2000)
• CNDs newsletter + CND Homepage
• Peace News
• Nuclear Resister
• The Little Way (Dorothy Day Chatolic Worker Washington)
• Fred och Solidaritet nr 3 (Fredskommitten Sverige)
• Preston Radical Alliance Newsletter
• On an internet site written by Alan Johnson, Treasurer at Rossendale & Hyndburn TUC