cout case enters the second week

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COURT CASE TO ENTER ITS SECOND WEEK!
SUPPORTERS ENCOURAGED TO HEAD TO PRESTON!

(1) Brief court report
(2) Come to Preston
(3) Contact details
(4) Useful recipe

(1) Report Thursday evening 6th May

The trial of Bread Not Bombs Plowshares began yesterday, on Wednesday May 5th, at Preston Crown Court in the north of England. The three Swedish ploughshares activists - Annika Spalde, Ann-Britt Sternfeldt and Stellan Vinthagen - are on trial on charges of conspiring to commit criminal damage to British Trident submarine HMS Vengeance on September 13th 1998.

Supporters from all over Britain - and the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia and the United States - have attended the court inside and out in daily support for the three.

The prosecution case lasted little more than a day - consisting of an opening speech and various security and police from Barrow giving undisputed evidence. Under cross-examination one police officer claimed that he was "sure that Trident was not illegal" under English law, but then admitted that he did not know about the Genocide Act, which is English statute law.

The prosecution read out the individual and communal statements of the group, referred to the "Try Denting It" handbook used by the Trident Ploughshares 2000 Campaign, and displayed the hammers and crow bars and rope ladder used by the group.

All the prosecution witnesses mentioned how peaceful and polite the three activists had been when apprehended and arrested.

Just before Thursday lunch-time, the defence began their case. Annika is represented by Vera Baird - who was the barrister who worked with the Seeds of Hope Ploughshares group in 1996 (who disarmed a Hawk warplane bound for Indonesia and were acquitted) - and Ann-Britt and Stellan are representing themselves.

Vera Baird outlined the case on behalf of Annika: that they had a lawful excuse - that they had been intending to use "reasonable force in the prevention of a crime". She outlined the 1996 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, and declared most of the current British government's intended uses for Trident to be unlawful. She likened the action of the group to trying to slash the wheels of, say, the vehicle taking the IRA's bomb to Manchester a few years ago. The jury listened intently.

Annika Spalde went into the witness box to give evidence and spent over an hour and a quarter calmly describing what they had intended to do, and why, and what had led her to that point. The prosecution tried to imply that their action had been no more than a publicity stunt. Annika did not deny the communicative value of their action, but also stated that they had clearly intended to disarm the submarine, and to stop it being launched (it was due to be "rolled out" on September 19th, just six days after they acted).

Stellan Vinthagen then gave his opening speech, in which he outlined three defences: lawful excuse under English law; obligation under international law to prevent crimes against humanity; and, even if a court were, in practice, to defend nuclear weapons as legal, it would still be his moral duty to disarm them.

The court adjourned at 4pm and will resume tomorrow (Friday 7th May) at 10.30am, when Stellan will give his evidence from the witness box and then call his international expert witnesses.

The trial will definitely go on into next week, and people are really encouraged to come on Monday (and, in all likelihood, Tuesday) to support - especially as the contingent of Swedish supporters who came over for the trial are going home.

There have been morning processions to the court (including on Tuesday when the trial was supposed to commence) regular ceremonies to remember those who have died because of the whole nuclear cycle, and a vigil and leafleting throughout the day. In the evenings we have enjoyed international entertainment and speeches, including a special appearance from US Catholic priest and ploughshares activist, Frank Cordaro.

(2) To summarise: if you can, come to Preston.
If you can't, send loving vibes. Court case is going reasonably well, but we don't know if the judge is going to allow the expert witnesses, and don't know how he's going to sum up at then end. Watch this cyber-space.

(3) Contact details
Phone 01772 792292; mobile 0403 615894
Accommodation is available if you phone in advance.
Money is still needed towards organising costs - cheques should be made payable to "Swords into Ploughshares" and sent to 179 Ribbleton Avenue, Preston PR2 6AA.

(4)
"They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks,
Nation shall not wage war against nation, nor ever again prepare for war;
Instead, everyone shall sit underneath their vine and fig tree and none shall make them afraid."
Micah 4:3