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Cronology of Plowshares actions / Plogbillsaktioner i världen
This chronology is compiled by Art Laffin in February 1996 and briefly
describes each of the plowshares and disarmament actions and the trials and
sentences each person received.
ANZUS PEACE FORCE PLOWSHARES: Early in the morning on January 1,
1991 Moana Cole, a Catholic Worker from New Zealand, Ciaron O’Reilly, a
Catholic Worker from Australia, and Susan Frankel and Bill Streit, members of
the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington, D.C., calling themselves the
Anzus (Australia, New Zealand and U.S.) Peace Force Plowshares, entered the
Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, NY. After cutting through several fences,
Bill and Sue entered a deadly force area and hammered and poured blood on a
KC-135 (a refueling plane for B-52’s) and then proceeded to hammer and pour
blood on the engine of a nearby cruise missile armed B-52 bomber that could be
used in the Middle East. They presented their action statement and an
indictment to base security who encircled them moments later. Simultaneously,
Moana and Ciaron entered the base at the opposite end of the runway, and made
a sign of the cross with blood on the runway, spray-painted "Love Your
Enemies - Jesus Christ," "No More Bombing of Children in Hiroshima,
Vietnam, Iraq, or Anywhere!" and "Isaiah Strikes Again." For
approximately one hour they hammered upon the runway chipping at two sections,
one being nearly 5 feet in diameter, before they were detained. In their
action statement they declared that they came together from three different
countries to reclaim the acronym from the ANZUS Treaty and create a "new
pact for peace, which is the way of the Lord." They also asserted they
were acting to prevent war in the Persian Gulf and called upon people to
nonviolently resist war and oppression. In their indictment they cited the
U.S. government for war crimes and violations of international law. All four
were indicted on January 9th on federal charges of conspiracy and property
destruction and faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. After being
held in jail for over two months, they accepted pre-trial release on March
6th. They went to trial in Federal Court in Syracuse in May and were convicted
by a jury. On August 20th, they were sentenced to twelve months in prison and
ordered to pay $1800 in restitution. After serving 10 months Bill and Sue were
released from prison in mid-June 1992. Moana and Ciaron were released in late
June on bail pending a deportation hearing. In October 1992, Moana returned to
New Zealand following her court-ordered voluntary deportation. Ciaron returned
to Australia on April 7th following his deportation hearing on March 29th.
* * *
ARMS FACTORY PLOWSHARES: On March 1, 1991 three Swedish peace
activists: Stefan Falk, Anders Grip and Per Herngren, of the Pershing
Plowshares, entered with the morning shift at the Swedish Ordnance’s
armaments factory in Ekilstuna, Sweden. Once inside, they disarmed with
hammers two "Carl Gustaf" grenade throwers and one AK-5 automatic
rifle. Their act of disarmament was met by workers, guards, and later the
police, calmly and without violence. The three were placed under arrest,
charged with unlawful entry and property damage, and later released. (Swedish
Ordnance is a major producer of Swedish weapons and the largest share of its
production is for export. The Carl Gustaf grenade thrower is distributed
worldwide and was used extensively used in the Persian Gulf). They were tried
and convicted in the spring of 1994. Per and Stephan were given fines while
Anders was sentenced to 1 month in jail.
* * *
AEGIS PLOWSHARES: Before dawn on Easter, March 31, 1991 Phil
Berrigan, from Jonah House and participant in two previous plowshares actions;
Kathy Boylan, member of the Thames River Plowshares and the Gulf Peace Team,
from Long Island, NY; Tom Lewis, participant in the Transfiguration Plowshares
East action from Worcester, MA; Barry Roth, psychiatrist and peace worker from
Worcester, MA; and Daniel Sicken, an Air Force veteran and war-tax resister
from Brattleboro, VT, boarded the USS Gettysburg, an Aegis-equipped Cruiser
docked at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, ME. (According to the Navy, Aegis is
"the most capable surface launched missile system the Navy has ever put
to sea.") They proceeded to hammer and pour blood on covers for vertical
launching systems for cruise missiles. They also left at the site their action
statement which said in part, "We witness against the American
enslavement to war at the Bath Iron Works, geographically near the President’s
home." They also left an indictment charging President Bush, Secretary of
War Cheney, the National Security Council and the Joint Chiefs of Staff with
war crimes and violations of God’s law and international law, including the
killing of thousands of Iraqis. They spent nearly two hours on the ship and in
the yard before turning themselves into a member of the security force. After
rejecting unsecured bond in court on April 1st, all five were released
unconditionally on April 3rd pending trial by the state of Maine on charges of
criminal trespass. Without explanation, the state decided against prosecuting
them and their charges were dismissed one day before their scheduled jury
trial.
* * *
DARWIN PLOWSHARES - Early on August 17, 1991, Anthony Gwyther, of
the West End Catholic Worker in Brisbane, Australia, entered Darwin RAAF base.
He poured blood on a U.S. B-52 bomber, in Darwin to participate in the "Pitch
Black '91" joint military exercises. He hammered on the bomb bay doors
and inside the bomb bay area of the area of the aircraft beginning its
conversion into implements to serve life. Anthony was then arrested by RAAF
personnel to whom he gave his "Statement of Intent." He was held at
Berrimah Police Headquarters for questioning and was released on bail. His
hammer, bearing the inscription "Everyone beneath their vine and fig tree,
unafraid (Micah 4:4)," his banner reading "Beat Swords Into
Plowshares," and a copy of the video "Nowhere To Hide," made in
Iraq during the height of U.S. bombing by Ramsey Clark, were taken from him to
be used as evidence in court. Anthony was charged with "criminal trespass"
and "criminal damage" under the Northern territory Criminal Code and
with "trespass on Commonwealth property." He was tried and convicted
in mid-December 1992 and was sentenced to three months in jail and ordered to
pay a fine of $4369.
* * *
SOLDIER DISARMS RIFLE - On January 8, 1992, Magnus Eklund, a
twenty-two year old Swedish conscript, disarmed his AK4 automatic rifle with a
household hammer. Upon completing his action he told his officers he intended
to refuse service and identified himself as a conscientious objector. He was
held in the military barracks overnight before being reported to the civil
police. In his statement he explained: "I want to put an end to my own
violence and show my fellow soldiers that there are conscripted soldiers who
don't accept militarism... I wish we could be a little less frightened to
disobey. We have to trust our own thoughts. Big structures, like militarism,
do, after all, depend on single individuals." He was sentenced to four
months in prison.
* * *
GOOD FRIDAY PLOWSHARES MISSILE SILO WITNESS - On Good Friday
morning, April 17, 1992, about 50 people accompanied Fr. Carl Kabat and Carol
Carson as they caravanned to the Missile Silo Site #N5 at Whiteman AFB in
Missouri, the same silo the Carl and other members of the Silo Pruning Hooks
disarmed in 1984. They cut through a fence and once inside, Carol used a
sledgehammer on the concrete lid of the silo while Carl performed a rite of
exorcism. A half an hour later, two Air Force security guards arrived in a
jeep. They ordered Carol and Carl to leave the silo compound and to face away
from their supporters and the silo. But the crowd of supporters calmly
proceeded to link arms and lovingly surround Carl and Carol. When the two
security guards tried to seperate them, small groups of people would return to
the circle for song and prayer. Eventually the police arrived and Carol and
Carl were arrested. Both were jailed and held until their court appearance on
April 29th. At that time, Carol and Carl made a preliminary agreement with
federal prosecutors whereby Carol and Carl would plead "no contest"
to trespass in exchange for the property destruction charged being dropped. On
May 15th, Carl and Carol were sentenced to six and three months in a halfway
house.
* * *
HARRIET TUBMAN-SARAH CONNOR BRIGADE DISARMAMENT ACTION: Before dawn
on May 10, 1992, Keith Kjoller, a peace activist, graphic artist and cinema
worker from Santa Cruz, CA; and Peter Lumsdaine, a father, peace worker,
writer from Santa Cruz, entered a secure area of the Space Systems complex at
Rockwell International in Seal Beach, CA, wearing Rockwell shirts and
workclothes. They entered Building 86 where they used wood-splitting axes to
break open steel-mesh reinforced windows and a door of two dust-free "clean
rooms" containing nine NAVSTAR global positioning satellites, which were
being readied for delivery to the U.S. Air Force. Delicate components in the
seven uncompleted satellites were also exposed to potentially damaging
unfiltered air as well as tiny fragments of metal and glass. One completed
NAVSTAR was struck 60 times with an ax. (This satellite, awaiting shipment to
the NAVSTAR launch complex at Cape Canaveral, had to be completely
disassembled by Rockwell technicians to assess and repair the damage, which
totaled $2.75 million). As they were about to ax another satellite, Peter was
seized at gunpoint while Keith was assaulted and choked unconscious by
Rockwell personnel-- despite both activists declaring themselves unarmed and
intending not to threaten or struggle with them. They were then taken into
police custody. The NAVSTAR GPS system, is increasingly used for guiding
advanced U.S. weapons and military/police assault teams to their targets --
from bombers and cruise missiles during the Gulf War to counterinsurgency/search-and-destroy
operations throughout the Third World. NAVSTAR is central to Pentagon
preparations for launching a nuclear first-strike. Keith and Peter named their
disarmament effort "The Harriet-Tubman Sarah Connor Brigade,"
honoring the historical conductor of the "underground railroad" and
the fictional nuclear resistance fighter of the popular movie Terminator 2:
Judgement Day. In their action they sought to commit maximum damage, thereby
challenging plowshares and the wider disarmament movement to go beyond
symbolic witness in addressing the war machines key technologies. Unlike other
disarmament or plowshares actions, they also intended to flee Rockwell if they
were able to following their action. Held initially on $1 million bond and
"preventive detention," their case was assigned to an FBI "investigation
and terrorism" agent; and they were charged with damaging property
manufactured for the U.S. government, a felony carrying up to ten years.
Choosing to direct resources toward resistance organizing rather than a trial
by an unjust government, they entered into a "guilty" plea agreement.
Their bond was reduced to $50,000 and they were released in mid-June for four
weeks under electronic monitoring. On September 21, 1992, in accordance with
the "guilty" plea agreement, Peter was sentenced to two years prison,
and Keith to eighteen months: with three years probation and $15,000
restitution being ordered for each of them by U.S. Judge Gary Taylor, who
acknowledged the historical legacy of civil disobedience in his court room.
Keith was released on parole from Lompoc Federal Prison in late September 1993
and Peter was transferred to a half-way house in December 1993 and in March
1994 was released on parole.
* * *
BAe PLOWSHARES: On January 6, 1993, feast of the Epiphany, Chris
Cole, a Christian peace activist from Oxford, England, entered the British
Aerospace (BAe) weapons factory in Stevenage, Herts, and used a household
hammer to disarm a radar dome mold for the European Fighter Aircraft, a nose
cone, a computer and the Hawk strike attack aircraft. He also poured blood on
military equipment and carried two banners which said: "HEAL THE WORLD -
HAMMER BAe SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES" and PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD -
SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES." The hammer and one of the banners were also used
in the "Anzus Plowshares" action at Griffiss AFB in 1991. In a
statement he left at the site he explained: "The Epiphany remembers when
three men presented gifts to the infant Jesus. My gift of disarmament is for
all the infants who are threatened with BAe weapons, from Northern Ireland to
East Timor." (BAe is a heavy supplier of Hawk fighter planes to Indonesia.
These planes, in turn, are used against the people of East Timor). After being
at the site for about an hour, during which time he entered several buildings,
he was arrested and jailed. On January 7th, he was charged with having caused
criminal damage in excess of 475,000 pounds (about $700,000). He was released
from prison on 10,000 pounds in June 1993 and given strict bail conditions
pending trial. On October 7, 1993, Chris was tried by a jury. Following
eloquent testimony by Chris concerning BAe's criminal activity and how he had
tried a variety of methods to appeal to BAe to disarm, the judge instructed
the jury that they must use their "conscience, common sense and common
humanity" to decide their verdict. The judge also told the jury that
"if what Mr. Cole says is happening in East Timor, it may amount to
genocide, which is a crime against British and International law. On October
11th, the jury deliberated on the case for five hours and could not reach a
verdict-- at least three members of the jury thought Chris had done the right
thing. Thus the trial ended in a hung jury. Four days later Chris had a new
trial. This time he was convicted and sentenced to eight months imprisonment.
He was released shortly after his conviction for he had already served the
required time for this sentence.
* * *
GOOD NEWS PLOWSHARES: Before dawn on Good Friday, April 9, 1993,
Kathy Boylan, participant in two previous plowshares actions, Greg
Boertje-Obed, participant in three other plowshares actions and Michele
Naar-Obed from Jonah House, entered the Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport
News, VA wearing badges identifying themselves as "disarmers." After
cutting through a fence they proceeded to the USS Tucson fast attack
submarine. They scaled 80 feet of scaffolding, and climbed aboard. They then
disarmed two Tomahawk cruise missile launchers by removing the inner metal
casings and hammering on them with household hammers. They also poured blood
onto these launchers as well as on a third Tomahawk launcher. The three
spraypainted "DISARM-CHRIST LIVES", "LOVE", and the sign
of Christ's cross. They also displayed signs and hung banners. They left at
the site a five page indictment against the government for its war
preparations and asserted that fast-attack submarines, which carry vertically
launched, nuclear and conventional Tomahawk cruise missiles, are being
illegally constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding. These missiles, carrying
conventional warheads, were used during the U.S. massacre of Iraq and were
responsible for much of the slaughter of Iraqi civilians and military. After
they completed their action, they prayed, sang and explained the purpose of
their action to a nearby worker whom they had encountered during their action.
The worker called security and they were taken into custody and placed under
arrest. They were charged with state charges of "wanton trespass," a
misdemeanor, and "destruction of property", a felony which carries a
five year maximum sentence, and taken to the Newport News City Jail where they
were held on $1500 bond. On May 4, 1993, they were tried by a judge on the
trespass charge and given a $100 fine. Their trial was held in closed session
because the judge cleared the court when supporters applauded as Greg, Michele
and Kathy entered the courtroom. On August 24th they were tried by a jury
(this time on the property destruction charge), convicted, sentenced and
released -- all in one day. Despite attempts by the prosecutor and the judge
to limit their testimony, the three were given some latitude to speak and
offered eloquent testimony. However, in response to the judge trying to
restrict Michele's closing statement, Greg explained to the court that they
could no longer continue with the trial and invited supporters to join with
them in singing "Rejoice In the Lord Always." Marshalls removed the
three from the courtroom, along with 15 supporters, who were taken to holding
cells in the courthouse. When the jury reached a decision about the verdict
and the sentencing, the three returned to the courtroom. They were found
guilty and sentenced to eight months and a $2,500 fine (which they refuse to
pay). Supporters earlier taken into custody were released. And after serving 4
1/2 months in jail, Kathy, Greg and Michele were released for they had already
served the required time for an eight month sentence.
* * *
JAS INTO PLOWSHARES: On June 22, 1993 Swedish peace activists Pia
Lundin and Igge Olsson entered a hanger at SAAB Military Aircraft factory in
Linkoping, Sweden and proceeded to hammer on the bomb mountings underneath the
wings of JAS (Hunting Attack Scanning), an attack reconnaissance plane. They
sowed wheat on the factory grounds and awaited their arrest. When the police
arrived to arrest them, they were offered cherries and invited to share bread
and water with them, thereby symbolizing that the resources of the earth are
enough for everyone when they are shared. Authorities alleged that there was
$200,000 in damages. On July 16th they were tried and convicted of "malicious
damage." On June 24th, peace activists Thomas Falk and Hans Leander
entered the SAAB plant, intending to hammer on three of the four remaining JAS
planes (the last plane would be left as a symbol of the need for more people
to come forward to disarm it). Upon entering the factory they were apprehended,
and thereby unable to carry out their part of the action. They were charged
with aiding and attempt to "sabotage" and convicted of aiding and
attempting to do "malicious damage." In October 1993, the four were
sentenced to 1 year in prison and ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution to
SAAB. They were released from prison in August and November 1994. Not wanting
to give money to arms production, the group offered SAAB a deal where the
group would raise the $80,000 and give it to a water well project in India
instead of to SAAB. SAAB responded positively from the beginning but when it
became clear to them that the activists would not stop the resistance until
the factory was converted, they ended the dialogue and handed their request
over to the "Kronofogde" (corresponds to IRS in USA). The group
decided to resist the Kronofogde and is, as of this printing, in the process
of raising the money to the water well project.
* * *
PAX CHRISTI-SPIRIT OF LIFE PLOWSHARES: Early on the morning of
December 7, 1993, Phil Berrigan, a participant in three previous plowshares
actions; John Dear, a Jesuit priest, author, and peace activist who works with
the homeless in Washington, D.C.; Lynn Fredriksson, a peace activist who works
with the homeless in Baltimore, and Bruce Friedrich, a member of the Dorothy
Day Catholic Worker in Washington, D.C., entered the Seymour Johnson AFB in
Goldsboro, North Carolina. Coincidentally, the base was going through special
wargame exercises and maneuvers on this anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Wading
through water and crossing rough terrain, the four made their way past
hundreds of Air Force personnel and approached a nuclear capable F-15E fighter
plane. (The F-15E, which costs $40 million, is capable of carrying both
nuclear and conventional weapons, and was the mainstay of the U.S.-led attack
on Iraq). They proceeded to hammer on bomb pylons, the main bomb guidance
antenna, the cock-pit undercarriage, one guidance light, and the Lantern
all-weather flight pod. Additionally, they removed the air intake covers and
poured blood in the air intakes and over the side of the plane. They also
placed on the ground their statement and an indictment charging the base and
the U.S. government with crimes against peace and humanity along with their
banner which read: "DISARM AND LIVE." After several minutes, they
were surrounded by hundreds of Air Force soldiers, some screaming: "This
is the real world." They were charged in Federal Court with destruction
of government property, a felony. Stating that they could not comply with a
court order not to return to the base they were held without bond. After being
denied advisory counsel by their judge, and after having their trial date
changed three times, the four appeared in Federal Court in Elizabeth City, NC
on February 15th to begin their jury trial. Before the trial began, the
prosecutor introduced an "Motion In Limine" which would prohibit the
defendants from being able to speak about their moral and political
justification for their action. When they were not allowed by the judge to
finish their opening statement to the jury, they turned their backs to the
judge as about twenty supporters joined them in saying Lord's prayer and
singing peace songs. Lynn, John and Bruce were held in contempt of court along
with six supporters. (David Sawyer, an African-American supporter, was
assaulted by U.S. marshalls and was, in turn, charged with assault. He spent
three weeks in jail and was released bond -- a plea agreement was later worker
out). Meanwhile, the other six supporters were given six month sentences,
however, five were released on March 9th and 10th and placed on 1 year
supervised probation. Brad Sjostrom was imprisoned for three months and then
placed on 1 year supervised probation. Judge Boyle later that afternoon
declared a mistrial stating that the jury had been "contaminated."
The four plowshares defendants were sent back to jail. Seeking to deter
possible further courtroom resistance, Judge Boyle ordered that the four be
given separate jury trials. He also ordered that each defendant have standby
advisory counsel. With the judge threatening the defendants in advance with
contempt of court should they defy any of his rulings, the prosecutor and the
judge strongly enforcing the Motion In Limine "gag order" on the
defendants and the U.S. Marshalls tightly restricting supporters admission
into the courtroom, defendants and supporters witnessed what were perhaps the
most repressive plowshares trials to date. In each of the trials the four were
repeatedly objected to by vindictive prosecutors and were constantly warned by
the judge that the Bible, their religious views, the role of the F-15E fighter
plane used to bomb Iraq and U.S. nuclear war preparations were irrelevant.
Phil was the only one of the four to take the stand to testify. And after
Boyle's ruling that she could not give her opening statement to the jury
because it was irrelevant, Lynn remained silent throughout her trial. Despite
the court's attempt to suppress the truth, each of the four were able to
powerfully and creatively witness to the truth of their action. Each were
found guilty with the juries taking 1 hour for Phil, 30 minutes for John, 20
minutes for Lynn and 6 minutes for Bruce to return their verdicts. On July 6,
1994, the four were sentenced to the following: Phil - 8 months in jail, 4
months house confinement; John - 7 1/2 months in jail, 4 1/2 months house
confinement; Lynn - 14 months in jail; Bruce - 15 months in jail. Each were
given credit for time already served. They were also sentenced to 3 years of
supervised probation and ordered to pay $2700 in restitution.
* * *
ANARCHIST PLOWSHARES: On January 27, 1994 activists Calle Hoglund
and Karna Rusek entered the Satenas F7 base in Sweden as military exercises
were being conducted. They proceeded to hammer on the nose cone of a
Viggen-type military aircraft. The two were subsequently held in custody for
five weeks. They They were both charged and convicted of sabotage, a felony
offense. Calle was sentenced to 14 months in prison and Karna to 3 months. On
appeal Calle's sentence was reduced to 12 months. Ulf Lundblad, Mats Kolmisopi
and Henrik Hoglund were also charged with aiding in this act of sabotage. Ulf
and Henrik were sentenced to 8 months in prison and Mats, because he is under
18, was not given a prison sentence. Ulf and Calle began serving their
sentence on November 27, 1995.
* * *
GOOD FRIDAY- APRIL FOOLS DAY PLOWSHARES: At noon on April 1, 1994
(Good Friday and April Fool's Day), Fr. Carl Kabat, still on parole for the
Silo Pruning Hooks action, entered the Grand Forks Missile Field in North
Dakota dressed as a clown. After cutting through a fence surrounding a
Minuteman III missile silo (not scheduled to be deactivated under the START I
agreement), he proceeded to hammer on a combination dial for the silo as well
as the silo lid. He prayed, sang and hung a banner on the silo fence which
said "Stop Nuclear Weapons." After about a half-an-hour, a
helicopter, a tank and 10 soldiers armed with machines guns arrived at the
site and held him at the site for two hours. Meanwhile, Sam Day and Michael
Sprong, who were outside the missile silo fence supporting Carl, were asked to
leave. When they refused to do so they, too, were taken into custody and
charged with trespass (this charge was later dropped). Carl was taken to the
Barnes County Jail in Valley City, North Dakota. At a hearing the following
Monday he was charged in State Court with trespass and malicious destruction
of property -- both felony charges -- and was ordered held without bond.
During his arraignment on April 13, Carl pled "no contest" to the
charges against him and stated that his action was on behalf of the children
of the world. On May 16th, Carl was sentenced to 5 years in prison and ordered
to pay a $7,000 fine. At this writing he is serving his sentence at the North
Dakota State Penitentiary, PO Box 5521, Bismark, ND. 58502
* * *
JUBILEE PLOWSHARES - On August 7, 1995 six religious peace activists
carried out coordinated plowshares actions to commemorate the 50th anniversary
of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The following is an
excerpt of their statement: "The period of August 6 through 9 marks the
50th anniversary of the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
Japan...Since August 1945 the entire world, led by the U.S. has been held
hostage by nuclearism and the exponential rise of military violence. This
violence permeates every level of society... Disarmament is the necessary
first step to Christ's Jubilee. We refuse to see violence as inevitable,
injustice as the order of the day, and death dealing as the only way of life.
Join us in this declaration for disarmament to announce the jubilee for the
poor, relief for the children, and peace for us all."
JUBILEE PLOWSHARES EAST - Before dawn, Michele Naar-Obed of the Good
News Plowshares, Philadelphia activists Rick and Erin Sieber (father and son),
and Amy Moose, a social worker and peace activist from New York City, entered
Newport News Shipbuilding. They cut through a fence and walked to the USS
Greenville fast attack submarine. They boarded the submarine and proceeded to
hammer and pour blood on the soft metal casing inside four vertical launch
tubes for the Tomahawk cruise missile. They also pasted pictures of the
Hiroshima victims to the submarine and laid out their statement and indictment.
After a period of prayer they then spoke with a shipyard worker about their
action, who in turn called security. The four were arrested and jailed at
Newport News City jail and held on $6,500 bond. (Rick was released on bond
several weeks later). The four were charged by the State of Virginina with
trespass and destruction of property -- a felony. On September 19th the four
were tried on the trespass charge. Despite attempts by the court to suppress
the truth, especially during cross examination of Newport News personnel, the
four were able to offer powerful testimony about their witness. They were
convicted and immediately given the maximum sentence for this charge: 1 year
in jail and a $2500 fine. The four decided to appeal and be tried again on the
trespass charge during their jury trial on the property destruction charge.
Erin, Michele and Amy were released on bond several weeks later. Following
their release Amy accepted a plea-bargain agreement due to personal reasons.
Shortly before their expected jury trial in December, they were notified that
state charges were being dropped and that they would be indicted on federal
charges. On January 19th Erin, Rick and Michele pled not guilty to the
following charges: damage to national defense material, conspiracy to damage
national defense material, destruction of government property (submarine and
shipyard fence), and conspiracy to commit destruction of government property.
These charges carry a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison and a $12 million
fine. They will be tried by a jury on March 19, 1996.
JUBILEE PLOWSHARES WEST- Shortly after 8:00 a.m. Ukiah
school-teacher and peace activist Susan Crane, and Steve Kelly, a Jesuit
priest from Oakland, walked onto Lockheed-Martin Corporation in Sunnyvale, CA,
builder of the first strike Trident II D-5 missile. They approached a large
assembly building, and to their amazement, a large rolling door opened up.
They walked into the building and proceeded to hammer and pour blood on
missile casings. On a nearby desk, Susan found classified plans for the
missile and poured blood on them. While Susan and Steve awaited their arrest
they spoke with some of the workers displayed photos of nuclear victims. They
were both taken into custody by state authorities and then released after 48
hours. Federal authorities then ordered them back to court on August 11. They
pled not guilty to felony charges of destruction of government property and
conspiracy. Bond was set at $75,000 for Susan and $50,000 for Steve. On
November 28 they were tried by a jury in San Jose Federal Court. During her
testimony, Susan attempted to introduce the Nuremberg Principles into evidence.
When she was stopped for the third time, supporters in the courtroom
succesively stood up and read from the Principles and read from the Bible.
Federal marshals proceeded to remove 8 supporters from the building. Susan was
also removed from the courtroom. When Steve refused to proceed with the trial
the jury was removed. Eventually resuming her testimony, Susan challenged the
judge, "I do not accept your authority...I do not know why I am not
allowed to speak the highest law of the land." Steve also offered
compelling testimony and both offered character witnesses. During
cross-examination both refused to answer questions about who drove them to the
site. Each received civil contempt charges. They were both found guilty and
face a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment. They will be sentenced on
March 13, 1996.
* * *
SEEDS OF HOPE - EAST TIMOR PLOUHGSHARES: On January 29, 1996,
borough counsiller Joanna Wilson from Merseyside, gardener Lotta Kronlid from
Sweden, and nurse Andrea Needham from Kirby, carried out the third British
Plowshares action. In the early morning they entered the British Aerospace
military site at Warton, Lancashire and proceeded to disarm a Hawk warplane.
They hammered on the radar nose of the plane and on the control panel. When
they were finished with their work they were able to make some phone calls
from inside the South Hanger to tell their friends and the press about their
witness. They were then arrested by the police. The Hawk ground-attack
airplane that they disarmed (jet number ZH 955) was part of an order destined
to Indonesia. Indonesia has since 1975 (when East Timor declared its
independence) been waging a genocidal war against the people of East Timor.
More than 200,000 people have been killed, which is about one third of the
pre-invasion population. The group stated that there is substantial evidence
that Hawks from previous deals have been used by the Indonesian military to
bomb civilians. The arms export to Indonesia, and especially the Hawk deal,
has been opposed by many people and groups all over Britain, the group says.
But the government and BAe have refused to stop the sale. "These planes
will soon be killing people in East Timor unless action is taken immediately
to stop them", the group says. Another member of the group, Angie Zelter,
an environmental campaigner from Norfolk, publicly stated she intends to carry
out a future ploughshares action at BAe to continue the process of disarmament
there. The four women where held in remand until the trial in july, charged
with illegal entry and criminal damage. During the seven-day trial , the women—three
of whom defended themselves—said they were disarming the Hawk, not
vandalizing it, claiming the action was justified because the plane was going
to be used against the civilians of East Timor. (The Hawk was one of 24 sold
by British Aerospace to the Indonesian dictatorship; similar planes previously
shipped to Indonesia have been seen bombing and flying over East Timor—and
dropping bombs there.) Surprisingly the four were aquitted! The jury of seven
men and five women took just over five hours to reach their not-guilty verdict,
which Wilson called a "victory for justice" and a "victory for
the people of East Timor." Zelter added, "We think we have a very
good case to prove that British Aerospace is aiding and abetting murder."
After the verdict, British Aerospace said that "it operates in accordance
with export licences granted by the [British] government." The company
then served injunctions against further trespasses on the four women, who
publicly tore them up. Contact: Seed of Hope Ploughshares, e-mail: Ricarda@gn.apc.org;
and East Timor Action Network, PO Box 1182, White Plains, NY 10602;
(914)428-7299; etan-us@igc.apc.org.
* * *
LAURENTIAN SHIELD TRIDENT ELF DISARMAMENT ACTION: On April 22, Earth
day, Donna and Tom Howard-Hastings used handsaws to cut down three poles
supporting the ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) transmitter for the first-strike
Trident submarine in northern Wisconsin. After the poles were cut they were
decorated with pictures of children and posted with documents affirming
various international laws and treaties. They also placed stakes to mark tree
seedlings under the transmission lines that they say are "doomed to the
cutting bar." The two continued their protest by cutting off a section of
one of the downed poles, carrying it to the nearby transmitter site where they
turned themselves in to security personnel. They were then taken into custody
by county sheriffs. Members of the media were invited to witness the action. A
television crew from an ABC news affiliate, along with reporters from two
public radio stations, were informed that a "robust" nonviolent
protest was going to take place on Earth day. Both activists indicated that
they wanted independent observers on hand to address what they were concerned
would be a distorted view of their action by government authorities. Following
the action there was excellent media coverage in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Both
activists have been involved in ongoing nonviolent resistance to Project ELF.
They were charged with sabotage and destruction of property and remain in jail
awaiting trial on September 11, 1996. The name Laurentian Shield refers to the
name of the granite rock geological formation at the ELF site.
* * *
PRINCE OF PEACE PLOWSHARES: Before dawn on Ash wed., Feb 12, 1997,
six people calling themselves the Prince of Peace Plowshares boarded the USS
Sullivan at Bath Iron Works in Maine. The USS Sullivan is an Aegis destroyer
commisioned to the Navy by the Bath Iron Works. The six are now in prison
awaiting trial, tentatively set for 5 May, but is likely to be delayed. The
activists were observed by security upon boarding the destroyer and, as he
called for reinforcement, they fanned out to the Pilot House, the Bridge, the
Helicopter pad, and the Missile Hatch Covers. On each they hammered and poured
their blood. They then gathered on the deck, unfurled their banner - Prince of
Peace Plowshares - "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and
their spears into pruning hooks." They were able to read their statement
together before security levelled guns at them (including shotguns) and
forcibly threw them on the deck. The Prince of Peace Plowshares are: Susan
Crane - 52, mother of two sons, former highscholl teacher, resides at Jonah
House a nonviolent resistance community in Baltimore. Steve Baggarly - 31,
husband and father, lives with and serves the poor and homeless people in
Norfolk VA with the Norfolk Catholic Worker. Philip Berrigan - 72, WWII vet,
plowshares activist, author, member of Jonah House in Baltimore and father of
three. Mark Colville - 35, husband and father of three yong children, urban
minister and member of Cesar Jerez Catholic Worker, New Haven, CT. Steve Kelly
SJ - Jesuit priest, plowshares activist, member of Jubilee Plowshares West.
Tom Lewis-Borbely - 56, artist, painter, printmaker, happily married, father
of a 5 year old daughter, plowshares activist and 30 years of nonviolent
resistance history including hte Baltimore 4 and Catonsville 9.
* * *
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