A
Tale of Vengeance
In the early hours of February
1, two peace activists from the Aldermaston Women's Group, safely and nonviolently
carried out disarmament work, to prevent the new British Trident submarine
from leaving its dock. This vehicle for nuclear weapons of mass destruction
was due to be launched
within the next month.
Rosie James and Rachel Wenham,
both from Leeds, swam unchallenged 300 meters in wet suits into the shipyard
at Barrow-in-Furness to reach HMS Vengeance. They swam in freezing
conditions in the dark with their disarmament equipment of hammers, chisels,
crowbars, screwdrivers and paint.
Once aboard the sub, they
hung a banner on the conning tower which read "Women want Peace", and painted
the words "Illegal Death Machine" and peace and women's symbols on the
sub. The women then climbed around and dismantled radio equipment used
to launch weapons of mass destruction.
The women were arrested
and taken to the Barrow police station. Police then telephoned their colleagues
to inform them that they were in custody. When Helen Harris was delivering
dry clothes for Wenham and James she was arrested, as were Louise Wilder
and Janet Kilburn who accompanied her, shortly afterwards. In court
later, police denied they had informed the women's colleagues of the arrest
of Wenham and James, and implied the others had been arrested at the docks,
as well.
All five women are part
of the Aldermaston women's campaign which for years has taken action against
the Atomic Weapons establishment at Aldermaston and has tracked convoys
carrying nuclear weapons from Burghfield to the Coulport weapons loading
dock in Scotland.
All but Rachel Wenham were
released on strict bail conditions the next afternoon. Wenham was
bailed on similar conditions on February 8. All five are charged with causing
£25,000 of criminal damage.
In court on March 2, bail
conditions were relaxed, now banning the women from only near Barrow (and
not all military bases) and requiring they register weekly (not thrice
weekly) with their local police.
Charges against the three
support women were dropped. James and Wenham's next appearance will
be at Lancaster Crown Court on July 16 for Plea and Directions hearing.
Their bail conditions have now been lifted - apart from the one banning
them from Barrow.
In late April, the Vengeance
slipped out of Barrow and slunk up the coast to Scotland. In a change
of procedure, the submarine avoided Faslane and the condemnation party
assembling in the media eye on Rhu Spit, which juts out into the Gareloch
just south of the sub base. Instead, Vengeance headed straight for
Coulport on Loch Long and the nuclear weapons store
there.
For more information, contact Aldermaston
Women Trash Trident, 20 Tennyson Road, Portswood, Southampton SO17 2GW,
UK. Email: coney@gn.apc.org
