Thursday, December 10, about 60 people marked the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by gathering at a park in Nashua, New Hampshire, to protest Lockheed Martin’s production of weapons that have been used to kill civilians in Iraq, East Timor, Turkey, and elsewhere.

Following the rally, demonstrators marched to Lockheed Martin’s Sanders plant, soon to be headquarters of the company’s aerospace electronics division, where six people approached the plant entrance to block it and shut down operations.  They were stopped and arrested for trespassing.  Police tried to collect bail, but when it became clear that no one would pay nor accept release until all were set free without bail, the six were released on their own recognizance.

At their January 7 trial the judge barred defendants from offering defenses based on competing harms, international law, or Article 10 of the New Hampshire Constitution (aka “the right to revolution”).  All were convicted and fined $1000, with $900 suspended for two years on condition of not returning to Sanders or being arrested in New Hampshire.

All refused to pay and served five days in jail instead.  Five of the six are appealing the conviction.

For more information, contact New Hampshire Peace Action, POB 771, Concord, NH 03302, (603)228-0559, email: nhpeaceact@igc.org