Trident Ploughshares

Resisters continue to move through the local courts at Helensburgh, Scotland, their cases from the February, 2001 Big Blockade still being heard. And despite frequent testimony that no one at the base was seriously disturbed by a sit-in on the road - a necessary condition to establish a breach of the peace, according to the Scottish High Court - convictions for breach of the peace still out pace acquittals. Seriously disturbed might better describe the defendants: disturbed by the illicit threat of nuclear annihilation maintained at Faslane, and disturbed by the occasional comment from the bench that the judge is "really quite tired" of being asked to discuss the legality of Trident. Such a bother.

By early April, two veteran resisters - Sylvia Boyes and Peter Lanyon - refused to even attend their trial. Boyes wrote to the court, "When the world is so full of oppression, murder and threats I do not feel that it is a good use of my time to travel to a court which has heard from me on countless occasions the case against Britain's weapons of mass destruction and has paid no heed whatsoever. Frankly, there are more important things to do." Warrants were issued for both alleged scofflaws.

Boyes had been arrested only a few days earlier with Olivia Agate. Both women were charged with "going equipped" to commit criminal damage, when apprehended with bolt-cutters, hammers and paint mixed with iron filings in their possession at the fence of the U.S. ballistic missile radar base at Fylingdales, Yorkshire. Agate explained, "With Bush and Blair threatening to use nuclear weapons on so-called 'rogue states', we, the ordinary people, have to take some action to prevent their terrorism, their playground bullying, to stop us becoming targets, to prevent a third world war."

In the last two months, those convicted at Faslane have been fined to varying degrees, with a handful of cases dismissed or conviction simply earning an official admonishment from the bench. Many continue to refuse payment of fines. Margaret Jones was sentenced to 40 days in prison (to serve 20) on nonpayment of £1,500 in fines, and Marcus Armstrong received a 34 day sentence, his second jail stint for nonpayment.

Danish resister Ulla Roder, held on remand until trial after the February 2002 blockade, was convicted March 28 of breach of peace and admonished before walking free, six weeks after her arrest.

Trident Ploughshares co-founder Angie Zelter, fined on March 25 for cutting the Faslane fence last April, told the magistrate she'd pay up as soon as the U.K. government carries out its commitment from the Non-Proliferation Conference of 2000 and abandons nukes.

Retired teacher Brian Quail received two £200 fines within one month, and was told to expect an automatic prison sentence if he does not pay by April 24.

In an action allied to the Trident Ploughshares campaign, thirteen Nukewatch activists were arrested March 18 after halting a nuclear weapons truck convoy for 30 minutes. The vehicle was stopped as it passed along the coast of Loch Lomand, en route to the Coulport weapons store. Activists placed themselves in front, below and on top of warhead transports, before police dragged them away.

For more information, contact Trident Ploughshares, 42-46 Bethel St., Norwich, NR2 1NR, UK, email: tp2000@gn.apc.org web: www.tridentploughshares.org.