Derry Anti War Coalition statement on Raytheon occupation

derry | anti-war | press release Friday August 11, 2006 12:42 by Goretti Horgan - DAWC and SWP

As we wait to hear if the nine protestors are to get bail today or to be held until 7th Sept, here is yesterday's press release from the Derry Anti War Coalition in response to the jailing of its members.

Derry Anti War Coalition is stepping up its campaign against the war in the Middle East, following the arrest and remand in custody of nine of its members after Wed’s occupation of the Raytheon office in Springtown.

And it has defended the actions of its members. DAWC spokesperson, Sarah Quilty said today “despite what police have said, there was no violence at all involved in the occupation. No one was hurt, or even had a hand laid on them, in the course of the occupation.

“It is, therefore, outrageous that our members have been charged with scheduled offences and with unlawful assembly and aggravated burglary. There were almost one hundred people outside Raytheon in the course of the day on Wed. Are we all to be charged with unlawful assembly? And anything that happened in the course of the occupation happened in an attempt to save lives and stop war crimes in the Middle East. There is no crime in that.

“In fact”, Ms. Quilty continued, “I have been amazed by the number of people who’ve told me that they had not realised that the Springtown Raytheon was connected in anyway to the arms manufacturer that produces components for Guided Missile Units (GBU) such as Patriots, Mavericks, Sidewinders and Sparrows, all of which are used by Israel and paid for with US taxpayer’s money. GBUs were the weapons responsible for the recent atrocity carried out by Israel at Qana.

The DAWC also emphasised in its statement that it is, and always has been, a very broad coalition where people with very different politics and beliefs come together with the one aim: to protest in a non-violent way against war in various parts of the world. Spokesperson Dermie McClenaghan said: “We have a range of people from Quakers, Buddhists and Christians across to socialists and republicans. No one is excluded from the Anti War Coalition because of their politics or beliefs, nor will they be”.

Mr. McClenaghan said “The protest was prompted by the current barbaric Israeli assault on Lebanon and Gaza, which has claimed overa thousand lives in just a few weeks. Many of the innocent lives lost have resulted from the use of GBUs produced by Raytheon.

Mr. McClenaghan continued “what Eamonn McCann replied when charged – that ‘when you look at the press coming in from the Lebanon, you have to be doing something’ is the overwhelming feeling of the DAWC. DAWC salutes the nine occupiers of the Raytheon plant, hope their stay in Maghaberry is brief and looks forward to seeing them on the streets of Derry again soon.

For now, we are calling on all those who are horrified like we are at the slaughter in the Middle East to come with us to Belfast on Sat to the march and rally called by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and at which Eamonn McCann was due to speak. The march starts at 11.45 from the Art College, Donegal St with the rally at Belfast City Hall at 12.30

Messages of solidarity for the prisoners to resistderry@aol.com