OZ Catholic Workers Acquitted for Criminal Damage Charges Arising from Exorcism of Raytheon Brisbane

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Saturday July 26, 2008 13:00

by Jim Dowling - Peter Maurin Catholic Worker Farm

Peter Maurin Catholic Worker Farm, Dayboro, Queensland, Australia

Australian Raytheon witness Acknowledges Raytheon 9 Action & Acquittal!

An hour after a Wynnum magistrate found Lisa Bridle and I not guilty of
"disobeying a police direction", police rang my home to let me know that Raytheon did not
wish to proceed with willful damages charges resulting form another (our
third) exorcism at their Brisbane offices.

Although the two charges are not related and under different acts, it
appears Raytheon once again is more afraid of further embarrassment , than
it is concerned with prosecuting people who "damage" their property.

The court case yesterday got underway with Raytheon Project
Manager Russell Daniels giving evidence Russell started out making the
ridiculous claim that he heard us shouting "verbal obscenities". When
pressed to elaborate by Lisa under cross examination, Russell said that he found us
talking about Raytheon killing children obscene. Despite prosecution
objections, Lisa was allowed to answer her next question which was, Did he find
it obscene that Raytheon weapons actually killed and mutilated so many
children?

Russell proceeded to deny (rather unconvincingly, I thought), any knowledge
of Raytheon bombs.

During my cross examination, I asked Russell if Cruise Missiles, Harm
Missiles, Paveway missiles, any other Raytheon missiles, or
any of the 4 types of Raytheon cluster bombs were made at his offices.
He denied it, and when asked if he knew about these weapons being made by
Raytheon, he once again denied nay knowledge of it. (He had been working for
Raytheon for 5 years). Russell was also shown the 3 A3 posters that we had
put on their office walls, depicting Raytheon weapons and children
mutilated by Raytheon weapons (Photos from a market place bombing in Baghdad and
the infamous Qana bombing). He read out the words "War Crimes by
Raytheon", but said he had not looked at these posters closely before despite them
being left on his office walls on 3 separate occasions. Hear no evil. See no
Evil. Speak no evil.

Later a young Raytheon secretary claimed no knowledge of Raytheon making
weapons at all.

Most interestingly however, Russell did admit knowing about the Ryahteon9
action in Ireland! So these brave Irish resisters can take heart that their
message has reached the furtherest outposts of the Raytheon Corporate
empire.

Lisa gave evidence that while she as a mother observing the suffering of
mothers in Lebanon or Baghdad, and how powerless they must feel, as Raytheon
weapons destroyed their lives. She could see how much easier it was for her
as middle class Australian to act. So act she did.

I was allowed to read details of Robert Fisk's description of a cluster bomb attack
which ripped apart at least 9 children in Hillah,Iraq. I then referred to the Raytheon
website where they proudly describe their cluster bombs and that at least 400
had been used in Iraq by the US forces (That is up to 800,000 bomblets with 160
million razor sharp pieces shredding ' "soft" area targets') This last phrase is
from Raytheon's own website). I then explained how I believed only the demonic could
account for ordinary people being involved in the construction of such evil
devices. This then led to our attempt at exorcism of the Raytheon corporation.

In summing up Lisa pointed out that she had "a reasonable excuse" fro doing
what we did, but also pointed out that the charge the police had used was
unlawful because under that act they could only move us on if it was a public
place or a shop. The prosecutor tried to argue that it was a public place, but after
much deliberation the magistrate was forced to agree
with Lisa, and we were found not guilty.

When I arrived home (the next morning as it turned out after breaking a fan
belt), Anne directed me to the message from the Morningside
police who had charged me with wilful damage for our third exorcism. The
voice on the answering machine informed me that I did not have to appear
in court next Monday as "The complaint had been withdrawn".

Hope this will inspire others. From little things, big things grow..

For our part Raytheon can expect to see us again.. soon.

For background and photos of original action.....
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/87327