Raytheon 9 Found NOT GUILTY!!!!!

by Caobhin Fri Jun 04, 2010 21:44

They should have received humanitarian awards instead of being dragged into court in the first place.

by Used2bSnowWhite Fri Jun 04, 2010 22:12

That's a great way to start the weekend, congrats to all the Raytheon activists and let's hope the Rachel Corrie gets through.

by IPSC - IPSC Fri Jun 04, 2010 22:20

IPSC celebrates Raytheon acquittals

Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Press Release 4 June 2010, 8.30pm

The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) welcomes the decision by a jury in Belfast Crown Court to acquit nine women for their parts in a heroic protest at the Raytheon plant in Derry in January 2009.

Julio Torrojo, Roisin Barton, Goretti Horgan, Elizabeth Doherty, Diana King, Helen Reynolds, Roisin Bryce, Sharron Meenan and Jackie McKenna were acquitted after just over an hour of jury deliberation.

Earlier this week, Judge Tom Burgess directed the jury to acquit another three of the 'Raytheon 14', Rory McDermott, John McMonagle and Bernard McFadden The jury convicted two defendants of minor offences.

The accused faced charges including breaking and entering over the direct action at the Raytheon company in Derry in January 2009, when a number of people acted to protect lives in Palestine during Israel’s brutal military assault on Gaza, which killed 1,400 people.

Raytheon supplied many of the bombs and missiles used in the Israeli assault on Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009. Raytheon's factories globally manufacture Tomahawk Cruise missiles, Sidewinder missiles, Hellfire missiles, the 'bunker buster' bombs, the delivery systems for cluster bombs, white phosphate and napalm.

The IPSC commends those who faced the courts for their entirely appropriate response to the presence in Derry city of Raytheon, a company that has Israel as one of its largest customers. And it commends the jury for its good sense in finding them not guilty. Israel has underlined its flouting of even the most minimal principles of international law with its brutal assault on the Freedom Flotilla in international waters this week.

by FSB! Fri Jun 04, 2010 22:40

To be honest, I wasn't expecting this, so it comes as a welcome surprise on a week when the Israeli state openly trampled on the necessary human values of peace, mercy and solidarity. My love and admiration to all the acquitted, and long may you continue to speak truth to armed Power.

by Gerard Fri Jun 04, 2010 22:56

Congratulations to all concerned for a great result. Let it not go unremarked that, even when the defendants are acquitted, the courts are increasingly being used to suppress legitimate protest. Tying people up for months or even years on end in frivolous court cases and taking them away from political activism is a form of repression.

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Fri Jun 04, 2010 23:05

Look no further than Pat O'Donnell and the Shellmullet dome of silence.

by publo Sat Jun 05, 2010 00:45

Great news lads, Fair play to yall for fighting this fight. But the struggle continues. Just worried now that we still haven't heard anything about Caoimhe Butterly. She seems to have been disappeared. Anyone know anything?

by Kev - IPSC Sat Jun 05, 2010 00:53

Caoimhe is fine, she wasn't on the flotilla, she stayed in Cyprus. She was on the phone to us earlier. And the Rachel Corrie is 80 miles from Gaza, expected to reach Gazan territorial waters about 9am local time (so 7am our time), provided of course they aren't attacked before then.

by publo Sat Jun 05, 2010 02:19

thanks man, we're sat in ramallah, thought the worst. great, and great all round. takin steps. love and solidarity to all. there's still heads unaccounted for though. word.

by Ciaron O'Reilly - Catholic Worker/Ploughshares Sat Jun 05, 2010 07:51

Congratulations to the Derry activists for a great action against one of the main weapon suppliers during Israel's Jan 09 bombing of Gaza. Congratulations to the jury for a wonderful verdict. The verdict shows that conscience is alive and well in the general public.

Next week in Brighton/England, the EDO 9 go tot trial for a nonviolent disarmament action taken at the same time - during the bombing of Gaza - against another weapons supplier.

Here are some reflections I wrote after attending the trial in Belfast and on the upcoming trial in England, solidarity and moving from protest to nonviolent resistance

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/96844

by old codger - pensioner Sat Jun 05, 2010 11:04

Well done and my thanks for showing the world that some Irish people still have humanity and courage at the top of their agenda. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK IT COULD BE CONTAGIOUS.

by RogerC Sat Jun 05, 2010 13:31

With all the cuts attacks and injustice we are facing it is great to get a little bit of good news and feel the fresh air of solidarity winning for once. Well done for the brave action taken that has now been vindicated.

by Jack Sun Jun 06, 2010 01:22 nukeresister at igc dot org Tucson, AZ USA

Bravo!
News will be on our blog soon - http://nukeresister.org
I just saw it on BBC -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/northern_ireland/foyle_and_w...2.stm

Nine acquitted at Raytheon trial

Page last updated at 15:17 GMT, Friday, 4 June 2010 16:17 UK

Nine women have been acquitted of breaking into an arms manufacturing company to cause criminal damage.

The women were part of a group who protested at the Raytheon offices in Londonderry in January 2009.

However, James King, 67, of Hatmore Park, Derry, was found guilty of criminal damage and intent to cause criminal damage.

Kieran Gallagher, 44, from Dunservick Park, was convicted of impersonating a police officer.

The jury at Belfast Crown Court deliberated for an hour on Friday.

The women acquitted were 35-year-old Julia Torrojo from Glenside Gardens, Roisin Barton, 61, from Brandywell Avenue, 54-year-old Goretti Horgan from Westland Avenue, Elizabeth Doherty, 52, from the Little Diamond, 65-year-old Diana King from Hatmore Park, 61-year-old Helen Reynolds from Fahan Street and Roisin Bryce, 42, from Ardnomoyle Park, all in Derry.

Two women from the Irish Republic were also on trial - 35-year-old Sharron Meenan from Dameragh, Fahan, and 52-year-old Jackie McKenna from Sliabhan, Killarogue.

Mr Gallagher was given an 12-month conditional discharge, and Mr King was fined £75 with an £80 compensation order for cleaning the wall he sprayed with paint.

On Tuesday, the court heard there was not enough evidence to convict Rory McDermott, 26, John McMonagle, 65, and Bernard McFadden, 56, all from Derry.

Judge Tom Burgess told the jury he would be directing them to acquit the men of the charges they faced.
'War crimes'

During the trial, the court heard that after the women were arrested and released, each of the women attended voluntarily to be interviewed by police, and that during police questioning, all of them admitted to breaking into Raytheon in order to cause damage to the main computer server.

The women claimed they had done so in order to protect the lives and property of people in the Gaza Strip and to stop alleged war crimes being committed by the Israeli forces.

Speaking outside court on Friday a spokesperson for the group said they were "grateful to the jury and proud of ourselves".

"The verdict represents an acceptance that what we did was not a crime but an attempt to prevent crime, a crime against humanity which continues to be inflicted on the people of Gaza by the Israeli defence forces."

It is not the first time people accused of trying to cause criminal damage to the Raytheon offices have been acquitted.

In 2008, six people, including journalist Eamonn McCann, were found not guilty. They were charged following a protest at Raytheon in August 2006.

by No more arms trade is possible Sun Jun 06, 2010 02:37 decommissioners.co.uk

ofogsweden — 17 October 2008 — Swedish antimilitaristic network Ofog disarming recoilless rifles "Carl Gustaf" at Saab Bofors Dynamics, outside Eskilstuna, Sweden

Category:
Non-profits & Activism

Tags:
Saab Bofors Eskilstuna peace action weapons Ofog Avrusta Iraq disarmament Carl Gustaf

by Justin Morahan Sun Jun 06, 2010 14:14

Thanks for the news, the full report, the good news about Caoimhe, above all for the action itself and well done all. Have a lovely summer.

by Aidan C Mon Jun 07, 2010 00:33

Congrats and solidarity to the Raytheon 9.

by Red Jed Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:53

Fantastic news!
Just goes to show, resisting war crimes is NOT a crime!!!!!