D7 Solidarity with "Disarm Now Plowshares" on Trial for Anti- War Resistance in the U.S.

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Tuesday December 07, 2010 08:29

by Ciaron - Giueseppe Conlon House/ London Catholic Worker

They're on Trial for Us, We're on the Loose for Them!

Our friends
- Bill “Bix” Bichsel, S.J., of Tacoma, Washington;
- Susan Crane, of Baltimore MD;
- Lynne Greenwald, of Bremerton Washington;
- Steve Kelly, S.J., of Oakland , CA.;
- Anne Montgomery RSCJ,
are going to trial Dec 7th. in Washington state, USA. for a plowshares action on the Trident 1st. Strike Nuclear Weapon system.

* Dublin and Derry folks may recall Bill from his silodarity anntendance at Pitstop Ploughshares and raytheon 9 court appearances. Bill is in his '80's. He was ordained a Jesuit in Berlin before the wall went up! He has previously been imprissoned for nonviolent resistance tot the U.S. wars on Central America and the U.S. nuclear weapon sysetm. Bill is a member of the IWW and lives and works at a Catholic Worker in Tacoma, Washington.

Folks who have been to Palestine may have met Sr. Anne Montgomery who was based in Heborn for a number of years with the Christian Peacemaker Team. Anne is also in her '80's and was one of the original Plowshares 8 which acted against 1st. strike nuclear weapons at a General Electric factory.

Fr. Steve Kelly is also a Jesuit and has spent many years in jail for nonviolent anti-war resistance. He has spent a lot of time ion solidatary for nonviolent cnoncooperation with the prison system.

Susan Crane is a member of Jonah House community www.jonahhouse.org and a long time anti-war resister.

Lynne Greenwald is based in Washington state where the Trident 1st. strike nuclear submarine fleet is based.

*Find out more about them, Trident and their act of nonviolent disarmament on their website
http://disarmnowplowshares.wordpress.com/

*Check out this must see (5 1/2 min) youtube clip of Old-vs-navy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=...Qatco
Fr. Bill Bichsel, from Disarm Now Plowshares, talks with Seattle Times reporter Mark Rahner.

*And there is also a brand new "Video" page with the latest Disarm Now
videos! http://disarmnowplowshares.wordpress.com/videos/

********There will be a solidarity vigil outside the US embassy in London for the five plowshares activists going on trial on December 7th. 11am-1pm
Join Chris (BAe Ploughshares), Ciaron (ANZUS/ Jabiluka/ Pitsop Ploughshares), Dan (Trident Ploughshares) Sr. Susan (Riverside Ploughshares) and other good folks outside the U.S. Embassy
*More info Ph or text Ciaron 079 392 905 76

The 'Disarm Now' Plowshares

On November 2, 2009, All Souls Day, Fr. Bill Bichsel, Susan Crane, Lynne Greenwald, Fr. Steve Kelly and Sr. Anne Montgomery were arrested at the Bangor Naval Base, the largest nuclear weapon storage area in the US. They had entered the base through the perimeter fence to call attention to the illegality and immorality of the first strike Trident nuclear weapons system. They made their way to the Strategic Weapons Facility – Pacific (SWFPAC) where they cut through two chain link fences and entered the area which holds the largest nuclear weapon stockpile in the United States.

As they walked they held a banner saying “Disarm Now Plowshares: Trident: Illegal and Immoral”. The Plowshares activists knew that they were in a shoot to kill zone, but they also remembered the many people who live in shoot to kill zones all the time because of US occupation of their country. The unarmed activists were detained, held face down, handcuffed and hooded for over three hours. They were carried out, still hooded, through the very holes in the fence that they had made.

The Disarm Now Plowshares activists were indicted by a Federal Grand Jury and have been charged with trespass, conspiracy, destruction of government property, and depredation of government property. The activists respond to these charges by saying that they were acting according to the moral law of their faith, and that they have a responsibility and duty under international law to disarm the nuclear weapons at the base. The five go on trial on Tuesday 7th December at US District Court, Tacoma, Washington

In solidarity with these brave folks there will be a vigil outside the US embassy on the first day of their trial, Tuesday 7th December, from 11am – 1pm, organised by ploughshare activists, Catholic Workers and friends – come along!