Forwarded from Gary McLennan

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

PLOUGHSHARES CONTENTS

1) Inside the Court

2) Outside the Court

3) Rave Against the machine

Jury Likely to Retire Tomorrow in Jubilee Ploughshares Trial Expert
Witnesses Ruled Out

In the third and possibly penultimate day of the trial of the Jubilee
Ploughshares activists the judge has not allowed expert witnesses for the
defence and the jury has heard a powerful witness statement from one of the
defendants, Susan van der Hijden.

Susan (32), from Amsterdam, is charged, along with Fr. Martin Newell (33),
from Canning Town in London, with two counts of criminal damage, totalling
£31000, after disarmament work on a nuclear weapon convoy truck at
Wittering in November last year.

As a Catholic Worker her aim had been to put the Sermon on the Mount into
action but increasingly she had realised that root causes, among them
nuclear weapons, had to be addressed as well as their symptoms in the lives
of vulnerable and disadvantaged people. She had studied the nuclear cycle
in detail, from the mining of the minerals t ter which the jury will be
asked to consider their verdict.

Contacts: Ciaron O'Reilly 07947-569 5477 David Mackenzie 01324 880744
(07775711054)

Photographs and a full background briefing are available

http://www.tridentploughshares.org/



2) OUTSIDE THE COURT

The solidarity scene outside the court during the Jubilee Ploughshares
trial has been brilliant. Folks have gathered in support for the Jubilee
Ploughshares from  Chelmsford, around England, Australia, Germany, Holland,
Ireland, Sweden  and the United States.  People from Buddhist, Roman
Catholic, Anglican,  Baptist, Quaker and Pagan traditions have offered
prayers for the  defendants and world peace. Practical solidarity and
hospitality has  flowed from Catholic and Anglican parishes, the Anglican
Cathedral, local  peace activists, a local pub and the local constabulary
have been  co-operative.

In one incident on Tuesday, an elderly passerby collapsed in cardiac
arrest, Annika Spalde and two other nurses who were viewing our display
board were able to act immediately while a local activist ran to get the
police to radio medical support.  The quick action had a lot to do with
preserving this man's life - he remains on a life support system. Each
morning we have been remembering him in our circle along with the dead of
nuclear war preparations, deployment and use.  We also call out the names
of other brothers and sisters in prison for nonviolent anti-nuclear
resistance - Helen Johns, Ann Lee, Helen Woodson, Fr. Carl Kabat, Phil
Berrigan, Fr. Steve Kelly, Susan Crane, Mike Sprong, Mordachii Vanunu and
the many Puerto Rican resisters.

We maintain an information point in the High St. with an excellent static
display, banners, leaflets, conversation etc.  A single file procession
heads to the court at the beginning of each day where a Buddhist nun
maintains a day long vigil with others.

Celebration has continued in the evenings with a cabaret on the first
night, a shared meal and video evening on Tuesday and great craic in an
Irish pub yesterday with local musicians and "party pieces" from Ireland,
Australia, Holland, Liverpool Scousers and Cockneyville.

A closing circle yesterday heard from Mil Rai, Art Laffin, and Fr. Gerry
Hughes SJ some of the expert and material witnesses gagged in the courtroom.

More info call Ciaron Ph. 07947 569577

3) RAVE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Local youth have organised a dance party in solidarity and celebration of
the JUbilee Ploughshares disarmament next Monday night May 28th 8-11 pm at
the "Army & Navy Pub in Chelmsford. Entry £1. 


Louis Proyect
Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org/