Mehmet Tarhan, a gay activist, anarchist, and declared conscientious objector, was arrested on 8 April and taken to “his” military unit in Tokat in eastern Turkey by force.
As Peace News went to press, a High Court hearing into the injunctions demanded by Brighton arms manufacturers to restrict anti-war protests was still continuing. Richard Purssell reports...
At least 500 international activists were arrested on 16 April after a thousand gathered in Belgium to carry out a “citizens' nuclear weapons inspection”.
New moral conundrums (conundra?) for peace campaigners arrive for The Mole's attention. After last month's worries about the ethical (or not) sourcing of the material for military uniforms comes a sneaky suggestion from the Countryside Alliance.
“It's not racist to impose limits on immigration.” This catch-all election slogan from the Conservative party can, conveniently, be interpreted in several ways. As can Labour's rather ambiguous “our country's borders protected”.
Working on the solid nonviolent principle that we should transform our enemies, PN brings you a slightly tongue-in-cheek column dedicated to getting to know our "enemies" better.
23 March, London: After a two week hearing, Judge Justice Tugendhat at the High Court rejects claims by Louis Austin and Geoffrey Saxby for compensation for their “right to liberty” under the European Convention on Human Rights having been breache
As an antidote to election nausea I have turned again to Lewis Carrol's Alice. Since both Tweedles have now decided that “playing by the rules” is the thing, the obvious passage is from Alice's trial:
It is outrageous that the nuclear weapons club still tries to ensure security by threatening to incinerate and irradiate enormous millions. This does not match the way most of us try to live. Nuclear weapons violate our values.
In the 1990s something extraordinary happened. We saw a treaty to stop the emission of the gases which cause climate change. And we saw the signing of a treaty to stop nuclear testing.
CND has been working hard at local and national level, in parliament, in the media, and working closely with other groups, to raise awareness of the NPT and the 13 steps to nuclear disarmament agreed in 2000.