On Saturday 23 June, more than forty people gathered to repent the use of Epynt Mountain as a military training ground prior to the Falklands war.
Arranged by the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Wales, the service took place in the ruins of the Babell Chapel. The Reverend Guto Prys ap Gwynfor said: “Every war is started with lies... the Falklands and the illegal Iraq war.” Tecwyn Ifan then sang a satirical farewell to Tony Blair. People who lost their homes on Epynt to the British…
On 2 July, former Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu was sentenced to one year in prison (6 months suspended) for fourteen violations of a ban on talking to foreigners - actually, foreign reporters.
This ban was one of several imposed on Mordechai on his release in 2004 from a full 18-year prison sentence for telling the world about Israel's nuclear weapons. The Israeli justice ministry justified the sentence in terms of protecting national security. Mordechai insists that…
All the “Fairford Five” cases have now been concluded, with three acquittals and two convictions after six trials and heroic legal efforts by all five peace activists who took direct action against the Iraq war at the US airbase near Fairford, Gloucestershire.
On 30 May, Josh Richards was formally acquitted in a retrial by the Judge at Bristol Crown Court of “attempted arson” to a US B52 bomber at Fairford in March 2003, after the jury failed to reach a verdict, even a majority one…
There have been several cases recently under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA) mostly connected with last October's “No More Fallujahs” Parliament Square peace camp.
On 18 May, Milan Rai and I were convicted in the same trial of both organising and participating in unauthorised demonstrations near Parliament. We were fined #100 each, with no court costs. Ten other defendants from “No More Fallujahs” went to court on 23 May, just for “participating in an unauthorised…
On 26 June, riots broke out in Tehran after the government announced petrol rationing. Iran does not have the refineries to produce its own petrol, and is facing a major financial crisis as domestic energy demand starts to overtake growth in oil production. Meanwhile negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme drag on.
Palestinian refugees living in the Baddawi and Nahr al-Bared camps of North Lebanon have organised die-ins, demonstrations and illegal press conferences in order to expose the systematic use of torture by the Lebanese Army against them, and the way in which they are caught in the crossfire between the army and the Sunni group Fatah al-Islam.
Members of a new group “Wrexham Women for Peace” and their supporters held a “funeral procession”, carrying coffins and a peace flag through the town centre on 19 May in memory of those whose lives have been lost in conflict worldwide.
The women, accompanied by several children and babies, began by holding a silent 15-minute vigil at the war memorial, and then laying a wreath on the steps of the army recruitment offices where they observed a further minute's silence.
As the…
Questions about corruption dominated the questions to directors at the recent annual shareholders' meeting of Britain's biggest weapons merchants, BAE Systems.
In addition to some nominal shareholders organised by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), several “real” shareholders also embarrassed the board with related questions.
Outside the meeting too, street theatre (see picture) by CAAT activists featured in the financial pages of most serious papers the next day.
…
Some years ago, the BAE AGM was an annual free-for-all, with dozens of token shareholders shouting, standing on chairs, trying to stop the meeting and generally causing mayhem.
After a few years it started to feel ritualistic and I began to question the value of such tactics. In more recent years, however, things have got a lot quieter.
This year the focus was the abandoned SFO enquiry into corruption in BAE's deals with Saudi Arabia. Everyone trooped in quietly, sat quietly,…
b>From 28 April to 6 May, the LaUnf (nonviolence) network of Iraqi peace activists organised a second “Week of Nonviolence”, this time at 13 locations, reaching 7300 people all over Iraq. Sites included, in the north, Irbil, Kirkuk, and Mosul; in the south, Basra and Fao; and Baghdad in the centre.
PNspoke to Ismaeel Dawood, a key support person for the LaUnf network, in his capacity as Iraq worker for the Italian activist NGO Un Ponte Per... Baghdad (A Bridge to... Baghdad…
The Bush Administration was dealt another blow over Iraq in April after three of its top generals turned down a new high-profile post tasked with overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The retired generals were approached by the White House but rejected the job, with one citing the chaotic way the war was being run as the reason for his decision.
Climate activists have once again been busy in the East Midlands area -- this time disrupting work at the Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-…
The Campaign Against Arms Trade, with Corner House Research, has now lodged its full application for a High Court judicial review of the Serious Fraud Office's dropping of a corruption case against BAE Systems, Britain's biggest weapons producer. The corruption relates to a massive arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
The application was on hold pending other legal proceedings to stop BAE's access to CAAT's internal documents relating to the High Court case -- see the February and March PNs…
On 21 April, over 2000 authorised demonstrations (mostly consisting of just one person) were held in the area around London's Parliament Square, all having been applied for -- and granted permission -- under the SOCPA regulations.
This world record was achieved thanks to a mobilisation (including a fine half-hour programme on Radio 4) by comedian-activist Mark Thomas. In one day, the total number of such authorisations since the law was enacted in July 2005 was more than doubled.…
The Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU) is a 26,000 member-strong trade union based in the south of Iraq, which is also organising in the centre and north of Iraq. The Federation recently held a conference in Wasit province in the centre of Iraq on the oil law .
Activists have been meeting workers, management, tribal leaders, religious authorities, political party representatives, academics and oil policy experts to organise cross-constituency unified opposition to the oil law.…
On 20 April, author Maya Anne Evans and PN editor Milan Rai were called to stand trial at Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court, London, for “contempt of court”.
At an earlier hearing on 10 April, when they were meant to have been tried for alleged offences under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (2005), the judge had refused to continue with the trial after the pair had refused to give their dates of birth.
Judge Newton sent the activists to the cells for an…
The week of anti-Trident demonstrations in mid-March saw arrests made under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCPA) both outside parliament and at Aldermaston.
Campaigners from Aldermaston Womens Peace Camp (AWPC) and Block the Builders brought Parliament Square to a halt on the day of the Trident debate (see story in news section). After four hours the last was released and then arrested - with eight others - for obstructing the highway and participating in an…
The rather lacklustre Northern Ireland Assembly elections on 7 March saw parties talking a lot about “bread and butter” issues, in particular the forthcoming introduction of a new water rate for NI. This constituted a definite shift in emphasis away from the politics of the peace process.
Out of the 108 seats available (via Single Transferable Vote), the two apparent “extremes” did best. Sinn Fein gained four seats for a total of 28 seats (becoming the second-largest party in the…
On 29 December 2006 a Reclaim The Night march was held in Ipswich: 250-300 people attended from around the country. It was sad, moving, joyful and amazing all at the same time.
It was held in response to the tragic murders of five women in our town. A collective of concerned people, including Ipswich Anarchists, formed shortly after to organise the march and vigil. The deaths opened debate and discussion on many other issues such as the decriminalisation of prostitution, street…
Seven British doctors recently embarked on a 10-day visit to the Dove and Dolphin International Medical Centre in Gaza to spend time with Palestianian doctors and medical students. The doctors hope to collect information on common medical problems which they will then collate and offer for publication in medical journals.
In March, 138 academics from 17 countries signed an open letter to academic publisher Reed Elsevier, demanding an end to its role in the arms trade. Reed's…
On Wednesday 14 March, the government won a House of Commons vote to replace Britain's Trident nuclear weapons. Thanks to the campaigning efforts of the peace movement, it also suffered its biggest rebellion on a domestic policy issue since Labour came to power in 1997.
Trident vote day was a busy day for anti-nuclear campaigners, with pressure being applied from all sides. From Faslane to Plymouth, people showed their opposition to Britain's weapons of mass destruction, by lobbying,…
