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Anti-war
Action Supplement
issue 87 january 2003
Due to the police raid on Cornerstone’s Housing
Co-op in Leeds, and the confiscation during this of parts of the printing
press that the AU is printed on, this December/January issue has turned
into an enlarged January/February one. Since so much recent activism has
been focussed on the massive threat of war overshadowing us, here’s
a rundown of some of the actions which have been taking place to oppose
war on Iraq…
Train drivers
January 8th: train drivers yesterday refused to move a freight train carrying
ammunition destined for British military use in Iraq. Railway managers cancelled
the Ministry of Defence service after the crewmen, described as "conscientious
objectors" by a supporter, said they opposed Tony Blair's threat to
attack Iraq. The anti-war revolt is the first such industrial action by
workers for decades. The two Motherwell-based drivers declined to operate
the train between the Glasgow area and the Glen Douglas base on Scotland's
west coast, Europe's largest NATO weapons store. English Welsh and Scottish
Railway (EWS), which transports munitions for the MoD as well as commercial
goods, yesterday attempted to persuade the drivers to move the disputed
load by tomorrow. Leaders of the ASLEF rail union were pressed at a meeting
with EWS executives to ask the drivers to relent. But the officials of a
union opposed to any attack on Iraq are unlikely to comply. The two drivers
are understood to be the only pair at the Motherwell freight depot trained
on the route of the West Highland Line.
Dockers went on strike rather than load British-made arms on to ships destined
for Chile after the assassination of left-wing leader Salvador Allende in
1973. In 1920 stevedores on London's East India Docks refused to move guns
on to the Jolly George, a ship chartered to take weapons to anti-Bolsheviks
after the Russian revolution.
U.S. airbase at Mildenhall
January 6th: fifteen anti-war campaigners were arrested at about 11am
after breaking into the U.S. airbase at Mildenhall, Cambridge. The campaigners
were caught on the base's main runway after breaking through a perimeter
fence. An MoD spokesman "In getting on to the site there was a breach
of security” and they were detained by U.S. military police, who
handed them on the MoD. No charges were laid, but all 15 released on police
bail to report back in 21 days. Mildenhall houses the U.S. Air Force's
100th Air Refuelling Wing giant. Its sister base at nearby Lakenheath
houses U.S. fighter-bombers. The two bases are among the biggest U.S.
airbases outside the United States mainland and are regular targets for
demonstrations by peace activists.
Northwood military headquarters
22nd December: members of the London Catholic Worker were arrested
and charged with criminal damage at Northwood Military Headquarters. Scott
Albrecht, Angela Broome and Damien Prescott poured fake blood on the two
main gate signs at Northwood in an Advent peace action. This action was
done in protest at the impending death that awaits Iraqi civilians when
the war kicks off. One of the protesters was a former US military officer.
Merry Christmas
19th December: Santa (actually an anti-war activist) appeared in
court in Iceland to face charges over the exposure of Icelandic civil
airlines’ role in flying NATO weapons and troops to Iraq. The airlines,
Icelandair and Air Atlanta, were said to have placed planes in standby
to fly the materials if war is declared – a step away from Iceland’s
traditional neutrality. The peace group involved had previously organised
the first Northern-world flight through the Iraqi no-fly zone to bring
medical supplies and Christmas gifts to Baghdad in 1997, and the organisation
– Iceland Peace 2000 – had its subsequent flights cancelled
and supplies confiscated. It has also had its internet access cut.
Glasgow University
December 17th: Glasgow Anarchist Students occupied the main lecture
hall of the Adam Smith Building at Glasgow University. To protest against
the war and to demand that the university cut all ties with the armed
forces and the arms industry.
Menwith Hill
December 14; activists cut their way into Menwith Hill, the U.S.’
listening station in Yorkshire, and damaged over £100,000 worth
of covert listening equipment. It is hoped that this will directly affect
preparations for war on Iraq, as one of the base’s functions is to
help identify possible targets. There were no arrests, and although those
involved stated that many of them had never done actions like this before
they stressed that it was much easier than expected and that it was hoped
that other people would be similarly inspired.
Weapons Inspectors
12th December: a delegation of 8 weapons inspectors from CamSAW
entered RAF Lakenheath to confirm reports of weapons of mass destruction
being held there in contravention of international law. U.S. Air force
military personnel at the base failed to co-operate, but inspectors managed
to enter the base, where they saw armed planes taking off and installations
which are apparently used to store nuclear weapons. They hung a banner
inside the base to mark it as a WMD site, and left unimpeded. The base
was used during the 1991 Gulf war to bomb Iraq, and was used in subsequent
bombing raids there as late as 1998. The base's website confirms that
"NATO and U.S. leaders have asserted that if America is needed in
this region, the 48th Fighter Wing [stationed at Lakenheath] will be called
out first.” Lakenheath is also the largest tactical nuclear bombing
base in Europe.
Recruitment Office
December 8th: the Armed Forces recruitment office in central Bristol
was attacked. All windows were smashed, locks glued and walls splattered
with blood-red paint. “NO WAR” was the spray paint message.
Young people thinking of the armed forces as a career were called upon
to contemplate whether killing innocent people is really a valid option.
Also in Bristol, a woman arrested for breaking sanctions on Iraq succeeded
in getting the court to admit that sanctions would be illegal if they
breached the Geneva Convention. Nevertheless, she had costs awarded against
her to the tune of £100, considerably less than the £1,000
demanded by the prosecution. For information on sanctions-breaking, contact:
Voices in the Wilderness, 5 Caledonian Road, King's Cross, London N1 9DX,
0845 458 2564, voices@viwuk.freeserve.co.uk
Devonport dockyard
November 15th: protesters broke into Devonport dockyard in Plymouth
and entered the trident submarine Vanguard. The action was part of an
International Disarmament Camp at a nearby squatted Ministry of Defence
complex. On November 18th the dockyard was blockaded.
Berkshire Citizens Inspection Agency
8th November – a team of inspectors from the Berkshire Citizens
Inspection Agency visited the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston,
where the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons are manufactured and maintained,
to conduct an inspection of the site in an attempt to validate UK government
compliance with international laws on weapons of mass destruction. As
befits the CIA, the inspectors arrived in a white stretch limo and presented
themselves to the MoD Police officers guarding the main gate. The police
refused to let them in, and representatives from the management declined
to meet them. No UN weapons inspectors have ever been known to visit the
UK.
The inspectors took soil and water samples from the area surrounding the
base and then, in a spirit of co-operation, allowed the MoD Police to
inspect their weapons - water pistols, a toy tank, plastic swords, and
a six foot high model Trident missile. For more information contact 0118
966 8328
Propaganda
Posters highlighting the links between consumerism and the threat
of war on Iraq can be found at: www.uhc-collective.org.uk/warmart/gallery2.htm
Happy Hallowe’en!
national day of action against the war
Manchester
The day began with actions, rallies, road-blocks and demonstrations all
over Greater Manchester. Students occupied the University Maths Tower
for several hours; workers and supporters at a health clinic stopped traffic
by repeatedly using a zebra crossing. There were noisy protests in Longsight,
Salford, Stockport, Bury, Buxton, Bolton, Oldham and Rawtenstall. Meanwhile,
Todmorden was "redecorated" by nocturnal artists armed with
stencils and spray cans. There was also a ghoul-ridden critical mass and
a rally from ‘Out & Proud Against the War,’ and an encouraging
level of civil disobedience from all sections of the community, including
a feisty bunch of young Muslim women very keen on blocking roads alongside
the usual suspects. Finally, the main blockade on Oxford Road was met
with police brutality, as horses were forced into the crowd, trampling
people and backing up foot coppers as they threw people to the ground.
The crowd won through in the end, though, after students marching from
their occupation drew the mounted police away.
Edinburgh
Protesters against the war dropped banners and took to the city’s
streets. During the main demo, which numbered approximately 2000, a sit
down took place at a busy crossroads at rush hour, where people refused
to leave the road and were dragged off by police.
There was also a smaller (but noisy) Hallowe’en protest march in
Glasgow, following on from a 15,000 strong demo on October 15th.
London
Pedal for Peace: a giant Critical Mass starting at the Imperial War Museum
was greeted by the usual excessive policing. Staff at the Museum were
comforted with a little friendly leafletting, before about a hundred cyclists,
many in Hallowe’en dress, set off to deliver their ‘Burning
Planet’ awards highlighting the unholy alliance of big business and
governments behind the war. The first award, for Shell, was rolled between
a copper’s legs after none of the ungrateful staff wanted to come
and receive it themselves. Other recipients were BAe Systems, BP, arms
manufacturers GKN, Russian oil giant Lukoil, Lockheed Martin (the world’s
biggest arms manufacturer and operator of privatised welfare systems in
the USA) and finally the Ministry of Defence and Houses of Parliament.
Women activists from all over the UK converged on central London at midday.
They cordoned an area and blockaded a section of road to create an 'incident
scene', complete with forensic 'experts' and incident boards to expose
the illegal nature of the war machine. Police brutality ended their brief
picket of Westminster Bridge.
Brighton
A Critical Mass from the university into the centre of town caused disruption
to traffic for several hours. Despite a heavy police presence, it managed
to meet up with several hundred more demonstrators who dodged the suspicious
but stupid coppers and took over a major seafront roundabout at rush hour.
The generally party atmosphere (kids, firebreathers, drums) notwithstanding,
the police got out the pepper spray within minutes of people sitting down,
and there were a number of arrests. But people still managed to move around,
up side Sstreets and down alleys, and several more main roads were blocked
during the course of a surprisingly active evening. www.wmcnd.org.uk
back to Action Update 87
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