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FASLANE 365 PROTESTS Hull joins protest with arrests |
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NOV 2006 |
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Tom, from Manchester Quakers, the lastto be arrested from our
group of six. |
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Six arrested on
Remembrance Sunday, Faslane. The Northern Quaker
protest arrived bright and early Sunday morning. After the coach trip from
Glasgow, many were dressed as oversized white poppies and milled around
putting up posters and banners, chatting with each other and the police. The Quaker Meeting began
at 11am, about 60 people gathered in silence to the left of North Gate. After
the hour’s meeting six people made their way forward to block the North Gate
entrance to the Trident base. At the briefing the
night before, we had all been told how people had been demonstrated and how
the police had acted. Anyone arrested would be held probably overnight and
released the following afternoon.
They would be issued with a warning letter though probably not
prosecuted at this stage. Of 255 arrests since 1st October, there
has been one prosecution - for someone who locked on to his vehicle. Two from Hull, Martin
Deane and John Beardmore, put themselves forward for arrest making six
altogether. Many thanks to John for all
the driving too – sterling work! The protests will
continue for the year until October 2007. Hull
arrests, Faslane
Martin J. Deane 14.11.06 The cell was grim. Like
most cells most places probably. Red tile paint covered
the cement floor, which was circled roughly down to a drain in the middle.
The walls were police magnolia. The door a mid-grey. A grimy square skylight
lit the middle of the ceiling. You could tell when it got dark and just about
make out daylight. A loo graced one corner
by the door. Along the back wall was a rectangular area slightly raised. This
was the bed and lined with a blue two inch mat. Another raised area was for
one’s head. Three thin excess-curtain-material blankets lay folded,
ready. I had removed most of my
layers but missed them during the night. The thin blankets did not quite
offset the just adequate temperature of the cell nor compensate for the
hardness of the bed. Sleep was fitful. I had been arrested at
Faslane. The remote naval base, 25 miles from Glasgow, serves the four
submarines of the Trident fleet and their 200 nuclear missiles. I was one of
six, three men and three women, including John Beardmore from Hull Quaker
Meeting House. It was 11am on
Remembrance Sunday outside HMNB Clyde, the official name for Faslane. Four of
us had traveled up from Hull, John and I were joined by Jane Harvey and Mary
Codd also of Hull Quaker Meeting. We stayed overnight with the Quakers in
Glasgow, to join their protest at Faslane the next day. The Northern Quakers
took their turn as part of the ongoing Faslane 365 demonstrations and it was my
first attendance at a meeting, not being a Quaker. About fifty Quakers
passed the hour in silence save for 3 small contributions. The grass verge by
the side of the high security fence was awash with us, men and women, dressed
in white coverall suits and huge white garish poppy petals around our heads.
For a few hours these outsize poppies had been wafting about chatting amongst
themselves and to the twenty or so Strathclyde police who were largely in
good humour (for police!). A single upright green tent
served as a loo, further up the road from the North Gate. More facilities
were at the South Gate peace camp. As the meeting finished
a number crossed back across the entrance. The six of us stuck together some
linking arms and we sat down halfway almost obstructing traffic into and out
of the base. We linked arms in a
circle and mostly sat eyes closed, people still in the spirit of the meeting,
a little bit nervous, now, but still quiet and contemplative. An officer told
us we were receiving just one warning and then would be arrested. We were
then arrested and offered to walk with an officer or to be carried away by
officers this being a further charge of resisting arrest. All six of us were
carried away in our small attempt to disrupt the base for a long as we could,
because of the evil it stands for. We were put in one of
the minibuses hired for the day by the police and after maybe an hour were
driven to a police station and, laboriously, one by one, booked in and taken
to a cell. Watches, bracelets, necklaces were all removed, pockets were
emptied, and your boots were left outside before entering the cell. We were
allowed a paperback to read. My jail book was The True Power of Water by
Maseru Emoto. This is perhaps unlikely anti-Trident reading material but it’s
a fascinating account of a man who through photographing the forming of water
crystals has become convinced that water responds to the influences around
it, including environmental and human idea and verbal influences. Its ideas
and implications are rather sublime compared to the possible horrors of
nuclear war or even the grimness of a Glasgow cell for a night. I read it in
the 24 hours or so we were held We were lucky with the
weather. And the police. The rain only began to fall after we had been lifted
(literally). It had been a sunny though cool November morning. The following
day, the South Wales protest caused mayhem early and the later Edinburgh
protest met a staggering 200 police who prevented any organized action. On release we met each
other outside amidst many friends and hugs and made our way back to central
Glasgow, some making their way home early. Time came, our spirits
sufficiently restored, we began the six hour trek back to Hull. The prospect of Britain
renewing its submarine nuclear weapon capacity – which is what is planned by
Blair in the near future – that Britain may far exceed the thousands of
Hiroshimas it is even now capable of – while being committed until
international treaty since the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to
dismantle “general and complete disarmament under strict and effective
international control” is of great immoral consequence. Especially when the
price tag of £75 billion could be spent in all manner of other ways rather
then on weapons that dare not ever be used. For our Breach of the
Peace (!) and Resisting Arrest we were each given a letter from the
Procurator Fiscal who had “decided not to take such proceedings” against us
on this occasion but if there occurs “a similar report… in the future… you
may well be prosecuted.” For my part, I am glad
it is over. I am glad I did it. Would I do it again? Well one lady has had
three letters from the Procurator Fiscal. And the academics are
going up for a protest on January 6th and 7th… |
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Anti-Trident Protesters Arrested (BBC) |
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Some Pointers from the Legal Working
Group
Custody
So far everyone who has been arrested has been held until the
following day, regardless of what time they were arrested. When the
Procurator Fiscal has seen the police reports the following morning he has
told the police to release people with a letter from him saying that they are
not being prosecuted this time but will be if they repeat the offence. It
seems to take until lunchtime to actually be released. There have been two
exceptions. One woman was released on an undertaking in the evening of the day
she was arrested because she had a hospital appointment. The undertaking was
cancelled the following day and the warning letter sent to her. A man with a
heart condition was released from the police station after a few hours as
being unfit for custody. Checking addresses
The police have been checking people’s addresses in a number of
ways. They have phoned the Legal Support Team for a Blockading Group and had
the addresses read from the groups Registration Forms after this was offered.
Sometimes they have asked people to give the phone number of someone they
know who the police phone and ask for people’s addresses. You might want to
prepare someone in advance to do this and make sure you have their number
with you. Note that the point at which they ask you for the number will
be after they have sealed away all your property so you won't be able to look
in your mobile phone, etc. Have the numbers on a separate piece of
paper and ask to keep it with you or write it on your arm. Vehicles
There have been two vehicles involved in dropping off people
with lock-ons. The first time a police officer made the driver move into
another seat and drove her van himself to the nearby bus stop. Her details
were taken and she and the van were released. The second time the driver was
arrested and the van driven away to the processing compound by the police. It
was later collected by the company who has the contract for impounding
vehicles. On release from custody the driver had to pay £290 to get his van back. Legal Support Teams
The F365 Legal Working Group would still like to hear from Legal
Support Teams for each Blockading Group who has yet to come. It’s good to
have contact details so that we can check in with you in advance and give you
any last minute information about the legal situation. It’s also useful to
have the number you will be using for legal support on the day. You can
contact us on 07768 312 678 or legalworkinggroup@faslane365.org Note: Vodafone is still the most reliable network around Faslane
although O2 and apparently 3 are ok too. If you are using a phone you are
unfamiliar with then get to know it in advance – especially how to check for
voicemail and texts – and make sure it will ring loudly so you can hear it
over the traffic. You can use the landline in the Faslane 365 caravan at
Faslane Peace Camp to make calls but have enough credit on your phone for all
the calling you may need to do from the gates – possibly £40 for two days. Media Request
It would be really helpful if groups could copy their press
releases to info@faslane365.org
so that the stories can be passed on to activist lists and other outlets. |
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