Press Releases & Updates 2001
18th August 2001
Big Blockaders Unbowed as Scottish Court Hands Out Heavy Fines
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Three women from the South of England showed their determination to
continue their struggle against the UK’s Trident nuclear weapon system in
spite of getting heavy fines at Helensburgh District Court yesterday.
Anne Kobayashi 60, a social Worker from Essex, Myra Garrett 68, a community
worker, and Angela Broome 65, a retired social worker, both from London,
were charged with breaching the peace after taking part in the Big Blockade
of Faslane in February this year when 1000 people came to the Trident
submarine base and 385 were arrested. All three were found guilty and fined
£250 by Justice of the Peace Fraser Gillies from Rothesay, a magistrate
noted for giving heavy fines to peace protesters.
All three women stoutly defended their right to take action against the
Trident system. Anne told the court: "If voices cannot be heard through
normal channels the ultimate act is to put your body where it cannot be
ignored." Myra insisted that she had not stopped people going about their
lawful business - the work of the base was unlawful under international
humanitarian law. Angela said she was promoting the peace, not breaching it.
Anne and Angela told JP Gillies they would not be paying the fine and Myra
said she would think about it. In the same court Ian Richardson appeared
for a means hearing having refused to pay a £100 fine, also for a Big
Blockade "breach of the peace". Ian told the court he had still no
intention of paying and JP Gillies gave him another month to consider, with
the promise of jail if he did not cough up.
Another 48 trials of Trident Ploughshares activists are scheduled for the
remainder of this month as the courts struggle to respond to a growing tide
of resistance to Trident. The problem for the courts will continue its
exponential increase after the blockade of Faslane on 22nd October unless
the authorities revise their attitude to the campaign of peaceful,
nonviolent direct action.
Helensburgh resident and TP member Jane Tallents said: "It doesn’t matter
how often Procurator Fiscal Donnelly tells us that Trident workers are law
abiding, or how often the Magistrates tell us we are committing a Breach of
the Peace by annoying some theoretical members of the public, people will
continue to come here to take action against this horrifying weapons system
until it is dismantled."
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Trident Ploughshares,
0845 45 88 366
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