Press Releases & Updates 1998

Following yesterday’s mass action against the main gate at Coulport in which the security fence was breached in fourteen places and the gate itself was successfully blockaded, leading to 37 arrests, seven of those arrested appeared in court in Helensburgh this afternoon, when they were given standard bail and trial dates. All the others have been released.

Among those held overnight were Angie Zelter and Sylvia Boyes, who have now each been arrested three times since the beginning last week of the Trident Ploughshares non-violent direct action against Britain’s illegal Trident nuclear weapons system. Along with Helen Johns, these two women were given an Intermediate Hearing date of 6th January 1999 and a Trial date of 27th January 1999.

The Court was held in the premises of St. Michael and All Angels church, an ironic venue for the appearance of Fredrik, a pastor of the Swedish church, and his Swedish fellow Christian disarmers Petter and Klaus who along with retired teacher Peter Lanyon, were given an Intermediate Hearing date of the 10th March 1999 and a Trial date of 31st March 1999.

All seven were able to clarify that they had neither done nor had any intentions of doing anything illegal. The Sheriff noted that it was a matter of proof as to whether an offence had been committed or not.

At noon today there were two further arrests, of Ellen Moxley and Margaret Bremner, for obstructing the North Gate at Faslane. This brings the total number of arrests since the beginning of the TP2000 action to 60.

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