Press Releases & Updates 1998

Today the Trident Ploughshares activists who breached security on Monday night at the Faslane Naval Base, where Trident nuclear weapon submarines are berthed and maintained, undermined earlier denials by the Ministry of Defence when they confirmed that they were within ten metres of a submarine in Docking Berth 12.

When they appeared in court today the three swimmers, Katri Silvonen (21), Krista van Velzen (23) from the Netherlands and Rick Springer from the USA (47), were given standard bail and a trial date of 10th November. Out of consideration for the distances to be traveled to court by the accused no intermediate diet was arranged. In the context of standard bail conditions being applied to one of the three, Krista van Velzen, said "I don’t believe I have committed a crime or will in the future, but I will continue to engage in non-violent direct action to uphold international law." The other disarmers arrested on Monday night have been given trial dates of 22nd September and 27th October.

To date the UK government has failed to uphold international law and to rid its defence system of the capacity to inflict genocide, mass destruction and environmental disaster that is contained in the Trident nuclear weapons system.

The Nuremberg Principles confirm that it is the right and civic duty of every individual, with particular reference to members of the armed forces, to refuse to carry out an order when that order contradicts international humanitarian law. The TP2000 activists are therefore determined to do their duty as national and international citizens and carry out the disarmament themselves, by non-violent direct action, for the sake of a future free of the horror of nuclear weapons.

This morning all the activists who had been held after a mass intrusion at the Coulport base on Monday were released after all the charges against them were dropped. Other disarmers charged with alleged offences relating to other similar but earlier actions have been bailed for trial. This inconsistency suggests that the court system is now finding it difficult to cope with the number of referrals. The number of arrests has today reached 89.

Among five women arrested at the Faslane North Gate during the mass action this morning was Amelia Benjamin of the renowned early music group Venus Birds. Her crime was playing a Bach solo on her viol and her alleged offences were Breach of the Peace and Resisting Arrest.

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