Press Releases & Updates 1999

Today (Thursday 27th May) 500 non-violent activists from all parts of the globe who walked from the Hague to Brussels faced a barrage of police batons and water cannon at NATO’S HQ. In defiance of a ban on such demonstrations by the Mayor of Brussels they had gone to the HQ in an effort to carry out a Citizen’s Inspection of the complex, in order to collect evidence of international war crime. Their protest is against NATO’s illegal nuclear weapons policy and its disregard for international law in the conduct of the war in the Balkans. 140 of their number were arrested for a range of alleged offences, including trespass.

The 19 UK people arrested included TP2000 pledgers Brian Quail, secretary of Scottish CND; Barbara McGregor, an artist from Glasgow; Joan Meredith and Joy Mitchell, retired teachers from Northumbria; Bob Sprocket from Brighton; Hazel Bloor of Durham; Rachel Boyd, Peter Lanyon and Angie Zelter from Norwich.

Angie, already well known in the UK for her part in the disarming of a Hawk aircraft in 1996 and her many arrests at the Faslane nuclear weapons base in Scotland, was one of many struck with batons and bruised. She said:

" When the police were laying into us with their long batons we pointed out that this was precisely what NATO was doing in Serbia to people just like us. Our words obviously hit home for their eyes dropped and many looked really shamefaced. I am ashamed of NATO. Its actions are not in my name."

The action is not over. The arrested activists were released late in the evening and have promised to return to the HQ tomorrow.

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