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Press Releases & Updates 1999

25th October 1999

Standard Fare From Local JP In Face Of Landmark Ruling

Today, Monday 25th October 1999, in Helensburgh District Court, German Ploughshares activist Anne Scholz (22) from Freiburg, was found guilty of a breach of bye-laws and fined £50 following her swim into Faslane naval base in August this year, in an attempt to reach and disarm a Trident nuclear weapons submarine docked there. Also today MSP Margo McDonald and Dorothy Grace-Elder have tabled motions for debate in the Scottish Parliament on the legal and constitutional implications of Sheriff Gimblett’s ruling in Greenock last week.

A Trident Ploughshares spokesperson said:

"On the one hand last week’s judgement in Greenock Sheriff Court, which freed three Ploughshares activists, has led to motions for debate in the Scottish Parliament touching on three hugely important issues: the relationship between Scots law and international law; the core of the UK’s defence policy; the independence of Scottish jurisdiction in constitutional terms. On the other hand another Ploughshares activist is found guilty of the breach of a piddling piece of delegated legislation in a piddling local court. JP Stirling, who delivered today’s verdict, has already admitted that he is incompetent to deal with cases involving international law. He demonstrated that incompetence again today. He has consistently failed to follow the logic of his confession and refuse to handle these cases, in which activists attempt to justify their direct action against the illegal bases on the basis that they are upholding international law.

The threat from Britain’s Trident nuclear weapons remains imminent. The continued and lamentable failure of this local court to face its responsibilities and join the struggle to prevent nuclear crime is yet one more reason for continuing and intensifying our direct action."


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Trident Ploughshares, 42-46 Bethel St, Norwich NR2 1NR
Tel: 0845 45 88 366
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