the Nuclear Resister
December, 2011
Happy holidays, and best wishes in 2012!
IN THIS E-BULLETIN:
1) GERMAN N-WASTE TRAIN DRAWS RECORD RESISTANCE
2) BRADLEY MANNING IN COURT
3) OCCUPY ENTERGY! WOMEN ARRESTED AT NUCLEAR POWER CORPORATE OFFICE
4) BRITISH VILLAGERS BLOCK NUKE WASTE DUMP
5) HANCOCK 38 DRONE RESISTERS CONVICTED, JAILED
6) WOMAN ARRESTED AT ANNUAL FT. BENNING PROTEST
7) ACTIVISTS IN AND OUT OF PRISON
8) REMEMBER A RESISTER OVER THE HOLIDAYS
9) UPCOMING NONVIOLENT DIRECT ACTIONS
German N-waste train draws record resistance
The 12th and last of the scheduled rail shipments of German nuclear reactor waste from a reprocessing center in France left the station a day earlier than expected in November. Authorities wanted to get the jump on tens of thousands of nuclear resisters assembling all along the possible routes from La Hague to the geologic grave site at Gorleben, in Germany’s northern Wendland. Despite the head start, this shipment took longer than any other to reach its destination due to the largest such opposition protest ever mounted in France, and the second largest in 35 years of nuclear waste protest in Germany. France’s failure to get German agreement to the expedited shipment also added to a delay at their border.
Read more here.
Bradley Manning in court
Getting into the Courtroom
7:35 AM
Manning’s pretrial hearing (called the Article 32) began on December 16, 2011 at Fort Meade in Maryland. The weather was chilly and grey, but lightened as the day progressed. Members of the public and media who wished to attend the trial were processed through the main visitors entrance. Fort Meade prepared for an enormous turnout — designating a soccer-field sized parking lot for trial attendees and setting up an overflow spectator theater with video feed from the trial that could hold 100 people.
Read more here.
Occupy Entergy! women arrested at nuclear power corporate office
Eleven women of the Shut It Down Affinity Group occupied the offices of Entergy Corporation on Old Ferry Road, Brattleboro, Vermont, on Monday morning, December 12, and attempted to make a citizens’ arrest of the board and officers of Entergy, operator of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon.
All the women were arrested for unlawful trespass and directed to appear for arraignment on various January dates in Brattleboro Superior Court, Criminal Division.
Read more here.
British villagers block neighborhood nuke dump
A private firm’s plan to dump low-level radioactive waste in their East Midlands landfill met with nonviolent resistance on the morning of December 2. Three days before, Kings Cliffe Waste Watchers, with the backing of 98% of area residents who opposed the plan in a recent referendum, were given leave to appeal a British High Court ruling in favor of operator Augean. But the court refused to grant an order barring the waste until the appeal is concluded. Augean had earlier agreed to wait until the legal dispute was settled, but now said they’d go ahead, and could just dig it up again if the ruling was not in their favor.
About 25 people, members of Waste Watchers and Local Democracy in Action, arrived very early and blocked the landfill entrance before the workers got there.
Read more here.
Hancock 38 drone resisters convicted, jailed
After “many a sleepless night”, a town court judge in DeWitt, New York convicted 31 of the Hancock 38 Drone Resisters, and sent four to jail. Judge David Gideon’s verdict and sentencing came in a five-hour night court hearing December 1, after deliberating on their four-day trial held a month earlier in November.
Read more here.
Woman arrested at annual Ft. Benning protest
One Colorado woman was arrested on Sunday, November 20 on the grounds of Fort Benning as part of the annual vigil and demonstration to commemorate those killed by graduates of the notorious School of the Americas and to call for the immediate closure of the training institute.
Read more here.
Activists in and out of prison
In the last month, several of the Hancock 38 spent time in jail, and a member of the London Catholic Worker community was sent to prison for refusing to pay a fine for a 2008 peace action. All have now been released. Also released in the past month are British conscientious objector Michael Lyons and activists arrested at Jeju Island, including Gangjeong Mayor Kang Dong-Kyun.
You can find a regularly updated list of imprisoned military refusers, anti-nuclear and anti-war activists on the Nuclear Resister blog, as well as prisoners’ writings.
Remember a resister over the holidays
From Leonard Eiger:
Holiday Greetings People of Peace,
Oh what a year it’s been! For those of us in the Anti-Nuclear and Anti-War Resistance Movement it has been a year of continued struggle against an ever growing (and out-of-control) Military-Industrial Complex. From drones to nuclear weapons and more, dedicated peacemakers have steadfastly resisted the dominant culture of war.
At places like Fort Benning, Y-12, Kansas City, STRATCOM, Hancock Field, Downing Street and Jeju Island, resisters stood their ground taking a stand for justice and peace. They spoke out against a host of immoral and illegal actions by their governments. And for their actions many were arrested, tried and put in prison.
Read more here.
Upcoming nonviolent direct actions (click here).
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