Nuclear Resister E-bulletin April/May/June 2019

April/May/June 2019

IN THIS E-BULLETIN

GERMAN POLICE CLEAR BLOCKADE AT BASE WHERE U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARE STORED    

PEACE ACTIVISTS DISRUPT PARIS AIR SHOW, 50 ARRESTS  

DRONE BASE ACTIONS IN IOWA, CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK, NEVADA 

WHISTLEBLOWER DANIEL HALE CHARGED WITH GIVING CLASSIFIED DRONE WARFARE DOCUMENTS TO JOURNALIST

KINGS BAY PLOWSHARES DUE IN COURT ON AUGUST 7 FOR PRETRIAL MOTIONS HEARING

DOZENS ARRESTED FOR PROTESTS AT BATH IRON WORKS WARSHIP CHRISTENINGS IN APRIL AND JUNE

SEVENTEEN NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT ACTIVISTS ARRESTED ON MEMORIAL DAY AT KANSAS CITY PLANT

MOTHER’S DAY ACTION AT BANGOR TRIDENT NUCLEAR SUBMARINE BASE RESULTS IN NINE ARRESTS 

NUCLEAR RESISTERS ARRESTED ON GOOD FRIDAY AT LIVERMORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS LAB, NEVADA NUCLEAR TEST SITE, PENTAGON, LOCKHEED MARTIN

MAN ARRESTED FOR ANTI-WAR GRAFFITI ON LOCKHEED MARTIN SIGN  

FOUR ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS ILLEGALLY EVICTED AND ARRESTED AT VENEZUELAN EMBASSY IN D.C. 

PLEASE SUPPORT IMPRISONED ANTI-NUCLEAR AND ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS – THE NUCLEAR RESISTER NEEDS YOU! 

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German police clear blockade at base where U.S. nuclear weapons are stored

This year’s 20-week campaign of nonviolent action at Germany’s Büchel Air base, demanding withdrawal of the estimated 20 U.S. nuclear weapons stockpiled there, is underway. On June 28, activists arrived at Büchel to blockade the three gates leading into the base. The base was totally blocked for about two hours on the unseasonably hot Friday afternoon, preventing commuting personnel from leaving for the weekend. Police eventually carried demonstrators off the road and conducted ID checks before they were free to go.

Gerd Büntzly recently completed a 10-day jail sentence in lieu of a fine he received after being convicted of trespass and property damage for cutting the fence and sitting atop a nuclear weapons bunker at the base in July 2017.
 
Read more here.

Peace activists disrupt Paris air show, 50 arrested

The French nonviolent direct action Collectif des Désobéissants (Collective of Disobedients) coordinated a series of nonviolent direct actions on June 22 to disrupt the Paris Air Show, the largest such aerospace industry and air show in the world. The air show at Le Bourget airport serves as a showcase for arms dealers from around the world. The objective of this action was to denounce the responsibility of France in the deaths of civilians in Yemen, and demand the immediate closure of this business fair for the merchants of death.

Several die-ins and other nonviolent actions, many at the entry gates, resulted in the arrest of 50 activists who were taken to various police stations in the Paris region. They were held for about four hours and released after their identity was checked and recorded. About 30 additional identity checks were carried out on the spot of the demonstrations.

Read more here.

Drone base actions in Iowa, California, New York, Nevada  

DES MOINES DRONE COMMAND CENTER

The 3rd annual “Honor Vets, Ground Drones” Armed Forces Day rally and direct action at the main entrance of the Iowa Air National Guard Drone Command Center took place on the afternoon of May 18. After the protesters listened to some speakers, five Catholic Workers walked to the entrance of the base carrying a banner which read, “Honor Vets, Ground Drones”. Jakob Whitson carried a ladder that he put against the gate and climbed up. He was quickly stopped by base security. The five were soon arrested, handcuffed and taken by police to the Polk County Jail, where they spent the night before being released the next morning. Four pled guilty and were given fines. Ruth Hart pled not guilty and has a court date.

Read more here.

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE

Early on the morning of June 25, three peace activists were arrested as they leafleted cars backed up to enter Beale Air Force Base in California. Mauro Oliveira, Shirley Osgood and Chris Nelson were arrested for trespass and taken into custody after they crossed over the boundary line to reach the commuters waiting just outside the security checkpoint. They distributed a Veterans For Peace leaflet opposing military confrontation with Iran. The three were held there for about an hour before being driven into the base for processing, and released after another hour.

Read more here.

HANCOCK AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE

On the morning of June 20, eight members of the Upstate Drone Action Coalition were arrested for blocking the entrance to Hancock Air base, home of the 174th Attack Wing. The rainy morning blockade was composed of a tableau representing the aftermath of a drone strike with mothers grieving their slain children. Protesters held two large banners stating, “Drones Fly, Children Die: Our Hearts are Breaking!” and “Children are not collateral damage!” They delivered a statement to base personnel calling on them to refuse to obey the chain of command’s illegal drone assassination orders, which violate U.S. and International Law. The eight activists were taken to jail, processed and released that night.

Read more here.

CREECH AIR FORCE BASE

Six people – holding up bloody hands to illustrate everyone’s complicity in war crimes – were arrested at Creech drone base in Nevada on Wednesday, April 3. They stood at the entrance to Creech Air Force Base drone center in an attempt to stop the killing of civilians in the ever-expanding, worldwide U.S. killer drone program. Two women and four men – two of whom are military veterans – were arrested and taken to the Clark County Jail on misdemeanor counts. When arrested they were holding a banner reading, “Drones = Blood on our Hands.” The theme of the protest was “No more blood on our hands. Stop the terror. Stop the drone wars.”

Read more here.

Whistleblower Daniel Hale charged with giving classified drone warfare documents to journalist

Former National Security Agency (NSA) official Daniel Hale was arrested on May 9 and charged with giving classified documents on drone warfare to a journalist. He is accused of leaking top secret files, and while prosecutors did not name the online news outlet, the files described match those published by the Intercept. The 31-year-old whistleblower was indicted on five charges by a grand jury, with each charge carrying a maximum 10-year prison sentence. He was charged under the Espionage Act and with theft of government property. Hale had worked as an intelligence analyst in Afghanistan while serving in the U.S. Air Force from 2009 to 2013. Later he worked as a contractor for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 

Read more here.

Kings Bay Plowshares due in court on August 7 for pretrial motions hearing

On August 7, a federal court in Brunswick, Georgia will hear final oral arguments about an unprecedented pre-trial motion in the case of seven Roman Catholic nuclear disarmament activists. The Kings Bay Plowshares are facing charges of conspiracy, destruction of property on naval installation and depredation of government property for entering the Kings Bay, Georgia naval base in April 2018 to engage in nonviolent direct action for disarmament. The seven seek dismissal of all charges, arguing that under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, the threat of felony convictions for engaging in prayerful religious activity at the site of nuclear weapons deployment is an unconstitutional restriction on their religious liberty. In June, federal magistrate Cheesbro, who heard the defendants’ testimony in favor of their motion during pretrial hearings last year, recommended that U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, who will preside at any trial, reject the motion. The August 7 hearing will be the final opportunity for the defense to prevail before trial, a date for which is not expected to be set until her decision is announced. 

Three of the Plowshares group – Fr. Steve Kelly, Liz McAlister and Mark Colville – remain in the Glynn County Detention Center, while the other four – Clare Grady, Martha Hennessy, Carmen Trotta and Patrick O’Neill – are free on bond with ankle monitors. 

Read more here, including jail addresses, information about a fast and vigil in Georgia from August 6-9 and to sign a petition asking for charges to be dismissed.

Dozens arrested for protests at Bath Iron Works warship christenings in April and June

APRIL 27

More than two dozen peace activists were arrested by Bath police while blocking roadways outside Bath Iron Works (BIW) on April 27 during the christening ceremony for the USS Lyndon B. Johnson, the Navy’s third and final Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyer. They face charges of obstructing a public way, a Class E crime punishable by up to six months incarceration and a $1,000 fine.

Read more here.

JUNE 22

Twenty-two peace activists were arrested on June 22 while blocking traffic or gates at different areas outside Bath Iron Works in Maine, where a christening ceremony for the USS Daniel Inouye was taking place. The group was charged with obstructing a public way and processed at the Sagadahoc County Courthouse, where 13 posted bail and were released on personal recognizance. Nine of the peace activists were taken to jail after refusing to sign any summonses or bail slips. They were released on June 24 after their arraignment. 

When activists were arrested outside BIW during the earlier christening of another warship in April, 2017 the district attorney later dropped the charges, saying that prosecuting the demonstrators would tie up resources and give them “undue publicity.”      

Read more here.

Seventeen nuclear disarmament activists arrested on Memorial Day at Kansas City Plant

Seventeen activists were arrested for trespass during the ninth annual Memorial Day peace witness for a nuclear weapons-free world at the new Kansas City Plant, where more than 80% of the non-nuclear components of the U.S. nuclear arsenal are developed or procured. After marching for a mile to the entrance of the plant, the activists read the names and maladies of people who died from toxins at the old (now decommissioned) weapons plant. They then had a die-in until the bugle call of “Taps” was sounded. After sharing statements, the line-crossers simultaneously stepped onto plant property and were soon arrested for trespass by Kansas City police. They were released with a court summons after being handcuffed, searched and photographed on site.

Read more here.

Mother’s Day action at Bangor Trident nuclear submarine base results in nine arrests

Thirty nuclear disarmament activists took part in a rally and action at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor on May 11 in the spirit of the original anti-war message of Mother’s Day, which calls for the abolition of war and militarism. Some of the group blocked the entrance to the main gate of the Trident nuclear submarine base while holding up banners that read: “Disarm Trident, Deploy Peace” and “Congress Wants $1 Trillion for Nuclear Weapons. What Will Be Left for Our Children?” Supporters stood alongside the road holding signs reading: “Abolish Nuclear Weapons” and “Our Children Deserve Better.” Eight activists were removed from the roadway by Washington State Patrol officers and cited. Bob Delastrada was arrested by Naval Security and cited for crossing the federal (blue) line.

Read more here.

Nuclear resisters arrested on Good Friday at Livermore nuclear weapons lab, Nevada nuclear test site, Pentagon, Lockheed Martin     

LIVERMORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS LAB

On Good Friday, April 19, around 70 people opposed to the continuing development of nuclear weapons gathered outside the Livermore Nuclear Weapons Laboratory in California. Rev. Will McGarvey, the pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg, spoke on the subject “Keeping Faith in the Face of Empire” at the early morning interfaith prayer service. Afterwards, the group walked about one-third of a mile to the lab’s West Gate, pausing along the way to meditate on the sufferings of the people represented at the Stations of the Cross of Empire. At the gate, there was a circle dance led by Dances for Universal Peace. Twenty-three activists were then arrested for blocking the gate.

Read more here.

NEVADA NUCLEAR TEST SITE

On Good Friday, April 19, 33 people were arrested during a nonviolent demonstration for nuclear abolition and indigenous rights (to end the occupation of the Western Shoshone Nation’s homeland) in the roadway leading to the Nevada National Security Site (N.N.S.S., formerly known as the Nevada nuclear Test Site). Demonstrators gave Department of Energy officials and Nye County sheriffs copies of the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley, The People’s Indictment of the N.N.S.S. of Crimes Against Peace and Crimes Against Humanity, and the Non Proliferation Treaty – all of which are continually violated by the N.N.S.S. 

Twenty-five of those arrested were issued written warnings by Nye County sheriffs, and were told that if they engage in a similar action there at a later date, they will be given a citation with attached court dates. Eight activists were taken to the Pahrump Jail. Two organizers received public nuisance charges for their attempts to facilitate the continuation of the prayer service. The other six, who intentionally had carried Western Shoshone Nation permits giving them permission to be on Western Shoshone land as their only I.D., were charged with trespass. All were released by April 22.

In October 2018, Nye County resumed prosecution of line-crossing actions at the N.N.S.S. conducted by peace activists. Trials are expected. The April 19 prayer-action was the culmination of Nevada Desert Experience’s 24th annual Sacred Peace Walk.

Read more here.

PENTAGON

On Good Friday, April 19, a nonviolent public witness was held at the Pentagon as part of an annual Faith and Resistance retreat. At 7:00 a.m., the group processed to the police designated protest zone with signs and small crosses with the names of different victims in our society and world written on them. A sizable Pentagon police presence was waiting for them. Six of the activists did a two-part risk arrest action. Carrying a copy of the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, Srs. Ardeth Platte and Carol Gilbert distributed the Treaty to workers a short distance away. Simultaneously, Steve Baggarly, Kathy Boylan, Joe Byrne and Joan Wages staged a die-in on the sidewalk outside of the fenced off designated protest area. This resulted in the police temporarily closing down the sidewalk. After being given warnings by Pentagon police, they were all arrested and taken to the Pentagon Police Center, processed and released within two hours. They were charged with “violation of a lawful order” and given a notice to appear in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia on July 18, 2019.

Read more here.

LOCKHEED MARTIN

At noon on Good Friday, the Brandywine Peace Community held their annual observance – a Prayer for the Love of Humanity – at Lockheed Martin in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. After a litany for the Love of Humanity, Fr. Patrick Sieber read Luke 23: 33-49. This was followed by a bell tolling and a song by Tom Mullian that conveys the time in which we live and the message to which we cling: For The Love of Humanity. As the bell tolled, a small group of people walked slowly into the Lockheed Martin driveway, stretching across the blocked main entrance with crosses reading: “For The Love of Humanity” and signs reading “We Support the U.N. Treaty to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.” In twos and threes, people turned and began walking toward the Lockheed Martin lobby, intending to deliver the U.N. Treaty. Stopped by company security, six people were arrested by Upper Merion police, handcuffed and taken to the police station, where they were cited for disorderly conduct and released.

Read more here.

Man arrested for anti-war graffiti on Lockheed Martin sign

Bryce Druzin sent an email to the Palo Alto Weekly on April 27 to let them know that he had just finished spray painting the word “Yemen” on the Lockheed Martin headquarters sign, in protest of the arms merchant’s sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia. Palo Alto, California police soon arrived and arrested the 34-year-old man. Druzin was motivated to protest Lockheed Martin by the August 9, 2018 bombing of a school bus in Yemen, when a Saudi plane dropped a bomb produced by Lockheed and killed 40 children. As the police were taking him into custody, he told the Weekly that, “I grew up in Palo Alto, and it’s embarrassing to have this company in my hometown.” 

Read more here.

Four anti-war activists illegally evicted and arrested at Venezuela Embassy in D.C.

On May 16, police officers illegally entered the Venezuelan embassy in Washington D.C., evicting and arresting four peace activists who had been lawfully living in the building since April 10 as guests of the legitimate Venezuelan government. Margaret Flowers, Kevin Zeese, Adrienne Pine and David Paul were charged with “interference with certain protective functions”. They maintain that the arrests are illegal under Articles 22 and 45 of the 1961 Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations, in which diplomatic premises are “inviolable” and agents of the receiving State may not enter them, except with the consent of the head of the mission.

On April 10, members of the Embassy Protection Collective had moved into the Venezuelan embassy to serve as an interim embassy protection force to prevent the Trump administration from allowing representatives of non-elected opposition leader Juan Guiado from taking over the building as part of a repeatedly attempted and failed coup. Until April 30, members of the Collective were able to come and go freely from the building, with up to 50 activists sleeping there. On April 30, a group of Guaidó supporters — coinciding with Guaidó’s failed call for an uprising inside Venezuela — descended on the embassy, determined to oust the activists and seize the building. They blared sirens, horns, and megaphones and surrounded the perimeter of the building with tents, refusing to allow food, medicine, supplies or people to enter. Multiple peace activists were physically assaulted and arrested in attempts to approach the building with food. On May 8, Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco), assisted by the Secret Service, cut electricity despite all utility bills being paid in full.

Read more here.