Author Archive for jack

Blockaders Shut Down Holloman AFB to “Put Our Bodies Between the Drones and the Children of Gaza” – One Arrested

Anti-drone activists from across the U.S. shut down the West Gate entrance at New Mexico’s Holloman Air Force Base early in the morning of April 23 for nearly an hour. The demonstration was part of the third annual “week of resistance” to the covert U.S. drone warfare program. 

Activists donned signs with names and ages of young Gazan children killed, and blocked traffic while chanting “15 thousand children killed in Gaza. No drones for genocide.”

One protester, Toby Blomé, was arrested after lying down on pavement in front of a stalled car when military police threatened to arrest her. She was ultimately handcuffed, detained, cited with a federal trespassing charge and released.

Photo by Jim Hannah

from PeaceWorks Kansas City

‘No new nukes!’ say resisters at Kansas City nuke plant

by Jane Stoever

Twenty-three peacemakers resisted nuclear weapons at dawn on May 19. Our signs, made May 18, declared, “No new nukes!” and “Stop escalating nuclear War!”

Why hold signs at dawn? That’s when workers come to make 80% of the electrical and mechanical parts for the nation’s nuclear arsenal at the Kansas City National Security Campus. In our backyard. In the heartland of America, the womb of U.S. nukes.

A few thousand workers drove past our signs into work. To our surprise, we got six honks for peace. Yes! And after six of us crossed the purple line marking the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) property, we chatted there with NNSA guards and Kansas City, Missouri  police.

Photo by Milo Chandler

from Lakenheath Alliance for Peace

At 9:30 a.m. on April 25, fourteen women, intersex, non-binary and trans activists (FINT) – aged from 24 to 91 – held a blockade of the main gate of USAF Lakenheath, denouncing the deadly entanglements between militarism, climate change, authoritarianism and genocide. Ten activists were topless with chains around their wrists and tape over their mouths to expose the vulnerability and silencing faced by FINT people under systems of war, climate collapse, and oppression. Their bodies were painted with the words “Violence,” “Displacement,” “Brutality,” “Exploitation,” “Silencing” and “Oppression”. They stood hand in hand forming a powerful image blockading the vast military complex. War and climate change are both strongly linked to gender-based violence around the world. Four activists, including two of our international participants, stood behind them displaying flags and a banner saying “Break The Chain”.

Photo by Rose McPartland

On April 17, Holy Thursday, seven participants of a Holy Week peace pilgrimage in Connecticut were arrested while blocking the entrance leading to the engineering building of General Dynamics/Electric Boat. Before they were arrested, together with the other peace walkers, they performed a foot washing in the road and held long banners that read “Holy Thursday: Jesus Commanded ‘Love One Another'” and “Stop Engineering the End of the World.” 

Ellen Grady, Clare Grady, Linden Jenkins, Steve Baggarly, Dimitri Kadiev, Karen Gargamelli-McCreight and Chris Spicer Hankle were charged with disorderly conduct, and appeared for their arraignment in Connecticut Superior Court in New London on Thursday, May 1. Five of the activists took the community service that was offered. Chris Spicer and Steve Baggarly are waiting to be notified about a trial date.

from Catholic Peace Action

Dear Friend,

Here is what we have been up to this Lent!

After moments of prayer and reflection, under the beautiful, sparkling blue spring sky, Ray, Dan and Carmel approached the front entrance of the Ministry of Defence in London on April 2.

It was unguarded, with only a trickle of workers entering and leaving. Ray climbed the steps and onto the plinth under the sign labelling the building.

He wrote everything he had planned to write in charcoal under the mark of a cross. “Trident is genocide, choose life not terror”.

He stood with his arms out and palms open indicating his non-violence and waited.