Archive for the 'Blog' Category

Page 22 of 96

17 nuclear disarmament activists arrested at 9th Memorial Day witness at Kansas City plant

Posted on June 12, 2019

Photo by Mark A. Semet

by Jane Stoever, Peace Works Kansas City

In a rebuke to White House attempts to “make America nuclear again,” 17 peace activists were arrested for trespass during the ninth annual Memorial Day peace witness for a nuclear weapons-free world. 
Sponsored by PeaceWorks-KC, the annual event surpassed previous years’ participation by turning out some 90 peace activists. Three activists from Europe added another first—representation from a growing and global nuclear weapons abolition movement.

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Chelsea Manning’s legal team files motion to reconsider sanctions

Posted on May 31, 2019

from The Sparrow Project 

Alexandria, VA — Today (May 31), Chelsea Manning and her legal team filed a Motion to Reconsider Sanctions, in which they ask Judge Anthony Trenga to release Chelsea from confinement, and ask that he modify the fines he imposed on her.

During the May 16th contempt hearing, Judge Trenga found Ms. Manning in contempt of court and ordered her confined for the term of the grand jury. Judge Trenga also imposed graduated fines to be assessed at $500 per day starting after 30 days of confinement, and jumping to $1,000 per day after 60 days, for as long as she refuses to comply with the court’s order to answer questions before the grand jury.

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Five peace activists arrested, spend night in jail after Armed Forces Day direct action at Des Moines drone command center

Posted on May 20, 2019

photo by Susan van der Hijden

from Frank Cordaro

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 as planned on Saturday, May 18 at 3 p.m., right before a major thunderstorm hit Des Moines! Twenty-five people gathered to protest the Des Moines Armed Drone Command Center.

Gil Landolt, from the Des Moines Catholic Worker and President of the Des Moines Bill Basinger Veterans for Peace chapter, was the first to speak. Gil speaks from his heart, as a Vet for Peace. It’s always moving to hear him speak. 

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Four peace activists illegally evicted and arrested at Venezuelan embassy in D.C.

Posted on May 16, 2019
from CODEPINK: Women for Peace

CODEPINK Denounces Illegal Entry and Arrest at D.C. Venezuelan Embassy and Vows to Keep Fighting to Protect the Embassy

Thursday, May 16, Washington D.C. — At 9:30 a.m. in the morning, D.C. police officers illegally entered the Venezuelan embassy in Washington D.C. in the Georgetown neighborhood and arrested four activists lawfully living in the building since April 10, as guests of the legitimate Venezuelan government. The four activists are Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese (with the group Popular Resistance), Adrienne Pine (an academic) and David Paul (a CODEPINK member). They are part of the Embassy Protection Collective that has been living in the embassy since April 10.

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Chelsea Manning remanded into federal custody, for again refusing to testify before a Grand Jury

Posted on May 16, 2019

from The Sparrow Project

Statement from Chelsea Manning’s Lawyers Regarding Chelsea Being Remanded Into Custody

Alexandria, VA — Today, Chelsea Manning was remanded into federal custody, again, for refusing to testify before a federal Grand Jury.  

In addition to being held in confinement for the duration of the Grand Jury investigation or until she purges her contempt and testifies, District Court Judge Anthony Trenga ordered Chelsea to be fined $500 every day she is in custody after 30 days and $1,000 every day she is in custody after 60 days.

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Nine nuclear resisters arrested on Mother’s Day weekend at Bangor Trident nuclear submarine base

Posted on May 16, 2019

Photo by Glen Milner

from the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action

Approximately thirty nuclear disarmament activists took part in a spirited rally at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor on Saturday, May 11th in the spirit of the original anti-war message of Mother’s Day, which calls for the abolition of war and militarism (and of course nuclear weapons). 

The Ground Zero Center activists were accompanied by the Seattle Peace Chorus. Also participating was Chicago-based peacemaker Kathy Kelly of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, whose keynote address at Ground Zero Center was titled: “Deploying Love in a Permanent Warfare State.” Earlier in the day, Tacoma-based attorney Blake Kremer briefed the activists on their legal rights while undertaking nonviolent actions.

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Whistleblower charged with giving classified drone warfare documents to journalist

Posted on May 10, 2019

Ex-NSA official charged with leaking classified drone documents

Daniel Hale is accused of giving top secret files on drone warfare to a journalist at an online news outlet

by  in New York

A former National Security Agency (NSA) official has been charged with giving classified documents on drone warfare to a journalist, amid a crackdown on government leaks by Donald Trump’s administration.

Daniel Hale is accused of leaking top secret files that were published by an online news outlet. The outlet was not identified by prosecutors, but the files described appear to match those published in a series by the Intercept.

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Twenty-three arrests at Good Friday blockade of Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab

Posted on May 1, 2019

Photo by Mark Coplan

from the Ecumenical Peace Institute and Livermore Conversion Project

Faith-based Resistance to Nuclear Weapons
On Good Friday, April 19, around 70 people concerned about 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.

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Magistrate recommends Kings Bay Plowshares Religious Freedom Motion be denied

Posted on April 28, 2019

Four of the seven Kings Bay Plowshares activists with some of their attorneys

from the Kings Bay Plowshares

The Kings Bay Plowshares 7 activists received word on Friday evening, April 26 that Magistrate Cheesbro of the Southern District Court of Georgia recommended that their motions to dismiss the charges, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act argument, be denied. The seven defendants, all Catholics, had testified with expert witnesses during their November 2018 evidentiary hearings and waited fourteen weeks for the final decision. There is still no trial date set. 
Their statement follows:
On April 4, 2018, we went onto the Kings Bay naval base, the largest nuclear submarine base in the world, to make real the prophet Isaiah’s command to beat swords into plowshares. We were charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor which carry a maximum penalty of over 20 years in prison.

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Twenty-five protesters arrested for blocking roads outside ship christening in Bath, Maine

Posted on April 27, 2019

Photo by Regis Tremblay

from The Times Record

April 27, 2019

BATH — Bath police arrested 25 protesters who they say were blocking roadways outside Bath Iron Works Saturday morning during the christening ceremony for the USS Lyndon B. Johnson.

The protesters were arrested around 9 a.m. They face charges of obstructing a public way, a Class E crime punishable by up to six months incarceration and a $1,000 fine. The protesters were primarily members of Maine Veterans for Peace, Code Pink and the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, according to police.

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