Archive for the 'Blog' Category

photo by Mike Schillingby

by Jane Stoever

Tamara Severns was arrested unexpectedly during an April 6 protest of drone warfare at Whiteman Air Force Base, near Knob Noster, Missouri. A member of the PeaceWorks, Kansas City Board of Directors and a Co-member of the Loretto Community, Tamara was walking toward the Visitors’ Center to use the bathroom. She and other resisters had used those facilities with no problem during about five earlier protests. On April 6, Tamara and several others had arrived at the base entry after authorities had warned the resisters not to step across the white line on the entry road. Unaware that “the rules” had changed, Tamara crossed the line to go toward the Visitors’ Center, was taken into custody with no warning, and was handcuffed, searched, and detained on the base about an hour.

Gilchrist on far left, Adams on crutches second to right. (Photo by Guarionex Delgado)

Elliott Adams, past National President of Veterans For Peace and international peace activist, was arrested during a nonviolent anti-drone action at Beale Air Force Base on Tuesday, April 1. Adams lives in New York and is currently on a nationwide tour, speaking out about the importance of banning drone attacks, stopping war, and building a culture of peace. He has also been conducting Unarmed Peacekeeping Skills Training and Strategy Sessions around the country with the Meta Peace Team, whose goal is “pursuing peace through active nonviolence.”

Also arrested was Adam’s friend and fellow Veteran for Peace member Richard Gilchrist.  Gilchrist served in the army in Vietnam and has also traveled around the country speaking and taking action for peace.

March 21, from Susi Snyder, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)

Some news from the Netherlands, which is gearing up (and shutting down!) to host 53 heads of State and Government next week for the Nuclear Security Summit:

To draw attention to a significant lack of nuclear security in our little country, this week four Dutch activists entered the secured zone of Volkel Airbase and managed to take a picture of one of the SW3 bunkers in which American B61 nuclear bombs are kept. The activists were arrested and remain detained.

Photo by Greenpeace France

from Greenpeace

On Tuesday, March 18 at 5:50 a.m., 60 Greenpeace activists from France, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Poland staged an occupation of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant,  France’s oldest nuclear power station.   They criticized the risk that French nuclear power poses to the whole of Europe, and called on the French government, which has programmed the closure of the Alsatian power station, to bring about a real change in energy policy in France.   Some activists first displayed a banner at the side of Reactor 1, while others climbed up the side of the reactor pool of Reactor 1 and onto the reactor dome.  Once there, the activists unfurled a banner which was 200 metres square and read, “Stop risking Europe”. They stayed in place holding this banner for four hours.  Twenty of the activists were arrested.