Protests against Trident
Swedish peace activists freed
Three Swedish peace activists were released on bail after a jury at Preston Crown Court failed to convict them of conspiring to cause criminal damage to a submarine carrying Trident nuclear missiles.
The three - Annika Spalde, Ann-Britt Sternfeldt and Stellan Vinthagen - had entered the VSEL submarine base in Barrow in September 1998 with the intention of ‘disarming’ Trident missiles.
They were imprisoned for nearly eight months undergoing the two week trial in May. But in a sensational decision and after being heavily directed by the Judge about the ‘legality’ of weapons of mass destruction, the Preston Jury were unable to agree a majority verdict and the three were freed face a retrial in the autumn.
The three protesters were members of the international ‘Swords into Ploughshares’ movement which believes in non-violent direct action against war under the slogan ‘Bread not Bombs’.
During their trial dozens of supporters from all over the world converged on Preston - travelling from Sweden, Finland, USA, Australia and many other countries.
A week long festival of ‘Peace and Resistance’ was held with a daily vigil outside the Court and socials, a well-attended rally at the local University and other meetings in support. Members of the local peace movement, Labour Party and church groups provided accommodation and assistance.
The protesters were invited to address and join the local May Day rally, organised jointly by Preston Trades Council and the Radical Preston Alliance, sharing a platform with international and trade union speakers and local Labour MP, Audrey Wise. Local Labour MEP, Michael Hindley, supported the campaign.
Supporters from Merseyside peace and church groups and East Timorese refugees regularly attended events, though the leadership of the Labour, Trade Union and CND movement kept their distance. Four Swedish activists were arrested and held overnight by police, ironically for ‘breach of the peace’, in a protest at Barrow during the trial.
International solidarity
In addition to campaigning against Trident missiles, the protesters raised many other peace and international campaigns in particular opposing NATO’s war in the Balkans and solidarity with the people of East Timor.
Particularly significant was a joint ‘Ploughshares’ meeting with the Radical Preston Alliance, where a US Gulf War veteran presented a slide show about the devastation caused by UN sanctions against Iraq.
Clearly criticising those who argue for a UN intervention in the Balkans, the speaker explained how economic sanctions could be just as violent and destructive as bombing, as he outlined the death and devastation unleashed on ordinary Iraqis, including the Kurdish and other opposition to the current Iraqi government.
The Gulf War veteran is touring Europe to campaign for the breaking of sanctions and solidarity with the Iraqi people.
Remarkable
The jury decision was quite remarkable in a town and region that is heavily dependent on the armaments industry.
It follows the earlier decision of a Liverpool jury to free peace activists who caused damage to a Hawk aircraft, based near Preston, in a protest against the war in East Timor.
The Ploughshares activists served nearly eight months on remand before being released on bail to face retrial. Also remarkable was the complete lack of UK press coverage of the events.
Local and national media in the UK completely ignored the trial as it unfolded, despite the Swedish national media giving it extensive coverage, including a full page report in one of the leading Swedish daily newspapers.
It must be suspected that the British media is so overwhelmingly in support of NATO’s war in the Balkans that it would embarrass them and the Blair leadership if opposition to imperialist war is highlighted in their news reporting.
Mass campaign
The individualistic ‘direct action’ tactics of the ‘Ploughshares’ group are not shared by Socialist Outlook, which believes in building a mass campaign based in the labour movement against imperialist war: but no-one can fail to be impressed by their determination and willingness to confront the armed might of the imperialist state.
For this they deserve to be defended by much wider forces in the British Labour and Trade Union movement.