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Over many years, ever since she first heard ofthe Ploughshares movement, Angie Zelterwanted to do a nuclear Ploughshares action.She writes: �After my experience of the Hawkaction whilst in prison I decided I would doone (it only took three years!!) - but the Hawkaction and lack of our follow-up with moreactions afterwards made me want to set up astructure and campaign to enable manyothers to do it too � to really be effective Irealised we needed to have very many otherpeople over a period of time continuallydoing Ploughshares actions to follow-throughin depth - hence the evolution of TP. Then Isat down and over a few weeks wrote theoutline and then sent out an open letter inAugust 1997 once I had tried the idea on afew people and they seemed to think it good.�

In April 1998 in Peaton Wood, belonging to peaceactivist Georgina Smith, just 5000 yards from thewarhead depot at Coulport, there was a planningweekend involving representatives from affinitygroups, to make arrangements for our first move intothe active side of the campaign, a two-weekdisarmament camp in August of that year. As wetalked over the practical arrangements and the ethosthat we wanted for that event, we re-affirmed the factthat we were asking pledgers and others attendingthe camp to commit themselves to the pledge as anexpression of a minimum set of core values thatcould hold together people from a wide range ofoutlooks and campaign histories. We talked about thepossibility of a heavy response by the authorities,maybe even conspiracy charges (carrying a maximumpenalty of 10 years in prison), arising out of thesimple process of signing the Pledge to PreventNuclear Crime. These anxieties have to date provedgroundless, but it is surely significant that the

potential for such serious consequences did not leadanyone to withdraw their pledge.

Parallel to these practical arrangements the campaignset in motion its attempt to engage the UKgovernment in dialogue. In March a letter from theCore group had been sent to UK Prime Minister TonyBlair, stating that we would not begin our attempts atdisarmament before 11 August 1998, to allow fordialogue about government intentions and theirresponse to our campaign. The response was that theretention of Trident was a manifesto pledge and thatHMG was confident that Trident was legal under theterms of the ICJ Opinion. Just before the Augustcamp TP again wrote to the Prime Minister, a �finalplea� for a meeting before the direct disarmamentbegan. This time the reply had an additional reasonfor not meeting the campaigners. It wasinappropriate to meet with members of a campaignwhich was threatening illegal actions.

On the 2nd of May 1998 there were simultaneousformal launches of the campaign in Hiroshima, Gent,Gothenburg, London and Edinburgh. The declarationfrom Pol D�Huyvetter, of the Belgian-based affinitygroup Titanic Trident, set the tone: �For us asconcerned citizens there is no other way but to startnuclear disarmament ourselves.� At the Edinburghlaunch a fine banner was unfurled which listed allthe 62 people who had by that time signed thePledge.

Then came August, activists from far and wide andheavy and continuous rain. Among the 200 or socampers twelve different nationalities wererepresented, much of the international dimensioncoming with the For Mother Earth 1000 kilometrespeace walk from the NATO headquarters in Brussels.The two weeks of direct action were formally opened

PART 4:THE STORY SO FAR

Georgina at home in Peaton Wood

The banner that would not drop - London launch, May 1998

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Coulport Weather - blockade at the main gate,August 1998

at the north gate of Faslane as a blacksmithhammered a model Trident submarine into the CNDsymbol of peace. Within two days the actions andarrests began. Not long after dawn on the 13th Augustfive members of the Woodwoses affinity groupattempted a fence cut at Faslane and were cartedaway. Then a group was arrested for blockadingCoulport and at noon the Adomnan affinity groupconducted a ritual cleansing of Faslane with gallonsof harmless but brightly coloured detergent. Nextnight members of the Aldermaston Women TrashTrident affinity group cut into Coulport, to befollowed next day by three young Swedish churchministers, members of the Corpus Christi affinitygroup. On Saturday 15th August there was a largerally at Faslane, organised by Scottish CND, involvingabout 300 people. On Monday 16th there wasblockade and fence cutting at Coulport and another

intrusion at Faslane. The highlight of thecamp was however,

the spectacular swim in the early hours of 18th

August by Katri Silvonen, Krista van Velzen and RickSpringer, from the affinity group Titanic Trident.Dressed in wet suits they entered the water at the farside of the Gareloch and got to within ten metres of aberthed Trident submarine before being arrested.They were carrying hammers and glue with which todisarm the sub and as they were taken from thewater their captors congratulated them on their feat,though, predictably, the official MOD spokesmandenied they had been anywhere near a nuclearsubmarine. Katri and Krista repeated this swim onthe 24th August, again getting close to a submarine.Arrests reached the 100 mark on the 20th August.There were numerous appearances in the local courtand at the end of the camp seven activists were onremand, Jens Light and Ian Thomson in Greenockprison, Helen John, Krista van Velzen, HannaJarvinen, Angie Zelter and Katri Silvonen in CorntonVale in Stirling. The camp was a considerable success

and people throve on the co-operativeenergy. The vegan food, provided inthe first week by Bumblebee, was wellreceived and campers overall felt thatinformation was clear and helpful. Onthe down side, the chemical toiletswere unpopular and the task groupsneeded more attention. Legal supportwas improved as the camp went onand we established what was to beour future pattern. We would provide24 hour centralised legal supportduring camps and other direct actionevents and proactive communicationwith custody centres. Media coverageof our exploits was poor in the UKbut much better abroad. In our �safehouse� media office in Cove, storieswere being sent out in Dutch, French,Flemish, Swedish, Finnish and Danish,to Eire and the US, to Australia andJapan. It was a great thrill to see the

Joe Butler and Ed Stanton hammer Trident into shape - Opening Ceremony at Faslane, August 1998

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campaign as truly worldwide, to have a sense ofall that international energy being focused onthe problem and the solution.

Right at the end of the camp we filed a citizenscomplaint at the Procurator Fiscal�s office inDumbarton, asking that prosecutor to takeaction against the British government forbreaching international law in respect ofTrident. It is hardly surprising that that officialtook the view that the complaint did not meritfurther action, but it has been helpful to referto it in court cases as a sign of our willingnessto pursue all conventional routes.

Britain�s fourth Trident submarine was rolledout of its shed in Barrow on the 19th September.The five women on remand at Cornton Valedecided to mark this event with a modestprotest. They put together a banner from sheetswith letters cut from newspaper and stuck onwith toothpaste, ready to be dropped from theircell windows. They intended to remain in theircells for the day and refrain from speaking andeating. They prepared a statement for theprison authorities, explaining their action andmaking it very clear that their protest was againstTrident, not Cornton Vale. The authorities got windof their plans and raided the cells on Friday. All thewomen were strip-searched and given punishmentsbut the treatment of Angie was particularly brutal.As she was removed to the punishment cell theofficers twisted her thumbs and wrists, causingintense pain. She was left without clothes in thepunishment cell for a whole day. A complaint waslaid with the local police but, due to an effectivecover-up, this led to nothing. The Scottish prisonComplaints Commission took Angie�s complaintseriously and recommended that prisoners should

not be deprived of their clothing in suchcircumstances and that officers should be trained indealing with passive resistance. He also suggestedthat the Scottish Prison Service apologise to Angiebut this has not happened. The ParliamentaryOmbudsman considered her complaint worthy offurther investigation and is due to rule on hercomplaint in October 2000. The whole experience ofvisiting these prisoners had a profound effect on thelocal Stirling support group and has led to an activeand practical concern for what goes on behind thebars.

When they appeared in court on two different datesat the end of September four of the women wereadmonished, as were Jens and Anja Light. Strongdefences founded on international law weremounted and in the case of Katri, Krista and Hannawere backed up by expert testimony from GlenRangwala of Cambridge University. The Justice of thePeace was clearly impressed but still found themguilty, saying that he had to disregard argumentsfrom international law. Helen John was fined £180.This is how Argyle and Bute District Court has dealtwith our cases ever since, with a few exceptions. Theattitude of the local magistrates may be summarisedas: �You are nice people and we bend over backwardsto avoid coming down heavily on you. You arguefrom international law, but we don�t know muchabout that, and we are pretty sure it does not applyon our patch. These matters are for a higher courtbut we will still hear the cases and dish out ourjudgements. We deal with Scots law and under thatyou are guilty and must be punished.�

Rupert Eris and Peter Lanyon got the Novembercamp off to a good start on Thursday 12th by cuttinginto the Coulport base near the Explosives HandlingJetty. This was no idle attempt: in their heavyCorpus Christi Affinity Group, Coulport, August 1998

Titantic Trident ready to go

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equipment satchels they carried pliers; bolt-cutters;super glue; liquid cement; carpets and saw blades.The weather was with us too, with sharp, clearsunshine. More actions followed � five women werearrested at Faslane on Friday and on Saturday theGarelochhead Horticulturalists locked up the maindoor of the MOD building Glasgow. At a religiousservice at Faslane on the Sunday Scottish churchleader Maxwell Craig put Trident firmly in the sincategory and there were more arrests. Monday saw anew type of drive-in direct action when Angie Zelterspotted an opportunity at the main gate of Faslaneand drove Peter Lanyon�s car into the line of queuingvehicles and on into the base. The security personnelwere so embarrassed at this that they invented acharge of assault on the basis of reckless driving.Krista, Anna, Katri and Hanna were also in the carand there was anxiety about the computer in theboot. When the case came up in August 1999 theSheriff in Dumbarton laughed it out of court, saying:�A famous Queen�s counsel once said of a Crowncase, �It was a frail bark that set sail towards thehorizon, disappeared and was never seen again.� Thisis what this case reminds me of.�

UK media coverage was by this time slightly better,with the highlight a three-minute piece on Radio 4�sPM show. Meanwhile documentary pieces about theBelgium-based activists appeared on television there,and a Finnish TV crew present at the November campcreated an excellent half-hour programme round theinvolvement of Hanna and Katri.

In December 1998 representatives of the affinitygroups met in the Peace Church in Berwick � on �Tweed. We had a good five months activity to lookback on but there were concerns. Some felt we hadwandered from the original blueprint �surely a �real�Ploughshares campaign would involve more seriousattempts to disarm Trident than we had had to date.The two swims to the submarine berths by TitanicTrident in August were all we had tobalance against lots ofcomparatively low-level actions,most veering towards the symbolicend of the spectrum. On the otherhand, should we devalue the moresymbolic actions, which were allmany activists could manage forvarious personal reasons? Were theynot just as �serious�? In the end weagreed that all our actions should begiven equal value and that weneeded actions which we would call�maximum disarmament�, as well asthe rest of the spectrum, so as toprovide as many opportunities aspossible for all sorts of people tobecome involved. In retrospect thisdiscussion was very important forclarifying the character of thecampaign. We would not become acampaign in which a small elite ofdisarmers was supported by a large

group of supporters who did not undertake directaction themselves. We would be a campaign in whicheverything was underpinned by the concept of whatmuch later came to be called �citizens� disarmament�� the undertaking by ordinary citizens of the urgentwork of disarming Trident in the absence of any suchaction by the authorities.

Another concern apparent at Berwick has not beensimilarly resolved. As a movement aiming to be non-hierarchical and aiming to reach important decisionsby the consensus of all the pledgers we had to facethe fact that many affinity groups were not directlyrepresented at the meeting. Although writtencontributions from all groups were included in thediscussion we felt that the decisions we were makingthere were being made by too small a number. Thistied in with concerns raised as early as April thatyear by Swedish pledgers, in particular the Bread NotBombs affinity group, whose view was that ourapproach to consensus should be much morethorough and should include the facility of anaffinity group and individual veto. Their stance wasbased on their long experiences in Europe ofinfiltration of peace and environmental groups byextreme right-wing elements, as well as a convictionthat anything less than thoroughgoing consensuswould lead to too much power being placed in toofew hands. Although agreeing in principle to theconcerns raised by some of the Swedish groups andvaluing their insights, as a campaign we had decidednot to go down the most thorough consensus route,for pragmatic reasons. The widespread nature of ourmembership made the achievement of completeconsensus on all campaign decisions impractical. Thebasic structure is that the twice yearly pledgers�meetings and those which take place at disarmamentcamps make the basic decisions about the directionof the campaign, the yearly timetable, the approachto direct action, the legal strategy, the principles for

Planting a tree at Peaton Wood in memory of John Lane who diedsuddenly on his way home from Coulport in November 1998

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running camps, etc. etc. The Core Group then workwithin that framework to make sure that it allhappens. A number of checks with all pledgers haveshown that people are happy with this arrangementbut the unease still remains about the small turn�outto the representatives� meetings.

The first six weeks of 1999 illustrated a healthyspectrum of activity, including the �symbolic�,�maximum disarmament� and the germ of a patternfor involving more and more people. In JanuaryMargaret Bremner was in Helensburgh District Courtfor blockading Faslane in August 1998 and for doingsome anti-nuclear graffiti on her cell walls. She toldthe Justice of the Peace that as a health professionalshe knew that the health services could not cope withresults of a nuclear war. Later that month KatriSilvonen told the same court how this was aninternational matter since the whole world was underthreat from Britain�s weapons. There was frustrationwith that court�s deafness to any reference tohumanitarian law. Angie Zelter, also appearing onAugust camp charges, told the JP �If you can�t giveme justice here I might as well leave�. She walked outand was arrested and held in the cells for contemptof court. Supporters in the public seats refused torise as the JP left the court and eventually he gave inand walked out with them still seated. This kind offrustration has shown signs from time to time ofbeing about to bubble over as more and moreevidence of that court�s inconsistency andgeneral incompetence accumulates. Then, onMonday 1st February we woke to the newsthat a very significant dent had been put inthe new Trident submarine, HMS Vengeance,in its dock in Barrow-in-Furness.

At 5.30 am Rosie James and Rachel Wenham,of the Aldermaston Trash Trident affinitygroup, swam to and boarded the submarine.They painted �Illegal� and �Death Machine� onthe sub, draped a banner �Women WantPeace� - over the conning tower and damagedtest equipment before giving themselves up.Three other pledgers, Ippy, Helen Harris andLouise Wilder, were arrested when they wentto the Barrow police station to deliver

clothing to the wet-suited swimmers.All five women were accused ofcausing £25,000 of criminal damage.

�The reality of �Yes, we�re really doingit!� hit us when we reached the let-offpoint.� said Rachel. �We were amazedat how simple it was reaching, gettingonto and inside the sub. The actionworked on the night due to boldnessand luck. If you believe it you can reallydo it. The funniest thing was the jaw-drop response of the security menround the sub. Saying �Alright mate� toa man who didn�t bat an eyelid at twodripping women with hammerssticking out of their wetsuits wasbeyond belief. Being in the water with

that atrocious construction is something I will neverforget.�

Rosie said: �The message I want to pass on to otherpledgers about this action is of its simplicity. Oncewe had realised how vulnerable Vengeance was fromthe water, the most difficult thing was getting intoour wetsuits. Never underestimate that! We can takeheart from how dozy they are when there�s not anorganised event going on. So all you need is to see away in, buy the tools, borrow the wetsuits and takethe plunge!�

Almost a year passed before Rosie and Rachel (whoare both free on bail) first came to trial and at thetime of writing they are still in the toils of thesystem. It is very difficult to be sure but as timepasses it looks more and more likely that theirdisarmament work did hold HMS Vengeance up forseveral weeks.

We had decided that our next concerted effort at theClyde bases would not be a camp but a one dayblockade of Faslane on 15th February. Overnightersstayed at the Friends Meeting House in Glasgow andbussed to the base early in the morning. As a signthat political support was growing, ex-chair of theScottish Nationalist Party, Billy Wolfe was arrested atthe blockade (along with 48 others), while DennisCanavan, still at that time a Labour MP, and Tommy

Rosie James and Rachel Wenham prepare for Barrow

Seize the Day singers Theo and Shannon take abreak at Faslane, 15th February 1999

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Sheridan of the Scottish Socialist Party joined IonaCommunity leader Norman Shanks in giving supportto the blockaders. The mixture of a Woodwose, avehicle and an open security gate was again a potentone as Martin drove the Norwich minibus right insidethe base. Max the dog, an innocent occupant of thevan, was also held for questioning but released afterthe usual paw-print routine. It was an excitingmorning for the legal and media support team inJane and Jim�s living room in Helensburgh as wedeveloped the logistics for monitoring lots ofactivists in different police stations. The presence ofpoliticians had got the press interested and theycame at us avidly for the story. At least one journalistwas starting from square one and had to have thebasic facts about Britain�s nuclear �deterrent� spelledout for her. It was worth it, for in time to come shebecame a fair and consistent reporter of thecampaign story.

Two days later Trident Ploughshares was in actionagain, this time at the Atomic Weapons establishmentat Aldermaston. Tigger McGregor and Sam Geallscaled the perimeter fence, hung banners from thebarbed wire and decorated the fence posts beforebeing escorted off by MOD police. Although manydays had already been spent on remand, on 4th Marchthe campaign had its first prison sentence.Sylvia Boyes appeared in Helensburgh DistrictCourt on three charges, two under military by-laws and one for cutting a perimeter fence. Oneof the by-law charges was dismissed due to lackof evidence. JP Mrs McGuighan found her guiltyon the other counts and proposed to fine her£50. Sylvia made it plain she had no intentionof paying and was jailed for seven days on eachof the counts, to run concurrently. As Marchrolled on the same court heard FredrikIvarsson, of the Corpus Christi affinity groupdescribe nuclear weapons as blasphemy, anddished out heavy fines on Jo Markham andAngie Zelter. When Angie appeared again laterin the month with fellow Woodwose CliveFudge, on a breach of the peace charge fromthe February blockade, they were both simply

admonished. Various theories as to thechronic inconsistency of the prosecutionand the magistrates in Argyle and ButeDistrict have been propounded. The mostlikely explanation for the Procurator�swhim is that he sorts the charge sheets bythrowing them down his back stairs. If youland below the seventh stair, you�re for it.Magistrate variability is perhaps bestexplained by indigestion or the ability ofsome activists to exert effective magicalinfluence. At the end of the monthAdomnan member Barbara Sunderland alsohad a wrist-slap for blockading just as theNorthumbrian affinity group weredismantling large amounts of the fence atthe Albemarle Secure Nuclear VehicleCompound near Newcastle, regularly used

by the nuclear convoys carrying nuclear warheadsfrom Burghfield to Coulport. The group spent overhalf-an-hour chopping the fence, and paintingslogans on the bunkers and concrete. Since no-onewas around, the group practised thoroughaccountability by leaving leaflets and the slogan �TP2000 were here�.

Amid all this blur of activity new pledges were beingsigned and new affinity groups formed. One suchwas the Local Heroes, centred in Helensburgh butwith other Scottish members. It was launched in styleon 22nd April. Local Hero El wrote: �Minutes beforethe morning shift change some of us donnered up tothe North Gate at Faslane for a chat. Onepolicewoman gawped in mid-sentence as Eric andDavid secured a cable across the entrance to thebase. Seconds later Brian had to help me lock-on tothe cable as my hands were too shaky. There was apause as we looked at each other and it sank in thatwe had done it� the traffic was queuing up. Theelation was tangible. For most of us this was our firstlocking on, for some their first non-violent directaction and subsequent arrest. After a while a coppertook a huge pair of bolt cutters to the fine cable � butto no avail. Red-faced he left, to return 10 minuteslater with suitable adjusted croppers. Eventually they

Brian and El at the Local Heroes launch, April 1999

Ante-room at Helenburgh District Court on a busy TP day

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gnawed through. One by one we were unthreadedand led off. Brian sat down looking calm and strong.The symbolism left me feeling proud and humble tobe part of such a powerful creative group.�

Also ongoing were the attempts to engage thegovernment in meaningful dialogue. As the newTrident Submarine HMS Vengeance set off for itsbase at Faslane an MOD official explained how theexecutive would deal with the issue of Trident�slegality. Simon Gillespie said that they would takelegal advice about Trident only if and when its usewas being considered. This is known as the SOFALresponse �Send Out For A Lawyer. TridentPloughshares activists were a significant part of thewarm reception Vengeance got when it reachedCoulport. Fungus and Tamson both swam very closeto it and the latter�s naked protest (his kilt fell off)was featured in the papers the next day. This action,like so many of the actions against nuclear warheadconvoys, showed the strong collaboration and mutualsupport between Trident Ploughshares, Scottish CND

Roz Bullen along with Ceilidh Cratur pledgers fromEdinburgh. They were variously locked on to thefence and each other, threaded through the fenceand generally entangled in such a complex weavingof arms and legs that the tableau looked like theresult of a very nasty accident during a wheelchairrace. It took ages for the police to sort it all out,which they did with good humour. It was a verycolourful weekend. The sun shone, Martyn strodeabout as Tony Blair on a pair of stilts and the CeilidhCraturs enlivened everything with their imaginativecostumery. A Scottish TV company took footage fortheir schools Channel 4 Programme on the re-emergence of Scotland as a Nation.

Later that month, as NATO bombed Serbia from agreat height, Local Hero Brian Quail was among the500 non-violent activists from all parts of the globe(including many from Trident Ploughshares) whowalked from the Hague to Brussels in protest againstNATO�s illegal nuclear weapons policy. Brian wrote:�That huge grim stalinistic star so often seen on TV,De-fencing Faslane, May 1999

Mark Leach in Star Wars role, 16th May 1999

MEP Neil McCormick at Faslane, 16th May 1999

and Faslane Peace Camp and on these occasionsindividuals who belong to more than one of thesegroups are pretty relaxed about which particularhat they are wearing �the common purpose is thething. For Trident Ploughshares the solid backingfrom Scottish CND, especially in terms of researchand networking, together with the spontaneityand energy of Faslane Peace Camp, have beenessential ingredients for the work in Scotland.

In the middle of May we were back in numbers atPeaton Wood. Earlier in the month a Teletext pollhad registered 85% of Scots as opposed to nuclearweapons in Scotland. At the main gate of Faslaneon 16th May, leading Scottish nationalist activistsincluding Professor Neil McCormick gave the samestrong message. The same day there were 16arrests and our total topped 200. One actionfeatured wheelchair users Morag Balfour and

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the rows of water cannon, ranks of riot police withvisors, shields and batons, all left no doubt. We hadarrived at NATO Headquarters. This was the end ofthe Long Walk. Blistered, bleeding and exhausted, Islumped to the ground. It was shortly afterwards Iwas hit full on by a jet from a water cannon and sentspinning across the road. A novel experience indeedfor a 61 year-old with a heart by-pass... Later, I sawriot police lash out at the arms and wrists ofdemonstrators approaching the wire. Our crime?Simply being there. Confronting NATO with theillegality of its own nuclear war plans. Peacefully,openly and non-violently.�

In the background something had been brewing for avery long time. After months of planning andplotting, the ad-hoc affinity group the Pheasants�Union, Ulla Roder, Ellen Moxley and Angie Zelter, putthe finishing touches on their banners, filled theirbags with ironmongery and set off in a van with aninflatable dinghy to Loch Goil, home to �Maytime�, afloating research barge operated by the MODresearch arm DERA which helps the Tridentsubmarines guarantee their sonic �invisibility�. Theygot on board, got into the lab, draped their banners,emptied the lab and tipped computers, electricalequipment and documentation into the deep watersof the loch without any sign of police interest orattention. They had intended to do similar work onanother barge but their boat was leaking so they satdown in the late evening sun and had a picnic. It wasriveting to be on the shore and take it all in, the smallscurrying figures, the sharp clang of metal, thefrequent heavy splashes of sinking hardware and thedelicate fluttering of hundreds of sheets of paper. Onthe barge Ellen felt as if she were getting rid of thebuilding blocks of oppression: Trident; the �free�

market; the exploitation of children; unbridledmilitarism; the all-prevailing violence of society; thirdworld debt. It was to her an amazingly liberatingexperience. We are pretty sure that it was our pressrelease just after 9 p.m. that eventually alerted thesecurity people to the fact that they had a problem�up the Goil�. As darkness fell the plaintive words ofthe bargemaster rang out across the water: �Whathave they done to all my stuff?� Refusing to acceptthat they had done anything wrong the three womenwere remanded to Cornton Vale. With the honourableexception of the Big Issue in Scotland the press didvirtually nothing with this splendid story, claimingthat they were worried about being in hot water fordealing with matters that were sub judice. This washardly the real reason since the media, even inScotland, where the courts are more strict on thisissue, regularly go near the edge and tell as much ofthe current story as they can. In the week that I writethis story BBC Scotland has shown many times a filmclip of football manager Jim McLean getting ready toassault an interviewer when they well know that thematter is before the Procurator Fiscal.

On 30th June the High Court of Justiciary inEdinburgh, which was due to hear Brian Quail�sappeal against a conviction following hisdisarmament action at Faslane naval base lastNovember, permitted the appeal to be resubmittedon broader grounds. Brian had been convicted inArgyll and Bute District Court of causing criminaldamage �without reasonable excuse� to the fence atthe base. Brian�s defence was that the illegality of theTrident system in international law gave himreasonable excuse. The appeal will consider whetherthe magistrate was wrong not to take account ofinternational law in reaching his verdict. At the timeof writing Brian�s appeal has still not been heard. Anearlier appeal by Helen John on similar grounds wasrejected by the High Court. Her case had been poorly

The Peace Walk arrivingin Brussels, May 1999

The Pheasants Union in preparation for Maytime

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presented by her advocate and in particular failed tofocus on the specific issue of Trident and the factthat it is a threat. The judges came out with the viewthat her sincere believe in the illegality of Tridentwas not a sufficient defence. Apart from Brain�s case,two other appeals against lower court convictions inScotland are in the pipeline.

There had been a feeling for some time that thecampaign should extend its attentions to otherTrident related sites in the UK, apart from Coulportand Faslane. The �Maytime� raid was a good exampleand this was followed up by a Midlands group actionagainst Aldermaston in July. Roger Franklin, SylviaBoyes, Alison Crane and Marlene Yeo, later dubbedthe �Magic Four�, rather to their embarrassment,were able to enter the �secure� Nuclear WeaponsEstablishment at Aldermaston where they had timeto display banners before being arrested. They hadintended to confront workers inside the site on thebasis of the Nuremberg Principles. Althoughregarded by the four at the time as a relative failureas an action the consequences in terms of courtproceedings and encouragement to others were toprove significant. On 13th July Ian Thomson (Tamson)was released from custody after appearing inHelensburgh District Court on charges related to hisaction in July when he celebrated the official openingof the Scottish Parliament on 1st July by attemptingto demolish the perimeter fence at the Coulportnuclear weapons base on Loch Long. He was also inbother for his May swim to HMS Vengeance. Foundguilty on both charges he was set free withoutsentence, having spent 12 days on remand inGreenock prison.

July and early August was spent preparing for theAugust campaign and supporting the Pheasants inCornton Vale. Their imprisonment was having a bigimpact on support and awareness world wide, butthere was a downside to that �apart from theobvious. Angie had from the start decided torepresent herself while Ellen had solicitor StephenFox and Advocate John McLaughlin. Ulla had solicitor

Matthew Berlow and AdvocateJohn Mayer, who earlier hadworked on Brian Quail�s appeal.Communication with andbetween the lawyers� teams andAngie faced the difficulties of theprison logistics and it wasfraught with problems right up tothe trial. For August 1999 thecamp infrastructure was muchimproved, with mains electricityand compost toilets. Bumblebeeagain cooked for the first weekwith the added bonus of trainingsessions for Trident Ploughsharespeople who could take on thisresponsibility in the future. It wasin fact the excellent Bumblebee�sswansong and they handed on tous valuable kitchen equipment.

The flavour was again distinctly international withlots of new faces. The activists were anxious to get onwith the work and Joy Mitchell and Joan Meredith setthe tone on the first day by blockading the main gateat Coulport. Indeed, not a day of the fifteen passedwithout at least one arrestable action taking place.Some of them were spectacular such as theswimming actions, involving variously MarcusArmstrong, Louise James, Clive Fudge, KirstyGathergood and Josje Snoek. New ground was brokenby the Woodwoses and friends who improved theexternal decoration of the submarine testing stationat Cove with appropriate messages such as �Tridentis Illegal�. There was a �pernicious paddling� women�saction where the Coulport fence runs into the water.The women carried their banners inside the base bypaddling deep along the shoreline. One MOD

Grace Nichol and Bernard De Witte, Peaton Wood,August 1999

Ulla, Ellen and Angie approach Maytime, 8th June 1999

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policeman was heard to say �I�m not having themstanding there taking the piss�. The charge on theirarrest was not in fact Taking the Piss, but Breach ofthe Peace. This flurry of activity went on right up tothe last night of the camp. As Marjan Willemsenrecounts: �Monday was the last day of the camp andthe people that were still there, went to have a ceilidhat the gates of Coulport. It started out with nicemusic, singing and dancing, and then all of thesudden every one ran a different way in order to dosome decoys. After most of us got back we heardsomething and 2 girls were inside the base! Then weheard another noise and Jenny was on top of thefence, inside the rolls of razor wire! She stayed therefor a few hours. Meanwhile David and Emma werearrested for cutting the fence, Teapot for blowingraspberries, Fungus for trying to get into the base bycrawling underneath the gate, Anne for blocking apolice van, and myself for seeing how they weretreating Anne.� If they thought it was all over then,they were wrong. Just four days later Sylvia Boyesand Anne Scholz swam round the perimeter fence atFaslane and after two hours in the water wereintercepted while swimming under the jetties wherethe Polaris submarines were formerly berthed. Annesaid: �My plan was to get onto a Trident sub and lockmyself to it. Sylvia had a hammer to use on theexterior and spray paint to use on computermonitors inside the boat. With a bit of luck we wouldhave got there, just as Rosie and Rachel did inBarrow.� Media coverage of the August events waspatchy but we did get into the Irish Times and on theon-line bulletins - we were top story in the Yahoonewspage for a day.

Early in September Helen John reminded the peopleof Edinburgh about the UK�s nuclear crime, as well asits illegal use of depleted uranium and its support forthe sanctions against Iraq, by painting slogans on

imposing public building in the High Street. Twoweeks later she included Westminster in the processby painting foot-high slogans on the St. Stephensentrance to the House of Commons. The EdinburghProcurator has not yet been organised enough tobring her to trial. When she appeared in December1999 for the Westminster work, a London jury, whohad heard from MPs Alan Simpson and Tony Benn,found her guilty of the criminal damage charge.However, perhaps uniquely, they added a rider thatshe was justified in what she had done.

In spite of the difficulties in preparing a thoroughand coherent defence from prison we approached theGreenock Trial of the Pheasants with some hope.Jane Tallents had seen Sheriff Margaret Gimblett inaction at an earlier hearing and had sat in to watchher deal with a young offender firmly but with realinsight and empathy. She left the court sure thatGimblett could be the one to reverse the closed mindsyndrome with which we were so familiar.Establishing a support framework in Greenock wasproblematic. Not one of the churches or otheragencies we contacted came up with an offer of officeor living accommodation. In the end we rented officespace and travelled daily from Glasgow where weagain enjoyed the hospitality of the Friends MeetingHouse. This was a short and convenient journeycompared to that faced by the accused. They had totravel first to a police station in Glasgow and thentransfer to another van for the journey to Greenock.This meant a very early start and a late return toCornton Vale, leaving little or no time for recreationor refreshment. The prison only provided them withcold food on their late return from court. It was onlythe pragmatic intervention of the court officers inGreenock that led to a decent system of nourishmentto take them through what turned out to be a month-long trial.

The women appeared on four charges of maliciousmischief and theft. Procurator Fiscal David Websterput forward a very simple Crown case proving thatthe three women were on �Maytime� and that theyhad done all the damage mentioned in the

Helen John setting off for Edinburgh

Yuko at Greenock. She kept drumming all throughthe trial.

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indictment. The highlight of the Crown case was theMOD video of the bottom of Loch Goil. The filmshowed the entirely predictable image of computerson their sides in the silt as the small fish flashedround them. One monitor had an orange starfishdraped to order on the corner.

The Defence case involved five expert witnesses.Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law,University of Illinois, gave evidence that internationallaw applies everywhere, and that, due to itsdestructive power, Trident could not be used in anymanner that was lawful. Judge Ulf Panzer fromGermany gave evidence of the legitimacy ofnonviolent action to uphold the law. He describedhow he had campaigned to get American Pershingmissiles removed from his country, culminating in asit-down blockade of the Mutlangen base, along with20 other judges. They had learned from the Nazi erathe high cost of remaining silent when theirgovernment acted unlawfully. Professor Paul Rogersfrom Bradford University gave evidence on thecomposition and capabilities of the Trident system,the imminent danger of nuclear war and accidentsand of the effectiveness of civil resistance to changeofficial policies. Professor Jack Boag testified aboutthe imminent danger from nuclear weapons. Finally,Rebecca Johnson of the Acronym Institute explainedthe consequences of the failure of successive UKgovernments to fulfil their obligations to disarmunder the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and howthe present administration is continuing to blocknegotiations. She described how �Maytime� is anessential part of the Trident weapon system, and howother states perceive Britain�s deployment of Tridentas a threat.

The defence submitted that international law appliesin Scotland; that the threat or use of nuclear weaponswas found to be generally contrary to internationallaw by the International Court of Justice and thedeployment of Trident is seen as a threat. In

addition, John Mayer putforward a defence of necessityand John McLaughlin arguedthat although the women hadbeen wilful they had not beenmalicious. At the end of theirarguments both advocates put asubmission to the sheriff thatshe should remove the verdictfrom the jury and acquit thewomen.

In addressing the jury SheriffGimblett said �I have toconclude that the three incompany with others werejustified in thinking that GreatBritain in their use of Trident�could be construed as a threatand as such is an infringementof international and customarylaw. �I have heard nothing

which would make it seem to me that the accusedacted with criminal intent.�

Since these heady days Margaret Gimblett, who camein for a good deal of flak for her verdict, has been thebenchmark against which we tend to measurejudicial performance. This is not so much aboutdelivering the right verdict, though that counts agood deal, but follows from her basicprofessionalism, insight and courtesy. Her courtmanners were perfect and she included the publicgallery in her cheery �good morning�. One has also tosay that to date no other judicial figure has come outof the comparison particularly well. The mutualrespect between her and Judge Ulf Panzer wasevident and he took the unusual step ofcongratulating her from the witness box on themanner in which she conducted proceedings.

The Scottish media, which had been fairly apatheticthroughout the trial, belatedly realised there was astory and the headlines were well and truly hit. Theevent hardly registered in the English media and theGuardian was particularly disappointing. Predictablythe District Court in Helensburgh, five miles acrossthe water from Greenock saw no reason to change itssteadfast refusal to entertain international law andon the 25th October Anne Scholz was found guiltyand fined for her swim into Faslane in August. Onthe 27th the Lord Advocate announced his decision torefer the Gimblett ruling to the High Court for legalclarification. The motives of this governmentminister in referring a ruling were obvious. After all,it raised a huge doubt about the legality of the UK�sdefence policy. At the same time we welcomed thefurther opportunity to have Trident�s legal statusdebated in a higher court. There was also a positivepolitical response with stirrings in the ScottishParliament and the European parliament heard fromNeil McCormick MEP that: �The courage andindependence of Sheriff Gimblett, the courage ofAngie Zelter and her companions has been in sharp

Verdict day at Greenock

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contrast with the petulant failure of the US Senate toratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.�

There was certainly a fresh edge as we returned toCoulport for our weekend camp on the 12th

November. However crude and simplistic the mediareporting of Greenock had been, there was everyreason to believe that it had begun to sow doubts inthe minds of those whose business it had been tokeep the Trident project going and to protect it fromour crime prevention activity. We handed in a letterat the Coulport gate to the man in charge, RearAdmiral Gregory, advising him that he was puttinghis personnel in an unenviable position by incitingthem to engage in criminal and immoral activities.We had long known of the sympathy for our stancethat existed within Strathclyde Police and we publiclyexpressed our hope that they would get the supportthey needed as they thought through what it meansto be involved in law enforcement in a society whichis becoming more openlyunhappy about threateninggenocide. At this time webegan to emphasise moreand more our crimeprevention role. The actionhighlight of the weekend wasthe two-gate blockade ofCoulport. While one groupformed a linked obstructionacross the main gate, SylviaBoyes, Marjan Willemsen andJenny Gaiawyn locked on tothree separate workers�buses at the constructiongate. A quirkier event wasthe long moorland walk inthe autumn sunshine to acommunications mast aboveKilcreggan. There was nointention to damage this as itsupported innocent as wellas criminal marine traffic,but suitable placards wereposted. It was a long walk and not all the participantswere sure of the worth of the enterprise. One washeard to remark under his breath as he pulledhimself out of the moorland mud for the umpteenthtime: �I always said it was a hare-brained scheme.�

On 22nd November Helensburgh District Court failedto surprise as it found Irish activist Mary Kelly guiltyin spite of a brilliant summary of the case againstTrident. The police witnesses wandered even furtherthan usual from the truth and claimed that they didnot know that there were nuclear weapons insideFaslane. Meanwhile HMS Vengeance was back inBarrow-in-Furness awaiting its commissioning. Itclaimed the attention of Sylvia Boyes and River whowere arrested inside the VSEL dock having intendedto swim across the dock and board the submarine.They carried with them hammers, glue and spray-onvarnish. Sylvia was refused bail and River did not

seek it. At their hearing on 2nd December Riverrefused the bail conditions then offered, whichincluded the condition that he stay at least ten milesaway from any nuclear weapons base. River pointedout that the UK was crammed with Trident-relatedfacilities and said he would accept the conditions ifhe was assured that no nuclear warheads would bewithin ten miles of HMS Vengeance. He was sent backto Preston prison. A week later he arguedsuccessfully and significantly that the conditionsinfringed his basic right to protest peacefully andwas freed. River and Sylvia will go to trial inManchester Crown Court on the 8th January 2001.[They have since been acquitted]

From November 1999 some accused activists weredeveloping alternative approaches to their defence inthe District Court in Helensburgh in an attempt tobreak through the impasse there. Local heroesBarbara McGregor, Brian Quail, Jane Tallents and Eric

Wallace put in a claim that theEuropean Convention on HumanRights gave them the right tointervene peacefully andnonviolently when they knew awar crime was being committed.Alan Wilkie of Adomnan made asimilar claim as he defendedhimself against a breach of thepeace charge and Pamela Smithchallenged the whole concept ofbreach of the peace. Thesesubmissions are known asDevolution Issues, since they referto the incorporation of theConvention into Scots law underthe Scotland Act 1999. Alan�s pleahas been rejected, as has Pamela�s,though she has appealed. TheLocal Heroes are waiting on theoutcome of a similar caseelsewhere in Scotland.

Rosie James and Rachel Wenhamcame to trial in Lancaster on 25th January 2000 fortheir good work on HMS Vengeance but the trial wasover before it had properly started. Acting for themwas solicitor Gareth Peirce and barrister Vera Baird.At the time River, who was note-taking at the trial,wrote: �In a nutshell the CPS fouled up totally, by notlogging a vital piece of prosecution �evidence� whenthey got it last May. This was not the fault of theprosecutor who appeared in court, but of the teamthat is supposed to have done the groundwork inadvance.�

Because a vital statement was never logged it wasnever passed on to the defence. By an unluckycoincidence this piece of evidence was the mostcontroversial item they had - upping the value of thedamage done from £25,000 which the Crown hadmentioned at the committal proceedings to £110,000.This jump in value would make a big difference tothe sentence, if things should come to that. As is

Ganesh and his ploughshare,November 1999

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their job when the other side springs a last minutesurprise, counsel wanted to look very carefullyinto the matter - even more so than they wouldlast summer if they had got proper notice of theincrease. They challenged the paperworksupporting the evidence, and lo and behold theCrown get yet another expert and, intriguingly, weare back to around £25,000. The defence want toget their own expert to look at the equipment, theCrown are most willing for this to happen, butnobody available to the defence can do this till themiddle of next week.� The new trial did nothappen until September.

In our publicity for the planned blockade ofFaslane, jointly organised with CND, on February14th 2000 we had asked people to make it apriority for the year and the response was mostencouraging. The big training and briefing events in

Glasgow onSunday 13th

went well,much aided bythe goodwilland patienceall round anda sense ofexpectation. At5.30 nextmorning theminibuses andcoaches wereloaded andtook off fromthe Glasgowcentres with aminimum offuss and delay,while otherovernighttransport from

all over the country was homing in on the base.Media interest had been aroused by the prospect ofparliamentarians being present and the messages ofsupport from celebrities, including Sean Connery,Emma Thompson, and Kurt Vonnegut, whosemessage described the campaign as �the shocktroops of the sane in the war against insanity�. Theblockade held the base up for two hours or more and185 were arrested, including Member of the ScottishParliament Tommy Sheridan, MEP Caroline Lucas andten Scottish church ministers.

While waiting to be processed, many people used theopportunity of the captive audience of the two policeofficers looking after them, to chat a little about whythey were there. Apparently, one person was let goon her way to the processing line, having been toldthat she was the �nicest person� that the police officerhad ever arrested.

The weather deserves a special mention. When someof the cases came to court on October 2000 a policewitness, asked if he had his notes from that day, said

that due to the weather conditions note taking hadbeen inappropriate. That was putting it mildly. Legalsupport �runners� did a brilliant job logging thearrests and dashing to and fro with sheets of paperdisintegrating in their hands and many activists arestill carrying around diaries and notebooks with thattell-tale Valentines Day water stain. The legal supportteam did an unbroken 26-hour shift monitoring thearrests, updating information about who was in whatpolice station and arranging pick-ups for thosereleased. It was a media event countrywide but thebiggest boost was the evidence it gave of more andmore people willing to play an active part in nuclearcrime prevention.

On 3rd March the �Magic Four� from the MidlandsGroup were found guilty at Newbury Magistrates�Court by a magistrate who said, like his myopic peersin Helensburgh District Court, that he could notconsider international law if it was not incorporatedby statute. Hefty compensation orders were dishedout and Sylvia, in view of her honourable record, was

MEP Caroline Lucas (on right) withCeilidh Craturs, 14th February 2000

Scottish church ministers about to be nicked atFaslane, 14th February 2000

Waiting to be processed and makingnew friends, 14th February 2000

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Maypole, 13th May 2000

also fined. Marlene Yeo�s refusalto pay up had an interestingsequel and a lesson about thevalue of local media work. Shewrote: �Well it is the bailiffs next. Ihave put a poster in the frontdoor saying: Trident warheads areweapons for mass killing. I won�tpay for them. Bailiffs keep out.Friends welcome. LeicesterMercury came specially tophotograph it, although they�dalready got 2 items in yesterday�spaper - all favourable. So therecan�t be many locals who don�tknow about Trident. And so far,all from my angle! Great. In court,too, I had a chance to talk aboutthe deadliness of Aldermaston,about cost of Trident, & about me,not them, upholding the law.�

Helensburgh District Courtcontinued to throw up bizarrehearing after bizarre hearing. In the trial of MarilynCroser and Helen Harris a police constable from theGorbals Division in Glasgow said that if told by apeace protester that international law was beingbreached in Faslane or Coulport he would take actionto investigate that allegation. Testimony by Crownwitnesses was a shambles and JP Stirling found themnot guilty, as Helen put it �not for the best reason�.Typically the JP had not allowed the accused to cross-examine Crown witnesses on international law.

When the Lord Advocate of Scotland had submittedhis Reference of the Gimblett ruling to the HighCourt in January, he set down four questions that hewished to be addressed. These questions seemed

designed to elicit answers thatwould prevent the use ofinternational law in the futuretrials of activists in Scotland andin general seriously limit theability of ordinary citizens to actto prevent war crime. A veryunsatisfactory and worryingpreliminary hearing inconnection with the Referencetook place on 4th April. For a startLord Rodger was in the chair. Asa former Lord Advocate in 1992he had rejected a plea by anti-Trident campaigners to look atits legality. Not only was he atleast theoretically biased, hisconduct of the proceedings wasless than professional. Angie,representing herself, was cutshort in the middle of herpresentation. As it has turned outmany of the sharp concerns we

had after this meeting have been relieved. LordRodger was removed from the panel of judgesalthough we have no way of knowing whether thiswas due to our strong representations and those ofsupportive politicians. A transcript of the last threedays of the Greenock trial, together with thetestimony of some of the expert witnesses there wasordered. Some of Angie�s costs are being covered bythe Crown and, most significantly, the actual panel ofjudges have shown themselves happy to go behindand beyond the Lord Advocate�s questions. Anetwork was set up to take the best advice from legalexperience worldwide on how to approach thehearing.

Marcus Armstrong and Louise James were fined inHelensburgh District Court on 9th May for theirAugust swim to Trident, when they had only made itright up to the floating barrier at Faslane. Marcusgave a simple but brilliant summary of the moral caseagainst Trident and ended by saying: �If anythingever happened and if any of my children,grandchildren or any person asks me, did you know?What did you do? Although it would give me littlecomfort, I would be able to say yes, I did know andalthough I wish I�d found the strength to do more, Idid what I could at the time, given thecircumstances.� Turning to Justice of the PeaceScullion he asked him directly: �What would you sayto your children or grandchildren?� There was asilence and then the JP said: �I will not answer thatquestion.�

On May 13th Trident Ploughshares along with ScottishCND arranged a �Carnival� at Faslane. While Scottishbased activists were happy that the main attentionduring May was going to be in Aldermaston theywanted to keep the pressure on the Clyde bases andgive thereby a message of solidarity for the action inthe south. Barbara McGregor described it: �MayCarnival: a festival of fertility and earthy eroticism.

Commotion drummer SheilaMackay at the south gate,Faslane, 13th May 2000

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Sonnerie perform at Aldermaston, May 2000

Traditionally young men andwomen went to the woods thenight before Mayday to find asuitable maypole �grooving thedark earthy groves vicarless andknickerless� in search of a sturdytrunk. Our El had been on thecase though. Up came an erectionmade with love in Lochgoilhead.More of a totem than a mere pole,with sea creatures, birds and cutebeasts all the way up, crowned bya golden sun. And the revellersdanced round it - weavingpatterns of creative chaos. At theappointed hour, cleverly liaisingwith the North gate and a run onthe Barricades by riot grrl Morag,nine whirling dervishes laid thepole to rest across the middle of the road, punchedholes into the papier-mâché coating and locked theirassorted jewellery onto the centrally running chaininside. A cheer went up, funky music went on, thepolice roasted, and we toasted under a benevolentsun, chewing on liquorice and succumbing to sloppykisses from wayward dogs. HOLD ON by theSoulmasters was never so apt. �Too many to arrest�was the word on the police walkie-talkie - even thebobbies were languorous. At 3 we all traipsed off tocatch the bus home. A jolly splendid summer sortie.�

Thames Valley Police had written to us in April,hoping to identify organisers for the planned event atAldermaston and asking us to confine our activitieson the 22nd May (the day of the planned blockade) toa designated car park. We pointed out that: �Thereare no �organisers� or �leaders�. Different people takeon different responsibilities at different times but thebottom line is always individual responsibility andautonomy along with respect for others.� We werepleased to learn later from an MOD leaflet that thispoint had been accepted. We also took theopportunity to challenge TVP about their failure toact, in the following terms: �The Trident system

threatens innocent civilians in their millions andpresents a long-term and serious threat to thenatural environment. What action is Thames Valleypolice taking on this urgent and desperately seriousmatter?� Although TVP had been in touch withStrathclyde to gain from their experience of dealingwith our activities they opted for intimidation, butthey relaxed into a more reasonable line when theirbluff was called. This extended to an understandingthat we would use the informal camping site we hadintended. There was also a letter from AWE plcthreatening legal action against the campaign shouldthere be any disruption or damage.

The weekend began with a concert at the gates by thebaroque ensemble Sonnerie with world famousviolinist Monica Huggett who said: �Maybe doing aconcert at Aldermaston will present a stark enoughcontrast to nudge peoples� minds.� There was amarch from Reading the next day and the firstarrests. Ulla Roder, Roger Franklin, Joan Meredithand Fungus (Zoe Weir) got into the base and werearrested. The police bail conditions were that theydid not come within five miles of Aldermaston. EricWallace, of the Scottish affinity group The Local

Heroes describes the blockade that took place onthe Monday: �The decision to use karabiners andtubes in our action seemed a bit daunting tosome of us at first, but Fungus persuaded usotherwise and it all turned out for the best sincethe equipment stopped the police trying to pulland push us apart and we were able to hold thegate shut for more than three hours. Even whenspecial constables arrived to cut us loose wewere able to hold on or let go as individuals,always it seemed that control rested with us. Ifwe had merely linked arms then our line wouldalmost certainly have been broken when oneirate motorist decided to call our bluff and drivethrough the line. Only when it became apparentto him that we were unable to move did he backoff. Another advantage of this tubingarrangement was that we were able to move our

location at will and indeed the police cleared a wayfor us as we required!� there were 46 arrests that day

Blockade at Aldermaston,22nd May 2000

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Kath McNulty, Faslane, 1st August, 2000

The Peace Walk arrives at Faslane, 1st August 2000

and 55 for the whole weekend. Very few of thesewere charged �most having been bailed to come backto a police station at a later date. The weekend was aconsiderable success, and it was especially helpful tohave those involved who have long targeted thatlocation. As Helen Harris put it: �Overall, despitesome of the usual ill informed hostility, I felt the TPcamp raised the local awareness of Aldermaston,leading to a high level of local interest and support.�There were concerns about making a blockade thecore of the weekend, some taking the view thatparticularly at Aldermaston, with its many gates anddangerous roads, it was not the best form of massaction and not ideal as a first action for newcomers.

In a joint Trident Ploughshares/Menwith HillWomen�s Peace Campaign action on 19th June, HelenJohn, Angie Zelter and Anne Lee got through the newhigh security fence at the U.S. National SecurityAgency Space-War Spy Base at Menwith Hill inYorkshire, in an attempt to dismantle the new fencethat serves to protectthe systems designedto support the new USanti-ballistic missilesystem (ABM). Theywere apprehendedwhen starting to cutan inner fence - theone around thesatellitecommunication area.Angie said: �Ballisticmissile defenceundermines the entireinternational order.Even if we get rid ofTrident tomorrow theyare still planning tohave nuclear weaponsin space.� Three dayslater a group of Walkers For Peace set off fromAldermaston to cover the 400 miles to Faslane. Thecore of the group were the monks and nuns ofNipponzan Myohoji, a small Buddhist ordercommitted to peace. The following Thursday Helen

Harris was sent to prison for seven days afterrefusing to pay a fine and a heavy compensationorder. At that time the number of days spent inprison by Trident Ploughshares campaigners wasalready over 700.

Preparations were bynow well under way forthe third August campat Coulport and theFaslane blockade onthe 1st of that month.In our July pressrelease about theseevents we noted thatthe UK was defendingitself in the High Courtagainst the islanders ofDiego Garcia, who hadbeen evicted from theirisland as part of atreacherous Polarisdeal with the US in the1960s. The BritishGovernment�s tendency

to recognise international law only when convenienthas a long pedigree. In the run up to the blockade wewrote an open letter to the Chief Constable ofStrathclyde Police, John Orr, asking him not to arrestus or move us forcibly from the scene. This was thebeginning of an interesting correspondence in whichOrr showed willingness to discuss the issues oflegality, at least to a certain point. The Greenockverdict was still having its impact.

On the 1st August, the beginning of the blockade wassignalled by the arrival of the 30 peace walkers whohad been on the road since June 26th fromAldermaston, where the Trident warheads are made.The walkers, led by the monks and nuns, went rightup to the gate and attempted to attach the thousandsof paper cranes they had brought with them. Thiswas refused and after a brief ceremony activistsblocked the gateway by sitting down or locking on toeach other. After warnings police moved in toremove, arrest and charge them. Leeds MP HaroldBest and Scots writer A.L. Kennedy were present togive their support and encouragement.

Susan van der Hijden, Barbara Sunderlandand Davida Higgin at Aldermaston, May 2000

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Loading lanterns onto MOD boat, Hiroshima day 2000

The day brought its own ironic twist, as many of thewomen on the Peace Walk from Aldermaston whohad received a warm and high profile reception fromWest Dumbartonshire Council on their way throughClydebank, now found themselves in the policecells in the same town after being arrested at theblockade. Media coverage was good and the pickof the pictures showed Ray Davies from Waleswith his mouth open in apparent agony as thepolice moved in to disentangle the blockadinggroup. Actually, Ray was singing. Another finepicture, which appeared all over, was of Hooseyand Teapot on top of the tripod at the South gatewhich kept it closed for 7 hours until they camedown voluntarily. The presence of A.L. Kennedyobviously touched a new constituency for withina few days we had a visit from Scottish sculptorGeorge Wylie, who pledged his full support.

The camp itself began with Jenny Gaiawyn beingsent to Cornton Vale for refusing to pay a fine.The following days brought a whole variety ofactions: a Shift To Peace Work action at Coulport;several blockades; graffiti for peace; getting intothe protected area at Coulport by inflatable boat;fence cutting galore (especially at the SponsoredFence Cut). The action highlight was again a swim toTrident. On 6th August Ulla Roder and MarcusArmstrong were arrested after swimming into the

main security area of the base, getting through theboom and right up to the shiplift, and were onlydiscovered by chance a few metres from the Trident.The bandit alarm was then set off. On Hiroshima Daywe gathered at Faslane for a moving and extendedceremony, moving through a sequence of emotionalresponses to nuclear crime, from anger, to hope andempowerment, all symbolised in the giant statue of awoman. The evening ceremony was on the shore ofLoch Long and began with a Buddhist ceremony onthe beach. The floating lanterns we had preparedwere in danger of being blown inshore so we soughtthe help of the MOD marine unit. Several camperswaded out to the inflatable boat with the lanternsheld aloft which the sailors took on board with greatgentleness and understanding. There were a total of161 arrests during the fortnight. Several campers hadmultiple arrests, Marcus Armstrong leading with

seven. As well as being an action camp the eventprovided many opportunities for activists old andnew to renew their vision and commitment, todevelop their skills in a whole range of areas, such ascourt work, the principles and practice ofnonviolence, communication, boat-handling etc., andto reflect on strategies for the future. At the end ofthe camp Kreb Dragonrider was sent to Greenockprison on remand. He had failed to turn up for aprevious trial and had broken bail conditions. On 4th

September, although soundly defended by solicitorLiz Ross he had the misfortune to be before Justiceof the Peace Fraser Gillies in Helensburgh DistrictCourt who fined him a total of no less than £850.Our patience with the shenanigans of that court waswearing very thin indeed and Sylvia Boyes showed aproper disrespect for its authority on 11th Septemberwhen she was up for swimming into Faslane andlocking on to a bus at Coulport the previous August.Sylvia refused to give her testimony from the witnessbox saying that as a Quaker it did not matter whereshe stood �she would tell the truth. JP McPhaillistened patiently to her powerful summary but saidhe was not there to judge the legality of Trident. Shewas fined £100 and said she would not pay and

Scottish writer Alison Kennedy (centre, inbaseball cap), Faslane, 1st August 2000

Rage against nuclear crime personified,Faslane, Hiroshima Day 2000

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Hammers for peace outside Manchester Crown Court duringthe September 2000 trial of Rosie James and Rachel Wenham

would not leave the court until the question of all herunpaid fines was dealt with. The next case was calledand Roger Franklin sat down in the dock besideSylvia. His case was then adjourned and Sylvia wasstill sitting there. The JP gathered up his papers andhe and the clerk and the Fiscal scuttled out the door,ignoring the fact neither Sylvia nor the foursupporters present had obeyed the instruction tostand up.

The trial of Rachel Wenham and Rosie James beganthe same day in Manchester Crown Court. The Navymechanic who accompanied them off the boat at thetime of their disarmament action against HMSVengeance admitted that the vessel had been delayedin sailing after the action. On the next day of the trialanother Crown witness said the sub had sailedwithout its radar surveillance system being inworking orderthrough the lackof testingequipment toreplace theequipmentdisarmed byRosie and Rachel.Rosie then gaveher own movingtestimony andher realisationthat direct actionwas the only wayto make adifference. Shewas followed byRosie on the 14th,and the courtheard of herextreme trepidation swimming in the filth infestedwaters of Barrow docks. She told of German JudgeUlf Panzer and his blockading of a Pershing missilebase in Germany to the evident surprise of the judgewho joked that he might have to find a wetsuit! Onthe 15th three expert witnesses appeared for thedefence. Angie Zelter spoke of the need to take directaction after every conventional avenue wasexhausted. Professor Paul Rogers explained how thethreat posed by the Trident fleet is fundamental toBritain�s current posture. Rebecca Johnson of theAcronym Institute described how that threat hadoperated in the context of heightened internationaltension at the time of the disarmament action. Thejudge said that the threat or use of Trident does notcontravene existing English law and ruled that thepart of the defence founded on that matter could notbe put to the jury. Rachel dispensed with the servicesof her barrister before the summing up and appealedherself to the jury to follow their consciences inaccordance with the Nuremberg Principles. Thewomen were found not guilty on the charge ofcriminal damage relating to the spray painting ofpeace slogans on the Trident submarine HMSvengeance in Barrow last year. Even after extra time

the jury was not able to reach a verdict on the firstcharge relating to the damage to testing equipmenton the conning tower � so the result was a �hungjury�. In the light of the fact that the women havenever denied that they carried out the spray paintingit would follow that the jury has decided that thewomen�s defence was valid. It was a tremendousachievement. The case clearly caused a seriousdilemma for the jurors. Fellow AWTT member HelenHarris said: �Perhaps the best part of the trial washearing, through the guarded statements ofprosecution witnesses that the action had indeedworked - for a certain length of time, perhaps weeks,perhaps even months, one quarter of Britain�snuclear fleet was delayed from deployment.� After aconsiderable delay the Crown has indicated that thewomen will be tried again in the new year. This

means that the legalprocess to bringthem to book forpreventing crimeand upholding thelaw will take at leasttwo years, anappalling abuse ofprocess.

The 4th October wasanother of thoselong days inHelensburgh DistrictCourt, with 24 TPcases beingdiscussed, and sixtrials due to takeplace. In the endnone of these trialsmaterialised and we

were subjected to the usual chorus of adjournments,stretching well into next year. Late in the afternoonthe court rose but our day was far from over. Whynot make all our travelling worthwhile? A dozen orso of us made our way westward to Coulport wherewe set about the perimeter fence. Seven of us werearrested. Everyone was out again in a few hours andnext morning the TV in Scotland ran the story in itsmorning bulletins, with a library picture of a Tridentsub in the Gareloch.

The hearing of the Lord Advocates Reference of theGimblett ruling began as scheduled on the 9th

October. The process involves the Crown and theother interested parties (called Respondents �in thiscase Angie, Ulla and Ellen) putting their argumentsbefore a panel of three High Court judges. In essenceit is a government appeal by the back door againstthe Gimblett verdict. While it cannot actuallyoverturn the women�s acquittal, a negative outcomewould obviously carry the implication that theyshould have been found guilty. All three Respondentshave raised issues arising from the Convention onHuman Rights (called Devolution Issues), one ofwhich claims that the process amounts to a retrial ofthe accused. However -the real source of criminality

Tri-denting It Handbook 3rd Edition (2001) 69

Justice waits outside the High Court in Edinburgh

is being discussed -Trident itself. The presidingjudge, Lord Prosser, and the panel are obviouslythoroughly engaged. They have shown that they willnot be restricted by the terms of the Lord Advocate�squestions but will look at all the relevant issues. Eachof the interested parties will participate in tworounds of speeches. Simon Di Rollo opened for theCrown. The core of his argument is that Britain is notbreaking any rule of customary international law bydeploying Trident and that it is not threatening touse it and never has. Intriguingly he read out greatchunks of the ICJ Opinion of 1996.

Then came Angie. Representing herself, the only layperson, she said that the proceedings would relate towhether there is a right for ordinary citizens toprevent innocent people from being murdered. Shestrongly refuted the Crown statement that she, Ullaand Ellen were engaged in some kind of oppositionor protest. They had acted to try to preventpreparations for war crimes. Citizens had time andagain attempted to have this criminality addressedthrough the legal system. No prosecutions had takenplace - a �serious indictment of the criminalprosecution service in both England and Scotland�. Inconcluding she said: �The nuclear crime preventionwill continue whatever the outcome of the LAR but ifthe court is wise and courageous it will also grapplewith the underlying problems arising out of theGreenock trial - that of the vital question of theillegality of Trident and how to remove it fromScotland.� Sitting there in the court we pinchedourselves to check this was really happening at last -a legal demolition of Trident before an attentivebench and busy public seats in the highest court inScotland.

She was followed by Gerry Moynihan QC. His viewwas that the only reason the ICJ judges did not comeout with a blanket ban on nuclear weapons was thatsome of them felt that a legal use of a small yieldweapon against a ship at sea or an isolated militaryobjective in a desert was a possibility. Thisreservation did not, of course, apply to Trident,which was clearly illegal. Advocate John Mayer,appearing for Ulla, whom he had successfullydefended at Greenock, stated that there was no suchthing as mere possession of a fleet of Trident nuclearsubmarines, each armed with live and targeted 100kiloton warheads. Deploying nuclear weapons meanshaving them in a state of readiness for war.

On Friday 13th October the hearing was adjournedand was due to take up again on the 14th October.On the Friday evening Edinburgh City Council (aNuclear-Free Zone Council) laid on a civic receptionfor Trident Ploughshares. This was preceded by aseminar organised by the World Court Project (UK) inthe City Chambers with short speeches from Angieand Stale Eskeland from the University of Oslo. Angiepointed out that it was only the action and pressureof ordinary people that changed things. Stale saidthat there was considerable room for optimism butthat we would continue to need �hard work, cool

minds and warm hearts�. The warm and practicalwelcome from St. Augustine�s United Church in thecentre of the city included office and accommodationspace and enabled us to maintain a regular presencein Parliament Square sometimes accompanied by avery tall woman in white, Justice herself, with aTrident missile in one hand and constructivealternatives such as hospitals and schools in theother, and all the while looking poignantly towardsthe grey building of the High Court of Justiciary.

In spite of the high level examination of the issues inEdinburgh, Helensburgh District Court was still doingits own muddled thing. Jane Tallents was fined £300on 23rd October for a straightforward blockade actionin August 1999 and two days later Clive Fudge,Marilyn Croser and Joy Mitchell were all fined £50 fortheir part in the February Crimebusters blockade.The same morning Faslane Peace Campers MarjanWillemsen had been due to appear along with Fungusto explain why they had not paid fines for previousanti-Trident actions. Instead of coming to court theyentered Faslane naval base by cutting a hole in theperimeter fence, climbed a lighting mast at one of theshipping berths within the base and draped from themast banners reading: �Trident Subs Threaten TheWorld.� After being released at midday from MODcustody they appeared at the afternoon session inthe court. Fungus was given another week to paywhile Marjan was sent straight to prison for sevendays. She was out on Friday and straight back toFaslane to get on with the work.

Acknowledgements

This section was written by David MacKenzie.

Thanks to everyone who contributed photographswhich were used in this chapter. Because thephotographers were so numerous, and many wereunknown, it was decided the most egalitariansolution was not to credit any of them!