Three NSA drone protesters acquitted on one charge, low fines on others
by Ellen Barfield A quick but comprehensive trial today in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Maryland for three women who protested drone targeting at the National Security Agency at Ft Meade, Maryland, resulted in acquittal on one charge and conviction but low fines on the other two charges.
Challenging Drone Warfare in a U.S. Court
by Kathy Kelly On October 7, 2014, Kathy Kelly and Georgia Walker appeared before Judge Matt Whitworth in Jefferson City, MO, federal court on a charge of criminal trespass to a military facility. The charge was based on their participation , at Whiteman Air Force Base, in a June 1st 2014 rally protesting drone warfare. […]
Australian peace activists detained and assaulted by SAS on Swan Island
from Swan Island Peace Convergence Before dawn on October 2, eight peace activists entered the top secret Swan Island military base near Queenscliff, Australia. The group entered in the early hours of the morning to nonviolently disrupt preparations for the imminent war in Iraq. Four of the activists were discovered, detained and assaulted by SAS […]
Another NY drone protester goes to jail
from Upstate Drone Action Jack Gilroy, 79, of Endwell, New York was sentenced on October 1 to three months incarceration, three years probation, and $1,000 fine by DeWitt Town Court Judge Robert Jokl. He was taken into custody immediately. “It’s time for our justice system to identify the real criminals… not those who carry the […]
Clergy and veterans among eleven people arrested at Beale Air Base over two days of Campaign Nonviolence demonstrations
Eleven people, including clergy and veterans, were arrested during two days of peace demonstrations at Beale Air Force Base in California, site of the surveillance drone Global Hawk, which performs reconnaissance for armed drones. The demonstrations at Beale were coordinated with Campaign Nonviolence, a national campaign calling for an end to war, poverty, and climate […]
K.C. judge finds protester guilty of trespass action, tells her to stay away from local nuclear weapon plants
by Jane Stoever The judge and prosecutor wanted to consider only a line-crossing. Civil resister Georgia Walker and her lawyer wanted to expose the evil of nuclear weapons, the scourge of contaminants from making the weapons. The verdict: guilty of trespass May 31, 2014, at Bannister Federal Complex, where parts were made for nuclear weapons […]
Campaign Nonviolence action at White House; 5 arrested
by Ken Butigan, Pace e Bene, Campaign Nonviolence Fr. John Dear joined scores of activists, including Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin, at the White House on the morning of September 23 to announce the launch of Campaign Nonviolence’s long-term movement for a culture of peace free from war, poverty, the climate crisis and the epidemic of […]
Fairness and Justice? Post-9/11 Muslim Charity Prosecution
by Katherine Hughes Copyright, Truthout.org. Reprinted with permission. My passion for the protection of civil liberties was sparked at the age of 14 when I saw a documentary on the Allies’ liberation of Bergen-Belsen. For the past 40 years, in an effort to understand how something like that could happen, I’ve been reading first-hand accounts […]
Army refuser Sara Beining arrested and jailed after going AWOL again
A single mother and Iraq war veteran is in jail in Colorado Springs. Sara Beining went AWOL a second time last summer after a nearly year-long delay in resolving the original charge that resulted when she left her unit at Ft. Hood in January, 2007. Just over one year ago, September 14, 2013, Beining was stopped […]
Scottish Trident nuclear weapons base blockaded in post referendum protest
from Trident Ploughshares On the morning of September 22, four days after the historic referendum, Trident Ploughshares [1] and Faslane Peace Camp [2] have partially blocked the north gate to Faslane Naval Base, homeport of the UK Trident nuclear weapons system, sending a strong message that the overwhelming desire of Scotland to be rid of […]