Small news in comparison to yesterday... but one aspect of resistance to militarism - be it state-sponsored or "terrorist".

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PRESS RELEASE 12 September 2001
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In the ongoing saga to win back our peace camp from the very sad landscaping efforts of the Ministry of Defence and AWE management Ltd, six women from the Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp were arrested on Saturday 8 September outside AWE Aldermaston after walking a public footpath which crosses the site of the monthly peace camp. (This area has been fenced-off by the base since July 2001 in an attempt to displace or perhaps remove the regular women's peace camp - which has taken place on the site for the past fifteen years.)

All six women were arrested under s5.1 of the 1986 Public Order Act for allegedly "using threatening, abusive, insulting words or disorderly behaviour with the hearing or sight of person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress". Their charge specifies "disorderly conduct", though doesn't mention the basis for the charge.

As all six behaved entirely nonviolently and could in no way at any time be considered to be using or engaging in "threatening, abusive, insulting words or disorderly behaviour". In fact they were terribly nice and polite as they passed and re-passed along the footpath. We can only assume the police are insulted because all six refused to leave the site when told to do so by Ministry of Defence Police, ie a group of women did not "do as they were told" by a group of men in uniforms.

The Ministry of Defence believe the patch of land concerned is "theirs", however there is no criminal offence of simple trespass. Thus they have no power of arrest or detention and cannot act as police constables in this matter. Clutching at straws (after attempting to use s61 of the CJPOA in July (dropped) and s25 of PACE in August (all released by the custody Sergeant shortly after arrival at the police station), they are having another go, this time using s5 of the Public Order Act. For background to all these, see our website (details below).

Camp women also contest the power of the Ministry to arbitrarily stop-up public footpaths without going through the normal legal procedures and consider the use of force by police officers to remove people from the footpath an assault and breach of the peace.

As in previous month's arrests, several of those arrested experienced what they believe to be unreasonable force during their arrest, and one woman was handcuffed for a period of time before being uncuffed.

The first court hearing will take place on 14 September at Newbury Magistrates Court.

The arrests came amidst growing support for the camp and in continuing the ongoing resistance to the Ministry of Defence and AWE management's attempts to remove the peace camp from it's historic site. (For background info on this ongoing saga see  http://www.gn.apc.org/aldermastonwpc/eviction.htm).

Photos of the arrest available (use email or mobile phone to contact us - details below).
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Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp(aign)

postal: 157 Lyndhurst Road, Worthing, W Sussex BN11, Britain
Tel: 01639 600 780
UK m: 07904 450307
email:  awpc@gmx.co.uk
web:  http://www.gn.apc.org/aldermastonwpc
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Regular monthly, women-only peace camp. Second weekend of each month.
Shareholder actions, propaganda, nonviolent direct action, public awareness, vegan cake.
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