Clarkson and Newell pled "not guilty" and defended themselves on legal, moral and religious grounds. Despite the prosecution admitting that no-one saw the pair entering the base, they agreed that they had cut through the perimeter fence to make the gateway and entered the base to pray for peace. They were found guilty of 'criminal damage' and ordered to pay fines and costs of £920 each. They will both refuse to pay, risking prison sentences.

In court, they stated that they had cut open the fence to make a “gateway for peace”, "to prepare a way for the Lord" and to open up public access to this highly secretive, mostly underground, base where a billion pound building project is going on.
 
Susan Clarkson and Martin Newell were arrested on December 29th 2008 after being inside the base for over half an hour. They had spent another half hour cutting the gateway into the base, leaving signs showing victims of aerial bombing in Afghanistan which Northwood would have been involved in through military planning, co-ordination and relaying communications. They also hung signs saying “Stop Bombing Afghanistan”, “Gateway for Peace” and “Make a Way for the Lord”. Other members of Catholic Worker communities held vigil at the front entrance reading the names of British and Afghani war dead. During the arrests, sirens and public address messages from within the base could be heard announcing "Operation Round Up" and a return of all staff to buildings as the base's security response was put in place.
 
Northwood Military Headquarters is the command centre for all British forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.  It is a 43 acre site in suburban London accommodating over 2,000 military and civilian personnel.  Just before Christmas two British soldiers had committed suicide in Basra while the 136th British soldier to die in Afghanistan was killed on Christmas Eve.  The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission estimates over 750 Afghani civilians have been killed by Western forces in 2008.

 The anti-war direct action followed a weekend of reflection and prayer for the Catholic "Feast of the Holy Innocents", commemorating the massacre of the children by King Herod who saw the birth of Christ as a threat to his power.

Susan and Martin's STATEMENT OF FAITH follows...
 
We come here today from Catholic Worker communities to witness at Northwood on behalf of all the victims of war. We come here to pray, repent and create.
 
We pray particularly for all those who have died in the war in Afghanistan over the past year, especially those connected to Northwood Headquarters.  This includes all military and civilian victims, women, men but especially the children.  On 28 December the Catholic church commemorates the murder of the children by King Herod in his search to destroy the baby Jesus who Herod believed threatened his empire.
 
We repent of our complicity in this imperial warmaking of our government and pray to be people committed to nonviolent ways of solving conflict.  We invite all whom we meet today to reflect on this power of nonviolence.
 
In this place, where the military planning of the joint forces of the United Kingdom takes place veiled in secrecy and fear based security, we are here to create a new citizen's gateway through which we enter to pray and through which we invite our fellow citizens to enter and see what is done in our name.  We make our own the words of the Bible "Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight"
 
By coming here today we are trying to put into practice the words of Jesus whom we follow: Love your enemies and do good for those who persecute you" which are the ways to peace.
 
We ask you to join us in entering this gateway to peace.
 
Susan Clarkson and Martin Newell cp
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*Donations to support those arrested as they travel through the court and penal system should be sent to "London Catholic Worker" at 14 Deal Street, London E1 5AH. Cheques can be made out to “Catholic Worker Farmhouse”


For more information, contact: Catholic Worker Farmhouse, Lynsters Farm, Old Uxbridge Road, West Hyde, Herts WD3 9XJ. TEL: 01923 777 201