This ploughshares group, who called themselves the ‘SAAB Microwave Becoming2’ whilst transforming the systems (on 26th June in 2008 near to the SAAB Microwave buildings) were eventually halted by the timely arrival of guards and were later transferred to the care of the police of Mölndal, near Gothenburg. Beside the physical disarmament with the use of hammers they also managed to appropriately plant figs trees at this factory – which makes parts for the military.
- “We beat swords into ploughshares’, Ulla Røder tells. “We started to transform. We had no intention of bothering with protesting against the firing systems that SAAB Microwave make; knowing this is one of the top five largest companies producing war radars made it more essential to be proactive. We chose not to protest because it is in essence reactive and negating. It has become time to intervene and be proactively creative with these systems. Moreover, prior to this trial we held a Hope and Resistance festival that has lasted two days! Trials such as these are for inspiring others and for conspiring together in a party atmosphere.
News: Ploughshares people move on from the protest. w
- “We call it for Postprotest” says Per Herngren. “We do not use protest messages like “No, No, No, Stop this!”. Instead we try to live and create the community we want to be in. To beat swords into ploughshares with hammers is a creative act it is no attempt to say ”No”. The inspiration we have comes partially from philosophers like Nietzsche and Deleuze; whose perspectives on resistance poses ideas that we do not drain ourselves using by protest of what is creative nonviolent force and energy. Moreover, the protest point on armies of people and want them to solve the problems. Merely as we have been inspired we want to inspire others to be usefully “infected”, person to person. We call this an innovation-chain.
This trial can offer us new possibilities, together we can build resistance societies; throughout there have been stories of the use of civil disobedience, here at the court it is proposed that there will be conspiracy afresh, multiplying, and the opportunities of people to connect and organize together as new collectives.
This trial will have no spectators; in the ‘Becoming2 Ploughshares’ trial we are seeing ourselves as becoming ‘resistance’ and we see ourselves as becoming justice, then together becoming justice and becoming resistance. According to Nietzsche we are all to see ourselves as law makers – not only governments.
We are pacing ourselves with the beat of the hammers, together we work alongside with artists and philosophers raising the helping hand in the process to find new ways, including new people, and newer groups that can sprout potentially into new ploughshares processes.
Contacts and pictures:
Ulla Røder och Per Herngren can be reached at tel. +46 (0) 70-88 77 211 och +45 31625110.
Homepage for Saab Microwave Blivande2 Plogbill
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Pictures from the ploughshares aktion.
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Ulla Røder
Ulla Røder, 53 from Danmark, disarmed the laboratory testing the Trident nuclear submarines in Loch Goil Scotland in 1999 together with the ploughshare group Trident Three. They were acquitted at the trial. Shortly before the start of the Iraq war Ulla also disarmed a Tornado jet, this was going to be used in attacks against the Iraqi people. Ulla has been imprisoned on remand for more than one year for these and other nonviolent interventions.
Per Herngren was given hospitality in an American prison for a period of 15 months together with 7 other, following the disarming of Pershing II nuclear missiles in 1984. During the first Iraq war in 1991 he disarmed two Carl Gustav grenade launchers at FFV, Eskilstuna. Per took part in and initiated the European Ploughshares. He is 46 years old and lives in Hammarkullen, Gothenburg and works by writing and as a nonviolence trainer. His books have been translated into Swedish, Polish and English.