Fairford Disarmers @ Bristol Crown Court : SUPPORT NEEDED : 4th Sept Gathering

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This is one more chance to say 'Not in Our Name.'

To that end, we call for a quiet, dignified gathering outside the Bristol Crown Court in Small Street on Monday, September the 4th, starting at 9.00 am.
(The street runs between Corn St and the Cenotaph area in the Centre. There's an HSBC bank at the Corn St end.)

Everyone who feels as strongly as we do that what our government is doing – in Iraq, in Lebanon, Palestine ... . is utterly wrong, is welcome and urged to attend this first day, at 9.00.

The trial is expected to run for two weeks - so friends and supporters are welcome to come on the other mornings, too. And to come into court and hear the evidence.

Margaret (Mona) Jones

(See further information, below)

Back in March 2003 Paul Milling and I, using hammers and bolt cutters at RAF Fairford, disabled a couple of dozen vehicles used for getting bombs and fuel onto military planes. Our hope was to delay take-off of the B-52 bombers then stationed on the base, waiting to launch the first bombing raid on Iraq. These planes carried, among other weapons, cluster bombs.


Their appalling load was to be part of the ‘Shock and Awe’ raids on Baghdad, so bragged about by the Pentagon.

Whether we did succeed in delaying the take-off of the planes to any degree, will never be known. All I personally hoped for, though was to give someone living in the city a chance to run for their life before all hell came down.

We acted accountably and non-violently. (Unless you count putting the vehicles out of action as 'violence'. We don't.) We were concerned for safety, putting warning notices on the trucks, and telling the police what we had done. Paul had the blessing of his Quaker meeting in Birmingham, who had a general idea - though not the precised details - of what he intended to do.



After a series of pre-trial appeals, we now go to trial, charged with Conspiracy to commit Criminal Damage.

Maximum sentence: ten years’ imprisonment.

Trial dates: MONDAY 4th SEPTEMBER (until Sept. 18th)

We could do with the presence of friends and supporters for this one:

On the morning of Day One outside the court, especially.

(Anyone can come in, of course to hear all or part of the trial.)

 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bristolsocialforum/