The trial of the three Waihopai Ploughshares activists is set to begin in Wellington, New Zealand on the 8th March 2010.
The trial will begin almost two years since three members of a Christian Ploughshares team entered the Waihopai spy base and used sickles to deflate one of the two 30 metre domes covering satellite interception dishes. They then built a shrine and prayed for the victims of the war with no end – the so-called ‘War on Terror’ led by the US government which also controls the NZ taxpayer funded Waihopai base.
There have been over 100 Ploughshares actions over the last twenty years around the world. Ploughshares direct actions are linked through the common factors of: entry to locations connected to military activity, Christian prayers and most involve some form of property destruction. (See Statement below)
Like all Ploughshares action around the world, the three activists facing court have a well cordinated support group on the outside. The Wellington Ploughshares Support Group and the wider Peace Movement Aotearoa (PMA) have a range of activities, rallies and prayer vigils and public meetings planned to take place before and during the trial and have called on Australian, New Zealand and international activists to lend their support.
The Waihopai Ploughshares Support Goup have requested peac
e, justice and faith groups organise a support activity in their community, town or city, or place of worship – keeping in mind and respecting the nonviolent philosophy of Ploughshares.
Good background information about Waihopai Ploughshares action is available at http://ploughshares.org.nz and http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/plshares.htm and information about the Waihopai spy base is at http://www.converge.org.nz/abc/waihopai.htm
You can contact the Wellington Ploughshares Support Group c/o email pma@xtra.co.nz
They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift sword against nation; and there shall be no more training for war. Isaiah 2/4
This morning, 30 April 2008, we entered the Waihopai Spy Base near Blenheim.
Our group, including a Dominican Priest, temporarily closed the base by padlocking the gates and proceeded to deflate one of the large domes covering two satellite dishes.
At 6am we cut through three security fences surrounding the domes – these are armed with razor wire, infrared motion sensors and a high voltage electrified fence.
Once inside we used sickles to cut one of the two 30-metre white domes, built a shrine and knelt in prayer to remember the people killed by United States military activity.
We have financed our activities through personal savings, additional part-time employment and a small interest-free loan from one of our supporters.
We are responding to the Bush administrations admission that intelligence gathering is the most important tool in the so-called War on Terror. This war will have no end until citizens of the world refuse to let it continue. The ECHELON spy network including Waihopai, is an important part of the US governments global spy network and we have come in the name of the Prince of Peace to close it down.
The base is funded by New Zealand tax payers and located on New Zealand soil which makes New Zealand a target through our association with the UKUSA intelligence cooperation agreement.
Five years ago the Clark government opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq. Yet at the same time the Bush administration was using the National Security Agencys ECHELON system, of which Waihopai is an integral component, to spy on UN Security Council members so it could more easily swing them in favour of an invasion.
Bryan Law, an activist from Australia, is present at the trial and reporting daily at http://www.Cairnspeacebypeace.org
You can use this site as a regular trial blog for the duration of the trial.