Australian anti-war activist compromises perimiter security at British military HQ in London

Dec 29 - London CW's in Solidarity with Bradley Manning at Northwood HQ
( **8 of the 30 anti-war activists involved in this action in London are Australians living in, or visiting, London!)

FULL REPORT, PHOTOS, YOUTUBE, COMMENTS........
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/9855

LONDON-Catholic Worker Anti-War Resistance at Northwood HQ on the "Feast of Holy Innocents" (D29)

NORTHWOOD PERMANENT JOINT HEADQUARTERS (British Military)
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo...s.htm

Catholic Workers from St Francis House/ Oxford, Farmhouse/ Rickmansworth http://www.thecatholicworkerfarm.org/
and Giuseppe Conlon House/ London communities www.londoncatholicworker.org were joined by 20 anti-war activists, in solidarity with the imprisoned Pfc Bradley Manning, http://www.bradleymanning.org/
and in resistance to the continued war on Afghanistan, at the gates of Northwood HQ/ London on Wednesday morning Dec 29th.

ACTION DESCRIPTION

The participants marked the Catholic "Feast of the Holy Innocents" while seeing the contemporary victims of imperial power as those marked for death as "collateral damage" in wars on Iraq and Afghanistan. The British components of these wars are directed from Northwood HQ, located in leafy London suburbia!

Largely ignored by the more mainstream Britiish anti-war organisations, the central war fighting role of Northwood HQ and has been addressed consistently, in word and NVDA deed, over the past decade by the Catholic Worker movement. Resistance actions have also been undertaken recently by "Justice Not Vengeance" http://www.j-n-v.org/ and in the late 90's by "Reclaim the Streets" In recent years, the cashed up military have responded to such nonviolent resistance by redesigning the entrance to the base and remodelling the "Northwood Headquarters" sign. A sign that that has been regularly "enhanced" over the years by Catholic Workers staining it with red paint - symbolic of the Iraqi and Afghani blood spilt as the result of commands issued from Northwood HQ.

As a group of 20 gathered at Northwood tube station for a preliminary vigil and procession to the base, seven Catholic Workers arrived at the gates of Northwood. They were surprised to find the base sign had been removed in keeping with the military's growing awareness of the relationship between the liturgical calender and potential nonviolent resistance actions at the base! With the sign unavailable for redesign, the red paint was poured in the shape of a cross on the roadway leading into the base.

80 year old Quaker, former Britsh Army veteran and Palestinian solidarity (CPT) activist John Lyons, Sr. Susan Clarkson of the Oxford CW, London CW/ retired social worker Angela Broome, London CW/ community college teacher Henrietta Cullinan, London CW/ musician David Turley and Bristol university student activist Tim Saunders took up position blockading the entrance to the base. Veteran Catholic Worker/Plowshares activist Ciaron O'Reilly wearing a photo of imprisoned U.S. Pfc Bradley Manning spontaneously scaled the base fence, slowly negotiated his way through the razor wire and leapt in to the base.

The resistance group was joined by 20 anti-war activists who had processed to the base from Northwood tube station. This group included a combat veteran of the Iraq/Iran war of the '80's, a U.S. Air Force veteran, a former Trident 2000 plowshare prisoner, members of the Catholic Worker movement, Justice not Vengeance, Trident Ploughshares, Christian CND. Speak, as well as English, Irish, Scottish, Australian, Iranian, Polish, U.S., Swedish, Dutch, Brazilian paricipants.

This larger group formed an expanded blockade of the entrance ön the roadside and for the next 90 minutes respectfully read the names of Afghan and British war dead.
* British war dead in Afghanistan
http://www.icasualties.org/oef/Nationality.aspx?hndQry=UK
* A list of some Afghan war dead
http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mwherold/memorial.htm

They were joined in the "Presente!" response; after each fatality was read out, by the six blockading the gate. O'Reilly maintained an inaccessible position inside the fence of the base for the next 90 minutes conversing with police, the combat veteran solider deployed to block any further advancement into the base and support people. An attempt by Tim Saunders to enter the base was thwarted by police. Tim was arrested taken to a police van, questioned and released rejoining the blockade line at the gate.

After 90 minutes O'Reilly made a speech from within the base, read out the statement of faith and surrendered to the military. He was taken by a soldier to the police within the base questioned and searched. The blockaders collectively read out the statement of faith and concluded their blockade. After some negotiating with the police, the demonstration temporarily withdrew and O'Reill was released. This was followed by a closing circle and transportation from the site to a debrief.

Full report, youtube, comments continued.....
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/98556