Update 2
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Update 2 on the trial and the support around it
By Ciaron O'Reilly
Day 2, Friday, October 15th
The second day of the Bread Not Bombs Trial began on Friday October 15th. at Preston Crown Courts, England. Proceedings followed a gathering at St. Wilfreds Church followed by a single file procession to court lead by "Bread Not Bombs Ploughshares" defendants Annika Spalde and Stellan Vinthagen. The procession included local peace activists, Swedish ploughshares, Catholic Workers from New York, Amsterdam and Liverpool, CND members from Blackpool and Manchester and freelance solidarity folks. As we walked we were lead in song by Carmen Trotta singing "We're going to keep on marching forward, never turning back". At the court we formed our morning circle to remember the dead of nuclear weapons production deployment, testing and use. Carmen, from the New York Catholic Worker and Atlantic Life Community, addressed us on the spiritual significance of such nonviolent resistance and court scenes in these dark days.
We established a place of prayer and reflection with Hiroshima photoes near the court entrance and a vigil at the roadside. Inside the court a jury was chosen and the defence demand to exclude British Aerospace employees (10,000 are employed in the area in arms production and have experienced the 1996 disarmament of a Hawk jet by a group of Ploughshares activists who were later acquitted in Liverpool Crwn courts, BAe also owns the VSEL shipyards where the Bread Not Bombs disarmament took place in Sept. '98 and is the subject of this trial). The prosecution was finished by the end of the morning and the Defence Barrister made an opening before an adjournment was called. ***A detailed report of preceedings is available from the Bread Not Bombs mailing list or requesting it from Rolf Lindahl <roli@vapenexport.nu>
Accomadation in Preston is available but you must give notice of specific needs calling Ciaron on 07930-961842.
Mailing address: Ploughshares c/- Xaverians 179 Ribbleton Ave. Preston PR2 6AA
