Saturday, March 22, 2008

Brave people bombspotting



After the night of the equinox, when everywhere in the world darkness and light are even, and all people in the world have the same amount of light, we need to work for light and peace for all humanity. The bombspotters know that WMD, 20 nuclear warheads, can be found here at the NATO Headquarters and that plans for their use are plotted here. First, we all sign a declaration stating our identity and our intent to use only non-violent means in our action. We get a thorough briefing as to the legal implication of an administrative or a judicial arrest. Most of the over 600 activist will try to get over the 2,5 meter high razorsharp barbed wire fence and seal off NATO. Before our arrival, the first arrests have already been made: a person with roadmaps of the area, the people who were going to serve beer and coffee at the place of gathering of all nations, megaphones have been confiscated... That kind of stuff. Pretty soon we get the good news that 25 people have entered NATO, some of the young people from our group. Later in the day other groups, thanks to the rope ladders and carpets, made it over as well. In total almost 70 activists made it on to the military terrain. Over 500 people near the fence have been arrested and will be released probably sometime late tonight. They all carry a statement that they were under a moral obligation to take action in order to prevent a bigger crime. The people who in their civil disobedience action are arrested on the grounds of NATO will probably face a court case in one of the appeal courts. The statement we all carry contains a charge against NATO and the Belgian state for not living up to the Non Proliferation Treaty and accepting nuclear weapons on Belgian territory.
The police used excessive force in the arrests, hurt some of the non-violent demonstrators. They used choppers and water canons on this cold windy day...
Tomorrow you'll read about the Writers for Peace.
In war always a father or a mother dies, always a child, a brother or a sister, always you and me. With nuclear weapons the collateral damage are civilians.

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