ABC
IN BLENHEIM IN SOLIDARITY WITH DOMEBUSTERS
Peace Researcher 37 – November 2008
- Murray Horton
Bob Leonard and I went to Blenheim as an act of
practical solidarity with the Waihopai Domebusters when they appeared in court
for the depositions hearing on September 18th. For both of us it was the first
time that we had set foot in the Blenheim District Court since the 1997 case of
the Waihopai 20, which was the last time anyone had been arrested for anything
to do with the spybase (see PR 13, August 1997, for details). Bob and I had
been spectators at that one (which featured the biggest number of defendants of
any of the numerous court cases in the first decade of ABC’s Waihopai campaign,
which prioritised arrestable actions). Bob himself had been a Waihopai
defendant in that court, in 1996 but in 2008 he was there in a very different
capacity, namely as a fully accredited court reporter for Peace Researcher. We
only had the idea very late in the piece and were frankly surprised that our
request was granted without demur by the court authorities (the last time I had
applied, also successfully, for court reporter accreditation was way back in
1974 when I was Editor of Canta, the University
of Canterbury student
paper). Not only was Bob there as a court reporter, he was the best dressed
one. I had asked what was the expected dress standard and had been told jacket
and tie – Bob turned out to be the only court reporter so dressed (and it was a
surprise to his fellow anti-bases activists who had last seen him in his usual Uncle Sam costume at
the January 08 Waihopai protest. See PR 36, August 2008, for details of that
protest. It can be read online at http://www.converge.org.nz/abc/pr36-166.html
.
Public Meeting, Vigil
Bob and I travelled up to Blenheim on the day
before the depositions hearing, arriving in time to join the Ploughshares group
who had come down from the North Island, plus other supporters from Christchurch and elsewhere around the
country. We all met up at a central Blenheim Catholic Church where we shared a
communal meal and there was a public meeting, at which there were approximately
30 people, including reporters from both the Marlborough Express and the Press
(not surprisingly the Ploughshares’ action has attracted major media coverage,
including profiles of the Domebusters themselves and articles on the
international Ploughshares movement). Bob and I both spoke at that meeting, as
Ploughshares regards us as the “experts” on Waihopai and its place in the
global US
spying and warfighting machine (the media regards us as experts on anything to
do with intelligence. While in the car en route to Blenheim, I did an interview
on my mobile with a radio station about new Police intelligence gathering
powers. It’s not really ABC’s area, but I was happy to oblige the reporter
who’d rung to ask my opinion). The larger group stayed, marae style, in the
church hall overnight; Bob and I went off to our motel (which we paid for
ourselves in case anyone is concerned about misuse of ABC funds).
Next morning, Bob reported for duty as Peace
Researcher’s court reporter and as well as being a court room spectator I
joined the Ploughshares group in their vigil in Seymour Square, opposite the Court
building. They had come well prepared, with scrumptious food, (including the
sausage sizzle which has long been a part of ABC’s protest activities in Seymour Square),
literature and specially printed Waihopai spybase T shirts. We had brought up
four of ABC’s large collection of Waihopai banners, plus poles, and that turned
out to be a good thing, as Ploughshares didn’t have any suitable banners. There
were a large number of reporters present, from both local and national media
and the whole thing got big coverage. To nobody’s surprise the three
Domebusters were committed for trial and when they emerged from the court,
having renewed their bail conditions, they held an impromptu footpath press
conference at which Adrian Leason spoke passionately about the destruction
wrought on Iraq by the US war machine
and about Waihopai’s role in aiding and abetting that war machine. After lunch
we all parted company – the Domebusters and the rest of the Ploughshares group
headed back to the North Island or back south; Bob and I drove out to have a
look at the spybase (my first time to see it with only one dome). We spent a
second night in Blenheim and came home the next day.
ABC’s 09
Waihopai Action Will Be In Solidarity With Domebusters’ Trial
The Anti-Bases Campaign has publicly supported
the Domebusters since the outset. One of our Committee members, Lynda Boyd,
organised people from around the country to go to Blenheim in May 08 when they
first appeared in court (and were released on bail after five days in custody
in the Blenheim Police Station). ABC has made a respectable size donation
towards their legal costs and we will centre our 2009 Waihopai spybase actions
around their trial (whether that is held in Blenheim or in Wellington, which is where the defence wants
it transferred). This means that we will not be holding our usual January
protest weekend activities in 2009. When we find out when and where the trial
is being held, then we’ll start planning our solidarity action to coincide with
it.
“Let’s Shut Down
Waihopai” CD
The depositions hearing in September was also
the occasion for the launch of a CD by Jeff Simmonds entitled “Let’s Shut Down
Waihopai”. Musically it’s very catchy and the lyrics are spot on – I think I
can say without fear of contradiction that this is the first song to feature
the words “geostationary orbit” (referring to the civilian telecommunications
satellites upon which Waihopai spies). To purchase the CD, which costs $20,
contact Jeff Simmonds, Box
2047, Raumati
Beach, Jeff@JeffSimmonds.org www.jeffsimmonds.org
. His Website features videos and you can download the song for free at http://www.jeffsimmonds.org/Jeff-Simmonds-Free-MP3s.php
The CD also contains several other songs, and interviews with all three
Domebusters about who they are and why they did what they did at Waihopai. It’s
a must have for all anti-bases activists.