Faslane Protesters in Court

On 17 April two more people found guilty of “breaching the peace” at blockades of Faslane naval base were fined, one of them heavily. Andrea Hill was charged with the offence after taking part in the Big Blockade last February. She told Justice of the Peace Viv Dance in Helensburgh District Court that she had been bringing peace. As President of the International Court of Justice had put it: “Atomic weapons and international humanitarian law are mutually exclusive.” Geoff Hoon had intensified the threat from Britain when he said that in the right circumstances we would be willing to use nuclear weapons. Andrea questioned this “Who is the ‘we’ he mentions? It’s not democratic decision and lots of people don’t support it.” She was fined £150.

Barbara Maver from Edinburgh was arrested at the blockade of the base in October last year. Her solicitor Claire Ryan argued that there was a right under the European Convention to peaceful protest. Barbara had only sat in the roadway for a short time and there was no evidence of anyone being alarmed by what she had done. Even the Scottish law lords who criticised the acquittal of the Trident Three had agreed that “Demonstration and protest and civil disobedience have a long and indeed proud history.” JP Dance was unmoved. Taking into account the fact that Barbara had broken bail to take part in the protest and her previous convictions for anti-Trident actions she fined her a hefty £250.

Trident Ploughshares comment: “We could not but be aware that this morning a well-off motorist, with three previous convictions for speeding, was given the same fine as Barbara Maver by the same magistrate in the same court after being found guilty of exceeding the speed limit by 31 mph. It does raise a question about the values JP Dance is operating from when she equates the potentially lethal behaviour of the motorist with Barbara’s peaceful and harmless protest against a weapon system that is so offensive to conscience and law. Judges who defend Trident are turning justice upside down.”