Activist Set Free after Parliament Day Action
Yesterday a Trident Ploughshares activist was released from custody after appearing in Helensburgh District Court on charges related to his action in July when he celebrated the official opening of the Scottish Parliament by attempting to demolish the perimeter fence at the Coulport nuclear weapons base on Loch Long.
Ian Thomson (57), a joiner to trade and a peace and environmental campaigner of many years’ standing, was also charged with being in a prohibited place on the 30th April when he swam out to the new Trident submarine, HMS Vengeance, as it docked at Coulport. Ian’s defence was that he had been acting on both occasions to uphold international humanitarian law. When Defence Police witnesses were asked if Mr Thomson had made any statement at the time of his arrest they repeated "he said George Robertson is a dodo".
Damage to the perimeter fence at Coulport was estimated at £250. Ian was found guilty on both charges. Since he had already spent 12 days on remand at Greenock prison he was released without sentence.
Ian said:
"On the day we were celebrating the foundations of a new civilised future for Scotland it seemed right to me that we should be at the same time putting firmly in the past all the greedy, destructive and hate-ridden attitudes that Trident represents. We were opening parliament. Why not open up Coulport and expose our nuclear nightmare?”