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All the latest from the LCW...
5pm – 6pm: Stand in solidarity with Bradley Manning in London as he is arraigned for Court Martial in the US. The Vigil will take place at the hour the arraignment is starting at Fort Meade, Maryland. Meet in front of the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square. Nearest tube: Bond Street. (more details). If you can't make feel free to text the vigil while it is on - 079 392 90576 - sign off name and town eg. "Ciaron, London" and we'll read out ya solidarity text at the vigil. You can read a statement from the US Lawyers Guild for the charges to be dismissed here.
Our gathering included three former prisoners and a British veteran of the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan. We made a specific call for the release of Londoner Shaker Aamer. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. He has never met his youngest son, who is almost 10 years old. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought his release in August 2007, along with four other residents held at Guantánamo Bay, the last of whom was released in February 2009. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, has recently expressed grave concerns for his physical and mental health due to prolonged arbitrary detention. More info here
The Catholic Worker group had gathered to mark the Feast of Holy Innocents; when Catholics remember the children murdered by king Herod in his search for the infant Jesus. Catholic Workers make the connection with the powerful who continue to kill the innocents today in war, specifically Afghanistan. Northwood HQ is the command and control center for British forces in Afghanistan, all joint forces and NATO operations abroad. Northwood HQ has recently experienced a £1.2 billion building project; these funds could have otherwise benefited the community. The five occupiers were: Maria Albrecht (50), Scott Albrecht (49) from the Catholic Worker Farm, Hertfordshire, Henrietta Cullinan (50) from the Catholic Worker in Hackney, John Lynes (83) Quaker from Hastings and Rachel Wood (28) from the Catholic Worker group Sheffield. A group statement said, At a time when government cuts are affecting innocent children, pensioners, teachers, the sick and refugees the last thing we need to be doing is to continue spending billions on warfare. Human lives are the deepest cost. The government complains about a few tents occupying a small square outside St. Paul’s cathedral while we’ve sent thousands of soldiers to occupy other people’s countries and destroy their lives. This government needs to get its priorities right. More pics are here
London Catholic Worker Martin Newell got out of prison for Christmas, thank goodness. So no need to write to him in jail. Instead, here's the LCW Christmas message from last year - it's still relevant, maybe one day it'll be out of date...
Father Martin Newell of the London Catholic Worker community was sentenced to 24 days imprisonment Friday Dec 9th 2011 at Highbury Magistrates Court. Martin was brought before the court for refusing to pay a fine arising from cutting into the Northwood Headquarters, London in December 2008. The anti-war direct action was timed for the "Feast of the Holy Innocents" on the Catholic liturgical calendar. The feast day follows Christmas and commemorates the massacre of children in a search and destroy mission by King Herod who saw the birth of Christ as a threat to his power. From the dock Fr. Newell stated I work with refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan at the Catholic Worker. I am opposed to the wars we have been waging on these countries. I have nonviolently resisted these wars since they began. I'm refusing to pay this fine as a form of further non-cooperation with these wars. Northwood Headquarters is the command centre for British forces deployed overseas. The base has been the location of a number of nonviolent direct actions by the pacifist Catholic Worker community over the past decade of war on Iraq and Afghanistan. Martin is in HMP Pentonville. Solidarity messages can be sent to Martin Newell, c/- Giuseppe Conlon House, 49 Mattison Rd, Harringay, London, N4 1BG.We'll forward messages to Martin.
Yesterday Chris Cole and Fr. Martin Newell were formally charged at West End police station with "criminal damage". The charges result from the NVDA taken at Downing Street on 7th Oct 2011 marking the 10th anniversary of the war on Afghanistan. For background on the action take a look at this video or read this report. Chris and Martin have been given a court date at Westminister Magistrates at 10 a.m. on 19th Dec 2011. Police have decided to take "no further action" on four others arrested in the October action - Maya Evans, Ben Griffin, John Lynes and Ciaron O'Reilly Martin was taken into custody this morning on an old warrant relating to nonviolent anti-war resistance. He is presently being held at the West End/ London police station and will be taken to a court for sentencing on the old warrant today or tomorrow. At the present time we have no further word from the police on Martin. Martin is a member of the London Catholic Worker; he has previously served 8 months in prison for his participation in the Jubilee Ploughshares 2000 nonviolent disabling. of the nuclear convoy vehicle en transit from Aldermaston to Faslane. In June 2011, Martin was found guilty of charges relating to a 2010 action at Aldermaston.
We've got two forthcoming events that you might be interested in... Free Bradley Manning! End the wars!From 2pm, Saturday 17th Square, US embassy, Grosvenor Square: The closest tube is Bond Street; there will be speakers, music and an open mic. This solidarity event outside the U.S. embassy in London will be on Bradley's 24th. birthday - a day that many of his supporters will gather outside of Ft. Meade and U.S. embassies worldwide. We invite you to join us in London to demand FREEDOM FOR BRADLEY MANNING and an END TO THE WARS! Bradley Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst, faces life in prison for allegedly sharing a video of a U.S. helicopter attack that killed 11 civilians and seriously wounded two children in Baghdad, Iraq with the WikiLeaks website. The footage had been withheld by the U.S.military from those trying to discover the truth about the attacks. More info at collateralmurder.com, bradleymanning.org and wiseupforbradleymanning.wordpress.com. Anti-nuclear resistance celebration and planningThis year marks 30 years of continuous faithful Christian anti-nuclear witness at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Ash Wednesday. Many people have risked arrest, been arrested and served prison time over the years as an act of repentance for nuclear terror, and to call for repentance from this terrorism. We are helping to organise an event on Saturday 7th January 2011 to celebrate this witness and, for those who wish, to plan for the future. This is a good opportunity to find out more about how to begin taking challenging action for peace and justice. All welcome. Wishing you all a very peaceful and hope filled Advent season as we prepare for the coming of the Prince of Peace, who came among us poor and powerless to bring down the mighty from their thrones, and raise up the lowly.
LCWs have been involved in a couple of recent high-profile protests in London: Solidarity with Assange: Julian arrived just before 9 am followed by a huge international media pack. The legal proceedings ended by 10 a.m. with the High Court turning down the appeal against extradition to Sweden. Julian and his defence team are now considering their options. On exiting the court, Julian suggested accessing this website for information about the case. Occupy!: On Saturday Oct 29th a number of LCWs went down to St Paul's to show solidarity with the protests there. Ciaron O'Reilly was invited to take part as a Catholic Worker in the "Sermon on the Steps" of St. Paul's Cathedral organised by Occupy London. Here's a vid:
London Catholic Workers gathered this morning at Downing Street to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the war on Afghanistan. Some of us blockaded the entrance to Downing Street, spilling red paint on the ground as a reminder of all the blood that has been spilt in Afghanistan over the last decade. We also read out the names of people who have died in the conflict - Afghans and British. More coverage can be found on London IndyMedia. A video and some pictures are posted below.
The following piece was written by Chris, long time friend of the CWs, shortly after his arrest. On the morning of opening of the DSEi (Defence & Security Equipment International) arm fair in London, I left early from my bed, grateful for the hospitality of Giuseppe Conlon House, and made my way to the centre of London. At Tower Hill station there was a large queue of business men (they were all men) buying tickets to the Excel Centre where the fair is being held. I mingled with them and asked some of them – with BAE Systems badges on the lapels – whether they were buying or selling. It turned out that they were from Saudi Arabia and their minder did not want me to talk to them – or them to talk to me. I reminded him we were not in Saudi and democracy meant that we could happily converse with each other. The Excel Centre is in the east end of London – what used to be called the docklands – not far from the other London Catholic Worker – Dorothy Day House. I had vigiled and prayed the night before with about 150 locals from East London Against the Arms Fair outside the centre. Many of the elder ones at the vigil would be able to recall the devastation and loss of life visited upon the docks and surrounding areas by German bombing in the Second World War. None of us wanted such devastation and death rained on others with weapons traded at the arms fair. Alighting at the station exit for the arms fair there was intense security and I looked around in vain for other protestors – there had been a call out to meet together on the platform at 10.00am. As there was seemingly no one else there I mingled with the crowds of business men and made my way up to the entrance of the fair. There were large glossy display boards all around extolling the virtues of various weapons systems and arms companies. The closer I got to the entrance the heavier the security was getting and it was clear I would not get into the fair itself. Weighing up my option I got out a spray can from my bag and quickly sprayed “DSEi Kills” and “Stop the Arms Trade” on two of the glossy arms displays before being quickly grabbed by the police. I did not however, go quietly. I spoke loud and clearly to the long line of arms dealers shuffling slowing towards the entrance – urging them to reconsider their actions and speaking about the misery and death their mornings work will surely bring. I run out of words pretty quick and end by asking them repeatedly, to simply go home to their families and to think about what they were doing. All of them avoided eye contact. I spent a few hours in the cells and have been charged with criminal damage and have a plea hearing date next month. There were many other actions against the arms fair that day and in the days following. Investigators from human rights groups who did manage to gain entry into the fair found cluster bombs and torture equipment on sale despite specific promises from the organisation that such equipment was banned. Arms fairs such as DSEi – are the public face of the arms trade – the mere visible tip of the iceberg. The vast majority of the work goes on hidden beneath the surface, outside of the spotlight. Our task as Christian peacemakers is to expose this rotten underbelly which is responsible each and every day for visiting yet more death and destruction upon the world – especially upon the poor. A picture of Chris, courtesy Demotix, is here. Chris's blog is here.
Catholic Workers and friends gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Sunday to remember the dead of 9/ 11 and the U.S. wars that have followed. After being stopped and searched on suspicion of weapons, they held vigil and a banner that read Mourn the Dead... Heal the Wounded... End the Wars!
Check out our video of last week's vigil for Michael Lyons:
You can read what the local press had to say (although the comments are a little depressing). And here's a note from Sr. Susan herself. Dear Friends,
British Navy medic Michael Lyons is presently serving 7 months in Colchester Military Prison for refusing to deploy to Afghanistan. At his court martial Lyons testified that information on the nature of the war released by WikiLeaks led to him taking a moral position against the war on Afghanistan. You can send a letter of support to this address: 236 Lyons, D Company, MCTC, Berechurch Hall Rd, Colchester CO2 9MU. England. You can also join us 3pm-5pm, Sat 6th August, for a solidarity vigil with Michael outside Colchester Military Prison where he is being held. We will be joined on the vigil by Ben Griffin, a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And, finally, you can also read our latest newsletter.
War Crimes Exposed - Don't Shoot the Messenger! Free Assange!
On July 12 and 13, Julian Assange's appeal against extradition to Sweden will be heard in the High Court, London. The lCW are gearing up to provide solidarity with Assange. Forthcoming events:
For more info about any of this contact Ciaron O'Reilly, 079 392 90576, email: ciaron AT yahoo.com
Three English Catholic Workers were today convicted at Newbury Magistrates Court of Criminal Trespass under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA), and Criminal Damage. The convictions follows a protest at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in September 2010 organised by the Catholic Worker. The three, Susan Clarkson (64), Chris Cole (47) both from Oxford, and Fr Martin Newell (42) from London were Conditional Discharged for 18 months and ordered to pay �553 each costs and compensation. The three had created a gateway in the outer fence of AWE Aldermaston and attached a sign say �Open for Disarmament: All Welcome.� In their evidence the protestors described the massive development currently being undertaken at AWE Aldermaston and argued that the developments were in contravention of both the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Countering the prosecution argument that �crimes of aggression� are not crimes within domestic law, the defendants argued that �It is of course morally, ethically and legally wrong to plan for mass murder by nuclear war by develop, testing, building,and deploying nuclear weapons. That is a crime as any sane and reasonable person could judge�. Chris Cole said �The three of us went to AWE Aldermaston to say as clearly as we could that nuclear weapons � mass violence will neither bring peace, nor security. Rather our security, our peace, and our salvation lies in loving our enemy and working for the common good.� Chris Cole�s full court statement is available here. The original action report is available here.
Our latest newsletter is now available. There are articles covering the struggles of travellers in the UK, of ordinary folk in Burma protesting the military junta, and of ordinary folk in the UK protesting the austerity measures. There are also pics and reports from recent LCW actions and events... So check it out! You may also be interested to find out what our friends in Ireland have been up to during the Queen's visit.
"Everything I know of ethics, I learnt from football" Albert Camus, Algerian goalkeeper and French existentialist.
Last outing we had a big American input with a younger surfer dude skater kid and an older ex-con, three from Ingerland and another three kidz (one from Brixton, two from Turkey) who walking by we recruited, two brothers from Australia, a regular from Sudan...great game. Get some exercise or watch and chat!
See the next item for a full report of the protest, plus pics.
The witness took concluded the annual Good Friday Stations of the Cross organized by the London CW, the London CW Farm and the Oxford CW. In the introduction to the booklet prepared for this years Stations, the CW'ers note that Christians around the world remember that Jesus was crucified, suffered and died to show God's love for us on this day. CW'ers believe that Christ continues to be condemned and crucified today, in those who suffer as a result of: The Arms Trade � which crucifies the poor; To highlight each of these forms of modern day crucifixions a �Geography of Suffering� was mapped out in the heart of London. Using the scripture reflections of Fr Emmanuel Charles McCarthy of the Center for Christian Nonviolence's Stations of the Cross as a template, 15 sites within walking distance were mapped out to correspond to the 15 traditional Stations of the Cross.
When the group returned to 10 Downing Street. Ciaron O'Reilly made his way to the front of the crowd of tourists, close to the security gate. Frank Cordaro and Steve Jacobs followed close behind. At the same time a London police security officer open the security gate to let a car out of the Prime Ministers compound. That was all Ciaron, Frank and Steve needed to slip past the security officer and set up their protest inside the security space separating the public and the Prime Ministers compound. (Stroke of luck? Act of God? There are no accidents... ) What followed was a 40 minute stand off between the London police and the three CW'ers. The time was not wasted. As soon as it was clear that the police were not going to remove the three CW'ers immediately, Ciaron started doing what he is know best for - �Soap Box� speaking. As hundreds of tourists made there way past the site, Ciaron started to inform them of why we were holding our protest to free Bradley Manning. When he stopped Frank and Steve stepped in to fill in with the public education moment, with help from NYC CW'er Carmen Trotta and Oxford CW'er Sr Susan Clarkson. At one point Frank was able to read the Gospel of Mark's Good Friday account � stopping to remind the crowds were Jesus was being tortured in the text. Through out the stand off, different London police officers tried to negotiate with Frank, Steve and Ciaron to remove themselves from the site, informing them that they were illegaly occupying space that could get them arrested and taken off to jail. All three CW'ers told the officers that they were perfectly aware of the possibility of arrest and jail and that despite this they were not going to remove themselves voluntarily. Armed police showed up immediately, followed by a couple of vans of riot police.Police repeatedly informed Steve, Frank and Ciaron that they were going to be placed under arrest. The 40 minute stand off concluded when the three CW'ers were escorted away from the prime ministers residence. All three were taken across the street, questioned and released � no charges have as yet been made. More pics: 1 | 2.
Some significant recent events have taken place since the last website update:
Bradley Manning is a dual US-UK national. His mother is Welsh and he attended secondary school in Pembrokeshire. The British government is therefore obliged to make representations for him. Plaid Cymru has shown its support for Manning and Labour MP Ann Clywd has compared his detention to that of Guantanamo Bay prisoners. Young people from Pembrokeshire joined the demonstration and asked why he was facing such abuse when no evidence had been presented to back up the charges. One young woman stated that when it becomes �illegal to [act to] stop the killing of innocent people in Iraq, we need to question the laws we have�. The demonstration was also addressed by Bruce Kent (vice-president, CND) and former SAS soldier Ben Griffin. Griffin, who had refused to return to the illegal war in Iraq, said that while people had been optimistic when Obama became president, we are now seeing a more secret war � Guantanamo Bay is still open, extraordinary rendition is still happening, extrajudicial killings and drone attacks in Pakistan are increasing. He stated that the treatment of Bradley Manning was a direct result of the normalisation of the behaviour of the US around the world, such as in Afghanistan and the Middle East, over the past ten years. He praised Manning as a �brave young man�. Human rights activist Peter Tatchell said that the issue was essentially that we have a right to know what the government is doing in our name. He also demanded that the government must act for Manning who is �not a law breaker but a law enforcer�, citing the law breakers as being the governments who have acted illegally �in our name�. The main part of the demonstration ended with a reading of a recent letter by Manning describing his treatment and a minute�s silence. Full report and pics on indymedia.
This Sunday March 20th from 2pm at the U.S. Embassy, London... Join Bruce Kent, Peter Tatchell, Ben Griffin & the LCW to demand they Stop Torturing Bradley Manning! 
Why? To demand the end of the torture of Bradley Manning in Quantico U.S.
Marine Base, Virginia USA. Although 23 year old Bradley Manning is a
U.S. Army intelligence officer he is being held without explanation in
the largest U.S. Marine Base in the world! Bradley is being held, in
effect, in isolation and sensory deprivation, his conditions are
torturous. Techniques finetuned at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo have been
unleashed on what U.S. authorities see as a nonviolent dissident within
the U.S. war machine.
U.S. anti-war and human rights activists, lawyers, military veterans and the former commander of Quantico are heading down to Quantico this Sunday March 20 to demand justice for Bradley Manning. Others of us around the world will go on Sunday March 20 to U.S. embassies and sites of siginifiance in the U.S. wars on Iraq and Afghanistan and do like wise. Consider joining us or initiating your own activity for Bradley Manning on Sunday March 20.
Catholic Workers marked the MOD with ash as Trident is poised to reduce the world to nuclear ash! Five CWs were detained by police, and may face charges at a later date. Full story and photos on IndyMedia.
The video below shows a recent vigil at the London law courts where Julian Assange is being tried.
Catholic workers have been vigilling outside the extradition trial of Julian Assange. They spent the day dressed in Guantanamo outfits labelled Bradley Manning, Quantico; Saker Aamer, Guantanamo; Julian Assange ????????? and You Next, ???????????... and read out a litany of the dead. They read the names of Afghani and British people killed in the war, the true nature of which Julian Assange & WikiLeaks have exposed and Bradley Manning is accused of exposing. More info here.
Lover's Electric recently performed a song in support of Bradley Manning at our own Guiseppe Conlon House. Check it out:
Photos and more pics here. London Catholic Workers, WikiLeaks London Support and others in opposition to the extradition of Julian Assange will be outside Woolwich Court/ Belmarsh Prison on Feb 7 and 8th between 9am and 5 pm.
Cyber, anti-war and human rights activists will today descend on the Australian High Commission and on Monday on the Woolwich magistrates court, attached to the Category A Belmarsh Prison, to demand freedom for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, presently on restrictive bail and facing extradition, and also for Bradley Manning, the young soldier who is being held in solitary confinement in Quantico Marine Base in USA. On Saturday 5 February, a public meeting will be held at Harringay's Giuseppe Conlon Hall, which also serves as a 'house of hospitality' for refugees and others in need of help and support. Speakers will include former political prisoner of the US, Ciaron O'Reilly, and a speaker from the support group 'UK Friends of Bradley Manning'. Footage from the 'Collateral Murder' video Manning is accused of leaking will be shown and there will also be live music. On Monday, the activist groups will join others from WikiLeaks London Support group outside Woolwich magistrates courts attached to Belmarsh Prison where the extradition hearing of Julian Assange is due to be heard. Here's the timeline:
For further information, please contact Ciaron O'Reilly by phone - 07939 290576 - or email: ciaronx AT yahoo.com.
Our latest newsletter is now out. There are reports of recent acts of resistance, reflections written by members of the London Catholic Worker, and extensive coverage of the opening of our newest project Guiseppe Conlon House. As well as the newsletter you may notice that we have also substantially redesigned our website. We've slimmed it down a bit, and hopefully it's easier to use. If you want to access content from the old site, it's all still available here. If you have any difficulties using the new site (or any positive feedback!) please let us know.
People are gathering tomorrow at Guiseppe Conlon House to commemmorate the 20th anniversary of the 1991 invasion of Iraq. After the gathering at GCH people will move to the US embassy to vigil exactly 20 years on from when the bombs started falling. More details on IndyMedia.
Ciaron's interview starts 2 1/2 mins in...
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On January 11th on the 10th. anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo, folks
from Veterans for Peace, No Borders, Harringey Solidarity Group and
Giuseppe Conlon Catholic Worker House gathered in our neighborhood of
Harringey, London to the demand the immediate closure of Guantanamo and
other U.S. gulags. More pics 
Catholic Workers closed and occupied the Main Entrance of Northwood
Military Headquarters. Scott and Maria Albrecht, Henrietta Cullinan,
John Lynes and Rachel Wood pitched tents, knelt and prayed in front of
the main gate for 2 hour while others vigiled holding signs. One tent
had the words, “The Prince of Peace pitched his tent among us” John
1:14. A sign said, “War is not a Solution” which is a direct message
from the Young Afghan Peace Volunteers and another Pvt. Bradley
Manning’s Quote, “Exposing the true nature of 21st Century asymmetrical
Warfare”. A banner stating, “Occupy Northwood HQ not Afghanistan” was
hung on the fence. The gate remained closed for the duration of the
occupation.
Members of Catholic Worker
communities, Anonymous, Veterans for Peace, anti-war, freedom of
information and Occupy London activists gathered outside the High Court,
London in solidarity with Julian Assange on Wed. Nov 2nd.
Our dear friend, Sister Susan from the Oxford CW was in court on Friday. She'd been up to her usual tricks: opposing violence in all its forms. The state doesn't like it so they've tried to fine her, but it'll take more than that to stop Sr. Susan.
Last Saturday we had our regular dose of anarcho-refugee football at Finsbury Park
(Manor House tube station end). If you'd like more info about future games, phone or text Ciaron on 07939 290 576.
Three CWers were arrested after they breached the security gate at the
entrance of 10 Downing St. in London, the home of the UK Prime
Minister in a "Free Bradley Manning" Protest. The three arrested were
Steve Jacobs of the Columbia MO CW, Frank Cordaro of the Des Moines IA
CW and Ciaron O'Reilly of the London CW.
Starting with the first station at 10 Downing Street, a procession of
20 people moved to the Ministry of Defense building, the Dept. of
Energy and Climate Change offices, the arms dealer Matra BAE Dynamics
Alenia headquarters, the Foreign Office, the Parliament, the Milbank �
home of the Committees on Arms Export Controls, the Security Service
MI-5 building, a Home Office building � responsible for immigration
control, former headquarter offices of Lockheed Martin � arms
manufacture, the headquarters of Qinetiq � a British global defense
technology company, offices of Rolls Royce � its military contract
branch, the Defense and Security Organization offices, the Treasury
Office and ending back at 10 Downing St.
As I write members of the LCW are involved in a Stations of the Cross vigil. The vigil is taking place at the Geography of Suffering: it is beginning at 10 Downing Street, London.
Moving throughout Westminster Borough. Arms Dealers, Climate Office,
MoD, Parliament, Mi5, Home Office etc.... A report will be forthcoming
A demonstration was held outside the US Embassy in London yesterday in solidarity with alleged Wikileaks whistle-blower Bradley Manning as part of a day of action around the world, including in the US and other parts of Europe and the UK. Around 80 people attended.
Solidarity activists from Adelaide, Aotearoa/NZ, Brisbane, Chicago, London, and Melbourne returned to the Australian High Commission on the Strand on Friday night (Feb 4th) to demand that they lift their game and advocate for the civil rights of Australian dissident and founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange. The Australian government continues to service the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and co-operate in the persecution of anti-war dissidents. Assange faces an extradition hearing in London this Monday and Tuesday (Feb 7 & 8). He was initially denied bail after self -urrendering in Kentish Town police station in December. Opposition to bail came from the British government, in service to the Americans, rather than the Swedes who seek his extradition. Assange is presently electronically tagged and living under a curfew.