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19 March 2003 |
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This afternoon, 19 March, at Cheltenham Magistrates Court, two peace activists from Oxford were remanded in custody at Gloucester Prison after being charged with criminal damage offences [1] . They were arrested yesterday [2] after trying to disarm a B52 bomber [3] at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire [4] . One of the activists Philip Pritchard said: "These planes are weapons of mass destruction, It's up to us to prevent them from being used to kill innocent people in Iraq. This war is illegal and morally unacceptable. If Tony Blair and George Bush really want to stop terrorism they should stop behaving like terrorists". Toby Olditch, the other activist said: "Each of us has a responsibility to take action against the move towards an illegal attack on Iraq, we only have hours left in which to prevent this humanitarian disaster," March 21 Update Paul and Margaret got out on bail today with minimal conditions. They will be back for plea and directions hearing on 23rd May, with trial date to be set around July - August. Their solicitor says it will be a massive case which determines the legality of the war! Thanks to everyone for their support - it has been tremendous. CONTACT: 07971 406 180 or 01865 423 200 Editors Notes [1] The two peace activists, Phillip Pritchard and Toby Olditch are being represented by Steve Young and Partners, Cheltenham. Bail is to be sought. The two activists are charged with conspiracy to cause criminal damage, going equipped to cause criminal damage, and aggravated trespass. Phillip Pritchard, 32, a carpenter and environmental education teacher and Toby Olditch, 34, a marketing executive are both Oxford residents. [2] In the early hours of Tuesday March 18 the two peace activists were arrested as they attached photographic images of Iraqi people labelled "collateral damage?" to the fence, planting white poppies, a symbol of peace and sowing seeds to represent life. They were held at Stroud Police Station.
[3] The activists, Phillip Pritchard and Toby Olditch, were on their way to hammer on the bomb bay doors to prevent them from opening and dropping bombs, hammer on the
jet engines and put loose nuts and bolts into the engines to prevent the bomber from taking off. They carried warning signs to post onto the bomber to warn the
aircraft should not be operated. Besides notices, [4] RAF Fairford, which houses United States Air Force B-52 bombers and possibly B-2 'Stealth' bombers has become the centre for demonstrations over several months. It is regularly visited by the Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors ( http://www.gwi.org.uk ).
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