In one of the harshest sentences handed out to English peace campaigners
in several years, if not ever, for criminal damage under £500, two women,
Helen John and Anne Lee, were imprisoned on 21 May for three months and two
months respectively, following a joint Trident Ploughshares/Menwith Hill
Women's Peace Campaign action last June. During the action, three women got
through the new high security fence at Menwith Hill in Yorkshire in an
attempt to dismantle the inner fence that protects one of the US Missile
Defence system ground stations. The third defendant, Angie Zelter, was not
present in court and no sentence was given in her absence; however, a
warrant has been issued for her arrest. Helen John is standing as an
independent candidate against Tony Blair in his Sedgefield constituency on a
No Star Wars platform. Even if the timing is coincidental, it certainly
doesn't look good for Mr Blair's judiciary to give an unusually long
sentence to the only independent candidate who has been very vocally opposed
to ballistic missile defence, just in advance of George Bush's visit to
England.
The Ministry of Defence insisted that the total amount of damage was £900
for the one and half holes in the gate; divided by three, this amounts to
£300 each. The stipendiary magistrate at Harrogate made it clear that she
was giving a harsher sentence because she wanted to deter Ms John, who has
32 previous convictions, and Ms Lee, who has four. She also said she was
concerned when the women honestly admitted that they would have caused as
much damage as possible had they been able to, because they believe the Star
Wars base is illegal, immoral, and a danger to the people of this country
and the rest of the world. Ms John and Ms Lee said they would go on
campaigning at the base, and that this would involve nonviolent civil action
in the future. Ms John was in fact amused by the idea that a long prison
sentence would serve as a deterrent when such an important issue is at
stake.
Normally the procedure of the English and Scottish courts in cases of
this kind is to impose a fine relating to the amount of damage; when
peace protesters refuse to pay the fine on grounds of conscience, the
courts then sentence them to a term of imprisonment. In England, the
usual term for damage under £500 would be two weeks. This has been
the almost invariable practice for hundreds of peace cases over the past
15 years. The long custodial sentences in this case are highly unusual, and
well beyond the normal practice in damage of this kind, even though
officially within the legal remit. Both women will serve half their
sentences, although the magistrate also made it clear that if they committed
any further offences after they were released, they could be brought back to
serve the remainder of their term.
District Judge Alderson, who was brought up from Nottingham to hear the
case, said that she sees people on a daily basis who are anti-social and
motivated by greed and selfishness. She said it gave her "no pleasure to
have to sentence people whom I consider to be valuable members of society."
Judge Alderson said she believes that the women believe they acted in the
best interests of society, and to protect society. She said although they
were entitled to act within the law, she had found they had acted outside
it, and it was her duty as a magistrate both to protect property and deter
them. The solicitor acting for Ms John has said that an appeal against the
sentence is unlikely to be successful.
Ms John is currently an officially nominated independent parliamentary
candidate in Tony Blair's Sedgefield constituency, running on a No Star Wars
platform. She has spent the last two weeks talking to people in the
constituency about her concerns. Several people have said they will be
voting for her because they don't want an arms race in space. The prison
sentence will make it impossible for her to continue to canvas or to attend
the official vote count on 7 June. However, other campaigners will be in
the constituency canvassing in her stead. Sedgefield constituency is
already the site of several large brightly-printed campaign posters, in
white, green and purple (the suffragette colors), which read "Vote Helen
John, Ind. NO STAR WARS." At least Mr Blair will never be able to claim that
Star Wars was not an election issue! Officially an Independent, Ms John is
representing the concerns of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear
Power in Space and Women for Life on Earth.
Helen John's election manifesto, which links Star Wars, Trident, the
lack of global economic justice and lack of funding in health care,
education, and public services, and which discusses her imprisonment
because of the Star Wars issue, will be delivered to the 38,000
constituents before the election. She has asked Mr Blair not to support
George Bush's anti-women, anti-environment, anti-labour, pro-militarist
policies, which are all part of his far right-wing package. Over 178 members
of Parliament have signed a recommendation from the Foreign Affairs Committee asking that the
Prime Minister clarify his position on ballistic missile defence. So far the government
is still pretending that no decision has been made because no official
request has come from the United States asking that Menwith Hill,
Fylingdales or any other US base be used. However, the necessary
infrastructure has already largely been put in place at Menwith Hill,
despite hundreds of objections to the local planning office. Ms John said
she wanted to give the constituents of Sedgefield the opportunity to debate
the issue and receive more information on the implications of Britain's
involvement before, not after, the election.
Helen John and Anne Lee can be reached via:
Contacts: Menwith Hill Women's Peace Campaign: 01943 468593
Low Newton Women's Remand Centre
Brasside
Durham DH1 5SD
England
Trident Ploughshares: David Mackenzie 01324 880744 (07775711054)
Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Website: www.space4peace.org
TP website: www.tridentploughshares.org.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1343000/1343460.stm
A 63-year-old woman who is standing against Tony Blair in the general
election has been jailed for protesting against the "Son of Star Wars".
Helen John cut a hole in the perimeter fence of an air base in North
Yorkshire while she was demonstrating against the US's proposed missile
defence system.
The US National Missile Defence scheme succeeds Ronald Reagan's Strategic
Defence Initiative - nicknamed Star Wars.
The system is designed to track and destroy incoming ballistic missiles.
RAF Fylingdales is a ballistic missile early warning station which would
play a key role in the system.
I feel like Gandhi or Nelson Mandela, you know you are right and cannot be
persuaded otherwise
Helen John
John, a founder of the Greenham Common protest, was found guilty earlier
this month of causing criminal damage at RAF [Menwith Hill].
On Monday, magistrates in Harrogate jailed her for three months.
The former midwife from Otley in West Yorkshire has vowed still to stand on
a "No Star Wars" platform against the prime minister in his Sedgefield,
County Durham, constituency.
Previous convictions
Other members of the peace movement will be canvassing on her behalf while
she is behind bars.
She hopes her campaign will raise the "Son of Star Wars" issue in the UK.
John has been protesting since 1981 and has 31 previous convictions for
criminal damage.
The peace campaigner said: "I will be campaigning while I'm behind bars,
there's nothing to stop me writing to people and the press.
"A lot of people feel ashamed, depressed and upset when they are locked up
but I don't have any of those feelings.
Pacific protest
"I feel like Gandhi or Nelson Mandela, you know you are right and cannot be
persuaded otherwise."
Earlier this month, a Scot who took part in a protest against the proposed
programme at a US military test site was jailed for a month.
Mike Townsley, 37, from Edinburgh, entered the base on the Marshall Islands
in the Pacific carrying a banner saying "Just Say No".
Fellow campaigner Anne Marie Rasmussen, from Denmark, was also jailed for a
month for the protest.
See also: Helen John to run against Blair on a No Star Wars Platform
LONDON (AFP) May 21, 2001 - A veteran British peace campaigner who is standing against Prime Minister
Tony Blair in the June 7 general election was Monday jailed for three months
for causing criminal damage at a military base.
Helen John, 63, cut a hole in the perimeter fence around Menwith Hill,
northern England, during a protest against US President George W. Bush's
"Son of Star Wars" missile defence system.
Blair is currently considering whether to allow Washington to use the base
as a tracking station for its national missile defence system.
John was found guilty of causing criminal damage and sent to prison by
magistrates in Harrogate.
But the retired midwife has vowed she will still challenge the prime
minister for his seat in Sedgefield, northeastern England.
John, who has been protesting since 1981 and has 31 previous convictions for
criminal damage, is standing as an independent on a "No Star Wars" platform.
She said: "I will be campaigning while I'm behind bars, there's nothing to
stop me writing to people and the press.
"I feel like Gandhi or Nelson Mandela, you know you are right and cannot be
persuaded otherwise."
She said she did not expect to win the Sedgefield seat but hoped her
campaign would raise the issue of America's proposed anti-nuclear system,
which she said would destabilize world peace.
Two peace activists who last year took part in a direct disarmament action
against a UK Star Wars communications facility have been given heavy jail
sentences after being found guilty of criminal damage.
In a joint Trident Ploughshares/Menwith Hill Women's Peace Campaign action
on 19th June 2000, Helen John, Angie Zelter and Anne Lee got through the
new high security fence at Menwith Hill in Yorkshire in an attempt to
dismantle the inner fence that serves to protect the communications array
designed to be part of the US Missile Defence system. The Ministry of
Defence say the total damage they caused was £900.
They were found guilty of criminal damage at Harrogate Magistrates Court on
30th April and in the same court yesterday Helen John was sentenced to
three months and Anne Lee to two months in Low Newton* Prison. Helen, who
is standing as an independent parliamentary candidate in Tony Blair's
Sedgefield constituency on a No Star Wars platform, was given the heavier
sentence due to her previous 32 convictions. The sentences are well above
the usual tariff for criminal damage of this order. District Judge Alderson
said it was her duty as a magistrate both to protect property and deter the
women. Both will serve half their sentences, although the magistrate also
made it clear that if they committed any further offences after they were
released, they could be brought back to serve the remainder of their term.
Angie Zelter did not attend court and was not sentenced. A warrant has been
issued for her arrest.
A Trident Ploughshares spokesperson said:
"Judge Alderson's justification for her savage and pointless sentencing was
her intention to deter the women from further action. For anyone who knows
these women this is a comical ambition. Alderson admitted that the women
were "valuable members of society" but is still illogically ready to lock
them away. It is disappointing that, yet again, the legal system backs up
the criminality of the nuclear weapon states."
Contacts: Menwith Hill Women's Peace Campaign: 01943 468593
David Mackenzie 01324 880744 (07775711054)
*Low Newton Prison, Brasside, Durham DH1 5SD
TP website: http://www.tridentploughshares.org/
To send cards of support, write to
or Anne Lee
Helen John
Low Newton Prison
Brasside
Durham
DH1 5SD
Low Newton Prison
Brasside
Durham
DH1 5SD