Magazine Issue 1 - Winter 1996
British Aerospace on the warpath

The four East Timor ploughshares women had enjoyed only a few minutes' freedom outside Liverpool CrownCourt when someone acting on behalf of BritishAerospace (BAe) served them with "Statements of Clalm" for a permanent and draconian civil injuncion.

The previous week, following open fence-cutting actions at BAe factories at Warton and Stevenage, five other anti-Hawk activists had also been served temporary injunctions, pending fuller hearings at the High Court in London. Two and a half years ago BAe obtained permanent injunctions against anti -hawk activists Chris Cole and Mllan Raj. These inJunctions effectively turn some sorts of legal protest, writing and action into imprisonable offences, and in 1995 Chris Cole was sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court, having written a "call to action" and having trespassed on a BAe carpark, neither of which are criminal offences.

The injunction terms that BAe is seeking against the four women include, "restraining the defendants and each of them, whether by themselves, their servants or agents or otherwise from[doing] whether directly or indirectly...causing, assisting, counselling, procuring or encouraging in any manner whatsoever any person to trespass on any of the BAe sites." Such wording, if finally granted, raises the stakes not just for non-violent resistance, but for protest and public education as well.

British Aerospace has never tried to defend itself morally, but now that it is faced with serious charges of illegality and a level of nonviolent resistance that effects its ability to deliver its bloody equipment, it is fighting back against those calling it to account with its considerable resources. It is vital that all injunctees are offered the full and active support of the peace and human rights movements, and it would be great if BAe's attempts at repression serve merely as injunctions for us all to redouble our efforts at education, protest and resistance against the hawk deal.

For news of forthcoming actions: Stop the Hawk Deal on 0161 8340295