Faslane, Scotland - 29 August: Two women members of the Trident Ploughshares campaign were taken from the water in the British nuclear weapon base at Faslane in Scotland, in the fourth attempt by activists to swim into the Trident submarine docks during August. Sylvia Boyes, 56, a peace campaigner from Birmingham who has been arrested 13 times since the Trident Ploughshares campaign began last year, and Anne Scholz, 22, from Frieburg in Germany, swam round the perimeter fence and were intercepted under the jetties where the Polaris submarines were formerly berthed. They have been charged with breaching the by-laws of the base.
Anne planned to lock onto a Trident; Sylvia hoped to hammer on the exterior and spraypaint a computer. "With a bit of luck we would have got there; we will keep trying till we do," says Anne. Campaign member David Mackenzie adds: "Further actions can happen at any time; the campaign is on a roll."
Rosie James and Rachel Wenham, who swam to Trident sub HMS Vengeance in Barrow and damaged test equipment February 1, will appear in Lancaster Crown Court in January. Over 80 activists attended the summer peace camp which led to 102 arrests for disarmament actions against the Coulport and Faslane nuclear weapon bases.
As we go to press, Angie Zelter, Ulla Roder and Ellen Moxley stand before a jury in Greenock Sheriff Court for causing £100,000 worth of damage to a Trident-related test station in Loch Goil June 8th.
Contact: Trident Ploughshares 2000, 42-46 Bethel Street, Norwich, Norfolk,
NR2 1NR, UK or tp2000@gn.apc.org.
