Wednesday, July 12th
PINE GAP ACTIVISTS FACE TRIAL OCTOBER 3RD!
On 3 October 2006, Four CAAT members - Jim Dowling, Adele Goldie, Bryan Law and Donna Mulhearn (the Pine Gap 4), will stand trial in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, at Alice Springs, on 3-4 indictable offences under both the Commonwealth Crimes Act, and the Defence (Special Undertakings) Act.
We're before Justice Sally Thomas. We're all being tried together and pleading not guilty. We've been allocated nine days for trial from Tuesday 3 October 2006.
Our "crime" was to break into the US Spy Base at Pine Gap against official advice in December 2005. We sought to inspect the base for terrorist activity.
On 5 Decenber, the day of our arrival at Alice Springs, known terrorist, John Negroponte (linked to death squad activity while ambassador to Honduras in 1981-85, and lately appointed by George W Bush as Director of National Intelligence in the US) was conducting his own inspection of Pine Gap. He found it a war-making terrorist base in good working order.
CAAT members are proud of our accomplishments. With a small affinity group and using meagre resources, we've shown the state security propaganda for the piffle it is.
Along the way we stimulated some renewed national interest in Pine Gap as a prominent cog of the US war machine. In our literature we describe Pine Gap as a terrorist base.
Pine Gap is a US run terrorist base.
We intend to use our trial to draw public attention to the war-making role of Pine Gap - both conventional war-making in Iraq and Afghanistan, and nuclear war-making with the "missile defence shield" and the current threats of nuclear attack against Iran.
We took our "criminal" action in a time when:
nuclear proliferation is accelerating.
there are numerous flash-points which may trigger nuclear war.
there is active militarisation around the globe, including Australia.
Australia is developing as a security state.
There is a growing Uranium industry and nuclear industry in Australia
Australian subordination to US "defence" interests is perhaps more complete than ever before.
US foreign policy advocates an aggressive unilateralism, based principally on military threat, whenever its "vital interests" feel threatened.
Australia is a resolute ally of the US in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, making us complicit in the war crimes subsequently committed by the US in Iraq.
The prospect of regional war, world war, and nuclear war has never been greater.
We'll be arguing that the emergent situation exemplified in Iraq is so dire that, as reasonable citizens of conscience, we are compelled to take action to effectively address it. This is the "necessity defence", under common law, and under section 10.3 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code.
We'll be arguing that the Nuremberg Principles, along with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ought inform any assessment of the Iraq emergency and its dire consequences.
We'll be arguing that the kind of nonviolent interventionary action we took, as part of a wider peace movement, is an appropriate form of action for citizens to take in addressing unjust and aggressive war. In particular we'll argue that the open and respectful nature of our action renders it "reasonable" and "proportionate" in the face of the military/terrorist threat.
We know our little action has been effective because, in response, various government agencies have dramatically over-reacted and brought out a "big gun" piece of legislation to use against us - designed during the cold war for spies and saboteurs.
We have been charged with 1-2 offences each under the Defence (Special Undertakings) Act 1952 (DSU). Unlawfully entering a prohibited area, and operating a camera in a prohibited area. Unlawful entry carries a penalty of up to seven years imprisonment for trespass.
The DSU was enacted at the height of Cold War paranoia to maintain secrecy and prevent sabotage during the atomic tests by Britain at Maralinga and the Monte Bello Islands.
In response to the "communist menace", this Act and a companion Act (Approved Defence Projects Protection Act 1947) were approved to prevent industrial action or political action directed against Australia's assistance to the nuclear weapons programs of Great Britain and the United States of America. They do so till this day.
During the Parliamentary and public debates on these Bills, concerns were raised about the impacts on civil rights, on the Aborigines whose land it was, on the ability of the existing Crimes Act to safeguard defence projects, on disarmament as a better alternative to arms races, and on issues of sovereignty in joint defence relationships.
Unfortunately these concerns were only taken up by minority groups in the Australian polity. The ALP collaborated with the Coalition Parties in passing both Bills into Law.
We are the first people ever to be charged with offences under this Act.
The consent of the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, was required before our prosecution could continue. In a remarkable act of Christian mercy, Philip gave his consent the day before Easter this year. We have no information about whether he washed his hands afterwards.
Our job in Court now is to first convince Justice Thomas to allow our defence to be argued, and then to try and convince a jury that the threat we face is grave, and that our actions in response were reasonable and proportionate under all the circumstances.
Outside the Court we'll use the opportunity to raise awareness and promote the use of nonviolence as a tool for peacemaking.
This will involve making use of both mainstream and alternative media, and further developing activist capacity in Alice Springs and Australia so as to accomplish the transformation of Pine Gap (among other things).
We propose a week of action between 2 October and 9 October 2006, in Alice Springs, and in solidarity around Australia and elsewhere (there are plenty of US bases and apparatus to choose among).
Plant Seeds of Peace. Throw sand in the cogs of war.
On Saturday 7 October there'll be a Peace Conversion Action Day. Bicycle along Hatt Road to the front gate of Pine Gape Terrorist base. (Re-face signage outside Pine Gap, some performance, ritual, magic, and fanatical peacemaking. We will transform Pine Gap.)
All nonviolence activists welcome. Come as autonomous affinity groups if possible. Come prepared for engaging, dramatic, theatrical, resolute action seeking conversion of Pine Gap to peace-making purposes.
There'll be all sorts of learning/action opportunities.
If you can't come, think about a solidarity action you might like to do in your locale.