Court Enforces Shroud of Secrecy Over Pine Gap Spybase
05/06/2007
The secrecy surrounding the Pine Gap Spybase operated by the USA and Australian Defence Forces was maintained in the Northern Territory Supreme Court on June 4 when Justice Sally Thomas ruled in favour of the Crown's submission for public interest immunity. Defendant Jim Dowling asked in response: “So they're allowed to give the information they want without us getting a chance to query that?” Justice Thomas agreed. [ More...]
Four protesters are facing jail for opposing spy base’s role in Iraq war when they carried out a citizens inspection of the base. Anti-nuclear campaigner Dr Helen Caldicott told a gathering outside the base on June 2, "Pine Gap plays a vital role in US wartime operations. It has been used by the CIA for political intervention in Australia, and it allows the US to spy on half the world's population. Pine Gap is a prime target in the event of nuclear war. It will be one of the first to go, along with Alice Springs."
Background
Prosecutor Moved for House Arrest which was rejected by the Judge (May 29) | Solidarity vigils were held in Melbourne and Brisbane(May 30)
pinegap6.org |
Emergentlayer Blog
Australian Military To Target Civilians with Cluster Munitions
04/06/2007
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has announced their intention to add cluster bombs to their arsenal. Kim Stewart, speaking for the Peace Convergence said, "98% of the victims of cluster bombs are civilians. They are still blowing the limbs off children in Vietnam today. The U.S. dropped almost 30,000 kilos of cluster bombs in Iraq, which will go on killing innocents for decades. The U.S military, with whom the ADF are making increasing links, has no compunction about using munitions that cause unnecessary non-target deaths like depleted uranium, cluster bombs and white phosphorus. In our eagerness to follow the U.S military lead will we soon also see depleted uranium in Australia’s arsenal?" [ More...]
Cluster bombs have received international condemnation for their tendency to kill many non-target victims, especially children. They have been recommended for banning in the U.N and are the subject of a 68 country treaty.
Stop Cluster Munitions |
Peace Convergence
Behind the ANZAC Myth
23/04/2007
"The overt politicisation of ANZAC Day during the last decade by the Howard government, is turning it from a day in which the country remembers and recognises the ultimate sacrifice made by Australians who have died in war and the sacrifices made by those who continue to carry the physical and psychological scars that have blighted their lives and continue to blight the lives of their partners and children, to a jingoistic festival. Many survivors have had to carry the added burden of being sent to wars that were fought for short term political and ideological expediency, not the defence of Australia...." said Joseph Toscano. Read More
Remember the IWW | Fight against Conscription |
Event Details
Leunig on Lest we forget the ultimate price of warfare
Why Workers Need to Oppose Militarism
Police Violence at Sydney Anti-Cheney Carnival
23/02/2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007: 10 arrested by violent thugs as Cheney protesters gather in Sydney. US Vice President Dick Cheney is visiting Australia for talks with the Howard Government. While much of the mass media defined Thursday's protest as violent, the
Sydney Morning Herald video looks fairly on Cheney protest.
While the main protest at Dick Cheney's visit was held in Sydney, members of Melbourne's anti-war and civil rights movements marked the occasion outside the Nike store on Bourke/Swanston St.
Peace Action Wellington takes on Howard
17/02/2007
Anti-war protestors from Peace Action Wellington harassed Prime Minister John Howard's visit to New Zealand. A small group of protesters greeted him at the airport and later about 50 protestors gathered outside Premier House in the evening. Up to three rows of police barred entrance to the Premier House grounds. Protestors blocked the road, let off smoke bombs and resisted the police "safe zone". Three protesters were arrested during brutal police repression. [ Full Story]
Aotearoa IMC: Peace Action Wellington takes on Howard and dozens of repressive police
Five Arrested at Pine Gap Spybase
07/10/2006
Five people were arrested on Saturday during a protest at the gates of the US Pine Gap spy base outside of Alice Springs. The arrests came at the end of an afternoon of activities by about 60 local and interstate activists drawing attention to the role the secret base plays in US and Australian state sponsored terrorism in Iraq. The action coincides with the first stage of the trial of four Christian peace activists who broke into Pine Gap last year and face seven years in prison. Read More
[Christian Pacifists Face Court | Pine Gap 6]
On Trial for Citizens Inspection of Pine Gap Spybase
07/10/2006
Christian pacifist activists faced court this week in the Supreme Court in Alice
Springs. They are the first ever to face charges under the Defence
(Special Undertakings) Act 1952, and risk up to seven years in jail.
This legislation was devised to supress spies and saboteurrs in the cold
war era. The Four activists, calling themselves "Chrisitans Against ALL
Terrorism" are Jim Dowling, Bryan Law, Adele Goldie and Donna Mulhearn,
entered the Pine Gap military base to do a citizens inspection.
Colourful processions, silent vigils and protests are accompanying the
trial. [ Read
more plus photos]
The
Queen versus The Pine Gap 4 - Day One |
Report
from Ciaron O'Reilly |
www.pinegap6.org
Protestors in Cairns target U.S. Military Ship Visit
08/09/2006
On Friday 1st September the USS Salvor visited the port of Cairns for five days rest and recreation. This was the sixth US warship visit to Cairns since May last year. The ship was met by 20 peace activists, with 3 arrests for 'threatening the peace', although those arrested were later released without charge...[ Full Story]
Cairns Peace by Peace |
Peace Convergence
Convergence Call for Pine Gap Spybase
04/09/2006
Attorney General Phillip Ruddock has authorised the Commonwealth to use Cold-War era legislation to prosecute Jim Dowling, Bryan Law, Adele Goldie and Donna Mulhearn for indictable offences under both the Commonwealth Crimes Act, and the Defence (Special Undertakings) Act (used for the very first time) for carrying out a citizens inspection of the US operated Pine Gap Spy Base. The charges carry a maximum of seven years in prison.
The Pine Gap 6 are organising a convergence in Alice Springs to coincide with their trial. They said "We will put an alternative view - super secret spy bases do NOT hold the key to Australia's security (nor do control orders!)." The national peace convergence and solidarity actions are timed for the trial from October 3 to Oct 13.
At the committal hearing in April James Dowling told the court "We needed to inspect Pine Gap for terrorist activity," after calling US Intelligence chief John Negroponte "a known terrorist". Mr Negroponte inspected the base just three days before the group broke in.
Background: Anti terrorism activists arrested at US Spy Base
anti-bases.org |
peaceconvergence.com
Is Conscription on the Horizon?
26/08/2006
The Howard government has announced a $10 billion plan over 11 years to boost the armed forces by an extra 2,600 soldiers. Greens Senator Kerry Nettle attacked the plan saying "The answer is not to get a bigger army but to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan and rethink the ADF's involvement in supporting US foreign policy adventures,". The rationale for this increase is to prepare the defence force for intervention in more failing states in the asia/pacific region. The question arises with the amount of military nationalism occurring recently, are we being prepared for the reintroduction of conscription? [ Full Story]
Beating the Drums of War: Army & Marines authorize "Involuntary Conscription" | Wikipedia: Conscription
Ireland: Jury declares Anti-War activists Not Guilty
28/07/2006
Ciaron O'Reilly and the four other Pitstop Ploughshares have been acquitted by a jury in Ireland of the charges against them for putting a US war plane out of action in 2003. The jury agreed with their defence that they had a lawful excuse to damage the plane in order to stop it from being part of a system that was directly involved in killing civilians in Iraq.
A statement from the Pitstop Ploughshares after the trial said "The decision of this jury should be a message to London, Washington DC and the Dail that Ireland wants no part in waging war on the people of Iraq. Refuelling of US warplanes at Shannon Airport should cease immediately."
Coverage on Ireland Indymedia | Video: verdict day in Dublin
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Global protests on the weekend marked the 4th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. In Melbourne up to 1000 people gathered outside the State Library on Saturday and marched in a 
Anti-war and environmental protestors are preparing to oppose the 
A Brisbane peace activist & four co-defendants from the pacifist Catholic Worker movement return to Dublin's Four Courts on July 5th for their third trial in 16 months. Long time Brisbane peace activist Ciaron O'Reilly along with Deirdre Clancy, Karen Fallon, Damien Moran and Nuin Dunlop face a charge of $US2.5million 'criminal damage without a lawful excuse, charges arising out of their non-violent disabling of a US Navy plane in the early hours of February 3rd 2003 at Shannon airport, six weeks before the outbreak of the Iraq war. [
