JAS INTO
PLOWSHARES: On June 22, 1993 Swedish peace
activists Pia Lundin and Igge Olsson entered a hanger at SAAB Military Aircraft
factory in Linkoping, Sweden and proceeded to hammer on the bomb mountings
underneath the wings of JAS (Hunting Attack
Scanning), an attack reconnaissance plane. They sowed wheat on
the factory grounds and awaited their arrest. When the police arrived to arrest
them, they were offered cherries and invited to share bread and water with
them, thereby symbolizing that the resources of the earth are enough for
everyone when they are shared. Authorities alleged that there was $200,000 in
damages. On July 16th they were tried and convicted of "malicious damage."
On June 24th, peace activists Thomas Falk and Hans Leander entered the SAAB
plant, intending to hammer on three of the four remaining JAS planes (the last
plane would be left as a symbol of the need for more people to come forward to
disarm it). Upon entering the factory they were apprehended, and thereby unable
to carry out their part of the action. They were charged with aiding and
attempt to "sabotage" and convicted of aiding and attempting to do
"malicious damage."
In October 1993, the four were sentenced to 1 year in prison and ordered to pay
$80,000 in restitution to SAAB. They were released from prison in August and
November 1994. Not wanting to give money to arms production, the group offered
SAAB a deal where the group would raise the $80,000 and give it to a water well
project in India instead of to SAAB. SAAB responded positively from the
beginning but when it became clear to them that the activists would not stop
the resistance until the factory was converted, they ended the dialogue and handed
their request over to the "Kronofogde" (corresponds to IRS in USA).
The group decided to resist the Kronofogde and is, as of this printing, in the
process of raising the money to the water well project.