SEEDS OF HOPE - EAST TIMOR PLOUHGSHARES: On January 29, 1996, borough counselor Joanna Wilson from Merseyside, gardener Lotta Kronlid from Sweden, and nurse Andrea Needham from Kirby, carried out the third British Plowshares action. In the early morning they entered the British Aerospace military site at Warton, Lancashire and proceeded to disarm a Hawk warplane. They hammered on the radar nose of the plane and on the control panel. When they were finished with their work they were able to make some phone calls from inside the South Hanger to tell their friends and the press about their witness. They were then arrested by the police. The Hawk ground-attack airplane that they disarmed (jet number ZH 955) was part of an order destined to Indonesia. Indonesia has since 1975 (when East Timor declared its independence) been waging a genocidal war against the people of East Timor. More than 200,000 people have been killed, which is about one third of the pre-invasion population. The group stated that there is substantial evidence that Hawks from previous deals have been used by the Indonesian military to bomb civilians. 
    The arms export to Indonesia, and especially the Hawk deal, has been opposed by many people and groups all over Britain, the group says. But the government and BAe have refused to stop the sale. "These planes will soon be killing people in East Timor unless action is taken immediately to stop them", the group says. Another member of the group, Angie Zelter, an environmental campaigner from Norfolk, publicly stated she intends to carry out a future ploughshares action at BAe to continue the process of disarmament there. 
    The four women where held in remand until the trial in July, charged with illegal entry and criminal damage. During the seven-day trial, the women—three of whom defended themselves—said they were disarming the Hawk, not vandalizing it, claiming the action was justified because the plane was going to be used against the civilians of East Timor. (The Hawk was one of 24 sold by British Aerospace to the Indonesian dictatorship; similar planes previously shipped to Indonesia have been seen bombing and flying over East Timor—and dropping bombs there.)
The three women were imprisoned and charged with illegal entry and criminal damage. Another member of the group, Angie Zelter, an environmental campaigner from Norfolk, England who signed the action statement and vowed to do another ploughshares action at BAe,

was arrested on February 7, 1997 as she was on her way to a public meeting to speak. She was jailed and reunited with the other three.

After six months of imprisonment and nine pre-trial court appearances, the jury trial for the four began on July 23, 1997 at the Liverpool Crown Court. Throughout the week, supporters organized teach-ins and vigils. The prosecution case took two days. It included numerous witnesses testifying from BAe, the prosecutor showing the jury the report the women left in the plane’s cockpit, and allowing the jury to view the video they left on the pilot’s seat which explains their motives. The defense case took three days. Each of the women testified, stating that they had a lawful excuse to disarm the Hawk because they were using reasonable force to prevent a greater crime. They also cited British legislation and International law that outlaws genocide. The report they left inside the plane, along with the video, proved very helpful as references in their defense. The high point of the trial was the testimony of Jose Ramos Horta, the leader of the East Timorese government in exile. Other witnesses who testified included John Pilger, the journalist who made the powerful film about the genocide in East Timor titled, “Death of a Nation.” After several hours the jury rendered a “not guilty” verdict, the first of its kind for a plowshares action. BAe immediately issued an injunction against the women, prohibiting them from BAe facilities so as to prevent “further interference in its businesses.” On August 1, 1997, the four women held a press conference calling for the prosecution of BAe for aiding and abetting murder in East Timor.
     Contact: Seed of Hope Ploughshares, e-mail: Ricarda@gn.apc.org; and East Timor Action Network, PO Box 1182, White Plains, NY 10602; (914)428-7299; etan-us@igc.apc.org.