News Shorts and Other Busyness

CND Arrest Update

Squall 11, Autumn 1995, pg. 4.

Two CND campaigners who blocked a train carrying nuclear waste through the centre of London last December by sitting in front of it, had their case thrown out of Snaresbrook Magistrates’ court in August.

The case against David Poulden and CND’s vice chair Pat Arrowsmith at Snaresbrook Magistrates’ Court collapsed because it was unclear which law they were being prosecuted under. Three other anti-nuclear campaigners are due to appear before Stratford Magistrates’ Court on December 18.

Christopher Gwyntopher and Katie Andrews are charged with obstructing an engine under the 1886 Malicious Damages Act after sitting in front of a train outside Stratford Station in East London in May. Oliver Stoll is charged with criminal damage after painting the train with a danger sign and the words “danger” and “death”.

All will be pleading not guilty. Chris Gwyntopher told Squall that the 1886 act was designed to prevent land owners trying to stop new railways being built on their land.

“I’ll be arguing that what we did was attempt to prevent a breach of the genocide act in the Geneva convention,” he told Squall. “This train carries carries waste which we have grounds to believe will be reprocessed to provide plutonium for Trident; and that it puts London and the British Isles at risk from radiation if there is an accident.”

All three have been granted unconditional bail. Support and leafleting would be appreciated during the hearing which is scheduled to last two days.