Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Ploughshares disarmament in New Zealand

Waihopai Spy Base Penetrated

by WAIHOPAI ANZAC PLOUGHSHARES

“The morning, 30 April 2008, we entered the Waihopai Spy Base near Blenheim.

Our group, including a Dominican Priest, temporarily closed the base by padlocking the gates and proceeded to deflate one of the large domes covering two satellite dishes.

At 6am we cut through three security fences surrounding the domes - these are armed with razor wire, infrared motion sensors and a high voltage electrified fence. Once inside we used sickles to cut one of the two 30-metre white domes, built a shrine and knelt in prayer to remember the people killed by United States military activity.

We have financed our disarmament through personal savings, additional part-time employment and a small interest-free loan from one of our supporters."

"Sam, Peter and Adi have been denied bail and will remain in custody. The next hearing at Blenheim District Court."

"There have been over 100 Ploughshares actions over the last twenty years around the world. Ploughshares direct actions are linked through the common factors of: entry to locations connected to military activity, and involve some form of property destruction, which is called disarming weapons or dismantling weapon systems."

Read more:

http://ploughshares.org.nz/

See the video:

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1320238/1755601