Pine Gap 4 Update
Dear friends
In the spirit of the homeless, refugee child Jesus, I send you hopes and prayers for a meaningful Christmas/New Year period and I also bring you some news…..
The Pine Gap 4 now have a confirmed trial date! It is May 29, 2007.
Two weeks have been set aside for the trial (by jury) to be held in the Northern Territory Supreme Court at Alice Springs in front of Justice Sally Thomas.
In the meantime our legal team is still pursuing several legal matters in relation to the use of the Defence (Special Undertakings) Act 1952. This legal process will continue ahead of the trial with the next hearing set down for January 10, 2007, in which we are able to appear by phone.
We are all excited about the next stage of the journey ahead and will be busy using the next five months to continue to raise awareness about Pine Gap, prepare for the trial activities and fund-raise. We hope to have news about our fundraising CD and t-shirts soon!
Since my last report, the five people who were arrested at Pine Gap during the Peace Convergence protest on October 7, 2006 have appeared in court.
The five (Jamie Ford from Alice Springs, Tracey Makamae from Yepoon, Carl Johnston from Alice Springs, Edward Cranswick from Adelaide and Sam Land from New Zealand) were charged with failing to cease to loiter and obstructing traffic.
Four of the five pleaded guilty while the fifth, Edward Cranswick from Adelaide stated that he did not respect the jurisdiction of the court as it did not represent the will of the Australian people but that of the occupying power, the United States.
The magistrate adjourned Edward’s case to February 5, 2007.
The other four defendants stated that their actions were in protest against the United States’ Government and the involvement of Pine Gap in the war in Iraq.
Jamie Ford told the court that the CIA, who operates Pine Gap, is well known for international human rights abuses such as selling arms to Iran in the 1980s, training terrorists such as Al Qaeda, supporting brutal regimes such as the Taliban and inciting war in Latin America. He also stated that the US advocate the use of torture and incarceration without charge and that Pine Gap was linked to Raytheon, the worlds 5th largest arms dealer.
“These are the reasons that as a citizen of Alice Springs I am disgusted to have such an installation in my region.” Jamie told the court.
Jamie, Tracy, Carl and Sam were fined $280 each for the offences. Those present in the courtroom said all five represented themselves very well and spoke with deep conviction about the reasons for their action – well done guys!!!
We now want to give full support and solidarity to Edward as he continues the legal process for his charges. We’ll keep you posted on Edward’s hearing and ways you can support him.
So now we have a trial date to mark in our diaries, we invite you to come be with us in Alice Springs from May 29, 2007 for what we hope will be a major transformative peacemaking event as well as a trial!
Before then we will continue raising awareness about the trial and fundraising for the legal defence fund. Please let us know if you are able to help out by hosting a meeting or fundraising event, or have any ideas for us. You can email to: pinegap6@yahoo.com.au
Thanks to all for your support thus far….! It is very much appreciated!
I want to close this message with the words of Fr Ron Perrett, a Catholic priest who presided over a very special mass given in the hot sun at the gates of Pine Gap on October 8th with a gathering of about 30 locals and visitors.
With the barbed-wire fences of Pine Gap as a backdrop, a squad of nervous police looking on awkwardly, Fr Ron stood in front of a 10-foot wooden cross with a small table covered in a white table-cloth before him, on it a golden chalice gleaming in the sun.
A priest celebrating a holy mass in the dry and dusty entrance to a US spy base in Australia’s desert – the site was surreal, but felt somehow completely right.
Fr Ron, from northern NSW, was in Alice Springs attending a conference and was happy to participate when we approached him. He opened the mass with these words:
“Dear friends, some good people may not understand why we celebrate mass – the Holy Eucharist- here at Pine Gap.
They may see this as an unsuitable venue linked to protests etc.
But I believe it is an honour for me to be asked to celebrate mass for people who are non-violent, who are prepared to risk their freedom, risk seven years in prison, to speak out for peace in a war-torn world with wars, terrorism and other violence.
I believe this is as authentic, as reverential a mass as any Catholics are celebrating anywhere in Australia, anywhere in the world this Sunday.
The protest here is against hate, cruelty, wrong use of power – the things Jesus opposed and that brought him to the cross.
I believe this mass is linked to the long tradition in the church of placing the laws of God above the laws of the state.
The early Christians in the Roman Empire died rather than go to war for the emperor.
In 1980, Archbishop Romero in El Salvador was shot dead as he celebrated mass. He was killed because he too had the courage to speak against violence, crime, militarism and the government’s misuse of power.
We celebrate together the Eucharist to remember that Jesus came to love.
So we celebrate in hope. Jesus said in the world you will suffer, but be brave and you will overcome the wrong in the world.
And I pray for the brave stand of these non-violent protestors as they challenge power as Jesus did.
We join them in working for peace.
Together may we walk in peace.”
In the spirit of the homeless, refugee child Jesus who came to love, may we walk in peace together in 2007 and beyond.
Your pilgrim
Donna
What a beautiful, courageous speech. I wish I was there with them!