[syfaslane365] Write-up

[srheywood at ukonline.co.uk]

FASLANE 365

SHEFFIELD BLOCKADE

5 – 6 October 2006

Simon

About 30 Sheffield activists arrived on Wednesday and assembled Thursday at noon
outside the north gate at Faslane. Ignoring the drizzle, we set up a couple of
gazebo’s and got cracking with the ribbons, banners and artwork and soon the
wire fence was looking much nicer than it had any right to look. Relying on
public order legislation, the police had designated a permitted protest area on
the grassy verges either side of the north gate, between the crash barriers and
the wire fence. The two police inspectors wandered over to tell us that they
would be “robust” with any illegal blockading but they would respect the right
to protest within the designated area, and would be happy to exchange
information and answer any questions. We didn’t get as far as exchanging
information exactly, but we did note that they were pretty friendly and
consistent throughout.

The original plan was to have a peaceful demonstration on the Thursday before
proceeding to a full blockade on the Friday morning. However, the problem with
blockading Friday morning was that anyone arrested and charged was liable to be
held over for court the following working day – that is, from Thursday to
Friday, or from Friday over the weekend till Monday. Rather than risk being held
over the weekend, we held a hasty council on the grass verges on Thursday
lunchtime and decided to go for the full blockade that afternoon. Our creative
affinity group took up position on the roundabout and cranked up the clowning
and music to raise the energy, after which the group dispersed. Shortly after
the designated time of 4pm a group of 12 blockaders emerged from the woods
opposite the north gate and locked on in clusters in the gateway. The north gate
was closed for about 45 minutes from 4-30 to 5-15, causing a long tail-back of
traffic in the base (owing to the presence of contractors rebuilding the
accommodation blocks in the base itself). By 5-15 the blockaders had been cut
loose and arrested. Non-blockaders were not troubled and were free to pack down
most of the decorations and artwork and leave the site of the action.

The Legal Support mobile phone was out of action owing to patchy network
coverage around the north gate, so Legal Support had recourse to the backup
phone, and fortunately the observers had spotted everyone and it was easy to
find out who was where. The four male blockaders were taken to Dumbarton police
office and the eight women to Clydebank. Legal Support hoovered up the day’s
newspapers from the local newsagents and dropped them off at the appropriate
police offices to stave off the boredom of a night in the cells. 

The police had referred all 12 cases to the procurator fiscal on Friday morning,
so the non-arrested rolled up at court, fully expecting the arrestees to be
bussed in for a hearing. However, after some delay, the fiscal decided not to
prosecute, so the 12 blockaders were issued with warning letters and released at
lunchtime Friday from the two police offices, after about 21 hours in custody.
Pretty much as with Greenham/Women in Black as we understand.

Police were reported mostly friendly although the statutory 3 meals a day seemed
to translate into a rancid curry at one in the morning for those at Clydebank,
and tea with sugar or more sugar at Dumbarton!


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