Category: Campaigning

Campaigners seek to overturn injunction against protests at Israeli-owned drone factory

Chris Cole
High Court rules to lift ban on protests at Israeli drone factory

The High Court today lifted a ban on protests taking place within a 250 metre “forbidden zone” around an arms factory in Shenstone. The ban came in the form of a temporary junction granted by the court on 30 June to UAV Engines Ltd in order to prevent protests outside the factory. Campaigners challenged the injunction in court today, claiming that it was designed to prevent people from exercising their right to free speech and protest at a factory manufacturing weapons used in human rights abuses abroad. Read more →

Behind the polls: Large protests continue at US drone bases

Chris Cole
Protesters blockade Hancock AFB using giant copies of drone reports, UN Charter and US Constitution

Despite polls and headlines proclaiming ‘overwhelming public support for US drone strikes’ large and persistent protests continue at drone bases throughout the US.  In its latest issue, US peace movement newspaper The Nuclear Resister gives an important insight in to this continuing opposition by rounding-up recent protests at some of the US bases facilitating drone strikes.  Documenting these protests, arrests and prison sentences gives an important insight into on-going opposition to US drone wars.   Read more →

Crimes and Misdemeanours

Chris Cole
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Chris Cole, Penny Walker, Eagle Spits, Katha Karcher

On Wednesday 27 May, four British drone protesters (including myself) will go on trial at Lincoln Magistrates Court. We are accused of criminal damage to the perimeter fence of RAF Waddington after cutting a hole to gain entry on January 5 2015 – the first working day of the new year. Arguably this was the day that UK armed drone use moved from being limited and provisional (the armed Reaper drones were acquired only on a limited basis until the end of Afghanistan operations at the end of 2014) to being permanently available for armed remote operations anywhere and at any time. Read more →

Protesters arrested and charged after breaching security at UK drone base

Chris Cole

inside waddingtonFour protesters (including myself) were arrested at RAF Waddington yesterday protesting the normalisation of drone warfare.   In a statement released at the time of the protest, the four said:

“War we are told is no longer the hell it once was. Thanks to the marketing of drone war as ‘risk free’, ‘precise’ and above all ‘humanitarian’, war has been rehabilitated and accepted as virtually normal by those who see little or nothing of the impact on the ground thousands of miles away. Remote wars mean most no longer hear, see or smell the impact of bombs and missiles. With just a little effort we can almost believe that war is not happening at all. But behind the rebranding, war is as brutal and deadly as it has always been with civilians killed, communities destroyed, and the next generation traumatized. (See full statement below)

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Proliferation and Resistance – Drone Summit 2013

Chris Cole
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Drone protest at the White House

It was a joy to meet many readers of this blog at Code Pink’s Drone Summit in Washington DC this weekend.  Over 400 drone campaigners and researchers gathered together to learn, strategize and build the movement to challenge the growing use of armed drone.  Cornell West kicked off the summit with an uncompromising, angry and forward-looking keynote speech that set the tone for the weekend.

The first day focused on information sharing with the an excellent panel sessions on the legality of drone warfare featuring Pardiss Kebriaeli of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), Marjorie Cohn (who wrote about the gathering on Huffington Post) and the wonderful Mary Ellen O’Connell. I spoke on a panel about proliferation issues along with Israeli researcher Dalit Baum of Who Profits?, German drone campaigner Elsa Rassbach and Noel Sharkey of ICRAC and the Killer Robots campaign.  Video of that session and others is available here Read more →

Drone protests just beginning say activists

Chris Cole

drone_protest_courtAs many of you will have seen reported in the media the Waddington Six trial took place yesterday.  All six  spoke about the dangers of drone warfare and how the use of drones by British forces breaches international law.   District Judge John Stoddert listened carefully to everything that was said, but stated that he felt constrained by what he could do.  As has been reported in various media, the judge said that he convicted “with a heavy heart” and then went on to urge the six to appeal to a higher court as there were important issues in the case that needed careful examination.  The six are considering their next move.    For a good summary of the day see War isn’t a video game: witnessing (against) drone warfare. Read more →