[Onthebarricades] UK: Women's peace camp menaced by state repression

[Andy]

*Women's Peace Camp anniversary threatened by Byelaws*
For immediate release 6 June 2007
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Women from Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp(aign) are celebrating their
22nd birthday at a cocktail party this Saturday, 9 June. [1] This will
be the first camp weekend after new byelaws come into force.

As of 31 May 2007, new byelaws for AWE Aldermaston came into
force. [2] The amended byelaws, although theoretically allowing protest
at Aldermaston, now threaten the very existence of the women's peace
camp - which has been protesting outside the nuclear weapons factory
every month for the past 22 years. The new byelaws criminalise camping
and lighting "bonfires" (the women use a camp fire to keep warm and
cook). The byelaws also criminalise things as simple as attaching
banners to the fence at Aldermaston, which they have traditionally done
to alert passers by to the nuclear weapons factory, or as vague as
"causing annoyance to any other person" [4] however, parties are not
prohibited.

"Of course this will be a fantastic party in its own right, but we would
also like to send a clear message to the MoD that women will continue to
occupy space outside AWE Aldermaston, continue resisting Britain's
nuclear weapons programme, and continue claiming the right to protest", a camp
spokeswoman commented.

A legal challenge to the byelaws has been mounted and there has been
positive legal advice on the prospects of its success. Treasury
Solicitors have been informed that despite the welcome changes to the
byelaws, they remain disproportionate and are incompatible with the
Human Rights Act. The next step will be to bring a Judicial Review.

*Background*

The new Aldermaston byelaws were quietly put out to consultation in
April 2006, and in their original form, would have prohibited all forms
of protest at AWE Aldermaston. The proposed byelaws would have denied
the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association as they
criminalised meetings, assemblies and processions (sections 7 (f) and
(h)). They would also have prohibited handing out leaflets and holding
placards, thus denying freedom of expression.

Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp(aign), and supporters, made submissions
to the MoD's Byelaws Review Committee under the Human Rights Act, and
succeeded in gaining the removal or amendment of several of the
originally proposed "criminal" activities

As with many military sites across Britain, land at AWE Aldermaston had
previously been subject to specific military byelaws for many years.
While these theoretically criminalisehd a range of otherwise
non-criminal activities, they had not been enforced. At bases around the
country where byelaws had been used against protesters they have almost
universally fallen following legal challenges (most famously at Greenham
Common where thousands of cases were thrown out after the byelaws fell).

The consultation on the Aldermaston byelaws took place as the Terrorism
Act 2006 enabled the provisions of the Serious Organised Crime and
Police Act (SOCAP) to apply to Aldermaston and a number of other
military sites in the UK. To date these have been used once against a
protester at Aldermaston. It remains unclear as to whether the Attorney
General will give assent for the prosecution to proceed. [3] Defence
Estates commented at the time that "The Military Lands Byelaws and the
SOCAP powers, although capable of being used independently, are mutually
supportive and together provide a layered form of legal protection for
the Ministry of Defence." [4]

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*NOTES:
*1 See http://www.aldermaston.net for party invitation
2 Read the full byelaws at http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/20071066.htm
3 See AWE Byelaws, Section 7 (2)
(f) camp in tents, caravans, trees or otherwise;
(g) attach any thing to, or place any thing over any wall, fence,
structure or other surface;
(j) act in any way likely to cause annoyance, nuisance or injury to
other persons;
(k) light bonfires or do anything likely to cause an outbreak of fire;
4 See http://www.aldermaston.net/news/169
5 See http://www.aldermaston.net/news/107

Press contact: 07903 236245 (leave a message - we will get back to you)
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