After Two Long Years, "Raytheon Nine" Heroes Acquitted
Source: Al-Manar TV, 05-06-2006
As a good old friend once said, "Once in a while the good guys win!!"
Well, this time they did. The Raytheon Nine heroes have been acquitted of Terrorism charges.
On August 9, 2006, nine anti-war protestors, including the civil rights activist and campaigning journalist Eamonn McCann, occupied and closed down the offices of Raytheon organization, the US-based weapons maker and world's largest producer of guided missiles at Springtown in Derry, during a protest organized by the Derry Anti-War Coalition in response to ‘Israel's' savage war against Lebanon. It was, for instance, the Raytheon JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) which was used in Qana village massacre in 2006 and guided the US MK-84 bomb to its target, killing 28 and wounding 30 women and children and three elderly men.
Nevertheless, the nine activists, constituting the Raytheon Nine, were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly and aggravated burglary, which are scheduled offences under the "Terrorism Act." Their trial got underway on May 25 after a number of delays and postponements at Laganside Court in Belfast, highlighting the hypocrisy of a government that punishes anti-war activists, yet allows arms manufacturers to supply their weapons of death unhindered. "On the week it was announced that George W. Bush would come to Northern Ireland, anti war activists went on trial, for trying to prevent war crimes. The activists are criminalized and stand in the dock accused, while the world's biggest war criminal is welcomed and eulogized by our politicians," David McAuley who organized protests to support the activists pointed out.
The trial collapsed when the judge threw it out for lack of evidence. Throughout the trial the "Nine" heroes didn't deny that they occupied Raytheon or that they destroyed their computer system, but stressed that they had a legal, moral and political duty to do so. Their intention was to stop - or at least delay - war crimes being carried out by ‘Israel' in Lebanon, in which Raytheon equipment was used. They have maintained that their actions were legitimate as an attempt to prevent war crimes. The judge was forced to concede this when he stated that the defendants had acted to prevent destruction in Lebanon, which was seen by them as a major victory and vindication of the action of the Derry Anti War Coalition and the Raytheon Nine.
The defendants' line was that it had a genuine belief that ‘Israel' was committing war crimes in Lebanon, that Raytheon company was knowingly supplying weapons to ‘Israel' so it could continue to commit war crimes, and that by disrupting production at the Raytheon plant they were disrupting the supply of weapons. They also noted that even if they only delayed the supply of bombs to ‘Israel' by one minute, they were doing what it was possible for them to do to prevent war crimes and that, therefore, they cannot have been guilty of a crime unless a man who hits another man in order to stop him killing somebody could be said to be guilty of assault.
"Our motivation was to prevent war crimes," Eamon McCann said, noting that "'Israel's' bombardment was causing carnage and destruction in Lebanon, and we knew they were using Raytheon manufactured bombs."
"We were particularly outraged by the bombing of the town of Qana. ‘Israel' dropped a bomb on one complex there, killing 28 people, the majority of them women and children, crushed and suffocated beneath the rubble. We believed this required an immediate response. We decided to take action to disrupt, delay and hamper Raytheon's ability, in whatever way possible, to deliver weapons of mass destruction to Israel and participate in war crimes," he said.
Raytheon set up their office in Derry in 1999. Their arrival was announced by John Hume and David Trimble, shortly after collecting their Nobel Peace Prizes. For seven years Raytheon's presence in Derry has been opposed, with regular vigils, public meetings and debates, marches and appeals to local politicians. The campaign succeeded in getting a motion passed by Derry City Council saying that Raytheon's welcome would be withdrawn if they were found to be involved in anything other than civilian projects. Raytheon have consistently refused to respond to any enquiries about the nature of their work in Derry. "Raytheon profits from bloodshed. It is one of the many companies that fuels war for profit. It also has a political agenda. Adam Cherill, the business manager of Raytheon, if my memory is correct, has said that the Palestinian people have no connection to the land of Palestine - that they have no culture, no society and no historical ties to the land. Now, that is not a commercial statement. That is a political statement," McCann stressed.
"The Raytheon Company is closely tied to the top brass of the Pentagon. So they are complicit in everything that happens in the Middle East. In particular, they are complicit in war crimes committed through the use of Raytheon munitions."
As a good old friend once said, "Once in a while the good guys win!!"
Well, this time they did. The Raytheon Nine heroes have been acquitted of Terrorism charges.
On August 9, 2006, nine anti-war protestors, including the civil rights activist and campaigning journalist Eamonn McCann, occupied and closed down the offices of Raytheon organization, the US-based weapons maker and world's largest producer of guided missiles at Springtown in Derry, during a protest organized by the Derry Anti-War Coalition in response to ‘Israel's' savage war against Lebanon. It was, for instance, the Raytheon JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) which was used in Qana village massacre in 2006 and guided the US MK-84 bomb to its target, killing 28 and wounding 30 women and children and three elderly men.
Nevertheless, the nine activists, constituting the Raytheon Nine, were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly and aggravated burglary, which are scheduled offences under the "Terrorism Act." Their trial got underway on May 25 after a number of delays and postponements at Laganside Court in Belfast, highlighting the hypocrisy of a government that punishes anti-war activists, yet allows arms manufacturers to supply their weapons of death unhindered. "On the week it was announced that George W. Bush would come to Northern Ireland, anti war activists went on trial, for trying to prevent war crimes. The activists are criminalized and stand in the dock accused, while the world's biggest war criminal is welcomed and eulogized by our politicians," David McAuley who organized protests to support the activists pointed out.
The trial collapsed when the judge threw it out for lack of evidence. Throughout the trial the "Nine" heroes didn't deny that they occupied Raytheon or that they destroyed their computer system, but stressed that they had a legal, moral and political duty to do so. Their intention was to stop - or at least delay - war crimes being carried out by ‘Israel' in Lebanon, in which Raytheon equipment was used. They have maintained that their actions were legitimate as an attempt to prevent war crimes. The judge was forced to concede this when he stated that the defendants had acted to prevent destruction in Lebanon, which was seen by them as a major victory and vindication of the action of the Derry Anti War Coalition and the Raytheon Nine.
The defendants' line was that it had a genuine belief that ‘Israel' was committing war crimes in Lebanon, that Raytheon company was knowingly supplying weapons to ‘Israel' so it could continue to commit war crimes, and that by disrupting production at the Raytheon plant they were disrupting the supply of weapons. They also noted that even if they only delayed the supply of bombs to ‘Israel' by one minute, they were doing what it was possible for them to do to prevent war crimes and that, therefore, they cannot have been guilty of a crime unless a man who hits another man in order to stop him killing somebody could be said to be guilty of assault.
"Our motivation was to prevent war crimes," Eamon McCann said, noting that "'Israel's' bombardment was causing carnage and destruction in Lebanon, and we knew they were using Raytheon manufactured bombs."
"We were particularly outraged by the bombing of the town of Qana. ‘Israel' dropped a bomb on one complex there, killing 28 people, the majority of them women and children, crushed and suffocated beneath the rubble. We believed this required an immediate response. We decided to take action to disrupt, delay and hamper Raytheon's ability, in whatever way possible, to deliver weapons of mass destruction to Israel and participate in war crimes," he said.
Raytheon set up their office in Derry in 1999. Their arrival was announced by John Hume and David Trimble, shortly after collecting their Nobel Peace Prizes. For seven years Raytheon's presence in Derry has been opposed, with regular vigils, public meetings and debates, marches and appeals to local politicians. The campaign succeeded in getting a motion passed by Derry City Council saying that Raytheon's welcome would be withdrawn if they were found to be involved in anything other than civilian projects. Raytheon have consistently refused to respond to any enquiries about the nature of their work in Derry. "Raytheon profits from bloodshed. It is one of the many companies that fuels war for profit. It also has a political agenda. Adam Cherill, the business manager of Raytheon, if my memory is correct, has said that the Palestinian people have no connection to the land of Palestine - that they have no culture, no society and no historical ties to the land. Now, that is not a commercial statement. That is a political statement," McCann stressed.
"The Raytheon Company is closely tied to the top brass of the Pentagon. So they are complicit in everything that happens in the Middle East. In particular, they are complicit in war crimes committed through the use of Raytheon munitions."
