Helen Swanston, a 39 year old professional milliner from Cromer, appeared at Newbury Court on 19th October 2013 to answer charges of ‘Obstruction of the Highway’. Helen was part of the ‘Big Blockade’ at Atomic Weapons Establishment,Burghfield during the two week Trident Ploughshares peace camp there as part of the Action AWE campaign. Ms Swanston had locked herself to other protesters with an armtube which meant that a specialist police team had to be called to cut her free.
In addition five women from the London based Trident Ploughshares affinity group known as the “Muriel Lesters” as well as two blockaders from Scotland and another from Yorkshire were ordered to appear in court in Reading on 13 – 14 January. There was some doubt as to whether the court would accept the not guilty pleas submitted by five of the activists but at the end of the day it did. With the exception of Krista van Velzen from Netherlands, who was given a conditional discharge for twelve months the international protesters were not charged.
Five groups of activists from Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, and France as well as England and Scotland blocked roads into the Atomic Weapons Establishment Burghfield where the UKs nuclear bombs are assembled before being carried by a convoy of lorries over roads to Faslane for deployment on Trident submarines. Traffic was prevented from entering the bomb factory 5am until 9:30am, with one blockade maintained until 7pm on the day of the protest. In addition to arm tubes groups used Superglue and thumbcuffs to prevent police from clearing them from the road.
Ms Swanston pleaded guilty with mitigation at the hearing, citing the’Nuremburg Principles’. These state that when a government behaves immorally it is the duty of its citizens to uphold International Law and prevent genocide. She also reminded the two female magistrates that had it not been for Direct Action a century ago then women would not have the vote. She stressed that she had been peaceful at all times during the blockade. The Magistrates said while they recognised the strength of her beliefs, she had broken the law. She was therefore fined £50 with £25 costs.