Catholic Workers Blockade Northwood Headquarters (England) on "Feast of Innocents"

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Thursday December 28, 2006 17:46

by Ciaron - Dublin Catholic Worker

Following a day of reflection on the "Feast of the Holy Innocents" and the wars presently raging on Afghanistan and Iraq, a dozen Catholic Workers and friends made their way to Northwood Headquarters on the outskirts of London.

Scott Albrecht from the Catholic Worker farm community, Sr. Susan Clarkson from the Oxford Catholic Worker, Stephen Barnes and Fr. Martin Newell from the London/Hackney Catholic Worker blockaded the entrance to Northwood. Six others initially joined them on the driveway in a liturgy celebrating the "Feast of the Holy Innocents". The Catholic feast day which falls on December 28th. recalls the slaughter of children by King Herod in response to the birth of Christ.

Scott Albrecht was pushed to the ground by an armed soldier on entrance to the base and dragged from the base. Stephen Barnes and Sr. Susan Clarkson had pepper spray aimed at them, but it was not used. As more police officers arrived, the blockaders were contnually dragged from the entrance, regrouping and returning. During this period, the support group moved to the opposite side of the road reading out the names of the dead holding a banner that read, "Stop the Slaughter of Afghani and Iraqi Children"! The stand off and vigil went for two hours in which traffic in and out of the base was disrupted and tension was nonviolently brought to the entrance of this significant headquarters in the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sr. Susan Clarkson stated, "President Bush and Prime Minister Blair have reduced the children of Afghanistan and Iraq to the lowly status of collateral damage. Most Iraqis killed since our invasion have been noncombatants, women and children. The nature of modern warfare, from "Shock and Awe" bombardment to unexploded cluster bombs that litter the landscape indefinitely, makes the slaughter of children inevitable.

We blockade the gates of Northwood, the nerve centre of all British forces deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, in defense of the children of Afghanistan and Iraq. We are inspired by those members of the military refusing to deploy and military families who are saying no to the deaths of their chilkdren and the killing of the Afghani and Iraqi children. We are inspired by all those involved in nonviolent resistance to this war."

Northwood Base is located on the northern outskirts of London servicing British and NATO forces. The Catholic Worker movement, founded by Dorothy Day in 1933, is an international network of over 150 communities involved in direct service to the homeless and nonviolent anti-war resistance.

For more information 077 26997 638

save preference

Comments (6 of 6)

LINK-Reflection on "Feast of Holy Innocents" & Anti-War Resistance

by CW

Tue Jan 02, 2007 16:26

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/80358

LINK-Report from Washington DC "Holy Innocents" at the Pentagon, White House & D.O.E.

by Jonah

Mon Jan 01, 2007 15:32

A series of nonviolent anti-war actions were carried out by Jonh House, Catholic Workers & friends in Washington DC at the Dept. of Energy, White House and Pentagon over the Feast of Innocents. Access photos and reports on link below.....

http://www.jonahhouse.org/FRdec06/index.htm

Report from Holy Innocents at Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

by Frank - Des Moines Catholic Worker

Mon Jan 01, 2007 15:19

The 28th Annual Feast of the Holy Innocents Retreat and Witness at
Offutt AFB took place as planned. Eleven people participated in the
two and a half day retreat. The scriptures were studied, past
resistance efforts at Offutt reviewed, the new god awful mission of
STRATCom explored, prayers made, Eucharist celebrated, old and new
friendships fostered, community built and the spirit of Christmas
invoked.

By the time we got to Offutt's main entrance for the witness at noon
on Dec 28th we were 25 strong. This year as was
the case last year, the Offutt security people closed down the two
lane main entrance road and allowed us to take our procession up the
1/3 mile drive to the closed gates. This year, all security personnel
were hidden from sight. A number of security people were out of sight
in the guard house directly attached to the closed gate.

Once we reached the closed main gate we read our prepared statement
(see below for text) and sang a Christmas Carrol. Fr. Jim Murphy
concluded our witness with a passionate plea to any of the personnel
who were listening, to quit their military jobs and come join our
efforts as peace makers. Fr. Jim recalled a similar plea of Archbishop
Oscar Romero made to El Salvadorian military personnel back in 1980.

There were no line crossers this year.

As we returned to our cars to go home, many of us were struck by the
apparent lack of any visible contact with Offutt personnel at the
gate. There was one lone Omaha World Herald reporter.

Our efforts this year to proclaim the Christmas message at STRATCom
seem to be following more closely the Gospel of Luke's version of the
birth of Jesus. In Luke's story of Christmas, the baby Jesus is born
in the most marginal and humble of places, far away from any place of
importance or notice, in a barn on the outskirts of Bethlehem, an
insignificant village in occupied Palestine.

In Luke's Gospel, God sent his angels to deliver the proclamation of
his Son's birth to a bunch of shepherds. And it was to these shepherds
that the task of announcing Jesus' birth to the world is given. Given
who shepherds were and where they came from, their Christmas message
probably received no more a hearing from "the powers that be'' than
ours did at Offutt's gate this year.