Chris Cole, Anti-War Resister, Jailed for 28 Days in London.

by Update Tue Jan 23, 2007 21:08

Dear All,

Please excuse brief email, Chris rang last night from Hornchurch police station. He is fine and appreciated all the support and good wishes. He has been transferred to Wandsworth Prison, Heathfield Road , Wandsworth SW18 3HS . His prison number is XA 7269 (you need to include if writing directly yo him!) So not far from where he grew up! I haven’t had confirmation from the prison yet but this is where the van went.

Thanks again for all the many good wishes, it is great to be part of this supportive community

Virginia

by No Wed Jan 24, 2007 10:33

'Close to where he grew up'? - When did he grow up??
A father of three going to jail for not paying a fine - where's his concern for his three 'innocents'?

by ThinkingOfMyKids Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:06

That is his conern for his three innocents, doing his bit to make people think about the system that sends our kids off to war for a lie, and to make money for the Arms industry and the banks. Where's your concern?

by Virginia - Cole Family Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:19

Dear Everyone,

Thanks again for all the kind emails today. Chris had a good first night and has seen the chaplain who said he seemed fairly relaxed. I am hoping to visit him on Sunday.

The London Catholic Worker community, rural and city branches, have told me that they are organising a vigil outside the prison on Saturday. If anyone would like to join them, please meet at the Visitor’s Centre at 12pm.(see http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/prisoninformation/loc...474,0 for details about how to get there). I know a lot of people would like to visit if they could, but he only gets one visit. This is a way for Chris to know people are literally right outside thinking about him. I know from friends who have been in prison that prisoners usually get to find out about vigils outside and it helps boost their spirits. Please bring banners of support for Chris and against the war in Iraq . For further details please contact Scott 01923-777201.Many thanks Scott & Martin for organising.

Thank you too for all the thoughts for myself and the children. We are all fine, I’m getting lots of help and the children enjoyed the snow today!

Love and peace

Virginia

by Ciaron O'Reilly - Ploughshares Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:40

I first came in contact with Chris Cole when I was released from the U.S. Prison system in '93. The FBI have such a respect for private property, if not human life, they returned the bolt cutters and hammers with which we had used to disarm a B52 Bomber on the eve of the 1991 Gulf War. A set was sent from DC to Chris in England and he employed them to disable British Aerospace military equipment for export to Indonesia and the north of Ireland.
http://www.plowsharesactions.org/webpages/BAePLOWSHARES.htm

Chris had entered the Stevenange site dressed in a white lab coat with a sewn insignia "British Aerospace Disarmament Division". On release from prison the hammer was once again returned and has since been employed on a BAe hawk fighter, the nuclear convoy vehicle and a U.S. war plane at Shannon Airport.

In response to campaigning against arms exports to Indnoesia, n the mid-90's BAe targetted 13 of us who they regarded as key organisers and dragged us along to the high court in London. We were all hit with life time injunction. Chris was later sentenced under th civil injunction to 6 months for writing a leaflet encouraging people to nonviolently blockade BAe.

Chris went on to work for the "Campaign Against the Arms Trade", which along with the Liverpool Catholic Worker was infiltrated by intelligence agents working for BAe. He presently works for the "Fellowship of Reconciliation". He is based in Oxford with his wife Viginia and their three children.

To have an anti-war movement we need to move on from the going through the motions of cattle drive/marches to nonviolent resistance. The more solidarity expressed for resisters, the easier the nonviolent resistance will be - both inside and outside the military. People like Chris presently imprisoned, and soldiers contemplating refusing deployment, should know that if they go up against the state they or their families will not be alone.

by Paul Tuohy - None Fri Jan 26, 2007 19:31

I went to school with Chris. We succeeded and failed together. Later when I was fed up with my first job in the civil service, he helped me get a job at CAFOD in 1984. It set me off on a wonderful career path where i am now CEO of a major national charity. I have alot to thank him for. After failing my driving test I remember us getting pissed and sleeping on his floor in Balham. I wandered back to Battersea in the morning and finally passed. In 1988 I married and Chris was best man. Like millions of people I believe in the principles he holds as a fellow Christian but would I make the sacrifices? sadly no. Thats why the world needs people like Chris, mad hatter that he is. I love him!

by Scott - London Catholic Worker Sun Jan 28, 2007 21:42

The vigil was attended by author and activist Milan Rai, Angela Broome, Scott Albrecht & Fr. Martin Newell of the London Catholic Worker, Quaker Chris Gwyntopher, Dan Martin of Catholic Peace Fellowship, Faith Kendriks and four others from the Stop the War Coalition in Wandsworth.

We stayed for 2 hours and the police kept watch over us. We ended with some great readings from Martin and some prayer.

by Update Mon Jan 29, 2007 14:13

Dear Friends,

I thought I would pass this correspondence round to let you know how yesterday’s vigil went and what my thoughts would have been had I got my act together a bit earlier. I would really like to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended, and put up with the over the top police response. I still haven’t been able to talk directly to Chris so am not sure if he knew you were outside, but when I do speak to him I know he will be very grateful that you were there.

Chris has however left a message today (well 3 actually as the phone kept cutting out). He will definitely be out on Friday (hurray!) but doesn’t know the time yet, and he says that it is a bit chaotic there what with all this overcrowding we are hearing about. I will try and find out from the prison and let people know a time to meet to welcome him at the gate. Chris said he had received 70 letters so far and was very appreciative, but has only just been given them. He has also not been able to send any letters out this weekend and he doesn’t seem to have got the stamps I sent yet, so I expect we may all see him before we get too much correspondence! I also got a letter yesterday with the visiting order, and he said the first couple of nights were fine, he was sharing with someone from Afghanistan, but I am think he has changed cells now. He sounds well and was pleased and very grateful to hear of all the emails from everyone.

Due to a problem with booking (you can only book when you have a visiting order, but the booking line is closed at weekends and the visiting order arrived today), I wasn’t able to visit today as hoped. I was coming to London anyway to see my sister, so Pat Gaffney and I had a short impromptu vigil outside this morning. It made me feel more in control of a situation that is somewhat out of my control, and it was good to gaze over the barbed wire and hope he was feeling our good wishes.

Thanks once again to Pat for joining me today, to those who were able to vigil yesterday and to all of you for the cards and emails you have been sending

Peace
Virginia