A Morning at Horseferry Court

Horseferry Court

I went Thursday to a court near Waterloo to support Chris Cole who is the Director of "Fellowship of Reconciliation" here in the U.K.

Christian peace activist, Chris Cole, 46, was arrested this morning (Monday 7 September) and charged with £2,000 of criminal damage following a protest at ... (the) arms fair.

Cole sprayed the words ‘Build Peace not War Machines’ on the conference centre doorsand ‘arms trade = death’ on the steps. He poured red paint as symbolic blood and wrote ‘stop this bloody business’.

“Especially in a time of war, we are called to resist the great lie that our security and well being lies in bigger and better weaponry. The truth is that only justice and love will in the end; bring real peace and real human security to our nation and the world as a whole.” (from ICN 7/9/09)

It is somewhat ironic that I went as I do not agree with breaking the law to make the point, a very real point of protesting an arms fair. In the 60's when the Berrigan brothers protested the Vietnam War, that kind of protest seemed to grab peoples' attention and help focus attention on important issues of the war. To me, these days, no one who can make a real difference politically pays any attention. So it seems that the 'converted are just talking to each other.'

I wonder if more good would not be done if people protested completely non-violently. My hope then is that others might actually reflect on the issues involved rather than on the sensational aspects.

The Magistrate seemed determine to make quick work of things. He would not allow Chris extra time to call a witness from the Arms Fair. Trial date set quickly. He also seemed truculent about gathering evidence for Chris to examine.

After the hearing Chris invited me to join him and Pat Gaffney, Coordinator for Pax Christi U.K. to join them for tea. Both Chris and Pat were most gracious and inquired into my stay. I felt a tad uncomfortable as I wanted the conversation to go back to him and his experience, not on me.
We agreed to meet for lunch when I'm back (hopefully in February) to discuss protests and my questions. Both he and Pat were incredibly gracious. Clearly they are knoweldgeable, commtitted and hard working - now if politicians would just have tea with folks like these, it might make a difference.

Peace, Phil

Plowshares Action by Fr. Martin Newell & Katrina Alton

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Plowshares Action by Fr. Martin Newell & Katrina Alton

Protests expected as Libyan arms dealers come to ExCelTuesday, September 8 12:01 amBy Liz Stephens from yahoo.uk

Anti-war protests are expected in London today as a controversial arms fair gets underway.The Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEi) exhibition begins at the ExCel centre in the Docklands today. Protests are planned at ExCel, in the City and also in Westminster. The bi-annual event – which is flagged as the world's largest fully integrated defence and security exhibition – will attract arms dealers and technology and military experts from across the world.
Of the 53 countries invited by UK Trade and Investment's Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) to attend the event, several have been blacklisted by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for human rights violations.

However, the event claims that conventional weapons of torture and landmines will not be on display and all exhibits will comply with UK law and the provisions of the Oslo Accord. "Exhibitors promoting or exhibiting prohibited items, either overtly or covertly during the exhibition, will be in breach of their contract with the organisers and will forfeit their right to exhibit at DSEi," say organisers Clarion Defence and Security.

Protests will take place at a number of locations, although the event itself will be surrounded by a "ring of steel" with only accredited visitors, exhibitors and press allowed within a strict distance of the ExCel centre.

"Huge profits will be made by arms companies, but the costs are borne by the UK taxpayer, and millions of people whose lives are blighted by the arms trade."

Libya has been accused of arming the IRA and other terrorist organisations during the 80s & 90s.

PRESS RELEASE, Wednesday 9th September 2009DSEi
Arms Fair, ExCEL Centre, Docklands, London Catholic Workers Arrested for Exposing Bloody DSEi Arms Fair

London Catholic Workers Katrina Alton and Martin Newell poured red paint on to a sign advertising the DSEi Arms Fair [this morning at 8.30am]. The red paint represents the blood of the victims of the arms fair, on [the walkway which is the main pedestrian entrance to the arms fair by Custom House DLR station]. … The two raised a banner which read “FORGIVE THEM FATHER; THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO”. They remained there kneeling in prayer for 45 minutes while several Arms Dealers took photos and one spoke with Fr. Martin. The two were surrounded by a dozen police officers and arrested for criminal damage, they were taken to a local police station.

Katrina Alton said, “Today the DSEi Arms Fair is proudly trading in arms and weapons that cause death and suffering to millions of the poorest and most vulnerable in our world. As a Christian I believe these children, women, and men are my brothers and sisters. Their voices are silent and their stories are not writ large on advertising stands or at multi billion pound ‘Fairs’: they remain hidden, “out of sight out of mind”. My love and compassion for these victims, faith, means that in faith and solidarity I cannot remain silent or hidden. So our action today is a visible sign that in the heart of our community this week the powerful and the greedy are trading in the blood of the poor: and that blood is on my hands too. By pouring ‘blood’ over the DSEi sign I am hoping to bring out into the light what is happening here today, and challenge these powerful and rich people to think what a difference could be made right now if all this money and resources was used to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and care for the sick just as Jesus asks us to do.

Martin Newell said, “This red paint, our actions today, are for the victims. The victims of the arms trade may not know where their suffering has come from – they may only know that their families have been killed, their homes destroyed, their means of survival wiped out. They may not know the words DSEi, EXCEL, arms fair, arms trade, or capitalism. But those who are working here today, those who work in and for the arms trade, do know that they make a living at the expense of the blood of the innocent. We hope and pray that our action here today will touch those hardened hearts, and open the eyes of those who see but do not perceive, so that hearts of stone will be changed into hearts of flesh. We expect to pay a price for our convictions and our conscientious objection to this arms fair. But I pray that this too will be a small part of my journey to seeing the truth from the perspective of the victims.” The London Catholic Worker is a part of the international, radical, pacifist, Catholic Worker movement. We offer hospitality and welcome to the poor and homeless, refugees and other migrants. At the same time we resist the forces of injustice and violence that create so much suffering, poverty and insecurity. Katrina Alton and Martin Newell are members of the London Catholic Worker (LCW). They live and work in the LCW house of hospitality for refugees in Hackney. They also work in the LCW drop-in and community café. Katrina Alton is 42 years old. Martin Newell is also 42.

The next day

Pictures at http://www.ianmackinnon.co.uk/xfer/lcw/lcw.zip

Katrina Alton, Diane, Scott Albrecht, two CW volunteers at the Farm and I went to support Martin in his court appearance today. We had expected the court to begin a 9, but it did not begin until 10. Martin made a brief appearance just afternoon noon. The court then adjourned for lunch and began again at 2:00 p.m. (aka 14:00).

Finally Martin appeared. Two dates were set: October 6th for a pre-trial review & the trial February 24th. Katrina was released yesterday around 7:00 p.m. She received a fixed penalty notice and a fine of £80 around $130. Her stay though briefer than Martin's was distinctly unpleasant. A usually provided screen for women to use the toilet was missing in her cell. The toilet did not work and was sharing a very foul odor.

Martin was held over night due to his record of previous actions making it a long day due to the noise and bright lights at night.

Phil

Odds and Ends

The following are just some of the interesting and fun (at least to me!) things I've learned while living in the U.K. this month.

• I went to the hole in the wall and withdrew £50 for the petty cash. ATMS are most often referred to as cash machines or a hole in the wall!


• How would you like some stuffed marrow? A vegetable larger than the typical zuchinni stuffed with a rice and seasoning mixture.


• You know chips are french fries, and crips are chips. Did you know corchettes are zuchini and aubergine are egg plant?


• One of the refugees has created his own version of English. For example, following my question: "Did you get some tea or coffee?" he replied: Me n di drink. Now to follow him (especially challening in an animated conversation), you must always keep the context in mind and do some detecting. Me n di drink is translated: I had my coffee and drank it already. This person has a heart of gold. When you ask him how he is, he always replies: No bad, which I'm told is a minor variation of what Brits ususally say, Not bad. They are given to understatement always, I'm told! So we all now say No bad and laugh deeply. Laughter cures...
• In regular Brit speak: I'm nackered means I'm worn out.
• In one day here in addition to English, I'm likely to speak Spanish, a tad German, and hold several brief conversations in French. I will also hear Amarik, Tegrina, Arabic and Farsi.
  

An Overnight with Jim and Nancy Forest in Alkmaar, The Netherlands

The genius and driving force behind the Catholic Worker was, of course, the indomitable Dorothy Day. Jim Forest first met Dorothy when he was a young man of 21. His experiences with Dorothy are well known. He is currently revising his biography of her, Love is the Measure. It is due out next year.


Imagine though my incredible good fortune. Here is a man who has not only met, but worked side by side with Dorothy, Thomas Merron, Thich Nhat Hanh and more. Yet, Jim is in no way pridefull. In fact visiting him and his lovely wife, Nancy, is pure joy.


Dorothy Day's approach, as Jim shared with me on one of many walks, can be sumed up simply: "live generously, loving even your enemies. That means do not shoot them!"


An simple example of generosity: Nancy & Jim showed me a small shirt for their grand daughter that they had just printed with I'd rather be reading Dostoyevesky. I commented that I want to take a copy of the famous picture, Christ of the Breadlines by Fritz Eichenberg, http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/2251716549/ to have it imprinted on a T-shirt. Next thing I knew, Jim went upstairs & got me a full size book of that and many others by Eichenberg saying simply, "It's yours."


Jim & Nancy live in an incredibly beautiful and fascinating Dutch city that feels much more like a small Dutch town, Alkmaar. Canals of all sizes run around and through it. Houses date back centuries. Next door to Jim & Nancy is the oldest house in Alkmaar, built in 1560. I waited under its natural outcropping for a downpour to stop! I will be sending out a set of pictures from Alkmaar one I learn how to down & upload them.

Experiencing the Amsterdam Catholic Worker

As I begin to write this, it is 4:00 a.m. back home in Maryland and 1:36 a.m. on the west coast.


I will wait a bit before I share specific stories. (Perhaps a tad paranoid, but I do not want to put into jeopardy anyone who is seeking asylum. I am not in jeopardy as I do not break any laws, but given ability to hack online & search, I do not want to lead anyone to one of these people. They have been through enough.)


Suffice it to say at this point, that we who are safe, secure, and relatively healthy and peaceful do not realize on a gut level just how fortunate we are. Richard Engel, NBC Bureau Chief for the Middle East and only in his early 30's, reminds us how easy it is to become numbed to tragedy.

Sitting with one of the people seeking asylum and listening to their experience in whatever English they can manage can be heartbreaking.



Being hunted down in their own country (because their father was on the losing side, because they have the wrong religion, because they refuse to fight or to join the terrorists, etc.)



Then having to hide and try to escape,

having their parents pay large sums of money to "travel agents,"only to be left behind once abroad,

finding themselves alone in a foreign country, knowing no one, and not speaking the language,

• having to defend themselves from unscrupulous people, from the police
• often put into prison
• living in the street
• hoping against hope for some help
• people passing you by and looking the other way

But that is not the end of the story...

Perhaps you find a group of people to help you, to take you in. You then begin a long journey to prove you cannot possibly go back to oyur own country. (If you went back, you would face torture, waisting away in a small jail cell for years with 50 other people and little or no food, and finally possibly death)

So the journey in the new country involves:

• trying desperately to find some proof for asylum
• not being allowed to work or get career training or education
• learning the new language as best you can
• having no idea if your parent(s), siblings or alive.
• no one back home to contact

IMAGINE, my friends, living one month much less 10 years like that.

May I ask you to:

• stop and pray for them?
• think what else can you do today?
• get the word out?

Phil in Holland, for now.

Greetings from Hackney - London N1

I hope this finds everyone well.

I received an incredibly warm welcome here. One young man hugged me so hard and so long that I had think back about 20 years since that happened - a newly graduated high school Senior who had struggled.

Another who is fun but tends to be somewhat reticent, kept giving me periodic hugs. The two kind, regular house managers smiled (I hope!) as soon the house was ringing with laughter. To avoid jet lag, I managed to stay up 34 hours.

Yesterday there was a Mass and social for local Catholic Workers. I met a young couple from Australia who live here London now. They had just returned from Australia. They have rock/metal group. David is going to send me a link which I'll share.

I have begun to network to try to better understand the asylum processes. I'd like to try to help some of the guys' applications to move along.

One, my favorite, his got lost and the lawyers forgot all about it. One blessing is that now that he has been here longer than 18 months, they cannot force him to return to Italy. He has immigrated to Italy from Africa. The experience in Italy was very bad. The EU policy is to insist that you apply for Asylum in the country in which you first enter. Italy is not helpful.

Tomorrow will be the soup kitchen and Monday begins the Community Cafe. It is great fun for me as I get to renew acquaintances with many people each day.

One person, Maureen, who volunteered at the soup kitchen on Sundays just died. She was only in her 50's. I had thought she was younger. I wondered why her email stopped abruptly mid-year. I was shaken by the news of her death as I liked her very much.

Be well all and I'll blog again when there's something worth hearing!

Blessings,

Phil

Eunice Shriver counted Dorothy Day among her friends

Among the many friends Eunice Kennedy Shriver made throughout her illustrious life was Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. Daughter Maria Shriver said in her eulogy during her mother’s funeral Aug. 14 that Shriver considered Day a personal hero, along with Mary, Mother Teresa and her own mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, and her sister Rosemary.

Day referred to Shriver in her diaries several times in the 1970s. Day’s references to the member of the Kennedy clan mention how Shriver would call just to chat, invite her to Hyannisport for a break or to discuss deeper concerns.

“She (Shriver) is reading my books,” Day wrote April 15, 1976. “Bedside books, she calls them. She is not happy. ‘Do you believe in heaven and hell?’ she asked me. ‘Why?’”
In an entry dated Oct. 30, 1979, Day told about another call from Shriver in which she said her brother, Sen. Edward Kennedy, would announce a run for the White House in nine days.
Several years earlier, July 14, 1975, Day described another call from Shriver in which she said her husband, Sargent, was planning to seek the presidency. Shriver asked Day to sign on as a supporter. Day was a bit flabbergasted. “I am an anarchist,” she wrote. “But ‘pray for him.’ I like her. He is a daily communicant.”

The diary excerpts can be found in “The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day” edited by Robert Ellsberg and published in 2008 by Marquette University Press.

By Dennis Sadowski http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/shriver-counted-dorothy-day-among-her-friends/