-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony Gwyther <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Thursday, 26 November 1998 03:20
Subject: Jabiluka Ploughshares - the trial begins
PLOUGHSHARES TRIAL REPORT - THURSDAY 26TH NOVEMBER
The day began with a gathering outside the N.T. Department of Mines and Energy
where we vigiled for half an hour. Before walking to the court house we closed
in a circle of prayer, remembering the victims of uranium from the atomic
bombings of Nagasaki & Hiroshima, the nuclear tests at Maralinga, Muroroa,
Khazakstan, Nevada and elsewhere, endless nuclear accidents and the most recent
victims - the children of Iraq suffering from radioactive poisoning as a result
of 14,000 depleted uranium shells and 900,000 d.u. bullets fired by U.S. and
British forces in 1991. We left a shrine to the children at the entrance to
the Dept. of Mines. During the circle we were passed by a worker entering the
building carrying a stack of "Northern Territory News" with the massive
headline of UNESCO denouncing the Jabiluka Uranium Mine as a threat to the
entire world heritage listed wilderness of Kakadu.
In the afternoon, Ciaron & Treena's case began before Magistrate Loadman. The
pair face a charge of trespass and two counts of criminal damage arising from
their ploughshares witness on Nagasaki Day (9/8/98) at Jabiluka where they
disabled uranium mining equipment. The defendents immediately requested that
Magistrate Loadman disqualify himself from the case on the basis of "perceived
bias" as he had described people participating in the Jabiluka Blockade as
"selfish, arrogant and fascist". He had made these highly prejudicial remarks
in his court on July 29th. while sentencing blockaders who had plead guilty to
trespass at Jabiluka. Treena was present in his court in a support capacity on
this occasion.
Magistrate Loadman refused to disqualify himself. Ciaron responded by
addressing the magistrate on the meaning of fascism and that it is very serious
word with millions of victims that should not be used in such a way. Ciaron
stated that Loadman had compromised any sense of objectivity surrounding the
ploughshares case. The Prosecutor then made additional changes to the
particulars of the criminal damage charge. The defendents responded by calling
for an adjournment to seek further legal advice and to tactically reassess.
At 9.30 a.m. Friday morning (27/11/98) well known Darwin Civil Liberties
Barrister, Colin McDonald, will make a Supreme Court application seeking the
disqualification of Magistrate Loadman from the ploughshares case. If this
application fails the hearing will resume under Loadman at the magistrates
court at 11 a.m. If it is successful the case will be appointed a new
magistrate. The prosecution will call 14 witnesses including DNA experts, an
insurance assessor, 3 Chubb security, one ERA executive and four police.
Jabiluka Ploughshares
www.freespeech.org/ploughshares
PO Box 3818
Darwin NT 0801
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