Two members of the London Catholic Worker community were arrested on the tenth anniversary of the Gulf War for "contempt of British parliament". Scott Albrecht and Ciaron O'Reilly found themselves in a legal feudal time warp after taking their resistance to the ongoing war on the children of Iraq into the grounds of British Parliament. O'Reilly who served 13 months in U.S. prisons for his part in the disarmament of a B-52 Bomber during the Gulf War, jumped 15 feet into the "moat" area surrounding parliament. With his back to a statue of celebrated kid-killer Oliver Cromwell, O'Reilly held a photograph of a dying Iraqi child and knelt in prayer. He spoke to a growing crowd of tourists, police and passers-by looking down on the scene from the street. When approached by four policemen, O'Reilly refused to move and was carried into the parliament police station.
Meanwhile, Scott Albrecht ran through the car park gates into the parliamentary grounds to protest the sanctions that have claimed the lives of over a million Iraqi children. Albrecht, a school chaplain, is a former member of the US Air Force. He was tackled to the ground and sustained injury to elbow,arm and wrist. Before being taken by police to a nearby hospital, Albrecht along with O'Reilly was informed that they had been arrested by the "sergeant of arms" representing the Speaker of the House. They would be held indefinitely and did not enjoy the usual rights afforded someone charged with an offence.
Outside parliament a crowd of 200 people called together by the anti-sanctions "Voices in the Wilderness" marched on parliament. Fifteen people were arrested and charged with "obstruction of a highway" by an overwhelming number of police who coralled the demonstration.
Sctt Albrecht and Ciaron O'Reilly were released without charge. Further information contact Scott ph. 01727-844039 <mailto:mariascott2000 at yahoo.co.uk>mailto:mariascott2000 at yahoo.co.uk
The fifteen Voices folks have their initial court appearance in London on Feb. 19th. More info. ph. 01865-243232 <mailto:voices at viwuk.freeserve.co.uk>voices at viwuk.freeserve.co.uk