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‘Readings in Nonviolence’ features extracts from our
favourite books, pamphlets, articles or other material on nonviolence, or
reviews of important works in the field (suggestions welcome).
A recent direct action in NI: An interview with Jim Keys
Interview by Roberta Bacic, edited by Clem McCartney
Readings in Nonviolence has ranged all over the world but
this month we want to highlight a story from Ireland. It is an incident like
many others that make a difference but the central person, Jim Keys, has
reflected on what happened to him during a nonviolent protest on Friday 8th August
2008 and gives us a number of important insights. The story with photos and the
subsequent interesting discussion can be found on the Indymedia website at http://www.indymedia.ie/article/88643
Jim is a member of the Foyle Ethical Investment Campaign or
FEIC. Incidentally ‘Feic‘ is the Irish verb 'to see' – a nice coincidence. The
group has been going since 1999. It grew out of a conference to look at victims
of the arms trade, organised by Afri and Derry organisation Children in
Crossfire. At the time of the conference it had just been announced that the
arms company Raytheon Systems Ltd were to set up a facility in Derry. The local paper carried the headline “Peace dividend comes to Derry with the arrival
of Raytheon” The company representative said that they could not imagine coming
if it was not for the peace process. This seemed a terrible contradiction - that
the peace dividend would mean Derry would be making software for weapons to be
used to kill people in other parts of the world. A session was included in the
conference for a debate around the issue. Invites were issued to both the
company and the politicians involved in bringing them here. Neither group
turned up. Nevertheless a discussion took place out of which the group which
was later to become known as FEIC was born.
The group describes itself as pro-peace rather than
anti-war. Its project is to extend the peace process into the local economy by
raising awareness of the importance of ethical investment and as such is
against investment in the arms production. So, for the last nine years, it has
been raising awareness of the contradiction of Raythoen to our peace process so
that the people of Derry make it clear to local business and political leaders
that Raytheon and companies like it take the city in the wrong direction -
towards a war orientation rather than a peace orientation.
It is no coincidence that the campaign has taken off in
Derry, unlike Belfast, which also has companies such as Thales and Bombardier
contributing to the arms trade. Derry has been more subject to Britain’s war machine, than part of it. The group believes Derry should be profiled as a
centre of the peace industry, not just another outpost of the war industry. The
city already has an international profile as a centre of conflict, it could now
become a city recognised as a centre of peace. Derry is small enough for people
to feel personally affected by such a company in their community and it is
easier to gather people together for something important.
The group has about 10 core members plus some hundreds of
active friends and supporters. They have done numerous creative interventions
designed to raise the debate about the presence of Raytheon and highlighting
the contradiction it poses for the peace process. After the killings in
Fallujah they dug a symbolic grave near the factory which is tended on an
ongoing basis. Jim commented: “How can you undig a grave?”
The Black Shamrock has become an important symbol associated
with the campaign around Raytheon as well as, of course, the broader peace
movement in Ireland. The symbol was created around 2004 by a member of the
Derry Anti-War Coalition which has also protested at the presence of the
factory. On the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, FEIC and the Derry
Anti-War Coalition wondered how they could acknowledge the aggression and find
a way to make the resistance to the war within Ireland visible and also draw
attention to the presence of companies such as Raytheon which are engaged in
the arms trade. The interest was also to highlight the erosion of Ireland’s neutrality with the presence of such companies and the military use of Shannon. The Black
Shamrock logo was designed and 10,000 badges emblazoned with the logo were
ordered. FEIC and the Anti War Coalition have sold some 50,000 since then.
FEIC maintains a vigil outside the factory on the second
Friday of the month at 5pm. Often only a few people turn up but they use the
vigil to contemplate and chat and sometimes come up with new ideas. There is a
Black Shamrock on the ground which could easily be removed but the group makes
the statement that it cannot be removed while Raytheon is present. After each
vigil they leave some flowers on the shamrock and grave, together with a marker
- a stone or piece of wood at the head of the grave stating the issue they
particularly want to mark on the month. The police recognise that the vigil is
discreet and peaceful. While there has on a number of occasions been a police
presence, no one had ever been arrested – until now.
Last month the message on the grave marker was ‘Peace 2008’.
The vigil focused especially on the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it being the 63rd anniversary. They left paper cranes too. Jim Keys was one of
the participants in the vigil and he had a tin of spray paint with him to touch
up the shamrock. As a result he was arrested and charged with criminal damage. He
has shared with us the experience and the way he responded from a nonviolent
orientation.
When the first two police officers, a man and a woman,
arrived he did not expect to be arrested on the grounds of criminal damage to
the pavement and made a point of being courteous but playful. After some
uncertainty and discussions with their superior over their radios, they
suddenly arrested Jim and put him in their car. He accepted that but he makes
the point that he had not been prepared for this to happen as he did not see
any big difference between this particular vigil and what had happened in the
past. He pointed out to the police that his arrest was a waste of resources and
that the footpath was still capable of being walked on. Jim asked one of the
other protestors to take a photo of the shamrock and one of the police officers
said ‘you cannot do that as it is glorifying a crime.’
Other members of the group pointed out the absurd irony of
Jim being arrested for producing a piece of public art while Raytheon continued
their war work unhindered. Four more police officers arrived and they too
seemed to think the situation was crazy. One of them asked if he had drawn it
freehand and said he must have a steady hand. Even the first two officers
seemed to relax, but they were still getting instructions over their radios. The
most senior officer on the scene was at pains to point out that he was taking a
side role in the proceedings and that a number of the constables present
believed there was no case to answer.
At the police station Jim was still protesting that his
arrest was a waste of resources and he could not be convicted of criminal
damage. But the big shock was that they wanted to take his fingerprints and
DNA. The officers themselves were almost apologetic and said they knew he would
not like it. Instantly Jim realised he could not go along with this demand so
he said in turn “You will not like this but I am going to resist nonviolently. This
is a criminal infringement of my civil liberties.” They responded that in that
case they would take the sample by force if he resisted. Jim replied “I will
stop talking to you and while you do what you have to do I will concentrate on
what I have to do, which is to resist.” They carried him across the room, put
him in a chair and lifted his hand for the finger printing. Jim held his arm
back sufficiently to show his resistance but did not struggle. The police
officers then discussed doing a swab by force for the DNA but one of the
officers said to Jim that it would be easier for him if they took ten strands
of his hair and proceeded to do so. While this was happening Jim began to
repeat “You are now participating in an infringement of my civil liberties.” This
part of the arrest continues to be very troubling for Jim, not least because he
is now on the DNA register and can be checked against any crime. At the same
time he recognised that he was torn between resisting the police action forcefully
and putting the officer in the position where he was using force. Jim explained
this to the officer afterwards.
Jim felt that by now he had established some rapport with
the police officers and one of them told him he could complain to the duty
office and another said that he should not be afraid to say what he thought. A
woman officer came and Jim explained that the arrest was unnecessary and in
particular it was wrong that the officers on the scene were being instructed by
an officer who was not aware of the situation on the ground. He referred to the
opinions expressed by David Davis when he resigned his parliamentary seat and
stood in the subsequent bi-election to highlight the issue of the increasing
infringement of civil liberties by the state. It was further shock to discover
that the person interviewing him was, in fact, the same person who had been
giving the orders. She said that in these circumstances she should not really
be interviewing him and said also that she had more important things she should
be doing. She tried to leave and when Jim protested that he still had his
complaint to make she said he could complain through the Ombudsman and when he
said he wanted to do that, she then sat down and took the complaint . It struck
Jim that the more senior woman officer had no sense that she had abused the
power she was entrusted with, while all the others had some human communication
with him and thought the reaction to the incident to be unnecessary and
disproportionate. Nonetheless when she left and said “Good night Mr Keys”
without looking at him, his immediate thought was “you are not my enemy” and as
a result he felt his response to the situation was a good one. Jim was arrested
at 6.55 pm and eventually left the police station at 9.30 pm
A few days later the Ombudsman rang and said they would be
in touch. Jim also wants to write to the relevant members of parliament. There
are important points of principle in his situation, especially that
instructions were being given by someone not on the scene. And he is concerned
about the inclusion of his DNA on the register.
What happens now? Well Jim has his next bail hearing set for
3rd October. But before that on 12th September FEIC will have its next vigil. The
police said they had no problem with the protest and chalk drawings but if
paint is used then it is criminal damage. So the slogan on Friday 12th
September will be “Chalk Against the Arms Trade” and they hope to use as much
chalk as they can. All offers of help will be gratefully received on the Buncrana Road in Derry outside the Science Park from 5pm.
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