Thecomplaints highlight the complicity of governments in NATO
nucleardecision-making and request that the police take the
"relevant nationaljudicial route" to hold governments accountable
to the rules ofinternational law.
The citizens summons demands NATO change itsnuclear policy by
putting an end to the role of nuclear weapons in itsstrategy and
withdrawing and dismantling all remaining nuclear weapons.
In Spain
InSpain, complaint actions in Valencia and Madrid triggered a
series ofactions across the country, from Alcoi and Avila to
Salamca. The callto action even made it across the sea and reached
Las Palmas de GranCanaria, where 10 people filed complaints on
November 23rd. Morecomplaints will be filed in Alaquas and Sevilla.
(more on www.antimilitaristas.org)
In Germany
Frankfurtam Main gave the kick-off for Germany. Actions in
Stuttgart, München,Nürnberg, Wetzlar, Alpirsbach, Schwäbisch Gmünd
and Ebersbach/Fils soonfollowed. In Wetzlar, peace activists did a
demonstration before goingto the police station, carrying a banner
saying, "Either we get rid ofthe bomb, or it gets rid of us." (more
on www.pressehuette.de and
www.gaaa.org)
In the UK
InNorwich last week, over 30 supporters turned up with colourful
bannersrepresenting local groups including the Norwich Quaker
Meeting, NorwichCND, the Women's International League for Peace and
Freedom (WILPF),Norwich and District Peace Council and Norfolk
Campaign against theArms Trade (CAAT). They walked around part of
the city centre anddemonstrated in front of the police station
while the letter ofcomplaint was officially filed. Other complaint
actions took place inthe Bournemouth, Bungay, Halesworth and
Newmarket, Norwich, Plymouthand Sussex. More complaint actions are
to be expected today in Sussex,in at least 3 police stations in
Essex, in Mildenhall, at MOD police atLakenheath, Ipswich,
Colchester, Cambridge, Cromer, Helensburgh andBristol. (www.cnduk.org)
In Belgium
InBelgium hundreds of citizens collectively sent a bailiff with
acitizens summons to Prime minister Verhofstadt. In earlier
complaintsactions in Belgium, in 2002 and 2004, more than a
thousand complaintswere filed. (more on www.bombspotting.be)
The legal complaints, and a step-by-step instructions page on
how to file it, were put online on www.bombspotting.beso people
could easily join the complaint action. This accounts forseveral
'spontaneous' complaint actions, like ones in Amsterdam andZutphen
(The Netherlands).
In some places, the police refusedthe complaints. In Ebersbach,
Germany, the activists were told thatthey, rather than their
government, were committing the illegal act.They still filed the
complaint. In other cases, police officers didtheir job
surprisingly well: Ulrich Bathke filed the complaint at the13th
police department at Frankfurt, and received notification that
thecase was transferred to the state attorney at Berlin.
In Italy
Italyran actions over the weekend across the country, and
presented summonsin Rome, Florence, Milan, Turin, Napoli and
Palermo.
More from (www.greenpeace.it)
DonnaMattfield, disarmament campaigner from Greenpeace
International: "on28th and 29th November NATO's state leaders will
meet in Riga, Latvia,to begin a process to review the mandate of
the Alliance. This is anopportunity for European leaders to meet
their own obligation to disarmthe world of nuclear weapons and to
do what the majority of people inEurope want by removing US nuclear
weapons from European soil".
More information: www.bombspotting.be