Posted on 08/07/2006 6:48:12 PM PDT by blam
Activists held after boarding US plane searching for weapons
Richard Norton-Taylor and Will Woodward
Tuesday August 8, 2006
The Guardian (UK)
Twelve antiwar protesters were arrested by police yesterday after campaigners boarded a plane at Prestwick airport in Scotland to search for US weapons being transported to Israel. David Mackenzie, of the campaign group Trident Ploughshares, said its activists had boarded a US plane at the airport after gaining access to it by cutting through a perimeter fence.
They found the military area and a US plane with its door open. However, they did not find any weapons.
One protester was sitting in the pilot's seat when police arrived.
Mr Mackenzie said: "We've been told that Prestwick is no longer being used by the US military to transport hazardous materials, but we suspect that this is not true. Unless citizens take it into their own hands to find out what's going on then no one will really know."
Strathclyde Police said no damage had been done during what the force described as a peaceful protest.
The Foreign Office has said that US military planes bound for Israel could land at British airfields "as long as the proper procedures are followed".
Aircraft suspected of carrying US weapons to Israel have been spotted at military airfields, including the US base at Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
The Civil Aviation Authority, which is responsible for monitoring transit flights through civilian airports, said it had given permission for the two US flights to stop at Prestwick last month but no others.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
I will never, ever understand the warped, upside-down liberal pacifist mindset that automatically views the U.S./Israel as perpetual aggressors and the violent jihadists (who wouldn't hesitate for an instant to kill these pacifists, if given the chance) as "innocent civilians."
Fifteen years in jail might mellow them out.
Well that doesn't exactly inspire confidence in security at British airports.
They were caught breaking into a military area during a time of war! Why weren't they shot on sight?
None of the tight Airport Security like we have at Logan, for instance.....
I am impressed with the security that allows a dozen people to break in and still have time to pick out which airplane they want to board. Very considerate security to not make the "protesters" panic.
Go with proven technology.
>> They were caught breaking into a military area during
>> a time of war! Why weren't they shot on sight?
We don't do that in Scotland. We turn them lose in Glasgow on a Saturday night.
/ lots of sarcasm
The thought that came to me was "lock the doors & fly them to Israel". If the Israelis don't want them they can be sent to Beiruit.
Take 'em up to 30,000 feet and show 'em the exit.
cane their azzes twenty or thirty times and i bet they think twice before such petulant actions again in future...
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