MANNING THE BARRICADE

Three Catholic Workers were arrested after slipping past Downing Street security and delivering a fire and brimstone Good Friday sermon outside Number 10, condemning the incarceration of alleged Wikileaker Bradley Manning (see SchNEWS 730).

Ciaron O’Reilly, Frank Cordaro and Steve Jacobs had been participating in London CW’s annual ‘Good Friday Stations of the Cross’. Together with around 20 other pious protesters they spent the day touring 15 sites of companies and branches of government up to their necks in climate change, the arms trade and other such ‘crucifixions’.

After the group concluded the tour back at Downing Street, the holy trinity of activists bypassed security by following in the slipstream of a car passing through the security gates. They dismissed police threats of arrest, triggering a stand-off complete with armed police and riot vans. Eventually police hauled the God-and-Police-botherers away only after 40 minutes of preaching from their unusual pulpit on the immorality of the treatment of Bradley Manning and other topics. They were later questioned and released without charge.

Manning himself remains banged up, although he has now been moved to Fort Leavenworth and hopefully less abusive conditions. His defence team still intend to press on with filing a writ claiming Bradley’s right to due process was violated in his treatment at Quantico. His case wasn’t helped any by the premature pronouncements of Judge Obama, who declared ‘he broke the law’ when questioned by a supporter of Manning.  

Groups campaigning for Manning have sprung up all over the UK - see http://wiseupforbradleymanning.wordpress.com/

* See also www.londoncatholicworker.org