Direct Action – Page 4

January 31, 2025 by Nukewatch Leave a Comment

New U.S. Hydrogen Bombs May Have Arrived at NATO Bases

JOHN LAFORGE, January 31, 2025

The head administrator of the U.S. nuclear weapons program, Jill Hruby, seems to have confirmed the transfer of new U.S. nuclear bombs to air bases in Europe as part of the quaint-sounding “nuclear sharing” program.

In remarks to the Hudson Institute January 16, Hruby said, “The new B61-12 gravity bombs are fully forward deployed, and we have increased NATO’s visibility to our nuclear capabilities,” etc.

Hruby’s announcement came just a week after her National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) revealed that production of the newest of the U.S.’s thermonuclear gravity bombs was complete. “In December 2024, the B61-12 life extension program reached its ‘last production unit’, finishing its production run.” the Eurasian Times reported January 18.

NNSA’s notification came only three days after Hans Kristensen, et al reported in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, “[I]t remained unclear whether any B61-12s had been delivered to European bases.” Hruby’s surprisingly rare public declaration prompted Kristensen, of the Federation of American Scientists, to tell Eurasian Times, “This almost sounds like official confirmation that deployment of the B61-12 to Europe has begun.”

That Hruby’s announcement was “almost like” official confirmation is about as much openness as the public ever gets regarding the highly secretive world of nuclear weapons. Only an eye-witness account of the arrival of a giant U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane at any of six NATO “nuclear sharing” bases — in Germany, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands — could be a more certain affirmation.

In preparation for the delivery of the new air-drop thermonuclear gravity bombs, the foreign air force bases have all undertaken major, costly upgrades and expansions. The Bulletin reports, “these upgrades include the installation of double-fence security perimeters, modernizing the weapon storage and security systems and the alarm communication and display systems….” In addition, “A loading pad designed for U.S. C-17 aircraft that transports nuclear weapons is also being added at Kleine Brogel (Belgium), Büchel (Germany), Ghedi (Italy), and Volkel (the Netherlands).”

The approximately €1.1 billion ($1.14b) Büchel air base upgrade also makes way for the new F-35 Stealth jet fighters being purchased by Germany and to be flown by German air force pilots who will continue their role as planners, preparers, and prospective executioners of nuclear weapons attacks aimed at Russia.

News of the likely transfer of the new B61-12s came just as a group of nuclear weapons opponents were gathering only 15 miles from Germany’s Büchel airbase, south of Cologne. The anti-nuclear group Nonviolent Action for Abolition met to welcome out of prison the U.S. nuclear resister Susan Crane, who had served 230 days resulting from protests at the base, and to discuss the coming year’s schedule of events which are directed against “nuclear sharing” in general and Büchel’s collaboration in particular.

The NNSA’s January 18^th B61-12 “job done” announcement included the thrilling, career-saving and budget-retaining news that its 60-year-old assembly line “will transition to producing the B61-13 bomb.” The Bulletin noted more soberly that the B61-version 13 comes with a thermonuclear explosive force of 360 kilotons, “significantly higher than the B61-12’s yield of 50 kilotons.”

With 24 Hiroshima-sized firestorms in each “13,” you could say this jobs program has “unlucky” written all over it. Yet there is evidently no thought of arms control or belt tightening when it comes to mass production of this Ford Mustang of mass destruction. The War Zone reports this month that, “The B61-13 and future variants will require highly specialized engineering … the U.S. Air Force’s Nuclear Weapon Center’s recent contracting notice said.” (emphasis added).

Yes, contracting is the thing. And you thought it was about deterrence.

John LaForge is a Co-director of Nukewatch, a peace and environmental justice group in Wisconsin, and edits its newsletter.

–originally at Counterpunch.org

January 15, 2025 by Nukewatch Leave a Comment

European Human Rights Court Rejects Complaints by U.S. and German Nuclear Resisters

By John LaForge

The European Court of Human Rights has rejected the complaints of three nuclear weapons resisters who unsuccessfully appealed criminal trespass convictions in German courts. The cases stemmed from political trespass and/or property damage convictions that followed nonviolent “go-in” protests against the stationing and threatened use of U.S. nuclear bombs at Germany’s Büchel Air Force Base.

In decisions handed down October 21, the Strasbourg-based ECHR ruled that the defendants’ complaints failed to show “a violation of rights and freedoms set out in the Constitution” of the Court. The ECHR considers appeals from individuals, NGOs, or states within the 46-member Council of Europe, but only after applicants have exhausted all the paths of recourse in their own country.

The Court rejected complaints by Germans Marion Küpker of Hamburg, Stephanie Augustin of Dortmund, and yours truly John LaForge of Luck, Wisconsin. All three of us were convicted of trespass and/or damage to perimeter fencing at Büchel AFB, the German NATO base 80 miles southeast of Cologne. The base has been the object of decades of protests because of its maintenance and readiness to use the U.S. thermonuclear bombs (known as B61s) stationed there. German Tornado fighter jet pilots at the base plan, prepare, and train to use the U.S. Air Force H-bombs in attacks against Russia, most recently in the “Steadfast Noon” rehearsal that ended October 25. The transfer of the U.S. nuclear bombs to Germany and four other NATO states is part of a practice quaintly known as “nuclear sharing.”

Küpker, the nuclear weapons spokesperson with Fellowship of Reconciliation Germany, peace activist Augustin, and I appealed our convictions all the way to the Constitutional Court, Germany’s highest. This high court has routinely rejected similar appeals a total of 20 times in separate cases of nuclear weapons protests at Büchel. In January of 2023, I was the first U.S. citizen ordered to prison in Germany in the long-running campaign of civil resistance against the U.S. H-bombs kept at Büchel and was incarcerated for 50 days.

Two other U.S. citizens have been jailed after Büchel trespass convictions. Dennis DuVall with Veterans for Peace, formerly of Prescott, Arizona, now living in Germany, served 60 days in prison in 2023. Susan Crane of Redwood City, California, is currently serving a 229-day prison sentence in JVA Koblenz, Germany, the longest sentence ever imposed in the 28-year-long campaign.

I argued in my complaint to the ECHR that its mandatory requirements were violated by German courts when they prevented me from presenting a complete defense. The complaint argued that the trial courts erred by refusing to consider expert witness testimony, which would have corroborated my defense of “crime prevention.” I had offered the testimony of the eminent international law scholar Francis A. Boyle of the University of Illinois who has said that international treaties prohibit any and all planning or preparation for nuclear weapons attacks, and also forbid nuclear weapons “sharing” by any state which is party to the 1970 Nonproliferation Treaty. But the ECHR ruled that Germany’s trial court’s decisions were not “unfair” and did “not appear arbitrary or manifestly unreasonable.” The ruling is final and is not subject to appeal.

We gave the human rights court a chance to examine the legality of transferring U.S. nuclear weapons to Germany. At a time when threats and risks of nuclear attacks over Ukraine are reported almost daily, the ECHR ducked the opportunity to shame the “sharing” of U.S. nuclear weapons and to condemn the U.S./German violation of the Nonproliferation Treaty.

Three other nuclear resisters have filed similar complaints with the ECHR including Germans Ariane Dettloff of Cologne and Johanna Adickes of Emden. Susan Crane of California had her application dismissed on a technicality.

January 15, 2025 by Nukewatch Leave a Comment

Penalties for Nuclear Weapons Resisters in Germany Getting Heavier

By John LaForge

After years of imprisoning only German nationals for nonviolent protests against the threatened use of U.S. hydrogen bombs stationed in Germany, nuclear resisters from outside Germany are now being imprisoned for their noncooperation. These resisters have all served time in Germany for refusing to pay financial penalties imposed mostly for go-in actions at Büchel Air Force Base: Susan Crane from California; Dennis DuVall, formerly of Arizona, and now living in Radeberg, Germany; Susan van der Hijden and Fritz ter Kuile both from Amsterdam, Netherlands; as well as Nukewatch’s John LaForge.

On June 4, Susan Crane, of the Redwood City, California Catholic Worker, began serving 229 days, the longest sentence ever handed down in 30 years of anti-nuclear protests at Büchel.* She is the first female U.S. citizen to serve hard time in the campaign. After joining a long string of “go-in” actions at the base, Crane was fined a total of $2,819 by the regional court in Koblenz. She informed the court of her conscientious refusal to pay, and later explained in an email that she “is unwilling to pay for the court’s cover-up of the illegality of U.S. nuclear weapons.”

Susan Van der Hidjen was sentenced to 115-days for the same or similar actions, and the two began their prison time together June 4. After a month in the high-security prison in Rorhbach, both women were transferred to the so-called “open prison” JVA Koblenz, where inmates with good conduct marks are permitted a few hours of free time outside the gates every week. (Because of this strangely regulated “preparation” for a prisoner’s pending release, Crane was able to attend a large anti-war rally in Berlin October 5th.) Van der Hidjen finished her stint and was released and returned home to Amsterdam Thurs. September 26.

Nuclear Resister Dennis DuVall Threatened with Expulsion from Germany

In the newest and most reactionary move by authorities, Germany intends to expel U.S. citizen and nuclear resister Dennis DuVall on October 31, 2024. DuVall, 82, a resident of Radeberg for six years, a member of Veterans for Peace, and a regular protester at the Büchel NATO base has been incarcerated twice for nonpayment of penalties stemming from various actions at Büchel.

The federal expulsion order describes DuVall as a serious threat to security and public order. He has retained an attorney to help fight the order and has won widespread support in his effort to stay. DuVall argues that he has a legal obligation to resist the planning and preparation for nuclear attacks that take place at the base. In two separate criminal court trials, DuVall explained that these nuclear attack plans are in violation of international treaty law including the 1970 Nonproliferation Treaty and the 1946 Nuremberg Charter, Principles, and Judgment.

DuVall is the second U.S. citizen ever to go to prison in Germany for nonviolent resistance at the base. He spent 60 days in Bautzen prison in 2023, and this past July 22 reported to the same prison for a 90-day sentence for spray painting “crime scene” on a roadway. He was released from Bautzen after seven days when his $1,643 penalty was paid anonymously.

In a statement announcing the expulsion threat DuVall warned, “B61-12 nuclear bombs and F-35 warplanes at Büchel will push NATO closer to war.” He invites peace and anti-war/anti-weapons groups and individuals to support his fight to stay in Germany, and to sign an online petition to the interior ministry here: www.change.org/p/keine-ausweisung-des-anti-atombomben-aktivisten-dennis-duvall.**

The government’s deportation rationale has been criticized as politically motivated and absurd, since the 82-year-old USAF veteran and retiree can’t possibly endanger the richest industrial state in Europe. German singer/songwriter Gerd Schinkel has even composed a song for Dennis that asks, “Is a demonstrator more dangerous than the bomb he is demonstrating against?”

* Please write to
Susan Crane here:
JVA Koblenz OVA
Simmerner Str. 14A
56075 Koblenz
GERMANY

** You may also urge Germany to rescind its expulsion order for DuVall by writing:
Robert Domanja
Head of Office
District Office Bautzen Foreigners Office
Bahnhof Str. 9
02625, Bautzen
GERMANY

— Felice and Jack
Cohen-Joppa at The
Nuclear Resister
contributed details
to this report.

December 30, 2024 by Nukewatch Leave a Comment

‘Call to Youth: Reject Militarism and War

By Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, on International Peace Day, Sept. 21, 2024

I would like to thank the youth of the world for all they do to reject violence, militarism, and war. I have been inspired wherever I have traveled by the imagination, courage, and resistance of so many young people. They give me great hope for the future of humanity.

The young are wise. They know that yet again in our world we, the people, are being propagandized for war. Government leaders, and mainstream media, are telling us we must have enemies (Russia, Iran, North Korea, China, etc.) and prepare for increased military budgets in spite of the fact a growing number of countries have food banks and charity shops to try to ease the high cost of living and allow increasing numbers of families to feed their children, and the elderly to heat their homes.

Young people are protesting such policies and are going to prison to say ‘no’ to killing other humans and destroying (or stealing) their resources and land. Government leaders are going one way to militarism and war, and young people are going another, asking for a humane way of living together, respecting the environment, and peacefully solving the huge problems we all face.

‘Be gentle,’ ‘Stay human’ appear on colorful placards in multiple peace movements from North Korea to North America, Beijing to Belfast, Tehran to Tokyo, and Moscow to Palestine. People, particularly the youth, are building an alternative to the cruelty of war — often doing so from inside prisons, from their own websites on alternative media, on the streets in civil disobedience to bad laws — an alternative way of human living, a gentle more humane humanity and being, in keeping with nature. There is a new consciousness, including science, and this will not be silenced or intimidated by those playing power politics with our children’s lives and future.

Young people know what it is to suffer. They know the cost of austerity cuts, pandemics, forever wars, and they all take a toll on their mental health and sense of despair and hopelessness. We, the elders owe it to them to join in their brave efforts to change the world, to make things better for all the children everywhere. Let us therefore join our youth as they work for disarmament and peace, and refuse to hurt or kill other people and hurt or kill children. We could join them by demanding an immediate end to the Russian/Ukraine war, an end to the Gaza genocide by Israel, and use of dialogue not death — and say ‘No’ to NATO’s preparation for a third world war

New U.S. Hydrogen Bombs May Have Arrived at NATO Bases

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