Jailed Catholic priest to continue war on arms fair
A CATHOLIC priest jailed after a protest at a Docklands arms fair has vowed to continue his fight to shut it down.
Father Martin Newell spilled “rivers of blood” outside the DSEi international trade event at ExCeL London in September to depict the bloodshed caused by the arms trade.
He poured five litres of red paint onto the gangway, while fellow London Catholic Worker member Zelda Jeffers lay next to the fair’s check-in desk covered in red dye.
Fr Newell was sentenced to five days in jail last week after refusing to pay a fine for criminal damage. Ms Jeffers was sentenced to 14 days on Tuesday (March 25).
He said: “To pay this fine would be to co-operate with a system that is fuelling murder and mayhem around the world by promoting and protecting the arms trade.”
Both protesters were found guilty of criminal damage at Stratford Magistrates Court on February 15. Fr Newell’s fines and costs totalled £440, while 60-year-old Ms Jeffers was fined £240. The pair, who both live in a community in De Beauvoir Road in Hackney, admitted pouring the fake blood but denied it was criminal damage.
Fr Newell, who has worked at the London Catholic Worker community house in Hackney for two years, entered Brixton prison on Wednesday morning (March 19), but was released early the following afternoon.
The 40-year-old said: “The arms trade is immoral, and doesn’t achieve anything good for the lives of the people. It only brings destruction.
“We have lived with refugees from countries affected by the arms trade, places such as Zimbabwe which has had access to arms from abroad.
“We have to be willing to pay the price for our beliefs. I followed my conscience.”
Arms fair owner Reed Elsevier is still looking for a buyer for the controversial event, which is next scheduled for 2009.
But Fr Newell said: “The aim is to get the arms fair shut down, not sold off. If it’s sold, we’ll find out who the buyer is and protest to them as well.”
john.hill@wharf.co.uk
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I can only say I wish this priest the best of luck. Great to see a priest doing something useful and making a difference
Hopefully this year we can have more protesters, and really halt this sick event