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Arrest at Fylingdales
by Lindis Percy and Anni Rainbow
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On Saturday 2 November 2002 Lindis Percy was arrested half way through the
regular Quaker Meeting for Worship which is held outside the main approach
road to Fylingdales. She had tried for sometime to get her bail conditions
varied so that she could attend. The bail conditions were "not to go within 50
yards of 'RAF Fylingdales............."
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Quakers have a long and valued history of worshipping in the open air and a
Peace Testimony which frequently leads them to take their worship to
unpeaceful places. Meeting for Worship has been taking place at Fylingdales for
many years and Lindis has been a regular attender. She has had frequent bail
conditions imposed which have prevented her from attending. She has had to
endlessly apply for variations of bail conditions which has meant that she had
had to go backwards and forwards to the courts. Sometimes it has been a
struggle to get a variation but the court has always granted the application.
It is one of our Human Rights to worship freely.
When the bail conditions were originally imposed by the court Lindis asked that
a variation be built-in so that she could attend the Meeting for Worship.
This was denied. At the next hearing she again applied but this was again
refused.
Lindis contacted the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) several times two weeks
before 2 November. Having received no reply she faxed and posted a letter
asking for agreement to lift the bail conditions for just two hours to enable
her to attend. She eventually received a letter the day before from the CPS
saying they would not agree and that she would have to apply to the court.
This was impossible as there was no time left to do this.
Lindis decided that the Human Right to worship must be upheld and therefore
attended which meant that she was in breach of the bail conditions. She knew
what the consequences would be and therefore prepared herself to be detained
in custody over the weekend and appear before a court on Monday morning.
What was not foreseen was that the Ministry of Defence Police Agency officers
would arrest Lindis half way through the silent Meeting for Worship.
Seventeen Friends were worshipping as she was hauled out - the silence being
broken by officers telling her in a loud voice that she was under arrest.
Lindis was detained in a police cell over the weekend and appeared in
Scarborough Magistrates' Court on Monday morning. The CPS pressed hard for
her to be remanded in custody (prison) for a further eight days. The
Magistrates however were persuaded to reimpose the original bail conditions
and she was eventually released.
A Friend compared the actions of the MDPA officers as being similar to them
blundering into York Minister or any other church and making an arrest while a
service was in progress.
– Lindis Percy and Anni Rainbow
Anni Rainbow and Lindis Percy
Joint Co-ordinators
CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB)
8 Park Row
Otley
West Yorkshire
LS21 1HQ
England, U.K.
Tel/fax no: +44 (0)1943 466405 0R +44 (0)1482 702033
email: anniandlindis@caab.org.uk or
caab@btclick.com
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