Raising the tempo in Hull

Scan page 2

Leonne Griggs spoke to Anne, one of the women involved in a demonstration in Hull to show support for the Greenham women in their fight against Cruise Anne is one of twelve women from the Hull Women's Peace Group who lay down in the road outside the RAF recruiting station on 19 February, stopping the busy Saturday traffic for half an hour.

She was arrested along with the other women, including her 15 year old daughter. After a court appearance on the following Monday, which was picketed by over 100 supporters, she and the others were bound over on surety of f200 each.

"Women-only action also means that we too can have power..." supportive roles to the What future action is What is the Hull Women's Peace Group, and why did you decide on the action you took in the city centre a few weeks ago?

The Hull Women's Peace Group is a group of about... 20 women who started meeting together towards the end of last year. we went to Greenham for the December 12 and 13 action, and went down for the court appearance at the beginning of Eight of is had been to Greenham very recently. When we returned to Hull we felt it was necessary to take immediate action to try to stir people. The women at Greenham are very hopeful that women will take direct action all over the country - and not just at Greenham.

So we decided to occupy the local RAF recruiting office. Four of us decided this on the Friday evening and by the next day 30 women and some men had turned out.

We had contacted various groups in the women's movement CND labour movement, CND, etc. Unfortunately when we arrived the recruiting office was shut for the day, so we set up a vigil and asked passers-by to sign a petition in support of the Greenham women who were in prison.

This didn't seem to be gaining an awful lot of attention, and some women felt it would be more effective to lay down in the main road This was quite impromptu - and in the end some twelve women were laying across the road stopping the traffic. The police eventually arrived after half an hour and arrested 15 people, including three who were standing on the pavement. The police seemed to be taken quite by surprise and didn't really know how to deal with us.

you that missiles. action was effective?

I feel that it was effective in that it sparked interest in people. The busy traffic was stopped for half an hour and some people got very angry - one man almost kicked me. A lot of other people showed their support by signing the petition.

People don't want to think about nuclear weapons and don't want to think about demonstrations against them. The two are linked.

By taking direct action take a deside how they nave teel about it, and they have to discuss why the action was taken. Support for our action was also shown by the large numbers picketing the court on the following Monday. This gained local press and TV coverage.

Why do you think that women-only action important?

I think it is difficult for the police to be violent towards women in this context, therefore women only demonstrations can be very eitective. I also think that men would find it difficult to restrain themselves from being violent whilst taking direct action. However 1 do not think that the siting of cruise missiles will be stopped. by women alone.

Now is the time for women to demonstrate and state that they do not want men to go and fight wars. I feel that it is important for women to become informed about nuclear issues and learn to argue and to become articulate.

The best way for this to happen is for us to be in women's groups, where the emphasis is on encouraging each other to speak and to become confident. Mixed groups do tend to be dominated by men in them and the atmosphere can be competitive.

Women only action also means that we begin to realise that we too can have power, and that we start to think about our lives in relation to society and gain strength and confidence to act and 'change.

I have recently heard the notion from some Labour women that the women of Greenham are men-hating and do not see an end to nuclear weapons being related to a change to socialism. Do you have any comments on these views? First I would say very strongly that the women of Greenham Common are not men-hating. Many are married with children. Men play very strong women and are encouraged to do so.

The women of Greenham realise that nuclear weapons can only be abolished with a change in the structure of society and work closely with other groups to that end. planned in Hull? •We had a planning meeting attended by 30 women and decided to start a network called "women's web' • This will mean women forming affinity groups. They are groups consisting of about 10-20 women who meet regularly together.

We are hoping that many women will go to Greenham on the morning of March 30 ready to blackade the base at 6.30am on the 31st — and then go on to the CND-organised link between Greenham and Aldermaston on April 1 and 2nd.' AD