Police remove Raytheon protesters
Police removed anti-war protesters from outside the Derry offices of weapons giant Raytheon yesterday afternoon.
The protest by the Derry Anti-War Coalition began at the Springtown plant shortly after lunchtime.
Nine women chained themselves together on the top floor of the building, in protest at the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Other members of the anti-war movement gathered outside the building, flanked by a substantial police presence.
In response to the protest, a spokesperson for Raytheon told the 'Journal': "The situation is as follows: no one has breached the security of our offices. All of our employees are safe and the police are managing the situation. We continue to respect the right of anyone to protest peacefully but do not condone any act that threatens the security of our colleagues or other employees. As always the safety of our employees is foremost in our consideration."
One of the women involved in the action, Goretti Horgan, spoke to the 'Journal' from inside the building by phone.
"We are here to try to prevent war crimes being committed by the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza by disrupting Raytheon as much as we can," she said.
The nine women involved in yesterday's action - which was still ongoing at the time of going to press last night - were Goretti Horgan, Roisin Barton, Betty Doherty, Helen Reynolds, Sharon Meenan, Diana King, Roisin Bryce, Jackie McKenna and Julia Dororojo.
Ms. Horgan added: "We call on all political parties, community groups, trades unions, churches and others in the Derry area to say clearly that we do not want a company like Raytheon in our town and that they should get out now."
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Weather for Derry
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 14 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
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