On 3 August 2011, supporters of Royal Navy medic Michael Lyons gathered in solidarity outside the military prison in Colchester where he is serving a seven months' sentence for refusing to undertake rifle training before being deployed to Afghanistan.
Colchester Stop the War Coalition
10 August 2011
Michael Lyons
Joe Glenton
Ben Griffin
Another war resister has been locked up in Colchester's Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC). Last year it was Joe Glenton, this year it is Michael Lyons, the naval medic who refused to undertake military training for the war in Afghanistan. The 'correction' that is supposed to take place is, however, not working.
Just as there were protests of solidarity for Joe Glenton, anti-war activists gathered outside the MCTC on Saturday in a vigil of solidarity with Michael Lyons. The vigil of over 30 people included activists from the London Catholic Worker alongside Colchester Stop the War Coalition. There was a lot of support demonstrated by passing cars, including a wedding party, who tooted their horns and waved. The message is clear: Colchester does not want to be used as a place to incarcerate military personnel who have the courage to stand up to the government.
After visiting Michael, his mother, Jill Harris, addressed the crowd, spoke of what a courageous step her son had taken and thanked the protesters for coming. Afghan combat veteran Ben Griffin, of Veterans for Peace, also spoke about the importance of Michael's actions. Other speakers remarked that it seemed especially poignant that Saturday was also Hiroshima Day.
Another vigil has been planned for next month and Colchester Stop the War are organising a big public meeting to publicise Michael's case in September. The pledge to occupy Trafalgar Square on the 10th anniversary of the war was enthusiastically taken up. There will be a Colchester delegation in Trafalgar Square on 8th October. If the army top-brass thought that locking up war resisters would stop the outrage at a seemingly endless war, they have badly miscalculated.
Write to Michael Lyons:
236 Lyons D Company
MCTC Berechurch Hall Road
Colchester CO2 9NU.
See also:
Facebook: Support Michael Lyons...
We will be there. Will you?
