“French Turn Back Moscow-Bound Group” & “Peace Walker Swims Ashore at Le Havre, France” (1961)6/24/2022
In June 1961, five antiwar activists leapt from a ship into a French harbor, attempting to defy the French government which had denied them entry. This was the first major obstacle for the San Francisco to Moscow Walk for Peace in the European leg of their journey. The group had just finished its trek down Great Britain with little issue, but there are the harbor in Le Havre, before 400 French supporters of the Walk, the French government refused the Walkers entry. Notably, Soviet Union officials had already agreed to permit the Walkers entry through Germany, including through Berlin — a fact that French authorities would have known due to the CNVA policy of openly sharing their plans. But the French government stood firm in their decision. However, so, too, did the Walkers. Could they find an alternate route into the European mainland? Certainly. But the point of the Walk was not just to walk, but to spread their message of universal disarmament as widely as possible. If the French government wanted to silence these activists, the activists would engineer a situation that would automatically generate even more attention. Using the same strategy that many of the participants had honed in the United States, the activists would engage the authorities in a sort of carnival of nonviolent rebellion — activities impossible to ignore. Four of the five daring activists were arrested and sent back to the UK, but one managed to escape and even record his story, which we share below. The four who were arrested were members of the Committee for Nonviolent Action (CNVA). While they dealt with the French entry problem, their sister team still in the United States had continued the walk across Long Island, rode the ferry up to cross the Sound, and made it to New London, Connecticut, where the New England CNVA had its offices. The fourteen stateside Walkers would join the New England CNVA for workshops, protest actions, and more as part of the CNVA’s Polaris Action summer program. (Click the image below to download the PDF version of the original clipping) --
Take Action The CT Committee for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons organizes pro-disarmament demonstrations throughout the year. To participate in these demonstrations against nuclear arms and in support of the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, please get in touch with us on Facebook at facebook.com/voluntownpeacetrust or email us at [email protected]. — Support Us If you like our weekly posts, please consider supporting this project with a one-time or recurring donation. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated. Click this link to learn more about what we do and how you can donate: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Voluntown-Peace-Trust — Source “French Turn Back Moscow-Bound Group.” The Peacemaker. (Vol. 14, #9) “Peace Walker Swims Ashore at Le Havre, France.” The Peacemaker. (Vol. 14, #9) On June 15, 1961, a team of six people attempted to stop the launch of one of the first nuclear weapon submarines in the world — with just a canoe, their own bodies, and sheer determination. This was not the impulsive act of some hooligans, but rather a carefully planned protest action with trained and extremely disciplined activists. Ed Guerard, one of the main participants of the action, wrote a breathless account of the events from his perspective which we present today. To summarize, the New England Committee for Nonviolent Action (CNVA) had organized this protest action to halt the launch of the Thomas Edison polaris-class submarine. While about 60 other people participated in the protest by distributing leaflets and standing in vigil, a smaller team set out to physically confront the submarine on the water by canoe. The team was stopped by law enforcers on the way to the launch site, but the police reaction to the nonviolent activists was notably restrained, even as one officer panickedly called for backup when two of the activists simply started to walk off with their canoe. No one was detained, no weapons were drawn, and no physical violence committed besides some rough grabbing. One or two at a time, each member of the canoe team got past the multiple law enforcers using disarming civility and by “talking about the Constitution” — classic nonviolence tactics. Due to the delay with the police, the team entered the water just one or two at a time, making them easier to apprehend by Navy personnel. They were fished out by the Navy quickly. At least one activist, the author of the account, was tied and repeatedly kicked by the sailors — right up until he simply spoke to the lead kicker, reminding him of their common humanity. The kicking stopped — another successful nonviolence move. One witness to the protest compared the chase and apprehension of the direct activists to the ancient Roman circus, where popular legends claim early Christian martyrs were slaughtered for sport due to their own nonviolence. Indeed, the protest action at Electric Boat was a performance to show the public that there is another way — a way to live and think differently from the popular Cold War zero-sum militaristic ideology. But it was also a real attempt at halting the sub launch “over our dead bodies” — the sincerity of which can be seen in how Guerard repeatedly attempted to get loose of the Navy sailors’ ties (hilariously dispelling the reputation of mariners and strong knots), even as he was repeatedly kicked and retied, all to complete his mission to halt one of the “genocide machines.” The activists were eventually taken to the Coast Guard Commanding Officer. There, they explained nonviolent philosophy and the reasons for their disruptive actions, continuing to use exactly the tactics that they had been using all day: acknowledgement of common humanity, transparent sincerity, and disarming civility. Shortly thereafter, they were released. (Click the image below to download the PDF version of the original clipping) --
Take Action The CT Committee for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons organizes pro-disarmament demonstrations throughout the year. To participate in these demonstrations against nuclear arms and in support of the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, please get in touch with us on Facebook at facebook.com/voluntownpeacetrust or email us at [email protected]. — Support Us If you like our weekly posts, please consider supporting this project with a one-time or recurring donation. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated. Click this link to learn more about what we do and how you can donate: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Voluntown-Peace-Trust — Source “Family Day at the Roman Circus.” Polaris Action Bulletin. 29 June 1961 (Bulletin #24), page 4. “Thomas Edison Protest.” Polaris Action Bulletin. 29 June 1961 (Bulletin #24), page 4. As closely allied organizations, the CNVA and the Peacemakers often collaborated on projects and cross-promoted to each others’ respective audiences. As highlighted a few weeks ago, the New England CNVA newsletter Polaris Action Bulletin in 1961 was strongly promoting the Peacemaker Summer Training Program. Similarly, in June 1961, The Peacemaker newsletter celebrated the conclusion of the first part of a massive CNVA project: the San Francisco to Moscow Walk for Peace. At the end of May 1961, the Walkers had completed their trek across the width of the continental United States. As the brief but informative article mentions, thirteen of the Walkers flew across the Atlantic to continue their journey to Moscow. In the UK, where the Team was to begin their European journey, a British movement against nuclear weapons had been gaining momentum for years. In another article in the same newsletter, The Peacemaker reports that the US Navy had recently requested the British government for extra security “against harassment by pacifist demonstrators” — a particularly ironic statement when considering the vast differences in resources and applications of force between the military and antiwar activists. Meanwhile, three of the Walk participants headed to Europe were only able to join the team at the last minute due to a sudden influx of funding — a reminder of how so many antiwar campaigns and actions were conducted on shoestring budgets even as they opposed the beginnings of the modern military-industrial complex. Much of the rest of the participants who remained stateside continued the Walk eastward across Long Island to reach the ferry that would take them up to New London, Connecticut. The destination was a significant landmark for the Walk: not only was it the site of the New England CNVA, a major direct action antiwar organization, but it was also the place where the idea for the Walk formed in the first place. And it looked like the team would make it to New London for another major protest: this time against the launching of the Thomas Edison nuclear-weapon submarine. (Click the images below to download the PDF version of the original clipping) --
Take Action The CT Committee for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons organizes pro-disarmament demonstrations throughout the year. To participate in these demonstrations against nuclear arms and in support of the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, please get in touch with us on Facebook at facebook.com/voluntownpeacetrust or email us at [email protected]. — Support Us If you like our weekly posts, please consider supporting this project with a one-time or recurring donation. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated. Click this link to learn more about what we do and how you can donate: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Voluntown-Peace-Trust — Source “‘Protect Us from Pacifists,’ Navy Asks.” The Peacemaker. 3 June 1961. (Vol. 14, #8). “Thirteen Walkers Leave for Europe; Others Join Polaris Action Project.” The Peacemaker. 3 June 1961. (Vol. 14, #8). By June 1961, the New England Committee for Nonviolent Action (CNVA) had accomplished quite a lot in its first year of operation: several submarine launch disruptions and other protest actions, the establishment of public offices and a staff, countless hours of leafleting and discussing issues, and more. But in that time, the US national media had been steadily intensifying rhetoric in the other direction: in favor of renewing nuclear weapons testing. Many in the peace movement rightly predicted that renewing weapons testing would lead to greater tensions (and thus, greater chances of nuclear war) between the United States and the Soviet Union — a prediction borne out the next year during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Over the course of this period, the New England CNVA also realized that, after the many actions and activities they had conducted over their first year of operation, it was now time to reflect on their work, assess the results, and then strategize about their next steps moving forward. The shape of the New England CNVA 1961 Summer Program was becoming clearer. While the Summer Program would continue to carry on many of the activities of the past months, perhaps the most interesting part of the Program is the planned discussion topics. The topics can roughly be divided into “practical” and “theoretical” discussions, but many have aspects of both. The ones more on the practical side include titles like “Legal Aspects of Civil Disobedience” and “Relations with Mass Media” — relevant information for organizers and protest participants alike to evaluate personal risks and to be more effective. The more theoretical topics include the huge political philosophy question: “Can World Government Police Power Be Nonviolent?” — illustrating the scope at which the New England CNVA imagined that the peace movement could develop. Whether or not a nonviolent world police force would be possible (or right) is somewhat beside the point — through their work leafleting, protesting, and discussing, the members of the New England CNVA were building a reality in which such questions could be asked at all. (Click the images below to download the PDF version of the original clipping) --
Take Action The CT Committee for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons organizes pro-disarmament demonstrations throughout the year. To participate in these demonstrations against nuclear arms and in support of the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, please get in touch with us on Facebook at facebook.com/voluntownpeacetrust or email us at [email protected]. — Support Us If you like our weekly posts, please consider supporting this project with a one-time or recurring donation. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated. Click this link to learn more about what we do and how you can donate: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Voluntown-Peace-Trust — Source Swann, Bob. “Summer Program.” Polaris Action Bulletin. 29 June 1961 (Bulletin #24), page 2. |
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