Dear NvT,
Yesterday a group of Christians took part in an action of nonviolent
resistance in the tradition of Jesus who we profess to follow.

Breaking the silence of Australia's role in the bloodbath on Bougainville, we
silently vigilled through the Brisbane city carrying placards and banners and
leafletting the crowds.

We held prayer vigils at places directly linked to the deaths on
Bougainville, starting with the Queen Street mall, a symbol of our
materialistic culture that has made it necessary to defend our overseas
financial interests with the blood of the poor.  Next we stopped at the Papua
New Guinea consulate, and then the head office of CRA, the giant
transnational which has exploited the billion dollar Bougainville copper mine
for the last two decades.

At each of these places we left leaflets and thirty pieces of silver, a
symbol of our betrayal of the Bougainville people.

Finally we proceeded to the regional headquarters of the Australian Defence
Department.  Here we prayed again.  We then poured a small bottle of our own
blood in the shape of a cross near the front door of the building, to
symbolise both the blood of Jesus and the Bougainvillians.  The thirty pieces
of silver were left near the cross.

At the same time eight of us sat down in front of the doors of the building
to blockade the military instead of medicines, to temporarily withdraw our
bodies from our society of endless consumption and place them in front of the
institution of violence necessary to defend our lifestyles.

We sat in front of the doors for forty minutes receiving only limited
violence from the police (a twisted nose being the worst!) as they assisted
people entering and leaving the building.  But there were no arrests as at
the end of this time the building closed early for the Easter break, an event
we had not anticipated.

Faithful to our belief in the resurrection, the group will continue to meet
to plan further actions.

For further information, phone (07) 844 1369 and ask for Anne or Jim, or
phone (07) 846 5242 and ask for Peter.
Jim Dowling