Police remove four anti-war protesters

Photos

Anti-Talisman Saber protests

View Photo Gallery »

FOUR anti-war games protesters who were found inside the Shoalwater Bay military training area yesterday were taken away by police for questioning.

Treena Lenthall, a spokeswoman from the Christian anti-war group, Peace Convergence, said the four, Margaret Pestorius, 44, Jarrod McKenna, 28, Jessica Morrison, 33, and Reverend Simon Moyle, 32, all claimed to have entered the base on Monday and moved towards a live-fire area where they spent the night.

Calling themselves the “Bonhoeffer 4” after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's favourite theologian, the protest group said their mission was to be in the war games zone for as long as possible to stop the joint Australian-American military exercise, Talisman Saber.

Ms Lenthall said yesterday the group expected to be handed over to the Queensland Police and taken to the Rockhampton Police Station watch-house.

Police were yesterday unable to comment about the activists and could not confirm whether any charges had been laid at the time of print.

Ms Lenthall said protesters planned to be outside the Rockhampton watch-house for the group's arrival.

She said the four activists had been found on the military training area despite the military's refusal to admit their presence.

“The exercises were not halted despite the decision by an air commander that unauthorised people found on the base would cause the exercises to be stopped,” she said yesterday.

“We are quite concerned if other activists go into the area they will take the same response which is particularly concerning while the live firing is taking place.”

She said she didn't think this event would deter any future attempts by activists to enter the area.

Peace Convergence is a non-violent Christian group calling for peaceful action against the war games at Shoalwater Bay.