Anti-war activists of faith shut down Swan Island SAS training base
Channel: Wage Peace
Date: 04/12/2020

"The Australian military is facing the most shameful exposure in its history. A long investigation has concluded SAS troops murdered at least 39 unarmed Afghanis, often for no other reason than the desire to kill another human being." Jim Dowling

After four years of waiting, the Brereton Report finally revealed, the toxic culture of the SAS that has been reported on over the last 10 years. 

The command ignored pleas for action from Defence Lawyer David McBride, who eventually, as a last resort, went to the media. See the AfghanFiles. He now faces a lifetime in prison for following his conscience and doing what the ADF command should have done - address the #ToxicSAS culture that rewards cold blooded murder. 

These same commanders and soldiers, have gone on to train other forces in their tactics. The Elite Presidential Guard of UAE accused of the human rights abuses in Yemen and the Indonesian 'security' forces perpetrating human rights abuse in #WestPapua 

On Monday, 30th November 2020, Jim Dowling, Greg Rolles, Fr Peter Murnane and Shane Anderson trespassed on Swan Island, a highly secretive training base which trains Australia's Special Forces - SAS. They went to offer ongoing witness and resistance to Australia’s war crimes in the Middle East.

This was a return visit for Greg Rolles who in 2014, along with other nonviolent peace activists; Tim Webb, Sam Quinlan and Dave Sprigg, were brutally assaulted by SAS soldiers. They were hooded, stripped naked, threatened with rape and drowning, dragged along the ground kicked and walked on. 

This year, maybe in the light of the #BreretonReport, they received a very different response. They heard over the loud speaker that troops were ordered to return and remain to their quarters, and it took almost 2 hours for police to come and escort the protesters off the island. 

The police were greeted by Fr Peter Murnane who quietly informed them that they were 'just here to shut down the base' because of the terrorism perpetrated by those who train there.

They were returned to the entrance, and continued to live streaming and released at the gate, to be summonsed at a later date.

https://www.wagepeaceau.org/