Greenpeace activist to be deported after Nato demo
A Scottish Greenpeace activist was facing deportation from Turkey tonight after staging a protest during the Nato summit.
Glaswegian William Peden, 37, was among 18 demonstrators arrested earlier today after unfurling a huge banner attacking the “nuclear threat” of the international body.
The group was charged with illegal protest after flying the banner off a bridge over the Bosporus river in Istanbul as world leaders including Tony Blair attended the summit.
Also arrested was Nicky Davies, 33, an Australian with a British passport, and the pair remained in police custody tonight as they awaited deportation.
The Greenpeace protest was one of many demonstrations targeting world leaders in the city today.
In more violent incidents, hundreds of protesters hurled fire-bombs and stones at police as they tried to reach the conference centre where Nato leaders were meeting.
Police used tear gas and water cannons to stop the crowd, and dozens of people were injured.
And tonight a bomb exploded in front of a Defence Ministry building in Ankara, shattering windows, in an apparent protest at the summit. State television reported no injuries.
In the Greenpeace demonstration, activists suspended themselves from the bridge to unfurl a banner with the words “Nukes out of Nato”.
Greenpeace said the protest was to “highlight the military alliance’s hypocrisy in trying to make peace by way of using the threat of nuclear weapons”.
Mr Peden and Ms Davies, who both live in Amsterdam, said they appeared in court for illegal protest and may have to face the charge in August.
Mr Peden told PA News: “We have been held for 12 hours and are now in a building, in custody, waiting to be deported.
“It makes an NHS casualty department look like the Hilton. It is just annoying.”
Ms Davies said they were in contact with British consular staff.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman confirmed the pair were to be deported from Turkey.
The rest of the group arrested included an Austrian and 15 Turks.
