Catholic Workers arrested in White House protest

National Catholic Reporter, Dec 4, 1998 by Teresa Malcolm

Five members of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker house in Washington were arrested Nov. 17 in front of the White House in a protest over the threatened bombing of Iraq over weapons inspections in the Persian Gulf nation.

The day before the protest, Catholic Workers visited the hotel where the bishops were conducting their fall general meeting in an effort to promote the effort to bishops and reporters. In the end, about 20 people -- none of them bishops -- turned out for the protest.

Art Laffin, Julie Kult, Kenji Warren, and Reba and Scott Mathern-Jacobson were arrested for conducting a "stationary demonstration." They face a Jan. 20 court date.

"We believe that bombing Iraq would be an act of premeditated murder," Kult said. "Any bombing would kill innocent civilians and further cripple the Iraqi infrastructure, which was devastated by U.S. bombing in 1991."

Briefs, gathered from news services, correspondents and staff, are compiled and edited by Teresa Malcolm.