Ex-Priest Gets Two Years For Damaging Ship Anti-War Activist Philip Berrigan Was Protesting Nuclear Weapons

Anti-war activist Philip Berrigan was sentenced Monday to two years in prison for vandalizing a Navy guided-missile destroyer in an Ash Wednesday protest at Bath Iron Works.

The 74-year-old former Roman Catholic priest from Baltimore also was given two years’ probation after his release and was ordered to pay $4,703.89, his share of the damage to the warship.

In sentencing Berrigan, one of six activists convicted in the Feb. 12 protest, U.S. District Judge Gene Carter said he was not passing judgment on the morality, propriety or wisdom of Berrigan’s action and was not questioning his sincerity.

But the judge said Berrigan’s views about the nuclear weapons threat could not justify his violation of the law.

Berrigan’s brother and fellow activist, the Rev. Daniel Berrigan, and former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark spoke on his behalf.

While Philip Berrigan faced a maximum of 15 years for destruction of government property and conspiracy, the actual sentence fell at the mid-point of the term of 21 months to 27 months as spelled out in federal sentencing guidelines.

Philip Berrigan has been arrested for civil disobedience more than 100 times and has spent about seven years in prison.