Biography
Patrick O’Neill is an American Catholic peace activist and co-founder of the Fr. Charlie Mulholland Catholic Worker House in North Carolina. He has spent many years engaged in nonviolent direct action opposing nuclear weapons, war, and social injustice, and has previously been jailed for similar civil disobedience actions.
O’Neill was one of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 who on April 4, 2018, entered the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in southern Georgia to protest the deployment of nuclear weapons there. He and his co-defendants recorded their action, poured their own blood on base insignia, and hammered on symbolic displays of missiles before willingly submitting to arrest. For this action, O’Neill was convicted on federal charges and sentenced to 14 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution; he has served time in federal custody as part of his protest witness. Patrick M. O Neill, age 62, KBP7 defendant; 14 months federal prison. Patrick O Neill is a North Carolina Catholic Worker peace activist and co-founder of the Father Charlie Mulholland Catholic Worker House in Garner, North Carolina. On April 4, 2018 he was one of the seven Catholic activists known as the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 who entered the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia to symbolically disarm the Trident nuclear submarine fleet. He was convicted by a federal jury on October 24, 2019 of conspiracy, destruction of government property, depredation, and trespassing, and was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison.
