Press Releases & Updates 2007

The blockaders in Parliament Square, from Block the Builders and Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp, have brought their protest from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston in Berkshire, where the UK’s nuclear warheads for the current Trident system are built, and where construction work on facilities to build the next generation of nuclear weapons is going on apace, ahead of the vote in parliament.

The White Paper says that no decision will be needed on the warheads for the new Trident until the next parliament, said a spokesperson, Yet they’ve been building the new Orion laser at AWE Aldermaston for the past year.

The £183 million laser facility, which will test materials under conditions simulating a nuclear explosion, is one of more than 20 new facilities being built or planned for Aldermaston in Berkshire, which will equip the site to test, design and build new warheads.

We’re taking this action because there has been no public debate, as promised by the government. This vote is a sham: the government decided several years ago to replace Trident and condemn us to another 50 years as a nuclear weapons’ state instead of addressing people’s real security needs.

BtB and AWPC consider that, in developing a new generation of nuclear weapons, the government is breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and that the use of such weapons would be illegal under international law.

Those arrested at Scottish Parliament were residents of Faslane Peace Camp which has maintained a protest against nuclear weapons for 25 years. Amongst those arrested at Faslane were two Edinburgh University students.

A large contingent of students from Universities of Stirling and Edinburgh inflated a life size bin bag Trident at Faslane gate bearing the words Block the Bomb.

Sam Jones, 21, a Stirling University student said Thousands of people marched against war in Iraq and were ignored. We’re not naïve. We know that Parliament won’t listen to us today and will go ahead with its decision to upgrade Trident. What will get rid of nuclear weapons is people taking direct action at Faslane and other nuclear weapons installations. It’s time for people to stop asking the government nicely and start telling the government that we we want a timetable for nuclear disarmament starting now not further postponement of a decision. Nuclear weapons have such a destructive capability that even to threaten other human beings with that is gravely immoral.

The demonstrations are connecting with others at Westminster, where ten people have blockaded Parliament Square by locking on to concrete barrels, and across Scotland throughout the day to oppose the present Trident system and any upgrade as the government prepares to decide whether to commit the UK to build a new generation of nuclear weapons. Since 1 October there has been relentless opposition to Britain’s continuing possession of nuclear weapons with nearly 600 people arrested thus far. People have also come to protest at Faslane from Belgium, Scandinavia, the US, and Japan. Groups representing diverse sectors of society, including Elected Representatives, Lawyers, Health Professionals, Clergy, and many others have demonstrated at the base since the start of the Faslane 365 year-long blockade.

More information:
  Faslane 365
  Block the Builders
  Aldermaston Womens Peace Camp(aign)
  Faslane Peace Camp

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