Press Releases & Updates 2002

Matt said, "57 years ago today the US Government committed an atrocity which killed 140,000 people and destroyed the health of many more. Today our Government stands ready to deliver death and destruction on a far greater scale with the Trident missiles carried by submarines like HMS Vanguard."

"Each submarine carries 14 missiles, each missile carries 4 to 6 warheads. Each warhead has eight times the explosive power of the bomb which caused the atrocity we commemorate today. The International Court of Justice (The World Court) concluded in 1996 that the threat of use or use of nuclear weapons is generally contrary to international humanitarian law, illegal in other words. They also advised that the Nuremberg principles, established after the horrors of the Nazis applied to nuclear weapons. The Nuremberg principles say that it is the duty of all citizens to prevent crimes against humanity, even if it means contradicting orders. In other words all British people should feel obliged under the Nuremberg Principles to do all they can to stop our Government from threatening the world with nuclear missiles, as they are doing now with Iraq." (1)

The Plymouth Trident Ploughshares Group formed shortly after the start of the Trident refit program at Devonport. The group plans several events in the next 2 weeks, including a festival of Hope and Resistance on Saturday 10th August , Plymouth Hoe Peace Garden 12pm.

In November Trident Ploughshares members from all over Europe will come to Devonport for a nuclear disarmament camp.

Call 01503 250215/ 250030

Photos available

Note 1: Defence Minister Geoof Hoon has made 3 nuclear threats against Iraq in the past few months -

  On 20 March 2002, he told the House of Commons Select Committee on Defence that states like Iraq ’can be absolutely confident that in the right conditions we would be willing to use our nuclear weapons.’
  On 24 March, Geoff Hoon appeared on ITV’s Jonathan Dimbleby show and ’insisted that the government "reserved the right" to use nuclear weapons if Britain or British troops were threatened by chemical or biological weapons.’ (Richard Norton-Taylor, ’Bush’s nuke bandwagon’, Guardian, 27 Mar. 2002)
  On 29 April Hoon was asked about his threats in the House of Commons in a debate. Hoon said, ’ultimately and in conditions of extreme self-defence, nuclear weapons would have to be used.’

Printer friendly version

Home | Top