Press Releases & Updates 2003

Noora Jaakola (21), from Finland, and Ceri Gibbons (35) from Aberystyth, were arrested around midnight last night inside the base, a few yards from the inner security fence, after cutting their way through two outer fences. They were charged with malicious damage and released later after giving an undertaking to appear in Helensburgh District Court this Friday.

In a prepared statement, which they gave to the arresting officers, they said: "We have entered HM Base Clyde, Faslane, as a non-violent direct action against the illegal, immoral and indefensible Trident nuclear weapons system. In 1996, the International Court of Justice declared that ’the use or threat of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to international law’. The Nuremberg Principles give every citizen the obligation, and therefore the right, to take action to prevent crimes against humanity. When Britain has been using these very resolutions as a pretext for war, it becomes even more necessary for Britain itself to honour its obligation to get rid of its own weapons of mass destruction."

There have now been over 2000 arrests during Trident Ploughshares actions in a campaign that will be five years old this August. A Trident Ploughshares spokesperson said: "This is an impressive statistic but what is really inspiring is the commitment to peace that it represents, with so many people willing to risk criminal convictions and ready to speak out in court about their absolute intolerance of nuclear insanity."

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