Press Releases & Updates 1998

The Ministry of Defence, their faces still bright red after four peace women romped about the Coulport and Faslane bases in one of the MOD’s own power boats, have hired 300 extra police officers and are busily engaged in special training of their forces in a startling response to the threatened Trident Ploughshares 2000 non-violent action against the nuclear weapon bases at Faslane and Coulport planned for August 11 onwards.

The three Trident submarines which carry nuclear weapons equal to 2,200 Hiroshimas are based at Faslane and armed at Coulport. These bases are protected by miles of razor wire, surveillance cameras, electronic trips, guard dogs and troops of special MOD police, many of them armed with sub-machine guns, but the authorities are often embarrassed at the ease with which peace protesters can get inside, roam around, take notes, make maps and have conversations with the friendly alsatians.

TP2000 have made it clear that unless the government begins to make genuine moves to disarm the Trident nuclear weapons system by the 11th of August its activists will begin to do the job themselves. As retired teacher Brian Quail put it:" I feel like someone who lived near Auswitch death camp and had to watch the black smoke rising from the furnaces every day. With every hour that passes the chance increases that Trident missiles will be used for the mass murder they were designed for. We cannot just stand by."

Who are these extremists the MOD is so scared of? "All kinds of folk," said David Mackenzie," I have a mortgage, a TV licence and I always get the wheely-bin out on time, but the government is pushing ordinary folk like me too far when it gives the fingers to international law and basic decency."

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