Press Releases & Updates 1998

Today, around 300 international peace activists gathered at a rally to show their support for the immediate disarmament of Britain’s nuclear weapons system, the Trident submarines. They met at Faslane Peace Camp, and processed to the North Gate of HMNB Clyde, where a number of speakers addressed the crowd, accompanied by singing, dancing and music. The rally was organised by Scottish CND. There were no incidents; the demonstration remained colourful, joyful and peaceful. The base remained on high security.

A group of women from the peace camp at Aldermaston, the secret base where the Trident warheads are manufactured, were a moving sight as they marched, beating drums along the way.

Janet Bloomfield, a former chair of CND, brought greetings from Ground Zero, a protest group based in Bangor, USA, the US Trident naval base.

Pol D’Huyvetter took the stage to invite the police and MOD to organise themselves and stop obeying illegal orders, as is their right and civic duty under the Nuremberg Principles. He also made reference to a group of policeman in Germany who last year refused to guard the waste at Gorleben on these grounds.

Serge Levillayer joined the walk from Brussels to Faslane at Cherbourg in France, the construction site for the French nuclear weapons: "Ploughshares is a very strong way to make a non-violent protest against these illegal weapons." He attends vigils every week at his hometown.

After the rally, many of the protestors have returned to Faslane Peace Camp to signal their support for the camp during its threat of eviction. One peace-camper said, "The camp is upholding International Law, Trident is not. It is Trident that should go, not us."

After fourteen arrests, activists enjoyed the chance to party and protest in the sun before another week of intensive actions to disarm Trident.

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