Press Releases & Updates 1999

As the number of arrests at the Trident Ploughshares camp in Coulport rose to 70, four activists were held early this morning at the perimeter fence of Faslane naval base en route to the docking bays where the Trident nuclear weapon submarines are berthed.

The four are Kirsty Gathergood (24), from Oxford, Josje Snoek (16) from the Netherlands, Clive Fudge from Norwich and Sylvia Boyes (55), from Birmingham. At midnight they negotiated the shoreline from just south of Garelochhead, partly in and partly out of the water, until they reached the point where the fence is extended into the loch. They then decided to cut through the fence rather than swim round, at which juncture they were arrested. They were charged with breaching bye-laws affecting the base. Additionally, Sylvia Boyes was charged with malicious mischief.

Kirsty Gathergood said:

"We were hoping to get inside the base and disarm a Trident submarine, if at all possible. This kind of direct action is necessary to bring to public attention the existence of these hideous weapons of mass destruction."

The four were released from MoD custody at 5 a.m. this morning. Three other activists are still in custody after an action yesterday against the Coulport base, where the Trident warheads are stored.

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