Wet Day at Coulport Disarmament Camp

With Angie Zelter and Brian Quail on their third day in jail the second group of resisters that appeared in Court and were all released on bail on Friday. We said goodbye to the Finns and Spaniards and welcomed a family of Swedish nuclear resisters here at Coulport international Disarmament Camp yesterday.

As we woke up Saturday to steady rain a small group headed down to the main gate of the Coulport nuclear weapons depot for the regular morning vigil. It seemed absurd that one of the police constables wrote notes for half an hour, pausing to look up at –what? The banner that read “War: We make a desert and call it peace”? Two grey and sleepy protesters who stood in silence holding a flag that proclaimed Peace to the hillsides and the odd empty Saturday bus?

After breakfast a meeting to plan for coming resistance to the trade in nuclear weapons at the DSEI international Arms Fair coming to London this summer. It is the world’s biggest arms fair where men in suits from all part of the globe will converge to trade in deadly weapons. They will be met by resisters from all parts of the UK who will do their best to shut down their unacceptable behaviour. It’s part of a week of resistane to DSEI that is being coordinated by our friends at Campaign Against the Arms Trade, and which will culminate with a big day of resistance on Saturday 9 September. LIKE the Facebook Event Here. More info on the No To Trident Day Wednesday 6 September in London is on Stop the Arms Fair website. To get involved and for more info contact us at: nonuclearday[at]riseup.net.  

Late morning saw seven of us head over a stile onto a bit of the hills outside Coulport nuclear weapons depot that is covered by MOD Bylaws. After slogging through the rain we reached a point where we could see the otherwise hidden High Explosives Area where the nuclear warheads are taken from submarines and placed on convoy vehicles that carry them away to AWE Burghfield at regular intervals for maintainence.

The Police informed us we were on MOD land and tried to send us back; undaunted we continued on our planned route in steady rain and followed the perimeter fence for a couple of miles, trailed by several MOD police and their gentle dogs. Before heading back to camp we festooned the razor wire with bunting that had been made in the camp. We were glad to get back to camp as we were all thoroughly soaked but in good spirits.

And, everyone in camp rejoiced when the sun shone again later. 

Messages arrived from both Brian Quail and Angie Zelter in prison. Brian has settled in to a single cell in Low Moss prison where he has a TV and a shower! So he’s fairly comfortable. Angie has been moved to Saughton Prison in Edinburgh. There have been difficulties communicating with her but we have now got her Prisoner number so anyone can email her. Please send them both supportive cards and letters or email them. Click here for details of how to write or email either Brian or Angie. It looks like she will be appealing the bail conditions that she and Brian refused to agree to and which led totheir being jailed until 3 August, so watch this space for developments.