news index 2010	
December
13th 	WMD profiteers Lockheed serenaded again in London
13th December 2010 
WMD profiteers Lockheed serenaded again in London	

Trident Ploughshares affinity group the Muriel Lesters and supporters continued a festive tradition of recent years by leafleting and singing alternative Christmas tunes outside the London headquarters of arms and intelligence giant and nuclear WMD profiteers Lockheed Martin. The visit included the presentation of a giant hand-made seasonal greetings card that contained messages of peace from participants and passing members of the public.
	
November
2nd 	The Devonport Big Blockade 1st November - A great day of action
2nd November 2010 
The Devonport Big Blockade 1st November - A great day of action
UPHOLD THE NPT - WORK TOWARDS DISARMAMENT.	

14 people were arrested for participating in the Trident Ploughshares big blockade day of action. At 5 a.m. on Monday 1st November 2010, anti-nuclear campaigners from across the UK and Europe began to peacefully and non-violently blockade the Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth, where the UK’s Trident nuclear submarines are maintained and re-fitted. The blockade at Camels Gate Head was not cleared until 9.45 a.m, four and a half hours after it began. This action was called by the Plymouth-based Trident Ploughshares group, The Tamarians. 

"Trident is not just bad for Plymouth, it is bad for everyone," said John Robb, local Tamarians member. "An ever-dwindling number of jobs is a poor reward for housing a facility that is not only immoral and illegal, but is a real and present danger to the 250,000 who live in the City. The dockyard walls, while formidable, do not stop radiation." 
Mary Kemmenoe of Downderry said, "The deployment of armed Trident submarines is an ongoing criminal threat to the World, which as citizens of conscience, we feel we have a duty to try and prevent."
The 12 people who were arrested were peacefully blockading the entrance at Camel’s Head Gate into the Devonport Dockyard.They used a variety of methods to blockade including attaching themselves to a car and joining themselves together with metal arm tubes and superglue. After they were arrested they were taken to the Charles Cross Police station in Plymouth. 
The Big Blockade day of action culminated with between 30 to 50 peace activists demonstrating outside the police station in order to show their solidarity with those held inside the police cells .The railings were festooned with the colourful banners that were displayed at the gates blocked during the morning. Protestors came from Devonport itself, and as far away as Wales, Scotland & Europe to interrupt the refit of the Trident nuclear submarines at Devonport.
The 12 arrestees were held for several hours before being released. Several of them were charged with offences under Section 14 of the Public Order Act, whilst others were given bail and will be charged at a later date.
Trident Ploughshares urge the UK government to uphold it’s commitments to work towards nuclear disarmament in "good faith", and argue that the intention to replace Trident is a clear breach of the spirit, if not the letter of the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty.
Campaigners argue that the untold billions of pounds spent on weapons of mass destruction would be better spent on green technologies and vital public services.
Contacts - John Robb 07840129247 - 07969858214
Notes.
CND Report, Trident Costs Jobs - http://www.cnduk.org/images/stories/briefings/trident/trident-jobs-ukeconomy.pdf
For further info about issues surrounding Trident refit work at Devonport, contact Ian Avent of CANSAR, 07799337433, or email avent362@btinternet.com
Blockade Briefing Pack - http://tridentploughshares.org/article1608
Trident Ploughshares - http@//tridentploughshares.org
Tamarians - http://plymouthtamarians.wordpress.com/
CND - http://www.cnduk.org
ICM Poll showing that more than half respondents favour nuclear disarmament -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/13/icm-poll-nuclear-weapons
Article VI of the NPT, ratified by the UK, stipulates -
“Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and international control.”
NPT background - http://reachingcriticalwill.org/
For further info on the international campaigns for the NPT Review Treaty to commit to negotiations towards a Nuclear Weapons Convention, see http://www.icanw.org
	
October
6th 	Anti Trident Campaigners Spray Paint Dumbarton Court Building
6th October 2010 
Anti Trident Campaigners Spray Paint Dumbarton Court Building	

Immediately after being fined £500 pounds for a nonviolent protest against Trident[1] two anti-nuclear campaigners today painted their judgement against the Court for its failure to uphold international law inside the court building and on the front door of the building. 

One of the four, Barbara Dowling painted “This JP Court does not uphold international law” in red paint at the top of the steps in the newly renovated court building. A second, Janet Fenton, painted out the brass plaque outside the front door, changing it from reading Justice of the Peace Court to read “We Want A Peace Court”.
Janet Fenton, of Biggar, a Quaker, Coordinator of the Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre[2], Vice Chair of Scottish CND[3] and member of Womens International League for Peace and Freedom[4] and Barbara Dowling, of Glasgow, a retired Occupational Therapist, had just been sentenced by JP Ross for their part in an Easter Monday blockade of Faslane Naval Base, where the UKs nuclear weapons are based. They were fined £500 each for doing £26 damage to the naval base sign and for blocking the entrance to the base for about an hour. The court had refused to hear their defence based on international law. JP Ross however dismissed these arguments and insisted that their motivations were irrelevant to their defence.
In her testimony Barbara Dowling said “The truth about Trident is that its only purpose is to destroy and murder civilians and children. It doesn’t discriminate. This is illegal under international law. We have a responsibility to act in any way to reveal the truth about Trident or disrupt activity at Faslane. This was the purpose of my actions and will be the purpose of my future actions.”
Morag Balfour of Glenrothes and list candidate for Mid Scotland and Fife Region for the Scottish Parliament for the Scottish Socialist Party[5] spoke of the UK government flying people with disabilities to the Australian nuclear weapons test site and subjecting them to fallout in order to study the effect of radiation on human bodies. She said the Australian government had warned whites of the danger of radiation so they could get away but not aboriginals and after testing the bomb had counted the dead sheep but not the dead aboriginal people.
Jean Oliver, a Quaker from Biggar and a member of the Iona Community[6] said the use and threat to use nuclear weapons was indefensible in the Christian faith. She asked “How relevant is it to you that everything you hold dear in our past and future could be ended? I believe we are in very real imminent danger. We don’t do this for fun. It isn’t nice to stand here. It isn’t nice to have to sit on cold wet ground. We do it because we won’t stand for it. It’s wrong and somehow we have to stop it.”
Janet Fenton and Barbara Dowling, are in custody and will be brought to Dumbarton Court tomorrow morning. All four were members of the Adomnan of Iona affinity group of Trident Ploughshares.
Janet Fenton also cited Judge Weeramantry, President of the International Court of Justice[7], which ruled in 1996 that a nuclear weapon system like Trident would be illegal, who wrote that “When the International Court heard the nuclear weapons case the evidence that was placed before it in regard to the human sufferings caused by the nuclear weapon and by nuclear testing was so harrowing that one could be left in no doubt of the need for the abolition of the weapon.... Every step that can be taken legally towards the abolition of this weapon of brutality needs to be taken and that those steps should be taken not nominally but effectively, not leisurely but urgently, not hesitantly but decisively”.
Contact: Brian Larkin 07768 312676
Photos attached.
ENDS
[1] For background information on Trident see: http://www.cnduk.org/index.php/campaigns/trident/no-to-trident.html
[2] For information of the Peace and Justice Centre go to: http://peaceandjustice.org.uk/
[3]For Scottish CND go to: http://banthebomb.org/ne/
[4]For WILPF see: http://www.ukwilpf.org.uk/
[5] For more on the Scottish Socialist Party see: http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/
[6] For more on the Iona Community see: http://www.iona.org.uk/
[7] Conference on Trident and International Law. Keynote Speech. HE Judge Christopher Weeramantry. http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article1544
2 Attached Images
	
September
6th 	Warhead Lab Plans Prompt Blockade of Nuclear Weapons Factory
6th September 2010 
Warhead Lab Plans Prompt Blockade of Nuclear Weapons Factory
Around twenty members and supporters of Trident Ploughshares joined a blockade and protest at one of the gates to the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston, Berkshire during this morning’s rush hour in protest at plans to build a new multi-million pound warhead testing facility at the site. Four of the activists chained themselves together with arm tubes and lay down in front of the gate for two hours, but released themselves without any being arrested shortly after 9am. Others stood close to them with banners, and sang songs. Many workers trying to enter the base were diverted away by Ministry of Defence police, who were in attendance; but traffic on the public highway appeared to be unaffected. Following the blockade, a separate group of Christians cut through part of the perimeter fence and entered the base, with three people being arrested. 
The planned ‘Project Hydrus’ is the latest development in an ongoing £1 billion-a-year modernisation programme at the AWE, which includes the Orion laser, an enriched uranium handling facility and three new supercomputers. The campaigners say this will enable the UK to develop a new generation of nuclear warheads, circumventing its obligations under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and undermining its disarmament commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. They are also concerned about the health and safety and environmental implications of the new developments, particularly in light of the lack of public disclosure on these matters.
The protest follows on from the weekend’s activities, during which Trident Ploughshares activists joined an alliance of anti-nuclear groups, including the Nuclear Information Service, and local Greenpeace groups and Green Party activists, who took to the streets to highlight their opposition to the planning application, obtaining 250 letters objecting to the proposed development.
Chris Bluemel, 30, a teacher from Southampton, said: “When the vast majority of the world’s countries have no need for nukes, it makes no sense at a time of economic crisis for the Government to commit at least £70bn of our hard-earned taxes on replacing nuclear weapons.”
Ann Kobayashi, 70, a retired social worker from Wickford, Essex, said: “We don’t need new nuclear weapons, but we do need the skills and knowledge of the AWE workforce to address the significant challenges of decommissioning existing nuclear weapons and nuclear waste disposal, which will affect future generations.”
Daniel Viesnik, 35, from London, said: “I am blockading today because I refuse to stand idly by as the Government presses ahead with its £3 million-a-day programme to modernise the nuclear warhead-making facilities here at Aldermaston without so much as a public consultation or parliamentary debate. I firmly believe that Trident and its planned replacement are illegal, immoral and a shameless waste of resources.”
Steve Burak, 51, from London, said: “ ‘Deterrent’ cannot be anything like an appropriate word for the possession of a nuclear weapon: by analogy, if I were walking around with a knife to protect myself, not only must I be living in fear but also at the ready to use the weapon I am carrying. The only real deterrent is not to carry a weapon. It makes no difference whether it’s a hoodie with a knife or a so-called great nation-state.”
ENDS
Press contacts: Daniel Viesnik 07506 234 091 or Brian Larkin 
	
June
12th 	Fylingdales Action - Sunday 6th June 2010.
12th June 2010 
Fylingdales Action - Sunday 6th June 2010.	

A day to build awareness of the role of the U.S Ballistic Missile Early Warning Station in the North York Moors National Park both among the activists and the public visiting the park. 
We were all lulled into thinking the dry, sunny weather would continue and so had prepared much paper material and had imagined spending a sunny afternoon talking to people, exchanging ideas and walking on the moor Around 30 people made the journey to Fylingdales. Unfortunately it was wet and so plans were much curtailed. Despite the weather a colourful presence was held at the main entrance, much networking between individuals went on and a letter was handed into the RAF Commander. Walkers followed routes from Ellerbeck and Hole of Horcum and as had been agreed the permissive bridleway was not closed and we cut across the MOD land to join the campaigners at the main entrance. As the weather was so wet we retreated early to the shelter of the Quaker Meeting House in Pickering.
It has to be noted the MOD police presence was overwhelming with the Hole of Horcum car park the site for a police incident unit and extra police cars. MDP had been brought from all over the country. A route crossing MOD land controlled under military land byelaws and the rally at the main gate had been agreed after much negotiation between myself and the liaison officer. I am asking myself the question what was the point of all the time spent negotiating with the police before the event. The officers themselves were paragons of virtue in their wish to facilitate peaceful protest. and all our agreements adhered to and yet the orders from above resulted in a police operation that was oppressive.
With many thanks to the Yorkshire CND office and the workers there and to everyone who turned up to support.
Sylvia Boyes Trident Ploughshares
	
4th	Trident protest held inside Parliament
4th June 2010 
Trident protest held inside Parliament
SIX members of campaign group Trident Ploughshares protested silently inside the lobby of Parliament for two hours on Thursday (3 June), calling upon the incoming government to honour its disarmament commitments by scrapping the Trident nuclear missile system and its planned replacement and signing up to a Nuclear Weapons Convention. 
At precisely 2pm, the five women and one man revealed white T-shirts with the slogans “Disarm Nuclear Weapons Now” and “Scrap Trident Replacement” and stood in the centre of the lobby in a circle facing outwards so that passing MPs and members of the public could read the slogans on their T-shirts. Shortly before the protest began, the six, from Cornwall, Essex, London and Oxford, separately submitted formal written requests to see their respective MPs, none of whom appeared or sent messages of apology in the more than two hours of their presence.
Parliamentary police officers, a number of whom attended the scene, had discussions with the Serjeant-at-Arms, and a police inspector spoke to one or two of the protesters, but no attempt was made to remove them. Among those who passed the protest were former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and former Foreign Minister Ivan Lewis MP. East London MP and former Environment Minister Jim Fitzpatrick had a discussion with one of the campaigners. The protesters left of their own accord shortly after 4pm and were promptly escorted out of the building by police officers.
Daniel Viesnik, 35, from London, said: “The new government has ordered swingeing public spending cuts in the wake of the economic crisis, yet once again we see spending on nuclear weapons and submarines being ring-fenced. Aside from the exorbitant price tag of up to £97bn for replacing Trident, the fact that military generals now describe Trident as ‘militarily useless’ and a clear majority of the public opposes its replacement, there can be no moral justification for retaining and continuing to deploy these indiscriminate weapons of mass murder for decades to come.”
Sarah Lasenby, from Oxford, added: “The argument that we need nuclear weapons for our defence could equally be adopted by any country in the world, from Iran to North Korea. To retain and deploy Trident indefinitely is a material breach of our disarmament commitments under international law, and to do so whilst condemning, punishing and threatening military action against any other country accused of seeking to develop their own weapons of mass destruction is hypocritical.”
Michal Lovejoy, from Cornwall, added: “It is time for the Government to take its disarmament obligations seriously and heed the global call for a Nuclear Weapons Convention.”
Today’s action was a repeat of one that took place last July involving fifteen members of Trident Ploughshares and Women in Black. [2] It comes in an important week for nuclear weapons campaigning, with pressure mounting on the Government to include Trident in the forthcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review and begin negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Convention. [3]
Press Contact: Daniel Viesnik 07506 234 091
Free photos available of the protesters outside Parliament
ENDS
Notes:
1. Trident Ploughshares is a campaign to disarm the UK Trident nuclear weapon system in a nonviolent, open, peaceful and fully accountable manner. http://www.tridentploughshares.org
2. Trident Ploughshares and Women in Black take their concerns about replacing Trident to Parliament http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article1565
3. On Tuesday, the chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Kate Hudson accompanied a number of new MPs to Downing Street to deliver a letter to the new Prime Minister, David Cameron calling for Britain to support a Nuclear Weapons Convention and include Trident in the forthcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/12289
Also on Wednesday, the Unite union conference backed an executive statement calling for the scrapping of plans to replace Trident. http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=21433
Saturday 5 June is the Global Day of Action for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, called by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, with activities planned at Faslane, Scotland and Aldermaston, England. This follows on from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations in New York, which ended last week.
http://www.nuclearabolition.org
http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2010/05/12/song-and-dance
http://ccnd.gn.apc.org/html/events.php
Sunday 6 June will see a demonstration at Flyingdales ballistic missile early warning station in North Yorkshire, with Trident Ploughshares and Yorkshire CND http://www.yorkshirecnd.org.uk/events/yorkshire-cnd-events/reclaim-our-moor

April
6th 	Faslane blockaded twice in three days for European Days of Action
6th April 2010 
Faslane blockaded twice in three days for European Days of Action	

Following Saturday’s pan-European actions at nuclear weapons bases (see footnote), more than a dozen Trident Ploughshares activists today revisited Faslane naval base in Scotland, home of the UK’s nuclear weapons. They peacefully blockaded the base and ensured that activity at the base was disrupted. 
The protesters intend to ensure that high on the agenda of the election called by Gordon Brown today is the UK’s nuclear weapons and their threat to global security. A spokesperson said,
"We enjoyed taking part in Saturday’s symbolic blockade at the North Gate, but we recognise the need to send a more serious message, and have returned today to exercise our civic responsibility under International Law, to do what we can to stop the work of preparing and maintaining these horrific weapons of mass destruction. At this time of year we reassert our message of Easter, that love is more powerful than hate, and life is more powerful than death."
Update:
Janet Fenton was arrested for cutting down the sign ’Faslane Nuclear depot’ as a symbol of the day that the base will close. Morag Balfour was helping with that but was only arrested after spray painting a message. Brian Larkin, Eurig Scandrett, Barbara Dowling and Jean Oliver were arrested for blocking the gateway locked together.
Footnote:
See http://www.vredesactie.be/campaign.php?id=12 for details of other actions around Europe.
Follow Trident Ploughshares on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TridentPlough
	
March
19th 	European Day of Action at Faslane on Easter Saturday, April 3rd
19th March 2010 
European Day of Action at Faslane on Easter Saturday, April 3rd	

April 3rd will be the European Day of Action to ban nuclear weapons. Nonviolent actions will take place at every NATO nuclear weapons base in Europe: in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Members and supporters of Trident Ploughshares will join Faslane Peace Camp and other activists, and faith groups, for a procession starting from the Peace Camp and ending with a symbolic blockade of the north gate of Faslane naval base in Scotland, the home of Britain’s nuclear-armed Trident submarines. Click here for further details.	
18th	Faslane rock painting duo fined
18th March 2010 
Faslane rock painting duo fined	

Trident Ploughshares (TP) members Sylvia Boyes, a peace campaigner from Keighley, Yorkshire and Mary Millington, a retired Welsh language tutor from Glasgow, faced trial on Thursday (18 March) for painting a rock outside HMNB Clyde (Faslane) naval base in Scotland, the home of Britain’s nuclear-armed Trident submarines. 
The incident dated back to last August, during the TP Coulport Disarmament Camp, when the words “Scots! Say no to Trident” were painted on a rock outside the base. The pair faced the following charge:
“On 22nd August 2009 at HMNB Clyde Sylvia Boyes and Mary Millington did without reasonable excuse, wilfully or recklessly destroy or damage the property belonging to another and did paint words on the rock there, damaging same. Contrary to the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, Section 52(1) and (3)” 
The trial, which began on 4th March but had to be adjourned until Thursday, continued with the final prosecution witness taking the stand. It was then the turn of the two defendants to present their evidence. The Justice appeared to listen carefully as each of the women explained the motives for their action.
Dr Alan Mackinnon, Chair of Scottish CND, was then called as a witness for the defence. He gave evidence on the breadth of opposition to the renewal of Trident from the heads of Scottish churches, trade unions, the Scottish Parliament and Government, and the general public in Scotland, quoting facts and figures for each group. The Justice allowed him to present his evidence in full, even asking him to elaborate on certain points.
The Procurator Fiscal (PF) presented legal arguments relating to “vandalism” and “malicious mischief”. He also produced a copy of the Lord Advocate’s Reference relating to the legality of Trident. After his summing up, Ms Millington queried the wording of the charge, as it mentioned neither vandalism nor malicious mischief. There followed a semantics debate between the PF and the Justice. The PF then brought to the attention of the Court the Lord Advocate’s Reference and made reference to previous TP cases. Ms Boyes presented to the Justice Ellen Moxley’s response to the Lord Advocate’s ruling, as well as solicitor Phil Shiner’s legal argument against Trident replacement produced on behalf of Peacerights.
The Justice went on to deliver his verdict of Guilty against both defendants and fined them each £50. No orders for compensation were made for damage to the rock, which had been painted over rather than cleaned.

February
22nd 	Aldermaston Update
22nd February 2010 
Aldermaston Update	

There has been lots of coverage in the media about the blockade on 15th February. There is a link to photos from some of the gates in the gallery on our home page. 
There is also an excellent blog dedicated to the blockade with lots of links to press coverage and lots more pictures. Click here to go to the blog
A total of 26 activists were arrested during the blockade, which lasted for over seven hours.
Five people were arrested for gaining entry to a secure site and the remaining 21 arrests were for obstruction of the highway.
Eleven people have been released on bail to return to Newbury police station in May and the rest were given cautions.
	
15th	Hundreds blockade nuclear bomb factory
15th February 2010 
Hundreds blockade nuclear bomb factory
Campaigners call for disarmament of Trident and abolition of nuclear weapons	

Up to eight hundred anti-nuclear campaigners from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and a number of other countries joined a blockade of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston in Berkshire from just before 7am this morning. Every gate was closed by blockaders in the course of the morning. [1] Twenty-six arrests were reported, on suspicion of criminal trespass (for entering the site) and highway obstruction. 
Individuals present at the blockade, which is aimed at halting construction of multi-billion pound facilities for research and development of a new generation of nuclear warheads, [2] include Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams, from Vermont, USA and Máiread Corrigan-Maguire, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, both of whom blockaded. [3] Also present were the Catholic bishop of Brentwood, Thomas McMahon; the Anglican bishops Stephen Cottrell (Reading), Mike Hill (Bristol) and Peter Price (Bath and Wells); Jill Evans MEP, Vice President of Plaid Cymru and chair of CND Cymru (Wales); and Kate Hudson, chair of CND.
The blockaders either sat or stood in front of the gates or lay down, linked together with arm tubes and locks, or with their hands superglued together. The police had to deploy specialist cutting teams to release many of the protesters. Most of those blockading were removed without being arrested, even though many were in place for several hours.
Brian Larkin, a Trident Ploughshares (TP) activist who travelled from Helensburgh, Scotland, said: “This is the biggest blockade of Aldermaston in years and comes at a time when even major political parties are questioning the logic of spending up to £97 billion [4] on useless weapons. It demonstrates the depth and breadth of determined civil society opposition to Trident and its planned replacement. [5] Although the government now seems to have delayed the next phase of Trident replacement until after the general election, the ongoing construction of facilities at the AWE for the design, development and manufacture of new nuclear warheads is illegal and immoral and will only lead to further proliferation of nuclear weapons.”
Angie Zelter, co-founder of TP, who travelled from Knighton, Wales, added: “In May, world governments will meet to review the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); [6] but this program of modernisation of UK nuclear weapons violates the treaty and could lead to a disastrous failure of the Review Conference. Over forty years ago, when it signed up to the treaty, the UK made a deal to negotiate multilateral nuclear disarmament in exchange for states without nuclear weapons agreeing not to obtain them.[7] Not only have we failed to keep that promise but now we are preparing to build a new generation of nuclear weapons. If the government wants to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons it should get rid of its own nuclear weapons first. We are calling on the UK to abide by its agreement to achieve nuclear disarmament - that means taking Trident off patrol, halting all work and preparations for any new generation of nuclear weapons and using the AWE only for disarmament and verification.”
Sarah Lasenby, a TP activist who travelled from Oxford, added: “The time has come for the UK to disarm its nuclear weapons. Instead of building a new generation, the government should go to the upcoming NPT Review Conference in New York and commit to negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Convention to abolish nuclear weapons worldwide.” [8]
Each of the gates to the nuclear weapons site is themed: Scotland, Wales, England, internationals (from Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Spain), cyclists and environmentalists, faith groups, women and students. Choirs, medical professionals, academics and politicians are also present.
Media contacts: Daniel Viesnik 07506 234 091; Brian Larkin 07768 312 676; Angie Zelter 07835 354 652
Images from the blockade: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnduk
Updates: http://twitter.com/TridentPlough http://blockawe.blogspot.com
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. The Aldermaston Big Blockade was initiated by Trident Ploughshares and supported by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), the Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp(aign) (AWPC) and various other groups.
Trident Ploughshares is a campaign to disarm the UK Trident nuclear weapon system in a nonviolent, open, peaceful and fully accountable manner. Website: http://www.tridentploughshares.org
CND website: http://www.cnduk.org AWPC website: http://www.aldermaston.net
Blockades of AWE Aldermaston took place most recently in October 2008 and June 2009.
2. The Ministry of Defence’s planning application for a new enriched uranium handling and storage facility at AWE Aldermaston, Project Pegasus, was approved by West Berkshire council on Wednesday 10 February 2010, despite receiving over 1400 letters of objection. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/berkshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8509000/8509099.stm
Campaigners say the new facility will be used to build a new generation of nuclear warheads, which they say breaches the UK’s legal obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [see note 7].
For information on all facilities under development or planned at the AWE, see: http://www.aldermaston.net/awe
3. Jody Williams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 jointly with the campaign she worked for, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Williams
Máiread Corrigan-Maguire was awarded the prize in 1976 jointly with Betty Williams for their work to end violence in Northern Ireland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mairead_Corrigan
4. See report from Greenpeace, In the Firing Line (September 2009): http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/reports/firing-line-hidden-costs-supercarrier-project-and-replacing-trident
5. In an ICM poll for the Guardian published on 13 July 2009, 54% of respondents indicated that they wanted to see Britain abandon its nuclear weapons and not replace its Trident system. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/13/icm-poll-nuclear-weapons 
6. The next five-yearly Review Conference of the NPT is due to take place 3-28 May 2010 in New York. For background information on the NPT and the Review Conference, see: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org
7. Article VI of the NPT, ratified by both the UK and the US, stipulates: “Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.” http://www.un.org/en/conf/npt/2005/npttreaty.html
8. For further information on the international campaign for the NPT Review Conference to commit to negotiations toward a Nuclear Weapons Convention, see: http://www.icanw.org
	
13th	E-mail in your Aldermaston Blockade photos!
13th February 2010 
E-mail in your Aldermaston Blockade photos!	

Send your blockade photos for instant publication to: awe [at] cnduk.org
Blockade blog: blockawe.blogspot.com
Blockade updates live via Twitter: follow @TridentPlough
Photos
Any mobile phone that can send photo attachments by email can submit images, or you can email them in afterwards from a computer.
Your pictures will be published automatically here, on the blockade blog, CND website and possibly elsewhere.
The subject line of your email will be used as the image title and any text in your email will also be published, so please do not include anything you would not wish to be made public.
You retain ownership of your photos, but by submitting them agree that they can be freely used by others.
Blockade blog
Check out the Aldermaston Big Blockade blog for updates, press releases and other resources.
Twitter
You can get live updates from the blockade by following @TridentPlough on Twitter.
	
12th	Nuclear bomb opponents gear up for direct action as new warhead facility gets green light
12th February 2010 
Nuclear bomb opponents gear up for direct action as new warhead facility gets green light	

Campaigners from Trident Ploughshares [1] have slammed the approval of a new enriched uranium facility, saying it gives added justification to their blockade of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston, Berkshire next week. [2] 
Among the hundreds of campaigners who will be present at the blockade on Monday, 15 February, are Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams, from Vermont, USA and Máiread Corrigan-Maguire, from Belfast, Northern Ireland. [3] Also attending the blockade are the Catholic bishop of Brentwood, Thomas McMahon; the Anglican bishops of Bath and Wells, Bristol and Reading, Peter Price, Mike Hill and Stephen Cottrell; Jill Evans MEP, Vice President of Plaid Cymru and chair of CND Cymru (Wales); and Kate Hudson, chair of CND.
Long-time Trident Ploughshares (TP) activist Jane Tallents, from Helensburgh, Scotland, said: “I live close to Faslane, from where the navy’s Trident submarines set off armed with their deadly cargo of nuclear warheads made in Berkshire. I am travelling down to Aldermaston to stop the problem at source.”
Daniel Viesnik, 35, a TP activist from London, added: “I was in prison last week for peacefully saying no to a future nuclear holocaust. I feel it is my civic, moral and legal duty to help stop the next generation of nuclear weapons and prevent nuclear crimes against humanity and the planet.”
Sarah Lasenby, an older TP activist from Oxford, added: “Local people are rightly concerned about the production of additional high level nuclear waste on their doorstep and the lack of consultation and information provided about the new facility. But the majority of the British public is also increasingly concerned about our government wasting billions of pounds on useless and illegal new nuclear weapons. We must get rid of them.”
The Ministry of Defence’s planning application for a new enriched uranium handling and storage facility, Project Pegasus, was approved by West Berkshire council on Wednesday night despite receiving over 1400 letters of objection. [4] Campaigners say the new facility will be used to build a new generation of nuclear warheads, which they say breaches the UK ’s legal obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Media contacts: Daniel Viesnik +44 (0)7506 234 091; Brian Larkin +44 (0)7768 312 676; Angie Zelter +44 (0)7835 354 652;
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. Trident Ploughshares is a campaign to disarm the UK Trident nuclear weapon system in a nonviolent, open, peaceful and fully accountable manner.
Website: http://www.tridentploughshares.org
2. The Aldermaston Big Blockade is organised by Trident Ploughshares with the support of CND, Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp(aign) (AWPC) and various other organisations.
CND website: http://www.cnduk.org
AWPC website: http://www.aldermaston.net
A stream of images from the blockade will be available on the day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnduk
Live updates from the blockade will be available via Twitter: http://twitter.com/TridentPlough
Additional information about the blockade can be found from the following sources:
Trident Ploughshares Press Release, 8 February 2010: http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article1587
Aldermaston Blockade blog - additional resources and blockade updates: http://blockawe.blogspot.com
Aldermaston Blockade briefing pack: http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article1577
3. Jody Williams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 jointly with the campaign she worked for, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Williams
Máiread Corrigan-Maguire was awarded the prize in 1976 jointly with Betty Williams for their work to end violence in Northern Ireland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mairead_Corrigan
4. See, for example, the following article from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/berkshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8509000/8509099.stm
	
8th	Aldermaston Big Blockade, 15 February 2010
8th February 2010 
Aldermaston Big Blockade, 15 February 2010
Campaigners to shut down nuclear bomb factory as they call for disarmament of Trident and abolition of nuclear weapons	

On Monday 15 February, from 7am, hundreds of campaigners from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and other countries will block access to every gate of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston, Berkshire, England.[1] The blockade, initiated by Trident Ploughshares (TP) and supported by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), the Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp(aign) (AWPC)[2] and other groups, aims to halt construction of multi-billion pound facilities for research and development of a new generation of nuclear warheads. [3, 4] 
Individuals coming to the blockade include Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams and Mairead Maguire (who led the successful international campaign to ban landmines and worked to end violence in Northern Ireland respectively); Jill Evans MEP; the Anglican Bishops of Bristol, Mike Hill, Reading, Stephen Cottrell, and Bath and Wells, Peter Price; and the Catholic Bishop of Brentwood, Thomas McMahon.
Each of the gates to the nuclear weapons site will be themed: Scotland, Wales, England, internationals (a sizeable contingent will represent mainly European countries, including France and Belgium), cyclists and environmentalists, faith groups, women and students. Choirs, medical professionals and politicians will also be present.
Brian Larkin from TP, travelling from Scotland, said: “This is the biggest blockade of Aldermaston in years and comes at a time when even major political parties are questioning the logic of spending up to £97 billion [5] on useless weapons. It demonstrates the depth and breadth of determined civil society opposition to Trident and its planned replacement.[6] Although the government now seems to have delayed the next phase of Trident replacement until after the general election, the ongoing construction of facilities at the AWE for the design, development and manufacture of new nuclear warheads is illegal and immoral and will only lead to further proliferation of nuclear weapons.”
Angie Zelter, also from TP, travelling from Wales, added: “In May, world governments will meet to review the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT);[7] but this program of modernisation of UK nuclear weapons violates the treaty and could lead to a disastrous failure of the Review Conference. Over forty years ago, when it signed up to the treaty, the UK made a deal to negotiate multilateral nuclear disarmament in exchange for states without nuclear weapons agreeing not to obtain them.[8] Not only have we failed to keep that promise but now we are preparing to build a new generation of nuclear weapons. If the government wants to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons it should get rid of its own nuclear weapons first. We are calling on the UK to abide by its agreement to achieve nuclear disarmament - that means taking Trident off patrol, halting all work and preparations for any new generation of nuclear weapons and using the AWE only for disarmament and verification.”
Sarah Lasenby, also from TP, travelling from Oxford, added: “The time has come for the UK to disarm its nuclear weapons. Instead of building a new generation, the government should go to the upcoming NPT Review Conference in New York and commit to negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Convention to abolish nuclear weapons worldwide.”[9]
Media contacts: Daniel Viesnik 07506 234 091; Brian Larkin 07768 312 676; Angie Zelter 07835 354 652;
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. For more details about the Aldermaston blockade see:
http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article1577 and http://blockawe.blogspot.com
Images from the blockade will be available on the day via a link on the home page of the Trident Ploughshares website: http://www.tridentploughshares.org
Live updates from the blockade will be available via Twitter:
http://twitter.com/TridentPlough
2. More information about the co-ordinating organisations can be found on their respective websites:
Trident Ploughshares: http://www.tridentploughshares.org
CND: http://www.cnduk.org
Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp(aign): http://www.aldermaston.net
3. Blockades of AWE Aldermaston took place most recently in October 2008 and June 2009.
4. For further information on the Ministry of Defence’s current planning application for an enriched uranium handling and storage facility, Project Pegasus, at AWE Aldermaston, which has drawn around 900 objections and is due to go before West Berkshire planning committee later this month, see the following briefings from the Nuclear Information Service: http://nuclearinfo.org/view/item/a2038 http://nuclearinfo.org/view/item/a2040
For information on all facilities under development or planned at the AWE, see: http://www.aldermaston.net/awe
5. See report from Greenpeace, In the Firing Line (September 2009): http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/reports/firing-line-hidden-costs-supercarrier-project-and-replacing-trident
6. In an ICM poll for the Guardian published on 13 July 2009, 54% of respondents indicated that they wanted to see Britain abandon its nuclear weapons and not replace its Trident system. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/13/icm-poll-nuclear-weapons
7. For background information on the NPT see: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org
8. Article VI of the NPT, ratified by both the UK and the US, stipulates: “Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.” http://www.un.org/en/conf/npt/2005/npttreaty.html
The next five-yearly Review Conference of the NPT is due to take place 3-28 May 2010 in New York.
9. For further information on the international campaign for the NPT Review Conference to commit to negotiations toward a Nuclear Weapons Convention, see: http://www.icanw.org
	
7th	Preparations for Aldermaston
7th February 2010 
Preparations for Aldermaston
Training, Transport and Accomodation Updates	

The Aldermaston Blockade is approaching fast. To help prepare for the action a number of training workshops have been organised and transport has been booked from various locations. 
Training Workshops
If you would like to take part in one of the workshops, please get in touch with the contact person indicated.
England
Sat 23rd Jan, London - Friends House, 175 Euston Road, NW1 2BJ, Room 2, 11am to 4pm. For training in nonviolent direct action - to include blockading techniques, legal briefing and support roles. Please book in advance.
Contact Mell - mellcndeast@cnduk.org or 0845 337 0282 Directions: Opposite Euston mainline train station - nearest tube: Euston / Euston Square http://www.friendshouse.co.uk/getting-here
Sun 31st Jan, Gloucester - Friends Meeting House, Southgate Street, Gloucester GL1 1TS, 1.30-4pm. Contact Alison - alison.crane @ntlworld.com map
Sat 6th Feb, London - Friends House, 175 Euston Road, NW1 2BJ, 9.45am - 12.45pm. Contact Chris - chrisandgwyn@phonecoop.coop Directions: As Above
Scotland
Sat 6 Feb, Edinburgh, 2 - 5pm, St John’s Church Hall, Prince’s St. Contact Jane: tp2000@gn.apc.org
Sun 7 Feb, Glasgow, 2-5pm, Anderston Kelvingrove Church, 759 Argyle Street (at Elderslie Street) Contact Jane: tp2000@gn.apc.org
Transport and Accommodation for the Blockade
Groups are strongly encouraged to organise their own transport and pre-blockade overnight accommodation, if needed. Crash space and vegan food will be available after the blockade, on Monday evening.
Transport
We know about the following regional transport being arranged. If you know of others, please let us know and we will publish.
From England:
Cumbria and Lancashire CND - r.allwright@lancaster.ac.uk 01524 33991
Mid Somerset CND - msomcnd@aol.com 01749 830741
Southern Region CND - 02380 328335
London Region CND - david.lrcnd@cnduk.org 020 7607 2302
Yorkshire CND - hannah@yorkshirecnd.org.uk 01274 730 795
West Midlands CND - wmcndall@gn.apc.org 0121 643 4617
East Anglia - Norwich CND - mellcndeast@cnduk.org ; Lesley - 07711298214
Greater Manchester and District CND - gmdcnd@gn.apc.org 0161 2738283
For all of the above, please book your seat in advance as places are limited.
From Scotland:
Minibuses from Edinburgh (Waterloo Place), Glasgow (George Square, in front of City Chambers) and other locations in Scotland at 8:30am on Sunday 14 February, returning by 6:30pm on Tuesday 16 February.
Thanks to a generous donation from Scottish CND the cost is only £15 per person (£5 Deposit). Sponsorship is available if you are unable to pay the full cost.
To book your place, call Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre: 0131 229 0993 or via the website: http://peaceandjustice.org.uk
For all of the above, please book your seat in advance as places are limited.
Accommodation
For advice on places to stay and how to get there, contact Chris Wood on 020 7700 2393 or by e-mail at chris@cnduk.org .
Briefing Pack
If you are planning to come to the blockade, PLEASE READ THE BRIEFING PACK as soon as possible. It includes Trident Ploughshares’s nonviolence action guidelines, information on how to register your affinity group, maps of the site and lots of other essential practical information.
You can read or download the blockade briefing pack here: http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article1577
For other information, please phone 0845 4588 361 or e-mail blockawe@yahoo.co.uk
	
6th	Aldermaston peace prisoner released
6th February 2010 
Aldermaston peace prisoner released
Trident Ploughshares activist spent four days in HMP Pentonville	

Trident Ploughshares activist Dan Viesnik was released on Friday, 5 February, after spending four days in custody in HMP Pentonville in north London. 
Last Monday, 1 February 2010, Dan was sentenced by Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court to fourteen days imprisonment with immediate effect for refusing to pay a fine (£50) and court costs (£465) for a peaceful symbolic sit-down blockade outside the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston in July 2007 during a 12-week peace walk from Dublin to London (via Belfast and Glasgow). He was released early for good behaviour.
Over twenty people came to support Dan at court, including members of Trident Ploughshares, CND, Campaign Against Arms Trade, Kingston Peace Council, London Catholic Worker, the London Peace Pagoda, Brent Green Party and Brent Friends of the Earth.
Before sentencing, Dan read out the following speech to the court:
"I stand here in court today because I was prosecuted and convicted of the crime of peacefully trying to prevent another Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
"While billions of people around the world languish in poverty, the Government continues to spend billions of pounds on new weapons of mass murder and destruction.
"Tony Blair, who went to war with Iraq with Bush over weapons of mass destruction that never existed, enjoyed the protection of hundreds of police officers when he appeared before the Iraq Inquiry last Friday. I know because I was there. Yet when people like me try to uphold international law when the Government fails in its duty to do so, it is us who get prosecuted and convicted.
"I will finish if I may by quoting Henry David Thoreau: ’Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.’ "
For more details, see: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/01/445488.html
You can view a short video of Dan speaking outside court, interspersed with footage from CND’s 50th anniversary demo at Aldermaston in 2008, here: http://current.com/items/92131286_taking-a-stand-dan-viesnik-wmd-aldermaston.htm
For press interviews, call: 07506 234 091