On Friday 30th April a group of XR Scotland rebels blocked Faslane’s North Gate to demand a ‘Safe, Green Future’.
Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion Scotland, collaborating with Trident Ploughshares and Faslane Peace Camp, blocked the North gate of the Faslane Naval Base, home of the UK’s nuclear submarines, for 11 hours.
The group placed three planters on the road containing plants and flowers painted with the words ‘Safe’, ‘Green’, and ‘Future’. A female Extinction Rebel is locked onto each planter so that they cannot be moved, preventing access to the base.
Meg Peyton Jones, biologist and XR Scotland activist, said: “We need to build a just, sustainable future, collectively with the whole world, rather than the UK lavishing hundreds of millions on its personal pile of nukes while the climate crisis and social injustice destroy the planet around us.”
The activists demand a future safe from the threat of nuclear weapons and environmental destruction. The Trident nuclear base is polluting the Clyde with toxic chemicals. The cost of updating and maintaining Trident during the systems’ 40 year lifespan is estimated to be up to £205 Billion of public money.
Sarah Krischer, 28, archaeologist and XR Scotland activist, said: “Nuclear weapons are an existential threat to the entire world. Stockpiling weapons with the ability to wipe out all life in order to appear tough does nothing to keep either the UK or any other country safe. The ongoing environmental degradation caused by uranium mining and nuclear testing continues to be felt, particularly among pacific island nations that are also the most threatened by climate change. We must come together to build a safe, more just future for all.”
Emergency vehicles could still access the site via the South gate. The group took precautions for Covid-19 safety precautions including social distancing and face masks.
The police after consulting the base commander rejected the offer to leave the activists in place until 7pm at which point they would unlock and leave. MOD and Police Scotland “cutting teams” removed them from the planter lock-ons and eventually cleared the road at 6.30pm. The three women were arrested for Breach of the Peace and released on bail with a court date later this month.
Meanwhile a solidarity vigil was held at Albert Gate of Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth.
Media coverage: