A group of town criers has appeared in central London to proclaim the good news that negotiations are taking place at the United Nations towards a global ban on nuclear weapons. Their aim is to encourage the UK Government to join in with these negotiations.
To coincide with the first days of these negotiations, which are supported by a majority of member states, five town criers are using megaphones and banners to announce the news at various locations. They are also giving out leaflets, encouraging people to write the their MPs to ask for the UK to join the negotiations.
They began outside the BBC who have ignored the UN Ban treaty until they published a small biased report yesterday about the shameful press statement by the UN Ambassador outside the negotiations. They didn’t report that the UK & France Ambassadors joined him and that the UK’s seat in the room is laying woefully empty!In November, a majority of member states at the General Assembly’s First Committee voted to proceed with negotiations towards an outright ban on the development, production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons. This would give nuclear weapons the same status in international law as biological and chemical weapons, which are banned by existing conventions.
The UK Government’s policy is to support multi-lateral nuclear disarmament. In spite of this, it voted against the negotiations, and has vowed that it will not take part. Sylvia Boyes, one of the town criers, said: ‘A comprehensive ban on nuclear weapons would be a major step towards the multi-lateral disarmament that the UK Government has called for. It is in everyone’s interests for the UK to be fully represented at the table.’
The TP Town Criers continued to spread the good news around London by visiting the Imperial War Museum