TP Activists Paint Faslane Fence: Scrap Trident Ban Nukes

Five protesters Trident Ploughshares activists were arrested today after painting “Scrap Tident Ban Nukes” on the Faslane fence. The five had just enough time to finish painting the last letters of the anti-nuclear message before MOD police arrived and arrested them. One of the protesters, Brian Quail said “Trident Ploughshares warmly welcomes Nicola Sturgeon’s pledge made yesterday with Leanne Wood of Plaid Cymru and Natalie Bennet of the Greens never to work with any Westminster party that supports Trident replacement and calls on the UK government to disarm its nuclear weapons without delay. ” “We know that the Faslane/Coulport complex is the only site in the whole UK that can accommodate Trident, yet the Scottish Government has no say over the deployment of illegal weapons of mass destruction from here. This makes it essential that Scots vote for anti-Trident parties in the May general election.” “Last week a global conference in Vienna* highlighted the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of these weapons”, said Janet Fenton, one of the activists. “While the Austrian Government made a pledge to outlaw them, the UK insisted that the way to nuclear disarmament was to build new weapons. It makes no sense and is completely out of step with the majority of countries who want to see nuclear abolition ”. The activists painted directly onto the weldmesh fence that surrounds the base. The five were, Janet Fenton, Mary Millington, Gillian Lawrence, Barbara Maver and Brian Quail. Four of the 5 60 or over. The Scrap Trident Coalition, of which Trident Ploughshares is a member, are planning two “Bairns not Bombs” events in the new year, a demonstration in Glasgow on 28^th March, and a blockade at Faslane on the 13^th of April when they expect to stop work at the base and close it down. We urge as many people who share our desire for Scotland, the UK and a world free of nuclear weapons to take bold action at this crucial time and join us at the demo and on the blockade. Anyone considering taking part in or supporting the demo is encouraged to take part in nonviolent direct action trainings which will take place on the the weekend of the Big Blockade. Trainings can also be organised for local groups by contacting us or the Scrap Trident Coalition. More details will be available soon at www.scraptrident.org