Trident Ploughshares (TP) has been going since 1998 and it’s a bit different from other anti-nuclear membership organisations. Because we co-ordinate and take part in Nonviolent Direct Action to peacefully disrupt the Trident nuclear weapons system we ask people who want to become a member or join us in action to first come along to a training session to explore what Nonviolence means for them and how they would work together with others to be effective.
Sometimes a group of people who train together go on to form an affinity group to plan and carry out actions. TP was originally made up of lots of affinity groups and although some still exist there are also numerous individuals who form ad hoc groups when the need arises. We would be delighted to see some new groups form.
Members meet once a year to make plans for the following 12 months but we welcome autonomous TP groups coming up with their own ideas so long as they stay within our nonviolence and safety guidelines.
People don’t have to commit to joining TP to come to a workshop but afterwards if they think TP is for them then we invite them to sign a commitment. For a variety of reasons some people cannot risk arrest but support roles are VERY important and active supporters are just as much a part of the group.
Taking part in a workshop is just a start. Some people say that learning nonviolence is a life times work. But our nonviolence is a very active one, we learn by getting out there and doing whatever we can to disrupt the nuclear weapons system in a safe, open and accountable way. You can read some inspiring stories from our early days here
If you are interested in taking part in a TP training please contact: training@tridentploughshares.org