TRIDENT PLOUGHSHARES
Press release: 1st May 2016
UK Nuclear Weapon Assembly Plant to Face Month of Disruption
In June people from across the UK and beyond will join in a month of
peaceful disruption of the nuclear bomb assembly plant at AWE Burghfield
in Berkshire.
Trident Ploughshares is being joined by a number of groups and the aim
is to make it as difficult as possible for the plant to continue its
ongoing work – the assembly, refurbishment and upgrading of the atomic
warheads for Britain’s submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic
missiles.
The thirteen groups so far committed[1] are area-based (Bristol,
Scotland, Mainland European, etc.) or based on role or interest (Women,
Academics, Students etc.). Many of those taking part have considerable
experience of peaceful intervention at the UK nuclear weapon sites,
including AWE Burghfield.
David Mackenzie explained the rationale:
“As we gather at Burghfield the global scene around nuclear weapons is
changing. The UN’s Open-ended Working Group[2] is offering new and
hopeful routes to world disarmament and the movement for a global ban
(as for landmines and chemical weapons) is now backed by 127 nations.
Increasingly the nuclear weapon states are seen as a minority entirely
out of step with a majority world which knows that we will all suffer
hideously should there be any nuclear weapon exchange. More locally,
Scotland now has a people, a parliament and a government that reject
nuclear weapons.
In Britain the conventional political processes are largely unable to
respond to the huge concern at home and abroad about the UK’s continuing
and threatening deployment of horrific weapons of mass destruction. In
the face of such gross and flagrant illegitimacy our actions will be
entirely legitimate. We will be standing up for the basic principles of
international humanitarian law and identifying with the growing
worldwide aspiration for a global ban treaty.
Our intervention will be entirely peaceful and non-violent, but it will
be determined, imaginative and persistent.”
Contacts: Angie Zelter 074-565-88943
https://tridentploughshares.org/join-us-in-june-awe-burghfield-month-of-action/
[1] Monday 6th June – Trident Ploughshares
Tuesday 7th June – Scottish groups
Wednesday 8th June – European mainland groups
Thursday 9th June – Yorkshire and North of England
Monday 13th June – Students
Tuesday 14th June – Southern Region
Wednesday 15th June – Wales
Thursday 16th June – Academics
Monday 20th June – Women
Monday 27th June – Religious and Faith based groups
Tuesday 28th June – Legislators
Wednesday 29th June – London
Thursday 30th June – Bristol
[2] ICAN | International Campaign to Abolish
Nuclear Weapons