Press Release
About 30 activists from across Wales are currently blockading the Atomic
Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield. They have been there since from 7am
this morning. Campaigners will be calling for Trident to be scrapped and
plans to replace it to be abandoned.
The activists - from areas including Knighton, Cardiff, Builth and Swansea
are accompanied by 3 huge red dragons and are ‘locked on’ with chains across
the main entrance.
Interviews with those blockading the gate are available.
Please phone: Rebecca Johnson 07733360955
Blockader, Kay Holder from the Vale of Glamorgan sent us this:
“Nid yw’n bywydau yn ddigon anodd, trychineb ac afiechyd ymhobman, heb i ni gynllunio i ladd ein gilydd? Mae’r llywodraeth yn cynllunio i ladd pobl, unigolion dydw i erioed wedi clywed amdanynt, yn fy enw i ac yn defnyddio trethi a dalwyd gennyf. Telir dros £2 biliwn y flwyddyn dim ond i gynnal a chadw ein harfau niwcliar presennol. Beth am gadw a chynnal y blaned gan gynllunio i fyw gyda’n gilydd yn heddychlon mewn byd ble mae’r hinsawdd yn newid yn frawychus o gyflym?”
Please contact CND Cymru [email protected] for photographs of this
morning’s action.
………………………………
Extracts from a press release of September 30th - see www.cndcymru.org for
full text:
AWE Burghfield is situated between Aldermaston and Reading in Berkshire. It
is responsible for the complex final assembly and maintenance of the
warheads while in service, as well as their decommissioning.
The protest will be yet another Welsh contribution to current ‘AWE Action’
events1. Choirs, groups and individuals from Wales have already been taking
part in this campaign this spring and summer.
The action is one of a continuing series of protests by Welsh peace
activists. ‘All-Wales’ Days when activists have been arrested for blockading
nuclear weapons bases have also been held at the Faslane nuclear weapons base in Scotland 2 and at AWE Aldermaston. Last October a successful demonstration was held outside the Senedd in Cardiff to make it clear that
Trident was not wanted in Wales (or anywhere)3..
Those taking part in the blockade will include individual Welsh activists,Côr Cochion Caerdydd and around 20 protestors from Knighton Powys. On 20th September Knighton Action for Peace and Justice and a local red dragon delivered a letter to all the Powys Councillors calling on the Council to debate the responsibility of all peoples and institutions to stop nuclear proliferation by disarming all Britain’s nuclear bombs 4.
CND Cymru and other peace organisations are strongly supported in Wales, a country well known for its history of radical movements and pacifism. Over centuries many have worked for international understanding and peaceful resolution of conflict - while London-based governments have built up armaments and carried on with war-building business as usual.
Nuclear weapons are no defence. They not only undermine the common wish for a safe society and future for our children and grandchildren, waste scarce resources, destabilise the world and increase international suspicion and
insecurity, they are unusable without destroying all life on earth.
Every one of us in Wales pays for nuclear weapons. The recent Westminster Budget made further cuts to vital public services; threatening hospitals, public transport, benefits and education.
While many areas of Wales continue to be impoverished, succeeding Westminster governments have failed to seriously consider scrapping the Trident nuclear weapons system, not even as a way of saving resources for the people who need them. Such a move would straight away save over £2bn per year currently spent on its maintenance. The government is now planning to waste £100bn on building and running another obscene replacement nuclear weapons system.
Apart from individual Welsh activists taking part in Thursday’s event include Côr Cochion Caerdydd and around 20 protestors from Knighton Powys.
On 20th September Knighton Action for Peace and Justice and a local red dragon delivered a letter to all the Powys Councillors calling on the Council to debate the responsibility of all peoples and institutions to stop nuclear proliferation by disarming all Britain’s nuclear bombs 5.
Activist Marie Walsh from Blackwood, who works for Islwyn Community Credit
Union said:
‘We can’t afford to spend billions on weapons of mass destruction; it just doesn’t make any kind of sense. I’d like to see Trident dismantled not replaced.’
Jill Gough, CND Cymru National Secretary:
‘The total cost of a replacement for Trident would be over £100 billion. Whatever the cost, nuclear weapons would be immoral, illegal and obscene; the current cuts to jobs, housing, hospitals, schools and other public services only serve to highlight the skewed values of our Governments.’
Angie Zelter from Knighton, Powys, founder of Action AWE and CND Cymru member commented:
‘After the successful 2 week summer camp on MoD land right next to the fence of AWE Burghfield, Action AWE is keeping the pressure on. We are bringing our friendly dragon from Knighton to eat Trident in a colourful blockade to clearly say, ‘Disarm now and start preparing for peace. We need co-operation, not war, to deal with climate change and to enable everyone on the planet to live in security and health’
