Nuclear weapons crime in the UK has been reported to Thames Valley Police.
NEWS RELEASE 11th May 2014 Trident Ploughshares Shirley Law 0790-493-4142 Angie Zelter 0745-658-8943 CRIMESTOPPERS WILL REPORT DEVONPORT'S INVOLVEMENT IN CONSPIRACIES TO COMMIT WAR CRIMES AT CHARLES CROSS POLICE STATION IN PLYMOUTH ON 12TH MAY FROM 9.30 a.m. Alarmed people will converge on Charles Cross Police Station on Monday at 9.30 a.m. to report on crimes being committed by those responsible for running H.M. Naval Base Devonport, which includes Babcock Marine. In conjunction with Action AWE (Atomic Weapons Eradication), the local Trident Ploughshares group – The Tamarians - will call on the police to arrest Government, Devonport and Babcock officials responsible for maintaining and re-fitting Trident submarines as this is part of criminal preparations to commit war crimes. “Those people working in Devonport naval base and enabling Trident submarines to continue to threaten mass destruction are subject to the law. They are not immune to prosecution. Nuclear weapons are subject to the same legal restraints as any form of weapon,” said Shirley Law, of the local Tamarian group. “In view of their massive, indiscriminate effects, any use of nuclear weapons would be a war crime and crime against humanity. By maintaining the submarines and enabling their deployment with nuclear weapons is a violation of some of the most important international humanitarian laws. People need to report these crimes and insist that our elected government complies fully with international law.” 'We are here today in Plymouth to report a war crime, a crime against peace and a crime against humanity”, said Michal Lovejoy, a member of Trident Ploughshares, “The British nuclear warheads are fired from missiles housed in a nuclear powered Trident submarine that is maintained at Devonport, here in the midst of Plymouth. Devonport is thus a major part of the conspiracy to commit a war crime. Firing British nuclear weapons would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would cause suffering well beyond any so-called ‘target’ area and affecting unborn generations. We, the public, cannot allow our government, armed forces and private corporations to continue to make and deploy weapons intended for mass murder. They must not be treated as above the law. In a functioning democracy when the armed forces break the law they must be brought to account.” For radio or tv interviews, photos and further updates contact: Shirley Law 0790-493-4142 Michal Lovejoy 0781-557-3621 Angie Zelter 0745-658-8943. See also: www.tridentploughshares.org and www.actionawe.org where photos and information will be posted throughout the day. ENDS Notes to editors: 1. Trident Ploughshares was launched in May 1998 as a grass-roots peace campaign to disarm the UK Trident nuclear weapons system in a non-violent, open, peaceful and fully accountable manner. Trident Ploughshares was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, widely known as the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’ in 2001. See www.tridentploughshares.org The Tamarians are an affinity group of Trident Ploughshares based in Plymouth. 2. 125 governments co-sponsored a statement at the 2013 UN First Committee that noted, among other things, that “the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons affect not only governments, but each and every citizen of our interconnected world. They have deep implications for human survival; for our environment; for socio-economic development; for our economies; and for the health of future generations. For these reasons, we firmly believe that awareness of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons must underpin all approaches and efforts towards nuclear disarmament.” 3. http://actionawe.org/pacific-ocean-marshall-islands-launch-lawsuits-against-nations-with-nuclear-arms/
