Nukewatch UK photo
from Nukewatch UK
On November 16, a convoy carrying nuclear weapons was halted briefly by three members of Nukewatch UK as it left the Defence Support Group base in Stirling, near Bannockburn, in protest of the continued transport of Trident warheads on public roads and the risks that these pose to the community.
David Mackenzie, Jane Tallents and Janet Fenton safely brought the vehicles to a standstill as the convoy attempted to leave the base on their way from AWE Burghfield near Reading where warheads are assembled to RNAD Coulport near Helensburgh where the warheads are loaded onto submarines. They were taken to a police station, charged with “obstructing the police” for not moving out of the road when asked, and later released. The activists pointed out that they weren’t asked to leave the road, just shoved aside.
David and Jane have recently published a report, UNREADY SCOTLAND, which exposes how unprepared the local authorities on the convoy routes in Scotland are to deal with a serious accident involving nuclear weapons convoys. Most of the responses to a survey of these councils said that the MOD would deal with the outcome of an accident, however the MODs own information document makes plain that civil authorities would be responsible for public safety. In light of this, the three activists took action to hold it inside a secure MOD establishment and are continuing to press the Scottish government for a review of arrangements by the civil authorities for dealing with a radiation release from a serious convoy incident.
Nukewatch UK photo
Jane Tallents said, “Most people don’t know that nuclear weapons pass right through their communities. While the majority in Scotland are opposed to Trident on moral, legal and economic grounds, very little is said about the risks we are unknowingly all taking every time one of these convoys is on our roads. We want the Scottish government to conduct a review of the arrangements for dealing with a convoy accident and let the public know what the risks really are.”
Janet Fenton said, “There is a United Nations treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons now, so the Scottish government can align itself with the world and challenge the UK government. How can Scotland plan for the safety of its population when the UK government shows such arrogant disregard for the safety and welfare of people everywhere by transporting warheads across the land with impunity? Our representatives locally and nationally must take steps to let people know the risks that are imposed on them.”
David Mackenzie said, “Here’s a peaceful wee corner of Scotland. Kids in the school, folk going about their ordinary business, others playing golf around the corner, the usual stuff. And then, in the middle of it all, this absolute monstrosity and us pretending, mostly, that the horror of the nuclear threat is part of the normal. The pretending has to end. The world is waking up to the fact that if we continue down this route there is no future for humanity, only terror and hideous suffering. Let’s all wake up and chase this vile thing from our roads, our lands, our hearts.”
Photos and video at Facebook.com/NukewatchUK and @NukewatchUK
Nukewatch is a network of individuals who campaign against nuclear warhead convoys, mainly because they are part of a system of Weapons of Mass Destruction, but also because we believe that communities potentially affected by the convoys should be aware of their existence and the risks they pose. http://www.nukewatch.org.uk/
UNREADY SCOTLAND: the critical gap in our response to the transport of nuclear weapons. http://www.nukewatch.org.uk/?page_id=748
Nukewatch UK photo