Introduction to the campaign.
October First 2006 will see the beginning of an audacious civil resistance initiative to apply critical public pressure for the disarmament of Britain's nuclear weapons.
Building on the success of previous mass blockades of the Trident nuclear base at Faslane, there will be a year-long continuous peaceful blockade at Faslane in Scotland. To make this happen, groups and organisations from Scotland, England and Wales, and beyond are being invited to come and shut down the base for at least one 48-hour period each during the year.
The purpose of Faslane 365 is twofold: to bring people to witness and impede the nuclear base where Britain's nuclear weapons are deployed, and enable them to demonstrate the range of serious concerns - from human rights to climate change - that people in the real world consider to be the vital challenges for the 21st century. Running from October 1st 2006 for a year, at a time when Tony Blair has put on the political agenda the prospect of spending some £40 billion more to keep nuclear weapons in Scotland until at least the year 2055, Faslane 365 will draw attention to the dangerous insecurity and waste of resources inherent in the Trident nuclear system, and will mobilise support for these nuclear mistakes to be disarmed. In preventing nuclear 'business as usual' we also intend to highlight our real, human security needs, which will require a very different allocation of resources and action.
In order to do this, Faslane 365 is asking a wide range of local, national and even international groups from all sections of civil society to come to Faslane with at least 100 people committed to stay and make their visions for a just and peaceful future visible for at least one period of 48 hours. To ensure effective coverage, groups will overlap on the first day with the previous group and on the second with the incoming group. Groups can also share their blockade or make use of the fact that Faslane has two main gates, at which different events could be held. The more people in your group the better, and smaller groups could also combine with others to make up the required number. If some groups are able to commit to more than one period - perhaps at a different time of year - that is more than welcome!
While an important aim of the initiative is to have enough people prepared to blockade and disrupt the comings and goings of this nuclear base, we strongly encourage groups to consider creative and innovative ways to make links between their particular priorities and the dangerous diversion of resources devoted to Trident, for example through music, theatre, workshops, festivals, redecoration of the base and so on. On the understanding that the deployment and threat to use nuclear weapons undermines their vision of a better society, each group is also encouraged to use their 48 hours for outreach and networking, including contacting and attracting media to cover their presence at Faslane and the issues they want to highlight.
All who participate will contribute, but no one organisation will 'own' the continuous blockade. All groups will need to agree to a basic set of non-negotiable guidelines that stress nonviolence and respect for all. All groups must also commit to the main demand: Trident must be taken out of deployment and the government should make a timetable for dismantling the weapons, together with a commitment not to develop any new nuclear weapons. Beyond these basic commitments, it is up to individual groups to conduct the blockade as they see fit.
We aim to start on October 1st, 2006 - the anniversary of the Judgment of the Nuremberg Tribunal. The first blockade has already been booked for a women's blockade that links Faslane 365 with one of the biggest successes of the peace movement, the removal of 'cruise' nuclear weapons and closure of the Greenham Common airbase. Twenty-five years from the start of the Greenham Common Peace Camp, this connection carries proven experience of the effectiveness of combining civil society opposition at the physical site of deployment with creative actions and networking that will send our different visions of shared, cooperative security around the world.
Become part of this unique opportunity to make a vital difference! We know this initiative will catch imaginations and grow, but we want to have 100 groups signed up for the first hundred days before we give the final go-ahead. We need you to join us! There will be plenty of help and support, including nonviolence workshops, and a detailed briefing pack. Contact us for more specific information and to discuss any questions or practical issues that your group may have.
Donations are welcome and cheques should be made out to 'Faslane 365' and sent to Valley Farmhouse, East Runton, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9PN.
This has been kept deliberately simple. The most important element in the structure is the Blockading Group (BG). There is a basic undertaking common to everyone (see below) but other decisions are entirely in the hands of the BGs.
Although the Blockading Groups will work autonomously and take responsibility for all their own arrangements, nevertheless advice, guidance and support will be available from the following Working Groups (WG):
This group will work with the Faslane 365 Trainers Network to offer workshops on nonviolence, blockading techniques and tactics and other topics as requested.
This group will offer guidance and advice about relevant rights under the law, relevant charges and offences, arrest procedure and court appearance and will keep an overall record of arrests and court cases.
Contact the Legal Working Group
This group will offer guidance if required about contact with the media and will provide lists of media contacts. It will also deal with archiving and recording the project.
This group will explore and undertake contact with various relevant authorities, including Government Departments, and Police.
This group helped organise a public launch of the blockade.
Other Working Groups may be set up as the need arises.
To co-ordinate the activity of the BGs and WGs there is a Steering Group (SG). This group takes on the main responsibility for identifying potential Blockading Groups and for maintaining contact with them, for keeping the Blockade Rota updated and the Website managed. Each Steering Group member will be responsible for maintaining contact with particular Blockading Groups and making sure they get the support and information they require. Each Steering Group member will also be an active member of one of the Working Groups. The Steering Group, which includes those responsible for founding the project, is self-appointing, but will seek to develop a diverse membership of those with relevant skills, contacts and experience.
The present members of the SG are: Adam Conway, Rebecca Johnson, David MacKenzie, David McLachlan, Anna-Linnea Rundberg, Jane Tallents and Angie Zelter.
Contact the Steering Group
Taking part in a peaceful and nonviolent blockade of Faslane in an agreed two-day slot in the rota and sharing a common demand with other Blockading Groups, that Trident is to be taken off patrol and a clear timetable for dismantling the UK's nuclear weapons to be made plus a commitment not to develop new nuclear weapons.
Below are the kinds of questions we've been asked as we've talked to groups and individuals to mobilise for Faslane 365, with some basicresponses.
Surely people are more concerned nowadays with debt relief, climate change, the war in Iraq, the crumbling of our health and education infrastructure, terrorism........ Nuclear weapons are such an outdated, cold war issue, why bother?
You're right that nuclear weapons are outdated, but the issue is not. Recent developments make clear that we need to confront nuclear policy now, with a major push, as a matter of urgency. Tony Blair's government is planning to spend more than £40 billion over time on a so-called replacement nuclear system for Trident (with the same purpose but new and improved!). The present Trident is meant to last to 2024 as it is, so the plan is to ensure that Britain will rely on nuclear weapons (and therefore also on the United States) until at least the year 2055. The decision has to be taken in the next few years, and if we pull out all the stops we can prevent this criminal waste of resources. This is possible, and if we succeed it will have a major impact on a host of other vital issues that are interrelated.
But even more important than the waste of resources - and we can all think of better ways to spend £40 billion - is the way in which our government's determination to hang on to its ability to threaten mass destruction undermines the very roots of our society. It makes a mockery of all law and morality when, as a matter of routine defence policy, this country breaches the most fundamental of international and humanitarian laws by deploying and threatening to use the most heinous of weapons of mass destruction. And what does it say to the rest of the world when Britain cannot face the prospect of being without nuclear weapons, even though we have undertaken as a matter of international law to accomplish the complete elimination of our nuclear arsenal.
Representing a quick and violent 'fix' to complex threats and challenges, nuclear weapons epitomise the abuses of power and skewed values that fuel terrorism and the growing levels of violence in our homes and on our streets. Trident has thus become inextricably related to a wide range of economic, humanitarian and justice issues.
If we succeed in cutting the cord that binds our country to nuclear weapons, we will find that we have gone a long way towards cutting or at least loosening the hold of the military mindset and the dominant corporations, giving us a better chance to turn things around on a host of other issues, from climate change to human rights and poverty. We're not saying 'drop what you're doing and switch to stopping Trident': this isn't either/or, because the issues are linked. We're asking for 48 hours of your time to make the connections: to publicise and work on your issues while helping us physically to close the Faslane nuclear base.
Why not Devonport (where the Trident submarines go for their re-fit) or Aldermaston (where nuclear warheads are refurbished and new warheads researched and built)? Isn't there a risk that such a long blockade at Faslane might take away energy from the protests at these other places?
Faslane is where our nuclear weapons system is actively based - it is the home base of Trident. It is thus of prime importance. However, there are many military sites in the UK, where demonstrations and civil resistance need to be maintained and built upon, so that people do not forget the complex military network that keeps Trident ready for war. Faslane 365 is not going to replace protests and civil resistance at these places. From past experience, it is more likely to add energy and help these other places to become better known, so that the government can see there is opposition to what is going on at all the nuclear bases.
Won't it mean fewer actions overall? People and groups are low, so much is wrong, there is so much to do.....
Success breeds success; and if we make this work, energy will flow once more in many directions. Though in its entirety the blockade will be a year long, activists and groups are only being asked to commit to making their own 48 hours a success - that is the equivalent of one weekend out of a whole year, which is surely not too much to ask when the stakes - getting rid of nuclear weapons - are so high. Some activists or groups will no doubt want to commit to more, which will be welcome, but we need to be careful to help each other and be respectful of when activists need recuperation time, while trusting and knowing that this initiative will bring in more activists to share the work.
there are already problems between rival factions and perspectives, won't this exacerbate them?
There are many different roads to peace and disarmament and a more sustainable and healthy world community, and we must respect and support the contributions made by all. Splits, factions and undermining other people's ways of working are not helpful. There is a place for everyone. Conferences, peace education, academic studies,lobbying, letter writing and civil resistance are all important. Fresh momentum in any one of these different ways of working helps us all. We must applaud and encourage diversity of method and be prepared to share and involve ourselves in a range of different initiatives.
There might be a backlash against the peace movement or the wider activist community (anti-terrorist laws being used against blockades in the environmental and solidarity movements for instance). Or Faslane Peace Camp might get threatened with closure once more...
We live in an increasingly repressive state where the 'threat of terrorism' is more and more widely used to justify repressive techniques being used by the police and 'authorities'. It may be likely that the more effective we become the more repressive will be the response, but this is something we need to challenge, not give in and let it get worse. If we give up because of fear, the abuses of power and repressive acts will become worse, particularly against more vulnerable groups in our society. We must not self-censor as that lets repression win, with dire consequences for society and human rights; instead, we need to keep each other informed, face repression in solidarity, give strong support to those who are particularly targeted, and find ways of challenging repressive laws. There are many supportive lawyers who will help us to challenge and change these repressive laws and techniques.
Like the stopping of coaches to prevent protesters from getting anywhere near Fairford during the anti-war protests in
the build up to the war against Iraq. Or by containing people away from the gates so they cannot block them.
This may happen so we will have to come up with contingency plans. In some ways it does not matter where we are stopped. The important fact is that we seriously intend to get to Faslane, and that we continue to try to do this throughout our 48 hour block. If we are stopped by the police along the way, we should try to do our blockade where we are, even if it's in the middle of a road. That extra disruption becomes their responsibility too, and they will quickly learn that this tactic is more trouble than it is worth! If stopped, we need to explain our purpose of upholding international law and preventing preparations for mass murder from continuing at Faslane, and we should ask them to release us and join us! However far from the gates of Faslane we are, we should be prepared to make a visible blockade and protest, and as long as is feasible to continue to make attempts to get to Faslane.
We can undermine such police techniques by using such stops to demonstrate to an even wider public that we are part of the Faslane 365 blockade and so send our messages out, regardless of where they try to stop us. Later we can get a second chance by challenging such stops through the courts, which will tie up more of their time and resources!
We can also draw on our creativity and determination to find different ways to reach Faslane, including splitting into smaller groups to walk or take buses, taxis, trains, bicycles, even boats to Faslane. The important thing is that at least 100 new people will be coming each day, and one way or another our visibility and commitments to blockade and disrupt the work at Faslane will send a strong message of shared people power, and give that necessary push to the Scottish and British Parliaments to uphold international law and get rid of Trident.
This will depend on how prepared and determined we all are. Police tactics have not been particularly heavy handed in the past (see some blockading stories on our website), but if they become so, we must ensure that the rota commitments are taken seriously and that we act in solidarity with each other. We need to ensure we are well prepared and trained, where necessary, and that we've thought through the various scenarios. Most importantly, we need to follow through our commitments and if one group is singled out by the police then we must both support that group and also keep the blockade going.
but instead open up new gates or find other routes to ferry everyone in and carry on as normal?
If the base were to resort to such methods that would already be a major indication that we were being successful in preventing business as usual. Furthermore, it would be psychologically hard for the military to allow any gate - especially the Main Gate - to be closed by protest for any length of time. If they open up new routes into the base then we may have to flow into these new places. Each group will write up their experiences and put this on the website so that those coming after know what has happened before and can contact each other for suggestions and ideas.
In any nonviolent struggle should we not make sure there is a way out?
There is a way out. We will keep all doors open for dialogue and discussion with the base and the Scottish and British politicians, who have overall responsibility for decisions concerning Faslane. We will be establishing an experienced dialogue and negotiation team that will try to talk to the politicians and ask them to uphold international law. The Scottish Parliament can reject Trident as being unlawful. With our pressure we may be able to help them do what they have wanted to do for many years: get rid of weapons of mass destruction and create a truly defensive defence approach that puts human security at the heart of its work.
This depends on how we conduct the campaign. If we act in positive, loving and respectful ways then the actions in themselves will be worthwhile. Success is unlikely to come in one fell swoop, but the year-long blockade will have a very powerful impact on public consciousness and political decision-making, and in the process the next phase of ideas and strategies will emerge.
We have to recognise that nuclear disarmament is not a linear process where progress can be measured step by step; it is more like dislodging a heavily-embedded boulder that has deep roots in the military-industrial complex and is held in place by strong tentacles of bureaucratic, corporate and political vested interests. To get it to budge even slightly takes a lot of digging in many places underneath, as well as cutting the tentacles and concerted pushing with everything we've got - Trident Ploughshares, Aldermaston Women's Campaign, CND groups, the peace camp and the anti-nuclear work of the past decades have already done a huge amount of this digging and chipping away to loosen the boulder. It's now a bit loose, and has been put a bit off balance because the government has started trying to get another boulder down on top to last for another 50 years - and they want to do this fast, before anyone notices and stops them! This is our chance! To get it to shift we now need a really big, strong, sustained push. That is what Faslane 365 hopes to do. Once the Trident boulder starts to shift, disarmament will pick up momentum and carry other issues forward as well.
We will need to listen and talk to local people and make them aware of why we are doing what we are doing. Since the Faslane Peace Camp and Trident Ploughshares have been taking actions for many years, contacts have been made that can be further built on, but we do need to make it clear that our target is Trident, and our aim is not to make life difficult for ordinary people. The impact of Trident nuclear weapons and the infrastructure and activities of Faslane Naval Base on local life is immense, and many local people are unhappy aboutwhat has happened to their mountains and lochs. We need to engage with them. We should do regular leafleting and hold some public meetings on the impact of Trident and the nuclear base. We need to ask for their help and support in getting rid of this evil and we need to offer our help in thinking through and developing economic alternatives for when the base is closed down.
There may be other concerns too, such as the clogging up of local courts, public money spent on covering increased police presence and thus being diverted from local public services and so on. We will have to explain the connections between what we are doing and these concerns, and that in addition to trying to prevent a nuclear holocaust we want to stop the misuse of public money on illegal weapons of mass destruction. Scottish groups that have the resources might like to put on local public meetings in Glasgow or Helensburgh, to explain why they are taking part in Faslane 365 and why they want the local population to join in with them. It is also worth pointing out that the local government should not allow their money to be used for ill-advised police protection for a military base that is involved in preparing to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Preparation. Thinking ahead. Practice. Refugees cope, when they generally have no warning and very few of the resources that will be available to us. Peace campers have also lived through weeks, months, even years of such conditions, whereas we will be doing it for only 48 hours at a time. We need to wear clothes appropriate to the season and our actions, and can get anti-midge lotion or wear nets to keep midges out in summer. We can also come provided with rainproof gear, plastic or tarpaulin, or take chairs or folding beds or blow-up mats with us. Plan on bringing food, drinks, even thermos flasks (and if all else fails, a fire in front of the gates can be a very effective blockading technique, enabling us to keep warm and boil a kettle to boot!). The important thing is to think through potential needs and problems and use our creativity, not only to survive but to enjoy ourselves too!
What happens if we fail to recruit enough even for the first hundred days? Doesn't this plan to blockade for such a long time rely on large numbers of people willing and able to be arrested, as it is unlikely that the police will let us stay for any length of time or accept our arguments that what we are doing is lawful. The failure of not even being able to start could result in even more depression and lack of hope.
It is better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all. The need to stop the next wave of nuclear weapons is so urgent that we have to be prepared to give it everything we've got. In addition to seeking people prepared to brave arrest for the sake of preventing these nuclear war-crimes and human rights abuses, each group will also need people willing to come to Faslane in a variety of other, non-arrestable capacities, to provide visibility, legal support, drivers, music, food and theatre, for example. The very process of trying can make things happen and inspire other ideas or actions, too. If we find we have to adjust our sights, then we may need to be flexible about the plan. To try with hope and act with true intent is all that is asked - we cannot fail at that. Peace is the way not the end.
There is a fear factor to address. Some people are afraid of being arrested, especially if they've just embarked on careers, in case any resulting conviction is reported to their employer, or becomes part of their job application history. In fact, people arrested for anti-nuclear protests include serving MPs, ministers, doctors, nurses, social workers, academics - even Martin Sheen (the US President in the West Wing, arrested three times for nonviolent trespasses at the Nevada nuclear test site)! The briefing pack explains what may be involved, and nonviolence training will include ways of addressing these fears and finding out what role is best for each person to take.
What if, for example, a nuclear power station has been blown up, maybe by non-state terrorists here or by state terrorists trying to prevent Iran's nuclear programme, or other dramatic and destabilising developments like that?
The need for the UK to disarm its nuclear weapons will still be imperative. We know we are not terrorists, and this underscores the necessity for all groups participating in the blockade to be totally nonviolent, open and accountable, so that it is clear to any honest person that we are not terrorists.
These kinds of smears have been hurled at protesters for a long time. In the cold war we were called commies, for example. We must learn the lessons from the past and from other countries where such smears are regularly employed to discredit dissenters. Our best protection is to involve a wide range of people from all walks of life, to stand up for what we believe in, and to be engaged courteously with everyone we approach. The more people who know someone from their family or community or work-place who is involved with Faslane 365, the easier it will be to dismiss the smears.
There will be many different religious groups involved in Faslane 365. We have to acknowledge that racism poses greater dangers for some communities than others, and that the recent anti-terrorist legislation may encourage the police to specifically target Asian or Muslim people that get involved, using the excuse that they think they might be terrorists. Our ground rules of nonviolence are very clear - there will be no rational basis for the police to think that we are terrorists. Faslane 365 will make it clear that we expect equal treatment under the law and we need to insist on this and pay particular attention to ensuring that minority groups are not picked off for special harassment.
We need to be vigilant to support people if abuses and racism do occur. We are also working on getting a group of lawyers and journalists who will monitor the overall conduct of the blockade and policing throughout the months. Blockaders will be able to call on these experts if abuses occur. In addition, we strongly encourage groups to provide supporters and observers of their own: for example, maybe they could get religious leaders or local parliamentary representatives or supportive lawyers or other 'respected members of the town or community' to be present during their block as observers (an especially useful role for those who don't feel able to be an arrestable part of the blockade themselves). They can act as witnesses, able to vouch for the peacefulness and courtesy of the blockaders and making sure that the police and courts know that their behaviour is being monitored as well.
There are always unknown consequences. All we can do is to think hard and try to imagine what they may be, but we will not be able to imagine them all. Our only guide is to act purely and with honest good intent, to be mindful and thoughtful.
Our fears can either paralyse us, or - more constructively, we can use them to act as a stimulus for our creativity to overcome any obstacles or unanticipated developments. There are many 'what ifs'? we need to think about the possibilities and our responses, while also being prepared and flexible to deal positively with anything that might arise.
Though unlikely, such a move - which would be hugely costly and inconvenient for the government and navy - would of course count as a significant victory. If they did do this, we would need to mobilise as effectively at Devonport and they would have nowhere else to put it! If we successfully dislodged them from Faslane, where they've been entrenched for a long time, it will be even easier next time!
Whether viewed as a way of life or a tactic in actions, nonviolence is a core principle of the Faslane 365 actions that must be respected by all. It will also provide significant strength and protection for us, especially if we are faced with violence from the police or anyone else. All participating groups will have to agree to the guidelines on nonviolence and mutual respect. All individuals and groups will be responsible for maintaining complete nonviolence during their own blockading times. We will encourage participating groups to take nonviolence workshops so that we all share a similar preparatory background. The problem is the same for all nonviolent actions. We must set the framework, take responsibility for ourselves and our group and then have faith that others will do the same. If things go wrong or individuals temporarily lose control, as sometimes happens, it will be important for other members of those groups to help defuse the situation and restore nonviolence.
Absolutely not! Groups are asked to commit to the 48-hour period, but individuals can find practical ways to participate in accordance with their needs and capabilities, such as taking turns of just an hour or two. Another possibility might be to have a larger group spreading the 48 hour period between them, e.g. for a group of 200 to commit to doing 24 hours each. Take into account what your group feels able to carry out and build that into your planning. Then there are other practical arrangements of taking beds and shelters with you???
However, as with any activities, some people will not be able to take part in the blockading. All people, including disabled people, have different abilities, circumstances and capacities, and this long blockade may not be equally accessible to everyone in terms of risking arrest. Some people will have dependents, some may be too ill, some will be asylum seekers or 'illegal' immigrants, or will have learning disabilities; there may be a variety of reasons why vulnerable people would not feel able to risk arrest, including the stress, claustrophobia etc. It is important that everyone who wants to participate is made to feel that their contribution is of equal value, whether or not they feel able to sit in front of the gates for long hours or risk arrest. People may choose to provide support that is just as important and necessary - work as legal and court observers, researchers, communicators, educators, banner holders, cooks, clearer uppers, drivers?? We are a diverse community and everyone cannot and should not take exactly the same role.
Trident was dumped on the Scottish people without their willing consent and many would like to see it taken away. This is not a Scottish problem, but a problem for all. Although we are calling on people from all over the UK and even from other countries to get involved, because Trident is a threat to world peace, it's true that Scotland bears a heavier burden because that's where Trident is based.
Civil resistance works most effectively if the local population backs it, so it is very important that we ask the Scottish people to back Faslane 365 and to become involved. The more support Scottish people can give and the more they join the blockade, the more support will be pulled in from people from other countries.
The Scottish Parliament is as weak as it allows itself to be. It does not have to accept illegal weapons of mass destruction on its land. Although defence matters are reserved to Westminster, Westminster cannot force Scotland to engage in illegal acts even if they concern the defence forces. But it needs strength of character and determination to stand up to Westminster? maybe a people's blockade going on for so long will give courage to the politicians to stand up for Scotland's right to refuse to collaborate in an illegal deployment of nuclear weapons foisted on them from London.
And aren't all matters of ethics and right livelihood sneered at as being naïve? The Suffragettes were sneered at for being politically naive, but they won the vote for women. Often when people bring matters of ethics and law into political demands they are dismissed as naive. It is far more naive to imagine that Britain can have any influence on preventing proliferation if it hangs on to nuclear weapons itself, and very naive to think that nuclear weapons will not be used some time in the near future unless we make much greater progress in nuclear disarmament worldwide.
We have already had discussion with three political parties in Scotland who have indicated support and said that they are willing to take on 48-hour blocks. One party said that they may want to take on 3 separate blocks in the run-up to the Scottish General Election.
Who would the groups be presenting their respective programmes to, and where? The European Social Forum typically takes
place over days, and in a single gathering-place.
The blockade is whatever the participating people and groups make of it. Some will want to be autonomous, using their blocks for political visibility and to make the links between their issues and the crimes and costs of this nuclear nonsense. Others will want to view it as a rolling civil resistance forum, which can happen because of the overlapping of 48-hour blocks. As a new group arrives each day, there will be overlap with the groups before and after (except the first and last). It makes sense to think of the first day of each group's block - when energy is at its highest - as their main day for publicity and for getting their messages to the public. The second day may be for winding down and some of a group's energies may be taken up with supporting members who may have been arrested by then. They can also hear the incoming group's messages and issues, if they want, or move to a different gate for the second day. The opportunity would be there for overlapping groups to network and even work together, but this doesn't have to be the pattern for all to follow.
We're also thinking of holding a public launch (in Glasgow or Edinburgh) around a month before the blockade starts, at which as many groups as wish to can introduce themselves and their work and explain what they see as the link between their specific issues and the weapons of mass destruction being deployed by the UK government in Scotland. There will be opportunities for cross-issue panels, press interviews and stalls for groups to make their information and publications available to others. The press, Members of the Scottish Parliament and various local authorities, the police and military will be invited to the launch, along with the general public.
Another way for groups to share their respective programmes will be through the website where each participating group will have a dedicated page where they will explain their work, give links to their websites, and explain why they are taking part in the blockade.
Many of the organisations that are being approached are struggling to raise funds for their own campaigns.
This will be difficult, but we are raising money from various sources and have confidence that with mutual support, respect and networking we can raise enough for the core mobilising, training and materials, and that groups will be able to raise funds to cover the costs of their 48-hour blocks. We will need to approach people for funds in the same way as we approach them to support us spiritually and physically. If everyone gives a little then we can fund ourselves. Problems can be overcome and will become a strength.
Donations can be made to :- 'Faslane 365' and sent to Faslane 365,
Valley Farmhouse, East Runton, Cromer, Norfolk NR27 9PN, UK.
I've heard that you can now get arrested under the Terrorism Act at Faslane. Is this true?
There are a number of sites around the UK, one of which is Faslane, which are "Designated Areas" under a new power in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (as amended by the Terrorism Act 2006). It is an offence under this to be inside Faslane without lawful authority.
However, this only applies if you go inside the fence. As long as you stay outside the fence this does not apply - even if you are on MoD land and blockading the gates.
For more information on this see
http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article1405
There are a number of different ways to achieve peace and justice. We need to work to build a just world through sustainable development which involves ordinary people at the grassroots, we need to find creative ways of resolving conflict, and we need to build alternative structures and communities along sane and sustainable lines.
Some situations require us to engage in active nonviolence. For instance, where there is a disparity in power between two sides in a conflict so that the powerless side has to take action so that negotiations can start. The need may be as basic as to demand recognition from the powerful that they are fellow human beings, or to get them to see that there is a problem. Or the situation may be one of such structural injustice that it cannot be improved or reformed, but has to be transformed.
The aim of nonviolence is both dialogue and resistance - dialogue with the people to persuade them, and resistance to the structures to compel change. Faslane 365 also has these aims, and will through nonviolent civil resistance apply a critical public pressure for the disarmament of Britain's nuclear weapons.
Dramatising actions, usually symbolic, can be used to reveal the truth of an issue and to draw attention to it. For example, homelessness campaigners in Washington claimed the body of a pauper who froze to death and carried it in a coffin to city hall, thus literally laying it at the door of those responsible. Faslane 365 will go a step further as we are actually shutting down the flow of traffic to the base and thus preventing workers from going in.
The 'creative disorder' of demonstrations, blockades, marches or peaceful invasions attract attention to an issue and can lead to change. Non-cooperation - strikes, boycotts, stay-aways, refusal to follow orders - and intervention - blockades, sit-ins, direct action - create a crisis and can compel necessary change when opponents can't be persuaded. (NB: One should never use a method which one would not want used against oneself!)
Characteristics of a nonviolent campaign:
We are committed to always acting in a way that causes no harm to ourselves or others. We ask that everyone taking part in Faslane 365 respect and follow these guidelines:
Unarmed truth is the strongest power in the universe.
Martin Luther King
In all our direct action, trainings and workshops we emphasise that all our actions are totally non-violent. This paper explains briefly why this is so important.
Most important of all: Nonviolence works.
In all these examples nonviolence has been part of a long and often costly struggle. Sometimes it has only achieved partial success, and often there are still issues to be resolved or carried further. However the important thing is that nonviolent action has won results that have changed the course of history.
So let's get out there and give Trident the final push.
Submit your email address in the box to the right to get Faslane 365's monthly newsletter by email.
The Newsletter is a summary of the last months blockades at Faslane.
Dear Friends of Faslane 365,
This is the final Faslane 365 newsletter, covering September 2007 and the 1st of October Big Blockade and with some ideas about staying in touch and moving forward, keeping the pressure on Faslane. Faslane 365 has been an amazing experience for us in the Steering Group and we hope also for all you who made it happen. Thank you all. We believe we have kept the pressure up and moved the issue forward a bit, although more needs doing of course!
September kicked off with the last of the Quaker blockades of which there were at least six during F365, in addition to the large Quaker contingent which came along to welcome and support the Japanese. This time a group moved into the road, briefly disrupting the business of deploying Trident with a banner that said "Quakers are disarming". You can view a photo. Four sat down and were arrested.
Refusing to be intimidated by the legal attempts to limit dissent, a group of activists calling themselves the Serious Organized Crime Investigation and Prevention Team cycled, cut and climbed into Faslane early in the morning of the 4th September 2007. Read the statement that the SOCRAP Team had on them as they entered Faslane and Coulport.
Lavinia Crossley, Tansy Newman Turner and Emma Bateman were charged under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, which is increasingly being used to prevent peaceful protests at sensitive sites, including Britain's nuclear bases. Joan Meredith, who was 78 the next week, and Irene Willis entered Coulport shortly after midnight and were only arrested at 2.30am when they approached police on the main gate from the inside. They were arrested for breach of the Faslane, Coulport and Rhu Narrows Byelaws and released. Janet Fenton, Angie Zelter and Wolf Konowski cycled in through the oil depot gate and were charged with Breach of the Peace. Tansy, Lavinia and Emma's case will be the first challenge to SOCPA in Scotland and the trial is scheduled for Feb 20th at Dumbarton Sheriff Court.
In one of the most memorable actions of the year four cyclists rolled up at the gates and stripped bare. They wielded placards which read "Trident is Naked Aggression" and "Nudes Against Nukes". See photos of their barecheeked action.
Bruce Gagnon and Dave Webb of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space spoke about the Prague Conference in May where delegates from 9 European countries came together to formulate strategies and joint campaigns to oppose US plans for National Missile Defence. The system will use radars to detect incoming missiles, and interceptor missiles to shoot them down. While the US portrays this as a defensive system, in reality it will allow the US to launch attacks on other countries without fear of retaliation. It is already adding to global instability and tension with Russia and leading to a new nuclear arms race. And it may well lead to a new Cold War. Bruce and Dave were quickly arrested when they blocked the road. Global Network will hold its 16th Annual Space Organizing Conference and Protest outside StratCom in Nebraska, April 11-13, 2008. U.S. Strategic Command (StratCom) for years has been the site from which a nuclear war would be controlled. Since 9/11, its mission has expanded to become command central in the U.S.'s "War on Terror" and for the U.S. plans to dominate space militarily. StratCom has already drawn up the war plans for a space-directed assault on Iran's nuclear facilities. See Global Network website for a mass of important information on US plans to weaponize space as part of its overall quest for full spectrum dominance.
A group of Scottish Lawyers delivered a letter to the Commodore of Faslane Naval Base, questioning the legality of nuclear weapons under international law. Read the full text of their letter.
These two groups supported each other on a Sunday, walking from the Peace Camp to the North Gate where there was a Barbecue, and Palestinian dancing round the roundabout. There were no arrests.
There was a women's only action in the final week of Faslane 365,rounding out the year which had begun with a Greenham and Aldermaston Women's action.
In the last week there were several last minute additions to the rota. Groups showed up from Dundee, Aberdeen and Rutherglen and Cambuslang, keen not to miss out on taking part in Faslane 365.
The year-long Faslane 365 campaign finished on the 1st of October with a fabulous celebratory big blockade in which many of the autonomous groups and individuals who had already come to Faslane earlier in the year returned and together disrupted the operation of the Trident base for most of the day. It was a fitting conclusion to an extraordinary year of resistance. An estimated six hundred people converged on the base and quickly established the blockade at the North Gate which remained shut from just after 7:00am until after 10:00am. Eventually blockades were established at all three gates and for the first time both roads in to Coulport were simultaneously closed. Together we had succeeded in shutting down access to the entire nuclear weapons establishment in Scotland. By the end of the day 187 people were arrested bringing the Faslane 365 total to a round 1150.
At the North Gate the police were unable to control the crowd which soon poured into the roundabout and a festival atmosphere erupted. A People and Planet group were initially thwarted in the attempt to block the Oil Depot gate, and for some time there was no blockade of the South Gate. But the fearless Irene, who had already been arrested 11 times during Faslane 365, and company, soon filled that gap and word arrived that the South Gate was blocked. A cheer went up from the crowd when the announcement was made. Shortly after that Ben returned with the message that both roads into Coulport were blocked simultaneously. People and Planet from a consortium of Scottish Uni's had at last succeeded in accomplishing what they had tried more than once before and shut down Coulport.
It's impossible to piece together an accurate account of such an organic-anarchic eventful day. This report can only be a sketch. If it misses out anyone's action or gets any facts wrong please let me know so the story can be more accurately and completely pieced together for posting on the website and for the forthcoming book on Faslane 365. Email me with your additions or corrections at rbrianlarkin@googlemail.com or brian@faslane365.org . See the Big Blockade Photo Gallery for some of the photos of the day.
Coaches from Glasgow and Edinburgh met up at the Helensburgh Pier at 6:30am. The training venues had been packed the day before. Additional vans came overnight from Wales, Oxford, Assynt, and Leicester with lock-ons ready, and joined with the assembled forces at Helensburgh. A coach of Finns and Swedes had come in to the Peace Camp a few days earlier. In the early morning darkness the Peace Camp was jammed with people at the outside fire. A police van, motor running, blocked in the Peacedrobe, a transit van which they feared was going to be used to blockade the A814 because it was precariously parked just inside the fence facing the road and looked as if it would roll onto the road any minute. Police were everywhere. They had set up a check point blocking the turn into the South Gate access road. And at the North Gate as dawn was breaking through thick fog the bellmouth was lined with police while van loads sat opposite. Three women sang "O my soul let it bring peace" in exquisite harmonies. Base traffic crawled through the roundabout as shift change was under way.
Then it happened. Activists emerged from the coaches South of the roundabout and crowded into the official protest area. With only one lane open traffic came to a standstill in the roundabout and groups of activists jumped out of vans and ran toward the gate, many with lock-ons already on one arm. The Bradford-Leeds lot were among the first. They got well in near the gate and superglued themselves to the road. Police snatched some lockons but a core group of the well practiced activists of the Leicester lot managed to get locked-on in a jumbled and twisted bunch right under the feet of the overwhelmed police. Other members of this group darted in to join on separately as they saw openings. When the crowd in the legal protest area had swollen to bursting point a section of the barrier was lifted up and passed back over the heads of the unruly crowd. The Swedes dove through the gap and got locked on in the bellmouth. A group of clowns surged forward adding to the melee. A giant Squirrel carrying a "Nuts to Trident" sign got down on the ground with nutty friends from Manchester. More Leicester folk poured into the gap. Bicycologists impeded traffic in the roundabout and before long the police had lost the upper hand. The people poured into the Roundabout along with a cadre of photo-journalists. The frenetic and triumphant drumbeat of Seize the Day sounded "We shall not give up the fight we have only started." Anarchy ruled. The North Gate to the Trident nuclear base was shut.
Soon several Muriel Leicesters, were wheeling and ambling about. A twelve foot tall grey wolf strolled through on stilts while Robin Harper in rainbow scarf gave interviews to bewildered journalists. All the while the cutting team was hard at work as so-called sterile areas were established by the police around the locked-on groups. Blockaders who had not locked on were being carried off one at a time. This was labour intensive work. The cops obviously intended to try to clear the blockade as quickly as possible but they had a job to do it with so many bodies to be carted off. The uplifted voices of some of the Protest in Harmony choir joined from behind the barrier with their blockading cohorts. Hands were soon seen to raise and, just as the morning mist had cleared the glorious chaos magically subsided. All went quiet. Gate Support announced that the attempt by People and Planet students to shut the Oil gate had been foiled. Neither was the South Gate road blockaded. People who were still arrestable were asked to go there. Despite shutting down the North Gate we had not totally shut down the base. A group of students poured pink paint over their own heads and sat in the roundabout. Police formed a ring round them but no move was made to arrest them. After a while it became evident, they were being left out to dry. Protesters had learned something from the Spaniards who had so successfully used red paint earlier in the year. But so had the police. A French copper was there, observing. Over on the South side of the gate voices were raised as Camilla Cancantata's Oratorio Trident: A British War Crime was performed. Soon word arrived that the South Gate Road was blocked. Irene who had already been arrested eleven times during Faslane 365, and two friends had gotten the job done. We had done it. Word came too that the Finns had partly blocked the A814 with a tripod in front of the Peace Camp. The resistance was full on. And to top it off word came that People and Planet had blocked both roads in to Coulport simultaneously. Thus the Big Blockade had succeeded in shutting down all road access in to the UK nuclear weapons establishments.
Meanwhile Clergy Action were quietly celebrating Communion across from the North Gate. Messages of support were read out from Sheilagh Kesting, Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Idris Jones Primate of the Scottish Episcopal Church and from Cardinal Keith O'Brien, head of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Just when it seemed the police might regain control of the road a bunch of elderly ministers, veterans of Faslane blockades, sat down peacefully in the gateway. Amongst them the wife of the founder of the Iona Community, a number of grandmothers and a 78 year old priest. Michal, our cook, roamed through the crowd handing out vegan power balls. Renate's CIA (Cows in Action) puppets were, like their colleagues from the FIT team with cameras, gathering intelligence, while an effigy of a policeman looked down from the fence on the roundabout, blissfully unaware of the chaos below. The stubborn old GOATs (Golden Oldies Against Trident) formed another wave of arrests and cheers went up as these elders of our communities were lead off. I wonder how many times some of them had been arrested resisting the nuclear madness. Amongst them was the 89 year old Betty Tebbs.
As the dancing in the street subsided Jeely Peace café was open for business. A group of SNP MSPs arrived, bearing greetings from Alex Salmond. Two Green MSPs were there as well. And Jill Evans Welsh MEP (Plaid Cymru) returned to the scene of her crime accompanied by the magnificent scarlet Welsh dragon. Buddhists for Peace sat quietly in meditation, bringing an element of calm. The sun was shining now and people were shedding layers. One old crone with a staff was weaving amid the crowd topless. Again it seemed the polis were gaining the upper hand when a group from the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre, joined by Roz in a wheelchair blocked off the South side of the roundabout. The police asserted control forming a cordon along the road edge. People continued to challenge this by crossing here and there without permission. Assynt Peace Group initiated a Ceilidh. Someone from the Irish Make Trident History group was breathing fire.
By early afternoon the Bicycology sound system was set up and those of us who had not been arrested enjoyed listening to music performed by David Ferrard, Leon Rosselson, Roy Bailey,and Seize the Day as well as a number of poems. Paula Bolton read a section of her Trident monologues. Seize the Day performed again and just when it seemed all was winding down Theo and Richard breached the line of cops and dove into the road. The police dragged them out of the road while Theo characteristically laughed. He must be ticklish. This last blockade came just after Helen Stephen had negotiated with the Commanding Officer for the group to be allowed to have a closing circle in the bellmouth. There was a wish to mark the end of this extraordinary year of resistance. The Commander withdrew permission for the circle in the road, but Helen spoke to him again and he agreed. The yellow sea of police parted and we entered the bellmouth. The circle widened out, filling the bellmouth and all of the near side of the roundabout, surrounded on all sides by police. An image of a monk was placed in the middle a reminder of the severe repression often imposed when people speak out against injustice, a reminder that we here face such minor consequences for our acts of resistance. If the Burmese monks can risk imprisonment, torture even death we can and must stand against the violence of state sponsored terror here where at most we face two or three days in jail. Many people had spoken of this moment as the end of the campaign. But Faslane 365 had come out of the hard work of people who had been actively opposing nuclear weapons for many years. It had brought people back to the struggle who had been away from it for years. And it had introduced people who had never before taken part in nonviolent direct action. Autonomous affinity groups had been formed. Skills had been shared and developed. The spirit of resistance had been nurtured. It was obvious that this was only the beginning, the renewal. So it was fitting that in that moment we sang "You Can't Kill the Spirit, Old and strong she goes on and on..." We had been given five minutes but the weaving of the spiral seemed to last forever. No-one wanted it to be over. You could feel the love, strength, determination. But at last it did finish. Coaches carried those remaining away.
But back in Helensburgh at Legal Support Central the work went on well into the night as phones rang off the hook. Those arrested had been taken to stations all over Glasgow. Some twenty one were still unaccounted for. Then the calls started coming. Groups were being released early. Transport was dispatched and by 11pm everyone was out except Irene who was held on a warrant for another action down South.
The Big Blockade was covered that night and the next day in all the major media. There were photos on the front page of The Herald and The Scotsman, with full pages of coverage in the Scottish papers and full stories in all the English papers. The Big Blockade had definitely made an impact.
Early the next morning the other half of the Leeds-Bradford lot pulled off a Faslane366 rainbow paint action. And the following day the Faslane Peace Camp and Finnish friends blockaded the South Gate and the next night a group of Swedes got inside Coulport, some by swimming. They were undetected for several hours before presenting themselves to the MOD police. The BBC carried a factually inaccurate report on this breach of Coulport security which repeated MOD claims that Andreas had been rescued from the water. In fact he had waved down the searching helicopter from the land and he needed no medical attention. This phase of the campaign had reached its conclusion, but these post-365 actions indicate that nonviolent resistance will continue until Trident is disarmed.
A few weeks after the Big Blockade the Scottish Government hosted a summit of stakeholders, "a National Conversation on a Scotland free of nuclear weapons". Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the representatives, and spoke of the unprecedented historical situation now in Scotland. She noted that 76% of Scots are opposed to Trident and paid tribute to the political pressure which had been generated by Faslane 365 and the demonstrations at Faslane over the years which reflected that widespread popular opposition. And now Scotland has a government which shares the desire of the people to have that democratic will honoured and for Trident to be removed from Scotland and altogether. The many participating groups brainstormed ways that the Scottish government can proceed within the terms of devolution, to oust Trident from Scotland. In addition to the STUC, the Churches and politicians from the SNP and the Green Parties a number of civic groups participated, including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, NukeWatch, Trident Ploughshares, Faslane 365 and SCND. Discussion focused on four areas: Jobs, the Environment, International Law, and the position of Scotland in the world community.
Bruce Crawford, Minister for Parliamentary Business,indicated that a working group will be set up. It was agreed that this group needs to build on the SCND/STUC report on the impact to the local economy of the removal of Trident. Detailed plans must be made for the retraining of the workers who would lose jobs when Trident goes. The base workers whose jobs are at stake should be closely involved in this process. And there needs to be investment in other areas of economic opportunity on the Gareloch, including renewable energy and leisure. Rob Edwards, Environment Editor of the Herald reported on the lack of oversight of MOD nuclear weapons operations and the disturbing number of "incidents" at Faslane and the admitted risk of a nuclear weapon explosion in an accident involving the convoy which transporting nuclear warheads on Scottish roads. A number of ways that the Scottish government may be able to force the removal of Trident based on its responsibility for the environment were discussed. In terms of international law John Mayer reported on the bill which he has written and which will be introduced by Michael Matheson MSP which would make illegal the preparation of crimes committed with weapons of mass destruction in Scotland. Angie Zelter outlined a number of options including suggesting that the Scottish government simply call upon the UK government to remove Trident from Scotland. Adam Conway, representing NukeWatch, reported on citizen verification of the transport of nuclear weapons in Scotland, and suggested that Scottish Parliament screen the forthcoming NukeWatch film on convoys and distribute this film to schools, and fund a public information campaign on nuclear weapons in partnership with the NGOs. Rebecca Johnson of Acronym Institute reported on the status of the NPT and called for Scotland to apply for observer status at the next NPT Review Conference in 2010. It was recognized that Scotland should aim to be a leader on a culture of peace. Scotland and the world would be safer without nuclear weapons. Disarmament here would strengthen the case for calling upon those current non-Nuclear Weapons States which might seek to join the nuclear club not to do so. Scotland would gain enormous respect around the world by being the first country to stand up to US nuclear hegemony. In closing Bruce Crawford paid tribute to Bobby and Margaret Harrison who established the Faslane Peace Camp twenty five years ago.
Some have already pointed the way. On the 12th of November a group stopped the convoy near Loch Lomond for nearly an hour. At Aldermaston 12 people were arrested as part of the Block the Builders campaign for impeding the construction of the monstrous laser facility where the new nuclear warheads will be developed. Visit the Block the Builders website for further information on future actions. The preparations for the next generation of nuclear weapons seriously endanger the NPT and have been denounced by Non- Nuclear Weapons States as contrary to the spirit if not the letter of the Treaty under the terms of which the UK and the other Nuclear Weapons States have been obliged to bring to a conclusion negotiations for nuclear weapons for forty years. There is work to be done to encourage the Scottish government in its attempts to remove Trident from Scotland. But we must look beyond Scotland to a future in which the UK government agrees to disarm nuclear weapons.
Faslane 365 generated critical public pressure and raised awareness of Trident. We cannot let the momentum be lost. Some ideas are already being suggested. To celebrate its 50th birthday CND is planning a demonstration at Aldermaston at Easter while SCND will be at Faslane.
In order to build on Faslane 365 we are setting up an email list which we suggest calling Faslane Activists' Network. Eventually, there will be a website at www.faslaneactivists.net to allow people to share stories and ideas from actions at Faslane and Coulport. An email will come to you shortly inviting you to participate in this email list. If you want to be part of it you must respond to the email. When that is up and running we hope that you the people and autonomous groups of Faslane 365 will use it to communicate with each other and organize future resistance to Trident however whenever and wherever you think that needs to happen. Already Angie Zelter is inviting anyone wanting to take part in future hidden actions at Faslane to get in touch with her. Email her at reforest_at_gn.apc.org
As we go to press the first citations have been received by 11 people who were arrested in the Big Blockade, while a further 19 have told us that they've got "warning" letters dropping the charges. So far these were mostly repeat offenders. Please let Faslane 365 Legal Support know if you receive a citation or a warning letter. Email legalworkinggroup_at_faslane365.org . Trials of the SOCRAP offenders have begun and will continue in February. The women who painted the High Court in Edinburgh at the beginning of Faslane 365 have been found guilty but sentencing has been adjourned for the Sheriff to investigate ways to try and extract the £3000 which the paint removal cost. Some of the Greenpeace activists who were arrested with banners on the high security boom around the Trident Area when the Arctic Sunrise blocked the sea gate to Faslane are being prosecuted under the byelaws.
One month from now the Faslane 365 email accounts will all be shut down. We will shortly be contacting those people directly. You may want to set up your own group lists before then.
Faslane 365 posters, a collage of images of hundreds of banners and blockades are still available. The posters cost £2 each. Cardboard postal tubes to protect them cost £1 each. Postage to the UK for a tube containing 1 poster is £1.52. If you want several posters, or postage to abroad, please contact us. Posters can be ordered by calling 0845 4588 367 or emailing tp2000_at_gn.apc.org
Finally in the words of David Ferrard, folk singer and Faslane activist, "It's been one helluva ride."
Peace to you all,
Brian for the Faslane 365 steering group
We are now counting down the days to the Big Blockade which will be the culmination of the Faslane365 yearlong campaign of direct action against Trident. So far 120 groups have blockaded over 174 days with 930 arrests.
We hope all of you who together have created this campaign of sustained resistance can come together and bring new friends to press once more for the disarmament of Britain’s wmd at the BIG BLOCKADE starting at 7am on the FIRST of OCTOBER.
Accomodation, Training, Transport
We are inviting people to come with an affinity group with your own action plans, but for individuals coming without a group there will be additional affinity groups forming on Sunday in Glasgow. There will be action trainings covering practicalities, blockading techniques, the arrest process and other vital information for first timers at the venues at 3pm, 5pm and 5:30pm, with a briefing at 8pm. Anderston Kelvingrove Church will be the hub where you should check in.
Accommodation will be available at several venues in Glasgow on the Sunday and Monday nights. Coaches will be leaving Edinburgh at 4:30am and Glasgow at 5:30am on 1st October.
To book places on a bus from Glasgow or accommodation call 0845 45 88 365 or email: info@faslane365.org
For full details it is recommended that you download the Briefing Pack here.
We have cancelled the previously announced Saturday strategy session and evening celebration, partly due to lack of interest and partly out of relief as we anticipate being very busy with last minute prep for the Big Blockade. Instead, look for the notice boards at the gates on which you are all invited to indicate ideas for next steps, and let's make the Big Blockade the celebration of the year.
The Quiet Before the Storm
August has been one of the quietest months of the year with only five groups making their presence felt. Several of these were hosted by Trident Ploughshares Camp at Peaton Woods, by Coulport.
Trident Ploughshares
To mark the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima a TP group planned a daring blockade of Coulport which was to involve a tripod, a fence sitter and a lock-on made out of a very large cedar log. Unfortunately the MOD police were out in numbers in anticipation of an announced Faslane365 action coming out of the annual TP camp. Police Dog units found the tripod and the log before the groups were able to establish the blockade. But that did not take away from the fun that was had in chiselling and burning through that stump and dragging the heavy tripod through the dark pine forest. The best laid plans o’ mice and men may often go wrong but the tripod and log/lock-on activists are a determined bunch. We have no doubt that they will succeed at some point in the future...
European Youth and Japanese Peace Boat at UN
After meeting up with Japanese students of the Global University at Faslane a small delegation of European Youth climbed aboard the Peace Boat. Upon reaching New York the students together issued a "Youth Appeal" to the UN stating: "We, young people from across the world, first came together only two weeks ago, at an international protest at the Faslane nuclear submarine base in Scotland.... Since then we have been discussing nuclear power, nuclear weapons, nuclear proliferation, and what these all mean for our future. We have also had opportunities to hear about the horrors of atomic bombs first hand from Hibakusha, the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. The possibility of another Hiroshima and Nagasaki frightens us. We also realise, however that we are the last generation to be able to learn directly from Hibakusha and it for this reason that we have to act now not to forget and not to repeat the horrific history."
The full text of the appeal can be read on the Next Generation page of the website.
Scottish Councillors
About ten Scottish Councillors held a one day demonstration attended primarily by SNP councillors, but with messages of support from others who were not able to make it on the day. There were no arrests.
Hereford
The Hereford group did however baffle the police by waiting until late in the afternoon when the police had gone home for the day to blockade the North Gate. A group of seven young people successfully locked on across the gateway. Amongst them was a fourteen year old who very much wanted his night in jail but was persuaded by the cutting team to unlock. Six were arrested.
Grannies
A handful of grannies brought the message that they wanted a future free from the threat of nuclear weapons for their grandchildren. They attached photos of grandchildren to the fences. Annie Tunicliffe said "I have been to Greenham Common and marched with CND. I think it is really important that young people don't feel that we are leaving it (the protest) to them.”
Spread the Word
Please help make this Grand Finale a success by spreading the word. Click here to download the leaflet or call to request a stack.
Court Update
Three people have been convicted of a Breach of the Peace so far in court cases arising from Faslane365 actions. Lawrence Bernhard of the Coventry group was fined £200. Jane Tallents was convicted for a Trident Ploughshares group blockade and fined £300. These fines were both issued by the JP who generally gives the highest fines of all the Helensburgh JPs. Irene Willis, was fined £500. The JP appears to have issued this exceptionally high fine because he accepted the PFs argument that Irene's action posed a danger to herself, despite the evidence given by Irene and her supporter that showed that the action was carefully planned and carried out with sufficient safety precautions.
***NEW*** Faslane 365 POSTERS
A beautiful poster collage of hundreds of colorful banners from all the groups which have participated in Faslane365 will be available for purchase for only £2 at the Big Blockade. These will also soon be available to order from the website.
Faslane 365 GREETING CARDS
Each of the cards is a collage of the different banners that have been brought to the Faslane 365 blockades during the first 6 months and includes a photo of one blockade per card. Each of the 8 cards in a set contains different banners and photos and is blank inside. Four Pack of 8 cards in colour with envelopes. £5 per pack (inclusive of p&p). To view the cards on the website click here
To order contact cards@faslane365.org or ring 07835 354652. Make cheques payable to 'Faslane365' and send to Valley Farmhouse, East Runton, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9PN with a note to say who it is from and that the cheque is for cards.
DONATIONS ARE WELCOME.
Please send cheques to:
Faslane 365
Valley Farmhouse East Runton
Cromer Norfolk
NR27 9PN
UK.
Dear friends of Faslane 365,
It is hard to believe that less than two months now remain in this extraordinary year of resistance. Thus far 114 Blockading Groups have made 164 days of presence with 919 arrests and 37 prosecutions. It continues to be amazing to see so many diverse and creative groups each making their presence felt in their own distinct way. From the youthful creative energy of Bang-Europe (the true name of Next Generation) to the delightful highland games played by Assynt, this month has been no exception. But I think I speak for all of us when I say that the Bamboo Block by the Japanese had to be the most moving witness in this year of relentless testimony to the terror of nuclear weapons. We are united in our desire to make sure that there are, in the words of the Japanese banner, No More Hiroshimas, No More Nagasakis.
We hope all of you who together have created this historic campaign of resistance can come together and bring new friends to press once more for the disarmament of Britain’s wmd at the BIG BLOCKADE on the FIRST of OCTOBER.
Plan Beyond Faslane 365
On Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th September in Glasgow there will be a planning session for continuing the energy of Faslane 365. For more info please contact us.
Celebrate F365
On the evening of Saturday 29th September we will have a celebration including music, poems and films. We invite your contributions.
Accommodation, Training, Transport
Accommodation and training will be available in Glasgow the evening before the Big Blockade. Coaches will be leaving Edinburgh at 4:30am and Glasgow at 5:30am on 1st October.
To book contact 0845 45 88 365 or info@faslane365.org
Spread the Word
Faslane 365 Needs YOU to help make this Grand Finale a success by spreading the word. To download leaflets click here or call us to request a stack of leaflets.
Peace Groups across Somerset used the slogan Tractors Not Trident to show the enormous waste of money renewing our nuclear weapons would be and to highlight how the money could be better spent. A group of three from Sedgemoor were arrested in a lock-on at the South Gate. Dr. Richard Lawson explained, 'It is the duty of the citizen to disobey the Government if it behaves foolishly and illegally.'
Having recently returned from Glastonbury Faslane Peace Campers made their presence felt when they established a blockade at the South Gate of the Base. Three were arrested. Displaying two panels of the colorful “Smash Trident” Triptych which they had painted for Glastonbury the trio made use of “the mother of all lock-ons”, which had been carted from one training to another but not used because its prodigious bulk would prohibit fast action. But when the cutting crew chipped away the top layer of concrete and revealed a rusty saw blade Matt and Squeaky immediately unlocked. Squeaky said “I am a nonviolent person. The next time I do an action I don’t want the cutting team to think I might harm anyone.”
The protesters succeeded in closing the entrance to the base for 45 minutes during the peak shift change. One of the organizers said “British foreign policy is hypocritical. Tony Blair supported the disastrous American invasion of Iraq claiming Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Butit is the US and the UK that terrorize the world. When will the governments learn that weapons of wmd are not the way to peace?”
CND Groups from Renfrewshire, Helensburgh, Edinburgh, Stirling and Ayrshire held a peace picnic outside the gates of Faslane on a sunny Sunday. Thanks to Jane and to the groups coordinators for mobilising. A variety of beautiful banners were displayed and all enjoyed the afternoon sunshine.
Magnificent Seven and Ffriends
The Magnificent Seven and Ffriends drove through the night from Norfolk and rode up to the unpoliced North Gate, locked-on rapidly and shut down the entrance for nearly an hour. Police complained that as this had not been announced in the calendar - 'this may change the ground rules'! “Though as yet” said one of the Seven “we still haven't received our printed copy of the 'ground rules' from the police”.
Unarguably one of the highlights of Faslane365 was the visit of twelve Japanese.
Ten people, including atomic bomb survivors (‘Hibakusha’) from Nagasaki were arrested during the “Bamboo Blockade” of Faslane.
The Japanese group, supported by around 100 others, including a large group of Quakers, placed peace cranes in front of the North gate. As police moved in to remove the cranes, four grandmothers from Fukuoka and the son of a Nagasaki bomb survivor sat in front of the gate, while five more, including his father and peace campaigners from Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Finland locked themselves together with bamboo arm locks. The Japanese appealed to the British government not to deploy or renew the Trident nuclear weapon system. The police quickly ‘dearrested’ four elderly women and one young man, who had sat in front of the gate singing Japanese peace songs. It took them nearly an hour to cut the bamboo blockade and reopen the gate.
As he was arrested, Masahiko Moriguchi who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki when he was 7 years old, said: “The Faslane 365 campaign is encouraging the epoch-making first step towards the abolition of nuclear weapons. As one who experienced the A-bomb, I wanted to see this nuclear base with my own eyes and personally take part in this action to halt the nuclear weapons.”
His son, Shinya Moriguchi (born in Nagasaki) said: “The UK’s decision on whether or not to renew Trident is not only a British matter, but will influence proliferation and insecurity around the world. I wish the UK to make a wise and rational decision and pioneer the road to nuclear abolition, which would make this world safer.”
Before being arrested in the Bamboo Blockade, Kohei Ueyama from Hiroshima (aged 26), said he came to Faslane to show solidarity with the Scottish people taking nonviolent action to get rid of Trident: “If we do something for peace in our neighbourhood and country, we can solve any international problem.”
Yoshiko Sakai, a retired quantum chemist, said she was “eager for Britain to be the first country that has the honour of abolishing nuclear weapons”.
Eisaku Miyoshi (60), Professor of Engineering from Fukuoka, brought a harrowing exhibition of photographs and paintings from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As he was arrested he said “We have to bear witness to the horror of nuclear weapons so that they are never ever used in this world again.”
The Japanese delegation shared water from Nagasaki with people in ceremonies at the cherry trees which were planted years earlier by other hibakusha at Helensburgh Victoria Halls and the Faslane Peace Camp. They were also welcomed to Edinburgh by City Councillor Ewan Aitken and Nigel Griffith MP in a reception at the Gillis Centre hosted by Chris Boles and organized by the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Resource Centre. Thanks to Penny Stone and Janet Fenton for getting that organized for them. News stories about their visit to Scotland & Faslane in the Scotsman can be found in the press coverage section of our website.
The European youth group Bang-Europe (Ban All Nukes Generation) came together at Faslane and Trident Ploughshares Coulport Camp with students of the Global University who disembarked from the Japanese Peace Boat to travel here for a whirlwind stop on their world tour. Click here to find out more about Peace Boat. To find out more about Global University click here. The North Gate seemed to explode as these two groups of youth met in a vibrant mix of energies. Before coming to the base BANG spent the previous day in a packed Action Academy program which included a Postcard Competition, the winning entries to which can be seen and downloaded from the BANG website, Clowning and Arts and Action workshops in which they generated slogans, painted banners and planned media and support work. A Learning Space Dynamics (LSD) forum facilitated individuals obtaining information on International Law, nuclear weapons proliferation, current nuclear weapons deployments, and movements and campaigns. Having thus educated themselves eight attempted a superglue action at the North gate. They received enthusiastic support from clowning colleagues and about ten Japanese who performed an incessant dance, a combination of callisthenics, karaoke and aerobics. The young blockaders included two fifteen year old girls who were released within a few hours and a sixteen year old.
Trident Ploughshares Camp sprang to life as both groups arrived for an afternoon workshop. The Japanese had to leave before Tea time. Next day the group were given a tour of the base area by Anna-Linnea Rundberg and Rebecca Johnson a talk on Trident by Rebecca and one on missile defence by Regina Hagen, Coordinator of INESAP (International Network of Engineers and Scientists Against Proliferation). Click here to visit the INESAP website. A group of five set off early the next morning for Dublin to rendezvous with the Peace Boat and sail from Dublin for New York, to take a statement from BANG to the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs at a Nagaski Day action at Dag Hammerskold Plaza. Click here for more info on the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). This group included intrepid sixteen year old Georgia who was arrested in the North Gate action and who had spent a difficult night in a police cell flanked by two women who threatened each other throughout the night. Georgia’s then seventeen year old brother was arrested back in November in the Quaker White Poppy action. They must have some great supportive parents.
Assynt
The Assynt group returned to Faslane this time to hold the first Faslane Highland Games. They arrived dressed in kilts and plaids, one young father wearing a handwoven sort of kilt/ragrug. His little boy eagerly joined in the games and won the Haggis Put and Egg and Spoon Race. First on the program was the Punch and Judy Show put on by the Peace of Cake Theatre in which the foolish Punch meets an evil Arms Dealer who convinces him that the Crocodile actually has a lot of bombs even though everyone knows the crocodile lives far away in the river eating buttercups all day. Punch is persuaded to buy some bombs with the $20 he is supposed to spend on sausages for the babies. Predictably the Arms Dealer then sells bombs to the crocodile and when Punch and the Croc meet they drop their bombs. Miraculously they get a chance to start over. Judy convinces the Arms Dealer to make cake and share it with everyone. Great games followed including Welly Over the Faslane Sign – which turned into Welly over the Fence and the Tug of Peace which strayed into the gateway. The rope was the right length to close the entrance, but was quickly cut by a zealous OSU cop who, in flagrant violation of the Health & Safety concerns forever asserted by the police, strode quickly through the crowd with an unsheathed sharp knife saying “Right this rope is getting cut”.
The Teachers were bolstered by being joined by Julia and Lutzia, coordinators of Bang-Europe, and Regina Hagen, and Hannah, a postgraduate student doing research on the communication between Faslane365 and the locals. After considering a Teach-In which would have included a Geography Lesson on the effects of nuclear weapons and the History of their use in US and UK foreign policy as a Big Stick for getting their way in the world the teachers decided the best lesson they could offer was to set an example of direct resistance to this policy. Making connections between the progressive Scottish education policy decision to ban the belt as a means of classroom discipline, a moral decision based on the insight that violence was not an acceptable way to maintain social order, the National anti-bullying strategy, and the oxymoronic UK policy of deploying Trident, they asked: How can we as teachers hope to educate young people for a culture of peace and the non-violent resolution of conflicts when our government sets the immoral example of relying for security on threatening (apparently non-existent) enemies with annihilation. Their banner read Teachers Against Nukes: Stop Nuclear Bullying but was grabbed by the OSU along with supporters, who were taken into custody. The teachers succeeded thanks to careful practice in getting locked-on on the South gate access road even though an OSU police car and a van of Strathclyde police were on the spot. Nine people were arrested. Three supporters arrested waving down traffic for safety were released early after Strathclyde Police realized they had not been attempting to blockade. The Teachers are planning a second block in late September or for the 1st of October. For info contact brian@faslane365.org.
TELL THE GOVERNMENT WHAT ITS SECURITY PRIORITIES SHOULD BE
Gordon Brown and his new Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, have asked for our opinions for what foreign and security policy priorities should be. After Blair, we’re probably all cynical about manipulated consultations, but this is a new government, and so it is REALLY IMPORTANT that we give them OUR alternative security ideas - in large numbers and with sensible, coherent arguments. (Especially since I gather they’ve received a lot of Tory tosh about asylum seekers and getting out of the EU and very little from our side of the picture). Check out the 'New Diplomacy' page on the FCO website
The three key questions from the Foreign Office, each with a webpage for submitting your comments are:
What should our priorities be?
What is the best way to co-ordinate across UK government?
How can the FCO engage beyond Whitehall?
So tell them we want them to think in terms of human security, not national security, that they must not only not replace Trident but they need to take the lead towards scrapping all nuclear weapons, starting with Trident, and become a leader and initiator in creating the conditions for an irreversible, verifiable nuclear weapon free world. They should denuclearise NATO, evict the US nuclear weapons from Lakenheath, and pull out of the dangerous and destabilising missile defence collaboration with the US (Menwith Hill and Fylingdales).
Let’s tell them we want Britain to comply fully with international law and UK obligations on disarmament and human rights; that we want security challenges to be addressed at source; that we regard poverty, climate change as major security threats, which need to be addressed collectively. We want them to stop making and selling arms, to go beyond their current ‘Arms Trade Treaty’ and to ban cluster bombs, as a follow on to the landmines ban. Tell them we regard not just nuclear proliferation but the continued existence and deployment of nuclear weapons by anyone to be a major threat to our human and international security.
The more people putting an anti-militarist, anti-nuclear, human security agenda forward the better - if we don't respond, how can we get them to change? and if we do respond and they don't change, we'll have a stronger case for telling them they've got it wrong. And who knows, they might even listen for a change?!
And Carl Laughed
A US High School Theatre company is bringing their play about Father Carl Kabat to the Edinburgh Fringe August 7-11. Kabat is currently in Federal prison in the US for disarming a missile silo in North Dakota. He has served sixteen years all told for such actions in the US. Read more about the Weapons of Mass Destruction Ploughshares here . View a trailer of the show on the AndCarlLaughed website .
Faslane 365 GREETING CARDS
Each of the cards is a collage of the different banners that have been brought to the Faslane 365 blockades during the first 6 months and includes a photo of one blockade per card. Each of the 8 cards in a set contains different banners and photos and is blank inside. Four Pack of 8 cards in colour with envelopes. £5 per pack (inclusive of p&p). To view the cards on the website click here
To order contact cards@faslane365.org or ring 07835 354652. Make cheques payable to 'Faslane365' and send to Valley Farmhouse, East Runton, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9PN with a note to say who it is from and that the cheque is for cards.
DONATIONS ARE WELCOME.
Please send cheques to:
Faslane 365
Valley Farmhouse East Runton
Cromer Norfolk
NR27 9PN
UK.
Still time to FILL the GAPS in the ROTA
We invite new groups to sign up and old groups to take another turn. Contact us at: info@faslane365.org.
Visit the website for updates: http://www.faslane365.org
Call for info: 0845 45 88 365 or 07768 312676
In peace,
Brian, on behalf of Faslane365 Steering Group
Dear friends of Faslane 365,
Three quarters of the way through this marathon of NVDA we have not yet gotten rid of Trident, but political developments in Scotland, and perhaps even in Britain make it seem that we are in fact closer to the goal than before the start of this amazing year. And for that we can thank all of you who have made the trek to the Gareloch and to the Glasgow city jail cells. Thus far 106 autonomous Groups have blockaded in 155 days of presence with 879 arrests, yet there have been only 33 prosecutions. It is hard to believe that there are only 87 days left. But one of those days is the FIRST of OCTOBER BIG BLOCKADE . We invite all of you to COME to FASLANE and CELEBRATE THIS INCREDIBLE YEAR of RESISTANCE !!!
More than 50 anti-nuclear choristers from Euridyce Women’s Socialist Choir (Glasgow), Body of Sound (Sheffield), Protest in Harmony (Edinburgh), Leeds People’s Choir, Red Leicester, and Silsden Singers (West Yorkshire) sang from soggy songsheets in a day of non-stop heavy rain. Clad in waterproofs and brandishing umbrellas they sang “Ye’ll no sit here” (from the ’60s anti-Polaris demos), Holly Near’s “Gentle Angry People” and “Watch Out”, and Pat Humphries “Peace Salaam Shalom” (Lyrics and music can be found on the Protest in Harmony website .) They taught each other new harmonies and kept on singing in the rain all day.
The day culminated in a blockade of the North Gate while singing Hamish Henderson’s the “Freedom Come-All-Ye”. Six women remained sitting in the road singing, with powerful harmonious support from the rest, and continued to sing all the way to Clydebank police cells… and throughout the afternoon and evening (including wonderful classical arias from Penny). Singing resumed again about seven in the morning. Shereen’s repertoire was still not exhausted by the time they were released at midday.
Participants in the Power of the Word blockade included actor-musician Rebecca Thorn and writer A.L.Kennedy who performed a stand-up monologue about nuclear weapons, which exposed the bizarre madness of nuclear thinking. Poems about war and resistance were read by Allan Cameron, Sean Legassick and Gerry Loose. Roger Lloyd Pack, known for his role as Trigger in Only Fools and Horses said “The money could be so much better spent on other things, like funding alternative energy sources and, in particular, combating climate change, where the real danger lies.” John Rowley, a Trustee of the Gandhi Foundation, spoke on ideas for non-violence in public life. A number of singer-songwriters performed, including Theo Simon of Seize the Day, David Ferrard, Ciaran Dorris, Paul Baird and folk legend Leon Rosselson, who captured everyone’s attention with a rendition of The World Turned Upside Down, better known as The Diggers’ Song. The presentation of a birthday cake and gift to Angie Zelter effectively diverted the attention of the police so that a group were able to lie down with arms linked and block the road, a fitting birthday present for Angie who reciprocated not only by joining them but then entwining them with ribbon.
Contrary to the somewhat absurd rumours circulated on the Penninsula24seven website and repeated by the MSP for Dumbarton Jackie Baillie in Parliament neither a disco nor a Barbecue was ever planned to take place at the Faslane cemetery nor were said events cancelled. But a Silent Disco was organized outside the North Gate by none other than Shonagh Glen, daughter of MSP Marlyn Glen, but shhh! don’t tell Jackie that! It was difficult to discern what possible objection to a small group of committed MP3 listeners dancing to their own beats behind the barriers in the designated legal protest area Ms Baillie felt could warrant the consideration of the Parliament. Perhaps she feared the silence might be enough to wake the living dead down in the cemetery. Regardless of attempts to curtail the quiet enjoyment of heavy metal the dancers chalked one up for individual freedom of personal listening and against the silent black behemoth that lurks in the dark waters of the Gareloch.
Theological Colleges and Courses
Having participated in the high profile January Academics and Scholars Seminar at Faslane the blind Theologian Professor John Hull decided to organize a group of seminarians and ordinands from the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham and St. John's College, Ushaw College and the Wesley Study Centre in Durham to go on pilgrimage to Faslane. Professor Hull said “Our faith demands that we condemn the planned renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons programme….Their use would cause destruction on such a scale that the very ability of creation to create would be destroyed. And that is an offence against God that cannot go un-challenged.” Professor Hull and two other ministers were arrested after a large contingent of staff and students had blocked the road for more than an hour.
On the 25th Birthday of the Faslane Peace Camp 89 year old Margaret Harrison, one of the Camp’s founders came back to visit with the latest campers. While she was sitting round the fire and proudly showing photos of her husband and Camp co-founder Bobby with Bruce Kent, word came that the Manchester lot were locked on at the South Gate. Margaret wandered down and met another 89 year old campaigner Betty Tebbs who was thumb-locked with fellow activists and lying in the road. Last year, Betty received a lifelong commitment award from CND which she joined when it started in 1958. She said: "My age is no impediment to my commitment to nuclear disarmament. I have been campaigning for over 40 years and I am not about to stop now."
This energetic crowd danced and dodged the midges before blockading. One of the group wanted to strip off but was arrested too soon.
A beautiful candlelit vigil marked the shortest night of this year of resistance with circle dancing in the gateway and over a hundred candles in brightly painted jars decorating the roundabout. In a circle of renewal each person threw away the pains and horrors of our present world and committed to bring in the hopes and desires of our wanted world. Thick swarms of midges did their best to discourage both protesters and police. A smoking brazier made some difference while a group huddled under yards of mesh netting and many wearing midge hoods appeared as apparitions of the dead dancing eerily in the gloomy darkness, possibly awakened by that silent spirit of resistance to the horror on the other side of the fence. A single protester walked unimpeded through the gates in the early hours, to be charged to his surprise under SOCPA but released next day without being prosecuted.
More Quakers
This group of only two Quakers (from Mosedale) vigiled and leafleted and were inspired by their visit to plan to return for future action. Quoting a Palestinian girl one of them said “Hope is not something you believe it is something you do”.
A group of about 25 engaged Buddhists travelled by train from Glasgow to Helensburgh and then walked out to Faslane in the rain, stopping for a cup of tea at the Peace Camp. They held a meditative presence which was maintained the following day by a single member of the group, Shantiketu, who sat with a beautiful Buddhists for Peace banner behind him looking across to the base.
Academics Again
Over 40 academics and students held a second seminar at Faslane calling upon Gordon Brown, to justify his commitment to Trident to the intellectual community or scrap his plans to renew Trident. The conference and blockade combined discussion with non-violent direct action, with fourteen academics arrested.
Participants from universities across the UK, Sweden, Spain and other countries were experts in international relations, environmental and economic impacts of the base, UK nuclear policies, and the history of protest. Papers addressed the negligible economic impact of closing the base on the local area, and the need for greater and more widespread resistance to environmentally disastrous government policies. The Papers from the 2 blocks can be read here.
About 100 students participated in the week long Strident Tent State at Peaton Woods, adjacent to MOD Coulport nuclear weapons depot. Dialogue with Peninsula24seven, the local anti-protest group resulted in a joint press release confirming that there was no intention to hold a Barbecue at the cemetery. On Thursday a group of four from Merseyside were arrested, on Friday nine from Nottingham. Another group was blockading on Saturday when police received news of the flaming car crashing into the glass front of Glasgow Airport. The police asked the students to lift their blockade so they could respond to the crisis and the students did so immediately. Strathclyde Police further requested Strident Students to refrain from blockading for 24 hours in order to enable them to deploy resources in response to what was being treated as a terrorist attack. The students released the following statement: “The Strident Tent State has come to a consensus decision to assure the public and police that there will be no direct action to disrupt the daily running of Faslane or Coulport for the whole of Sunday 1st July. This is so as not to divert Strathclyde police resources from investigating the incident which occurred at Glasgow International Airport on Saturday afternoon”. Alerted by NukeWatch of simultaneous preparations for a warhead convoy to leave Burghfield the students made clear to the police that they would however not refrain from blockading it.
Their blockade report continues: “Both police and residents had already voiced their gratitude for the way in which we had approached the organisation of Strident and our cooperation when the police asked us to leave our lawful protest outside the North Gate of Faslane as soon as they heard about what happened in Glasgow on Saturday. On Sunday we continued to have a presence at the gate of Coulport…. A tea party … was accompanied by samba, acro and queer politics workshops, with more workshops including Plane Stupid and a …project aimed at preventing the destruction of Europe's largest wilderness in Iceland (See the Saving Iceland website for more info). MOD police restricted access to areas outside Coulport.
There was much concern about restrictions being placed on civil liberties. Discussions turned on the ongoing terror threat posed by Trident as a source of anger at the UK making us less not more secure from the threat of terrorism. Jo Tyabji, stated “It is becoming increasingly vital that we blockade the Trident system; recent events in Glasgow and London make that clear. Trident poses a massive security risk to Scotland, and the continuous nuclear threat at sea does nothing to ease international tensions…. (W)e have educated ourselves in order to address the state of terror inflicted through foreign policy founded on a continuous nuclear threat”. Having kept their promise and concluding that M.O.D.and Strathclyde police had had ample time to distribute resources Strident students effectively blockaded both Coulport and Faslane on Monday morning; 37 students were arrested. There were 60 Strident students arrested in all, making them the biggest group yet.
Scottish Parliament Votes Against Trident
During this month of unremitting active resistance Scottish Parliament took political action and voted overwhelmingly to call upon the UK government not to replace Trident at this time. The motion introduced by Green Party MSP Patrick Harvie, a Faslane 365 Statement of Support signatory, attracted the support of all SNP members and Independent Margo MacDonald, and, by including the words “at this time” also gained the support of the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives voted en masse against, and most Labour party members abstained. Five Labour members however did support it. They were Malcolm Chisolm, Bill Butler, Marlyn Glen, Cathy Peattie and Elaine Smith. It was the first time Scottish Parliament has voted against nuclear weapons. Stirring contributions to the debate were made by several members and can be read in the Official Report on the Scottish Parliament website .
Amongst these can be read the full remarks of Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie in which she made a number of statements about the impact of the Faslane 365 blockades on the local community with which we have taken issue in a letter sent to MSPs which can be read here. These statements seem to inappropriately repeat allegations and rumours which have appeared in some media outlets and on the website of Peninsula24seven. Amongst these are the factually inaccurate statements that the A814 is the only road serving the Peninsula and that the students were planning a Barbecue and Disco at the Faslane cemetery. This was never the case but seems to be a distortion of the suggestion by one student on the Strident website that they camp “near the cemetery” conflated with the Silent Disco, a separate event which took place at the North Gate. Although this misunderstanding has been cleared up with Peninsula24seven Ms Baillie has perpetuated it quite inappropriately in the debating chamber of Parliament. She also asserted that blockades have prevented school pupils from getting to school and caused pupils to miss exams. Though this may have happened in one or two cases involving lower level exams Ms Baillie neglected to mention that Faslane 365 called upon groups not to blockade in the mornings during the SQA (Higher) exam period during the whole month of May and that no group did so. We believe that public officials have a duty to give accurate information, particularly MSPs in Parliament. We have invited Ms Baillie to check her facts with us in future.
And we have received several Statements of Support from MSPs since. The Supporters list page on the Faslane 365 website includes current and former MSPs who have signed the Statement of Support.
BIG BLOCKADE 1st OCTOBER
On 1st October 2007 Faslane 365 is celebrating the diversity and impact of this year of civil resistance against the UK's illegal weapons of mass destruction.
Groups and individuals, who have disrupted the nuclear business as usual at Faslane, are coming together for a celebration, a carnival of resistance. We want to invite you too! Please come along and bring loads of your friends with you too.
On the evening of Saturday 29th September we will have a celebration including music, poems and films.
We will also be looking forward to renewed resistance based on our shared vision of a nuclear free world in a strategy session, on Saturday 29th and the morning of Sunday 30th September in Glasgow. This will be a planning session for continuing the energy of Faslane 365 for resistance to nukes in the UK. For more info please contact us.
TEACHERS WANTED
There will be a Teachers’ blockade on 1st and 2nd August. For details see the Teachers Blockade Page on the website. Contact brian@faslane365.org . If you have contacts who are teachers who might be interested please pass this along to them.
CALLING AMERICAN RESISTERS
A US Group will be blockading 20th and 21st of August. For details see the US Group Page or email brian@faslane365.org
GRANNIES’ BLOCKADE
A Grannies for Peace group will blockade on Thursday 23rd August to Friday 24th August 2007. For details click here.
WELCOME the JAPANESE DELEGATION
A group of Japanese, including 2 or 3 Hibakusha (survivors or the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki) will participate in a blockade on 25/26 July. All are invited to come welcome and support them. Click here for details. There will also be an event welcoming them in Edinburgh. Contact Janet Fenton at the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre for details: 0131 229 0993.
Faslane 365 GREETING CARDS
Each of the cards is a collage of the different banners brought to the first 6 months of Faslane 365 blockades and includes a photo of one blockade per card. Each of the 8 cards in a set contains different banners and photos and is blank inside. Four new designs now available! Pack of 8 cards in colour with envelopes. £5 per pack (inclusive of p&p). View the cards on the website here .
To order contact cards@faslane365.org or ring 07835 354652. Make cheques payable to 'Faslane365' and send to Valley Farmhouse, East Runton, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9PN with a note to say that the cheque is for cards.
DONATIONS ARE WELCOME. Please send cheques to:
Faslane 365
Valley Farmhouse East Runton
Cromer Norfolk
NR27 9PN
UK.
FILL the GAPS in the ROTA
We invite new groups to sign up and old groups to take another turn. Contact us at: info@faslane365.org.
Visit the website for updates: http://www.faslane365.org
Call for info: 0845 45 88 365 or 07768 312676
In peace,
Brian, on behalf of Faslane365 Steering Group
June newsletter
The month of May at Faslane365 started off slow but later saw some powerful actions, including the joyful reception of the Footprints for Peace walkers by the non-stop dance and movement group at the North Gates, the courageous multicultural Unity presence and the Barbie/Action Man blockade during the Families block.
Unity!
Asylum seekers from war-torn countries and repressive regimes in Africa and Asia, including Zimbabwe, Sudan, Uganda and Pakistan, all members of the Union of Asylum Seekers, Unity! demonstrated at Faslane this month. Their presence at the nuclear weapons installation revealed the truth behind the UK’s false claim that the possession of weapons of mass destruction provides security: these weapons in fact enable the UK to project disproportionate power in a world in which the majority of people only long for the tangible security of a safe place to live and raise their families. The proliferation of nuclear weapons adds to terror while an uncontrolled and highly lucrative arms trade provides profits for unscrupulous corporations. Dawn raids continue regularly in the UK. At any one time thousands of asylum seekers are held in detention centers. Snapshot figures show for example that on 24 June 2006 2,540 people were held in detention centers in the UK. Of 7,490 people leaving immigration service removal centres and holding facilities in the first quarter 2006 5,360 were removed from the UK. 2,785 of those were asylum seekers. (Statistics from biduk). Many have been returned to home countries where they face possible imprisonment, and worse simply because they sought a life free from fear for their families. These are people who seek only to build decent lives for their families. In stark terms they made the connection to the ultimate terrorism imposed by the UK’s nuclear weapons, chanting again and again “No More War” and “No more weapons”. Visit the Unity! website and learn how you can support the asylum seekers.
Families
The asylum seeking families were succeeded by the Families block. Children in dress-up played amongst the rocks generously provided by the MOD, and sheltered between them when the rain was heavy. Big bubbles were blown and peacefully burst and a Miss Piggy poster asserted the obvious: “Even a muppett wouldn’t spend £76 billion on Trident” while a tutu clad action man entered the roadway. Barbie hung from a tripod posing a problem for bemused police while Ken wielded a doll-size set of bolt cutters and Kid Power nearly shut down the base.
Mosquito actions keep the pressure on
The Newcastle group consisted of three blockaders while a single member of Y Drag Goch returned to the scene of the crime. Mary, a veteran from Greenham showed that even one person can make a difference and disrupted business as usual single-handed! Similarly a group three from Calderdale was joined by Monique and Adam, old peace camp friends who came from Belgium on holiday to do whatever they could. They ended up wearing capes and wielding mock Tridents (devil’s forks) and a banner that said “Fork off Trident”. Naturally they were arrested.
Weekend of Faith Based Actions
Yet another lot of Quakers supported the Anglican Pacifists Fellowship service of the Eucharist during which the Reverend David Platt spoke of Christians being at the intersection between the gates of Heaven and the gates of Hell (Hell because of the presence of nuclear weapons within those gates, and Heaven because of the protests of Christians outside). Composer of the well known “War Machine” Sue Gilmurray sang her hauntingly beautiful “Faslane” which evokes the landscape of the Gareloch and was composed on her first visit to the base. The song is featured on the CD Sing the Music of Healing. More info is available from Movement for the Abolition of War or by calling 01908 511948. The Anglican Pacifists made a walk of witness from the gates to the Peace Camp and many stayed over to join the Peace Pentecost on Sunday during which church statements denouncing the possession of nuclear weapons were fixed to the fence and a ritual dramatization of the defeat of Trident was played out (that weapon of the devil now standing in for the Prince of Darkness himself).
Earlier in the month the International Interfaith Footprints for Peace walk set out from Dublin and passed through communities affected by radiation from Sellafield. They were welcomed at Stormont by the Sinn Fein Environmental Spokesperson. On the Monday after Pentecost they continued in a meditative mood from Dumbarton to Faslane. They were given refreshments by Helensburgh CND and at the base they were greeted by an exuberant Five Rhythms Dance and Movement Group, who had been dancing all day at the North Gate. With banners waving and flags flying the scene was jublilant. Dancers spread out into t