Newsletter June 2007

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 the roundabout. Singers serenaded the armed guard at the gate with “Put down the gun” and the sun shone all day.
The following day the Footprints group walked from Coulport nuclear weapons depot over the military road and headed straight for the gate where they sat down and sang while “the American Gandhi” Bernie Meyers, clad in a loin cloth and looking every inch the part delivered words spoken by Gandhi on the last day of his life: “Unless humanity destroys the atom bomb I do not see much future for the human species.” Amongst those arrested was a young Japanese woman, Yu Kiyota who said she had become aware of the terrible destruction caused by nuclear weapons when she went on school trips to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The next day Footprints walked to the South gate where Yu locked on with four others, two of whom had also spent the previous night in jail. One of them was 80 year old veteran peace activist Bill Bichsel from Tacoma, Washigton. “Bix” and Bernie are members of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action which has maintained resistance at the Bangor Trident submarine base for 30 years. Ground Zero celebrates its 30th Anniversary this year on Hiroshima Day. Visit the Ground Zero website for more info. Also arrested two days in a row was Erik Johnson who works with the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance in Tennessee resisting at the Y12 plant which produced the highly enriched uranium which fueled the Hiroshima bomb and which will produce the thermonuclear parts of the new generation of US nuclear warheads the “Reliable Replacement Warhead”. Follow the path of Footprints for Peace as they continue their 86 day pilgrimage to more UK nuclear sites including Sellafield and Aldermaston and arrive in London on Hiroshima Day on the Footprints for Peace website or in Cameron Karsten’s travelblog or Bernie Meyer’s blog.

Announcements

1st October Big Blockade

On 1st October 2007, after a year of nonviolent blockading of the Faslane nuclear submarine base Faslane 365 is celebrating the diversity and impact of this civil resistance against the UK's illegal weapons of mass destruction.
Groups and individuals, who in various ingenious ways have disrupted the nuclear business as usual at Faslane, are coming together for a celebration, a carnival of resistance.
Come and celebrate creativity and hope with us. As the Faslane 365 year draws
to a close we will also be looking forward to renew ed resistance and our shared vision of a nuclear free world.
Accommodation and training will be available in Glasgow the evening before.
Coaches will be leaving Edinburgh at 4:30am and Glasgow at 5:30am on 1st
October. Please book early. For more info and a briefing pack contact:
i n fo @ fa s la n e 3 6 5 .o r g
0 8 4 5 4 5 8 8 3 6 5

Candlenight vigil and early morning longest day Blockade

Wednesday 20th June to Thursday 21st June 2007
All are invited to join this beautiful ceremony at the North Gate of Faslane at 10 p.m. on Wednesday 20th June, with candles in decorated glass jars. We will spend the dark hours in a vigil, circling the roundabout, making light patterns, offering peace, tranquility, and hope for the disarmament of nuclear weapons. As dawn breaks anyone who chooses may wish to start a gentle blockade of Faslane and others may drift away home. For details see the Candlenight Invitation on the Faslane 365 website.

Wanted: All Teachers

There will be a Teachers’ blockade on 1st and 2nd August with training 31st July. For details see the Teachers Block page on the Faslane 365 website. Any current or former teachers wanting to participate, whether in support or as arrestables please contact Brian Larkin at brian@faslane365.org . Also we could use help with mobilizing. If you have contacts who are teachers who might be interested please pass this along to them.

Universities Vs. Weapons of Mass Destruction - Part 2: 27 & 28 June 2007

The 2nd Faslane International Academic Blockade & Conference (FAB Conference) will provide a forum for presenting and discussing papers focused on the impacts of, and alternatives to, the nuclear state. For details visit
Academics and Scholars on the Faslane 365 website.

Uncle Sam Wants YOU … to resist WMD

Building on the success of other international groups and following in the wake of the international and predominantly American Footprints for Peace blockade a US Group will be blockading 20th and 21st of August. If you are an American living in the UK or plan to travel to sunny Scotland this summer why not join us. For details see
US Group on the Faslane365 website or email: brian@faslane365.org

Great God it’s the Grannies

A Grannies for Peace group will blockade on Thursday 23rd August to Friday 24th August 2007. For details or to sign up vistit Grannies for Peace on the Faslane 365 website.

Twenty-five Years of Faslane Peace Camp

The Peace Camp welcomes everyone to celebrate 25 years of resistance to nuclear weapons in an alcohol and drug free, child friendly Peace Camp Birthday Party on Tuesday 12th June. Those who want to enjoy a drink are welcome to a Peace Camp Birthday Bash on Saturday 16th June at which there will be a cash bar.

As always donations are welcome and needed. Please send cheques to:
Faslane 365
Valley Farmhouse East Runton
Cromer Norfolk
NR27 9PN
UK.

There are still gaps in the rota for the coming months. We invite new groups to sign up and old groups to take another turn. Contact us at:
info@faslane365.org, and visit the website for updates: www.faslane365.org,
0845 45 88 365
07768 312676

In peace,

Brian, on behalf of Faslane365 Steering Group