Newsletter December 2006

Happy new year and welcome to the latest issue of the Faslane 365 Newsletter!

After three months of blockades at Faslane, we have now had a presence at the base for 59 days, and more than 400 people have been arrested!

In December, a lot of celebrities took part in the protests at Faslane. Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate and honorary President of the Peace People was arrested with the Irish block. On the Power of the Word-day artist Billy Bragg, author and comedian AL Kennedy and poet Adrian Mitchell among others came out to Faslane to make a stand against Trident.

On Christmas Day the Christmas Crackers group held a Nagasaki memorial event, bringing candles and a banner made by children from Nagasaki.

Read more about the rest of the December blockades in this newsletter.

The Benelux group has already set the tone for the new year with their blockade:
http://faslane365.org/benelux/benelux_photo_gallery

Please follow their example and help bring Faslane to a standstill in 2007!

Read about how you can get involved:
http://faslane365.org/getinvolved

On the website you can find all of the reports, press coverage and photos not included in this newsletter: http://www.faslane365.org

CONTENT
1) Blockade Summary
2) Lock-ons of the Month
3) Press Coverage
4) Blockade Reports
5) Donations
6) Volunteers

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1) BLOCKADE SUMMARY

Blockade summary for December
81 arrests
10 groups
13 days of presence

Blockade summary so far
408 arrests
42 groups
59 days of presence

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2) LOCK-ONS OF THE MONTH

Old and Strong
http://www.faslane365.org/blockade_photos/remains_of_a_concrete_lock_on
Nine year old concrete lock-ons from Faslane Peace Camp

Nice Ass
http://www.faslane365.org/blockade_photos/at_the_north_gate_1
http://www.faslane365.org/blockade_photos/joseph_mary_and_their_donkey_in_the_road
Mary, Joseph and the Donkey

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3) PRESS COVERAGE

Some of the press coverage from December.
All press links can be viewed at
http://www.faslane365.org/press_coverage

"Yet another day of the Faslane 365 blockade ended as the police broke another weird and wonderful lock-on device. And tomorrow being advent Sunday, and thus, the beginning of advent, it seemed only appropriate that Mary, Joseph and the (lock-on-device-aka-) Donkey should arrive at the gate."
- Indymedia UK 2nd December

"About 50 demonstrators had clustered outside the submarine base's main gate, battered by gale-force winds and driving rain, to protest against yesterday's confirmation from Tony Blair that he wanted a third generation of nuclear deterrent for the UK."
- Guardian 5th December

"Tony Blair has announced plans for a £20 billion nuclear weapons' programme. But at Faslane, the anti-Trident protest goes on - we attend the 'Power of the Word' demo, and finds the pen can still be as mighty as the sword.
The day's packed line-up includes appearances from the legendary Billy Bragg, author and comedian AL Kennedy and poet Adrian Mitchell."
- The Big Issue in Scotland, December

"Civil disobedience is the only way to give voice to the majority of people who want the UK to champion, not undermine, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and who want the billions being sunk in the Clyde to be spent on ending the poverty that feeds violent conflict."
- Guardian 9th December, column by Hilary Wainwright

"Monday the 11th of December saw one of the most successful blockades of the Faslane nuclear submarine base since the start of the Faslane 365 campaign.
In a day that saw 20 people being arrested and the running total rising above 365 people, 3 of the blockaders have actually been summoned to court on charges of breach of the peace."
- Indymedia UK 13th December

"Around 20 anti-nuclear protestors from Leicestershire have been arrested during a demonstration outside a missile base in Scotland."
- BBC 16th December

"A pensioner who has lived through two world wars is travelling to a naval base to protest against the UK's nuclear deterrent.
Alice Beer, 94, will spend the weekend outside Faslane on the River Clyde, the Trident nuclear submarine base."
- Guardian 16th December

"Grandmother Joan Meredith, 77, from Brereton Close, Malpas, stopped counting after being detained for the 16th time and guess what...she's just been arrested again."
- Chester Chronicle, 22nd December

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4) BLOCKADE REPORTS

Quotes from the blockade reports.
All Blockade Reports can be viewed at.
http://www.faslane365.org/reports

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Irish Make Trident History, 9th-10th December

"Five people, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Mark Chapman, Philip Mangold, Ann Patterson and Miriam Turley were arrested by Strathclyde police outside the UK trident nuclear submarine base at Faslane , Scotland on Saturday 9 December at 12 noon. Mairead Maguire is a Nobel Peace Laureate and honorary President of the Peace People.
The blockade lasted about 40 minutes while the traffic was slowed down to a single lane. The other members of the group sang songs and shouted words of encouragement while the five were being arrested."
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Trident Ploughshares, Muriel Lester affinity group, 11th December

"Monday morning, 7:30am. A dark road somewhere North of Glasgow. Scottish cold and rain beating in my face. I'm chained via a bike lock to Irene, veteran of the Faslane struggle. One arm disappears into a tube, at the other end of which is my mate Steve. There are seven of us, five women and two men, standing in a line stretched across the road."
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Lucia, 13th December

"The morning of the 13th of December is the time of Lucia celebrations in Sweden, when processions of Lucias with her starboys and maidens spread light in the darkest time of the year.
Which place is in better need of some light than the Faslane nuclear base? So early in the morning of the 13th an international Lucia procession went to the North Gate, with the traditional white dresses, candles, glitter, stars, starboy hats and Lucia bread.
Lucia herself together with two maids and three starboys ended the ceremony by sitting down in the road and interrupted the traffic to Faslane for a short while."
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Staffordshire, 17th-18th December

"Monday just after 7am we preceded to parade again (at least the police thought so) this time as 'Mutant zombie radioactivists' and singing our Trident song.
At a certain point on the roundabout the 12 of us sat down and locked on together.
We were pleased with our effort as only two out of the twelve of us had done anything like this before.
I was anxious beforehand - would we manage to get into position? would we manage to lock on? would I be the weakest link? When it happened, in an instance felt exhilarated and empowered. I sang, laughed and had jokey banter with the police."
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Leicester, 16th-17th December

"After standing for Labour in 1997, I found I could not stand what a Labour government was doing in Iraq. This autumn, a chink has been drilled in my furious apathy by the urgent need to address Trident Replacement. However, I was very scared of blockading.
It took me two months to decide to blockade on Saturday. I notice that the fear was all in my head and I feel delighted that I overcame it and lay on the road, locked on and got arrested with many of the group, It was so good to have help and support from group members who chose not to be arrested.
I’ll be back."
Celia
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Scottish Students, 19th-20th December

"At some horribly early time we got up and made our way to Faslane. We were in two groups, which were to tackle the North and South gates.
At the North Gate three Edinburgh students used a three-way cast iron lock-on tube to block the road while two Stirling students scaled lamp-posts at each side of the road. At the South Gate two St Andrews students and one ex-Stirling student used lock on tubes to blockade the approach road to the gate.
The blockade lasted over an hour and base workers queued up in their cars for miles. In the queue was many trucks and there is no doubt that despite the police presence of roughly 60 civilian police and roughly 20 MoD officers these 10 students had seriously effected work that day.
All involved had a positive experience and it is doubtful that this is the last Faslane have seen of this group."

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5) DONATIONS
Donations to Faslane 365 are always welcome and needed. Please send cheques to:
Faslane 365,
Valley Farmhouse, East Runton,
Cromer, Norfolk,
NR27 9PN,
UK.
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6) VOLUNTEERS
As Faslane 365 goes into a new year the steering group would like to ask for more people to get involved to keep the blockades successful. Let us know if you can help out with trainings, mobilising or website work. See contact details at the end of this newsletter.

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info@faslane365.org, www.faslane365.org, 0845 45 88 365, 07768 312676
Faslane 365, Valley Farmhouse, East Runton, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9PN, UK