Disarmament Diplomacy

FASLANE 365 - DON'T REPLACE TRIDENT, SCRAP IT!

See also:

• The UK White Paper on Renewing Trident: the wrong decision at the wrong time, by Rebecca Johnson
• Tony Blair outlines the Government's plans for the future of Britain's nuclear deterrent

Halt Trident Deployment

The Faslane 365 year-long civil resistance to get rid of Trident has already become a powerful focus of opposition to nuclear weapons in Scotland. For the rest of this year, groups of people from all walks of life will come to the Faslane nuclear base, near Glasgow, to demonstrate and blockade for one day or more to halt Trident deployment. People Power is working! Make your voices heard!

Political actions of all kinds will be necessary to stop Trident. Civil resistance can make a vital difference, but to be fully effective it needs to be sustained day after day, month after month. While many groups are committing to come back, many more are needed to continue the blockades until Trident is disarmed.

Tony Blair has now issued a White Paper calling for the Trident nuclear weapon system to be renewed beyond the 2050s. This will cost £20-76 billion, breach the Non-Proliferation Treaty and make us less secure. The government has not consulted as promised, but plans to push a vote through Parliament using Conservative support. Regardless of what this undemocratic process favours, People Power can stop Trident and its replacement.

In the first three months of Faslane 365, thousands have blockaded the naval base where Britain's nuclear weapons are deployed. Hundreds have been arrested for "breach of the peace", upholding international law, but only a handful have been prosecuted so far.

Organise and Participate

With banners, music, seminars, religious services, dancing, lock-on peace symbols, bicycle locks and all kinds of other imaginative ideas, people from all over Britain (and even other countries) have converged on Faslane. The size of groups has varied, with most between 30 and 100 people. We need you too. For the sake of the future, come to Faslane. Help block these preparations for nuclear war-crimes.

Demand Disarmament

We have to act now to halt the immorality and waste of resources epitomised by Trident. By directly disrupting the submarine base, Faslane 365 raises public awareness and greatly increases the pressure on decision-makers in Scotland and Westminster, adding to the problems and costs of continuing nuclear deployments. Using nonviolent means, our intention is to uphold international law and direct resources towards safeguarding our real, human security.

All participants 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. All must also agree to a set of guidelines that stress nonviolence and respect for all. Beyond these basic undertakings, it is up to individual groups to conduct the blockade as they see fit.

Source: Faslane 365 leaflet

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© 2006 The Acronym Institute.