At noon on November 30 the Scrap Trident coalition held a mass public demonstration at Faslane. ‘Trident Still Has To Go – Now’. to demonstrate the size and strength of popular opposition to Trident and, to our absolute delight, the people of Scotland responded magnificently to our call. From every corner of Scotland they came – by bus, car and bicycle with their banners, flags and signs. The size of the crowd and the distances travelled to Faslane were topped only by the energy and enthusiasm that they brought with them and, even more remarkably, the whole day was blessed with unseasonably bright and sunny weather . It was truly a wonderful day.
This single wonderful day of protest, however, is merely the beginning, and this year we are planning to push onwards and to build a truly dynamic and sustained mass public campaign against Trident nuclear weapons.
As we approach the 2015 UK general election in which we choose the MPs who will vote on the £100 billion “Main Gate” Trident renewal decision in 2016, we will be ensuring that the electorate understand exactly what is at stake when they post their ballots this May. We will be setting the agenda and ensuring that our message “Scrap Trident and invest in our children and young people” is heard loud and clear.
Of one thing we are absolutely clear – the greatest threat to peace and our survival, nuclear weapons, are not acceptable to people across the world. In 2015, we must recommit to the action necessary to make this a reality. Let’s all take our arguments for peace directly onto the streets. First of all, join a mass national demonstration in Glasgow city centre on Saturday, 4th April.
A week later a chance to confrontTrident unrelentingly where it matters – at Faslane, the rotten heart of the UK establishment’s inhumane commitment to nuclear devastation. On Monday, 13th April, commit to” a mass blockade to stop work at Faslane naval base. As many people as possible need to be part of it, so please consider either taking part directly or in taking a support role. A blockade is a creative and peaceful way of resisting injustice everyone who decides to participate will be properly informed and can access training so we are all comfortable with our level of participation.
On our city streets and at the gates of Faslane, we can be unyielding in our opposition to Trident and unflinching in our commitment to peace. Each time we do this, we remind people that they can make a difference, that this time there really is an alternative. Our future does not have to be built around warmongering, resource competition and strife. It can be about compassion, nurturing, mutualism and care. If we choose to truly commit to it, this will be the Bairns Not Bombs election. Please join us and recommit to taking the action that will lead to a more peaceful world. For more details, please visit www.scraptrident.org or contact scraptrident@gmail.com
