SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
More Than 30 Arrests at Aldermaston Anti-Nuclear Protest
Oct 28, 2008
Aldermaston, England - More than 30 people were arrested
yesterday during one of the biggest anti-nuclear protests at the Atomic
Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston for 10 years. The gates of the
site were blocked as people attached themselves to concrete blocks
which had to be broken apart by police. Others climbed scaffolding or
lay in the road at the demonstration by about 400 people to mark the
start of the UN World Disarmament Week.
They were protesting
against a decision to modernise the Aldermaston plant in Berkshire and
plans to develop a new warhead for nuclear missiles that the government
wants to buy to replace the Trident system.
The government plans
to spend nearly PS6bn on Aldermaston over the next three years.
Ministers claim the money is needed to preserve Britain's ability to
manufacture nuclear warheads safely; they say a decision has not yet
been taken to develop new, "more usable" warheads with the help of
American knowhow.
The Guardian revealed earlier this year that
one of the MoD's senior officials told a private meeting of arms
companies that a decision to replace the existing stockpile of nuclear
warheads had already been taken despite ministers repeatedly denying
there were any plans to replace them and insisting that no decision
would be taken until the next parliament, probably sometime after 2010.
Daniel
Viesnik, spokesman for Trident Ploughshare, said: "The government does
not seem to take notice of anything else other than direct action. We
are opposed to the development of a new generation of warheads and
protesters feel more extreme measures like [yesterday's] have to be
used to get attention."
Kate Hudson, chair of CND, said the protest showed there was a strong increase in public support for nuclear disarmament.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Aldermaston, England - More than 30 people were arrested
yesterday during one of the biggest anti-nuclear protests at the Atomic
Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston for 10 years. The gates of the
site were blocked as people attached themselves to concrete blocks
which had to be broken apart by police. Others climbed scaffolding or
lay in the road at the demonstration by about 400 people to mark the
start of the UN World Disarmament Week.
They were protesting
against a decision to modernise the Aldermaston plant in Berkshire and
plans to develop a new warhead for nuclear missiles that the government
wants to buy to replace the Trident system.
The government plans
to spend nearly PS6bn on Aldermaston over the next three years.
Ministers claim the money is needed to preserve Britain's ability to
manufacture nuclear warheads safely; they say a decision has not yet
been taken to develop new, "more usable" warheads with the help of
American knowhow.
The Guardian revealed earlier this year that
one of the MoD's senior officials told a private meeting of arms
companies that a decision to replace the existing stockpile of nuclear
warheads had already been taken despite ministers repeatedly denying
there were any plans to replace them and insisting that no decision
would be taken until the next parliament, probably sometime after 2010.
Daniel
Viesnik, spokesman for Trident Ploughshare, said: "The government does
not seem to take notice of anything else other than direct action. We
are opposed to the development of a new generation of warheads and
protesters feel more extreme measures like [yesterday's] have to be
used to get attention."
Kate Hudson, chair of CND, said the protest showed there was a strong increase in public support for nuclear disarmament.
Aldermaston, England - More than 30 people were arrested
yesterday during one of the biggest anti-nuclear protests at the Atomic
Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston for 10 years. The gates of the
site were blocked as people attached themselves to concrete blocks
which had to be broken apart by police. Others climbed scaffolding or
lay in the road at the demonstration by about 400 people to mark the
start of the UN World Disarmament Week.
They were protesting
against a decision to modernise the Aldermaston plant in Berkshire and
plans to develop a new warhead for nuclear missiles that the government
wants to buy to replace the Trident system.
The government plans
to spend nearly PS6bn on Aldermaston over the next three years.
Ministers claim the money is needed to preserve Britain's ability to
manufacture nuclear warheads safely; they say a decision has not yet
been taken to develop new, "more usable" warheads with the help of
American knowhow.
The Guardian revealed earlier this year that
one of the MoD's senior officials told a private meeting of arms
companies that a decision to replace the existing stockpile of nuclear
warheads had already been taken despite ministers repeatedly denying
there were any plans to replace them and insisting that no decision
would be taken until the next parliament, probably sometime after 2010.
Daniel
Viesnik, spokesman for Trident Ploughshare, said: "The government does
not seem to take notice of anything else other than direct action. We
are opposed to the development of a new generation of warheads and
protesters feel more extreme measures like [yesterday's] have to be
used to get attention."
Kate Hudson, chair of CND, said the protest showed there was a strong increase in public support for nuclear disarmament.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.