Rebuke The Nukes

Big march against weapons of mass destruction

28th April 2004

A large four day protest march against plans to renew the UK's weapons of mass destruction programme set off from Trafalgar Square on April 9 and arrived four days later at Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment. Over a thousand activists turned out for the CND organised march, remarkable for its mix of veteran nuclear campaigners and a new generation of protesters keen to remind the UK government that action against weapons of mass destruction should begin at home.

On the eve of the march the ever erudite Tony Benn commented: "CND was the first campaign against Weapons of Mass Destruction and Britain should now get rid of its own nuclear weapons, close the American bases and develop a special relationship with United Nations."

Mainstream media now tend to dismiss the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament as a phenomenon of the seventies, though its thousands of members continue to assert that it is both hypocritical and defencively unnecessary to possess nuclear weapons in the 21st century.

A statement issued by CND chair, Kate Hudson, insisted: "Planned developments at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston to research and test the next generation of nuclear weapons highlight Britain's nuclear hypocrisy. The British government appears to be pursuing an aggressive policy of illegal pre-emptive war in which they are prepared to use nuclear weapons. They are claiming they are doing so to rid the world of WMD yet they are simultaneously planning to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons to use in further pre-emptive wars. The development of a new generation of UK nuclear weapons risks escalating the drive for other countries to develop their own WMD rather than encouraging them to disarm deadly weapons.

To comply with the articles of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and follow the 13 agreed steps to nuclear disarmament the government must abandon pre-emptive war as an alternative policy for disarmament, stop research and design work on a new generation of nuclear weapons at the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment and make an unequivocal statement that it will not replace the Trident nuclear weapons system when its current service life runs out."

CND have big benefit night on WEDNESDAY 12TH MAY with a series of music, film and speeches from MATT BLACK (COLDCUT), BOB STANLEY (ST ETIENNE), TONY BENN, BRUCE KENT and guests. The gig takes place at THE LEGION, 348 OLD STREET, LONDON EC1. NEAREST TUBE OLD STREET. 7pm til midnight. Phone 020 7729 4441 for more info.