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8 August 2004: for immediate use
Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, will join
peace campaigners in a walk between the two notorious US Star Wars bases
in the UK, Menwith Hill and Fylingdales. The walk, which has been organised
by Yorkshire CND, will link the current and new nuclear threats in a timely
reminder of the horror and devastation of nuclear war. They will highlight
the threat posed by US "Missile defence" Star Wars which comes
online this year. The UK will play a key role by allowing the US to use
the Fylingdales radar in the system. In the future the US is expected
to request use of Menwith Hill too.
Campaigners will walk 70 miles from Menwith Hill to Fylingdales between
Hiroshima Day (Aug 6th) and Nagasaki day (Aug 9th) marking the 59th anniversary
of the dropping of the Atomic Bombs. Kate Hudson will be joining the walkers
on Sunday 8th August and will arrive at Fylingdales at 2pm on Monday where
campaigners will tie five cardboard figures of people on to the fence
of the base – each one representing 50,000 people killed by the
atomic bombs 59 years ago.
Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament said,
"I will be joining the walk for peace in remembrance of over 280,000
innocent people killed by the nuclear attack on the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US 59 years ago. This must never happen
again, and yet the US is developing a whole new generation of nuclear
weapons that they actually plan to use in war-fighting. These new nukes
and the Missile Defence system are linked together in an aggressive policy
of control and pre-emptive war.
Missile Defence is about control in warfare and control in peacetime.
It’s about making wars like that in Iraq easier to start and easier
to win. The US plans to use Missile Defence as an excuse to deploy weapons
in space and it is time that the UK government stood up and said Enough
is Enough. UK military bases are integral to Missile Defence and we should
be stating loud and clear our opposition to space weapons, space warfare
and space dominance."
- ends –
Notes to editor
1. More information and comment from CND Press Officer Ruth Tanner –
0207 7002350 or the report’s author Neil Kingsnorth – 01274
730795
2. A copy of Yorkshire CND’s report ’Fight for Space –
The developing threat of Space Weapons’ which was published this
week is available from CND on 0207 7002393 or online at www.cndyorks.gn.apc.org/yspace/overview.htm
3. The walkers will meet at the main gate at Menwith Hill at 9.30am on
August 6th and tie five cardboard figures of people on to the fence of
the base – each one representing 50,000 people killed by the bombs.
When they reach Fylingdales they will do the same to the Outer fence there.
They also plan to hold a candlelit minute’s silence at each base
in remembrance of those that were killed and to display banners saying
"No More Hiroshimas" and "No More Nagasakis". They
will then head off on the 70 mile walk to Fylingdales, planning to arrive
at 2pm on August 9th - Nagasaki Day.
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