The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament will be joining the ‘Trident Ploughshares Regeneration Carnival’ day of action at the gates of Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth. Kate Hudson, Chair of CND, will be at the Dockyard in Plymouth to say “The refit must be brought to an end; scrap Trident, don’t replace it.”

The day of action will begin with a blockade at 6:30am on Friday 20 May 2005 at the Camel’s Head gate off Wolseley Road. The day of action is part of a weekend-long protest camp at Devils Point in Plymouth organised by Trident Ploughshares. The submarine refit programme for Britain’s nuclear weapon system Trident is taking place at Devonport Dockyards.

Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament said,

“This refit programme is a threat to the environment and a threat to the health and safety of the people of Plymouth. Trident is an illegal and immoral nuclear weapon of mass destruction and must be scrapped. Our government is committed under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to getting rid of its nuclear weapons. Instead, it is refitting the Trident nuclear weapons submarines and planning to replace the system when its service life comes to an end.

This year is the 60th anniversary of the nuclear bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We must abolish these immoral and illegal weapons now. The refit must be brought to an end; scrap Trident, don’t replace it.”

The British government is committed under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to getting rid of its nuclear weapons. This month the Treaty’s Review Conference is taking place at the UN in New York. At the 2000 Review Conference the UK, along with the other declared nuclear weapon states, give an “unequivocal undertaking to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals.” The UK government has made no progress towards disarmament. Instead, it is refitting the Trident nuclear weapons submarines. A decision on the possible replacement of the Trident submarine nuclear weapons system is due in this parliament. According to reports, the UK government, despite its commitment under the NPT, has already decided to replace Trident.

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Notes to Editor:

1. Media contact for the blockade, day of action and camp - Elizabeth Knight 0775 4430465

2. For further information and interviews please contact Ruth Tanner CND's Press & Communications Officer on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859

The Trident Ploughshares Devonport Disarmament Camp 2005 is from the 19 – 22 May 2005 in Plymouth http://www.tridentploughshares.org/devonport/
Details of CND’s Scrap Trident, Don’t replace it campaign http://www.cnduk.org/pages/campaign/trident.html
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe’s biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 32,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere.