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CND in the News
CND in the News: 30Jun-6 July 2005
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1 200,000 march against poverty
Scotland on Sunday, 2 July 05
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=730912005
IT WAS not so much a demonstration, more a mass carnival that brought
the centre of Edinburgh to a standstill yesterday.
The tidal wave of marchers which swept through the streets in a never-ending
flow, whistled, drummed and chanted its way around the city, buoyed up
by a seemingly endless supply of good humour. The trouble that broke out
on the margins, when a few breakaway groups staged a confrontation with
police, could not dent the general air of cheeriness. Rarely can poverty
have been challenged so genially.
It may have had something to do with the white. This was the dress code
of the day, requested by the organisers of the Make Poverty History march,
and the vast majority responded. White T-shirts, white jeans, white ponchos,
even white surplices stood out in the hot July sun. The must-have accessories
were whistles, bandanas, and white anti-poverty wrist-bands.
Their wearers streamed out of the Meadows, down George IV Bridge and The
Mound, then all the way along Princes Street before doubling back again
to form a solid unbroken ring around the city centre. It was an immensely
impressive expression of mass protest.
There was one stunning climax to the day. At three o'clock the sound died
away, and the thousands of marchers who had returned to the Meadows to
watch the transmission of the Live 8 concert in London, stood in absolute
silence for a minute before releasing white and blue balloons into the
air amid a cacophony of applause. It was not only by far the largest single
march that Edinburgh has ever witnessed, it was probably the most disciplined
as well.
For all the geniality, there was no doubting the seriousness of the cause
- or rather the causes. For though fighting poverty was the central theme,
there were almost as many versions of how to do it as there were groups
taking part. Cancel Debt, Increase Aid, Guarantee Fair Trade, declared
most of the posters. Others ran the full gamut of political dissent: Stop
Bush's War on Terror, Bread Not Bombs, Capitalism Although this was a
21st-century protest, there was a distinct whiff of previous eras. I lost
count of the Che Guevara T-shirts, the CND posters, and
the vendors handing out leaflets for organisations like the International
Socialists and the Workers Revolutionary Party, most of which I thought
had long since withered on the bough. One marcher from Hampshire was parading
a Stop The By-Pass placard. One, from Geneva, urged: Abolish Swiss Banking
Secrecy. Another simply proclaimed: Eat the Rich.
The age range ran from babes in arms to one veteran of almost 70 years
of protest. Chris Small, 85, and a member of Scottish CND,
went on his first march on May Day 1937, when he marched to the sound
of crowds jeering and horns blaring. He was last on the streets for last
year's Stop the War demo. Did he think that demonstrations changed anything?
"It's hard to say," he admitted. "Sometimes I think the
only thing they achieve is that people can let off steam. Governments
have become inured to them. I'm sorry to say, it's only when there is
a riot that they begin to sit up - look what happened in Genoa."
That has not, however, dented his enthusiasm. He gave me what he believed
was the central message of the day: "The real problem is not the
debt that the poor countries owe the rich, but the debt the rich owe the
poor - because they have been living off the poor for thousands of years."
Amongst the hundreds who had come to Edinburgh from Africa itself was
Zukiswa Wanner from South Africa, who was sure that the march would have
its effect on the G8 leaders. "It is poverty that makes wars,"
she said. "But it is not enough just to cancel debts. We have to
make corrupt leaders in Africa more accountable to the people. We have
come here to show people that the Africans are not just sitting down and
doing nothing. "We don't want to be treated as a charity case. We
want to change our own lives - and this march will help achieve that."
Beaming, she added: "It is a privilege to be here. Thank you for
allowing me into your country." Others had a more poignant message.
One woman from Swaziland, who has HIV Aids, said her task was to persuade
the G8 countries to stick to their promise to commit up to $10m to combat
Aids. Cardinal Keith O'Brien agreed.
He said that getting the leaders to listen to the people and stick to
their promises was probably the most important aim of the day.
"This will make a difference. When people come together like this
it does convey a certain sense of power. What has happened today is really
important," he said.
His Roman Catholic colleague, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, agreed.
"My main hope is that the leaders will listen to the people and stick
to their aim of halving world poverty by 2015."
Was that why he had come up to Edinburgh himself? "Yes, I'm showing
I care," he said, "and I'm showing that actions count more than
words. I'm putting my feet where my mouth is, if you see what I mean."
Grinning happily he set off, with the businessman and philanthropist Sir
Tom Farmer, to conduct one of two Catholic services held in the city before
the march. As the crowd swelled and the numbers grew, so did the carnival
atmosphere.
Stalls selling hot dogs and hamburgers flanked others campaigning for
every Third World cause under the sun, from saving Tibet to combating
the tsetse fly.
Everyone I spoke to agreed that the day had been a worthwhile one, and
they were glad to have been there. As to why they thought so, opinions
differed. As two schoolgirls from Ireland put it: "It's all to do
with poverty, and something has to be done. But just what we have to do
about it is for someone else to decide."
They echoed almost precisely what Mrs Howden says in Walter Scott's Heart
of Midlothian: "I dinna ken muckle about the law, but I ken when
we had a king and a chancellor, and parliament-men o' our ain, we could
aye peeble them wi' stanes when they were nae guid bairns."
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2 Nuclear weapons are a part of the poverty system
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php4?article_id=6852
Kate Hudson, chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament,
spoke to Socialist Worker about the renewed threat from nuclear weapons
Tony Blair's public position is that no decision has been made on replacing
Trident submarines with a new generation of nuclear weapons.
But many reports have indicated that a decision has already been made
to do that. And Blair has repeatedly stressed how important he thinks
it is for Britain to have a “nuclear deterrent”.
The issue of nuclear disarmament, and ending war generally, is a central
part of the campaign against global poverty.
Britain spends £25 billion on arms each year, compared with just
£4 billion on aid.
Trident costs £1.5 billion a year. A replacement will cost at least
£10 billion. Nuclear weapons are about securing power in a world
of privatisation and neo-liberalism, which are part of the fundamental
causes of world poverty. There is a staggering hypocrisy over nuclear
weapons. The US and Britain talk a lot about non-proliferation, by which
they mean stopping other states getting nuclear weapons. Iran and North
Korea are the two most often cited.
But the western leaders say nothing about the responsibilities they have
under the non-proliferation agreements. They are developing new nuclear
weapons. That in itself is proliferation, and it is linked to the aggressive
doctrine of regime change. The result is further destabilisation across
the globe, leading to an increase in world arms spending.
The wars the US and Britain have fought are themselves leading to greater
poverty. There is greater violence and poverty in Iraq now as a consequence
of the occupation.
So one of the key messages CND is taking to the G8 protests
is “Fight poverty, not war.”
We have to get to the fundamental roots of the problem. That means the
whole issue of economic justice for people around the world.
This week will see significant protest action at the Faslane nuclear base
in Scotland as part of the mobilisations against the G8. Many other protests
are planned throughout the year.
This year is the 60th anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. We should remember that the US is the only country to have
every used nuclear weapons in war. There will be many events to mark Hiroshima
Day on 6 August. It’s time to make nuclear weapons history, along
with poverty.
The Faslane demonstration is on Monday 4 July.
Buses leave George Square, Glasgow, at 5.30 am, and Waterloo Place, Edinburgh,
at 4am.
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3 Scotland says Make Poverty History: Where to make your voice heard
Sunday Mail, 2 July 05
http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=15693859&method=full&siteid=86024&headline=scotland-says-make-poverty-history--where-to-make-your-voice-heard--name_page.html
# GLENEAGLES, PERTHSHIRE Tuesday - Beacons will be lit in the hills around
Gleneagles Hotel. Meet at the Gathering Stone, Stirling, at noon.
Wednesday - March to Gleneagles Hotel gates, followed by massive rally.
Meet at noon at Auchterarder's Western Road. At 1pm, march up Orchil Road,
down Easthill Road and Tullibardine Road and back to the start point.
This is the amended route to allow protesters to march within 500 metres
(547 yards) of the hotel. March ends 4pm. See www.g8alternatives.org.uk.
For transport, phone: Glasgow, 07980 662416; Edinburgh, 0131-220 6259;
Aberdeen, 07840 101 589; Dundee, 01382 452547.
# EDINBURGH Today - G8 Alternative Summit: 10am-9pm, Usher Hall. Debate
including Scott Ritter, the former UN weapons inspector, and Bianca Jagger.
Box office: 0131-228 1155. G8 Corporate Dreams Global Nightmare, 11am
-6pm, Assembly Hall. Counter conference. Box office: 0131-226 2428 Tomorrow
- Aid for Africa: Will it reach farmers, will it power development? National
Museum of Scotland, 2 - 5.30pm. For more information: 01926 634514 Carnival
For Full Enjoyment: Noon at west end of Princes Street. Musical protest
and entertainment. See www.nodeal.org.uk Tuesday - GW8 (Global Warming
8): 9.30am12pm, Our Dynamic Earth, Holyrood Road. Various speakers. Tel:
0131-550 7800.
# GRANGEMOUTH Tuesday - 1-3pm: Protest at oil refinery by Friends of the
Earth and People & Planet. Meet at Inovene/BP visitors' centre, Bo'ness
Road. See www.foe-scotland.org.uk.
# STIRLING July 3-8 - People & Planet Festival, Borrow Meadow Farm.
Speakers, workshops, entertainment. Phone 01865 245678 or email: g8@peopleandplanet.org#
STRATHAVEN, LANARKSHIRE Tuesday - Demonstration at Dungavel Immigration
Removal Centre. Shuttle buses from George Square, Glasgow, all morning
from 9.30am, and Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, from 9.30am to 11.30am. Book
a place: 0141946 6193. See www.g8alternatives.org.uk# FASLANE NAVAL BASE
Tomorrow - Non-violent blockade of all gates into the base, preventing
traffic from entering, organised by Scottish CND and
Trident Ploughshares. Peace campaigners highlight their opposition to
the war, nuclear weapons and militarism. Venue: the Royal Navy Submarine
base on the Clyde. For more information: www.faslaneg8.com.
# GLASGOW Today - Make Borders History tour. 1pm at Buchanan Street Underground
for tour of city's immigration facilities. For more information: www.makebordershistory.org.
# ABERDEEN Wednesday - Live8 Murrayfield screening, Aberdeen Exhibition
Centre. Doors open 5pm, with live entertainment. Murrayfield concert 7pm.
Free tickets: 01224 824824. # WORLDWIDE Thursday - 1.45pm, people will
ring bells, sound alarms and make other loud noises to show time is running
out to tackle climate injustice. See www.foei.org/g8
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4 Hill to climb for anti-war rally
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4647411.stm
Edinburgh has made its name as a festival city but it's heading for another
title - protest central.
The anti-war movement picked up on Sunday where poverty campaigners left
off the day before, by marching through the streets of the capital.
Police estimated that about 2,500 people turned out to support the Stop
the War Coalition as it demonstrated against the conflict in Iraq.
Protesters gathered on Calton Hill to hear the list being read
out
Like Make Poverty History (MPH) on Saturday, participants let their feet
do the talking as they walked from The Mound along Princes Street before
finishing at the top of Calton Hill. A strong police presence was visible
along the march route but with far fewer than the 5,000 protesters originally
expected, the small event passed off without incident. Lothian and Borders
Police said no arrests were made. A spokesman for the organisers said
the atmosphere was "quite sombre". Notable faces spotted in
the crowd included Respect MP and vocal war critic George Galloway, who
led the march, songwriter Billy Bragg and Rose Gentle whose son Gordon
lost his life while serving in Iraq..
Mother's sorrow
The short event culminated in an "Iraq Naming the Dead ceremony"
where the names of those who died during the war were read out on a PA
system to a relatively hushed crowd.
Rose Gentle was the first person to address the crowd. Fighting back tears,
she started by rhyming off the names of young soldiers who she said were
"friends of my Gordon".
Her voice faltered as she struggled to say her son's name before passing
the microphone to a fellow anti-war campaigner.
People from around the UK took part in the demonstration
One by one, selected speakers made their way through a long list which
included the names of Iraqi citizens and children known to have died since
the invasion took place. Among them was Kate Hudson, chairwoman of the
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), whose organisation
had draped large banners around the Calton Hill monument.
Marcher Margaret Jackson, 32, from the Borders, said that although the
turnout was not as large as first hoped, the demonstration still sent
"a strong message to the establishment".
She added: "We want to let people in power know that their illegal
actions in going to war has not and will not be forgotten. Lives have
been needlessly lost and this ceremony is a way of marking that.
"People in Scotland were against the war and are still against the
war and our fight will not stop until all our troops are home."
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5 Comment
The Guardian, Monday July 4, 2005
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9115,1520672,00.html
A new generation of nuclear weapons? Let's talk about it
The Trident decision must not be made in secret
Marjorie Thompson and Julian Lewis
Just three days before the last general election, Tony Blair was reported
to have secretly decided that Britain would build a new generation of
nuclear weapons to replace Trident. The story was denied, which is why
so many believed it to be true.
Since then it has been very difficult to get a straight answer out of
either the prime minister or his new defence secretary, John Reid. In
the debate that is happening without them, there have been some surprises.
Among them is the assertion by Michael Portillo, the former Tory defence
secretary, that "the case for Britain having an independent nuclear
deterrent depended on the existence of the Soviet Union". With the
downfall of communism, he says, the capability became redundant. It is
time Blair and Reid stopped trying to circumvent what is undoubtedly an
unpalatable debate for Labour.
In December 2003, the defence white paper Delivering Security in a Changing
World stated: "Our minimum nuclear deterrent capability, currently
represented by Trident, is likely to remain a necessary element of our
security ... Decisions on whether to replace Trident are not needed in
this parliament but are likely to be required in the next one."
That parliament has now arrived, but there is little sign of those decisions
being opened up to democratic debate. Why is this? History gives us a
clue. The transition from the V-bombers to Polaris saw the first wave
of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament break on to the British political
scene in the late 1950s.
The transition from Polaris to Trident, coupled with the deployment of
US cruise missiles, saw the second wave of CND rise up
even more dramatically in the early 1980s. The hugely expensive Chevaline
upgrade of Polaris attracted no debate or protest between these dates,
because no one knew anything about it. Is this New Labour's model for
the Trident replacement programme?
For more than 20 years the authors of this article have debated, disputed
and totally disagreed about almost every aspect of British nuclear-weapons
policy. From our opposite perspectives, we anticipate that any announcement
on a successor to Trident will swiftly rekindle CND.
This prospect gives New Labour nightmares. Yet, irrespective of one's
viewpoint, it is essential that key questions are addressed.
To what extent, if any, are nuclear weapons relevant after September 11?
Have they any role at all after the end of the cold war? Is a new generation
of British nuclear weapons compatible with the non-proliferation treaty
and its strictures on vertical proliferation? Can British nuclear disarmament
be safely reconciled with the unpredictable nature of international relations?
Could conventional military campaigns be stymied by enemy WMD that cannot
be stalemated? And what type of successor generation, if any, could Britain
afford to deploy and maintain?
It is beyond the scope of this article to attempt to answer any of these
questions: we would be unable to agree on a single point. But we both
know that these are the key points that need to be publicly debated -
and that this is unlikely to happen.
Reid was repeatedly asked in the House of Commons on June 6 if the government
intends to replace Trident and keep nuclear weapons as long as other countries
have them. He equivocated: "Labour's recent general election manifesto
spelled out our commitment to the retention of the independent nuclear
deterrent. However, as I confirmed to the house on May 18, no decision
on any replacement for Trident has been taken either in principle or otherwise."
What are we to make of this? If no decision on replacement has been taken
in principle, then it is possible that no replacement will occur; but
the Labour manifesto committed the government "to retaining the independent
nuclear deterrent". Did this refer only to the existing Trident system
or to the maintenance of a British nuclear-weapons capability in general,
whenever Trident comes to an end? Reid is not saying.
Nor was he pleased to be questioned from his own backbenches by such committed
anti-nuclear MPs as Harry Cohen and David Chaytor. He was probably lucky
that more Scottish MPs were not in the chamber given some of their constituents'
concerns about hosting Trident and any submarine-based successor system.
These concerns will no doubt find a voice in the Scottish parliament too,
whether or not it is supposed to have jurisdiction over defence.
At Westminster, a series of written questions has produced singularly
evasive answers. What is the relationship between the new building programme
at Aldermaston and the next generation of British nuclear weapons? Answer:
to "keep open options in respect of any decision on whether or not
to replace Trident". What preliminary assessments have been made
of the relative merits of extending the life of Trident and of replacing
it with a new system? Answer: "We have not yet made an assessment
of the relative merits of such options."
Do the options for the future of the UK deterrent include not proceeding
with a new generation of weapons? Answer: "The Labour party's manifesto
for the 2005 general election made clear our commitment to retain the
UK's independent nuclear deterrent. Although decisions on any replacement
for Trident are likely to be taken in the current parliament, it is too
early to rule out, or rule in, any particular option." The prime
minister has been no less delphic. Asked last Wednesday by Chris Mullin
for an assurance that "before any irrevocable decisions are made,
he will take parliament into his confidence", Blair said that the
government "will listen to honourable members before making any decisions
on replacing Trident". No decisions had yet been taken, he said,
but "they are likely to be necessary in the current parliament".
Labour's manifesto commitment "to retaining the United Kingdom's
independent nuclear deterrent" was again trotted out, but immediately
qualified with a promise of "plenty of opportunities to discuss that
before the final decision is taken".
So there you have it (or not). We are going to keep Britain's "independent
nuclear deterrent" but we are not ruling out "any particular
option" - including an option of not proceeding with a new-generation
weapons system at all. If, as is claimed, we are bringing democracy to
Iraq, we should not be stifling it in the most important and controversial
area of British military policy - whether or not we continue to possess
nuclear weapons.
• Marjorie Thompson was parliamentary officer, vice-chair and chair
of CND between 1983 and 1993; Julian Lewis MP was a director of the Coalition
for Peace Through Security in the 1980s and is a shadow defence minister
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6 Live 8 stirs world to ride tidal wave of justice
Irish Examiner, 4 July
http://www.examiner.ie/pport/web/world/Full_Story/did-sg4ZqB4ZjFKvssgDQQ5wn3uAIg.asp
By Catherine Shanahan in London
IT was a day when hope and history rhymed, when, to paraphrase, the-once-in-a-lifetime
longed for tidal wave of justice rose. And we all believed in miracles
and cures and healing wells.
The momentum born of Live 8 will peak in Gleneagles, Scotland, in two
days time when the heads of the world’s eight leading industrial
nations gather to deliberate climate change, the world economy and the
debt of African nations.
After a weekend of rock stars working to mould the global philanthropic
spirit into a force to be reckoned with, the eight heads of state are
under increasing public pressure to cancel African debt, scrap trade tarrifs
and double financial aid. When the G8 summit opens at the Gleneagles Hotel
on Wednesday, it will be asked to rubberstamp an African aid and debt
package brokered by British Chancellor Gordon Brown at a pre-G8 meeting
of finance ministers last month. It will include writing off €46
billion of debt owed by mainly African countries, with rich countries
picking up the interest.
Live 8 organiser Bob Geldof said yesterday he is confident world leaders
at the G8 summit will listen to the call for more action to tackle global
poverty. He said the Live 8 concerts, which were watched by an estimated
five billion people and protests had been “full of hope and possibility
and life”. Much of the public campaign to Make Poverty History will
focus on Scotland this week. Today, CND will blockade
the Faslane nuclear submarine base west of Glasgow and anti-capitalist
activists, the Wombles, are planning an anarchist carnival on Princes
St in Glasgow.
Tomorrow, a mass protest will take place at the Dungavel Detention Centre
for asylum seekers in Lanarkshire, from which staff and detainees have
been transferred “for the safety of everyone” according to
the British Home Office. A march to the gates of the Gleneagles Hotel
will take place on Wednesday as well as a Live 8 gig in Edinburgh. Geldof
has called for one million people to descend on the city. On Thursday,
a protest group will attempt to storm one of Gleneagles’ five golf
courses and a day of action on the causes of global warming will coincide
with the close of the summit on Friday
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7 Politicians would sell their grannies for a crowd like this
The Herald, July 04 2005
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/42377.html
Politicians in search of a motivated electorate need look no further
than Scotland's capital on Saturday. People forswearing garden-centre
browsing, pub lunches, their sport of choice, a precious slice of leisure
and pleasure, to queue in jumbled masses – often for some hours
– for the privilege of walking in unison around the city centre.
The multi-coloured fleet of buses parked for miles around told their own
story; of people from south Wales and south-west England who had risen
in the middle of the night to come to Edinburgh, and would get home at
roughly the same time the next morning. The demographic, too, would have
gladdened the heart of any party leader in search of a faithful following;
Quaker groups, faith-based charities, women's guilds, trades unions, environmental
activists, ethical shoppers, conscience-stricken suburbanites.
Most striking of all, there were thousands upon thousands of young families,
toddlers and kids and pram-bound babies. A focus group to die for. A focus
group, if the last election statistics are to be believed, which may or
may not put its trust in a heavenly being, but have assuredly very little
faith to spare for the earthbound message of party politics. The sheer
scale of the turnout in Edinburgh became slightly mislaid in the frenzied
coverage of the Live8 concerts by huge sections of the London-based media.
But few people who were there will forget the sights and sounds of a demonstration
full of voters who individually and collectively had decided that it was
important to make a personal appearance on a particular day for a particular
reason.
Superficially, these reasons might have looked confusingly disparate;
campaigns for fair trade cheek-by-jowl with anti-nuclear veterans and
the persistent voice of those opposed to the Iraqi war. Yet the triumph
of the Make Poverty History organisers was to distil the concerns of some
450 affiliated bodies into three headline messages about trade, aid, and
debt, and, in so doing they contrived to get the attention of tens of
thousands of marching "virgins" alongside the more usual suspects.
All of which begs an important question about the future of political
involvement. For a younger, more predictably radical sector, single-issue
politics like CND, Greenpeace and Amnesty have always
had a ready appeal. For some, it used to be a rite of passage into mainstream
politics – a certain Mr Blair had a well publicised flirtation with
the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. For others it was
little more than a phase, a heady fling with activism before settling
into the humdrum world of two-point-five weans and a mortgage. I sense
we are witnessing something different now; not the death of conventional
politics because, ultimately, democracy demands representatives charged
with making difficult decisions about competing priorities. But it is
at least arguable that party politics has lost the capacity to energise,
enthuse and inspire compared with the renewed appeal of street power.
Part of that is down to a relative dearth of inspirational figures within
mainstream politics – the mobile charisma of a Nelson Mandela is
an increasingly rare phenomenon in the grey world of summitry and civil
service sherpas. Eight middle-aged men fine-dining in Gleneagles does
not exactly shriek solidarity with the starving.
But Saturday may just have underscored a more positive force than a cynical
disdain for the world of manipulative, mainstream politics. And it is
a force which has radicalised the most implausible adherents. That insistent
desire to participate on their own terms has caught up the grandmothers
who left their herbaceous border to dig outside latrines at Greenham Common,
the women's institutes who downed baking tins to march against going to
war in Iraq, the young men and women who gave up jobs and studies to work
with refugee groups in the middle east, or participate in agricultural
programmes in Africa.
Neither is it easy to stick conventional political labels on this new
breed of activists. The Countryside Alliance and the Stop the War Coalition
are hardly interchangeable in terms of core beliefs, but both have the
capacity to turn out people in serious numbers for causes which move and
motivate them.
It's interesting that this flowering of personal witness is happening
in an age where we are all assumed to be locked in our habitats, only
able to respond to the screen-based "stimuli" of computer games
or reality television. Clearly, for millions of people from all age groups
and all backgrounds and all cultures this has proved too thin a gruel
to sustain a satisfactory life. Alongside the need to feed the victims
of physical famine seems to have come the imperative to nourish our heads
and hearts as well.
Now you can dismiss all this as cosy self-indulgence; indeed, many people
have already written off Saturday's march as a bunch of middle-class liberals
giving their conscience a brief outing before going back to a three-course
dinner rustled up from a celebrity cookbook. That kneejerk dismissal of
genuine and quite tangible emotion was made by very few people who actually
became a part of Saturday's day-long event.
Of course there was self-satisfaction at having been there; the feelgood
factor of being a small part of a mass movement to make more visible a
cause nobody was likely to dispute. But conceding that does not diminish
the feat of mobilising a quarter of a million people on a day when, in
their wisdom, the kings and queens of rock'n'oll had decided simultaneously
to stage an extravaganza available live on TV.
Veteran protester Bruce Kent made a telling point yesterday when he wondered
aloud if the Live8 concerts might have had a greater resonance immediately
post-Gleneagles – a sort of aide memoire to the presidents and prime
ministers that we're still serious here boys . . . and a chronology which
would not have taken any of the shine from the mass march in Edinburgh.
Regardless of that, it was clear in the Philadelphia gig at least, the
audience was having their ignorance and innocence of African injustice
at least partially addressed by rock stars able to lace their music with
accessible rhetoric. Whatever your view of rich recording glitterati highlighting
the poor, the not-so-subliminal messages flashing constantly around the
Hyde Park stage at least reminded the groupies below of what is happening
in a parallel dispossessed universe.
The next few days may bring us different kinds of protest . . . more direct
action from the various communities who have convinced themselves that
only the truly radical possess the keys of change. Only they have the
vision thing. (That too, can demonstrate a high degree of self-indulgence,
too right-on to risk being thought cuddly.) But I don't believe that Saturday
was just a passing blip on the political radar. I think it helped define
a new style of political involvement. Rock stars playing old numbers can
count on nostalgia. Politicians singing old songs might find folk tuning
out in ever greater numbers.
Politicians in search of a motivated electorate need look no further than
Scotland's capital on Saturday. People forswearing garden-centre browsing,
pub lunches, their sport of choice, a precious slice of leisure and pleasure,
to queue in jumbled masses – often for some hours – for the
privilege of walking in unison around the city centre. The multi-coloured
fleet of buses parked for miles around told their own story; of people
from south Wales and south-west England who had risen in the middle of
the night to come to Edinburgh, and would get home at roughly the same
time the next morning. The demographic, too, would have gladdened the
heart of any party leader in search of a faithful following; Quaker groups,
faith-based charities, women's guilds, trades unions, environmental activists,
ethical shoppers, conscience-stricken suburbanites.
Most striking of all, there were thousands upon thousands of young families,
toddlers and kids and pram-bound babies. A focus group to die for. A focus
group, if the last election statistics are to be believed, which may or
may not put its trust in a heavenly being, but have assuredly very little
faith to spare for the earthbound message of party politics.
The sheer scale of the turnout in Edinburgh became slightly mislaid in
the frenzied coverage of the Live8 concerts by huge sections of the London-based
media. But few people who were there will forget the sights and sounds
of a demonstration full of voters who individually and collectively had
decided that it was important to make a personal appearance on a particular
day for a particular reason.
Superficially, these reasons might have
……………………………………………..
8 Two protesters have so far scaled fences at Faslane naval base
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4647707.stm
Four arrested in nuclear protest
Four people have been arrested during a blockade at the home of the UK's
Trident nuclear submarine fleet on the west coast of Scotland.
Organisers said 2,000 people were involved in the demonstration at the
Faslane naval base on the Clyde. Police put the number at between 600
and 700.
The protest was organised to highlight links between militarisation, war
and world poverty ahead of the G8 summit.
It was the eighth of its kind at the base since 2000.
As the blockade began a trumpet player sounded a mournful note but as
the crowds began to gather, drummers took over and tried to create more
of a carnival atmosphere.
The event at the base 30 miles west of Glasgow was organised by the Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and Trident Ploughshares. It was
supported by groups such as the Campaign Against Arms Trade, Stop The
War Coalition and G8 Alternatives.
These weapons are the most expensive scrap metal in the world because
they won't be used. If they were used, the planet itself would be destroyed
Picnicking for peace at Faslane protestOrganisers estimated the number
present at about 2,000 split between the base's north and south gates.
If their numbers are correct, it would be exceed the previous highest
turnout of 1,000 for a protest which took place in 2001. However, police
gave a lower estimate. Politicians who took part included Green MEP for
south east England, Caroline Lucas, along with Green, Scottish Socialist
Party and Scottish National Party Members of the Scottish Parliament.
'Useless instruments
CND vice-president Bruce Kent, who was at the protest,
explained the reasoning behind the blockade. "What we're saying is
that to spend money on these illegal and useless instruments is really
ridiculous when you talk about poverty in the world," he said. "I'm
sure that there are many people who would agree with what we're doing
here today.
"It's a serious demonstration to point out that we're spending a
trillion dollars a year on weapons and the poor are starving in the world
- that's the message."
SSP MSP Tommy Sheridan was one of the first to sit down outside the north
gate. He said: "The message to G8 leaders is quite simple - if you
are serious about saving millions of lives then stop spending £646bn
a year on arms and start spending the money on food, medicine and clothing.
That way, we can stop 50,000 humans a day from dying prematurely. "These
weapons are the most expensive scrap metal in the world because they won't
be used. If they were used, the planet itself would be destroyed."
'WMDs on our doorstep'
Deputy leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon said: "We
have got some of the most powerful guys in the world meeting in our country
and I think it is important to let them know that people in Scotland find
it immoral that we are living in a world where millions of people don't
have enough to eat and yet we have very expensive weapons of mass destruction
on our own doorstep."
Chris Ballance MSP, Greens speaker on nuclear issues, said: "It has
been a very successful day so far and there is a very positive atmosphere.
"Our aim has been to expose the unacceptability of militarism and
nuclear weapons, and we have been successful in doing that."
……………………………………………..
9 Protesters gather at naval base
4 July
http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=62197&pt=n
Hundreds of protesters today gathered at a key naval base to demonstrate
against the UK's nuclear weapons. The demonstration, organised by anti-nuclear
groups CND and Trident Ploughshares, began at the Faslane
base on the Clyde at 7.00am. At least 1,000 people are expected to join
the blockade, which will continue throughout the day in protest at the
amount of money spent by G8 countries on weaponry. The blockade comes
two days before the leaders of the world`s eight most powerful countries
are to descend on Scotland for the start of the G8 summit.
By 8.30am, around 500 people had gathered at the north gate of the base
where police have lined the entrance. Protesters sitting in front of the
gate included Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas and Scottish Socialist MSP
Tommy Sheridan, a veteran Faslane demonstrator.
Ms Lucas said: "We want to succeed in keeping the base closed for
the day and I think we will achieve that. "By taking part in this
peaceful demonstration we are ensuring the issue of nuclear weapons is
on the agenda at G8 this week. "If the leaders are serious about
poverty eradication then they can`t ignore the issue of nuclear armaments.
The MEP for South East England added: "They don`t need to go to Iraq
to find weapons of mass destruction - you can find them right here."
Banners are decorating the gates of the naval base, while protesters
themselves are carrying placards bearing the slogans "No War, No
Nukes" and "Water Not War". A spokesman for the Ministry
of Defence confirmed a demonstrator had gained access to part of the Faslane
compound. He said: "A protester climbed over a fence at the oil depot
and was immediately arrested by MoD police. "This individual did
not gain access to the base itself." He added: "We would estimate
the number of protesters at about 550, which is much more low-key then
we expected."
……………………………………………..
10 Protestors blockade sub base
4 July
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1731720,00.html
Faslane, Scotland - Hundreds of demonstrators on Monday blockaded a British
nuclear submarine base in a protest aimed at the world's most powerful
leaders who are in Scotland later in the week for the G8 summit. Police
said a 24-year-old man was arrested after he broke through a fence by
an oil depot on the base at Faslane on the west coast of Scotland as police
in fluorescent uniforms stood before young protestors in a carnival-like
atmosphere.
Ruth Tanner, spokesperson for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
(CND), said the protest "is about anti-militarism and the
G8", the Group of Eight leading industrial countries which will hold
a summit from Wednesday at the Scottish golf resort at Gleneagles to discuss
poverty in the third world.
Promises about poverty
"Ninety percent of arms dealing comes out of G8 countries. You can't
make promises about poverty when you're pumping so much into arms,"
Tanner said. Some of the protestors beat drums and one played a clarinet
in a generally peaceful atmosphere. "The overriding aim is to stop
work at the base today. That's obviously succeeding," Tanner said.
Police said there were only 700 protestors at two gates on the perimeter
fence and by the oil depot. Strathclyde Police Chief Superintendent Mitch
Roger, who is in charge of the police operations, said "we are used
to these demonstrations at Faslane. "My priority is to ensure public
security and that the integrity of the base is maintained ... there is
a potential for arrest ... it will depend very much on the behavior of
the protestors," he said.
The summit of G8 countries - Britain, the United States, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia - is due to discuss steps to end extreme
poverty in Africa and other developing countries as well as to combat
climate change. Four Vanguard-class nuclear submarines which carry Trident
nuclear missiles are based at Faslane, on the Clyde estuary, about 40
kilometres northwest of Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city. Some 9 000 Royal
Navy personnel, civilian defence workers and subcontractors work on the
base.
……………………………………………..
11 Hundreds blockade Faslane ahead of G8 meeting
4 July
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/07/04/ufaslane.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/07/04/ixportaltop.html
Hundreds of protesters are blockading Scotland's nuclear naval
base Faslane in the run-up to the G8 summit at Gleneagles.
Up to 2,000 demonstrators are expected to gather at the Clyde base, Scotland's
largest, in protest at the amount of money the G8 countries spend on weapons.
About 500 people have so far blockaded the north gate of the base, challenged
by police. One protester breached security and entered the compound, a
Ministry of Defence spokesperson said.
The blockade, organised by anti-nuclear groups CND and
Trident Ploughshares, comes two days before the leaders of the world's
eight most powerful countries are to descend on Scotland for the start
of the G8 summit. Protesters included Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP,
and Tommy Sheridan, a Scottish Socialist MSP and veteran Faslane demonstrator.
Ms Lucas said: "If the leaders are serious about poverty eradication
then they can't ignore the issue of nuclear armaments." She added:
"They don't need to go to Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction
- you can find them right here."
Mr Sheridan, former leader of the SSP, called for the UK's nuclear weapons,
which he described as "barbarian pieces of scrap metal", to
be abandoned.
"The G8 leaders say they are concerned about poverty but I do not
believe that," he said. "If they are concerned, then their $646
billion annual arms expenditure between the G8 nations would go on food
and medicine and water."
Faslane is home to the Trident nuclear submarine. Today's protest is the
eighth sit-down blockade of the base since 2000, and is expected to continue
throughout the day.
……………………………………………..
12 Hundreds protest at nuclear base
Monday July 4, 2005
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g8/story/0,13365,1520914,00.html
Hundreds of protesters today gathered at a key naval base to demonstrate
against the UK's nuclear weapons. The demonstration, organised by anti-nuclear
groups CND and Trident Ploughshares, began at the Faslane
submarine base on the Clyde at 7am. Blockade organisers claimed around
2,000 protesters had gathered at the base, spread between its four main
entrance gates. A Strathclyde police spokeswoman put the number at 600.
The Ministry of Defence said one man was arrested when he managed to enter
the compound, but he was quickly removed. Demonstrators good-naturedly
goaded the police with drumming, dancing and - at midday - a religious
communion in front of the barbed wire approach gates to Faslane.
Protest coordinator Joss Garman said: "We aim to keep the base shut
for as long as possible. "The idea is to highlight the link between
war and poverty and the way that the military is used to enforce destructive
globalisation." Former Scottish Socialist party leader and MSP Tommy
Sheridan was at the protest. He said: "Faslane is a carbuncle on
the face of Scotland. It despoils our landscape, and represents all that's
wrong with the G8 meeting in Gleneagles, spending billions on destruction,
when we are standing here today for peace and solidarity." Declaring
the protest a success, he added: "We've closed down Faslane for one
day - I want to close it down for the other 364."
Former CND head Monseigneur Bruce Kent said he was disappointed
that the Live 8 events had not focused more on militarisation. He said:
"The NGOs have a responsibility to put militarisation on the map,
because within six months or so, Tony Blair is going to make a decision
on Trident's replacement, which will cost billions. "Trident itself
was only supposed to cost £5bn when it was first proposed in 1980.
To buy a replacment system would be a legal violation of our obligation
to negotiate to reduce our nuclear capacity. But our so called independent
nuclear British deterrent is none of those things - it's not independent,
and who's it deterring?"
Also among the demonstrators were several members of the church who had
travelled from all over the country to make their voices heard. Retired
vicar David Platt, 74, a Christian CND member, had travelled
for 10 hours by bus from Oxford to attend the demonstration. He said:
"I think that nuclear weapons are inherently immoral. They are indiscriminate
- you can't distinguish between enemies and civilians. They are illegal,
they are irresponsible and totally irrelevant. If we are to make poverty
history we must make war history."
The protest climaxed with a DJ set from a pedal powered electric generator,
and ceremonial march past by the self-styled Rebel Clown Army.
First up was the "Rinky Dinky" sound system, a sort of portable
PA on a tricycle which converted into a electric generator when a volunteer
turned the pedals. Beats pumped out and a DJ imporovised raps about the
G8 and Gleneagles.
Meanwhile, men and women of the Rebel Clown Army, dressed in Doc Martens,
tiaras, tinsel and face paint paraded under the noses of the frontline
of police officers in front of Faslane's heavily fortified north gate
- but without provoking the police into a response. Some protesters maintained
their sit-down protest outside the oil refinery entrances to the base,
but the police tactic of patience and non-provocation seemed to have worked
in exhausting protesters without inciting them
.……………………………………………..
13
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4650049.stm
Many people would consider the banks of the Gare Loch, surrounded by breathtaking
Scottish scenery, as an ideal place for a picnic. Ian Ruffell and a handful
of his dinner suited friends certainly thought so - even if their view
of the water was obscured by a line of police and a security fence topped
with razor wire. However, the Cocktails and Canapés Collective
were undeterred as they sat down with dozens of other anti-nuclear protesters
and unfurled their rug at the north gate of the Faslane base. Their banners
urged people to Make Lunch not War, while stressing that they were in
favour of nibbles rather than nukes and snacks instead of slaughter.
A trumpet player sounded a mournful note as the blockade began
These self-styled Aesthetes Against the Atom came equipped with alcohol-free
cocktails, fresh strawberries and cream and a range of nibbles including
tapanades, olives and blinis, which they were happy to hand round to those
who arrived at Faslane with the aim of blockading the home of the UK's
Trident nuclear submarine fleet. "Our theme is picnicking for peace
and that nuclear weapons are a luxury we cannot afford," said Ian,
a Green Party activist from the south side of Glasgow. "The billions
that are spent on Trident and its support systems is money that could
go on things that might actually improve people's lives, which is where
the snacks and nibbles come in." They were among the first to set
out their stall as the demonstration got under way at the base's main
gate shortly after 0700 BST on Monday. Activism reawakened
They were joined by Scottish Socialist Party MSP Tommy Sheridan, the Green
Party's Chris Ballance and Caroline Lucas and people who had come from
across Europe to make a stand - or rather take a seat.
They included 14-year-old Anna Reid, from Aberdeen, whose determination
to make her voice heard reawakened her mother's own activism. Christine
last attended a protest march about 20 years ago, but said that her daughter
had helped stir her conscience.
Christine and Anna Reid travelled from Aberdeen to protest
For her part, Anna said: "These weapons are immoral, they are against
international laws and they are just sick. "I don't know if the protest
will make any difference to the military, but if people see us on the
news and more and more people know about it then we can make a difference."
The protest got under way to the mournful strains of a trumpet before
the drummers kicked in and attempted to create more of a carnival atmosphere.
The numbers swelled as more and more coaches arrived, then dissipated
as people strode off to protest outside the different entrances to the
base. There were cheers when it was announced that one protester had managed
to breach security and that another was sitting on top of the fence near
the fuel depot.
The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army was on manoeuvres
The 33-year-old care worker, from Banff, quickly became a bit of a celebrity
as he held court from his vantage point - which he promised was free of
midges. He maintained that position despite the calls of fellow protesters
who suggested that he tried his hand at a piece of very risky crowd surfing.
The demonstrators who had accompanied him to the gate also succeeded in
blocking road into nearby Garelochhead. Police were prepared to let people
make their protest without moving them on - but there was little sympathy
for the action in the village itself. The streets were deserted, and business
was suffering in the minimarket at the Faslane end of Garelochhead.
There was anger at the protest in nearby Garelochhead
Behind the counter Akram Mohammad admitted that the place was like a ghost
town, and one of his customers could barely contain his contempt for the
protesters. "They should be locked up for the vandalism that they
cause," fumed the man, who declined to give his name. "They
cause disruption, local shops lose business and nobody wants them here.
They are just a bunch of jokes." Raising a smile was certainly the
intention of some of the protesters, with slogans such as Newts not Nukes,
Brunch not Bombs and Custard Creams not Cluster Bombs. Laughter was also
the goal of the troops from the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army
(Circa).
Their arrival at the west gate provided a much-needed boost of energy
for protesters who appeared to be flagging after their early start. The
clowns' communiqué pointed out that Faslane was in the heart of
a beauty spot - and brought a sense of panto to proceedings as the traditional
"it's behind you" cry was wheeled out for the base's "weapons
of mass destruction". They also took on the role of weapons of mass
distraction, diverting attention from what they saw as the real issues
which should be getting tackled by the G8 leaders when they meet in Gleneagles.
Retired church minister George Charlton has attended protests at Faslane
in the past - but said the impending G8 summit made Monday's event the
most important so far.
"It is a time when we can really confront the politicians,"
he said after travelling from Inverness for what he said would be "probably
the most important thing I do all year".
Kate Hudson, the chairwoman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
(CND), said the issue was linked to those of debt and poverty,
which have been prominent in recent days. "Poverty and war are in
close relation to each other," she said. "Money spent on the
arms trade fuels poverty and fuels war, and nuclear weapons are the ultimate
weapons of terror." A spokeswoman for CND said the
blockade, which was organised in tandem with Trident Ploughshares, had
achieved its objective. She said the protest was the largest ever at the
base, with about 2,000 people spread across the various gates - although
police put the figure at between 600 and 700. "We have got a big
contingent from the Basque country and people from New Zealand, America
and Italy," said the CND spokeswoman.
"It has been really peaceful and the fact that we have got MEP and
MSPs underlines that the movement is representing a really diverse group
of people."
……………………………………………..
14 ”Nukes Are Afraid of Protesters”
4 July
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=29337
Some 2,000 people began gathering in the area surrounding the Faslane
Royal Navy nuclear submarine base in Scotland early Monday morning to
"shut it down for the day" as part of the protests leading up
to the Group of Eight summit this week. But the Royal Navy beat them to
the punch, closing up the base preventively in the early hours of the
morning: the base, in effect, "blocked itself."
"Nukes are afraid of protesters," said one activist. "It
is a big success, the biggest march ever here in Faslane," Kate Hudson
from the UK Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) told
IPS. "We are giving a strong message to the G8 leaders: to put an
end to their nuclear hypocrisy and disarm nuclear weapons."
About 200 nuclear bombs are stored in Scotland, at Faslane and Coulport
military bases, on the banks of River Clyde. Most are on four Trident
submarines operated from the Faslane base, 60 km away from Glasgow, according
to the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. There,
the river widens and looks like a calm lake surrounded by beautiful green
hills and posh houses. But since 1964, when the small military base was
expanded to store the British nuclear submarines, activists have been
trying to blockade the military activities by almost any means.
Each Trident submarine holds 16 nuclear missiles: they have the destructive
power of 1,000 times the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, according
to the British anti-nuclear movement Trident Ploughshares, which organised
the demonstration to "highlight the links between poverty and war,
militarism and destructive globalisation." Protesters locked themselves
in a human chain, with their arms inside plastic pipes. Normally this
makes it difficult for the police to separate them, and would take hours
to clear the entrance to the base. But not today. The police stayed away
from the protesters. Because the base was already shut down, no criminal
offence was committed.
"We want to tell the G8 leaders that if they want to resolve the
issue of poverty they have to end the criminal waste of arms-spending
and re-route towards meeting people's real needs," Hudson said.
Several countries in the world have confirmed that they have nuclear
bombs: Britain, United States, China, India, France, Russia and Pakistan.
Others, like Iran and North Korea and Israel, are suspected to be working
on building their nuclear capabilities.
"We are busy telling Iran that it should not have nuclear weapons.
If we are not prepared to get rid of our nukes, we have no moral authority
to say that to any other country in the world," CND
activist Isabelle Linday told IPS.
Four of the G8 countries -- France, Britain, United States and Russia
-- have these "weapons of mass destruction." Russia has the
most, but the U.S. bombs are modern and can be used from Trident submarines
and aircraft and land-based missiles. The remaining four of the G8 nations
-- Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan -- are not "nuclear states."
The summit is being held at the golf resort of Gleneagles, Scotland, July
6-8.
"(U.S. President George W.) Bush says the U.S. is going to double
aid to Africa in the next two years. Even if it does, which is doubtful,
it will be the equivalent of two days of American defence expenditures,"
Linday said. "That puts into perspective the G8 talk about helping
the poor countries, while the priorities are still on defence." The
blockade turned into a pacific demonstration, full of music, drums and
street theatre, featuring activists from anti-nuclear campaigns, parliamentarians
and church leaders and campaigners involved with the Dissent! network.
One protester, who managed to climb the fences and get into the base,
was arrested. Another one remained sitting on top of the fences for several
hours before returning to the street. The clowns of the Clandestine Insurgent
Rebel Clown Army performed in front of the base's main gate. About 15
people done up as clowns built up hilarious street theatre momentum in
front of the police guarding the gate.
"We are here along with all the other protesters, against this place
and the G8 summit. In a tense situation like this, we come to give everybody
a laugh and a smile. We always create major panic and general alarms,"
Jamie, known as the Salt and Pepper clown, told IPS.
Meanwhile, a street parade known as the "Carnival of Full Enjoyment,"
organised by temporary and precarious workers, took place in the city
centre of the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. Thirty people were arrested.
………………………………………
15 Tiny Scottish village girds for summit
San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, July 3, 2005
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/07/03/MNGLMDIIN21.DTL
Auchterarder, Scotland -- Although Sandra Murray works in the local tourist
bureau, she wishes the visitors flooding into her town had stayed home.
"I'd like to ride my bicycle down the main street with a banner --
'Blair and Bush, go home!' -- but I think I'd be put under house arrest,"
she said.
The security lockdown is almost complete in this town of 4,000 in the
Highlands in anticipation of this week's Group of Eight summit at nearby
Gleneagles resort, as days of protests get under way elsewhere in Scotland.
President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the leaders of Germany,
France, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia will gather Wednesday through
Friday to consider an agenda topped by global warming and African poverty,
two issues that are grabbing headlines as the summit nears. Auchterarder
is justifiably jittery. The gathering of world leaders has become a magnet
for dissent. Since hundreds of anti-globalization protesters were injured
and one killed during the G-8 meeting in Genoa, Italy, in 2001, the summits
have retreated to remote locations.
For the past year, Britain, of which Scotland is the northern part, has
been readying for its costliest-ever security operation. As many as 10,000
police, backed by British troops if necessary, will be ready to patrol
the rolling hills and major counterdemonstrations. Forty miles from the
summit site, more than 200,000 anti-poverty campaigners formed a human
chain around Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, on Saturday for the Make
Poverty History rally. Waving banners, blowing whistles and clutching
balloons, protesters clad in white -- the symbol of the anti-poverty campaign
-- streamed through the cobbled streets of the Old Town, over the Royal
Mile and through the commercial district, encircling Edinburgh Castle
with a giant human bracelet. The atmosphere was festive, with a percussion
band from Ghana playing and some demonstrators wearing masks depicting
the faces of G-8 leaders including Bush, Blair and Russian President Vladimir
Putin. "We are citizens of the global village. We need help,"
said Siphiwe Hlophe, 45, who traveled from the African nation of Swaziland
to participate in the march. "The G-8 leaders must live up to their
promises. They must be accountable."
Steel barricades were erected around the Scottish Parliament and U.S.
Consulate. Police helicopters hovered overhead and officers in riot gear,
some on horseback, were on standby. But police said there were only minor
disturbances, and the single arrest was for a drug offense, the Associated
Press reported. An attempted blockade on Monday of Faslane on Scotland's
west coast, home to Britain's four nuclear submarines, is in the works.
Among those trying to close the base will be Miriam "Starhawk"
Simos, a pagan witch and high-profile activist from San Francisco. She
led nonviolence training sessions last weekend and helped set up an "ecovillage"
for protesters in Stirling, 12 miles south of Gleneagles. "I'm not
trying to influence the talks with magic," she said. "I'm trying
to use magic to strengthen the sense of community and help us reconnect
with the Earth."
David Solnit, another prominent Bay Area activist, will join the Clandestine
Insurgent Rebel Clown Army. Dressed for fun, they will try to impose "house
arrest," they say, on the G-8 leaders this week. Solnit helped organize
anti-globalization protests in Seattle in 1999. Edinburgh will again be
inundated by protesters on Wednesday, the summit's opening day, when Bob
Geldof, the charity rocker and Live 8 organizer, is calling for a million
demonstrators to join the "Long March to Justice" just hours
before the capital city plays host to a Live 8 concert.
Gleneagles may be swamped the same day by several thousands protesters
-- including George Galloway, the outspoken Scottish-born Member of Parliament
who publicly scolded U.S. senators on Iraq last month. Singer-activist
Bono has called for a march to the resort to pressure the leaders on African
debt relief. Over the past year, front-line Scottish police officers have
trained on techniques to clear roads with bulldozers and cut protesters
down from tall trees. They have tested special fireproof underwear and
"WMD suits," in case of chemical attacks. All leave has been
canceled. Police "spotters" from France and Italy are on hand
to help identify potential trouble-makers.
There already have been reports of confrontations. "Anyone with dreadlocks,
a banner or leaflets has been approached by police," says David Mackenzie
of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Three busloads
of protesters arriving from Northern Ireland for Saturday's march said
they were stopped, photographed and searched by police, according to a
BBC report. Others said police prevented them from boarding trains at
London's Euston Station until they agreed to be photographed, the BBC
said.
In a controversial move, British officials have confirmed that the government
might invoke Section 44 of the Terrorism Act to arrest individuals and
hold them without charges. The Scottish regional government has suspended
the Freedom of Information Act, indefinitely, for all official security
for the summit. Major financial institutions, such as JP Morgan Scotland,
have told employees to work from home this week, while Standard Life is
advising employees to dress down. Even the queen has delayed her annual
visit to Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh. Scotland's first minister,
Jack McConnell, flew several weeks ago to Scotland's oil capital, Aberdeen,
to assure the oil companies that their offshore rigs and offices can get
extra protection. Rumors are rife, from imported police water cannons
to U.S. Marines patrolling the Gleneagles. A Starbucks spokeswoman denied
reports that the coffee chain is importing from Seattle a contingent dubbed
the "latte police."
McDonald's, often a target of anti-globalization protests, also scotched
rumors that it will close its outlets in downtown Edinburgh. The radical
fundamentalist organization Hizb-ut-Tahrir, banned in much of the Muslim
world, planned to participate, according to local news reports. Most dramatic
is a tabloid report that an American aircraft carrier will anchor off
the coast. "That is patently false. It's fiction," said an exasperated
Susan Domowitz, at the U.S. Embassy in London. Auchterarder's jitters
have not been helped by an official wrangle over whether protesters should
be allowed to march past the resort. Galloway, the phrase-turning politician,
has warned of "chaos" and "blood on batons" if protesters
are kept at a distance.
Demonstrators are also angry because the local county is requiring that
they buy insurance for $9 million worth of liability. "They are trying
to stop people from participating peacefully," said Josh Brown, of
G8 Alternatives, one of the groups behind the protests. On a recent warm
afternoon at Gleneagles, amid manicured gardens, police cars patrolled
the grounds. A helicopter circled above. Grates over water drains had
been marked with black tags, to show they had been searched. Usually known
for luxury golf and shooting, Gleneagles is now surrounded by five miles
of security fence, 6 feet high and double-layered. Villagers who live
inside the "ring of steel" must carry photo ID cards, unless
they are under 8 years old.
By the opening day, camouflage-patterned fabric will cover the inside
of the security fence. But the window-dressing will not appease everyone
in the village, where the local parish church has opened its doors to
protesters and where a replica African grass hut erected on church grounds
emphasizes the protesters' focus on poverty.
"The G-8?" said a man smoking a cigarette in a doorway who was
too angry to give his name. "I don't like it. It's everything. All
the police. ... They should have held it on a bloody aircraft carrier
off the coast."
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16 Anti-nuke protest in Scotland
CNN, Monday, July 4, 2005
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/07/04/g8.naval.protest.ap/
FASLANE, Scotland (AP) -- Anti-nuclear campaigners on Monday massed outside
the major naval base for Britain's nuclear-armed Trident submarine fleet,
in a protest timed to coincide with the G8 summit.
About 450 activists sat in the road, blocking the entrance to the Clyde
Naval Base in rural western Scotland. Some waved rainbow peace flags,
and many carried placards reading "No War, No Nukes." A samba
band added a carnival atmosphere.
"It is vitally important that people make the link between the industrial
war machine and the poverty that so many people are suffering from around
the world," said protester Jenny Gaiawyn, 26. "If the workers
here cannot get to work, then it will slow down part of the machine."
Dozens of buses packed with demonstrators traveled from the Scottish capital
Edinburgh and from Glasgow and other towns across Scotland for the protest,
dubbed the "big blockade." An annual event, the protest this
year has been billed as one of the major demonstrations ahead of the Group
of Eight industrialized nations summit which begins Wednesday. "We
went to war in Iraq on the pretext that they had weapons of mass destruction.
At the same time we have weapons of mass destruction just a few yards
from here," said Maureen Jack, a member of the Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament, standing in front of the four-meter (13-foot)
high fence topped with razor wire that runs around the base. "I invite
Prime Minister Tony Blair to take a stand for peace and security by dismantling
our nuclear weapons program," she added.
Yoshi Maruta, originally from Japan, gently tapped what she said was a
celestial Buddhist peace drum as she stood outside the gate in front of
a line of police officers. "We had the experience of Hiroshima,"
she said. "With many nuclear weapons millions of people will be killed.
We want to close this base down so people can live peacefully." Sally
Williams, who had traveled from her home in Horsham, south of London,
for the demonstration, said Britain's nuclear submarines represented a
"dreadful threat." "How can we press Iran not to go ahead
with a WMD program when we've got our own? This is a real threat to everybody,"
Williams said.
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17 Einstein, Russell, and the Bomb
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=11&ItemID=8230
Einstein, Russell, and the Bomb:
The 50th Anniversary
by Lawrence S. Wittner
July 05, 2005
July 9, 2005 will be the fiftieth anniversary of one of the most important
statements ever issued about the threat posed by nuclear weapons to human
survival. Usually referred to as the Russell-Einstein Manifesto, it was
initiated by Bertrand Russell, the famed mathematician and philosopher,
and Albert Einstein, the world's best-known scientist.
After the annihilation of Japanese cities with atomic bombs in August
1945, both Russell and Einstein had warned the world of the enormous dangers
of the new weapons. Nevertheless, by the mid-1950s, the rampaging Cold
War produced an even more ominous situation: a Soviet-American confrontation,
in which both sides were armed with the hydrogen bomb, a thermonuclear
weapon possessing a thousand times the power of the bomb that destroyed
Hiroshima. The Cold War competitors displayed little hesitation about
integrating the new weapons into their war plans. Nuclear weapons, President
Eisenhower declared publicly, should "be used just exactly as you
would use a bullet or anything else." Taking note of this perilous
situation, Russell wrote to Einstein on February 11, 1955, suggesting
that "eminent men of science ought to do something dramatic to bring
home to the public and governments the disasters that may occur."
It was necessary "to emphasize . . . that war may well mean the extinction
of life on this planet" and, consequently, that in the nuclear age,
nations must learn to live in peace. In response, Einstein said that he
agreed "with every word" in Russell's letter. Something had
to be done to "make an impression on the general public as well as
on political leaders." As a result, Russell drafted a statement that
he circulated among a distinguished group of scientists in the hope of
their joining him in signing it.
This proved a difficult task. In the Cold War context, it was not easy
to get such intellectuals to ignore their political differences and to
focus on the common interests of humanity. Indeed, scientists in the Soviet
Union and China refused to sign the statement. Furthermore, after a short
illness, Einstein died on April 13.
Nevertheless, in one of the last acts taken before his death, Einstein
sent a letter to Russell saying that he had agreed to become a signatory.
And, eventually, Russell lined up nine other eminent scientists: Percy
Bridgman, Hermann Muller, and Linus Pauling of the United States; Cecil
Powell and Joseph Rotblat of Britain; Hideki Yukawa of Japan; Frédéric
Joliot-Curie of France; Max Born of West Germany; and Leopold Infeld of
Poland.
On July 9, 1955, addressing a public meeting in London jammed with representatives
of the mass media, Russell unveiled what became known as the Russell-Einstein
Manifesto. "We are speaking on this occasion, not as members of this
or that nation, continent, or creed, but as human beings . . . whose continued
existence is in doubt," it declared. In the context of the Bomb,
"we have to learn to think in a new way. We have to learn to ask
ourselves, not what steps can be taken to give military victory to whatever
groups we prefer, for there no longer are such steps." Instead, people
must ask: "What steps can be taken to prevent a military contest"
which would "be disastrous to all parties?" The question confronting
the world was: "Shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind
renounce war?" And a good "first step" along the way to
ending war would be to "renounce nuclear weapons." The Manifesto
concluded: "We appeal as human beings to human beings: Remember your
humanity, and forget the rest." The reaction to this bold, uncompromising
statement was surprisingly positive. Initially skeptical, the press ultimately
treated it favorably, in part because of the dramatic news of Einstein's
deathbed endorsement. Around the world, scientists and other intellectuals
sprang into action. Among them was the Soviet physicist Andrei Sakharov,
who began his heroic campaign to halt the nuclear arms race and the Cold
War. Around the world, citizens organized Ban-the-Bomb movements, including
America's National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE) and Britain's
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
The signers of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto played important roles
in the burgeoning campaign. Organized by Max Born, a group of 52 Nobel
laureates in the sciences signed the Mainau Declaration, calling upon
nations to "renounce force as a final resort of policy" or face
the prospect of utter destruction. Together with Rotblat, Russell launched
the Pugwash movement, drawing on scientists from both sides of the Iron
Curtain to discuss the feasibility of nuclear arms control and disarmament.
Rotblat and Pugwash went on to lay the groundwork for the Partial Test
Ban Treaty (for which Rotblat was knighted by the British government).
Both later received the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking at the opening meeting
of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Russell subsequently became its
first president. Muller issued powerful warnings about the harmful genetic
effects of radioactivity. Pauling rallied scientists in the United States
and, later, the world against nuclear testing, thereby becoming a thorn
in the side of the Eisenhower administration and yet another recipient
of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Russell-Einstein Manifesto also affected policymakers. In large part,
its impact was indirect, for it was the antinuclear campaign and the antinuclear
opinion that it generated which helped to reshape their policy. Faced
with strong popular resistance to nuclear testing, Eisenhower agreed reluctantly
to a nuclear testing moratorium in 1958. Besieged by protests against
nuclear testing and nuclear weapons, Kennedy drew back from atmospheric
testing and tapped the founder and co-chair of SANE, Norman Cousins, as
his test ban emissary to Khrushchev.
But sometimes the effects were more direct. Mikhail Gorbachev clearly
drew his cherished concept of "new thinking" from the Manifesto.
"The nuclear era requires new thinking from everybody," he told
Francois Mitterrand. Or, as he stated in his book Perestroika: "All
of us face the need to learn to live at peace in this world, to work out
a new mode of thinking." And "the backbone of the new way of
thinking is the recognition of the priority of human values, or, to be
more precise, of humankind's survival." Gorbachev's choice for Soviet
foreign secretary, his fellow party reformer Eduard Shevardnadze, recalled
that "the Russell-Einstein Manifesto offered politicians the key
to the most troublesome and complex riddles of the age." According
to Georgi Arbatov, another of Gorbachev's top foreign policy advisors,
major ideas for the new thinking "originated . . . outside the Soviet
Union," with Einstein and Russell.
Today, fifty years after the issuance of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto,
it should not take the world's greatest scientist or philosopher to see
that, in a world crammed with nuclear and other devastating weapons, resorting
to war is an immensely dangerous and destructive act. Nor should it be
difficult to see that the world would be a safer place with fewer nuclear
weapons rather than with more of them. Yet, somehow, leaders of supposedly
advanced, civilized nations -- including the United States -- continue
to go right ahead laying plans for building up their nuclear arsenals
and plunging their countries into dubious battle, as if their soldiers
were armed with sticks rather than with the deadliest, most destructive
devices in human history. It is one of the tragedies of our time that,
despite all the scientific, technological, and cultural advances over
the centuries, so many nations are governed today by people with primitive
values and limited intelligence.
Lawrence S. Wittner is Professor of History at the State University of
New York, Albany. His latest book is Toward Nuclear Abolition: A History
of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement, 1971 to the Present (Stanford
University Press).
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