PRESS RELEASE

53 Top British Bands Call for 'No Trident Replacement'

19 February 2007: for immediate release

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament today released a statement signed by 53 top British bands and musicians calling on the public to ‘choose peace and justice, not nuclear weapons and war.’

The statement comes just weeks before Parliament is expected to vote on the government’s proposal to replace Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system. CND has also organised a national ‘No Trident’ demonstration for Saturday 24th February where the popular opposition to Trident replacement will be shown. A recent poll reveals that 59% of the British public do not want the government to replace Trident (see note 3).

The statement will appear in advertisements in upcoming editions of NME and Q magazines.

Signatories to the statement include Thom Yorke, Kaiser Chiefs, Damon Albarn, Snow Patrol, Razorlight, Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party.

The statement says in part, ‘A decision to replace (Trident) would make the world a more dangerous place and reinforce the hypocrisy of our government which invaded Iraq on the basis of lies about Weapons of Mass Destruction – but now plans to build its own new nuclear weapons.’ The full statement and full list of signatories appear below.

Kele, lead singer of Bloc Party, said:
‘Climate change is clearly the greatest security threat we face. A £76 billion investment in tackling climate change would seriously change the world for the better. £76 billion on nukes will bring us much closer to global catastrophe.’

Ian Brown, former lead singer of the Stone Roses, said:
‘'Why do we need these weapons? Is someone going to attack us? Why are we able to have these weapons but other countries are told they can’t? Our political leaders are hypocrites and warmongers. Has humanity learnt nothing from the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Would anybody like to repeat an act like that? It is a lie to say these nuclear weapons are necessary for the UK but older civilisations are not allowed them. Say NO to trident.’

Statement in full:
‘Parliament is about to vote on replacing Trident – Britain’s nuclear weapons system. These are Weapons of Mass Destruction which can kill hundreds of millions of people. They cannot protect us from today’s security threats such as terrorism and climate change.

Almost 60% of the British public say they don’t want Trident replaced. A decision to replace it would make the world a more dangerous place and reinforce the hypocrisy of our government which invaded Iraq on the basis of lies about Weapons of Mass Destruction – but now plans to build its own new nuclear weapons.

If Britain says it needs nuclear weapons for its security, other countries are likely to follow suit. To replace Trident, when we face no nuclear threat, could start a nuclear arms race.

The £76 billion cost to replace and maintain Trident would be better spent on health care, education, alleviating global poverty or tackling the problems of climate change.

Let’s choose peace and justice, not nuclear weapons and war.

Join us in calling on the government – No Trident Replacement!’

Full List of Signatories:
Damon Albarn, Aphex Twin, Archie Bronson Outfit, Asian Dub Foundation, Athlete, The Automatic, Babyshambles, Battle, Belle & Sebastian, Bloc Party, Braintax, Boards of Canada, British Sea Power, The Cooper Temple Clause, The Chemical Brothers, Jarvis Cocker, The Cribs, Dirty Pretty Things, Doves, Elbow, Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly., Guillemots, The Hours, Ian Brown, Kaiser Chiefs, King Biscuit Time, The Longcut, Los Campesinos, Lostprophets, The Magic Numbers, Massive Attack, Maximo Park, Minotaur Shock, Mogwai, Mystery Jets, Nightmares of Wax, The Noisettes, The Paddingtons, Primal Scream, Razorlight, Richard Hawley, Roots Manuva, Scritti Politti, Snow Patrol, Super Furry Animals, Supergrass, Sway, Jeremy Warmsley, Thom Yorke, Zero 7, The Zutons

CND, the Stop the War Coalition, and the British Muslim Initiative are organising a national demonstration in London on Saturday 24th February, calling for ‘No Trident’ and ‘Troops Home from Iraq.’ It is expected to be Britain’s largest anti-nuclear demonstration in decades.

end

Notes to Editor:

1. For further information and interviews please contact Rick Wayman, CND's Press & Communications Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
2. An ICM poll from June 2006 showed that 81% of the British public believes that any decision on Trident replacement should be made by Parliament, not the Prime Minister alone. Click here for a full copy of the poll.
3. According to a July 2006 ICM poll, 59% of the British public opposes a replacement of Trident when presented with a cost of at least £25 billion. Click here for a full copy of the poll.
4. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe’s biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 35,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere. www.cnduk.org

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