AWE Aldermaston in the context of the military-industrial
complex
No new nukes, no new military interventions

The D10 Group, 07 March 2003
For immediate release


Almost 50 years after the first London to Aldermaston
anti-nuclear march, a new generation of marchers are taking
to the streets to demonstrate their concerns over the
development of a new generation of nuclear weapons, and to
call for the Government to disarm its nuclear arsenal. The
march begins with a major send-off rally in Trafalgar Square
at 11am on Good Friday (April 9th).
It then travels through Southall, Slough and Reading,
reaching the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in
Aldermaston, Berkshire on Easter Monday (April 12th) [1].

Linked to the Aldermaston March 2004, activists from the D10
group [2], a direct action collective, are calling for the
Aldermaston Bike Ride 2004. The Aldermaston Bike Ride
is closely linked to the march. Every day, it will start
with the march, and it aims to finish together with the
march. During the day the Aldermaston Bike Ride will leave
the march, and will visit companies and military
infrastructure close to the march route, to make the links
from the developments at Aldermaston to the new military
strategies of "pre-emptive" war and military intervention,
as they are described in the Defence White Paper [3] from
December 2003. Possible visits include Serco's Investor
Relations department in Richmond or KBR at Greenford, RAF
Strike Command in High Wycombe, and other "establishments"
en route.

"Cycling in cooperation with the march gives us the
opportunity to link the march - the development of new
nuclear weapons at Aldermaston - to the companies and
military infrastructure which are crucial for new military
strategies, and will be crucial for the deployment of the
new nukes. While AWE Aldermaston provides the nukes, it is
the companies who basically run the bloody business, and is
the military infra- and command structure which makes the
use of new nukes possible. On our bikes, we will be able to
pay a visit to those sites, and to make the links", says
Andreas Speck, one of the organisers of the Aldermaston Bike
Ride.

The Aldermaston Bike Ride 2004 is organised independently,
but cooperates closely with the Aldermaston March 2004.
Prospective cyclists can get more information at
 http://www.thed10group.org.uk, and can register on
 http://www.aldermaston2004.net/register/, and should tick
the 'cyclists' box.

For more information call Andreas Speck at 07973-683936 or
email  anselm_heaton@yahoo.com



Notes for editors
[1] The Aldermaston March 2004 has been called by
Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp(aign), Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), and Slough4Peace. More
information is available at  http://www.aldermaston2004.net
[2] The D10 Group is is a fluid group of people of different
ages, nationalities, genders, sexualities and political and
religious beliefs who take nonviolent direct action together
against war and militarism. Rather than define ourselves
with words, we have agreed that this group will be defined
by its actions. What we do makes us who we are - both
individually and collectively.
More information is available at  http://www.thed10group.org.uk
[3] See
 http://www.mod.uk/publications/whitepaper2003/volume1.pdf;
in more detail the 7 military tasks under "Contingent
Operations Overseas" in Supporting Essay 2 -
 http://www.mod.uk/linked_files/publications/whitepaper2003/volume2.pdf