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Hundreds gather for Aldermaston march send-off

JK | 09.04.2004 15:30

More than 1,000 people gathered in a sun-bathed central London this morning for the first stage of the London-Aldermaston march.
The colourful rally, held in Trafalgar Square, marked the beginning of the four-day march to the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston in Berkshire.

Speakers including Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn, Caroline Lucas and Bruce Kent, addressed the crowds, which included original 1958 marchers and a new generation of marchers - making the journey for the first time. Celebrities from the worlds of music, film and television - including Damon Albarn, Susannah York and Roger Lloyd Pack also participated in the event.

More than 500 have begun the march to Southall - where it will stop tonight, before moving on to Slough and then Reading. It will arrive at AWE Aldermaston on Monday 12 April, at around 1pm.

At Aldermaston marchers and protesters will surround the base to draw attention to the planned developments. Aldermaston is at the heart of the UK's nuclear weapons programme, and is where Britain's nuclear warheads have been produced since the 1950s.

In 1958, the very first London to Aldermaston march, over four days, saw the birth of CND and the introduction of the famous CND symbol. People are marching again in 2004 to call on the British government to stop the upgrade of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston, and prevent any further and unlawful development of Britain's Weapons of Mass Destruction
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Setting off on the march, previous marcher Jasmine Lail (Nottingham) said “This march is not taking place in isolation, it is part of an international movement against war and nuclear weapons. The nuclear issue is one that people worldwide are concerned about", adding "The atmosphere this morning is great and the march is getting a really positive response from the people it is encountering on London's streets. It is great to be here".

Aldermaston2004 has been jointly organised by Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp(aign), CND, and Slough4Peace

-end-

JK
- Homepage: http://www.aldermaston2004.net

Comments

Display the following 7 comments

  1. How Many ? — Aldermaston worker
  2. Some pics from the send off — ask
  3. It's the principle of the thing! — All Da Massed On
  4. Numbers — Sam
  5. See you at Aldermaston, troll — Prajña
  6. rally turnout — rachel
  7. ben okri poetry — rachel