Protesters Stop Nuclear Weapons Convoy in Stirling and Balloch
Trident Ploughshares | 10.05.2004 16:42 | Anti-militarism
There were six arrests sunday afternoon as anti-Trident protesters twice stopped a nuclear weapons convoy traveling from Burghfield in England to the warhead storage depot at Coulport on Loch Long, Scotland.
The first interruption took place just beneath the Stirling castle. One activist waved the leading truck to a standstill and then climbed on top of its cab while others went in front to block its advance. It was 20 minutes before the trucks could set off again. There were four arrests: Jane and Sam from Helensburgh, Roz from Edinburgh and Morag from Faslane Peace Camp. They were taken to Stirling police station and are expected to be released this evening.
When the convoy reached Balloch on Loch Lomondside there was a heavy police presence but in spite of this the convoy was again halted. Two people were arrested.
The convoys are a regular feature on the roads of Central Scotland. Their task is to take Trident warheads to and from the Burghfield assembly plant to the Coulport store to be checked and maintained. Each warhead is believed to have the destructive power of 8 times the bomb which was
dropped on Hiroshima.
The protesters were from Trident Ploughshares, Stirling CND and Faslane Peace Camp.
David, a Stirling CND member from Tillicoultry, said: "We were delighted that the convoy was held up in Stirling. We were able to explain to large numbers of passing motorists that they were close to Britain's very own weapons of mass destruction."
When the convoy reached Balloch on Loch Lomondside there was a heavy police presence but in spite of this the convoy was again halted. Two people were arrested.
The convoys are a regular feature on the roads of Central Scotland. Their task is to take Trident warheads to and from the Burghfield assembly plant to the Coulport store to be checked and maintained. Each warhead is believed to have the destructive power of 8 times the bomb which was
dropped on Hiroshima.
The protesters were from Trident Ploughshares, Stirling CND and Faslane Peace Camp.
David, a Stirling CND member from Tillicoultry, said: "We were delighted that the convoy was held up in Stirling. We were able to explain to large numbers of passing motorists that they were close to Britain's very own weapons of mass destruction."
Trident Ploughshares
Homepage:
http://www.tridentploughshares.org
Comments
Hide the following 6 comments
You fell for it again ??????
10.05.2004 17:04
Proeg
Evidence Please?
10.05.2004 19:13
Pilgrim
nice one!!
10.05.2004 22:31
Thanks; people like you keep me sane...
:-)
NO CHOICE
11.05.2004 11:12
THE WEST DEPENDS UPON RESORCES EXHAUSTED IN OUR LANDS, WE'VE GOT TWENTY YEARS, DURING WHICH TIME WE EITHER GLOBALISE AND CONTROL BY REMOTE OR WE STARVE IN OLD AGE, WHAT DO YOU WANT?
JON WOOD
These are the REAL bomb convoys
11.05.2004 12:20
This convoy was tracked from Burghfield, near Aldermaston, to Scotland over four days by Nukewatch - a network set up twenty years ago (!) to monitor and protest against the transportation of nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons components.
Nukewatch had advance notice that a convoy was due to leave because we monitor movements in and out of places like Aldermaston, (where the nuclear components of the bombs are built) Burghfield (where the bombs are actually assembled) and Coulport (where the bombs for the Trident submarines based at Faslane are stored.) As well as the overnight stops that the convoys use en route to Scotland.
We have been tracking and monitoring these convoys for twenty years. Over that time we have gathered a huge body of information from leaks and by physically watching the places where the convoy goes. We have photo's of the containers the bombs are moved in, we know how the bombs are moved from the bunkers at Coulport to be fixed on the missiles on the subs and we know how nuclear materials are moved from Sellafield and Chapelcross to Aldermaston for the warheads.
Thousands of hours have been spent by activists carefully watching the bases, logging vehicle movements and noting where vehicles go inside the bases. It would have been impossible for any other lorries to move from these bases with any regularity without us noticing them. Nukewatch can produce evidence of every stage of the production of nuclear weapons with photo's of the vehicles used and are more than happy to produce detailed evidence that these convoys carry nuclear weapons.
The lorries carrying nuclear weapons are specially-converted Foden trucks. They are distinctive in that they have seven axles unlike any other lorry you will see on British roads (the maximum is usually six.) This is due to the extra weight of the lorry's armour. The lorries travel with a large escort made up of a Green Godess fire engine, a coach, a large Renault mobile workshop with trailer, a Scammel tow-truck and five or six minibuses containing armed Commanchio Company Royal Marines and armed MoD police security escort. Four MoD police motorcycle outriders also escort the convoy to help with traffic control. In Scotland the convoy is joined by minibuses of Strathclyde Police 'V' unit - Strathclyde's tactical support unit.
(The police with the baseball caps in the photo are the MoD police escort - also present at this action were members of Central Scotland Police from Stirling)
Hope that helps clear up Proeg's confusion.
For information about Nukewatch please phone 01436 679194.
Phill Jones
Right or Wrong Lorries
01.06.2005 21:30
Anon