Rochdale doves descend on Aldermaston

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group

Peace Group takes Rochdale´s anti-nuclear message to Aldermaston


Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group made very sure that their
message was seen at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire on
Easter Monday (24 March 2008), despite the wet and windy weather. As
they had promised to do, they took hundreds of cards signed by
people in Rochdale and tied these to the fence of the Aldermaston base
where scientists are developing new nuclear warheads for the Trident
nuclear weapons system. The cards featured doves of peace and the famous
symbol of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament which is celebrating
its 50th anniversary this year. They also carried the message, `The
Bomb Stops Here´.

The peace group also hung on the fence a hundred foot long banner
showing the cost of nuclear arms to the world's children. Other banners called for an
end to the UK's threat of nuclear annihilation and for the immediate
closure of AWE.

The Rochdale peace activists joined thousands of others from around
the country in surrounding the nuclear base and calling for the
immediate decommissioning of the Trident system and an end to the
government´s plans to develop new nuclear weapons. Rochdale
activists included Mai Chatham of Timbercliffe, Littleborough who
took part in the very first CND march to Aldermaston in 1958 and other
local peace campaigners such as Pat Sanchez, Rae Street, Pauline
Devine and Sam O´Brien.

Mai Chatham said,

"The issue of nuclear disarmament is as pressing now as it was in
1958 and I remain as committed as I ever was to creating a world where my
grandchildren and their grandchildren will not live under the threat
of nuclear annihilation. The first step must be the abandonment of
nuclear weapons by countries like ours. We need to decommission the
Trident nuclear weapons system immediately and to stop squandering
billions on weapons of mass destruction which should be spent on
social, health and welfare services.

The Atomic Weapons Establishment is central to the government´s
misguided plans to produce ever more dangerous nuclear weapons. Its
annual budget has increased to a scandalous £420 million and this
nuclear bomb factory is being expanded again and again. Hundreds of
scientists and technicians who could be employed developing
sustainable energy sources are instead being recruited by AWE to
develop so-called `mini´ nuclear weapons designed to destroy people
but not property. I can think of nothing more immoral.


Further information about `the bomb stops here!" demonstration on
Monday 24 March 2008 can be found at
 http://www.cnduk.org/aldermaston/