Nine people were arrested early this morning during a Teachers blockade of the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland, home to Britain's Trident Nuclear-Armed Submarines. Six of those arrested had sat down across one of the main accesses to Faslane, to take a peaceful stand against the bullying approach of the nuclear weapons states. Three supporters were also arrested.
Chris Bluemel, a music teacher and one of those arrested said "It is estimated that a replacement for the Trident nuclear weapons system would cost £76bn over its lifetime. Yet the UN estimates that just £8bn would be enough to provide universal primary education. As a teacher, I strongly believe that the latter would be rather more likely to increase our security."
Brian Larkin, a teacher and peace activist who was also arrested said "As a teacher I believe it is my duty to help children learn to cooperate and to resolve conflicts without violence. But it is hard to teach peace when our government provides such a poor role model and relies on the threat of massive destruction for its own security."
The Teachers Blockade was part of the Faslane 365 year-long nonviolent blockade of the Faslane Nuclear Base. They join over 160 other groups who have organised blockades of the base since 1st October 2006, including health professionals, lawyers, academics and elected representatives. Their action brings the total number of arrests during Faslane 365 to 919.
Photos available from www.faslane365.org
Brian Larkin, a teacher and peace activist who was also arrested said "As a teacher I believe it is my duty to help children learn to cooperate and to resolve conflicts without violence. But it is hard to teach peace when our government provides such a poor role model and relies on the threat of massive destruction for its own security."
The Teachers Blockade was part of the Faslane 365 year-long nonviolent blockade of the Faslane Nuclear Base. They join over 160 other groups who have organised blockades of the base since 1st October 2006, including health professionals, lawyers, academics and elected representatives. Their action brings the total number of arrests during Faslane 365 to 919.
Photos available from www.faslane365.org
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