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Neuter the Nukes! - Aldermaston Blockade 2010

Daniel Viesnik (written for Peace News)

As dawn begins to break on a Monday morning in February, hundreds of dedicated individuals from all around Britain and beyond will descend upon the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston, determined to block the base and halt work on facilities for a new generation of nuclear warheads.

Object to new enriched uranium facility at AWE Aldermaston by *15 JAN*

The Ministry of Defence has submitted a planning application to West Berkshire Council for an enriched uranium handling and storage facility (codenamed "Project Pegasus") at Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston. This facility would be used to develop a new generation of nuclear warheads.

Aldermaston Big Blockade - Monday 15 February, 2010

Called by Trident Ploughshares and supported by CND and Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp(aign)

The Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire is in the process of spending billions of pounds of UK taxpayers' money building the facilities for a new generation of nuclear warheads. Britain's submarine-launched Trident nuclear missile system already endangers us all, encourages global proliferation and undermines international law and disarmament negotiations. Instead of building new nukes, we call for global leadership by disarming now.

Aldermaston blockaders acquitted!

Four people who took part in the Aldermaston Big Blockade on 27 October 2008 were found not guilty on Thursday (12 November, 2009) of obstructing the highway by a District Judge at Reading Magistrates' Court, Berkshire, south-east England.

Aldermaston five sought to halt “nuclear war crimes preparations”

Five peace activists who were among 33 people arrested for blocking access to the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston during last October's Aldermaston Big Blockade claimed during their trial at Reading Magistrates’ Court this week (21-22 October) that they acted to stop preparations for war crimes involving nuclear weapons that they suspected were taking place at the Berkshire site in southern England.

Five in court for stopping nuclear proliferation at Aldermaston while Obama gets Nobel peace prize for calling for disarmament

Trial at Reading Magistrates’ Court, Berkshire on Wednesday, 21st October and Thursday 22nd October 2009

While Barack Obama is being congratulated for receiving the Nobel peace prize, partly for his commitment to ‘a world without nuclear weapons’ (1), five people who protested at the gates of Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston, where the renewal of Britain’s nuclear weapons is being planned, will be on trial for exactly the same commitment.

Secret blockade at Aldermaston disrupts nuclear bomb-making

Report by Angie Zelter, Trident Ploughshares

Monday 15 June, 2009 - It was a glorious morning as five separate groups made their way towards Aldermaston. At 6.30a.m., Trident Ploughshares (TP) affinity group the Muriel Lesters arrived at North Gate to find it had not been opened yet for the park and ride coaches so they further locked it with their own chains and some super-glue and arranged themselves as comfortably as possible in their lock-ons and hung their peace banners.

Five women fined for blockading nuclear weapons factory

Trident Ploughshares Press Release

Defendants disappointed at failure of judge to uphold international law



(Photo: Campaigners outside Reading Magistrates' Court - Copyright D. Viesnik 2009)


The founder of Trident Ploughshares, Angie Zelter, from London, was one of five experienced female members of the group on trial at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 9 March 2009 for obstructing the highway during last October’s Big Blockade of the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Berkshire, England.

New Aldermaston Big Blockade web photo albums

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Click here for public albums.

See also album on Europe's Nuclear Heritage site
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“Guilty of trying to provide a better future for the world”

Irene Willis appeared at West Berkshire Magistrates’ Court in Newbury on Friday 7 November 2008 to answer the charge of "wilfully obstructing a highway without lawful authority or excuse" at Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston, Berkshire, England on Monday 27 October, 2008 (during the Aldermaston Big Blockade).

Irene (left) with supporters outside the Court building.

Blockade makes front page of Peace News

Congratulations again to everyone who came from far and wide to blockade Aldermaston and support in various ways. It was a really successful blockade, sending a very powerful message to the British Government and the international community. Good luck to everyone who is in court for defending your beliefs and trying to save lives - our thoughts are with you.

The entire front page of this month's edition of Peace News is dedicated to the blockade:
http://www.peacenews.info/issues/2503/25030101.html

British Government's AWE-ful lies continue (updated 11/11)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/nov/04/houseofcommons-lords

Yesterday in Parliament:

"[Defence Secretary John] Hutton denied the atomic weapons establishment in Aldermaston was being used for the development of new nuclear weapons. But he said it was "vitally necessary" for Britain to maintain the "minimum nuclear deterrent"."

This latest ministerial denial is at best exceedingly disingenuous and at worst an outright lie. Public documents such as AWE's own Site Development Strategy Plan reveal that at Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston and Burghfield, massive multi-billion pound developments - on the scale of Heathrow Terminal 5, according to AWE itself - have recently been constructed, are under development and are in the pipeline. These include a uranium enrichment plant planned for 2009, the state-of-the-art Orion laser still under construction, hydronamics and materials science laboratories, the installation of a new supercomputer and the massive Gemini complex to house well over a thousand new staff that include a number of warhead designers. Are we to believe that this massive expenditure of taxpayer's money is for the purpose of making strawberry ice cream?

In a separate written parliamentary reply, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Quentin Davies revealed that capital expenditure at AWE increased from Pnds 171 million (Dlrs 350 m) in 2005-06, to Pnds 302 m in 2006-07 and to Pnds 500 m in 2007-08. (Source: IRNA)

Also noteworthy is the fact that John Hutton is the Labour MP for Barrow & Furness in Cumbria, where Britain's Trident-armed Vanguard-class nuclear submarines were built and their planned replacements are likely to be built (by corrupt arms giant BAE Systems), as well as the Astute-class hunter-killer submarines that escort them on patrol. Thus one could argue that the Secretary of State has a vested interest in the renewal or replacement of the Trident system.

See also:
Britain plans to spend £3bn on new nuclear warheads - The Guardian - 25 July 2008
Secret plan to replace nuclear warheads - Parliament misled - CND press release
Revealed: UK develops secret nuclear warhead - The Times
Britain in top-secret work on new atomic warhead - The Herald
So, minister, are we developing new nuclear weapons or not? - The Independent
Aldermaston recruits scientists 'to work on nuclear warheads' - The Independent
UK might seek new nuclear warheads - NTI
No new warhead yet, British official say - NTI
UK denies developing new nuclear warheads - IRNA
AWE Site Development Strategy Update 2005 - official public information leaflet

Nuclear weapons manufacturers urged to resign following university visit

Representatives of the Atomic Weapons Establishment near Aldermaston in East Berkshire have met calls for their resignation after they visited the University of Birmingham to recruit students into the development and manufacture of weapons of mass destruction.

Article continues here

More Big Blockade footage available

...on the Tamarians' blog .