June is the month of the Burghfield blockade, a series of protests and direct actions that highlight the role AWE Burghfield plays in the maintenance and replacement of Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system.
The Burghfield bomb factory, administered by the Atomic Weapons Establishment, builds and maintains nuclear warheads. The site is set for a £734 million upgrade as part of plans to replace Trident, a scheme CND says will cost £205 billion.
The blockade of the site, co-ordinated by Trident Ploughshares, began on Monday and has seen groups from across the UK travel to Burghfield. Activists from Belgium, France, Germany and Finland have also joined the protests.
Four activists were arrested yesterday for obstructing the road, and the mounting disruption caused by the blockade has hit national headlines. The protests are successfully raising the profile of the AWE sites at a critical time for the anti-Trident campaign. With a parliamentary decision due later in the year on whether or not to replace the nuclear weapons system, it is vital that members of the public and MPs are informed of the facts.
In addition to the blockade, a new report published this week revealed that millions have already been spent on AWE site upgrades.
The blockade will continue until the end of the month. If you would like to support it, please join an action day.