A new campaign will be launched at the Reading Civic centre on Wednesday 27th February (7.30-9.30pm) which will target the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Aldermaston and Burghfield.
The event will mark the launch of a new grassroots peace campaign – Action AWE (Atomic Weapons Eradication) – which opposes Trident replacement and all nuclear weapons through non-violent direct action and educational work. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the humanitarian, health and security consequences of nuclear weapons and to promote international initiatives to free the world of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Action AWE is supported by many peace and environmental organisations, including Greenpeace, CND and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).
Action AWE builds on Britain’s rich history of non-violent protests for political change, including Faslane 365 in Scotland, Trident Ploughshares, and the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp. With the ‘Main Gate’ decision on Trident replacement scheduled for 2016, the campaign invites concerned citizens to organise and participate in creative demonstrations and non-violent protests and exert pressure on our elected representatives in the run up to the 2015 General Election.
“Action AWE calls on everyone to get involved locally and politically to take responsible action to stop the next generation of nuclear weapons being produced and deployed,” said Dr Rebecca Johnson, keynote speaker at the launch meeting. “We will keep up the pressure and put a public and political spotlight on the nuclear bomb factories at Aldermaston and Burghfield until at least the 2015 election. Action AWE’s aims are to scrap Trident and ensure that Britain joins other governments in multilateral negotiations to achieve a global treaty banning nuclear weapons.”
CND General Secretary Dr Kate Hudson, who will speak about Trident in the UK political context, said “As part of Action AWE, CND is organising for thousands of people to demonstrate at Aldermaston on Easter Monday, April 1. We demand that Britain stops playing the fool with weapons of mass suffering. Trident can’t be used without causing a humanitarian disaster of global proportions, deploying it breaches international law, and in times of austerity we can all think of much better ways to spend £100 billion.”
The launch meeting for Action AWE will be held on 27 February 2013 at Reading Civic Centre, 7.30 – 9.30 pm
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