29 January 2007: for immediate release
The Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the British Muslim Initiative have come together to call a national demonstration demanding that plans to replace Trident are scrapped and that the troops come home from Iraq.
A huge majority of British people oppose the government’s support for Bush’s escalating war. Most want the troops out of Iraq, and a majority also rejects nuclear weapons and a ‘defence’ policy based on indiscriminate killing.
The demonstration is designed to pressure MPs to come in to line with public opinion on these crucial issues. It comes a few weeks before Parliament votes on Trident and one month before the fourth anniversary of the disastrous invasion of Iraq. It also takes place as threats of an attack on Iran are becoming more and more alarming.
For all these reasons the demonstration is expected to be very large.
Marchers will assemble at Speakers’ Corner, Hyde Park at midday and set off to Trafalgar Square at 1 pm. The march will pass down Park Lane, along the Mall and down Haymarket. A rally in Trafalgar Square starting at 2:30 pm will be addressed by MPs, trade union leaders, representatives of the anti-war and peace movements and celebrities.
Kate Hudson, Chair of CND, said, ‘More and more people are realising that replacing Trident will start a new nuclear arms race. If Britain insists that it needs nuclear weapons to ensure its security, other countries will come to the same conclusion. This will lead to more proliferation.’
Ms Hudson continued, ‘The government can ensure our security by not replacing Trident and spending those billions of pounds on things that people actually need, such as schools and the health service – or addressing the urgent threat of climate change.’
For more information on the demonstration, please ring the CND national office on 0207 700 2393.
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Notes to Editor:
1. For further information and interviews please contact Rick Wayman, CND’s Press & Communications Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
2 . An ICM poll from June 2006 showed that 81% of the British public believes that any decision on Trident replacement should be made by Parliament, not the Prime Minister alone. Click here for a full copy of the poll.
3 . According to a July 2006 ICM poll, 59% of the British public opposes a replacement of Trident when presented with a cost of at least £25 billion. Click here for a full copy of the poll.
4 . The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe’s biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 35,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere.