A report published by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) – of which CND is an international partner – confirms what we’ve known for a long time: people across Europe don’t want the nuclear weapons that come as part of the NATO alliance stationed in their countries.
This is something world leaders meeting in Brussels for the NATO summit would do well to remember.
Contrary to many of the claims that surrounded the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) coming into force, the ICAN report is unequivocal: NATO states, if they meet its conditions, are able to join the TPNW.
The report also gives more reasons for hope. In spite of a diplomatic offensive from the nuclear-armed powers like Britain and the United States, the international public overwhelmingly support the TPNW, particularly in NATO countries.
And public demonstrations of support for the TPNW continue to grow. Some of the biggest cities in Britain like Glasgow and Leeds already support the Treaty, and more councils are backing it with every passing month. Thanks to ICAN, we know that more than a thousand parliamentarians across NATO’s thirty member states also back their countries joining the TPNW.
In addition to this, the UK’s decision to increase its arsenal of nuclear warheads by more than 40% is likely to increase support for the TPNW.
As CND General Secretary Kate Hudson recently pointed out, the government’s ‘decision to increase the arsenal has fired a Trident missile through any pretence at fulfilling its legal obligations’.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to build opposition to NATO as an alliance to which nuclear weapons are central. CND is participating in this weekend’s No to NATO network counter-summit – we hope you’ll join us. You can find full details of the events here.