Anti-nuclear weapons campaigns in Britain have responded to the Nobel peace prize announcement.
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
“At a time when the prospect of nuclear war seems closer than it has for a generation, the award of this prestigious prize is an essential recognition of the global majority against nuclear weapons – and the movement that has done so much to advance it.
“ICAN – the global peace network – of which CND is a partner organisation, has worked tirelessly over the last few years, together with the 122 states who launched the first ever nuclear weapons ban treaty at the United Nations just a few weeks ago. We congratulate all the grassroots activists and campaigners, in Britain and around the world, who have done so much to make this possible.
“The campaigns to highlight the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons were an important factor in convincing the majority of the world’s states that they must take matters into their own hands in creating this new multilateral framework for abolishing nuclear weapons.
“The US-North Korean nuclear brinkmanship is an enormous challenge to this fantastic work. So too is President Trump’s determination to unpick the Iran nuclear weapons deal, a deal that has been widely recognised as highly successful. That’s why we warmly welcome the decision of the Nobel committee to support those who are struggling for more co-operation and less confrontation, defying the sordid logic of our present world leaders who appear to be hell bent on war.”