Serenading the Bomb Makers: Given the present elevated stress over the doable nuclear escalation of the Ukraine battle – one thing that may be disastrous to us all and completely insane and irrational, but when NATO maintain poking the Russian Bear with a stick could possibly be provoked – it appears acceptable to recollect the lunchtime tour across the London places of work of a number of the corporations concerned in making the UK’s nuclear weapons on Friday twelfth December 2008.
I don’t suppose I can enhance on the piece I posted on My London Diary in 2008 – besides by including the odd phrase that by some means bought missed out, so I’ll copy that right here, with a number of the footage from the occasion. I bought too chilly standing round and left after an hour and went to take a brief have a look at the work happening on the Olympic website at Stratford Marsh as the sunshine was starting to fade.
‘Muriel Lesters’ Serenade the Bomb Makers
Ten activists turned up in Victoria, London on Friday for a festive protest outdoors the places of work of the US firm behind the manufacturing of the UK’s nuclear weapons and the large growth of bomb manufacturing services at Aldermaston – costing £6,000,000,000 – which has by no means been debated or accredited by Parliament.
They have been the ‘Muriel Lesters*’, a London affinity group of Trident Ploughshares. Wearing Santa fits, white nuclear inspector overalls and festive hats they known as for an finish to bomb manufacturing on the Atomic Weapons Institution (AWE).
Appropriately, their renditions of festive songs and carols with modified anti-nuclear lyrics have been largely lower than tuneful (one participating was hear to say “I’m a Quaker, we don’t sing” and who may contradict him?) They known as for a cease to the unlawful actions of those corporations in making weapons.
First to be serenaded by the group have been the places of work of the US arms large Lockheed Martin, makers of ‘bunker buster’ and ‘cluster’ bombs, the worlds largest exporter of weapons and the main member of the consortium set as much as produce the nuclear warheads for the UK Trident substitute at Aldermaston.
After an hour or so of leafleting and displaying banners on Vauxhall Bridge Highway simply across the nook, the group moved to the entrance door of the constructing housing Lockheed Martin and several other different corporations in Carlisle Place for his or her half hour carol ‘live performance’. It was a website I knew from the ‘Retailers of Loss of life‘ tour by CAAT earlier within the 12 months. Quite a few individuals got here in an out of the constructing whereas this was happening and a few took leaflets whereas others hurried previous, typically to ready taxis.
Half method by way of the efficiency, a police automotive pulled up and dropped off two constables who got here to speak to the protesters. They requested who was in cost (and naturally no one was) and for a cell quantity they might use to contact the group, saying “it’s commonplace apply for protests“. Oh no it isn’t! They have been handed a leaflet with the Norwich particulars of Trident Ploughshares, however that wasn’t what they’d in thoughts.
The police have been knowledgeable that the true criminals have been within the Lockheed Martin places of work, finishing up the huge growth in UK nuclear arms, a breach of the UK’s obligations beneath Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and that they have been concerned in an unlawful conspiracy with some teams we may title down the highway in Whitehall. The police selected to disregard this important proof however ultimately they went away, reminding the protesters that whereas they supported the proper to reveal, it was vital to maintain the pavement clear.
As they left, one member of the group stretched out “useless” on his again on that pavement as a logo of the numerous victims of nuclear weapons, together with these killed in nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, “bomb take a look at veterans, and victims of leukaemias, lymphomas and cancers brought on by publicity to radioactive discharges from AWE Aldermaston and AWE Burghfield in Berkshire, Sellafield in Cumbria, Rolls Royce Raynesway in Derby and different websites“
I left the group because it packed up and determined to take a brief break earlier than happening for the same protest on the London places of work of Jacobs Engineering and Fluor Company, two different US corporations who’re competing for the stake within the AWE bomb-making contract at present crammed by the British Nuclear Group. The third participant within the contract – the one remaining UK involvement – is SERCO.
Just a few extra footage right here
- Muriel Lester, (1883–1968), born in Leytonstone, was a number one Christian peace campaigner and author. Amongst many different issues she based Kingsley Corridor in Bow, was a buddy of Gandhi, Travelling Secretary of the Worldwide Fellowship of Reconciliation and was detained for ten weeks in Trinidad after which a number of days in Holloway Jail for her actions throughout the Second World Struggle.
Olympic Web site – Stratford
A few extra footage from across the London 2012 website.
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London’s Industrial Heritage – London Images
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Tags: 2008, Aldermaston, Atomic Weapons Institution, AWE, bomb makers, bomb manufacturing, Burghfield, Carlisle Place, Fluor Company, Jacobs Engineering, Lockheed Martin, London, London 2012, London Images, Muriel Lester, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, nuclear battle, Nuclear Weapons, Olympic website, peter Marshall, police, protest, Putin, Quakers, Rolls Royce, Russia, Santa fits, sellafield, Serco, Serenading the Bomb Makers, Stratford, Stratford Marsh, Trident, Trident Ploughshares, Ukraine, Westminster, white overalls
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