Author: edinburghcnd

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 12th June

1. PUBLIC MEETING:
Tuesday 19th June: Public Meeting with  Bruce Gagnon from the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, Will Griffin (US Vet for Peace) and Mary Beth Sullivan (also from the Global Network). 7pm at the Peace and Justice Centre 5 Upper Bow Edinburgh EH1 2JN
Book on Event Bright: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nukes-trump-and-the-military-industrial-complex-tickets-46948482174?
 
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2. Saturday 7th July 12.30pm No to Nato – join the nuclear ban.  Protest in solidarity with the demonstration that will be taking place in Brussels where the NATO summit meeting is taking place.  East end of Princes Street next to the Wellington Statue.

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 See also  http://www.abolition2000.org/en/news/2018/06/13/abolition-2000-actions-and-responses-on-usakorea-peace-agreement/
 
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4. We are also continue to build for the Nae Nukes Anywhere: demo at Faslane nuclear base 22 September 2018 • 12 noon – 5pm Scottish CND is inviting campaigners from across the globe to protest at Faslane in Scotland – site of the Trident nuclear weapons system – to challenge the UK Government to sign the Ban Treaty and scrap its nuclear policies.Here is Edinburgh’s latest ‘green card’ advertising the event. Thanks to Fiona for the design (and contact us if you would like to use Fiona’s skills).

Last year the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (including Scottish CND) helped the UN to write a treaty to ban nuclear weapons (the Treaty of the Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) and won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.
On 22nd September 2018 we celebrate with international campaigners from the United States, Canada, France, Israel and Russia. Play your part and assemble at Faslane Peace Camp and walk to rally at the North Gate.
To keep up to date with these events see:

Scottish CND:  http://www.banthebomb.org  and Nuclear Ban Scotland  http://www.nuclearban.scot/sep-rally/

 

Other Events: 

1. Edinburgh Stop the War: (A)Monday 18th June 7.30pm  At the Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow EH1 2JN –regular monthly meeting – a chance to discuss, debate and get involved in organizing activities                                                    (B)  Thursday 28th June 7.30pm No to War, No to Trump – Edinburgh Stop the War public meeting – with Lindsey German – Stop the War UK’s convener – at the Augustine Church, George 4th Bridge. Build for the demos on 13th and 14th July

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2.Edinburgh Campaign Against the Arms Trade:  (A) Leafleting on Saturday 16 June, 2pm to 3pm at the foot of the mound in Edinburgh. Or, if you fancy staying put, get online and use the hashtags #SinkUDT and #UDT2018 to tell people what is going on (B) non-violent direct action training (including prop and banner making for those attending) on Wednesday 20th June. Get in touch if you’re keen to participate and they’ll give you further details. (C) There will be a die-in on the Buchanan Street steps in Glasgow from 1100-1200 on Saturday 23rd June, the weekend before the UnderwaterDefence Technology (UDT) Conference arms fair. This a chance for those who aren’t free during the mid-week arms fair to voice their opposition to the UDT. Congregate at the Donald Dewar statue at 1100.(D) Special Edinburgh group meeting on Monday 25 June, 7pm to 8.30pm at the Quaker Meeting House.                   (E) The Big One:  demonstration at the SEC in Glasgow on Tuesday 26th June at 1000. This is the first day of the arms fair, which officially starts at 1100. Getting there early so we can tell the arms dealers and warmongers what we think of them as they arrive. More details to follow. Please note: this will be a peaceful, non-violent demonstration.

MORE STORIES: 
0. On May 24, Scottish MSPs Sandra White MSP (Convener of the Cross-Party Group on Palestine and Member of the Cross-Party Group on Men’s Violence Against Women and Children) and Christina McKelvie MSP (Convener of the Equalities and Human Rights Committee) joined 48 other leading women parliamentarians from around the world in releasing a joint PNND appeal  Common security for a sustainable and nuclear-weapon-free world.
1. The United Nations elected Ecuador Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa to be the President of the UN General Assembly for its 73rd session (September 2018 – September 2019). She is taking on the Presidency of the UNGA during the time when the UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament will probably be held, if the UN in October reaffirms its earlier decision to hold the conference (see Nuclear Weapon States’ Long Arm Seen Behind Deferral of Landmark UN Conference).
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2. Beyond Nuclear. Perpetually youthful Ron McCoy, an ICAN founder, was 87 when he led young activists out of a window during UN nuclear ban treaty negotiations. Dan Zak’s book may be a history of nuclear weapons, but it reads more like a Faulkner novel. Africa does not need nuclear power and its booming solar industry is just one example of why not. Jeffrey Lee, Aboriginal owner of 12.5 kms with uranium deposits in northern Australia, resisted the temptation to make a fortune. Instead he saved the land, which is now preserved inside a World Heritage Site. Meanwhile, children living near the Jadugoda uranium mines in India continue to suffer, born deformed and dying prematurely because of their exposure to radiation and heavy metals. Please help them by sharing our stories. For more stories:. Beyond Nuclear International 
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3. Scotland a Peace of History. A project to build a professional timeline exhibition with SCND’s history to mark the 60th anniversary. The project has not started yet because we were waiting for a response from the National Lottery with regards to funding, which has now been approved. If you think you can contribute, or would like to be involved, there is a meeting on 20th of June at 4pm in the SCND office in Glasgow.
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4. Institute for Peace & Dialogue, IPD is one of the leading organiser of several successful annual international academic trainings and research programs in Switzerland in the field of peacebuilding, conflict transformation, mediation, leadership, security, intercultural dialogue and human rights. Through these events IPD bring together academicians, state, private and public sector representatives for the sake of better and more peaceful future building via education and networking. www.ipdinstitute.ch
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5. CND in London (1) have a new anti-nuclear power T-shirt, to see why it is neede Wylfa Newydd nuclear power plant given green light  AND (2) Two new jobs: They‘re looking for a Parliamentary Officer and an Office & HR Manager. Two fantastic opportunities to work on our campaign full time. Let your friends and contacts know if you think they will be interested.

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6.  http://www.lasg.org/   For latest press releases from Los Alamos
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edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 30th May for JUNE

Edinburgh CND has a very full June coming up. Including our Plants for Peace Stall at the Meadows Festival and, what promises to be, an exciting public meeting with speakers from the USA.
3. Saturday 9th June: monthly leafleting, 12.30 pm at the East End of Princes Street.
AND
Stall at Leith Festival Gala Day on Leith Links EH6 7QR 9am to 5pm. Helpers welcome: just drop by
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4. Tuesday 19th June: Public Meeting with  Bruce Gagnon from the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, Will Griffin (US Vet for Peace) and Mary Beth Sullivan (also from the Global Network). 7pm at the Peace and Justice Centre 5 Upper Bow Edinburgh EH1 2JN
This meeting should be a good launch for the actions planned on July 13th (Glasgow) and 14th (Edinburgh). Watch this space for details of organising meetings and further details of actions.
We will also continue to build for the demo on 22nd September. Here is our latest ‘green card’ advertising the event. Thanks to Fiona for the design (and contact us if you would like to use Fiona’s skills).
To book a bus from Edinburgh: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bus-from-edinburgh-to-faslane-for-the-22nd-september-international-rally-tickets-46794651061?utm_campaign=new_event_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eb_email&utm_term=viewmyevent_button
To keep up to date with these events see:

Scottish CND:  http://www.banthebomb.org  and Nuclear Ban Scotland  http://www.nuclearban.scot/sep-rally/

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5. CAAT if you’re looking to get involved in the fight against theUnderwater Defence Technology (UDT) Conference in Glasgow this summer (26th – 28th June), here are some dates for your diary:
(A) There will be a die-in on the Buchanan Street steps in Glasgow from 1100-1200 on Saturday 23rd June, the weekend before the arms fair. This a chance for those who aren’t free during the mid-week arms fair to voice their opposition to the UDT. Congregate at the Donald Dewar statue at 1100.
(B) The Big One: we’ll be joining a demonstration at the SEC in Glasgow on Tuesday 26th June at 1000. This is the first day of the arms fair, which officially starts at 1100. We’re getting there early so we can tell the arms dealers and warmongers what we think of them as they arrive. More details to follow as we liase with the SEC. Please note: this will be a peaceful, non-violent demonstration.

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STOP PRESS: 6. Thursday 28th June 7.30pm No to War, No to Trump – Edinburgh Stop the War public meeting – with Lindsey German – Stop the War UK’s convener – at the Augustine Church, George 4th Bridge

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1. Saturday 2nd 10am to &pm and Sunday 3rd June 11am to 6pm; ‘Plants for Peace’ our annual fund-raising stall at the Meadows Festival Edinburgh. Meadows  EH9 9EX  The stall is number C26, that’s on Coronation Walk, which runs from the Meadows park pavilion on Melville Drive to Chalmers Street, past the funfair.

Look for our Plants for Peace banners and flags of peace. And 500+ plants each day. the number is spray painted on the ground too.
Plants and help still appreciated. Thanks to all those who have already contributed. If you join us, bring clothes for all four seasons, food and drink, and look forward to a busy, enjoyable and successful festival, turning the tide on Trident – one plant at a time!

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2. Tuesday 5th June: ECND regular organising meeting, 6pm, Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow, Edinburgh
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OTHER NEWS:
1. CND (UK)  have launched their  new website.
Its goal is to better serve the hundreds of thousands of people who visit each year to take action against nuclear weapons.
As recent global events testify, nuclear war and nuclear proliferation are a real and growing threat to world peace, and action towards the abolition of nuclear weapons has never been more necessary. Share the good news about our website by retweeting our message
Visit the website at the usual address – www.cnduk.org – and they will be delighted to receive your feedback. Your views were an essential ingredient in the new design, so drop us a line and let us know if there’s anything missing.
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2. SCND has received funding for a history project to mark the 60th anniversary of CND. Watch this space.
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3. BEYOND NUCLEAR: this week features: a group of mothers from Japan who testified at the UN about human rights for Fukushima evacuees; the US anti-nuclear movement’s longest standing Congressional champion; and marine groups who are warning Japan and the UK against dumping radioactive wastes into the oceans. Previous to that there are pieces about Uranium mining.
AUSTRALIA
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4. Basle Peace Office and partners: Nuclear abolition campaigners from around the world met in New York on May 11 to discuss strategies and to build cooperation amongst disarmament campaigns.

There were lively and productive discussions on nuclear risk-reduction, war prevention, ‘Move the Nuclear Weapons Money‘, nuclear-weapon-free zones, youth actions, engaging legislators and outreach to broader human rights, environment and faith-based communities.
There were also updates on key United Nations initiatives including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament (see Nuclear Weapon States’ Long Arm Seen Behind Deferral of Landmark UN Conference) and the new initiative of the UN Secretary-General, which was released on May 24, 2018. May 24 was also the Women’s International Day for Peace and Disarmament. Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (PNND) are using the occasion to release Common security for a sustainable and nuclear-weapon-free world, a joint parliamentary statement commemorating the day and supporting the UNSG’s initiative.   The statement, which has been endorsed by leading female parliamentarians from around the world, calls for ‘diplomacy, conflict resolution, common security and law to address security issues, rather than the threat or use of force.’  It notes that ‘The United Nations was established with an array of mechanisms through which nations can resolve conflicts, negotiate disarmament and achieve security through diplomacy not war. These have been supplemented by additional common security mechanisms such as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We urge governments to make better use of these common security mechanisms, and especially to replace reliance on nuclear deterrence with reliance on common security.’              The appeal, Common security for a sustainable and nuclear-weapon-free world, was also released Securing our Common Future: An Agenda for Disarmament, it is the new disarmament agenda released in Geneva today by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The statement has been endorsed by legislators from Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Finland, Germany, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lichtenstein, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.                                                      PNND and UNFOLD ZERO actively promoted former UNSG Ban Ki-moon’s Five-Point Proposal for Nuclear Disarmament which was supported worldwide and was influential in advancing a framework for a nuclear-weapon-free world.

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5. Dances of Universal Peace: 50th Anniversary Augustine United Church. George IV Bridge  June 24, 2018 5:30 pm – 9:30pm.
Events are taking place around the world to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Dances of Universal Peace (DUP). For the first time, five local mentored and trained DUP teachers (and two extra musicians) are offering an event together. They will lead Dances and spiritual Walks, share some wonderful stories about Murshid SAM – and perhaps share something about their own personal, often life-changing, Dance journeys.
Free entry. Organised by Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace.
6. Footprints for Peace (Australia) Donations still required for: This years big walk:http://www.walkingforcountry.com
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND news 17th May

NEWS:
1. The UK will be joining other NATO states for a summit in July and CND will be present to highlight the dangerous role of the alliance in international affairs. Read more about why we’ll be joining the protests in Brussels in this month’s Campaign magazine.
The magazine also features an update about the ongoing nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty meeting at the United Nations and an article about why CND is supporting the upcoming Trades Union Congress national demonstration. Read Campaign: May edition
Download Campaign: May edition
STOP PRESS: There will be events in Scotland if Trump visits after the NATO summit. Glasgow: evening of Friday 13th July Edinburgh: Saturday 14th July
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 2. President Donald Trump has announced that he is pulling the USA out of the Iran nuclear agreement and reimposing economic sanctions on Iran. In doing so, President Trump has threatened peace, stability and security in the Middle East. The Iran nuclear deal of 2015 led to improved relations between Iran and the international community, and assured the world that Iran would not be developing nuclear weapons.
Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear deal is a dangerous and irresponsible move, rightly condemned by the international community. The groundbreaking 2015 deal achieved its central aim: Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapons programme. Only a president hellbent on making the world a more dangerous place would consider such a belligerent and counterproductive move. It will be seen as a step towards war and sends a threatening message to the world. The announcement may also shake peace talks taking place on the Korean peninsula. What faith can leaders now place in US involvement in peace deals when they see such a clear example of a US president not fulfilling his country’s agreed obligations?Peace Action and other Abolition 2000 members are organizing a vigil in support of the Iran Deal in Washington Square Park, New York immediately after the  Abolition 2000 International Campaign and Strategy Meeting on Friday May 11.Parliamentary CND has launched EDM 1251 calling on the UK Government to use its influence in Washington to urge the US to reconsider its approach to the Iran nuclear deal and to uphold its commitments to Iran and the wider region. Please ask your MP to sign this important EDM – it only takes two minutes
Members of the Abolition 2000 global network to eliminate nuclear weapons, meeting in Geneva for their Annual General Meeting , have called on peace and disarmament activists to help save the Iran Nuclear Deal – Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
UN Secretary General, António Guterres, speaking on Thursday May 3, urged President Trump not to scrap the Iran nuclear deal, saying that the Middle East would become an even more dangerous place if such an important diplomatic victory was thrown away.
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3. On 14th May: Anti-nuclear campaigners  responded to Gavin Williams’ spending announcement. Kate Hudson, CND General Secretary, said: “Today’s announcement by Gavin Williams – that the government is signing contracts with BAE Systems to the tune of £930 million for Trident replacement submarines – is another indication of our government’s gross irresponsibility. MoD spending has run out of control and the government must be called to account for its profligate and irresponsible spending. The £205 billion Trident replacement scheme must be scrapped. The money should be spent instead on addressing the real security threats we face, like terrorism, climate change and cyber warfare.”
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4. Beyond Nuclear International Weekly Digest: (a) Renowned journalist, John Pilger, describes his visit to the Marshall Islands and the terrible legacy of 67 American atomic bomb “tests” during the Cold War. Women and indigenous people play a central, and often unsung, role in the struggle against every facet of uranium power and nuclear weapons. For more on this and other news: visit our Website
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5. nuClear News No.107 May 2018 is now available to download at http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/NuClearNewsNo107.pdf
6. http://www.lasg.org/   For latest press releases from Los Alamos
7. https://dronecampaignnetwork.wordpress.com for their latest news
MEETINGS OF PARTNER ORGANISATIONS
0. Edinburgh Stop the War:Monday May 21st, 7.30pm – at the Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow EH1 2JN.
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1. ICAN have a finalised location for the May Scottish  Roundtable Wednesday, 30 May at 7.00pm University of Edinburgh Paterson’s Land Room 1.21.
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2. CAAT if you’re looking to get involved in the fight against the Underwater Defence Technology (UDT) Conference in Glasgow this summer (26th – 28th June), here are some dates for your diary:
(a) picket the Glasgow City Council meeting 17th at 1200 to say no to arms fairs and arms dealers in Scotland. The more the merrier! Feel free to bring banners and placards. Meet outside the City Chambers at 1200.
(b) The next CAAT Edinburgh meeting is next Monday 21st May from 1900 to 2045 at the Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House on Victoria Terrace. We’ll be discussing the upcoming arms fair and CAAT’s #Arms2Renewables divestment campaign. Come and say hello!
(C) There will be a die-in on the Buchanan Street steps in Glasgow from 1100-1200 on Saturday 23rd June, the weekend before the arms fair. This a chance for those who aren’t free during the mid-week arms fair to voice their opposition to the UDT. Congregate at the Donald Dewar statue at 1100.
(d) The Big One: we’ll be joining a demonstration at the SEC in Glasgow on Tuesday 26th June at 1000. This is the first day of the arms fair, which officially starts at 1100. We’re getting there early so we can tell the arms dealers and warmongers what we think of them as they arrive. More details to follow as we liase with the SEC. Please note: this will be a peaceful, non-violent demonstration.
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3.Low Level Radiation and Health conference being held on Saturday June 23rd to Sunday June 24th in Stirling..Overseas speakers will present on the Saturday covering impacts of low level radiation on wildlife and health while there will be a UK campaigning meeting on the Sunday June 24th. The meeting will end on Sunday after lunch. The meeting will start with lunch at 12.30 on the Saturdayand is being held in the Stirling Court Hotel at the University while accommodation is being reserved in the Stirling Central Travelodge, 1 Goosecroft Road, Stirling FK8 1PF, Tel: 02031 950540.
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4. The Peace Academy will take place from 27th to 29th July at the Strathclyde University Students’ Union, with accommodation provided for 100 participants at the SYHA Glasgow. Confirmed speaker Ross Greer MSP supports young people applying to the Peace Academy. Apply to the Peace Academy
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5. Events notified by the Peace and Justice Centre                                                       (a) ‘That’s Not Okay’ Workshop:
Sat 26 May. 10am – 2pm.
David Hume Tower. LG.07, George Square.
With Mil Rai and Emily Johns, Editors of Peace News.  More info Here.                      (b) Conscientious Objectors meeting in Dundee Dalhousie Building, Lecture Theatre 1, University of Dundee Friday 18 May – 6.30 to 20.15 (lecture starts 7.00 pm prompt)This is a free event and tickets are available through Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/abertay-historical-society-great-war-dundee-evening-lecture-tickets-44752447776?utm_term=eventurl_text                       (c)War, Conscription and Conscientious Objection 1914-1919 
Conscientious Objectors Awareness Day Event Dundee
Saturday 10.30-3.00 May 19, 2018
Dalhousie Building, Room 1LG03, University of Dundee(
A Free Event – including refreshments and light buffet lunch – tickets booked Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/war-conscription-and-conscientious-objection-1914-1919-tickets-44752516983?aff=erelpanelorg                              (d)Legacies of Resistance: The Struggle Continues Wednesday, 23rd May, 6-8p.m.
The Fairfax Somerville Room, The Scottish Parliament                                                                     +++Stop press (e) Pentecost Peace Vigil at Faslane
May 26, 2018 12:00 pm– 1:00pm. People of all faiths, or of none, are most welcome!
Organised by Scottish Christians Against Nuclear Arms (SCANA)
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6. Footprints for Peace (Australia) This years big walk:  http://www.walkingforcountry.com
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 29th April 2018

EVENTS
1. Tuesday 1st May : ECND regular organising meeting, 6pm, Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow, Edinburgh
2. Wednesday 2nd May5pm Debate in Scottish Parliament about Nuclear Weapons Convoys. Mark Ruskell is booking a room where we can discuss what was said afterwards and have some refreshments. Please let us know if you want to join us (see below)
3. Saturday 5th May: The Edinburgh CND supported May Day march and rally will take place on Saturday 5th May. Assemble (top of) Johnston Terrace 11.30 for 12 noon. March behind the Edinburgh CND banner and join us for the rally in the Pleasance Theatre from 12.30. 
STOP PRESS: 4 (a) Wednesday 9th May: Peacebuilding through Music: Rhythm & Silence With Christine Stevens,  7 – 9pm. Room G.04, 50 George Sq5. Saturday 12th May: monthly leafleting, 12.30 pm at the East End of Princes Street.  Followed by: 2 – 4pm.Peace & Justice Centre. 5 Upper Bow, EH1 2JN.
Origami cranes workshop to remember those who died from the Hiroshima bomb and raise awareness and support for the nuclear weapons ban treaty.
STOP PRESS: 4(B) Spending on People not Trident: TUC demo Saturday, May 12th Assemble 11am Victoria Embankment, LondonThousands of people will march through London to demand A New Deal for Working People in a demonstration organised by the Trades Union Congress. CND will have a bloc highlighting how we should be spending on People Not Trident. Join us!
5. Monday 14th May: “Poppies For Peace” film showing @ 7pm to raise funds for the Grassmarket Community Project and the Conscientious Objectors sculpture memorial.For more details see: http://grassmarket.org/listings/
6. Tuesday 15th May Conscientious Objectors Day vigil from 5- 6pm by the National Gallery off Princes St. Followed by:Opposing War, Memorial Design Launch 6:30 – 8pm. Doors 6:10pm for a cup of Tea Quaker Meeting House, Edinburgh CND supports both these events. Registration is suggested but not required. Register at: https://opposing-war-design-launch.eventbrite.com Donations to the Memorial will be requested. To donate visit: http://peaceandjustice.org.uk/ 
7. Saturday 19th May: Please note the Foreign Policy meeting in Edinburgh and  SNP CND conference in Stirling are both postponed to a later date
 
+++++See EVENTS for details of 22 September Demo, including bus from Edinburgh++++++
More on 2: Debate in Scottish Parliament about Nuclear Weapons Convoys. Wed 2nd May 5pm (From Jane Tallents and David Mackenzie)The motion “Civil Contingency in Nuclear Weapon Transport” lodged by Mark Ruskell MSP will be debated in Holyrood next Wednesday, May 2nd at 5pm. See full text below. Although as a Members Debate it won’t result in a vote Mark will speak about the Nukewatch report UNREADY SCOTLAND and our request to the Scottish Government to conduct an open review of civil authorities readiness to respond to a serious accident with a nuclear weapon in transit.  The report arose from a survey that Mark Ruskell’s office conducted of local authorities that convoys pass through. The results showed the woeful lack of emergency planning for an accident with such a unique cargo – high explosives combined with radioactive material including plutonium. They seemed content to leave public safety in the hands of the MOD although it’s clear that the MOD would expect first responders including councils to take care of the public including evacuations and disseminating advice to take shelter.
Please ask your MSPs to sign the motion and attend the debate. You can see if the convoys travel through your area by looking at the Council areas mentioned in the motion. Support from any MSP’s is helpful but it would be especially valuable if those whose constituents are put at risk by the transport of nuclear weapons could go to the debate and contribute. Hearing from you would encourage that.
It would be great to see a good attendance in the public gallery. You can book a ticket onlinehttp://www.parliament.scot/ visitandlearn/24230.aspx Or let us know you want to attend and we can meet you in the main lobby at 4.30pm with tickets.
Mark Ruskell is booking a room where we can discuss what was said afterwards and have some refreshments. Please let us know if you want to join us.
Find out more about  UNREADY SCOTLAND and read the full report  here.http://www.nukewatch.org.uk/? page_id=748
See also: message on LINKS (right hand side of page)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
Nuclear disarmament campaigners from around the world met in Geneva on April 27-28 for the Annual General Meeting and Global Council dinner of Abolition 2000, the global network to eliminate nuclear weapons. Abolition 2000 was established in 1995 as a global network to facilitate communication, cooperation and coordination between nuclear disarmament organisations and activists around the world. Over 2000 organisations have endorsed the Abolition 2000 founding statement.

The Abolition 2000 meeting included:

  • discussion of the challenges and opportunities for nuclear disarmament in the current political environment;
  • updates on various nuclear disarmament campaigns and actions undertaken by member organisations, working groups and affiliated networks;
  • overview of upcoming events and development of a timeline of events for the next three years (these will be posted on the Abolition 2000 calendar);
  • consideration of additional proposals;
  • discussion of ways to improve outreach and enhance cooperation with related constituencies including those working on peace, human rights and sustainable development (Click here for the outreach brochure).
The United Nations adopted a decision to postpone the UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament which was scheduled to take place in New York from May 14-16, 2018.  Because of this the Count the Nuclear Weapons Money, a 7-day action highlighting the $1 trillion nuclear weapons budget over the next 10 years and what this money could instead support, will be postponed until UN Disarmament Week , October 24-30, 2018. Other fringe  events in New York including the concert will go ahead
For updates on all the events in Geneva see: http://www.cnduk.org
TWO other useful links:
1.  https://beyondnuclearinternational.org
2. http://www.lasg.org/   Latest press release:
Leaked Summary of Nuclear Warhead Plutonium “Pit” Production Analysis Identifies Serious Problems with Los Alamos Manufacturing Plan
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 22nd April (update 24th)

THURSDAY 26TH APRIL
QUAKER MEETING HOUSE
7 VICTORIA TERRACE, EDINBURGH, EH1 2JLPublic meeting with Dave Webb (Chair of CND) who will be speaking with Tim Coles (author). This event is organised by Edinburgh CND and Edinburgh Stop the War. Book your free place now via Eventbrite!
Dave Webb has been chair of CND since 2010 and has played a leading role in CND’s work on missile defence. He is the convenor of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space and a member of Scientists for Global Responsibility.

Tim Coles is the author of “Fire and Fury: How the US Isolates North Korea, Encircles China and Risks Nuclear War in Asia”. He is a founder and director of the Plymouth Institute for Peace Research and in the past two years has written a series of timely books about geopolitical and economic matters.
Dave will be just back from the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is scheduled to hold its second session from 23 April to 4 May 2018 at the United Nations Office in Geneva. This will be the second of three planned sessions that will be held prior to the 2020 Review Conference.
 So, on Monday, representatives from almost all states, including the UK, will meet in Geneva to discuss the future of the treaty. In 2018 we mark the 50th anniversary of the NPT, a milestone in global attempts to get rid of nuclear weapons.
Kate Hudson will also be travelling to Geneva. This is a chance to directly challenge the UK government to disarm its nuclear weapons.

Along with Parliamentary CND Chair Caroline Lucas MP and other senior politicians, she’ll be demanding to see concrete plans from the government for disarming the UK’s nuclear weapons.

A motion has been put forward in the Westminster Parliament which calls on the UK Government to inject new life into the NPT and actually give some meaningful support to it. This motion is called Early Day Motion 1122. 2018 is the 50th anniversary of this treaty – which was a milestone in international attempts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Scottish CND understand how important these talks in Geneva are to the future of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and ask all members and supporters to contact their MP over the next few days. This could be by email, text, telephone or even Twitter, ask them to support and put their name to Early Day Motion 1122.
Very related to the above: Over the last two weeks we have been hearing talk of ‘world war three’, as war drums beat for military escalation in Syria. CND opposes this course of action which will only increase the likelihood of this terrible conflict spilling over into the wider Middle East and potentially beyond that.There can be no justification for chemical weapons attacks, or for despicable bombing that targets civilians, but further air strikes will only extend the appalling suffering of the people of Syria.Peace campaigners responded to the airstrikes conducted by the US, UK and France early this morning. Kate Hudson, CND General Secretary, said:

“We strongly condemn these air strikes on Syria, which are in defiance of international law. They will only increase the likelihood of this terrible conflict spilling over into the wider Middle East and potentially beyond that. “We also condemn Theresa May’s decision to bypass parliament which demonstrates a contempt for the necessary democratic process. She has also disregarded public opinion in launching these strikes; polls indicate that only 22% of the population support this bombing campaign.CND works for ‘the prevention and cessation of wars in which nuclear weapons may be used’ and there can be no clearer example of such a situation than that which we are currently facing. Diplomatic and political solutions must be sought.Take action: Protest Watch out for more events in Edinburgh               Take action: Contact your MP Please ask your MP to oppose military plans for escalation of the war in Syria. Write to your MP

Download the Stop the War Petition ‘No more attacks on Syria’ and take it round your friends, workmates fellow students etc.
AND COME TO THE MEETING ON THE 26th.
STOP PRESS: NB  April 26th will also mark 32 years since the world’s worst nuclear power plant accident — at Chernobyl. The effects are being felt down the generations, yet misinformation persists about the disaster’s real and long-lasting impacts. This week, we set the record straight. Beyond Nuclear International Weekly Digest Visit our Website                                                             ———————————————————————————-
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The Edinburgh CND supported May Day march and rally will take place on Saturday 5th May. Assemble (top of) Johnston Terrace 11.30 for 12 noon. March behind the Edinburgh CND banner and join us for the rally in the Pleasance Theatre from 12.30.

Our next  organising meeting will be before this: Tuesday 1st May: ECND regular organising meeting, 6pm, Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow, Edinburgh.

Other news:

1.UNFOLD ZERO,  the Basel Peace Office, International Peace Bureau, PNND, World Future Council and other international organizations have launched the new online platform Move the Nuclear Weapons Money.
The platform is part of a global campaign to: cut nuclear weapons budgets; encourage divestment from companies manufacturing nuclear weapons and their delivery systems; reallocate these budgets and investments to meet economic, social and environmental need – such as ending poverty, protecting the climate, supporting renewable energy, creating jobs, and providing adequate healthcare, housing and education for all.                                             Help count the nuclear weapons money: Join campaigners between May 10-16 as they count ($100 million per minute, $6 billion per hour, $146 billion per day for seven days). While counting they will highlight economic, social and environmental areas in which this money could instead be invested. Already they have parliamentarians, civil society leaders, artists, sports stars, musicians, activists, religious leaders, youth, war veterans and others signed up to count the money for 20-30 minutes each. Click here to sign-up as a money counter. Move the Nuclear Weapons Money held a press conference at the United Nations on March 28, 2018 to launch our new online platform and announce Count the Nuclear Weapons Money.  At the press conference they also promoted the UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament and released an open letter to the leaders of USA, South Korea and North Korea signed by more than 100 US civil society groups expressing support for the upcoming inter-Korean summit in April and the US-DPRK summit in May.

1.A) Peace campaigners from the United States and around the world are joining forces to encourage candidates in the US mid-term elections to commit to nuclear disarmament, improved firearms regulation, climate protection, international diplomacy and the cutting of military budgets to release resources for areas of human and environmental need.
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2. The next ICAN Scottish Roundtable will be Wednesday, 30 May at 7.00pm. The Scottish ICAN partners and their friends will be hosted by UN House Scotland. To learn more about our work, please see our website at www.unhscotland.org.uk.
One of the things discussed will be Scottish CND’s “Nae Nukes” peace rally on 22 September 2018 at Faslane nuclear base in support of the TPNW. More information is available on our Scottish ICAN website, nuclearban.scot or from SCND. Also on nuclearban.scot, there is news and a PDF to download about parliamentary lobbying; our recent letter from ICAN partners across the UK to the Secretary of State about the upcoming negotiations in Geneva on the Non-Proliferation Treaty will be going up sometime today as well.
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3. In just two weeks, the Peace and Justice Centre have raised over £1,000 to support their conflict resolution ongoing project. They need to raise just £750 more to reach our goal and to help sustain this work this term (see previous post)
 
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4. STOP PRESS: UNFOLD ZERO understands that a decision will be made at the United Nations tomorrow (25th) to postpone the UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament which was scheduled to take place in New York from May 14-16, 2018.New dates for the conference have not been set. The Non-Aligned Movement, which initiated the proposal for a UN High-Level Conference, is continuing consultations with UN member States in order to find a suitable date.
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5. Towards A Defence and Security Strategy for an Independent Scotland
SATURDAY 19TH MAY 2018 ALL WELCOME 10:30am to 4:30pm Albert Halls, Lesser Hall, Dumbarton Road, Stirling, FK8 2QL
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7. Los Alamos Bulletins   246 and 247   http://www.lasg.org/
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8. www.nonlethalsecurityforpeace.com : an occasional newsletter
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 10th April 2018: Update 14th and 20th

Stop all the bombing in Syria day of action – Saturday 12 – 2pm

Saturday 21st April is a day of action across the UK – calling for an end to the bombing in Syria, a radical shift in UK foreign policy and support for Syrian refugees. Last Saturday we collected nearly a 1000 signatures calling for an end to the bombing. We want to try and beat that this week and get the message out far and wide. We’ll have placards and petitions – but do bring your own too – we want to be an active, outgoing and visually unmissable presence on Princes Street

 

14th April:  Another Reason to Join us today:

Peace campaigners have responded to airstrikes conducted by the US, UK and France early this morning.

Kate Hudson, CND General Secretary, said:

“We strongly condemn these air strikes on Syria, which are in defiance of international law. They will only increase the likelihood of this terrible conflict spilling over into the wider Middle East and potentially beyond that.

“We also condemn Theresa May’s decision to bypass parliament which demonstrates a contempt for the necessary democratic process. She has also disregarded public opinion in launching these strikes; polls indicate that only 22% of the population support this bombing campaign.

“CND works for the prevention and cessation of wars in which nuclear weapons may be used and there can be no clearer example of such a situation than that which we are currently facing. Diplomatic and political solutions must be sought. Nuclear escalation poses consequences too terrible to contemplate.”

  1. 13th STOP PRESS:  Stop all the bombing in Syria: CND works for ‘the prevention and cessation of wars in which nuclear weapons may be used’ and there can be no clearer example of such a situation than that which we are currently facing. Diplomatic and political solutions must be sought.
    Edinburgh stop the war are urging all our supporters to do everything possible to stop a further attack on Syria by the Western powers.​ Join us in petitioning at the east end of Princes Street, 12pm Saturday 14th April See our statement at https://scotlandstopwar.org/2018/04/09/statement-on-syria-2/      The Daily Mail reports that ‘Britain’s Armed Forces are drawing up options for a joint strike with the US on Syrian forces’ and, ‘No 10 refused to rule out the Prime Minister recalling Parliament to vote on action but sources said she might be able to go ahead without approval from MPs’. The situation in Syria is critical. ​Stop the War condemns the alleged chemical attack on Douma and all foreign interventions, including by Russia and Iran. ​If Trump and other Western powers escalate with bombs, missiles or other means it can only lengthen the roll call of the dead and prolong the cycle of violence. The Syrian people have suffered too much already to bear yet more foreign intervention. Contact your MP Download the Stop the War Petition ‘No more attacks on Syria’ and take it round your friends, workmates, fellow students etc. Emergency lobby of Parliament (London)
    Meet your MP to discuss Syria and state your opposition to airstrikes.
    Wednesday 18 April • 1pm – 4pm
    Briefings available in Committee Room 20 between 1pm and 2pm.
    Called by Momentum, Stop the War, CND and Global Justice Now

    and come to the following meeting:

    Dave Webb will be speaking (with Tim Coles) at our public meeting on Thursday 26th April: 7.30pm – Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh– Public Meeting with Tim Coles author of “Fire and Fury: How the US Isolates North Korea, Encircles China and Risks Nuclear War in Asia” Organised by EdinburghCND and Edinburgh Stop the War http://www.cnduk.org/cnd-media/item/3728-60-faces-david-webb

    Thursday 26th April: 7.30pm – Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh– Public Meeting with Tim Coles author of “Fire and Fury: How the US Isolates North Korea, Encircles China and Risks Nuclear War in Asia” Organised by EdinburghCND and Edinburgh Stop the War
For details of other Edinburgh CND events including: 
  1. Saturday 14th April: monthly leafleting, 12.30 pm at the East End of Princes Street (we are joining with Stop the War: see stop press above)
  2. ++Monday 16th April is the monthly Edinburgh Stop the War Coalition meeting.  Do come along and participate. 7.30pm at the Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow, EH1 2JN
  3. Saturday 5th May: The Edinburgh CND supported May Day march and rally                                     SEE EVENTS (RIGHT SIDE of PAGE)
OTHER NEWS: 
1. In the next few weeks, representatives from almost all states will gather in Geneva  for the UN’s nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty conference, to plan progress towards nuclear disarmament.
The UK signed up to the Treaty in 1968, but successive governments have retained Britain’s nuclear arsenal. Our current Government claims to support the NPT as a way of achieving multilateral nuclear disarmament, so we want to pile on the pressure to get it to actually do something in Geneva!
Parliamentary CND is calling on the Government to make good on its claims and inject new life into the NPT. They have launched EDM 1122 to make this call.
We need to join that call. Please ask your MP to add their name in support of EDM 1122. You can send your MP a message using a model letter through the CND website at https://cnd.eaction.org.uk/lobby/PrepCom (also see reminder at end of post)

 

2. In April 1958, the first march to Aldermaston, Britain’s bomb factory in Berkshire, unleashed a new movement which was to have global repercussions. It mobilised thousands against the Bomb and shaped radical protest for generations. The famous symbol produced for the march by artist Gerald Holtom became CND’s own symbol and is universally recognised as the sign of peace.                                                                             CND are celebrating six decades of vibrant and powerful activity with a new online exhibition, displaying photos and memories provided by you, our members and supporters. You selected the photos that best symbolised a significant memory from the past 60 years. The exhibition shows photos from demonstrations, vigils and blockades; significant sites, like Greenham, Molesworth, as well as photos of artefacts, like favourite badges, banners, and knitting. The exhibition will be published on a rolling basis – we’ll let you know when we’ve updated it – so don’t worry if you can’t yet see the photos you have submitted.

3. This month is also the 60th anniversary of Grapple Y, the test of a multi-megaton thermonuclear weapon by the United Kingdom in the central Pacific. The atmospheric nuclear test was held at Christmas (Kiritimati) Island on 28 April 1958, during Operation Grapple – the program to develop the British hydrogen bomb. Commonwealth servicemen who participated in the UK nuclear testing program in the Pacific are calling for recognition and compensation, as leaders gather in London for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).  Sixty years on, sailors and soldiers from New Zealand and Fiji who participated in Operation Grapple have issued an open letter to the Commonwealth Heads of Government, calling for justice for the survivors of the UK nuclear tests.  In the open letter they call on British Prime Minister Theresa May to fulfil promises made 60 years ago, to address the health and environmental consequences of the UK nuclear weapons program.  For more information: The book ‘Grappling with the Bomb’ can be downloaded free from:  Free downloads – ANU Press – ANU

4. nuclear News No.106 April 2018 is now available to download at:
5. Stirling University CND are raising money this summer by providing volunteers to the Workers’ Beer Company, who run bars at music festivals and is owned by Battersea and Wandsworth TUC.
Queens of the Stone Age Concert: 30th June 2018
Finsbury Park Festival: 1st July 2018
Lovebox and Citadel: 13th – 15th July 2018
For each hour you work, Scottish CND will receive £7 which will go towards funding the campaign for nuclear disarmament and projects such as this summer’s Peace Academy (applications still open).
6. Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre Events:
1. 140,000 Origami Cranes Workshop.14 April. 12 May. 9 June. 2 – 4pm.
Peace & Justice Centre.
2. Cooperative Games & Conflict Resolution Facilitator Training.
Sat 21 April. 10am – 4pm.  For people considering full training for our schools programme or for personal or professional development. Fee waived for those who continue on our full Facilitator training. £30 or pay what you can.
★For more info and To register see here.  Also :They  are looking to raise £1,750 to help sustain our work delivering Cooperative Games and develop the Conflict Resolution workshops over the summer term.
3. Anatomy of Peace Building through Music, Rhythm & Silence
Wed 9 May. 6:30 – 8:30pm. Venue to be confirmed. With Christine Stevens.
Become a musical peace-maker.  
4. Week of Events on Conscientious Objection
4.1 CO Day Vigil. Tues 15 May. 5 – 6pm. Foot of Mound, by National Gallery.
Speakers, singing, silence. Our annual vigil remembering those who refused to kill in past wars and today.
4.2 CO Memorial Design Launch. Edinburgh.Tues 15 May 6:30 – 7:30pm.To be confirmed. Check our website or ring to confirm if coming.More Info on CO Week of Events Here
5. ‘That’s Not Okay’ Interactive Workshop: 
Standing up for our values on the street,at work, in our groups and at home.
Sat 26 May. 10am – 2pm.David Hume Tower. LG.07, George Square.
With Mil Rai and Emily Johns,
Check P and J website or ring 0131 629 1058 Wed & Fridays 1 – 4pm to for full details of events where details are not yet confirmed.
REMINDER: The UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament will convene in New York May 14 -16.  Nuclear disarmament campaigners plan to use the occasion to focus public attention on the nuclear-weapons industry, a key stimulus to the nuclear arms race. “Companies manufacturing nuclear weapons and their delivery systems are a powerful lobby to increase nuclear weapons budgets, and to expand nuclear weapons policies in order to justify this massive public spending,” said Alyn Ware, Global Coordinator of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament.

For more information please visit www.nuclearweaponsmoney.org. Jackie Cabasso, Executive Director of Western States Legal Foundation, released an open letter, which has been signed by more than 100 US civil society groups. The letter expresses support for the upcoming inter-Korean summit in April and the US-DPRK summit in May, and urges the leaders “to patiently and diligently seek common ground.”

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 22nd March 2018 Updated on 29th

Our meetings next month:

  1. Tuesday 3rd April: ECND regular organising meeting, 6pm, Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow, Edinburgh.
  2. Saturday 13th April: monthly leafleting, 12.30 pm at the East End of Princes Street
  3. Thursday 26th April: 7.30pm – Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh– Public Meeting with Tim Coles author of “Fire and Fury: How the US Isolates North Korea, Encircles China and Risks Nuclear War in Asia” Organised by EdinburghCND and Edinburgh Stop the War.

And in May: The Edinburgh CND supported May Day march and rally will take place on Saturday 5th May. Assemble (top of) Johnston Terrace 11.30 for 12 noon. March behind the Edinburgh CND banner and join us for the rally in the Pleasance Theatre from 12.30.

In June: Once again we’re having our ‘Plants For Peace’ stall at the Meadows Festival. Saturday and Sunday the 2nd and 3rd of June, sharing with Edinburgh Stop The War. This is our biggest event of the year, enjoyable, but tiring! raising our profile and earning the cash we need for our campaigning against nuclear weapons.                                             We need your help, please get in touch edinburghcnd@yahoo.com if you can offer any help whatsoever (on the day or growing plants before hand)

STOP PRESS: 28th March: Anti-nuclear campaigners have condemned the announcement of an extra £600 million for the Dreadnought submarine programme, part of the government scheme to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system. The extra funding, which will be made by the Treasury to the Ministry of Defence, was announced in today’s Prime Minister’s Questions. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “Spending on Trident is out of control – another £600 million announced today. This means the Ministry of Defence is already overspending at this early stage of replacing Britain’s nuclear weapons system, which is why the contingency fund is now being eaten into.

Other events:                                                                                                                                  

1. Scottish Christians Against Nuclear Arms (SCANA) Pentecost Peace Witness Vigil
Saturday 26th May 2018 12 noon – 1.0 p.m. Faslane Royal Naval Base, Gareloch.
2. Edinburgh World Justice Festival (supported by Edinburgh CND) Organising Meeting and AGM 7.30 Monday 28 March Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL

3. Sunday 1st April: As protesters poured along the streets of London, on Easter Monday, 1959, hot-foot from the Aldermaston nuclear bomb factory, they passed the church of then-priest Bruce Kent. Bruce was horrified – every one of the five weddings he was conducting that day was disrupted! But the marchers gave Bruce food for thought and led to his lifelong dedication to campaigning against nuclear weapons. Six decades on, the threat that nuclear weapons pose – to humanity, to the planet – is even greater. Bruce has changed the hearts and minds of many during that time, and he still campaigns today. But he can’t do it alone. Change requires mass action and mobilisation – people united to bring about the world they wish to see. The day before, campaigners had marched from London to the AWE factory in Berkshire – where Britain was making its first nuclear bombs. The world has changed immensely since then – we face numerous new threats that would not have been conceived of in 1958 – but AWE is still producing nuclear warheads. CND invites you all to join us at AWE Aldermaston this Easter Sunday to celebrate our history and look to the future. Through speeches, music, memories, fence decorating, let’s make it clear that Trident should be scrapped and we want a nuclear-free world. It’s also an opportunity to see the fantastic CND installation which is travelling the country. The event will conclude with an inter-faith vigil. Details Assemble 12 noon, Sunday, April 1st Main Gate, AWE Aldermaston, Berkshire, RG7 4PR
More information Help us promote the event Like and share our priority Facebook post. Click here for the link.  Like and retweet our priority tweet. Click here for the linkClick attending on our Facebook event and share it with your group members and other contacts. Use the hashtag #CNDat60 on your own social media posts Distribute some leaflets in your area – we can post these to you free of charge. For more information or any questions please contact information@cnduk.org or phone 020 7700 2393.

Bruce Kent, CND vice president, said:

“It took 40 years to get votes for women. The ending of slavery took almost 50 years, so the fact that things take a long time doesn’t deter us. CND will keep campaigning and demanding change until all nuclear weapons around the world have been abolished.”

Why are we going to Aldermaston?
Easter Sunday marks the 60th anniversary of the first Aldermaston march – an event that mobilised thousands against the Bomb and shaped radical protest for generations. The Aldermaston factory continues to produce nuclear warheads today and its closure is fundamental to our campaigning goals. We will mark the anniversary with speeches, poems, music and memories, and we’ll look to the future too, as we continue our struggle to rid Britain – and the world – of nuclear weapons.

p.s. (3a) If you can’t make Aldermaston, you can join the Fly Kites not Drones event in the Meadows. Sun 1st April. 1pm – 4pm.  Meadows Pavilion Café. Bring, Make & Fly Kites. Big Display kites on show. Inspired by the Afgan Peace Volunteers, this event happens all around the world at Nao Ruz, the Afghan New Year, when people in Afghanistan fly kites. Now the blue skies have become a source of fear. Solidarity with people living under millitary drones threat. Support for refugees. With Refugee Community Kitchen. Music & soup. Family friendly. Give what you feel. SHARE the Event on Facebook.

4 . Edinburgh CAAT had a busy month, including spending almost a full week in Scottish Parliament chatting to MSPs and their staff about converting arms to renewables, and ending Scottish public funds to the arms industry. More than 25 MSPs, including someone from every political party, came to speak with us. Lots of momentum, lots to follow up on. Next group meeting is Monday 26 March, 7 to 8.45pm at the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre. Newcomers always welcome, as are agenda suggestions. We’ll spend some time discussing next steps on arms to renewables.
>> Take a look at the draft agenda and send through any suggestions Still a few places left at the training! 
There are still a couple of spots available at the non-violent direct action training we’re running on 7 April in Edinburgh. See previous post

4. On March 28, the United Nations will hold the preparatory meeting for the 2018 UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament. New York, NY – March 28, 2018.  At a media briefing for journalists at the United Nations in New York today, nuclear disarmament experts and campaigners highlighted the critical need for successful diplomacy on nuclear-weapons related conflicts, including in Northeast Asia, between the US/NATO and Russia, and at the upcoming UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament. Abolition 2000 member organizations organized a press conference at the United Nations in New York today (29th) to highlight the critical need for successful diplomacy on nuclear-weapons related conflicts, promote the upcoming UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament, and announce two related initiatives. These were an Open Letter to the Leaders of USA, South Korea and North Korea and Count the Nuclear Weapons Money, a civil society action to take place during the UN High Level Conference.

In the longer run:  

Scotland is going to welcome the world to Faslane on Saturday September 22nd from 12 noon. Under the banner ‘Nae Nukes, Anywhere’ we plan to celebrate the UN Treaty banning nuclear weapons and, at the site where the UK’s Trident missiles are based, say loud and clear we want them scrapped – for good. You want to help? Here’s how!

  1. Be there! Join the First Minister (tbc), speakers from around the world, some top musicians, and ordinary people calling for sanity and humanity.
  1. Donate! Scottish CND will be making an appeal soon, but giving Edinburgh CND cash too means we can make transport free for unwaged.
  1. Help publicise this event – tell your friends, workmates, dentist etc, pass on this email, boost social media, leaflet any gatherings you go to, put up posters.
  1. Volunteer as a steward/first aider at the rally, lots of other tasks needing you too, let us know if you can help – thanks!
  1. Peace people are coming from all over the world – can you give them a room for  a day or two?
  1. Placard and banner making workshops will take place in August and September. Suitable for any age or ability and great fun!

We look forward to hearing from you With thanks in advance from Edinburgh CND

Other news: 

  1. 14th March: the Los Alamos Study Group filed a lawsuit against the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). On December 1 of last year, the Study Group filed a FOIA request for a redacted version of NNSA’s plutonium warhead core (“pit”) production analysis of alternatives (AoA), which was completed in November and briefed to congressional committees at the end of that month.
  2. The March Edition of Drones Campaign News is out: https://dronecampaignnetwork.wordpress.com/3
  3. Coventry peace poet and CND UK Peace Education Patron, Antony Owen has been shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry which is one of the UK’s most respected literary awards. His poetry collection The Nagasaki Elder (V.Press) was partly inspired by testimonies of atomic bomb survivors that Owen took on his extensive self-funded peace trip to Hiroshima, Japan, in 2015.