EDINBURGH WORLD JUSTICE FESTIVAL will start on Saturday 1 October, presenting 20 events and 2 exhibitions

Peace Events on Monday 3rd (edinburghCND), Monday 10th and Monday 17th

The programme can be downloaded from http://www.ewjf.org.uk.
Here is a summary list of the events, which are also on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ ewjf1/events

The lie of the land in Latin America
Sat 1 Oct, 10.30am-12.30pm Quaker Meeting House, EH1 2JL

Cooperative games:foundations for conflict resolution and peace
Sat 1 Oct, 11am-1pm David Hume Tower Rm LG.09, EH8 9JX

Rockin’ for West Papua
Sat 1 Oct, 7pm til late Henry’s Cellar Bar, 16A Morrison Street, Edinburgh EH3 8BJ

When the military takes over your home
Monday 3 October, 7-9pm Quaker Meeting House, EH1 2JL

Welcoming refugees and children: Scotland and the EU
Tues 4 Oct, 7-9pm 50 George Square Rm G.06, EH8 9LH

Peace in Palestine: between the two state solution and local initiatives
Weds 5 Oct, 7.30-9.30pm Augustine United Church, EH1 1EL

Muslim women in Scotland: our stories
Thurs 6 Oct, 11am-3pm Greyfriars Charteris Centre, 138-140 Pleasance, EH8 9RR

Land/Terra: a labour of love
Thurs 6 Oct, 7-9pm Geography Building (Rm 201), Drummond St, EH8 9XP

Empowering women – progress globally?
Thurs 6 Oct, 7.30-9pm Augustine United Church, EH1 1EL

Session/clinics for migrants working in Scotland
Fri 7 Oct, 5-7pm Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh, 17 West Montgomery Place, EH7 5HA

Migration Gathering – Challenge myths:respond positively
Sat 8 Oct, 1.30-6.30pm
Augustine United Church, EH1 1EL

Monsanto on trial
Sun 9 Oct, 3-5pm Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street, EH6 8RG

Migrants are not the enemy
Mon 10 Oct, 7.30-9.30pm Quaker Meeting House, EH1 2JL

From the environmental frontline
Tues 11 Oct, 7-9pm Augustine United Church, EH1 1EL

Faith groups’ response to migration crises
Wed 12 Oct, 6.30-9pm Quaker Meeting House, EH1 2JL

Films: Seeking refuge
Thurs 13 Oct, 6-8pm
50 George Square Rm G.04, EH8 9LH

Private finance, global aid, and collapsing schools
Fri 14 Oct, 6.30-8pm Augustine United Church, EH1 1EL

Eco Fair
Sat 15 Oct, 10am-4pm Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street, EH6 8RG

War and refugees
Mon 17 Oct, 7.30-9.30pm Quaker Meeting House, EH1 2JL

New event:
DAVID ROVICS gig
Songs of solidarity and social significance. David will be singing with Lorna McKinnon Tickets £10/£5 on the door – see Facebook page for booking via Eventbrite
https://www.facebook.com/ events/1096129873836363/

Cancellation: Radical Voices on Sunday 9 October

STOP PRESS:
Five survivors of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 will be in London and invite you to join them as they share their experience of the effect of a nuclear bomb.

Peace Boat Symposium
5pm-6:30pm, Tuesday, October 3rd
Friends House, 173-177 Euston Road, London
Click here for further information

The symposium will be followed by a reception (6:30pm-7:30pm) where light refreshments will be served.

REMINDER: Actions planned across the UK from October 1st-8th to protest against the role British military bases play in the US missile defence system kick off Saturday 1st October.

Keep Space for Peace week is an annual international week of action against the militarisation of space.

1. EDINBURGH WORLD JUSTICE FESTIVAL 2016
will run from 1 – 17 October. The programme is now available!
20 events and 2 exhibitions, mostly relating to this year’s theme:
MIGRATION: ROOTS AND RESPONSES
There’s no need to tell you how interesting, topical, lively and important they are, you can see that for yourself by browsing the programme, copied below. It can be downloaded from https://www.facebook.com/groups/6859916828/
Edinburgh CND event is on Monday 3rd October
EdinburghCND at the Edinburgh World Justice Festival : Losing your home to the military
Monday, October 3 at 7 PM – 9 PM Quaker Meeting House Victoria Terrace

50 years ago nearly 2,000 people fled their Chagos Island homes after P. M. Harold Wilson leased the islands to America for use as a military airbase during the 1960s cold war. In return, the UK received a cheaper deal on Polaris nuclear weapons. Today the village of Gangjeong on Jeju Island, South Korea has been chosen for a US naval base to be part of it’s missile defence plan.

Come and hear the stories of these and others who have had their lives destroyed. Dave Webb, chair of UK CND will lead the discussion. #ewjf2016
Dear LALIT,
Edinburgh CND Statement: We are inspired by the persistent struggle for freedom and justice by the Chagossian people and LALIT. We feel closely connected to your struggle. It is our government, the government of the United Kingdom, that is mainly responsible for the shameful mistreatment of the Chagossian people. Our government in its foreign policy is ruthless in pursuing its own interests and in showing contempt for the rule of international law. The UK is breaching the Non-Proliferation Treaty by deciding to renew and upgrade the Trident nuclear weapon system and it has also boycotted the recent meetings at the UN which are likely in due course to lead to a global ban on nuclear weapons. The UK is also completely disregarding the views of the people of Scotland on nuclear weapons.

At the same time we know that the power games of the big states and their allies will be challenged increasingly in the years to come as more and more of the disadvantaged and dispossessed people of the world find their voices on the international stage and are able to present common cause for justice as they learn from and are inspired by each other’s struggles. We will do our bit to share your story. We wish you every success at the important juncture.

2. CAAT Edinburgh: Tea, cake, War and Peace: Forest Cafe, 141 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9JN Thursday 29th September, 4pm – 6pm STOP PRESS: Next CAAT meeting Monday 26 September, at 7-8.45pm at Quakers’ Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace.

3. SWILPF and Wool against Weapons: Scottish Storytelling Centre
Saturday 24th September 2:00 – 4:00pm
Join members of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and Wool Against Weapons Scotland for an afternoon of songs, stories, activism and knitting!

4. UNFOLD ZERO is organising a special event to commemorate the day at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and in New York on September 27. The event features:
Civil society representatives that are interested in attending or speaking at the event should register.

5. Keep Space for Peace week is an annual international week of action against the militarisation of space.
On the 1 October a co-ordinated demonstration will take place at RAF Fylingdales in North Yorkshire and RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire. The contribution to war made by these bases is still largely unknown to the general public, so please do support these crucial protests.
12 noon – 3pm, 1 October 2016 RAF Fylingdales
12 noon – 3pm, 1 October 2016 RAF Croughton
Menwith Hill
The role US operations at Menwith Hill, North Yorkshire play in targeted killings was highlighted in a shocking exposé by investigative journalist Ryan Gallagher earlier this month. A demontration will take place at the NSA controlled site on the 4 October at 6pm. Contact info@yorkshirecnd.org.uk for more info.

6.Come along to hear more about the risks of a nuclear weapon accident and radiation when Trident warheads are transported on public roads.
Tue, 27 Sept, 7 – 8.30 pm, Jurys Inn Glasgow (80 Jamaica Street, Glasgow)
Speakers:
This is event is free, but please register

7. The Scottish CND AGM takes place on Saturday, November 12th at Friends Meeting House, Elmbank Street, Charing Cross, Glasgow.
Registration is at 10 am and meeting starts at 10.30 am
The theme of AGM this year is Gie’s Us Peace and all Scottish CND members are welcome to attend.
Affiliated organisations and local groups who are up to date with their subscriptions are also entitled to send 2 delegates to the meeting.

8. While the country waits for the decision on Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, nuclear campaigners say green light would be a diaster
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “We urge Theresa May to put the interests of the country first when she makes the Hinkley decision. “The basic facts have not changed: the nuclear power deal is hugely expensive – a £30 billion subsidy will be handed to the French state in addition to what consumers pay. It’s dangerous: cancer clusters, nuclear accidents and disasters like Fukushima, and there is still no safe way to store nuclear waste.

9.September Drone Campaign Newsletter is available http://www.dronecampaignnetwork.org.uk

10. The Walkajurra Walkabout is now over but The Walking for Country film is screening as part of the Environmental Film Festival Australia
http://www.effa.org.au/melbourne-program/2016/10/5/australian-shorts

EdinburghCND at the Edinburgh World Justice Festival : Losing your home to the military
Monday, October 3 at 7 PM – 9 PM Quaker Meeting House Victoria Terrace

50 years ago nearly 2,000 people fled their Chagos Island homes after P. M. Harold Wilson leased the islands to America for use as a military airbase during the 1960s cold war. In return, the UK received a cheaper deal on Polaris nuclear weapons. Today the village of Gangjeong on Jeju Island, South Korea has been chosen for a US naval base to be part of it’s missile defence plan.

Come and hear the stories of these and others who have had their lives destroyed. Dave Webb, chair of UK CND will lead the discussion. #ewjf2016

STILL ON: Scottish WILPF and Wool Against Weapons have their Exhibition at the Scottish Story Telling Centre 9th September to 1st October 2016. 43 – 45 High Street, EH1 15R. It has a lovely café. Direct Aid. Play ‘Chrystal and The General’ , 21st September Tickets available from the Scottish Story Telling Centre. All welcome. If you are able to distribute publicity postcards can you please contact Scottish WILPF at scottishwilpf@yahoo.co.uk and don’t forget Brexit and World Peace Plus Peace Beyond Borders Booktalk: Vijay Mehta, Author, Peace Beyond Borders Brian Cooper, Coordinator, Uniting for Peace
Brian Larkin, Coordinator, Edinburgh Peace and Justice CentreVenue: Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2JN : 20 September Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm. More on this and other events in the latest Peace and Justice Centre news http://peaceandjustice.org.uk

Other News:
1. The latest edition of nuClear News, No.88 September 2016 is now available for downloading here: http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/nuclearnews/NuClearNewsNo88.pdf

2 (a). The role of young people and women. Speaker: Gulalai Ismail, Founder, Aware Girls
Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, EH1 2JL Tues 13th September 6pm (b) Christianity, Nonviolence & Reconciliation Speaker:  Pat Gaffney, Coordinator of Pax Christi UK The Jesuit Centre, 28, Lauriston Street, Edinburgh EH3 9DJ Wednesday 14th September 7:30pm

3.Thursday 15th September, the petition calling for increased transparency and scrutiny of armed forces visits to Scottish schools will be heard by the Scottish Parliament’s Petitions Committee. Representatives from Forces Watch and Quakers in Scotland will give evidence and answer questions from the five member committee at 10.15 am. The committee will then decide on next steps. Should you wish to witness the session, the address is as follows: The Public Petitions Committee The Scottish Parliament Edinburgh
EH99 1SP You will need to be there by 10am.

4. You can register for CND national conference in Manchester on Sat 22nd October, either as an individual or as a group. There are only a couple of weeks left to register if you want accommodation, and then a few weeks more to register without. All information can be found here. Registration includes entry to the CND Open Conference on Sun 23rd October. All http://cnduk.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=50a46ed98fb9032bd46d11880&id=89f23c387d&e=96dcf14be7                                                       Other News from UKCND: (a) On Sunday 7th August, CND Member Brian Wells and his 18 year old grandson did a sponsored parachute jump from 15000ft in support of CND and Amnesty. We send a huge thank you to Brian for supporting us in this absolutely incredible way! (b) Available on BBC iPlayer for the next 2 weeks is the first of the BBC’s four original (1948) readings of John Hersey’s Hiroshima. This is an immensely powerful report of the aftermath of the bombing, following the lives of six survivors. Adjudged the finest piece of American journalism of the 20th century, Hersey’s report for the New Yorker won the Pulitzer Prize and set the gold standard for journalism. It’s never been out of print in the 71 years since.

5. On Saturday Walkatjurra Walkabout finished the walk in to Leonora. You can see all the updates here.
https://walkingforcountry.com/walkatjurra-walkabout/walkatjurra-walkabout-updates/

6. Civil society is acting in a Chain Reaction of events around the world for nuclear abolition. Are you part of the action? Please inform us of your action or event to include on the Chain Reaction 2016 map and list of events. Here are a few examples of influential actions and inspiring events.

STOP PRESS 1: There will be an EdinburghCND stall from 12noon until 1pm at the East end of Princes Street on Saturday 10th September.

There will be a meeting of EdinburghCND on Monday 5th September from 6-7pm at the Peace and Justice Centre 5 Upper Bow, Edinburgh EH1 2JN. After the meeting will be collecting copies of the EWJF 2016 programme from the White Horse Bar on Canongate.

Our October meeting will be on Monday 3rd and will be our contribution to the Edinburgh World Justice Festival (EWJF). It will be at 7.00pm at the Quaker Meeting House: 50 years ago nearly 2,000 people fled their Chagos Island homes after P. M. Harold Wilson leased the islands to America for use as a military airbase during the 1960s cold war. In return, the UK received a cheaper deal on Polaris nuclear weapons. Today the village of Gangjeong on Jeju Island, South Korea has been chosen for a US naval base to be part of it’s missile defence plan.                                  Come and hear the stories of these and others who have had their lives destroyed. Dave Webb, chair of UK CND will lead the discussion                                                                                  Also :Migration Gathering – Challenging Myths: Respond Positively
1.30-6.30, Saturday 8 October, Augustine United Ch, 41 Geo IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL All welcome – Please share with your networks and register at https://ewjfgathering2016. eventbrite.co.uk

Edinburgh CAAT are having a planning meeting at 6pm on Thursday 8 September in Doctor’s Pub at 32 Forrest Rd (EH1 2QN) to organise an event on Thursday 29 or Friday 30 September.

Scottish WILPF and Wool Against Weapons have their Exhibition at the Scottish Story Telling Centre 9th September to 1st October 2016. 43 – 45 High Street, EH1 15R. It has a lovely café.   Launch 6.30 pm Friday September 9th 2016. The launch is a free event open to all. Please feel free to invite friends, family, work colleagues.                                                            If you have any unwanted wool orr knitting needles there will be a basket for collecting them to send to Edinburgh Direct Aid.                                                                                                       Play ‘Chrystal and The General’ , 21st September Tickets available from the Scottish Story Telling Centre. All welcome.                                                                                                                            If you are able to distribute publicity postcards can you please contact Scottish WILPF at scottishwilpf@yahoo.co.uk

Brexit and World Peace  Plus Peace Beyond Borders Booktalk
Speakers:  Vijay Mehta, Author, Peace Beyond Borders
Brian Cooper, Coordinator, Uniting for Peace
Brian Larkin, Coordinator, Edinburgh Peace and Justice CentreVenue: Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2JN
Date: 20 September Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm. More on this and other events in the latest Peace and Justice Centre news http://peaceandjustice.org.uk

Stop Press 2: The ICAN Youth team is pleased to invite you to apply to be part of the ICAN Youth Academy that will take place from October 20-23 in Paris, France: youth.icanfrance.fr/academy/

This four-day event is an interactive educational seminar on nuclear weapons and humanitarian disarmament. Sixty participants aged 18 to 30 from all over Europe will come together to develop both knowledge and skills for successful campaigns through conferences and workshops facilitated by the best experts in this field. The ICAN Youth Academy will be held in English.

We are happy to receive applications from anyone between 18 and 30 years old, living in a European country, and willing to explain their motivation using the application form on the above-mentionned website. The 90€ registration fee will cover your travel, accommodation and meals. Applications are open until September 10.

Walkatjurra Walkabout: Week 3 on the road to a uranium free WA!!👣 Stop press 3: The walkers of walkatjurra walkabout are deeply saddened by the news of the young man that was murdered on the morning of the 29th August at Gribble Creek in Kalgoorlie. Since we heard the news we have shared messages and songs, offered support and walked in solidarity with the family and community of Kalgoorlie who are grieving the loss of Elijah Doughty.

After reports  that the United States has begun the transfer of nuclear weapons stationed in Turkey to the Deveselu air base in Romania, campaigners have condemned the decision and said such a move is illegal under international law. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “Let’s be clear, if reports are true, this move is both illegal and very dangerous. Article one of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) specifically prohibits the transfer of nuclear weapons to non-nuclear-weapon states. So what the United States government has sanctioned is illegal, and article two of the NPT makes clear that it would be illegal for Romania to accept these weapons….”

NB If you haven’t already, there’s still time to donate to help fund CND’s newspaper advert, and we’ll add your name to our statement against Trident replacement.
August Drone Campaign News: https://dronecampaignnetwork.wordpress.com

The Campaign Against the Arms Trade have postponed the activity planned for Saturday but remind us that this week, as peace talks over the Yemen conflict collapsed, Saudi forces unleashed a fresh wave of shocking and indefensible destruction on the people of Yemen. Ever since the conflict began, the Saudi bombing has been indiscriminate and illegal. UN experts have accused Saudi forces of “widespread and systematic” attacks on civilians. These attacks have driven the country further into crisis: over 21.2 million people require humanitarian assistance and one in three under-fives is suffering from acute malnutrition.

The monthly vigil sponsored by the Scottish Peace Network will take place at Dewar’s statue in Glasgow city centre on Thursday, August 25, from 5 to 6pm. We have shifted from the fourth Wednesday of the month to the fourth Thursday to avoid conflicting with a weekly vigil at Faslane every Wednesday. The Network will also be sponsoring a white poppy day on 28th October in both Edinburgh and Glasgow.

SNP CND are organising a conference which is open to all SNP members. This will take place on: Saturday, 3 September 2016 from 10:00 to 17:00
The STUC Conference Centre 333 Woodlands Road G3 6NG Glasgow

Scottish WILPF and Wool Against Weapons  have their Exhibition at the Scottish Story Telling Centre 9th September to 1st October 2016. 43 – 45 High Street, EH1 15R. It has a lovely café. Launch 6.30 pm Friday September 9th 2016. All welcome, please bring friends further details to follow. Play ‘Chrystal and The General’ , 21st September Tickets available from the Scottish Story Telling Centre. All welcome.If you are able to distribute publicity postcards can you please contact Scottish WILPF at scottishwilpf@yahoo.co.uk

THE CND AGM & POLICY CONFERENCE is ON SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER
AND THE CND OPEN CONFERENCE ON SUNDAY 23RD OCTOBER. Amendments to motions are to be submitted by 9th September. http://www.cnduk.org/about/cnd-conference/item/1647-conference-registration-page

The UN Open Ended Working group on nuclear disarmament (OEWG) adopted a recommendation to the United Nations General Assembly in October to initiate negotiations on a legal instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading to their elimination. In a recorded vote on the proposal, 62 countries supported (all non-nuclear states), 27 countries opposed (mostly NATO countries plus South Korea), and 8 countries abstained (among them were Sweden, Switzerland and Japan).
Albuquerque –  the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a scathing 65-page critique of plans prepared over the past four years by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), its contractor Los Alamos National Security (LANS), and the Department of Energy (DOE), for what DOE currently estimates will be $6 billion (B) in plutonium-related construction at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). See http://www.lasg.org/MPF2/first_page.html. The Group also applauded the OEWG talks (see above)

Australia: The Walkatjurra Walkabout started last week: This year the group consists of about 50 walkers who have travelled from all over the country and world to ‘walk away from uranium’. Updates are available on the first 2 weeks activity/progress

13th August is the day for a STALL and  city centre leafleting: 12.00 to 1pm at the East end of Princes Street.  If you can help, please contact us edinburghcnd@yahoo.com

Some magazines:
1. The latest edition of the Scottish CND magazine, Nuclear Free Scotland, is now available http://www.banthebomb.org/index.php/publications/magazine

2. The August 2016 edition of CND’s Campaign magazine is also available. Since the last edition, Parliament has voted on Trident. In this issue, we look at what that result means, as well as reporting back from the recent NATO summit. The NATO summit report is by Dave Webb who will be speaking at our EWJF meeting on 3rd October. http://www.cnduk.org/cnd-media/campaign-magazine

3. nuClear News No.87 August 2016 is now available to download at:
http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/nuclearnews/NuClearNewsNo87.pdf

Some News:

1. Edinburgh CND, in common with other local groups, commemorated the 71st anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima. One member of the group is fasting from the 6th to the 9th (Nagasaki day)
   On August 6 1945 the US dropped an atomic bomb (“Little Boy”) on Hiroshima in Japan. Three days later a second atomic bomb (“Fat Man”) was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. These were the only times nuclear weapons have been used in war. The first bomb killed up to 180,000 people and the second killed up to 100,000 people.
   Pictures of the event (and other news) available on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/EdinburghCND/                                                                                          2.The final session of the UN nuclear disarmament working group (OEWG) opened in Geneva on Friday August 5, as nuclear abolition campaigners around the world were gearing up for Hiroshima and Nagasaki Day actions.                                                                  3. CND have now created a new petition titled ‘Stop Trident’. They have updated the website as well as ordered new paper copies. If you need new paper copies, please send your orders to officemanager@cnduk.org and I will get those posted out to you ASAP.                                               4. On the  11th the Australian Walkabout starts walking from the gates of Toro Energy just south of Wiluna and will be at Yeelirrie in 4 days.                                                                                                   5. Congressional auditors flay Los Alamos plutonium plans: http://www.lasg.org/MPF2/first_page.html

Some Festival Activities:

1. “This Evil Thing” is a one man show about COs in WW1. It is very well researched and performed by Michael Mears and follows characters through the progression of the war. Makes very real the terrible way that COs were treated but is an impressively clever and dymamic performance.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/this-evil-thing New Town Theatre – noon

2. One woman show “Faslane” at Summerhall (7.15pm) is worth considering.
Jenna Watt who wrote it and performs it gives a very honest run through of her journey to find out what Trident is all about and whether to support it or not. It includes some interesting audio clips and has a bit of audience participation.

3. There are a number of activities organised by the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre. See our previous post or their website: http://peaceandjustice.org.uk including Hiroshima Art Exhibition: Colinton Parish Church.
Introduces the artwork of Atsuko Betchaku to 31 August. Colinton Parish Church, Dell Road, EH13 0JR
Also Hiroshima exhibition at P and J until 9th online at: http://peaceandjustice.org.uk/news-and-events/speaker-series/hiroshima-art-exhibition/  Humanity & the A Bomb Exhibition Photos, text and artwork in memory of Hiroshima. Saturday 6th & Tuesday 9th August. 11am – 4pm. Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre

4. Scottish CND has permission to hold a street collection on Saturday 20 August in Princes Street, Edinburgh. They  plan to have the giant puppets, Big Sandy and CiNDy, plus music and a stall. e-mail them at banthebomb.org.uk if you can help.

5. CAAT Edinburgh are considering organising another collaborative event with peace groups in Edinburgh during the Festival: putting up stalls and speakers again, on 27 August on the Middle Meadow Walk, hopefully with peace-themed live music to catch the festival public’s attention. The time of day is yet to be decided, but I suppose there are people walking around at all times and the earlier we go the more likely we are to get a spot before others, so perhaps 10.30/11am – 3pm again.

August 6 is the anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. August 9 is the anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki.

Civil society groups around the world are taking actions or organising events on these days to call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and many groups are currently busy organising events to commemorate the bombing of Hiroshima  where we remember those who died in the nuclear explosions and re-affirm our commitment to get rid of these weapons of mass destruction.

Edinburgh CND are holding their annual Hiroshima day vigil on the 6th August, Foot of the Mound, North West corner at 6 – 7 pm. Everyone is invited. Protest and Harmony will be singing and we hope also to have 2 other music slots. Poems and thoughts can be shared, candles lit, banners unfurled.
Our banner will also be out from 1-2pm at the East End of Princes Street with Women in Black. And There will be a fast starting that day (further details to follow)

Also in Aberdeen, Ayrshire, Dundee, Glasgow, Paisley, Rutherglen, Stirling. See http://www.banthebomb.org

Parliament may have voted to replace Trident last week, but the debate at Westminster and around the country is continuing.
CND will continue to urge MPs from all parties to Stop Trident and focus instead on investing in areas which benefit our society, like health and education, while tackling the security threats we face in the 21st Century.
In the autumn we will be taking the Stop Trident message to the party conferences. We’ll be talking to delegates at the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative Conferences.
CND be announcing more details of these events in the coming weeks.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has also welcomed the government’s decision to review the Hinkley Point C nuclear deal. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
“Even supporters of nuclear power now recognise how bad this deal is. It means signing up our future to some of the most expensive electricity we have seen, and handing over £30 billion in subsidies to France and China just isn’t a credible economic plan.
Hinkley Point C – expensive, dangerous, and must be scrapped

Edinburgh CND hopes to have a stall on Saturday 13th August 12 to 1pm at the East End of Princes Street (this coincides with our usual leafletting) and at the Women for Indy meeting the following week (20th). Volunteers to help with either please e-mail edinburghcnd@yahoo.com.

127 countries now support creating a treaty to prohibit and ban the possession, use, transfer, or development of nuclear weapons. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in which five nuclear weapons states (U.S., UK, France, Russia, China) promised to make “good faith efforts” to eliminate their nuclear weapons while the rest of the world promised not to acquire them, doesn’t ban the weapons.
It is expected that a special UN Working Group for Nuclear Disarmament created by the UN with the help of civil society and friendly governments will move forward on a UN resolution this fall to establish negotiations for a ban treaty! (See: http://icanw.org)
The holdouts for supporting the ban treaty are the nuclear weapons states, as well as those countries that are part of the U.S. nuclear alliance around the world including NATO states, and in the Pacific, Australia, South Korea, and Japan.
Ambassador Thani Thongphakdi, Chair of the UN Open Ended Working Group on Taking Forward Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament Negotiations (OEWG), yesterday released the draft report for the OEWG. The ‘Zero Report’ describes the work of the OEWG and includes proposals made to it.

The OEWG, which is open to all governments and civil society, will meet in Geneva over six days during Aug 5–19 to finalise the report for presentation to the UN General Assembly.

Other Events:

1. Paper Cranes Workshops across Edinburgh. So far 9,000 paper cranes have been made in memory of those killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. We aim to make 1/10 of the total goal of 140,000 cranes by 6 August, the 71st anniversary of Hiroshima. All welcome! Free. Saturday. 30 July and every Saturday, 2-4pm.
   Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow. EH1 2JN
   Monday, 1 August. 3:30-4:15pm. Stockbridge Library, 11 Hamilton Place.
   Thursday, 4 August. 11am-noon. Colinton Parish Church, Dell Rd.
   Thursday, 4 August. 2-3pm. Oxgangs library, 343 Oxgangs Rd.
   Saturday 6th August. 11am – 4pm.  Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre.
   JOIN & Share the Workshops Event on Facebook

2. This Evil Thing New Town Theatre (Fringe Venue 7)
Aug 4-15, 17-22, 24-28 Written and performed by Michael Mears.
Tickets £11 / £9 and more details at: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/this-evil-thing The compelling and inspiring story of the men who in 1916 said no to war in a fast-moving, hard-hitting new play using verbatim testimonies and a multi-layered soundscape. A dizzying journey from an English country garden to a quarry near Aberdeen; from a prison cell in Kent to a firing squad in France.

3. Faslane Written and performed by Jena Watt
Red Lecture Theatre 7:15pm (60mins). 3 – 28 August (not 8th and 9th)
Tickets: http://festival16.summerhall.co.uk/event/faslane/
Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, or Faslane, 40 miles outside Glasgow, is home to the UK’s nuclear missile programme: Trident. With family having worked in Faslane all her life, and friends protesting at the gates, Fringe First-winner Jenna Watt explores what happens when the personal and political collide. Drawing upon interviews with individuals at the front line of the nuclear debate, Jenna navigates her own journey through politics, protests and peace camps.

4. Hiroshima Art Exhibition: Colinton Parish Church.
Introduces the artwork of Atsuko Betchaku. A new approach to the subject of Hiroshima, combining art and historical research.  10am – 2pm, Monday-Friday, 25 July to 31 August.
Colinton Parish Church, Dell Road, EH13 0JR
View the exhibition online at: http://peaceandjustice.org.uk/news-and-events/speaker-series/hiroshima-art-exhibition/

5. Humanity & the A Bomb Exhibition  Photos, text and artwork in memory of Hiroshima.
Saturday 6th & Tuesday 9th August. 11am – 4pm.  Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre
Volunteers are also needed to help with setting up for the exhibition at the P&J on Friday 5 August. Contact the Centre on 0131 629 1058.

All the above and more can be found in the latest Peace and Justice Centre Newsletter http://peaceandjustice.org.uk

6. In Australia: https://nuclearfree.wordpress.com   The Walkatjurra Walkabout is getting ready to head out to Yeelirrie this weekend for our 6th annual walk with the good news that  the EPA made the recommendation NOT to approve the Yeelirrie uranium mine

Edinburgh CND are holding their annual Hiroshima day vigil on the 6th August, Foot of the Mound, North West corner at 6 – 7 pm.  Everyone is invited.                                         There will also be a fast starting that day (further details to follow)                                            

We will not be having a formal meeting on Monday 1st August but do contact us on Edinburghcnd@yahoo.com if you would like to join an informal get together.

 

Parliament has decided to replace Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system, at enormous expense and without a full consideration of the security implications. MPs  voted in support of government plans to build four new submarines for the UK’s nuclear weapons system, Trident. In an ill-informed, head-in-the-sand debate, short on facts and ignoring Trident’s irrelevance to the security challenges that we face today, Parliament gave the go-ahead to a weapon of mass destruction which will cost at least £205 billion.

Politicians from every major political party voted against the plans, including 58 of Scotland’s 59 MPs.

CND’s key arguments were clearly heard in the debate. The Prime Minister was repeatedly challenged to state the lifetime cost of Trident replacement but was unable, or unwilling, to do so. Conservative MP and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Crispin Blunt said that ‘the cost of this programme comes at the expense of the rest of the defence programme’ and warned ‘costs are likely to rise much further’.

Ronnie Cowan MP was one of the speakers to point out that nuclear weapons do not keep us safe, saying Trident kept the country ‘locked in our cold war mentality of maintaining weapons to counter threats that do not exist’.

On the issue of jobs, SDLP MP Margaret Ritchie said there must be ‘better ways of investing in growth for their communities which do not involve nuclear weapons’. CND Vice-President and Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn MP called for the re-establishment of a Defence Diversification Agency to ‘support industries that have become over-reliant on defence contracts and wish to move into other contracts and other work’.
The decision demonstrated a failure of vision on the part of our government. This was a once in a generation opportunity to break with this antiquated weapons system and address our defence needs in ways appropriate to the twenty first century.

All the facts stack up against Trident – and they continue to do so, irrespective of this shameful and ill-informed vote. CND will continue to campaign against replacement, working with those broad forces across society who wish to see an end to Britain’s possession of weapons of mass destruction.
“They voted for a cold war system on the basis that it underpins our standing in the world. They have failed to notice that the overwhelming majority of states in the world – those without nuclear weapons – continue to insist that we comply with our international treaty obligation to disarm. Far from enhancing our status, our continued failure to disarm does us enormous harm in the eyes of the global majority.

Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:

“Parliament has had an ill-informed, head-in-the-sand debate, short on facts and ignoring Trident’s irrelevance to the security challenges that we face today.

“Committing £205 billion to a system that will be rendered obsolete by technological challenges inspires no confidence whatsoever in this government’s ability to spend public money to good purpose.

“Too much of this has been driven by party political point scoring, both within and between parties. Playing politics with Britain’s national security is to be deplored. And imposing these weapons on Scotland – which clearly rejects Trident replacement – renders the decision devoid of any legitimacy.                                                                                                     end note: UKCND has extended the deadline for conference motions

Scottish CND said: We are being forced to keep another generation of nuclear weapons on our land. We will continue to work flat out and this will include supporting efforts to secure a second independence referendum as a route to get rid of nuclear weapons from Scotland.Support our work, join Scottish CND today!

Follow-up: some news in the paper today: https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/secret-papers-reveal-british-government-sought-undermine-peace-movement-1980s/

and 2 petitions: (1) Tony Blair and War Crimes: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/159996 (2) Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page/s/osborne-dont-waste-billions-nuclear?source=em&subsource=20160725egem01&utm_source=gpeace&utm_medium=em&utm_campaign=20160725egem01

House of Commons briefing on the nuclear convoy, which was probably in response to SNP inquiries (especially Owen Thompson and Margaret Ferrier, who should be thanked!) http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7542/CBP-7542.pdf

Drone Campaign News July: https://dronecampaignnetwork.wordpress.com

United Colours of Leith Diversity Demonstration Saturday 2 – 4pm.
From Pilrig Park to Leith Links.
Leithers Don’t Litter are organising this show of opposition to hatred and discrimination. It’s diversity that makes Leith so colourful and special. A few days after the Brexit vote, some neo-nazi stickers appeared around Leith. The demonstration is to show Edinburgh won’t put up with this. All welcome

This Saturday sees the opening of a new exhibition at the Glasgow Women’s Library on women peace crusaders.                                                                                                                               The monthly vigil sponsored by the Scottish Peace Network will take place at Glasgow’s Dewar’s statue on Thursday, July 28, from 5 to 6pm. They have shifted from the fourth Wednesday of the month to the fourth Thursday to avoid conflicting with a weekly vigil at Faslane every Wednesday.

UN Open Ended Working Group Update: Most non-nuclear countries favour a nuclear weapons convention or ban treaty, while most allied countries favour a hybrid approach (which they call ‘building blocks’). See OEWG: Momentum grows to outlaw nuclear weapons.
What you can do
Come to Geneva for the OEWG. Register through UNFOLD ZERO or through the OEWG website;
Call on your government to support the key proposals to the OEWG;
Organise a public action/event to highlight the OEWG;
List your action/event on Chain Reaction 2016, which links anti-nuclear actions undertaken around the world between July 8 and October 2.

Addition: Faslane Wednesday vigil
Wed 20 Jul 2016 4:00pm – 5:00pm (possibly 6.00pm to allow for those coming after work)

Weekly vigil outside the Faslane Trident base – North Gate, Faslane – organised by Helensburgh CND, Faslane Peace Camp and Trident Ploughshares
Come to show your concern for yesterday’s vote

 

Today is the day:

Today of course is when MPs will vote on whether we go ahead with a new nuclear weapons system. The vote is likely to take place at 10pm.
Nuclear weapons are not only immoral but also illegal under international law, as they kill innocent people indiscriminately.
A new nuclear weapons system would cost at least £205 billion, money which would be better spent on hospitals, homes or education.
The government itself declares that the current threats we face today are terrorism, climate change and cyber-attacks. Trident would be useless against these.
Developments in underwater drones will make nuclear submarines detectable and an easy target.  Come to the Edinburgh Protest:  Edinburgh Protest 6pm East end of Princes Street (Wellington Statue)

 

36 (or more) Trident No More demonstrations were held across Scotland today. 500 gathered at the Mound in Edinburgh.
More Protests against government plans to replace Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system, are set to take place across the UK on Monday.

Protests in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Nottingham and a number of other locations are timed to coincide with MPs debating a government motion on Trident replacement. Write to your MP: http://act.cnduk.org/lobby/StopTridentvote

There will also be an event at Faslane on Wednesday 4-6pm

CND has been campaigning hard against Trident, along with voices from across society, from trade unions to faith communities to military figures. Now we’re two days away from the final vote and we need you to support our emergency protests on Monday.

Campaigners say the £205 billion replacement scheme is a cold war relic and doesn’t address 21st century security threats.

Representatives from CND will hand in over 40,000 signatures collected for a ‘Stop Trident’ petition to the Ministry of Defence at 12 noon Monday (Today). And rally will take place outside Parliament from 6pm as MPs debate Trident inside Parliament. MPs opposing the government motion are expected to address the rally.

Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:

“This is a once in a generation opportunity to break with this massively expensive yet redundant old technology and instead spend Britain’s valuable resources on meeting the security challenges we face today, like terrorism and climate change.

We must have an honest debate. Politicians, like defence secretary Michael Fallon, say Trident replacement will cost £31 billion. But this is the cost of replacing Trident submarines, just one part of the total cost of the new system.

In addition to the submarines there is a £10 billion contingency fund. Then there’s the missile extension programme (£350 million), replacement warheads (£4 billion), infrastructure capital costs (£4 billion), in service costs (£142 billion), conventional military forces directly assigned to support Trident (£1 billion), and decommissioning (£13 billion).

It is completely dishonest for the government to hold debate about Trident without telling the public the full cost.

For full costings, view the CND report which brings together the most up to date figures available in the public domain  http://www.cnduk.org/index.php option=com_k2&view=item&id=2447&Itemid=26

“We need our government and parliament to show the kind of vision and wisdom necessary in our rapidly changing political environment: to have the courage to abandon the totems of a bygone age and vote down these militarily useless weapons of destruction.”
In an open letter, world-renowned scientist Prof Stephen
Hawking joins other leading UK scientists and engineers to call on MPs to
vote against the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons systems in a
parliamentary vote scheduled for Monday 18th.
http://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/stephen-hawking-and-other-leading-scientists-urge-mps-vote-against-trident-renewal

And the Bishops of Scotland have called on the UK government to honour its commitment as a key signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferations Treaty (1968) and work towards the disposing and elimination of all nuclear weapons. In a statement, Scotland’s eight Catholic Bishops highlight the ‘immorality of the use of strategic nuclear weapons due to the indiscriminate destruction of innocent human life’ that their use would cause, and endorse Pope Francis who has said that “Spending on nuclear weapons squanders the wealth of nations”.

After the demo:
Edinburgh Stop the War meets 7.30pm at the Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace on Monday 18th July

And the following day: Tuesday 19th July – Unpicking Prevent Workshop – organized by SACC and sponsored by Edinburgh Stop the War Come and unpick PREVENT with SACC on Tuesday 7.30pm @ Augustine church, Studio, Edinburgh
More details @ https://www.facebook.com/events/936912189768325/

 

David Cameron has used a speech at the NATO summit in Warsaw to announce that the long-awaited vote on Trident replacement will take place on Monday 18th July. The vote will be on the replacement of all four submarines, to continue to operate on a so-called ‘continuous at-sea deterrence’ basis, at a lifetime cost of at least £205bn.                    Opposition to Trident is strong in Scotland with the majority of people and parliamentarians opposing it’s renewal. Only one Scottish MP, David Mundell, is expected to vote in favour of renewal. However our anti-nuclear parliamentarians need to know we are behind them. They may be facing great hostility in parliament.                                          Chair of Scottish CND, Arthur West, says,
‘It is really disappointing and depressing that the Tory Government have tabled a parliamentary vote on Trident replacement on July 18th. It would be highly irresponsible for a majority of MPs to vote for a very costly Trident replacement programme at this time of austerity and hardship for so many people in this country.’
Arthur West also said, ‘Trident is completely irrelevant to the key security threats we face today such as terrorism and climate change.’ The majority of Scots are against the renewal of Trident. Our position as a country which does not want nuclear weapons but had them imposed on us and placed on our soil is unique. We say, respect Scotland, don’t renew Trident.

Edinburgh CND and Scottish CND are calling on our members and supporters to take the following actions in the run up to the vote on July 18th-

1. Edinburgh CND is part of the Scrap Trident Coalition, an organisation which links together peace and anti war organisations in working together to make the case for Scrapping Trident. The Scrap Trident Coalition is calling for flash demos across Scotland on Saturday July 16th at 12 noon and we are asking our members and supporters to support this flash demo activity.You can check their website for activities in your area. The Edinburgh Flash demo will be at 12 noon at the Mound.

Other local CND groups or members and supporters to organise Flash Demos in their own area. <http://scraptrident.org/trident-no-more-demonstrations-across-scotland-saturday-16-july-12noon/&gt;

2.Contact your MP and ask them to ensure that they are in the House of Commons on July 18th to vote against Trident replacement.
Nearly every Scottish MP is against Trident replacement, so if your MP has previously taken a Scrap Trident position please acknowledge their past support when you contact them, and stress the importance of being in the House of Commons on July 18th for the vote. Contact your MP either by email, letter or phone. You can find their contact details using this website. On Wednesday 13th July a Scottish delegation will be taking part in the mass lobby of MPs in Westminster to make the case against trident replacement: more about this in our previous post. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:”Members of the public are travelling from constituencies across the UK to remind MPs that a majority opposes replacing Trident because it’s bad for our security, and it would be ridiculous to spend £205 billion on what is essentially a cold war relic.

3. Please use use every opportunity to raise this issue in social and national media.On the Saturday we need people to take – and tweet and post – photos and also to share them to the Scrap Trident Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Please Use the Hashtags #TridentNoMore and secondly #ScrapTrident.

We have support from The Proclaimers who wrote ‘A Letter To America’ … ‘ Bathgate no more, Linwood no more, Methil no more, Irvine no more.’ This time, it’s TRIDENT NO MORE
Labour is currently considering the party’s stance on Trident, which leader Jeremy Corbyn wants to scrap. Its internal review of Labour’s defence policy will keep open the possibility of retaining Trident, BBC Newsnight understands. It is expected to suggest five tests which nuclear weapons must satisfy.

Rebecca Johnson of acronym has done a Trident Briefing for The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom which was founded in 1915 and has consultative status with the UN. WILPF is a founding member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and works for peace and justice, against war. Available on request edinburghcnd@yahoo.com

UNFOLD ZERO and Basel Peace Office thank Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament for cosponsoring Chain Reaction 2016, a series of events and actions at nuclear-weapons and nuclear-disarmament related sites, political offices and symbolic locations around the world from July 8 – the 20th Anniversary of the historic World Court case against nuclear weapons – until October 2, the International Day for Nonviolence and Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. Chain Reaction 2016 will be launched on July 8 at the International Peoples Tribunal on the Nuclear Powers and the Destruction of Human Civilisation in Sydney, Australia. Nuclear disarmament actions and events between July 8 and October 2 are being posted on the Chain Reaction World Map and Events pages.
Chain Reaction 2016 includes a range of creative actions around the world from July 8 until October 2. During this period are a number of significant dates to commemorate:
July 8: 20th anniversary of the International Court of Justice historic case on nuclear weapons
July 16: 71st anniversary of the first nuclear test at Alamogordo, USA
August 6: 71st anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima
August 9: 71st anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki
August 9: International Day for Indigenous Peoples (Indigenous peoples’ lands have been used for nuclear testing, uranium mining and other activities in the nuclear weapons infrastructure)
August 12: International Day for Youth (nuclear weapons threaten youth and future generations)
August 29: International Day Against Nuclear Tests
September 21: International Day for Peace
September 26: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
October 2: Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday and the International Day of Nonviolence

ALSO:

On the 2015 Walkatjurra Walkabout a short documentary was made by Rez Nez Films.Come and join members of the Walkatjurra Walkabout team for a sneak, private viewing of the documentary “Walking for Country”, hear stories of the walks, and get updated on the curent status of the Anti-Uranium Mining campaign in Western Australia. Further details available from Edinburgh CND