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Special Post 19th June: Black Lives Matter

Glasgow United Against Fascism
The scenes in George Square in recent days have been abhorrent and have crossed the line.
Under the guise of “protecting statues” various groups and organisations of self-proclaimed loyalists have rampaged around the city centre, carrying out racist attacks. These have been documented.
The coordinated violence against a peaceful demonstration on the issue of asylum seekers conditions during Covid-19 on Wednesday evening – and the failure of the police to prevent this – has turned the city centre into an unsafe place.
This cannot go on unchallenged. As well as a full spectrum civic response, there must also be a citizens’ response.
Glasgow has a proud tradition of working class solidarity. From the rent strikes and anti-war movement, to the Spanish civil war and anti-apartheid campaign, the people of Glasgow have always been on the right side of history. Never more so than when millions of young men and boys signed up to fight fascism during the Second World War.
It would be a betrayal to the memory of all those who gave their lives to defeat fascism for us to now allow Nazi salutes and racist intimidation and aggression in George Square.
We call on Glaswegians to come together and show that fascism will never again be allowed to rise in our city and beyond. And that we will overcome the cancer of racism from our society.
This Saturday, on World Refugee Day, we call for all who want to reclaim George Square from bigotry and racism, to gather at 10:30am and show that our unity is strength.
We will be taking social distancing precautions, and PPE must be worn. We understand that many who would attend cannot due to the virus. But a stand must be made.
There is also a Black Lives Matter event in Edinburgh:
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND June 2020 events

We are still campaigning in the virtual world.

  1. Tuesday 2nd June: we had our usual monthly organising meeting starting at 5.30pm. We met by Zoom.
  2. REPORT OF MEETING HELD ON 2nd JUNE:
    1. Matters Arising from brief meeting held on 6th May. 
    ‘Prevent’ and Peaceful protest. This will be discussed at the UK Parliament in August. In the meantime see:a
    2. (75th Anniversary) Hiroshima Day 6th August 2020.  Edinburgh CND  plans to have a socially-distanced street event, e.g. at Mound (if possible) and an on-line event. SCND are keen to have a cross-Scotland online event and we will be part of this. Our event will include film on the Marshall Islands and a childrens event on the theme of paper cranes.

    We will be discussing this at our next meeting (Tuesday 7th July) which is also the anniversary of the signing of UN Treaty

    3. Nuclear Power: Expensive and Dangerous. We discussed issues surrounding the possible re-re-opening of Hunterston B: why? when? what would we do?.

    For the time being we will give publicity to:

    A. The work of Ian Fairlie: https://www.ianfairlie.org

    B. Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) Briefings: https://www.nuclearpolicy.info

    C. Pete Roche: No2NuclearPower: http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk

    D. Beyond Nuclear International: http://www.beyondnuclear.org

    All Recommended.

    4. We agreed to stick with Windows for Peace (rather than physical leafleting) at least for  Saturday 13th June.

    We agreed to advertise the Black Lives Matter events in Edinburgh this week. See previous post

    5. Lucas Plan

    At some future date we will arrange (with one of local indie cinemas) for a showing of the long version of the film.

    In the meantime here is a reminder of the short one: https://vimeo.com/305253552

    Paul Shaw’s info is on the Facebook page too.

    It was noted how important this issue is in the context of a Just Transition.

    6. Finance

    A. Support for Faslane Peace Camp

    B. Support for the Yes Hub Raffle: Raffle to top up funds to keep going during C-19 draw 10th June;                                                                                                                                            Bottle of signed Nicola independence whisky,                                                                                   A tassimo expresso coffee machine,   A food hamper,                                                                     A bottle of aged Highland Park

    £1 per ticket order by return email yescafe.edinsouth@gmail.com and paid for 80 22 60  13339761
    C. SCND/ECND Comedy Night fundraiser on 10th November is still on (so far)

    D. All the June Festivals are off, but Corstophine and Leith will run next year.

     

  3. Saturday  13th June: we will be joining in Windows for Peace. Make a Peace poster and show it in your window. http://www.banthebomb.org/index.php/news/2076-windows-for-peace-placard-making-challenge.  Here is a reminder from SCND Windows for Peace
    We are still receiving submissions for the #windowsforpeace challenge where we’ve asked all our members and supporters to create a message of peace for their local community to place in their windows and they’ve all been so creative. These two have recently come in and serves as great inspiration for your windows!If you don’t have access to art materials feel free to print off either of the templates below and place them in your window and please remember to send them to us via email or use the hashtag #windowsforpeace.
    Template 1                        Template 2
  4. 4.1 Monday 1st June 12 noon to 7th June 1pm: Hang your posters and signs outside the US Consulate (Regent Terrace) to show solidarity with the protesters over the killing of George Floyd and the continuing legacy of racist police brutality in the United States. Tape, chalk, and NON-PERMANENT MATERIALS ONLY!! This is NOT a public gathering, but a call for socially distanced solidarity.
    4. 2. Sunday 7th June 1pm: As America mourns the loss of George Floyd, killed by a police officer, London have announced their protest on the 7th, Scotland need to join everyone and show our support against racism and discrimination as this is very much alive in the UK/Scotland

    Please meet IN HOLYROOD PARK (note change) where there will be social distancing circles for you to stand in.
    Please also WEAR A MASK and bring water/food
    THIS IS A PEACEFUL PROTEST NOT A RIOT! PLEASE KEEP 2M DISTANCE AT ALL TIMES

    Comment from Benitha Marie-Claire Iradukunda (student at Queen Margaret):
    BLACK PEOPLE ARE PRESENT IN SCOTLAND AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE. JUST BECAUSE WE’RE NOT IN THE MASSES DOESN’T MEAN WE DON’T EXIST
    ADDITION: 4.3 Sunday 7th June 6pm Virtual Vigil: https://www.facebook.com/events/731620407586790/

    DSC03815

  5. Wednesday 7th June: 1pm to 2pm

    5.1 Join XR Peace founder, Angie Zelter in conversation with marine turned war-abolitionist David Collins, anti-nuclear and environmental activist Brian Jones, Quaker, feminist and peace activist Janet Fenton and Green Party Spokesperson on Security Issues and first President of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Rebecca Johnson. Co-hosted by XR PEACE:
    https://www.facebook.com/xrpeace/                                                                                       5.2 Conference call from 5.30 pm  The conference call is not only for press members but also for the general public who would like to know more about Bradwell B. Speakers:·       Mr Peter Banks (West Mersea Town Councillor, member of local NGO campaign group, BANNG)·       Dr Sanae Fujita (Fellow of the Human Rights Centre and School of Law at the University of Essex) To attend the conference, please register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfD7hIBlWmtSP5r32ZHZcIdgMEUyviqrCNeoONppNJIfvvBxA/viewform?usp=sf_link

     

     

 

edinburghcnd

May Day-week (plus) and Edinburgh CND

APOLOGY POSTED 7th MAY:
At last night’s meeting held jointly with ScotE3 we showed the 30 minute version of Steve Sprung’s film about the Lucas Plan. We strongly recommend watching the full version and you can find out more about the film at the dedicated website. You can also follow up on current developments via the new Lucas Plan website. If you weren’t able to make the meeting you can watch the 30 minute version here https://vimeo.com/305253552.
We apologise to those who may have tried to join the meeting after it started. We had a problem with Zoom-bombing and that is why access was denied for a bit. We think we know how to avoid it in future. It is a learning experience. Do watch the short film on line and we may ask the speakers back for another meeting.

In the meantime, please join in Windows for Peace on Saturday 9th (see below) and Conscientious Objectors Day Online Scotland Vigil. Livestream on Facebook. 
5:30 – 6:30pm. 15 May. To watch go to: https://www.facebook.com/edinpeaceandjusticecentre/

 

Wednesday 6th May 2020:

We are joining with Scot.E3 for  a showing of the short version of the new Lucas Plan film followed by discussion. This meeting will be online:  https://zoom.us/j/760890355

https://www.facebook.com/events/557237764890099

87812088_2877611658966212_2853370100147290112_n33896203078_0a3d2a8428_kFriday 1st May 2020: We are planning for the May Day rally. Unfortunately, it cannot be outside this year so we have organised an online event which will be co-hosted by our own Penny Stone.

Join the Edinburgh and Lothians May Day Rally – 1pm Friday 1st May. You can join the livestream on the facebook page facebook.com/EdinburghMayDay or join via Zoom – all the details of how to do this at https://tinyurl.com/rarb8vc

Wednesday 6th May 2020:

We are joining with Scot.E3 for  a showing of the short version of the new Lucas Plan film followed by discussion. This meeting will also be online:

https://www.facebook.com/events/557237764890099/

Saturday 9th May 2020:

We will be encouraging our supporters to put a poster in their window :

http://www.banthebomb.org/index.php/news/2076-windows-for-peace-placard-making-challenge

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND April 2020

Edinburgh CND’s April Meeting took place with the help of Zoom. Here is a summary of the main things we discussed:
1. Leafletting on 2nd Saturday: Now cancelled but we will follow Women in Black and go ‘online’  campaigning by window posters as encouraged by Scottish CND (www.banthebomb.org) eg ‘Support NHS, Scrap Nukes’
2. Mayday Festival: 
2.1 The rally will be held online on Friday 1st May at 1pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/135663500815331/
Penny Stone will still be singing for us.
2.2 Lucas Plan workers’ diversification film now online Wednesday 6th May 7pm, https://www.facebook.com/events/557237764890099/
We will ask SCND Exec speaker Paul Shaw for panel session after film.
3. May Edin CND business meeting on Tuesday 5th cancelled, communication meantime by email, and replaced by Zoom session at 6.30 on 6th.
4. Festivals: All summer festivals are cancelled, fundraising carrying on though, and Comedy Benefit Night, joint with Scottish CND on Tuesday 10th November going ahead (some tickets left).
5. Faslane Peace Camp: some confusion about visiting/attending vigil, best neither we decided. We will text/phone/write to them see what they’re needing.
6. Climate Camp, Mossmorran, Fife, 9th – 14th July. Cancelled Edin CND supporting.
7. Hiroshima Day: Thursday August 6th. We need Plan B in case cancelled. Castle St site thought to be suitable if does go ahead, so we will book this space.
We will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing, by  an online event if necessary.
We noted Peace and Justice Centre are planning an event for their 140,000 cranes. Possible we may join in? We will seek out animations on the story behind the crane making.
A discussion ensued, Fukushima and the similarity of the Japanese governments reaction to it and to the virus.
On illness leading to short staffing at Nuclear power/war sites: SCND has written to Office of Nuclear Regulation about this, suggesting sites be shut for safety reasons.
New Labour leadership incl pro nuclear figures in Scotland, ‘a lurch to the right’.
8. Social media, we now have help with Facebook page. We need a ‘blogger’ to help with this page. Anyone up for it? More tweeting would be good too.
9. AOCB: Curious that only Patrick Harvie MSP of Greens a member of PNND (Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non Proliferation and Disarmament), why not more?

Further Reading: see our ‘Interesting Articles’ page for recent articles on Trident after Coronavirus and The NPT treaty

From http://www.cndyk.org: CND is demanding that the government gets its priorities in order and takes concrete steps to live up to its commitments under the NPT by disarming its nuclear arsenal.
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND and COVID-19

Saturday 11th April would be the day that we usually leaflet in Princes Street. Instead we are urging our supporters to support the SCND ‘ windows for peace’ initiative. http://www.banthebomb.org/…/2076-windows-for-peace-placard-…

The Edinburgh CND April meeting will be held on-line with the aid of ZOOM. Further details on our Facebook page or by emailing edinburghCND@yahoo.com

COVID-19: A message from Scottish CND and Edinburgh CND
We are facing an outbreak of the Covid-19 virus across the world and here in Scotland which is particularly threatening to those in our communities who are older and/or have underlying health conditions. We encourage our members and supporters to follow the official NHS Scotland advice found here.
The Scottish CND office will be closed to visitors for the foreseeable future and staff will mostly be working from home so if you have a non-urgent query please get in touch via scnd@banthebomb.org or leave a voicemail for us on 0141 357 1529. Membership, online shop orders and payments will be processed as usual, maybe with a small delay.                                                                                                                     With the help of the internet, other campaigning can continue even in lockdown – researching, letter writing and lobbying from home. Our website has various current suggestions – protesting radioactive discharges into the Gare Loch, calling for the closure of Hunterston nuclear power station and checking your local authority shows support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by signing the ‘Cities Appeal’. All of these issues concern both nuclear weapons and the environment. If you feel you want the information you cannot find then please get in touch.

The CND office in London is also shut: They explain that these are frightening times for millions of people around the world. But this global pandemic was predicted in successive government security assessments. So why are we so unprepared?
Twisted priorities have seen billions of pounds wasted on nuclear weapons rather than preparing for the situation we now find ourselves in.
This is why we’re urging our supporters to write to their MP to tell them it’s time for the government to wash its hands of Trident so we can begin to address the real security threats we face. Hundreds have already taken part, and we ask you to spread the message further. Click here for the lobby tool.It’s also a crucial time to make the case for NHS not Trident.

Internationally: Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament are also monitoring parliamentary action and policy analysis of the coronavirus pandemic situation and the connections to security policy.
See for example the article National security is too crude to protect us from pandemics: It’s time to shift to human security’ by PNND Council MemberJonathan Granoff and published in Newsweek. Also of interest could be To address the corona virus: Shift resources from nukes and the military to public health and the economypublished by Move the Nuclear Weapons Money, and the blog PNND and the Coronavirus.
“We are at war with the coronavirus. We need a massive wartime manufacturing mobilization for coronavirus testing kits and personal protective equipment for medical personnel. We need to activate our capable and talented domestic industry and bring the full power of the federal government to bear in responding to this viral enemy.”
PNND Co-President Senator Ed Markey. Letter to President Trump, March 15, 2020. See PNND and the Coronavirus.
Move the Nuclear Weapons Money published a blog, To address the corona virus: Shift resources from nukes and the military to public health and the economy, which explores these issues and the budget decisions which governments must make to address both the health and economic impacts of the corona virus pandemic.

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND March Events

MARCH EVENTS
1. Tuesday 3rd Edinburgh CND business meeting 6.30pm at Peace and Justice Centre Epworth Halls 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX.
2. Thursday 5th 50th anniversary of Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty
3. Saturday 14th 1230 leafletting Princes St
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND Events February 2020

EVENTS
1. Tuesday 4th Edinburgh CND business meeting 6pm at Peace and Justice Centre Epworth Halls 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX.
2. Saturday 8th 1230 leafletting East end of Princes St
3. 14th-16th ICAN Campaigners Forum, Paris
4.Thursday 20th February: A special daytime (1 – 2.15 pm) at The Scottish Parliament screening of Peter Watkin’s “The War Game” (1966 Academy Award winning TV documentary) followed by panel discussion. Please intimate interest by sending an email to scnd@banthebomb.org before 12th Feb.
5. Tuesday 3rd March Edinburgh CND business meeting 6.30pm at Peace and Justice Centre Epworth Halls 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX
NEWS
Can be found on the following sites:
Scotland:
Scotland Stop the War http://www.scotlandstopwar.org
Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre http://peaceandjustice.org.uk
UK
Nuclear Free Local Authorities http://www.nuclearpolicy.info
International:
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News January 2020

Stop Press 21st June:

On January 24, 1946, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted by consensus its very first resolution, Res 1 (I), which established a commission of the UN Security Council to ensure the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction. The ensuing Cold War dashed the early hopes of the commission implementing the resolution, as nuclear weapons became entrenched in the policies of the USA, Russia and the three other permanent members of the Security Council – China, France and the UK.However, the UN resolution remains valid as setting a core objective of the United Nations, and contributing to customary international law requiring the global abolition of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

Simple actions you can take to commemorate January 24:

On January 28, Move the Nuclear Weapons Money will testify at a New York City Council public hearing on draft resolution Resolution 976 which calls on New York City to divest its public pension funds from the nuclear weapons industry, and Initiative 1621 to reaffirm New York City as a nuclear weapons-free zone and establish an advisory committee to implement this status.

STOP PRESSES FROM 15th Jan:

1. From CND 1.2 UK The UK government has announced today it is formally reporting Iran for not abiding by its commitments to the nuclear deal it signed in 2015, while the Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would support a ‘Trump deal’ instead. The crisis is certainly deepening; read more in this month’s magazine. But we don’t just have bad news for you! Read as well about progress on the international treaty banning nuclear weapons. Read Campaign: January edition
Download Campaign: January edition

2.2 17/1 Campaigners hit back at the inclusion of peace organisations in a counter-terrorism police document, as reported in the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/…/greenpeace-included-with-neo-…Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:Why is CND listed in a police counter-terror list? We have over 60 years of peaceful protest to our credit and an open, democratic structure and policy process. We have no secrets and act in the public interest.‘It is nuclear bombs that terrorise people, not our campaign which works to eradicate weapons of mass destruction.

2. from SCND 2.1 The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock symbolises how close we are to total catastrophe due to human-generated existential threats. It is currently set at only two minutes to midnight. When reset on Thursday 23rd January at 3:00pm GMT it is predicted to be closer still because of the continued climate emergency and risk of nuclear war. Both are heightened by new threats to democracy across the world.
2.2 Faslane Peace Camp are crowdfunding to raise money in particularly for building materials and tools to help complete their new bathroom/washroom. They know this project has been sorely needed for a number of years and they hope that this update will make the camp a safer and more welcoming environment for new guests, visitors and residents. You can donate to the crowdfunder via the link below and read more about it there. 
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EVENTS: JANUARY 2020:
1. Tuesday 7th January: Regular organising meeting 6pm at Peace and Justice Centre Epworth Halls 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX.
2. Thursday 9th January: No War with Iran. Protest/vigil 1730 to 1830 East End princes Street: The assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani is an act of war by Donald Trump. The act was carried out in Baghdad, violating all agreements with the Iraqi government. Both Iran and Iraq will retaliate. Trump has been heading for war since tearing up the nuclear deal with Iran and if he succeeds will create a bigger war than we have seen in the Middle East. It will draw in major players across the region including Israel, Saudi Arabia and possibly Russia. CND in London add:
If Trump’s belicose actions are allowed to continue, aided and abetted by diplomatic and political support from the British Prime Minister and his government, a catastrophic war and nuclear proliferation are very likely. There will be a London demo on the 11th.
3. Saturday 11th January: 12 30, Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street
4. Wednesday 15th January: EWJF round-up/organising meeting.https://www.facebook.com/events/433511740676639/
5. Monday 20th January: Edinburgh Stop the War open meeting 7.30pm on Monday 20th at the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre.  The Centre is in the basement of the Epworth Halls 25 Nicolson Square.  We’ll be discussing current events including Iran, Iraq and Libya and planning campaigning activities for the next couple of months.  You can download our Iran petition from the resources page of the www.scotlandstopwar.org website.
6. Saturday 26th January: CAAT strategy day: see 4 below
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NEWS
  1. From SCND: Post-election is the beginning of a new chapter in Scottish CND’s campaign for a nuclear-free Scotland working for a nuclear-free anti-racist world, and responding appropriately to the climate emergency. An anti-nuclear, anti-racist stance was explicit and high profile in the SNP campaign and the one remaining Labour MP in Scotland is known for his steadfast opposition to Trident. The election results outwith Scotland are a sober reminder that Scotland is currently part of a United Kingdom which is dead set on continuing to prioritise nuclear wepaons at the expense of genuine social and economic security, and to wilfully ignore the planetary crisis.
    (Some in SCND believe that) an independent Scotland will follow a better path than the road the UK is being led down. The power is in our hands to rid the whole of the UK from the scourge of nuclear weapons and we should now be planning the vital and sequential steps towards that end. Meanwhile, we must live and act as part of that global groundswell for peace and human security that is behind the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It is a sleeves up moment.
    At the same time we share the feelings of distress, dismay and actual grief that so many are experiencing today and we wish to express real and heartfelt solidarity with those who are even now picking themselves up to continue the hard struggle for equality, truth and justice. In particular, we saluate the courage and the persistence of those in the rest of the UK who work their socks off in the cause of nuclear disarmament in such a hostile climate. We are in this together.       NB Saturday 11th January Scottish CND participated in the march for Scottish independence to push for an independent Scotland free of nuclear weapons.
  2. CNDUK: 2.1 Many of us may still be disheartened at the Conservative Party victory in last week’s election. But as a movement we must hold our heads high and carry on our crucial campaign, whoever is in government. See the magazine for CND’s next steps. This issue also includes an article on possible further delays to the Trident replacement programme. Read Campaign: December edition Download Campaign: December edition       2.2     Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott, Brian Eno and Tez Ilyas will address a demonstration against the threat of war on Iran in central London on Saturday 11th. They will be joined by war veteran Joe Glenton, Stop the War’s Lindsey German, CND’s Kate Hudson and others.
  3. NFLA – On the 24th January the NFLA Scotland Forum will hold a business meeting, Annual General Meeting and a special seminar from 10am – 3pm in Glasgow City Chambers. The seminar will consider Hunterston B ongoing concerns, a vision for Scottish energy policy and the growing movement for divestment from Council pension funds of investment in nuclear weapon and fossil fuel companies. The seminar flyer is attached and registration is now open. On the 31st January the NFLA Steering Committee will hold a business meeting and its Annual General Meeting that were postponed from this month, due to the election. This meeting will be provisionally in the HM Coroner Conference Room, the Royal Exchange Building in Manchester city centre (access from St Ann’s Square) from 10.45am – 1.30pm. I strongly encourage all NFLA member and officer contacts to attend this meeting, which remains the most important of the year. Venues and dates for other meetings are being finalised and will be communicated as they are confirmed. The NFLA December newsletter considers the UK general election outcome and nuclear policy, the development of the Mayors for Peace European Chapter, NFLA plans for early 2020, our new climate emergency briefing, a planned nuclear emergency planning briefing and our external interaction in the month. Please disseminate it widely! The Annual 2019 newsletter gives a summary of all of the work of the NFLA Secretariat, and its interaction with its core partners, across the year.NFLA Website: http://www.nuclearpolicy.info – includes links to NFLA Facebook and Twitter pages Mayors for Peace Website: MAYORS FOR PEACE – 平和首長会議        Mayors for Peace International Newsletter and the UK and Ireland Mayors, Provosts and Leaders for Peace Chapter Policy Briefing. I also provide a short progress report on Mayors for Peace activity.
  4. CAAT Edinburgh 2020 Strategy Day Saturday 25 January 2020, 10.30am to 5pm in Edinburgh (full address provided on registration) Campaign Against Arms Trade are growing in Scotland: our numbers of volunteers and activists are growing, we’re holding more and more demonstrations and protests about arms manufacturing and export, and we’re talking to more and more people about the need for peace. And we’ll be building even further on this in 2020! Please register by emailing Melanie on caatedinburgh@live.com
  5. ICAN International Forum: The forum will take place all-day (9:00 — 17:00) on Friday, 14 February, and Saturday, 15 February. An evening social event will be organised on Friday, as well as Saturday, for those that are sticking around Paris until Sunday. Tickets Paris.icanw.org!  Extra: New ICAN website: www.icanw.org 
  6. Latest edition of Peace and Justice Centre news: In this issue of Peace & Justice News we report on embroidery workshops for community engagement on the Opposing War Memorial project and on Collaborative Classrooms – an exciting new development on our Peacebuilders programme for primary schools moves into gear. As the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons moves closer to banning the bomb our origami peace cranes project has nearly reached its goal. There’s info on how to get involved in the next phase of the project. Plus there’s news of our involvement in XR Peace. Find out how to get involved in a P&J Affinity Group. All in Centre News. http://peaceandjustice.org.uk
  7. Los Alamos Study Group Bulletin 265: Please help us work this coming year! Also: important meetings Jan 2 & 8 in Santa Fe; Pope Francis and The Bomb
  8. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org:    8.1 This week we look at nuclear colonialism, in the United States and overseas. From the exploitation of uranium to the dumping of radioactive waste, indigenous and poor communities of color are disproportionately discriminated against and democracy has often been cast aside for corporate profit. We look at Congo and New Mexico as two examples.                                      8.2 The truth in the nuclear world is quite often stranger — and nastier — than fiction. But little comes close to the bizarre true story of the bird ladies of Sellafield whose pigeons became radioactive waste. Illinois is America’s nuclear power capital, but the harm done by nuclear power and weapons is a legacy largely buried. In a new University of Illinois exhibition, artists bring that “slow violence” to light.                                                                                                                  8.3 (added 13/01) It’s time to examine nuclear issues through a social justice lens and get women’s voices heard, writes Lilly Adams, who takes issue with the male-dominated arms control community. She is fighting to get the emotional equation firmly at the heart of arguments for nuclear abolition. Trump’s reckless decisions to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and assassinate a top Iranian general may be pushing that country closer to nuclear weapons development. Or will Trump just decide to use nuclear weapons on Iran himself? Linda Pentz Gunter examines these perilous developments.                                                                                       8.4 (added 20/1) “Our water and our Grand Canyon is under attack,” write Patricia Kelly and Robert Arnberger. A growing number of calls to open the Grand Canyon to uranium mining risks the drinking water supply for 40 million people and would desecrate the world’s most spectacular gorge. Actor and peace activist, Martin Sheen, who has been arrested scores of times for acts of civil disobedience, chose arrest once again to protest the new apocalypse, climate change. Linda Pentz Gunter talked to him about his latest cause.                              8.5 added 27/1 And still we march. On January 18, it was the Women’s March, where many issues important to women were loudly proclaimed on protest signs and in speeches. But would a woman lead us to nuclear war? Linda Pentz Gunter ponders these questions and more. On January 25, we marched again, this time to say “no war with Iran.” But what do we really know about Iran and its people? Vijay Prashad gives us some perspective on the country, its history, and the motivation behind US war-making in the Middle East.
  9. The countdown has already begun to the 2020 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. This is a once every five years opportunity where governments get together to review the progress they have made towards the goal of the Treaty – complete disarmament of all nuclear weapons.As we know, there has been little progress since the last Review conference: every nuclear weapons state is ‘modernising’ its arsenal. The UK is a major culprit. It signed the NPT in 1968, but continues to possess nuclear weapons, and has committed to replacing Trident. We need to act now to make sure our government participates in this conference at a high level, and takes its legal obligations seriously. This is particularly important as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons may well come into force this year. CNDUK is racing money for a Newspaper advert. If just 700 people donate £20 each, there’ll have enough to place the advert, but any amount will help towards the cost. The advert will feature your name, along with hundreds of others who want to see nuclear weapons banned for good. Please, help us support the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by making a donation and adding your name to our newspaper advert.
  10. BaslePeace Office, Unfold Zero  Basel, January 6 2020 – The winner of a new youth award, the Peace and Climate action of European Youth (PACEY) Award, will be announced on January 9, 2020 at an international event in Basel that is bringing youth leaders and policy makers together to address the existential threats to humanity from the climate crisis and nuclear weapons. STOP PRESS +++The Green Building Municipality project, a multi-ethnic youth gardening initiative from a conflict region in Kosovo 
    Young people around the world are becoming more active on climate, peace and disarmament issues out of a growing sense of urgency, and a frustration at insufficient government action to address these threats. Latest     update  highlights the recent United Nations resolution on Youth, disarmament and non-proliferation, the new UN resource on Disarmament and You(th), and initiatives/events of Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign, Abolition 2000 Youth Network, Basel Peace Office & PNND linking youth actions and voices on climate, peace and nuclear disarmament. (a)United Nations General Assembly resolution 74/64 adopted earlier this month onYouth, disarmament and non-proliferation; (b)Climate, peace and security: From youth voices to policy action, an upcoming event in Basel, Switzerland bringing policy makers together with youth leaders in climate, peace and nuclear disarmament movements; (c) Peace and Climate action of European Youth (PACEY) Award, a new award to support an outstanding or innovative European youth project or proposal for action on the climate, peace and nuclear disarmament; (d) Youth voices on climate, peace and nuclear disarmament, youth-led actions and initiatives connecting these issues; (e) Disarmament and You(th), a new UN resource.                                                      PNND add: 2019 was a tough year for nuclear disarmament, with increased tensions between nuclear-armed States and erosion of arms control and disarmament agreements including the INF Treaty and the Iran nuclear non-proliferation agreement (JCPOA).              ++++Since 1947, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has annually announced the level of risk to humanity from nuclear weapons (and more recently also from climate change) by setting the hands of the Doomsday Clock. The closer the hands are to midnight, the higher the risk to humanity of a nuclear or climate catastrophe. Watch live today (January 23 at 10am, Washington DC time) as the new setting for the Clock will be announced at the National Press Club by Gov. Jerry Brown (Bulletin Executive Chair), leaders of The Elders Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland), Ban Ki-moon (former UN Secretary-General), and the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “These expert warnings show how real the twin existential threats of nuclear warfare and the climate crisis are. Urgent action must be taken to avert disaster.

  11. New paper: Youth Contributions to Peacebuilding in Yemen: “The situation needs us to be active”, written by Kate Nevens, Marwa Baabbad and Jatinder Padda for Saferworld. The paper draws on our experience of working with youth organisations and activists in Yemen over the past decade, and looks at the heavy toll the conflict is taking on youth activism, as well as the vital roles that youth continue to play in their communities across Yemen. Please find the paper attached and a link to the Saferworld page here.

  12. UN Association have a part-time consultancy opportunity (from Feb – June 2020). It’s to provide support to the UK campaign to stop killer robots, particularly with regard to broadening membership of the group inc from the tech sector, working with parliamentarians and tightening up our advocacy asks. Details on request edinburghcnd@yahoo.com
  13. January Dovetails events include the following: 13.1 A C CLARKE DROCHAID LAUNCH Full details HERE  The EDINBURGH launch of the pamphlet will also be happening on Saturday the 18th of January at lunchtime (exact time TBC) at Citadel Bookshop 41, Montrose Terrace Edinburgh. 13.2 Dove Tales member Jim Aitken has will be editing an anthology of radical Scottish poetry to be published by Culture Matters.  Culture Matters runs a website and publishing operation and promotes a progressive, socialist-minded approach to the arts and culture. With so much inequality, unfairness and social disconnectedness in our society and the world around us, the word radical should be interpreted in a way that suggests writers feel they are in opposition to how certain things are, whether expressed through protest, satire, the hopeful imagining of a better world, or other creative responses. Please send no more than 2 poems and a short biog of around 50 words to jaitken53@gmail.com by 31 March 2020. It is hoped that the book will be published and launched in the summer of 2020.
  14. nuClear News No.121 January 2020 is now available for downloading here:
    www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/NuClearNewsNo121.pdf
  15. Message of Pope Francis for the celebration of the 53rd World Day of Peace (1 January 2020), 12.12.2019 http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/12/12/191212b.html
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND news 10th December 2019 (Updated post-election)

The first meeting of 2020 will be on Tuesday 7th January 6pm in the Peace and Justice Centre, Epworth Halls

14/12: What the election means for CND: There is no doubt the extra Conservative MPs in England and Wales – and the loss of some anti-Trident Labour MPs – make a difficult parliamentary terrain for change in nuclear policy.

But the election results shouldn’t be interpreted as reflecting a growing enthusiasm for nuclear weapons. A recent article in The Times acknowledged that polling data showed falling support for Trident. Another poll commissioned during the election by the same newspaper asked whether the British prime minister should be willing to authorise the use of nuclear weapons. A minority said the PM should – 57% said they shouldn’t or they didn’t know.

During the general election, the Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson was heavily criticised for her glib ‘yes’ response to whether she would press the nuclear button. A CND video which highlighted her inappropriate reply was viewed over 1 million times and Swinson went on to lose her seat to a candidate from the anti-Trident Scottish National Party.
Scotland – an increased anti-nuclear majority 
The SNP gained an extra 13 seats, bringing their total to 48 out of 59 Scottish constituencies. Party leader Nicola Sturgeon spoke very clearly and passionately against nuclear weapons throughout the election, which won her plaudits on social media and big rounds of applause in the leaders’ debates. SNP MPs will be a powerful voice for nuclear disarmament in Westminster.
The role of our movement
We thank everyone who lobbied the election candidates – we received hundreds of replies. The legacy of this work is the relationships we have forged with candidates who are now MPs – we will now invite them to campaign with us in Parliamentary CND. Quite a number of candidates who weren’t elected have become members of CND and plan to work with us from their localities.
Nevertheless, the Conservative majority in Westminster will leave many feeling pessimistic. Our movement has a crucial role to play in turning around the political situation on vital existential questions. We must give voice to the growing millions who oppose nuclear weapons. We must strengthen our links and solidarity with other campaigning organisations and movements who strive to build a better, just, more peaceful world.
Our vision of a world without nuclear weapons is needed now more than ever – as is our experience and commitment to change. Success will not come from waiting and hoping that the next election will deliver something better. It will come from our continuing work – and its intensification which we begin today – building together the kind of world the majority of humanity wants to see.

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1. Our last organised event of 2019 will be on Saturday 14th December: 1230 Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street.Please join us.

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2. Two days before that (12th) will be the UK General Election. Donald Trump has been campaigning for Boris Johnson in the G.E., he has also been once again demanding that NATO member states increase their military spending to pay for US military projects and ambitions. This is an unacceptable undermining of national sovereignty over public spending decisions.
 Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrats) said politicians unwilling to use nuclear weapons were a threat to national security and  on the ITV leaders’ debates she confirmed, for the second time, she’s ready to press the nuclear button.
 On Labour’s manifesto Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
(it) ‘is a missed opportunity to address the growing threat of nuclear war, a threat as serious and urgent as the climate crisis. The manifesto commits a future Labour government to the old cold war status quo on nuclear weapons. Replacing the Trident submarines – at a cost of at least £205 billion -means Britain possessing nuclear weapons for many decades to come, weapons which are already rendered obsolete as a result of technological advances, new forms of warfare and changing security threats’
 CNDs updated 2-minute lobby tool can be used to email the candidates in your constituency about their views on Trident and nuclear disarmament. Please forward their responses to parliamentarycnd@gmail.com.  The information is published on the #VoteOutNukes database  and will help the public identify candidates who support peace and disarmament.

  • CND asked each candidate two questions

    1. Do you support cancelling the replacement of Trident?
    2. Do you support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?
    Hundreds of candidates have now replied. The good news is that most of those who replied answered yes to both questions. We were also heartened to see that many candidates told us they opposed nuclear weapons even though this isn’t the position of their party.
  • We’re delighted to publish today the results of the lobbying on our #VoteOutNukes database. Simply enter your postcode to discover what we know about the candidates in your constituency. If we didn’t hear back from a candidate, we have listed their party’s national policy instead.

  • See also Quercus Manifesto, section on Defence. Quercus Manifesto  

    UPDATE 11/12: CND’s #VoteOutNukes database gives a clear picture of what parties and candidates think about nuclear weapons, but what do the parties think about CND’s others campaigns?
    We’ve reviewed the manifestos of the Conservatives, Greens, Labour, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the SNP. We hope our review will help you decide which party to vote for on polling day.
     CND review of the manifestos

  • 12/12: Rarely has an election been so important. We stand at a turning point: one way lies a Conservative government which will cement a Johnson/Trump alliance and put Britain firmly in the camp of the far right.The other way lies a new attempt to build a better type of society – more inclusive, equal, just and peaceful.We urge all our supporters to vote today. We hope the following information will be useful if you’re still deciding who to vote for.
  • WE WILL UPDATE AGAIN AFTER THE ELECTION: SEE TOP OF PAGE                                     —————————–
3. SCND held their AGM on 16th November. It was a very lively and interesting meeting. They have a host of new Executive Committee members and office bearers with a range of experience. The AGM minute and record of passed resolutions are available on the website, an introduction to our new Executive Committee will also be on there soon. They have also issued their end of year summary including reminders that they released four short reports on everything from nuclear power to the global alliances that play political monopoly with our planet. You can read each of them here.  and  Scotland: A Peace of History on tour across Scotland.
More is covered in the Autumn/Winter edition of Nuclear Free Scotland which will be mailed out to our members this week, in the mean time please read the Spring/Summer edition which is available via this link. 
December email newsletter also available
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4. There are a series of protests organised across Scotland to oppose the NATO Heads of State summit (including in Edinburgh). Thousands also marched in London and a counter summit was held with activists from across Europe and beyond  Further details including the full agenda are available online.CND says: The good news is that opposition to NATO is growing. In 2017, polls showed that 27% were ambivalent or opposed to the bloc. By 2019, that number has risen to 41%. Those who strongly support NATO has fallen from 42% to 25%. SCND adds Opposition to NATO is growing, a 2017 YouGov poll showed that 73% of the British public approved of NATO member and a recent 2019 poll showed that this number has since fallen to 59%. Within two years there was a fourteen percent drop in support for NATO, despite the media giving little to no coverage about the war policies made by the world’s largest nuclear-armed military alliance at these Heads of State summits. With your help to spread the message of peace and disarmament without NATO we can get that percentage of approval even lower.
But there is much more work to be done. One of the frustrating aspects of the NATO summit was the complete absence of discussion and debate about the bloc in the media. It is still assumed by many – including by the main political parties – that NATO is a good thing.
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5. Parliamentarians for Non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament: there will be three exciting PNND events in early 2020: Climate, peace and security: From youth voices to policy action in Basel, Switzerland on January 9-10; the PyeongChang Peace Forum in South Korea on February 9-11 and the PNND 2020 Global Assembly in Seoul,  South Korea on April 23-24.
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6. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org:  
6.1. This week we question the sanity of the human species — specifically our insistence on punishing and imprisoning those whose peaceful actions are designed only to prevent our own annihilation. John LaForge reminds us of the powerful words articulated by his sentencing judge in 1984, who saw the use of nuclear weapons as far more heinous than the protest of them. And Linda Pentz Gunter wonders why the existential threat of nuclear war is never mentioned on the campaign trail and elsewhere, even as we — finally — recognize climate change as a global emergency.
6.2. What the US left behind in Iraq, say scientists looking at the health effects, continues to ruin the country’s environment and poison its people. That includes thorium — a decay product of depleted uranium — found in the hair of children born to exposed mothers. But after leaving Iraq in 2011, says David Masciotra, the US acts like nothing ever happened. Those who opposed the Iraq war — and many others — deserve a national monument, argues Michael Knox. Why do we honour soldiers and veterans and not also those who strive for alternatives to war?                       +++++6.3When polled, Americans say the Green New Deal is too expensive. But 75% of them have barely heard of it. Is the media negligent in giving the climate crisis the urgency and coverage it deserves? What price is too high for our future? Linda Pentz Gunter asks these questions and more. An even higher price could be paid by all of us if India and Pakistan wage a nuclear war, says a new study. Global temperatures could drop between 3.5-9 degrees and worldwide famine would ensue. Daniel Stain reports. 
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7. NuClear News No.120 December 2019 is now available for downloading here.
www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/NuClearNewsNo120.pdf

——————————                                                                                                                   8.The next Peace and Justice Centre origami cranes workshop is on Saturday 14 December from 2pm – 4pm at the Peace & Justice Centre in the basement of the City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, 25 Nicholson Square EH8 9BX. Come along to learn how to make origami cranes, help us inch closer to our target of 140,000 cranes, and find out how else you can get involved. They are also looking for temporary storage space for the cranes, if anyone can help.The event is on Facebook here.

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9. Nuclear Free Local Authorities: A report which is now also on the NFLA website (and shortly on the Mayors for Peace website) outlines the recent Mayors for Peace Executive Conference and the founding meeting of the European Chapter. The report also outlines some other relevant initiatives. http://www.nuclearpolicy.info – includes links to NFLA Facebook and Twitter pages
Mayors for Peace Website: http://www.mayorsforpeace.org
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10. Los Alamos Study Group Bulletin 264: LANL expansion, new mailing list, staff position available, news and views you can use http://www.lasg.org/
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11. Dovetails Next event is at the Scotia Bar on 10th December 7pm.
112 – 114 Stockwell St, Glasgow G1 4LW 

‘FLIGHT OF THE KURDS’ will be an entertaining and inspiring evening of musicians, poets and writers performing their work. The event is intended to raise funds for Kurdish refugees. We will be holding a raffle and making a collection for Heyva Sor, the beautifully named charity which aids Kurdish refugees.*And as always at the Scotia Bar, we will be providing free sandwiches.                                              ———————–                                                                                                                                                   12. Get some great presents and support our campaign against nukes by grabbing some official CND merchandise at cnduk.shop (also http://www.banthebomb.org)                                                                                                                  ——————–                                                                                                                            13.Stop the Jeju 2nd airport(Air Force Base) Project. We are hoping to collect as many signatures as possible by midnight of Dec. 16th (Korean time). Please read the story at the end of this email. It is the story of a man whose home is in the middle of planned runway and who is currently fasting against the Jeju 2nd airport. Please sign (If you have not done so yet) and spread it to your networks. Beside the existing English language petition, Japanese and Chinese language petitions were also recently made. If you can, please spread them, too. (But please sign only one language petition per person.)

 

edinburghcnd

Special Post 3rd December 2019 Oppose NATO

mail No to Nato rally TODAY 3rd December
Gather at 5.30 pm at the East End of Princes Street (Register House)
Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other NATO leaders are expected to attend a reception hosted by the Queen to mark NATO’s 70th anniversary. Please join us on  to show your opposition. Bring your banners, placards and friends     https://www.facebook.com/events/1307144789464996/

For more information on opposition to NATO: https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/14937/even-if-no-one-talking-about-it-nato-critical-issue-general-election

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Afterwards: Join us from 7pm at the Peace and Justice Centre Epworth Halls, Nicholson Square for our AGM and Seasonal Social.

NEXT EVENT : 6 Dec
ember
FRI





COP 25 – Vigil for Climate Justice

17:30
Please join the GREEN FRIDAY alliance for the vigil to demand CLIMATE
JUSTICE NOW from the Scottish and UK governments in the coming general
election, and from the UN after 25 years of failed international climate
talks.The rally starts with guest speakers at 5.30pm outside Usher Hall on
Lothian Rd. After this we will go to make a human chain along the
western end of Prince’s St from 6:15pm for a vigil for climate justice
and in solidarity with social justice protesters in Chile, where the
government has chosen to pull out of hosting COP 25, the latest UN
climate conference, rather than meet their demands. Please help join us in PUTTING PEOPLE AND PLANET BEFORE PROFIT, with banners, climate carols and Chilean waves, on this international day of
action. REGISTER:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vigil-for-climate-justice-at-cop-25-tickets-83356847575Bring your banners, placards, torches,whistles, music
Wear something bright. Wrap up warm!

END BIT: A SURVEY The P and J emailed asking people  to complete a survey in Consultation on development of Princes St Gardens & encourage space for their Peacemaking Heritage. Unfortunately one of the links did not work.

Here is the Correct LINK