A Dozen people arrested at AWE Aldermaston Blockade

12.11.2007
About 50 people went down to AWE Aldermaston, Berkshire, very early this morning to blockade the on-going construction of the Orion laser, designed to help build the next generation of UK nuclear war heads.

The 50 activists were split in four different blockades at various strategic points to attempt to stop all construction traffic – including a blockade of Burgfield, the nearby factory where the warheads are put together (and then shipped to Coulport/Faslane in Scotland)

The blockaders used a variety of large concrete lock-ons, lock on tubes and super glue and while they stopped short of blocking the base entirely, they managed to severly disrupt the construction traffic for 2 and half hours.
4 arrests at AWE Burghfield, including a 77-year old man, after a 2-hour lock-on from sunrise, with choir and violin accompaniment, on a chilly but beautiful Monday morning,

13 arrests in total (9 at Aldermaston, near the two main construction gates – Tadley gate and Home Office gate) – everyone released in the afternoon, after 5-6 hours in custody. Some cautioned, some charged with obstruction of the highway. About 70-80 people joined the protests in total, travelling from as far afield as Yorkshire, Wales, Plymouth, Southampton, Essex, London, Cambridge, Salisbury…

Special thanks to Newbury Friends for your continued support.

More detailed action report

14.11.2007 14:55
13 Arrests at Atomic Weapons Establishment Blockades

Around 70-80 anti-nuclear campaigners took part in the ‘Block the Builders’ direct action against the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) facilities at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire during the morning rush hour on Monday 12 November. There were thirteen arrests in total, with traffic around the base severely disrupted for around two and a half hours.

At Aldermaston, protesters sought to disrupt the construction of new multi-billion pound state-of-the-art facilities at the site, including the Orion laser. Campaigners say the new facilities will be used to develop new weapons of mass destruction, in collaboration with the United States. This, they say, breaches the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which both the UK and the US are signatories.

There were three separate human blockades at Aldermaston, on the A340 close to Tadley Gate and Home Office Gate respectively. They were designed to block the entry of construction vehicles into the facility. Concrete-filled wheelie bins, lock-on tubes made from concrete and other materials, and superglue were used. 9 people were arrested for obstruction of the highway and taken to Newbury Police Station, including some young people and members of the Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp.

At Burghfield, on the outskirts of Reading – where the existing Trident warheads are assembled, before being sent by road convoy back to the armaments depot at Coulport on the west coast of Scotland – four activists chained themselves together using arm lock-on tubes to block off a private road, off the Burghfield Road, which leads to the main entrance to the facility. They had to wait nearly 2 hours for the cutting team to arrive. The blockade was accompanied by a four-person choir from Turning the Tide singing protest songs, and a violinist. All four blockaders were arrested for obstruction of the highway and taken first to AWE Aldermaston and eventually to Newbury Police Station. They included a 77-year-old man and members of Trident Ploughshares.

All those arrested were held in the custody of Thames Valley Police for around six hours, before being either cautioned or charged with obstruction of the highway. They were then released, with supporters waiting for them at the police station.

People had travelled from as far afield as Yorkshire, Wales, Devon, Wiltshire, Southampton, Essex, Kent, Northants, Cambridge and London to join the protests. Other groups represented on the day included Menwith Hill Peace Camp, Salisbury and Kent CND, the Green Party and Reading Peace Group.

A spokesperson from Block the Builders said, “We are living in dangerous times, largely due to the interventionist foreign policies of the United States and Britain. What we urgently need is a UN Nuclear Weapons Convention banning all nuclear weapons. What business do we in the West have threatening military strikes on Iran for its uranium enrichment programme, whilst at the same spending billions of pounds upgrading our nuclear weapons facilities right here in the UK? The hypocrisy is plain to see. Would we not be better off spending the money on healthcare, education, tackling poverty and caring for the environment?”

Articles relating to Monday’s action:

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/385357.html?c=on
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=5608
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/7090404.stm
http://greenreading.blogspot.com/2007/11/brave-aldermaston-protestors-survive.html