By New Worker
correspondent
THOUSANDS
of peace campaigners last Saturday descended on the Ministry of Defence in
London and surrounded it with a giant pink woollen scarf – reputedly up to
seven miles long, which had previously been used to surround the Atomic Weapons
Establishment at Aldermaston.
It
was certainly very long – long enough to go around not only the MoD but also
the adjoining Department of Health at Richmond House and Portcullis House.
This
was apt because the focus of this protest against the proposed renewal of the
Trident nuclear missile system was that the money would be much better spent on
the NHS – and it was the MPs in Portcullis House, an annexe of the Palace of
Westminster, to whom this message was targeted.
Protesters
from all over Britain began gathering at noon outside the closed main doors of
the MoD. At around 1pm a group carrying the front edge of the giant scarf set
off along Whitehall – with the rest of the scarf following them held up by
countless protesters, ages ranging from about six to very senior citizens.
They
turned left past the entrance to Westminster Tube Station opposite Big Ben,
weaving in and out of crowds of curious tourists – most of whom instantly got
the message and seemed to agree.
They
turned left again, around the Embankment front of Portcullis House and back
until the three Government buildings were entirely surrounded with pink wool.
After
a long pause the protesters assembled themselves again outside the MoD and this
time marched en masse with dozens of big banners back towards the Houses of
Parliament and into Old Palace Yard for a rally with speeches.
CND
general secretary Kate Hudson, who led the scarf carriers, said: “It's a very
good amount of scarf and a very good amount of people."
She explained that the campaigners wanted to send
a message to the current Government as well as the political leaders standing
in the general election.
"They
should know that scrapping Trident is a vote winner, not a vote loser. The
British people will not stand for masses of our taxpayers' money being spent on
nuclear weapons."
The
protest came just days after a debate was held in the Commons on the future of
Trident.
Only
37 MPs backed a motion urging the Government to abandon plans to renew Trident,
which CND said showed the "gulf" between Westminster and the British
public.
Ms
Hudson said: "The motion against Trident replacement was defeated by
364-37 – showing just how many MPs have refused to move on from the Cold War
and are even prepared to sacrifice the NHS to maintain a nuclear arsenal.
"If
it's security they want, then it's illusory, taking a heavy toll both in the
UK, as public services are slashed, and abroad, as states around the world are
given the incentive to develop their own nuclear weapons systems.
"Over
250 MPs – including Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg – didn't cast a vote. One
undoubted result will be that those re-standing (in the general election) who
failed to vote will find themselves under increasing pressure.
"Millions
of people around the country oppose this £100 billion monstrosity, and it's not
hard to see why when military figures say Trident's useless, and when we look
at just how transformative that money could be if spent on the NHS, job
creation, renewable energy, housing and education.
"Trident
is set to be a huge election issue, but if MPs fail to express their opinions
on Trident replacement, they can expect to be punished at the ballot box in
May."
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