Britain Yearly Meeting 2016: United against Trident
A special interest group on Trident heard from three Quaker groups
Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW), the Northern Friends Peace Board (NFPB) and Young Friends General Meeting (YFGM), brought together by a shared witness against nuclear weapons, hosted a session at Yearly Meeting that urged Friends to take anti-Trident action.
Forty Friends gathered on Saturday lunchtime in the Large Meeting House in silent reflection and considered the foundations of their opposition to Trident.
YFGM’s colourful anti-nukes banner provided a vibrant backdrop. Once grounded, Friends turned to sharing their anti-Trident witness.
Laurence Hall began by describing actions that young adult Friends are taking through YFGM, Wheel Stop Trident and the Faith Day in the month of action at AWE Burghfield.
Tim Wallis, of QPSW, highlighted the Trident conversations and Trialogue workshops and QPSW’s wealth of anti-Trident resources, including his new book The Truth About Trident: Disarming the Nuclear Argument.
Philip Austin and Jette Howard, of the NFPB, talked about anti-Trident activism in Scotland and Barrow.
The floor was then ‘opened’ to contributions and attending Friends talked about the rich variety of anti-Trident activism within British Quakerism.
Friends present wanted to minute the witness that they were committed to in the months ahead, so all present wrote the concrete anti-Trident measures they will take. These were collected together to ensure Friends get the support needed.
