Northern Friends Peace Board sets up new working group

A working group focused on supporting Quaker action against nuclear weapons has been set up by the Northern Friends Peace Board

Northern Friends Peace Board (NFPB) has set up a new working group to support Quaker action against nuclear weapons at what it describes as ‘a time which is clearly particularly dangerous’. According to Philip Austin, NFPB coordinator, the group is hoping to raise awareness of and take action on ‘a number of aspects’, including the need for international action for nuclear disarmament and arms control to be taken seriously.

The May Update newsletter highlights the fact that preparatory work is underway at the United Nations for a review in 2020 of the non proliferation treaty, against ‘a backdrop of the US and Russia having decided to withdraw from the Intermediate [Range]Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty’. It says another aspect of the situation is the transport of nuclear warheads between Burghfield in the south east of England and Coulport in West Scotland.

Philip Austin said that NFPB is now involved in the UK networking meetings of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). It has also made a submission to a House of Lords’ select committee inquiry and signed up to a new European Nuclear Disarmament Statement. The group is hoping to offer workshops to Friends and others to help build capacity for further lobbying and awareness-raising.

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