Quaker outcry on nuclear expansion
‘Our Trident submarines already carry warheads that in total have an explosive yield equivalent to hundreds of the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima.'
Friends are mobilising against the UK government’s announcement that it will be extending its nuclear capacity. Britain Yearly Meeting joined with other faith bodies and campaigners to denounce the government’s intention to significantly increase Britain’s stockpile of nuclear weapons. Church leaders across seven denominations made a statement following the publication of the government’s integrated review of foreign and defence policies: ‘The government’s decision… to increase the number of Trident nuclear warheads the UK can stockpile by more than 40 per cent is a retrograde step that will not make any of us safer.
‘Our Trident submarines already carry warheads that in total have an explosive yield equivalent to hundreds of the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima. It is immoral that the UK government is committing resources, which could be spent on the common good of our society, to stockpiling even more.’
The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) said that the plans will be met by widespread resistance. ‘[We are] already hearing from members saying they were prepared to take nonviolent direct action to impede the development and deployment of new warheads’.
Symon Hill, PPU campaigns manager, said: ‘In the midst of a global pandemic, rising unemployment, a mental health crisis and the climate emergency, Boris Johnson seems to think he can make us safe with warheads… Covid is a deadly reminder that weapons cannot defend us from the most serious threats that we face. You can’t nuke a virus.’
Friends also gathered at an emergency rally organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament on 17 March.
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