Anti-nuclear and anti-war protests rock the United Kingdom

Compiled by Paul Chen

	Anti-nuclear and anti-war protests rock the United Kingdom.

Called by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, in conjunction with Stop the War Coalition and the British Muslim Initiative, tens of thousands marched in London on 24 February, 2007, to protest against the Trident and against the imperial wars in the Middle East, including Iraq and the looming one on Iran. People were there to express their opposition to militarism, the "War on Terror",and demand justice for Palestine. Scotland for Peace's "Bin the Bomb Roadshow" also ran between 16 and 24 February, culminating in a march and rally on 24 February in Glasgow.

Anti-nuclear activists and campaigners have been in overdrive in recent months, following the publication of the government's defence White Paper in December. The White Paper outlines plans to replace/renew Britain's nuclear-armed submarine fleet and also suggests timescales for upgrading the Trident missiles and warheads which the submarines carry. Each of the 200 warheads in Britain's current Trident stockpile has a destructive power equivalent to eight Hiroshimas. The cost of renewing Trident is estimated at around £20bn initially, and up to £76bn over its deathspan.

In the week running up to the 24 February, demonstrations, campaigners projected a massive "No Trident replacement" banner onto the House of Commons, and well-known artists from the world of mainstream culture lined up to make their opposition to Trident public.

The government is expected to hold a parliamentary debate and vote on its proposals in mid-March. Greenpeace and CND are both asking for people to lobby their MPs to vote against the government.

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