No to a new nuclear arms race

The UK government has announced it will increase the number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal for the first time since the Cold War. It will also stop publishing figures on the size of its nuclear stockpile.

Increasing our nuclear stockpile does nothing to protect Britain from the real threats we confront, and flies in the face of growing public support for nuclear disarmament. London CND believes this change of direction will make this country and the world less safe by triggering a new nuclear arms race.

We will be bringing you more in the months ahead, meanwhile CND already has a number of activities planned. Check them out here.

Feel free to dowload and share the placards below on social media.

WATCH: Gender, Race & Nukes

Check this video exploring the links between gender, race and nuclear disarmament! Organised by London CND in collaboration with East Midlands CND and Youth & Student CND.

Learn why nuclear disarmament is a feminist, anti-racist and anti-imperialist struggle in a snappy video animated by two leading anti-nuclear campaigners from Australia and the US.

Structure: 25 min panel on Gender, Race & Nukes + 25 min ‘devil’s advocate’ game to equip ourselves with anti-nuclear arguments

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Speakers

Karina Lester is a Yankunytjatjara Anangu woman whose community was affected by the British nuclear testing program in South Australia in the 1950s. Her own father, Yami Lester, was permanently blinded by the nuclear fallout of Totem 1 when he was a child. During the negotiations for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, she travelled to New York with a petition from indigenous people across Oceania to promote the inclusion of provisions on assistance to nuclear survivors and environmental remediation. She will also tell us about uranium mining and plans to dump nuclear waste on Aboriginal lands in South Australia.

Ray Acheson is the Director of Reaching Critical Will, the disarmament programme of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She has been involved with intergovernmental disarmament processes since 2005, providing reporting and analysis on nuclear weapons, the international arms trade, armed drones and autonomous weapons. She was involved in developing the strategy and advocacy of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, in the build up towards the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. ** Devil’s advocate game ** The perfect occasion to learn how to tackle pro-nuclear weapons arguments! Guided by Mélina and Jinsella from Demilitarise Education (dED), we’ve used digital sticky notes to respond to common comments on nuclear weapons in order to solidify our argument. Chilled atmosphere and witty rebuttals!

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3 KEY REASONS WHY bringing a gendered perspective on nuclear weapons is important:

1. You might think nuclear weapons kill all indiscriminately, but research shows that women and girls are twice more likely to develop cancer as a result of exposure to radiation or nuclear fallouts (ICAN, 2020).

2. Despite the disproportionate effects, women are vastly under-represented in decision-making regarding nuclear weapons: almost 1/2 of all country delegations at any international diplomatic meetings on nuclear weapons are likely to be composed * entirely * of men (ICAN, 2020).

3. And of course, the discourse around nuclear weapons is highly gendered. Being ready to use nuclear weapons ​is seen as​ masculine and strong, while wanting to disarm is often described as feminine and weak...

3 FACTS ABOUT RACE AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS

1. The question of race underpins the entire chain of nuclear weapons: from uranium mining, to nuclear research, testing and waste disposal.

2. From 1946, around 315 nuclear tests were carried out in the Pacific by the US, Britain and France. These nations’ largest ever nuclear tests took place on colonised lands and oceans, from Australia to the Marshall Islands, Kiribati to French Polynesia. This is referred to as ‘Nuclear Colonialism’

3. The total number of global cancer deaths as a result of atmospheric nuclear test explosions has been estimated at between 2 million and 2.4 million, the majority of which indigenous locals, even though these studies used radiation risk estimates that are now dated and likely underestimated the risk. (Swinburn University, 2020)

Nuclear Ban is here!

We made it ! Fifty countries have ratified the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which comes into force on 22 January. Another 84 countries have signed, but to the UK’s shame, our government has not signed up and says it never will.

London CND has joined the campaign to put pressure on Westminster to change this. In the coming year we will be asking MP, local authorities, and faith leaders in the Greater London area to sign a nuclear disarmament pledge and show their support for the Treaty. Expect more on this in January.

Nuclear weapons are the only weapons of mass destruction not banned under international law. The ratification of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons sets that right, and CND is holding a webinar about it on 16 Jan. Find out more here.

CND slams Westminster Abbey 'thanksgiving' service for nuclear weapons

Campaigners at CND and a host of other organisations have roundly condemned plans to hold a ‘thanksgiving’ service for Britain’s nuclear deterrent at Westminster Abbey.

The Royal Navy plans to host a National Service of Thanksgiving to mark 50 years of the Continuous at Sea Deterrent on the 3rd of May. New nuclear submarines are currently being constructed as part of a £205 billion Trident replacement scheme.

CND will hold protests at Westminster Abbey if the service goes ahead.

Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:

“It’s morally repugnant that a service of thanksgiving for Britain’s nuclear weapons system is due to be held at Westminster Abbey. This sends out a terrible message to the world about our country. It says that here in Britain we celebrate weapons – in a place of worship – that can kill millions of people.

“If the Defence Secretary doesn’t cancel this service, we call on the Church authorities to step in to stop it. CND will hold protests at Westminster Abbey on the day of the service if this celebration of nuclear weapons goes ahead.”

In July 2018, the General Synod passed a motion which states “nuclear weapons, through their indiscriminate and destructive potential, present a distinct category of weaponry that requires Christians to work tirelessly for their elimination across the world.”

Take action

• Tell the Defence Secretary to cancel the Westminster Abbey celebration

• If the thanksgiving service goes ahead, join our protest outside the Abbey on the day

• Christian CND is also mobilising its supporters against the service. Please support their petition and other activities.

Peace with Iran: updates from Code Pink USA's campaign

Code Pink USA have won another victory in their campaign for the US to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal, with Representative and presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard committing her support.

In May 2018, President Trump pulled the US out of the deal, which provided that Iran's nuclear activities would be limited in exchange for reduced sanctions. The international community reacted to Trump’s announcement with serious concern.

CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said of the decision: “Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear deal is a dangerous and irresponsible move, rightly condemned by the international community. The groundbreaking 2015 deal achieved its central aim: Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapons programme. Only a president hellbent on making the world a more dangerous place would consider such a belligerent and counterproductive move. It will be seen as a step towards war and sends a threatening message to the world.”

For the past couple of weeks, Code Pink have been calling on the 2020 Presidential hopefuls to publicly support rejoining the deal as part of their campaign to reinstate it.

So far, Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Representative Julian Castro and candidates Wayne Messam, Marianne Williamson, and now Representative Tulsi Gabbard have all committed to re-entering the Iran Nuclear deal.

Code Pink also had another victory last month when the Democratic National Committee passed a resolution calling on the U.S. to re-enter the Iran Nuclear deal. This means that rejoining the agreement is the official policy of the Democratic Party.

Code Pink USA is a grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S.-funded wars and occupations. In January this year, we held a video interview with its co-founder Medea Benjamin, which was screened at our conference. You can watch the interview in full here.

ICAN Cities Appeal: lobby your council!

ICAN have launched their Cities Appeal: a global call from towns and cities across the world in support of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

You can write to your local council today to ask them to support the appeal using the text below!

Trump's finger on the nuclear button: Report from London CND 2019 conference

Photo: Henry Kenyon

Last Saturday, CND supporters from across London gathered for our annual conference - this year taking the theme ‘Trump’s finger on the Nuclear Button.’

We were honoured to be joined by Ambassador Husam Zumlot, head of the Palestinian mission in Washington until President Trump closed it down. The Ambassador gave fascinating insights into the challenges facing those who seek a peaceful solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, and what the Trump administration’s policies mean for the region. We also heard from Catherine West on the UK Parliament’s response to the Trump administration, and from Ann Feltham from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade on the importance of ending arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

After the first session we crossed the Atlantic, with a video interview with Medea Benjamin from Code Pink USA, a women-led organisation opposing war and militarism. She told us about the varied tactics Code Pink uses - from traditional protest marches to inventive publicity stunts and educational programmes - and said she hoped to work more closely with the UK peace movement in the months and years ahead.

You can watch the video interview here

Our second plenary featured Dr Rebecca Johnson from the Acronym Institute, London CND Chair Carol Turner, and Rae Street, Vice-Chair of CND UK. The guests discussed the trashing of international treaties - such as Trump’s intention to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, first signed in 1987 between the US and Russia. We heard about the importance of international agreements like the in building towards a nuclear-free world.

SOAS CND chair Nobu Ono speaking at the conference. Photo: Henry Kenyon

In the final plenary - ‘Think Global, Act Local’ - our speakers tackled the challenge of how to take concrete action as campaigners and communities to build this world. Sara Medi Jones, acting CND General Secretary, spoke about CND’s current campaigns; Nobu Ono told us about the work he’s been doing running SOAS CND, and the challenges and opportunities in youth and student activism. Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley left us with a message of hope: that we are living through times of intense change, in which the old political order is breaking apart - and we have the opportunity to build something new.

London CND vice-chair Hannah Kemp-Welch chairs the final panel of the day. Photo: Henry Kenyon

You can see all the photos from the conference here.

Future Wars: videos from the conference

The Future Wars conference explored the impact of new technologies on war and it took place on the 10th November at Birkbeck University of London. Below you can watch video clips from some of our amazing speakers!

Join London CND for our 2019 conference!

We’re really excited to announce the details of this year’s London CND conference - with the theme ‘Trump’s finger on the nuclear button.’

We’ll be exploring themes of global conflict, nuclear escalation and grassroots resistance, with speakers including Catherine West MP, Ambassador Husam Zomlot, and Medea Benjamin from Code Pink USA.

Tickets are free, and you can book yours here.

We look forward to seeing you!

The Man Who Saved The World: Film Screening

Welcome to this blog entry from Lydia!

You might have heard about my time here with London CND from my previous blog. Last Monday, I had the opportunity to help out with London CND’s screening of The Man Who Saved The World, part of our  annual ceremony to commemorate the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With 50 people attending, many of whom have been members for decades, it was truly inspiring to see everyone come together for the purpose of remembering those who were lost to violence, and maintaining the endeavor for peace.

Catherine West MP speaking at the start of our film screening

The evening started with a warm welcome and talk from Catherine West MP; a woman admirably passionate about the fight against nuclear weapons. She gave a heartfelt speech followed by a  reading of an extract from Fallout, by Fred Pearce, a book which explored the detrimental effects of nuclear energy since dropping the first atomic bomb.

The movie began afterwards. Before our eyes played the story of Stanislav Petrov, the man who on 26 September 1983 - a time when the US-Soviet relations were severely strained -  prevented not only the start of a nuclear holocaust, but also the end of the world as we know it. Throughout the movie flashed images that reveal the real impacts of nuclear weapons. It stressed that these  are not merely a hypothetical issue, but an issue that threatens human extinction by the minute. They are the ingredients to a war which can never be won. The documentary included a mention of a US nuclear missile that really solidified the room’s perception of nuclear weapons. The soldier introducing the missile to Stanislav Petrov described the damage: if all the bombs dropped on both sides of WW2 were combined into a single missile, it would only cause 60% of the damage caused by this one. These were the kinds of missiles that threatened human existence in 1983, and still do to this day. Stanislav Petrov’s actions demonstrate the importance of always choosing to do what is right, despite being alone in believing it is the right thing to do. He demonstrates the reality of the power of the individual in preserving humanity, and in the fight for peace. Most importantly, he personifies the extent to which saving the world - or destroying it - can be truly momentary.

In stressing this, he left us with a crucial reality-check:

“We must learn to coexist like brothers, or perish like dinosaurs”.

Until next time,

Lydia.