Christians at anti-nuclear protest in Scotland

Christian groups were among more than 600 anti-nuclear campaigners who attended a peaceful 'Nae Nukes Anywhere' International march and rally at Faslane on Saturday 22 September. Some gathered at noon at the peace camp to walk one mile to the North Gate at Faslane, others went straight to the North Gate for the start of the rally at around 12.30. The event highlighted opposition to Scotland having to host weapons of mass destruction against its will. Justice and Peace Scotland, Glasgow Catholic Worker and the Iona Community were there.

Busloads of Campaigners travelled from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paisley, Aberdeen and further afield. Faslane has been one of the most controversial sites in Britain - home to the UK's nuclear weapons system for the past 50 years. It sits on the northern shore of Gare Loch, a sheltered sea loch that opens into the River Clyde, less than 30 miles from Glasgow.

Danny Sweeney, coordinator for Justice and Peace Scotland said: "Scotland's in the unique position of having nuclear weapons which we don't want on our soil. The Catholic Church opposes the ability and the threat of nuclear destruction over the entire planet."

Kathy Galloway of the Iona Community told the marchers: "Like thousands of organisations and millions of individuals across the world we oppose nuclear weapons for many reasons. They are in contravention of international humanitarian law and their very spirit is one of illegality whatever government lawyers say. They are not a legitimate defence. Relying on nuclear weapons for deterrence means that you are prepared to use them on civilians with catastrophic humanitarian consequences. This is morally indefensible." She pointed to the fact that the majority of the world's countries adopted the Treaty of the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017, which signals a significant shift in the global discourse on nuclear weapons.

Link: www.justiceandpeacescotland.org.uk/