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BAN - BBCND Newsletter Summer 2020

 BAN 2020



Summ      Annual Bromley Borough CND News       40p              

                   Published by Bromley Anti Nuclear Group


Notice from the Secretary:

CND still very much needs support with their campaigns, especially since the Coronavirus has exposed the futility of spending billions on new nuclear weapons when money is needed for essential services. CND is also supporting the challenges of climate change working with XR, dealing with the refugee crisis, and the campaign to get the UK to sign up for the Nuclear Ban Treaty. The selling of arms to Saudi Arabia continues and there are still concerns regarding UK's plans for Trident renewal, the use of drones and the dangers from nuclear power pollution from the Fukushima fall out.

It would be really supportive if local Bromley Borough CND members could also join National CND, if they don't already belong. Help is also badly needed to restructure Bromley CND and take on some of the responsibilities for its future continuation. Part of this is our integration with the SE London CND Coalition. Please also visit our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/Garrettcnd

(Deadline for items for the next annual CND newsletter - May 1st 2021. Please email to anncgarrett@yahoo.com) 

Secretary's Annual Report
Acknowledgements
Grateful thanks to those who supported demonstrations on the No Bombing of Syria in Jan 2020, the monthly Close Guantanamo demos, campaign stalls for the Nuclear Ban Treaty, the Bowie Oddity Festival in Croydon Rd recreation ground Sept 2019, the Farnborough Village Fayre stall on Sept 7th 2019, the Fukushima rally, march and regular vigils outside the Japanese Embassy and TEPCO office, Conscientious Objector's Day ceremony on May 15th 2019, also for help at last year's Bromley August Bank Holiday Monday stall. This year's Chernobyl Day 
stall was cancelled due to the Covid -19 lockdown. Many thanks as always to Brian Phillips and his son Bryan for photocopying our newsletter each year.
Tahrir Swift has covered all our events regularly as press officer, and the local papers have given us good publicity as a result. She has also been our hard working treasurer and membership secretary. However, she is stepping down from some responsibilities, but has kindly offered to continue with administering treasurer accounts.

We are grateful to Rob Clark who has taken on the task of newsletter production editor at short notice, and also to Richard Hart who will cover press releases.Click on the link to find out all about BBCND's activism.Bromley Borough CND activism 2019/2020


 White Poppy ceremony

Bromley peace campaigners and their supporters once again converged on the Cenotaph in Bromley on Remembrance Sunday as they have been doing since 1985. They stood in silence, they read poems and spoke up about the futility of present day wars.
Peace campaigners are deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Yemen and would like to urge all Bromley representatives to lobby for ceasing the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, especially now that the High Court deemed this trade to be illegal. They are also concerned about the peaceful protesters for jobs, services and against corrupt politicians in Iraq being faced with military grade weapons. Conservative figures put the number of dead at 250 and injured 8000 in October alone not counting the protest activists who were arbitrarily arrested, and no one knows their whereabouts.
Ann Garrett, the secretary of Bromley Borough CND said, “We have to stop supplying tyrants and corrupt governments with arms to kill their people, have we not learnt the lessons of Saddam Hussain?” We need to concentrate our efforts on ending conflicts and combating the biggest threat to humanity; Climate Change.

Richard Hart, the co-convenor of Bromley Peace Council said “I despair at the fact that we are in the 21st century and disputes between states are resulting in lethal wars and deaths of innocent men, women and children. This is a stain of shame on the conscience of the member states of the UN Security Council.

The UK government must uphold our British values in our dealings with odious regimes such as Saudi Arabia.”

The campaigners think that the Arms dealers and profiteers have a great deal to answer for in encouraging and prolonging violent conflicts around the world

 

Tahrir Swift.




History of The White Poppy Ceremony in Bromley

John Pitt, a former secretary of Bromley CND from about 1977 to 1986, started the White Poppy ceremony at Bromley War Memorial in the early 1980s and it has been held every year since then by Bromley Borough CND with support from Lewisham & Greenwich and Sydenham & Forest Hill CND groups.
The victims of all wars, both civilians as well as the military and animals, are remembered at the ceremony, and there is also criticism of the destructive power of the arms trade and profits made by armaments manufacturers.
Campaigners wear symbolic white as well as red poppies - white for peace and red for remembrance. They walk in silence from Bromley Market Square to the memorial with banners from CND groups as well as the Bromley Peace Council banner. The ceremony  includes contributions from speakers, readers  and musicians. Dennis  Cobell  from the Peace Pledge Union is often one of the main speakers.
The two minutes silence is observed  and a wreath of white, red and purple poppies (the latter for animals) is then laid on the steps of the memorial with a message from the Peace Pledge Union.
White poppies for peace were conceived by the Women’s Co-operative Guild and made their appearance on Armistice Day 1933 and are now made by the Peace Pledge Union.
They continue to be a reminder of the world’s failure to prevent war and a challenge to the massive rise in militarisation. 

Ann Garrett


Bromley Peace Council Take the Knee
On Wednesday 10th June, Richard Hart and Ann Garrett, joint convenors of Bromley Peace Council, joined in the National ‘Take a knee’ event in tribute to George Floyd and others who have suffered similarly. They took up position near Bromley South Station. They knelt as part of a national commemoration.
Richard Hart said ‘We feel it is important to remember and pay tribute to George Floyd. We are opposed to all forms of violence especially the use of fire arms. On this day our thoughts are with the victims and their families. Let us hope we do not have to do this any more. We feel that the only way is peace and we have to strive to achieve this.

Richard E. Hart (Joint Convenor of Bromley Peace Council.)

 













photo: defying the heat, campaigning at 31 centigrade! 

No War with Iran - Press Release, 4th January 2020

Bromley Borough CND are deeply concerned about President Trump’s decision to kill Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, and by doing so increase tensions in the Middle and Far East, and create a state of potential war, rather than preventing war.
There are now threats of retaliation from Tehran and more from the US, which has created an extremely dangerous and unstable situation, and could involve many other countries and is a threat to world peace.
Rather than negotiate through the UN, which takes time, skill and patience, the US has acted irresponsibly and is putting many lives at risk.
World leaders are rightly calling for de-escalation of the situation.
A demonstration was held in Whitehall and locally by Bromley Borough CND in Beckenham on 4th January, where they were doing Nuclear Ban Treaty campaigning.
Ann Garrett and Richard Hart  (Secretary and Chair of Bromley Borough CND)

Racism in Bromley - Press Release, 20th November 2019

Member of Bromley Peace Council were very concerned to read in the News Shopper of the incident at the Richmal Crompton pub where Mr D’arcy Smith was sent a banana by another customer, which was ordered through an app.
We offer our support and sympathy to him, are thoroughly opposed to racism in Bromley and the UK, and regularly take our banner on Stand Up to Racism protests.

Ann Garrett and Richard Hart  (Joint Conveners of Bromley Peace Council)

DIARY OF EVENTS

Meetings

Mon Oct 19th /2020                     Community House, South Street, Bromley from 1.30 - 3.00pm  
Mon March 15th/2021 (AGM )      ''              ''                  "    
Mon June 21st/2021                     ''              ''                  "     

Local Events

Leafleting in Bromley outside the Churchill Theatre or Bromley Market Square, in Beckenham outside LIDL, in Penge outside Boots, in Orpington near Lloyds bank, West Wickham near Caffe Nero/Oxfam or at Bromley South Station, 2.30 - 4.00 pm - the first Saturday of each month (note - there may be changes to an occasional Friday or other days.)

Due to the Pandemic lockdown many of these may have to be cancelled, including other Summer and Autumn events. Some of the vigils advertised below are suspended.

Aug 1st Bromley, Sept 5th Orpington, Oct 3rd Penge, Nov 7th Bromley South Station, Dec 5th West Wickham, Jan 2nd/2021 Beckenham, Feb 6th/2021 Bromley, March 6th/2021 Penge, April 3rd/2021 Orpington, May 1st/2021 Bromley South Station, June 5th/2021 West Wickham, July3rd/2021 Bromley.

 

NATIONAL  & LONDON REGION EVENTS

The following are postponed for the time being:-

Every Wednesday  - Women only vigil - Edith Cavell Statue, St Martins Place WC1 6-7pm

Every Friday - Fukushima Vigil outside the Japanese Embassy and TEPCO headquarters.

Every 1st Thursday of the month - Close Guantanamo demo outside US Embassy 12-1pm.

Every 2nd Wednesday of the month - Close Guantanamo outside Parliament 1-3pm.

Every 3rd Thursday in the month - NTAG/Kick Nuclear meeting at 162 Holloway Rd 7pm.

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