Skip to main content

Report from London Region CND conference March 2020

Plenary 1 - Britain’s role in the World, Report of London CND Conference ‘An ethical foreign policy’ held at SOAS 7th March 2020.

Catherine West, MP for Hornsea & Wood Green

Catherine stressed the need for new and younger members. This was covered by Plenary 3 which Ann attended.

An Ethical Foreign Policy should be based on 3 pillars.

Human Rights.

Training.

Security (This means security from nuclear weapons).

The present British Government has singularly failed to address these problems.

President Trump has ratcheted up the problems and made Nuclear War more likely.

The USA has not participated in International Conferences since 2016 , especially the 2017 Ban Treaty when Trump stood outside the Hall at UN Headquarters where the conference was being held.

BREXIT has resulted in a lessened impetus on disarmament issues.

Problems of Climate Change have not been resolved.

Problems in the Middle East have been exacerbated by the failure to resolve the issues of the Kurds squeezed between Turkey and Syria.

 

Hannah Kemp-Welch, London CND

Hannah reported from a conference in Japan she attended in 2019 entitled ‘Against the A&H Bomb.’

She noted the effects of discrimination on Japanese Women and how austerity has had a detrimental effect on women, especially BAME Women.

The current stockpile of nuclear weapons has destructive power 8 times that of the weapons used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Kristen Hope, Dulwich and West Norwood Labour Party

Kristen showed a video of the Calais Convoy which she had participated in. The object of the convoy was to provide Charity and show solidarity with the refugees in the Calais Area. The refugees had been subjected to harassment by the French Police, whilst the current Mayor of Calais is hostile .

Kristen stressed the following concerns and areas for action:

The need for dignity for the refugees.

The need to raise the refugees’ self esteem.

Security must be improved.

Activists had been criminalised and prosecuted under security laws.

The charitable work needs to be supplemented by solidarity.

The rolling back of Human Rights must be resisted.

Asylum procedures have to be reviewed and resolved.

The UK should open border facilities in Calais.

Marian Hobbs, Former New Zealand Labour Cabinet Minister for the Environment under Helen Clark. This was by Video Link

Marian reported what had been achieved under Helen Clark’s government and talked about ‘The Rainbow Warrior’ incident in 1994. She showed what had been achieved in New Zealand.

Plenary 2 - Iran, Iraq Conflicts,

Abbas Edalat: Iran Today

Iran has never had a military nuclear weapons programme, and never will. Trump is set on regime change in Iran. The Iranian people  back their government against Trump. Due to Trump’s sanctions, Iranian oil exports have fallen by 90%. This is a major part of their economy.50% of the population live below the poverty line. Iran is badly affected by the coronavirus: this can be said to amount to genocide.

Sami Ramadani, Iraqi Democrat.

a  The invasion and occupation from 2003 to 2008 claimed 1 million Iraqi lives

b. A half million Iraqi children have died as a result of the economic sanctions.

c. Iraq’s infrastructure has been destroyed. Until 2003 it was largely under state control.

d. Health, education and women’s services have collapsed.

e. Coalition forces have used depleted uranium with dire effects.

f. There is a high level of corruption.

g. US control has been weakened by various forms of resistance .

RicRichard E. Hart

Round Table - Engaging New Activists. Video link with Emily Rubino - from the US

Benali Hamdache - Climate and War

Nobu Ono - SOAS students

Amber Goneni - Facilitator

Important to challenge people in a position of power.

Working with people from all backgrounds who voice issues.

Sustain momentum of young people’s campaigning.

Listen to young people and act on their ideas.

Climate Change - young people deeply involved - climate strikes.

SOAS CND - challenging arms companies. Organising films and talks.

Encourage capacity building in local areas.

Use of social media to inform and communicate ideas. 

 Report of London CND Conference October 2019 at St Thomas’s Hospital Climate Change Workshop

There is a high carbon footprint as the result of military action over many years.

Concerns expressed re the huge imbalance between military and climate spending.

Security goals are better served by a shift from military to climate spending.

Key target audiences:

Policy makers

Environmental campaigners

Climate scientists

Discussion Points

How can peace groups influence, or be a part of, XR?

Decentralise XR into more local groups.

XR brings different types of people together.

Strategies for local and national levels.

Publicise that CND runs climate change workshops in schools.

Peace groups to be encouraged to engage with local XR groups.

Conference Plenary Session - Building a Different Future

Phillip Jennings, TU Global Movement.

No peace without global justice.

There is a global TU structure.

Engagement with the EU global movement.

Conversations with the fossil fuel sector.

 

Reiner Braun, International Peace Bureau.

Transformation of all our societies.

Guidelines needed for long term plans.

Transition for a more peaceful Europe needed.

Importance of BAN treaty.

Tribute paid to all young climate activists on the streets.

 

Rieko Asato, from Japan

Important preparations for the world peace conference in new York next Spring.

The Abi government’s link with the US nuclear umbrella should be challenged.

400 local Japanese assemblies are challenging the Japanese nuclear policy.

Due to Trump’s sanctions Iranian oil exports have fallen by 90%. This is a major part of their economy.

Final Discussion - Summary

Turkey’s invasion of Syria – all part of the NATO strategy.

All arms trade and production for the far East should be stopped.

Global justice and equality – vitally important.

Engaging with young people and local organisations.

Ann Garrett

 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Notes from CND conference 10/11/2018 session :shape of things to come

Ted Seay , Stuart Parkinson , Steven Rose TS: New military technology re shape global security situation. Use of algorithmic warfare (computer automated war) and ‘Drone swarms’  such as the attack on Russian base in Syria . 13 drones with bombs carried out the attack. There are hyper velocity technology used in weapons making it impossible to intercept an attack. Use of Artificial Intelligence in creating autonomous weapons. These are all worrying developments making the security of  our world even more uncertain. Therefore the claims that nuclear weapons offer stability through ‘deterrence’ is even more weak if not obsolete. TS: “US presidents come and go, but US military policies are hardly affected. The real culprits are the US Dep of Defence (the military), department of energy (the urge to dominate energy sources) and government agencies working hand in glove with large weapons manufacturing corporations. Plus the corporations themselves” A regional nuclear ...

BAN Bromley Borough CND newsletter 2023

BAN 2023 Created by Ann Garrett, Edited by Rob Clark Up Coming Events April 26th - Chernobyl Day stall and vigil - Bromley Market Square 12 00 - 3pm August 3rd - Hiroshima Vigil - opposite the Churchill Theatre 12 - 3pm - poems and statements Sept 21st - Peace One Day event at Bromley Friends Meeting House 7 -10pm . Stalls, speaker, films, poetry and music. November 10th - White Poppy Ceremony 10.30 - 11.00 a.m. at Bromley War Memorial [SE London Peace, Justice and Solidarity Network] speeches, poems and music. 1st Thursday of every month - Close Guantanamo demo outside parliament - 3pm. All Guantanamo events TBC. Zoom meetings take place each month. Every Saturday at 12noon. Free Julian Assange - vigils at Belmarsh .NTAG/Kick Nuclear meetings at 162 Holloway Road 7pm or on Zoom. To view the 2023 newsletter click HERE

Nuclear exploitation: how uranium mining harms communities – CND and Beyond Nuclear webinar

To produce nuclear power, uranium has to be mined. But this activity proves devastating for the communities – very often of Indigenous people – working in and living near the mines. As well as immediate and ongoing harms, contamination from uranium mining activity persists for tens of thousands of years, leaving a dangerous legacy for current and future generations. Click for the Link