Faslane Peace Camp
Encyclopedia
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp
sited alongside Faslane Naval base
in Argyll and Bute
, Scotland
. It has been occupied continuously, in a few different locations, since 12 June 1982. In 1984 the book Faslane:Diary of a Peace Camp was published, co-written by the members of the peacecamp at the time.
The camp is well established with mains water, a conventional toilet, a telephone, a large kitchen and living room, hot water and a bath, and planning permission for 12 caravans. However, the tenancy was ended 5 years ago when the council borders changed. The new council then organised an eviction order but decided not to waste money on a large-scale eviction.
warheads, which are heavily guarded by the Special Escort Group (Ministry of Defence Police)
, and by blockading the two gates. They are also active, with Trident Ploughshares
and CND
in large public blockades of the base, attended by members of the public and a few politicians. Such annual events aim to keep the base closed for as long as possible by preventing its staff from arriving for work, and usually involve large numbers of protesters being arrested.
The campaign was launched in September 2006 with the first protest action commencing on 1 October 2006 carried out by a campaigning group of women associated with protests at Greenham Common.
Arrests were made on 2 October of 12 women, and on 9 October of 7 unspecified people. On 16 October 23 Swedes and 19 Finns were arrested.
There have been 473 arrests up to 8 January 2007. The most recent independent corroboration of the number of arrests appeared in The Guardian
on 12 December 2006, in an article which reported that there had been 344 arrests up to that date. Another notable day of protest took place on the 7th of January 2007 when a group of around 40 world renowned academics including Sir Richard Jolly and 25 students from Oxford, Cambridge, Sussex and Edinburgh held a seminar discussing the replacement of the trident missiles at the base. Protesters subsequently managed to stage the most successful blockade of the campaign (apart from a negotiated three day blockage over Christmas) so far closing the North Gate for six hours. All those who blockaded were arrested and held overnight. The majority of these arrests have been for breach of the peace
, with 22 prosecutions being made so far: the vast majority of arrested protesters are released, receiving a letter from the Procurator Fiscal
's office explaining that although "evidence is sufficient to justify my bringing you before the Court on this criminal charge", the Procurator Fiscal has "decided not to take such proceedings".
, the Scottish Socialist Party
and the Scottish Green Party
all oppose the deployment of nuclear weapons, although the Scottish National Party
have made assurances that they would retain the base for the servicing of conventionally-armed and powered naval units. The issue of Trident
is however a reserved matter dealt with at Westminster
, rather than regionally.
It is not unusual for members of these Scottish political parties, and indeed some from the Labour Party
, to attend rallies outside Faslane. As an example of the inter-relationship of Scottish party politics with Faslane Peace Camp, one of its founder members, Les Robertson, went on to become a Labour Party Councillor on the local Dumbarton Council and is a regular candidate for the Scottish Socialist Party. Robertson has served two prison sentences for protests he's taken part in at the Faslane base, the first in 1983 when he was still resident at the camp, and the most recent in 2005. Various other Scottish politicians have been involved in protests at Faslane.
Peace camp
Peace camps are a form of physical protest camp that is focused on anti-war activity. They are set up outside military bases by members of the peace movement who oppose either the existence of the military bases themselves, the armaments held there, or the politics of those who control the bases...
sited alongside Faslane Naval base
HMNB Clyde
Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy...
in Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It has been occupied continuously, in a few different locations, since 12 June 1982. In 1984 the book Faslane:Diary of a Peace Camp was published, co-written by the members of the peacecamp at the time.
The site
The site and look of the camp has varied considerably over the years, depending on the number and attitude of the residents. At one point there were two sites (one at each main gate) with distinct political attitudes (roughly characterised as anarchist and socialist).The camp is well established with mains water, a conventional toilet, a telephone, a large kitchen and living room, hot water and a bath, and planning permission for 12 caravans. However, the tenancy was ended 5 years ago when the council borders changed. The new council then organised an eviction order but decided not to waste money on a large-scale eviction.
Protests
Camp residents have occasionally breached the security of the Naval Base by getting inside the fence or by canoeing or swimming into the base. Also by successfully disrupting the road transportation of the Trident missileTrident missile
The Trident missile is a submarine-launched ballistic missile equipped with multiple independently-targetable reentry vehicles . The Fleet Ballistic Missile is armed with nuclear warheads and is launched from nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines . Trident missiles are carried by fourteen...
warheads, which are heavily guarded by the Special Escort Group (Ministry of Defence Police)
Special Escort Group (Ministry of Defence Police)
The Special Escort Group or SEG are a specialised unit of the Ministry of Defence Police. It is primarily responsible for the movement of all Nuclear Weapons and Defence Special Nuclear Material within the United Kingdom....
, and by blockading the two gates. They are also active, with Trident Ploughshares
Trident Ploughshares
Trident Ploughshares is an activist anti-nuclear weapons group, founded in 1998 with the aim of "beating swords into ploughshares" . This is specifically by attempting to disarm the UK Trident nuclear weapons system, in a non-violent manner...
and CND
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
in large public blockades of the base, attended by members of the public and a few politicians. Such annual events aim to keep the base closed for as long as possible by preventing its staff from arriving for work, and usually involve large numbers of protesters being arrested.
Faslane 365
The Faslane 365 campaign is an effort to establish a continuous protest at the base for a 365 day period using autonomous groups of 100 people.Arrests were made on 2 October of 12 women, and on 9 October of 7 unspecified people. On 16 October 23 Swedes and 19 Finns were arrested.
There have been 473 arrests up to 8 January 2007. The most recent independent corroboration of the number of arrests appeared in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
on 12 December 2006, in an article which reported that there had been 344 arrests up to that date. Another notable day of protest took place on the 7th of January 2007 when a group of around 40 world renowned academics including Sir Richard Jolly and 25 students from Oxford, Cambridge, Sussex and Edinburgh held a seminar discussing the replacement of the trident missiles at the base. Protesters subsequently managed to stage the most successful blockade of the campaign (apart from a negotiated three day blockage over Christmas) so far closing the North Gate for six hours. All those who blockaded were arrested and held overnight. The majority of these arrests have been for breach of the peace
Breach of the peace
Breach of the peace is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries, and in a wider public order sense in Britain.-Constitutional law:...
, with 22 prosecutions being made so far: the vast majority of arrested protesters are released, receiving a letter from the Procurator Fiscal
Procurator Fiscal
A procurator fiscal is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland , conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police A procurator fiscal (pl. procurators fiscal) is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They...
's office explaining that although "evidence is sufficient to justify my bringing you before the Court on this criminal charge", the Procurator Fiscal has "decided not to take such proceedings".
Political situation
The presence of the Faslane base is also an issue in Scottish politics. The Scottish National PartyScottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
, the Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
and the Scottish Green Party
Scottish Green Party
The Scottish Green Party is a green party in Scotland. It has two MSPs in the devolved Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, representing Lothian, and Patrick Harvie, for Glasgow.-Organisation:...
all oppose the deployment of nuclear weapons, although the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
have made assurances that they would retain the base for the servicing of conventionally-armed and powered naval units. The issue of Trident
UK Trident programme
The UK Trident programme is the United Kingdom's Trident missile-based nuclear weapons programme. Under the programme, the Royal Navy operates 58 nuclear-armed Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and around 200 nuclear warheads on 4 Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines from...
is however a reserved matter dealt with at Westminster
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, rather than regionally.
It is not unusual for members of these Scottish political parties, and indeed some from the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, to attend rallies outside Faslane. As an example of the inter-relationship of Scottish party politics with Faslane Peace Camp, one of its founder members, Les Robertson, went on to become a Labour Party Councillor on the local Dumbarton Council and is a regular candidate for the Scottish Socialist Party. Robertson has served two prison sentences for protests he's taken part in at the Faslane base, the first in 1983 when he was still resident at the camp, and the most recent in 2005. Various other Scottish politicians have been involved in protests at Faslane.