Protesters Shut All Gates at UK Nuke Base - 166 arrested

Protesters Shut All Gates at UK Nuke Base
32 Arrests; Police Breach Liaison Agreement

Hundreds of people protesting against Britain's weapons of mass destruction have this morning closed all vehicular access to Faslane naval base, home of Trident nuclear weapon submarines.

The blockade succeeded in spite of an attempt by the police to foil it by not allowing buses to unload passengers near the base's north gate. This was in breach of an agreement made at a series of liaison meetings. A Big Blockade spokesperson commented: "We are a bit taken aback by this breach of faith on the part of the police. We liaise with them in good faith and keep our part of any agreements reached. We wonder whether this disappointing turn of events means that they are succumbing to political pressure in the lead-up to the Scottish elections. "

The base's north gate, the main entrance, is closed by a number of activists lying and sitting in the road, many of them locked on to each other with plastic and metal tubes. To date there have been 32 arrests, including former CND chair Bruce Kent. Among a welter of creative banners and slogans is one in Swedish: "Har Blix vi har hittat dom" (Here Blix, we've found them). Among parliamentarians present are SNP leader John Swinney and Green party leader Robin Harper.

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