Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors
31 October 2002 : Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors To Visit USAF Fairford
|
Press Release: WEAPONS INSPECTORS TO VISIT USAF FAIRFORD October 31st is "Don't Attack Iraq" national day of protest called for by Tony Benn and the Stop the War Coalition. At 8.30am on Oct 31st Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors will be visiting USAF Fairford to ask for access to search the base for weapons of mass destruction. Members of the press are invited to meet with us at 8am on Thursday 31st October in the car park in the Market Place in Fairford village for a press briefing. From there we would like you to accompany us to USAF Fairford where we will make a short theatrical protest and request access to the base for inspection purposes. The event will finish by 9am. The Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors are an informal group of concerned citizens who will be staging a series of non-violent actions to highlight the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Gloucestershire. The group members are doctors, lawyers, artists, students, teachers, nurses and others sharing the common concern that Gloucestershire should not play host to regimes possessing and continuing to develop weapons of mass destruction. This will be our first performance. The Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors are an eye catching and humorous ensemble. We will be attired in full protective clothing with array of fascinating weapons finding devices. Our performance will last only a few minutes and there will be ample opportunity for filming, photographs and interviews. "We aim to point out the hypocrisy of the United States demanding that other countries should disarm whilst they have the most awesome array of weapons of mass destruction on the planet. The US no longer considers nuclear weapons purely as a deterrent. They are designing 'more usable' nuclear bombs some of which we believe, are already, or soon will be, here at Fairford." says Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors co-ordinator Grace Trevett. "After all Fairford is the largest US bomber base in Europe. These new nuclear weapons are designed to attack deep bunkers of the sort Saddam Hussein hides in. When you realise Fairford will be fully involved in any attack on Iraq you have to wonder if the next nuclear bomb will be launched from here" she adds. One of the inspectors, Dave Cockcroft, says "We should also include Depleted Uranium as a weapon of mass destruction. It poisons the environment for thousands of years and parts of Iraq bombed with DU weapons in 1991 now have very high cancer rates and are still experiencing many terrible birth defects. We know Depleted Uranium was used in Afghanistan and will be used again in Iraq. It's simply irresponsible to use weapons with such massive long term effects and catastrophic consequences for civilians". "We want all weapons of mass destruction to be open to inspection. We want to see the US and UK governments actively reducing their own stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. At present this simply isn't happening. The US is tearing up treaty after treaty and they act as if they have the right to do whatever they like. But rights are universal and apply equally everywhere. Iraq is prepared to allow weapons inspections, let us see if USAF Fairford can do the same?" Contacts: Grace Trevett 01453 751799, Dave Cockcroft 07768 418960. - info@gwi.org.uk . END . |