press briefing May 11th.

8 Arrests Overnight at Trident Warhead Factory

Trident Ploughshares campaigners last night their week of direct action
at
the UK Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire by
cutting
their way into the high security site, leading to 8 arrests so far.

Taking advantage of lax security and working in small groups the
activists
were able to get through the perimeter fence of the site and in some
cases
penetrated a fair distance inside. Some are still in custody and the
full
story has still to emerge but the main charge against them seems to be
criminal damage to the fence.

One of those released is Judith Pritchard (79), from Malvern in
Worcestershire. Tired but elated she explained how she had cut through
the
fence and was only held when she was going through a tunnel well inside
the
site. Judith was also charged with obstructing police after she refused
on
principle to take a DNA test, saying that she needed to consider the
implications of the test before complying. She said: " I am glad to
have
made one small step in the direction of disarming this monstrous
so-called
weapon of mass destruction and I hope that thousands more will join
us."

Also held were: Margaret Jones (52) a freelance writer from Bristol;
David
Heller (25) a full time campaigner from Belgium; Sylvia Boyes (57),
from
Keighley in Yorkshire, who was famously acquitted at Manchester Crown
Court
in January; Ulla Roder (46), from Odense in Denmark; Allen O'Keefe
(39),
from Cromer in Norfolk; Alison Crane (47) a local authority officer
from
Stafford and James Kinnaird from Bristol. Three others were escorted
off
the site after penetrating the perimeter fence.

The week of action continues.

Contacts:
On-site at Aldermaston from 10th to 15th May: 07870362621
07979990389
07752378993
Off-site:
David Mackenzie: 01324 880744 (07775711054)


--------------------------------------------------------Press Briefing: 12th May 2001

ACTIVISTS GET INSIDE NUKE SITE SECOND NIGHT IN A ROW
Repeated Breaches of Security at AWE Aldermaston

For the second night running Trident Ploughshares activists have got
into
the Aldermaston nuclear weapon factory in Berkshire, some of them
breaching
the site's security several times.

Following the action on Friday night which led to 8 arrests for
criminal
damage, a dozen campaigners last night climbed over or otherwise passed
the
perimeter fence and conducted explorations of the site, in order to
gain
information for future intrusions and direct action. MOD police were
content to apprehend and escort them off site without charging them
with
any offence.
Today at 11.30 a.m. the campaigners will march from Reading Station to
Broad Street where they will conduct a mock trial of the chief
executives
of BNFL, Serco and Lockheed-Martin (which run Aldermaston) for
conspiracy
to commit murder abroad. Tomorrow at 2.30 p.m. they will hold an
interfaith
vigil at the main gate of the site.
Around 35 campaigners are camped close to the perimeter fence and many
more
are expected on Monday when, jointly with London Region CND, Trident
Ploughshares will blockade the site, beginning at 7 a.m.
A Trident Ploughshares spokesperson said: "We are encouraged with how
well
our disarmament week has gone so far. We are looking forward to causing
as
much disruption as possible on Monday to the illegal work of this
factory
for indiscriminate weapons of mass destruction."
The week of action continues.