Swimming for peace

Two more peace protesters were arrested yesterday (Monday) after trying to board a Trident submarine berthed at Faslane in Scotland. Ulla Roder and Marcus Armstrong were caught by guards a few metres from the vessel after swimming across the Loch into the main security area of the base. In a statement they said: "We feel personally responsible to do everything we can to prevent the Trident system from being able to operate." On Monday morning at 7.45am, Trident Ploughshare activists began another blockade of the morning shift of workers at Faslane North Gate. Eight more arrests took place. One campaigner said: "These workers, lovely as they are as individual human beings, are nevertheless aiding and abetting the preparations for mass murder and they must not be allowed to do this. We will continue to lawfully obstruct them and encourage them to shift to peace work." Several hundred people, of all ages and faiths, have camped by the Loch for a two-week series of peaceful protests at the presence of nuclear submarines there. So far more than 120 have been arrested. One explained: "We are here because words without action are meaningless."