An alternative vision of security for the UK and France

Source: Pax Christi England and Wales

Peace organisations from the UK and France, including Pax Christi England and Wales and Pax Christi Scotland, hosted a peace conference at St Anne's Church, Soho, London on Saturday.

Held to mark the 15th anniversary of the Lancaster House Treaties between the two countries, the conference called on both Governments to end their collaboration on nuclear deterrence and the development of their nuclear arsenals and to collaborate instead on real threats to security such as climate change, wealth inequality and failing democracy.

Speakers at the conference included Mgr Bruni Marie Duffe, Secretary Emeritus of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Etienne Godinot, co-founder of the Mouvement pour une Alternative Non-Violente; Bishop William Kenney one of the authors of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales document 'Called to be Peacemakers'; and Dr Joanna Frew, Outreach Co-Ordinator for Rethinking Security.

The conference also heard statements from Archbishop William Nolan of Glasgow and Retired French General, Bernard Norlain.

Fr Joe Ryan said: "Each speaker reiterated the insanity of nuclear weapons which can destroy all of humanity several times over.
we were reminded of the lessons we should be learning from the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There was a strong belief that peace was possible and HOPE was of essence.

"The consideration of a COP styled gathering to investigate the nuclear arms situation could lead to a meeting of minds and mutual trust of so-called enemies. An alternative way of thinking is called for. We have only one Common Good.
"If only the resources spent on arms were used for the good of all, Education, Medical Care and Human Welfare...... what a different world we would have!"

Andrew Jackson, Chief Executive of Pax Christi England and Wales who helped organise the conference, said: "The 2010 Lancaster House Treaties between the UK and France provided for extensive collaboration between the two countries on the maintenance and development of their nuclear arsenals. Over the last two years we have marked the Treaties' anniversary by joining together as UK and France-based peace organisations in campaigns to persuade the two Governments to collaborate on disarmament rather than increasing their nuclear force.

With the fifteenth anniversary of the treaties this year and a statement on increased collaboration from Keir Starmer and President Macron just this last summer, we wanted to delve deeper and hold a conference in London to discuss alternative security strategies to those based on nuclear deterrence.

Out of the conference we have written a joint open letter to the two leaders in which we have reminded them that theories of security based on nuclear deterrence fail to address the real sources of insecurity that the two nations face - glaring injustices and inequalities at the national and global levels, ideologies of hatred, domination and exclusion, terrorism, cyberattacks, disinformation, global warming and a decline in biodiversity.

We urged them to invest all the political will and the financial and non-financial resources that are currently devoted to nuclear weapons to collaboration on nuclear disarmament and alternative approaches to security and defence."

The conference was followed by a peace walk and vigils outside the French Embassy and Downing Street.

LINKS

For more information on the presentations at the conference and the open letter, please see the Pax Christi website: www.paxchristi.org.uk

CBCEW document 'Called to be peacemakers': https://cbcew.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/Called-to-be-Peacemakers.pdf