22 OCTOBER 2001
FASLANE PEACE CAMP - October Blockade

Following the huge success of the Big Blockade in February the October Blockade on Monday 22nd October is set to be even bigger and better!

In February 1 000 people closed the Faslane Trident nuclear missile submarine base for over five hours. 385 people were arrested including 15 church ministers, MP George Galloway, MSP Tommy Sheridan and activists from Finland, Ireland, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Spain. Faslane Peace Campers kept the south gate of the base closed for over six hours before the blockade started with a 6 metre high tripod despite a huge police presence. Major disruption was caused to the base which currently employs about 3 000 civilian workers and is the base for a similar number of service personnel. Workers were told to go away and try and get in after the blockade was over.

For the October Blockade (the 'OKBLOK') three Community centres in Glasgow have been booked for overnight accommodation and last minute briefings and nonviolence training the night before the Blockade and we are arranging buses out to Faslane in the morning from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen. We already know of buses coming to Glasgow from London, Norwich and Belfast. Students in Ireland have said they plan to bring 200 people over for the Blockade and minibuses are coming from all over the UK.

There's a huge amount of work to be done - we need to feed at least 500 people and get them out to Faslane from Glasgow before the shift change starts at 7am. In the evening after the action we need people to help collect people who have been arrested from police stations and make sure everyone gets the right bus home again. If you can help please let us know.

The police have announced that 'Operation Foundation' to deal with the 'OKBLOK' will be the largest police operation this year in Scotland. For the Big Blockade seven police stations were filled by arrested protestors, with the overspill at one station held in seven minibuses parked outside! At the 'OKBLOK' we hope to build on that success so there will be so many people the police will back down from arresting anyone and we will close the base for the day!

You can help make that happen by encouraging as many people as possible to come to the action. You can only be arrested if you step into the roadway so it is quite safe for people to come along to support the blockade.

A detailed 10-page briefing with maps, photo's, legal details and tactics is now available along with flyers, stickers and posters. A model motion for trade union members to use to get support for the action is also available.
For an on-line version of the briefing and the model motion visit
www.cndscot.dial.pipex.com or www.tridentploughshares.org
Contact the Action Line: 0141 423 1222 for more information.

To book seats on buses contact your regional contact:
SCOTLAND:
Glasgow (buses leaving 5.30am from George Square, Charing Cross, Kinning Park and Botanic Gardens, price £3) contact John or Phill on the Action Line: 0141 423 1222
Edinburgh Buses leaving from various locations, price to be confirmed contact Barbara: 0131 449 2455 or Ian 0131 554 9209
Dundee To be confirmed, contact Liz: 01382 580449
Aberdeen To be confirmed, contact Nellie: 01224 622389
Stirling contact David: 0845 4588366
Fort William/Oban contact Rory: 01631 710834
ENGLAND
Newcastle Andrew: 0191 209 3140
Carlisle Chris: 01228 524351
Leeds & Bradford Rachel: 01274 730795
Manchester c/o Manchester CND: 0161 273 8283
Liverpool uni Rachel: 07903 125190
Merseyside c/o Liverpool CND: 0151 708 7764
Nottingham c/o Nottingham CND: 0115 934 8459
Birmingham c/o West Midlands CND: 0121 643 4617
Norwich Davida: 01508 5504467
Cambridge Terry: 01223 503986
Oxford Sarah: 01865 725991
London Tony: 0207 700 2393
Heather: 0208 546 7795
Bristol Margaret: 079799 90389
Brighton Harriet 01273 692880
Rhonaigh: 01273 724200
WALES
  Ray 02920 889514


Regional mobilisation meetings are being organised for the end of September, beginning of October, along with nonviolence training workshops: Contact the OKBLOK Action Line for more details.

OKBLOK Benefit gig: 13th Oct at the 13th Note, Glasgow. More details coming later.

(To help pay for the action please send donations to the OKBLOK team c/o Scottish CND, 15 Barrland Street, Glasgow G41 1QH with cheques made out to 'Scottish CND'.)

Thank you - See you at the OKBLOK!