But this is not all. Britain is guilty of breaking one of the most inalienable human rights - the right to life, liberty, and security of person (Article 3). On a daily and continual basis, our government subjects not just British citizens, but citizens of countries worldwide, to an unseen, but ever present threat of nuclear war or nuclear accident. Trident submarines patrol international seas on a 24 hour basis, on continual alert, and the government admits it has a first-use policy; that is, it will not just be defence against attack, but will strike first.
Bearing in mind the instability in various parts of the globe, the countless nuclear accidents and narrowly averted catastrophes due to mistaken intention, how can anyone in the world feel "secure of person" while nuclear weapons exist.
What rights do Britain and other nuclear weapon states have to put at risk innocent people from other countries, and in fact their own citizens. The World Court, the highest court, has declared the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons to be illegal. Trident is a weapon of mass destruction - it kills everyone and anyone indiscriminately. Trident flies in the face of all human rights. Such contempt must be stopped, and human rights abusers such as our government won't do it until we get together to force them.
Greater Manchester and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (0161 834 8301, [email protected])