Greenpeace activists block NATO's Brussels HQ with a full-size replica of a US B61 nuclear bomb
Twenty four Greenpeace activists from the UK. Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey were arrested this morning after staging a protest at NATO's Brussels headquarters. Their demand: removal of the 480 US-owned and controlled nuclear weapons from Europe. The action occurred as NATO Defence Ministers prepared for a high-level meeting on the future of NATO.
A Greenpeace truck carrying a 3.6m full-size replica of a US B61 nuclear bomb blocked the entrance to NATO with activists bearing banners saying "Nukes out of NATO". More activists entered the site carrying banners onto the NATO symbol statue, while others dropped a two-meter-square banner repeating the message from NATO's main building.
Sixteen years after the end of the cold war, 480 US Nuclear weapons remain in Europe. They are currently stationed in the UK, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. 110 US nuclear weapons are stationed in the UK at RAF Lakenheath, each of these nuclear weapons has a destructive capacity of up to ten times that of the bomb which destroyed Hiroshima, and their combined power is capable of wiping Europe off the map.
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"US NATO nuclear weapons on European soil make us less not more secure," said Greenpeace disarmament campaigner Simon Clydesdale. "The 110 US B61 nuclear bombs at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk are cold war remnants, provoking nuclear weapons proliferation and preventing meaningful dialogue towards peace. Defence ministers should act today to make a 21st century NATO free of 20th century nuclear weapons and policies."
Last week a report released by the Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDC) chaired by Hans Blix included calls for the 480 US-owned and controlled nuclear weapons to be removed from Europe and returned to US soil. The WMDC report details the enormous danger of US nuclear weapons. The Commission also explains how these weapons impede international efforts to negotiate further nuclear reductions with Russia.
The governments of NATO countries have a direct role in shaping NATO policy and can insist that these weapons be removed from their territory. The US has taken their weapons home several times before: Canada, Greece, Denmark (Greenland) and Iceland are all now free of US nuclear bombs.
"With all the debate over Iran's nuclear intentions, countries must accept their own responsibility and role in de-escalating nuclear tensions," Clydesdale added. "By removing US NATO nuclear weapons, European leaders have the opportunity to strengthen the position of Europe in negotiations with the Middle East and Russia and take a real step towards achieving a more peaceful future."
