Facebook has issued an apology to the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) after blocking people from accessing the peace organisation’s website from its platform. The Ferret reported last week that Scottish CND was considering a complaint to Ofcom because people trying to access its website from its Facebook page were advised the URL breached “community standards”. Facebook has now resolved the issue but Scottish CND criticised the social media giant for failing to explain why its site was blocked in the first place. The peace group thinks it may have been a “malicious complaint” or the word “bomb” in its URL which proved problematic.

The Ferret 27th July 2021 read more »

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that Paris owed “a debt” to French Polynesia over nuclear tests conducted in the South Pacific territory between 1966 and 1996, but stopped short of apologising.

Daily Mail 28th July 2021 read more »

CND commissioned Christine Chinkin and Louise Arimatsu of the LSE to provide a legal opinion on whether UK policy is in breach of Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which requires that signatories take effective measures ‘in good faith’ towards nuclear disarmament. Chinkin and Arimatsu argued that it is. CND plans to report the UK to the UN at the next NPT Review Conference, repeatedly postponed since the start of the pandemic and currently scheduled ‘to be held no later than February 2022’.

London Review of Books 26th July 2021 read more »

French President Emmanuel Macron was greeted with flower garlands and Tahitian dancers on the tarmac as he touched down Saturday night for his first official trip to French Polynesia. While in the South Pacific territory, he plans to discuss its strategic role, the legacy of nuclear tests and the existential risk of rising seas posed by global warming. Residents in the sprawling archipelago of more than 100 islands located midway between Mexico and Australia are hoping Macron confirms compensation for radiation victims following decades of nuclear testing as France pursued atomic weapons.

Daily Mail 25th July 2021 read more »

The Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is considering an official complaint to Ofcom after Facebook blocked users from accessing the peace organisation’s website. Anyone trying to access the official Scottish CND site from its Facebook page in recent weeks has been advised the URL breaches “community standards”. Scottish CND told The Ferret that many people have complained about not being able to access its website via Facebook. The peace group thinks it may have been a “malicious complaint” or the perhaps the word “bomb” in the URL which is proving problematic.

Ferret 24th July 2021 read more »

SNP grassroots activists are appealing to the party to set a three-year deadline for the removal of Trident from the Clyde following the establishment of an independent Scottish Government. The draft resolution is being sent to the organisers of the party’s conference in September and has the backing of Nicola Sturgeon’s Glasgow southside branch as well as eight other branches across Scotland.

The National 22nd July 2021 read more »

An American Virginia class nuclear submarine is visiting HMNB Clyde at Faslane, near Glasgow. The US Navy say that port visits “strengthen cooperation between the United States and United Kingdom”, and “demonstrate US capability, flexibility, and continuing commitment to NATO allies.”

UK Defence Journal 19th July 2021 read more »

An Australian artist has accused a group of Conservative councillors of using “bullying strategies” to silence and censor her work after an installation she created to highlight Britain’s “identity as a colonial nuclear state” was removed from a park in Essex. The councillors threatened to “take action against the work” if it was not removed, according to Metal, the arts organisation that commissioned and then removed the installation from Gunners Park in Southend.

Guardian 17th July 2021 read more »

Ken Livingstone: There’s no money for universal credit — but there is for more nuclear weapons? At this point where the Tories are claiming funds are low, we must highlight the ridiculous £200 billion they plan to waste on renewing and expanding our sick missile programme.

Morning Star 17th July 2021 read more »

UK Government behaving like ‘rogue state’ over plans for more nuclear weapons on Clyde. Anti-nuclear campaigners have called on members of the public to report the UK Government to the United Nations over plans to increase the number of warheads available to Royal Navy. The UK Government has been accused of behaving like a “rogue state” over plans to increase the number of nuclear weapons based on the Clyde. Tory ministers announced in March the cap on missiles would increase from 180 to 260 as part of a recent defence review, despite years of gradual reductions in the UK’s nuclear arsenal.

Daily Record 12th July 2021 read more »