Extinction Rebellion activists blockade Faslane nuclear base in Scotland

The all-female group is demanding a future safe from the ‘threat of nuclear weapons and environmental destruction’

Anti-nuclear and climate activists have blockaded the Faslane nuclear base in Scotland.

Members of the climate justice group Extinction Rebellion and peace activists Trident Ploughshares have attached themselves to giant plant pots at the north gate of the base on the Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute.

The action, which Extinction Rebellion said is part of the Peace Lotus Campaign which celebrates the anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, is being used to demand a future safe from the “threat of nuclear weapons and environmental destruction,” the activists said.

HM Naval Base Clyde, known as Faslane, is home to the UK’s nuclear deterrent. Police officers are present at the scene, Police Scotland said. 

The all-female activists placed three giant plant pots, filled with plants and flowers, on the road on Friday morning. An Extinction Rebellion protester is locked on to each one so that they cannot be moved. 

The plant pots, which are painted with the words “Safe”, “Green”, and “Future”, are blocking access to the base, except for emergency vehicles that can still access the site via the South Gate. 

The plant pots, which are painted with the words “Safe”, “Green”, and “Future”, are blocking access to the base, except for emergency vehicles that can still access the site via the South Gate (PA)

The plant pots, which are painted with the words “Safe”, “Green”, and “Future”, are blocking access to the base, except for emergency vehicles that can still access the site via the South Gate (PA)

The plant pots, which are painted with the words “Safe”, “Green”, and “Future”, are blocking access to the base, except for emergency vehicles that can still access the site via the South Gate (PA)

Sarah Krischer, 28, an archaeologist and Extinction Rebellion (XR) Scotland activist, said: “Nuclear weapons are an existential threat to the entire world.

“Stockpiling weapons with the ability to wipe out all life in order to appear tough does nothing to keep either the UK or any other country safe.

“The ongoing environmental degradation caused by uranium mining and nuclear testing continues to be felt, particularly among Pacific island nations that are also the most threatened by climate change.

“We must come together to build a safe, more just future for all.”

Last Friday, other Extinction Rebellion activists dumped fake coal outside Lloyd’s of London in protest of the insurance industry’s backing for the fossil fuel industry.

Extinction Rebellion said the protest was designed to highlight Lloyd’s support for the most polluting projects, such as tar sands and coal mines, including the highly controversial Adani coal mine in Australia, which it says other insurance companies have backed away from.

Additional reporting by Press Association Scotland