London CND priorities for 2021

The London CND Annual General Meeting took place on Monday 22 March 2021. These two motions were adopted on this occasion, setting the priorities for London CND this year:

London CND priorities for 2021

1. London Regional CND’s 2021 Annual General Meeting acknowledges the difficulties of campaigning within the constraints imposed by the pandemic and recognises that some restrictions are likely to continue in the year ahead.

2. We welcome the steps taken by London CND to adjust to this new environment, improve our use of digital platforms, and develop new campaigning tools and methods.

3. Within this context, our campaigning priorities for 2021 shall be:

   a. Using all opportunities to call for the scrapping of Trident,

   b. Developing the London Nuclear Ban initiative to help generate pressure for the UK government to sign and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and

   c. Continuing to oppose UK participation in foreign military adventures.

4. We will maximise our campaigning resources, including by:

   d. Holding public events and activities on zoom,

   e. Continuing to develop effective and professional social media,

   f. Joining forces with others to get our message across, and

   g. Working with Y&S CND to encourage a new generation of activists.

Emergency Motion: Integrated Review

1. London Regional CND Annual General Meeting is outraged at the government’s announcement of a 40% increase in the stockpile of UK nuclear warheads, announced as part of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy published on 16 March 2021.

2. We are mindful that:

   a. Britain already has an arsenal of around 200 nuclear warheads, each of which is eight times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb;

   b. the increase in the stockpile runs counter to the UK’s international legal obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which requires Britain to takes steps to disarm our nuclear arsenal, and

   c. comes at the same time that the United States and Russian Federation have renewed their commitment to bilateral nuclear reductions with the Treaty for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, known as the New START Treaty.

3. This AGM believes:

   d. this increase in the UK’s nuclear stockpile will do nothing to protect Britain from the actual threats we face,

   e. flies in the face of growing public support for the global abolition of nuclear weapons, and

   f. is likely to make this country and the world less safe by triggering a new nuclear arms race.

4. We therefore instruct London CND Committee to do all in its power to draw attention to the many consequences of an increase in the UK’s nuclear stockpile and take all opportunities available to campaign against it.

London CND Annual Report

What a year!

Following our AGM on March 22nd, we are happy to present this gallery of all the events we organised this year. Despite the pandemic, we moved online and developped collaborations with multiple other campaigns.

New Year dinner, Waterloo

Together? As a group? In a restaurant? This is how London CND’s new year of campaigning started - once upon a time.

London CND’s 2020 Annual Conference

A great start to the year at SOAS

London CND’s 2020 Annual Conference

London CND shifts into digital campaigning

The full series is available here.

Virtual Hiroshima Day Commemoration, joined by Jeremy Corbyn

CND National Conference hosted by London CND

London CND was in charge of organising the CND National Conference on the theme of Security and the pandemic.

Youth & Student CND event #1

London CND collaborated with Youth & Student CND to organise this punchy event. Catch up here.

Youth & Student CND event #2

This time, London CND and Youth & Student CND were joined by East Midlands CND. The result of this fruitful collaboration is available here.

London CND Annual Conference

We entered 2021 with our Annual Conference entitled ‘What Now? Nuclear Policy Under Biden’.

Launching the London Nuclear Ban Communities initiative

We launched an exciting initiative which aims to make London a Nuclear Ban Community alongside other cities such as Paris and Washington DC. Learn more here.

News from CND Sydenham & Forest Hill

We are a combination of Greenwich and Lewisham CND, Bromley and Forest Hill and Sydenham CND Plus the local Stop The War and other members with similar views. Gini Bevan, David Leal and Anne Garrett are the coordinators and we are called Southeast London Network for Peace, Justice and Solidarity. Stop the War locally work closely with us.

We hold regular zoom meetings, organise events together, and work with other organisations .We are always interested in welcoming new members or linking up with other organisations . We have a broad network of artists such as Bromley Peace Poets ,Jolly Jammers and some musicians from Blackheath Folk Club .

We are currently looking at setting up a Peace drama/Arts local group to work on highlighting peace/nuclear issues through theatre, local filming, music, poetry etc both to entertain and to inform .We are hoping to hold a Zoom at some stage soon and then to hopefully all meet together outside when we are allowed ,with a possible performance, half day in late September if possible .We are keen to hear from any filmmakers, budding playwrights ,etc who would be interested in joining us. Ideas are very welcome

London CND is working on London being a Nuclear ban Community. to join an increasing number of cities such as Edinburgh, New York ,Paris ,Oxford, Manchester Leicester , Washington and many others There are 16 councils in the UK who have declared the Pledge For Peace including Newham and Tower Hamlets .. Our network are writing to our local MPs , councillors, faith leaders, unions etc to provide information and to encourage them to sign the Pledge for Peace .The Mayor of Lewisham is a Mayor for Peace and we are hoping that Lewisham will adopt the Pledge as a council .

We do appreciate that this is such a difficult time for everyone in the midst of the pandemic which has hit our communities hard .However with the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons coming into force on the 22 nd January Biden opening up the possibility of the Iran Peace Deal land other encouraging developments this is a time for us to take action, in conjunction with opposing the renewal of Trident.

We would be grateful if any members or interested parties could contact their councillors, MPS, faith leaders, trade unions etc and share the information below .It would be great if they could ask anyone to sign the Pledge and forward it to London CND OR contact us with any questions .This is a National campaign although we are focusing on London here. The following letter has been sent to Councillors in the borough.....

Dear Councillor ....

I am writing to you on behalf of the South East London Network for Peace, Justice and Solidarity to ask you, to support the London Community Pledge against nuclear weapons.

Throughout the world, parliamentarians have supported a “Parliamentary Pledge” which says that they will work for signature of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by their governments. Through the London Community Pledge, we are seeking to persuade London MPs to do this too.

The UN General Assembly has long recognised the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of even a limited nuclear war, and in 2017 it agreed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). This treaty came into force on 22nd January 2021, after 50 states had ratified it. More states continue to sign and ratify the TPNW.

The TPNW makes it illegal under international law to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess, stockpile, transfer, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons. It also makes it illegal to assist or encourage anyone to engage in these activities.

The UK Government refused to participate in the negotiations leading to the TPNW, and has said that it will never ever sign it. We seek to change this.

> See: London Nuclear Ban Communities Toolkit

We will mark Chernobyl Day on April 26th and Hiroshima Day locally on August 7th with vigils and reading poems and speeches. We will mark Nagasaki Day with a vigil and Peace Picnic in the Archbishop Tutu Peace Garden in Chinbrook Meadows , Grove Park on August 9th.

We will join the SE London CND Peace and Justice Coalition for the Peace One Day event on Sept 21st