A convoy carrying Trident nuclear weapons was stopped twice by protesters in Scotland on Sunday 2nd November. The four lorries carrying the weapons were escorted by around 100 police and marines. As they passed through the village of Rhu on the shores of Gareloch they were brought to a standstill by eight protesters who appeared from a graveyard. They stood in the road and the vehicles had to stop. A woman climbed on the roof of one lorry and two men chained themselves underneath two other lorries. The convoy was stopped for 20 minutes.
Further on its route the convoy was stopped again by another group of around 15 protesters who were gathered at Whistlefield roundabout, close to the Coulport base where the weapons were heading. The convoy was stopped for several minutes. Three people were arrested here, one was injured by a policeman.
All seven people who were arrested were charged with Breach of the Peace. Six were release in the early hours of this morning. One was held overnight for non-payment of a fine for a previous anti-nuclear protest and will appear in Court today.
The lorries were carrying nuclear warheads for Trident missiles, probably two in each lorry. On current Ministry of Defence plans these warheads will be loaded onto missiles on the third Trident submarine, HMS Vigilant, which is expected to be armed early next year.
The protest involved campers from Faslane Peace Camp. They will also be appearing in Dumbarton Sherriff Court on Wednesday 5th November at the start of court proceedings to evict them from the site which they have legally occupied for 15 years.