| We are closer to nuclear war than at any time since the Cuba Missile Crisis; a widely held view put to a cross-party group in the Scottish parliament this week by Almut Rochowanski, when relaying information from her contacts in Ukraine. Nuclear weapons do not stop military conflict; to justify their existence, by claiming they do, only perpetuates the possibility of nuclear war. The Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament will join peaceful protests in Edinburgh and Aberdeen on Sunday 6 March 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We will stand beside other peace groups, Ukraine solidarity groups and concerned citizens. Ukraine is also the theme of an All Under One Banner march on Saturday 5th. We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and recognise that the world is now closer to nuclear war. As Scottish CND, our messages to world leaders are: No nuclear escalation. Help stop the killing. Negotiate peace. The history of tensions between Russia and NATO reflects poorly on both. Since the end of the Soviet Union, tension has been recreated with the help of NATO’s nuclear doctrine and expansion towards Russia – part of the background to the conflict within Ukraine and the failed 2014/15 Minsk agreements. But there is no excuse for the recent war-mongering and war-fighting actions of the Russian government. We unreservedly condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, its violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and its violence towards Ukrainian people. Demonstrations can show that we are thinking of people in Ukraine who are now forced to defend their home, their families, their livelihoods; or otherwise to flee for their lives. Our messages and placards can show that we call on the Russian government to agree to an immediate ceasefire, to withdraw all troops and to enter good faith negotiations to ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and no future return to this conflict. ‘No nuclear escalation’ is a message that world leaders must heed. Climate emergency is looming; the resources used to threaten our extinction by nuclear war also despoil our planet. In the decades since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, radiation from nuclear testing has already caused terrible and widespread harms; nuclear arsenals have grown in destructive power. All living things and ecosystems would pay a terrible price if nuclear weapons were used again. It is an outcome which demands our serious concern and our utmost efforts to avert. Fears for Ukraine’s 15 existing nuclear reactors remind us of the linked dangers of nuclear power; disturbance of dust is now increasing radiation at the site of the former reactors at Chernobyl. Today, there are very alarming reports of fighting around and a fire at the largest plant, Zaporizhzhia, which has 6 reactors. Informed commentators talk of a serious accident at Zaporizhzhia making large areas of Europe unhibatiable for decades. The conflict makes very clear the humanitarian and ecological need for a global ban on nuclear weapons. This is already taking shape as countries ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Our neighbour, Ireland, and far away friend, New Zealand, are among the 86 signatories. We call on the leaders of all nuclear-armed states to translate their existing commitments under the Non-Proliferation Treaty into real steps towards the complete and irrevocable disarmament of the world’s nuclear weapons arsenals. Lynn Jamieson Chair, Scottish CND |
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