Block the Builders is a campaign which aims, using nonviolent direct action, to prevent the building of new nuclear weapons facilities at AWE Aldermaston, Britain's nuclear bomb factory, near Reading in Berkshire.

In March 2007 parliament voted in favour of a replacement for the current Trident system; a new fleet of nuclear armed submarines which would commit Britain to another 50 years as a nuclear weapons state. The new submarines will require missiles and warheads. The warheads will be manufactured at Aldermaston. Although parliament has not yet voted for new warheads, the shiny new facilities to test, design and build these new warheads are currently under construction at Aldermaston and Burghfield.For up to date info on developments at AWE see: http://www.aldermaston.net/campaigns/tng/

BtB's actions aim to stop, slow down, hinder, obstruct the government building new nuclear weapons at Aldermaston.

NEXT PLANNED ACTION: Unannounced blockades!

After two years of publicly announced blockades, BtB has decided to focus on unannounced actions, although some organized blockades may occasionally take place. If you would like to join the BtB email list contact btb_at_aldermaston.net

Block the Builders is offering support to affinity groups that would like to organise their own non-violent direct action at Aldermaston. Click here for details!

About BtB!:

Block the Builders was set up in 2005 by AWPC and other anti-nuclear activists in order to take and encourage nonviolent direct action against the new developments at AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield.

As the Ministry of Defence Police reported in their 2006 Annual Report, "Over the past few years, there has been a steady increase in demonstrator activity by a group calling themselves Block the Builders. This is a relatively new campaign of anti-nuclear demonstrators, whose aim, using non-violent means, is to stop the building [of the Orion Laser project] through a series of "blockades" of the Aldermaston site. These demonstrations are now happening on a monthly basis. To date there have been 49 arrests in total".

Blockades have succeeded in stopping construction traffic for between one and four hours at a time, using a wide variety of imaginative blockading techniques. They have been attended by between 20 and 80 people, many of them in a supporting role - where there is little risk of arrest. Other BtB protests have taken place at the sites of companies involved in construction work at Aldermaston.
BtB also works with other groups, including Trident Ploughshares taking direct action at Aldermaston.For info on the Trident Ploughshares Big Blockade of AWE on 27th October 2008, click here!

Accommodation, time for planning and legal briefings are provided the night before publicly announced blockades. BtB can also provide support for groups planning unannounced actions. BtB is supported by CND, Trident Ploughshares, members of the Green Party and other individuals.

For more information about the new developments at Aldermaston see http://www.aldermaston.net/campaigns/tng/

New nuclear weapons - immoral and illegal!

Any new nuclear weapons would be immoral - and unlawful. They are indiscriminate weapons which cannot distinguish between military and civilian targets, and which leaves a deadly legacy of radiation for generations. Any nuclear weapon violates international humanitarian law.

In producing a new generation of nuclear weapons, including any Trident replacement, the UK would be breaking its international obligations under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to make progress, in good faith, towards disarmament. The new facilities at AWE also undermine the spirit of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (signed and ratified by the UK, but not yet in force), which prohibits underground testing, as they would enable the testing of new nuclear warheads to continue.

In March 2007 parliament voted in favour of a new fleet of nuclear armed submarines, committing Britain to another 50 years as a nuclear weapons state. The new submarines will require missiles and warheads. The warheads will be manufactured at Aldermaston, in the shiny new facilities currently being built. Officially, no parliamentary decision has been made to build new warheads, but since 2005 they have been constructing new facilities where warheads can be designed tested and built at Aldermaston. Unofficially, according to documents obtained by Scottish CND in July 2008, although no parliamentary decision has been made on the warheads,