Here is a short video which is a blessing and a tune for Clare as she begins her prison sentence from Emma O’Grady (a cousin from Galway, Ireland), Oona Grady (a niece from Saratoga Springs) and James Gascoyne. Thank you to them! We know that Clare would want us to widen this circle of thoughts and prayer to include all prisoners.
Clare Grady started her prison sentence on Wednesday, February 10. She is one of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 who entered the Trident nuclear submarine base in Georgia almost three years ago on April 4, 2018, to nonviolently and symbolically disarm omnicidal nuclear weapons. Her daughters, Leah and Rosie, and husband, Paul, drove Clare 11 hours from Ithaca, NY to West Virginia where they met at the prison gate with Clare’s sister, Teresa, dear friend Chrissy Nesbitt, and Chrissy’s husband David. She’ll be in COVID quarantine for the next 2 to 3 weeks so we most likely won’t hear from her during this period of isolation. She can receive letters, though, and her address is below:
Clare Grady #01264-052
FPC Alderson
Federal Prison Camp
Glenn Ray Road, Box A
Alderson, WV 24910
Please remember to write your return address on the letter, as Clare and the other KBP7 members in prison won’t receive the envelope.
President Joe Biden’s announcement of an end to US support for the war on Yemen and a suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabia is a welcome change to US foreign policy. Shamefully, the British government continues to support the war which has created the worst humanitarian crisis on earth. The overwhelming majority of those with views oppose the war and oppose arms sales to Saudi Arabia on both sides of the Atlantic.
Following the Biden announcement and the World Says No to War on Yemen Global Day of Action involving tens of thousands of people in 28 countries, Stop the War is stepping up its campaign to demand the British government ends all support for the war and all arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Stop the War Convenor, Lindsey German, said: ‘The crisis in Yemen which threatens the lives of more than 20 million people is not a natural disaster, it is a direct result of the Saudi-led war of which Britain is now the main western backer. Quite simply, Johnson and Raab have blood on their hands. Their support for the carnage in Yemen must end immediately’.
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The shockingly under-reported war in Yemen has led to the death of 230,000 people and created the worst humanitarian crisis anywhere in the world according to the UN. They estimate that more than 24 million people in the country, which was already one of the poorest on the planet prior to the war, will need humanitarian assistance in 2021.
The war is led by Saudi Arabia, with the involvement of the UAE, but it is backed by some key Western powers – the US, the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Canada. In particular, the US and the UK have maintained unquestioning support for Saudi Arabia since the war began and are both participants in the war.
This protest was timed to take place just days after the inauguration of Joe Biden, who has promised to end US support for the war. This is our one central aim – to hold him to his word and force fellow governments to follow suit. Over 300 organisations from 28 countries have signed up for a call to action against the war on Yemen so far, making this the biggest international anti-war co-ordination since the campaign against the Iraq war. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic many of the planned physical protests had to be postponed but our global movement will not be silenced.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has entered into force, making the it illegal for signatories to manufacture and possess nuclear weapons.
Shamefully the UK government refused to even participate in the treaty talks and now says it will never sign. But that will not stop us from making progress. From its founding meeting, CND has championed the global abolition of nuclear weapons. This treaty is a victory for grassroots campaigning and our anti-nuclear movement. The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize was even awarded to ICAN – of which CND is a partner – for its tireless work in campaigning for this momentous achievement.
Unfortunately, the terms of the treaty only apply to those countries which have actually signed and ratified it. The nine nations that have nuclear weapons have explicitly stated that they will never sign.
However, adoption of the TPNW by the vast majority of the world’s governments will no doubt create huge momentum towards global nuclear disarmament.
With Peter Kuznick, Professor of History and Founder/Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University; and John Burroughs, Senior Analyst and the former Executive Director of the New York-based Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy (LCNP) and Director of the United Nations Office of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA). Chaired by CND General Secretary Kate Hudson.
