LONDON /
Thousands of people have gathered in central London to join a rally against the renewal of the U.K.’s Trident nuclear weapons system. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also attended the protest organized by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) Saturday.
Trident rally is Britain’s biggest anti-nuclear march in a generation reports British newspaper Guardian
Thousands carried placards reading “NHS not Trident”, “Cut War Not Welfare” and “Homes not Trident” marched from Marble Arch to Trafalgar Square. They also chanted slogans against renewal of the weapons system.
CND Vice President Bruce Kent said there is “no argument” for the project. “Public opinion is actually against spending 150 billion pounds [$208 billion] or more in nuclear weapons,” Kent added.
Many waved placards with phrases including “Books Not Bombs”, “Cut War Not Welfare” and “NHS Not Trident”. A common theme among protesters was the cost of renewing Trident during a period of austerity.
Leanne Wood, Nicola Sturgeon and Caroline Lucas join protesters on the anti-Trident march.
Andy Pomphrey, 67, from Hampshire, said: “It’s such an excessive amount of money for a weapons system when the NHS and junior doctors, are struggling.”
Kai Carrwright, 17, from Exeter said: “We are having to pay to go to university and yet they want to spend £100bn on something that can only lead to the destruction of life on Earth.”