Trident Ploughshares and Faslane Peace Camp put on a “Rise Up Singing” weekend from Saturday 15th to Monday 17th of September 2012. This was not a Greenpeace event, but an open invite to all who oppose nuclear weapons (and like singing!). A few of us from the Edinburgh group went along.
Day one: Singing practice and workshops
On Saturday, we enjoyed a day of singing practice taught by song leaders from local Edinburgh singing group, Protest in Harmony http://www.protestinharmony.org.uk/. Everyone was made to feel welcome and included in even the most difficult harmonies, regardless of singing ability – some songs had as many as four or five parts to them! All of the songs followed a peaceful theme and, of course, had a strong emphasis on abolishing nuclear weapons.
A delicious vegan lunch was provided by Faslane Peace Camp, and then we had the option of taking a break from singing to do some workshops. The workshops were on non-violent direct actions, a discussion about NATO, and making banners and costumes (most notably a big bunny suit, complete with floppy ears and a fluffy tail).
Day two: Keeping spirits high outside the base
We had an early start on the Sunday, and headed up to the North Gate entrance of Faslane Naval Base to set up for the day. Banners and bunting decorated the barbed wire fences and military signs, and altogether made the place seem quite colourful and cheery. Our decorations provided an excellent backdrop for our mass singing session, which started later on in the morning.
Some of my favourite songs included:
“In ’82 the campers came
bearing witness at Faslane,
sitting in the Gareloch rain.
Day upon day.
We’re not going away, we’ll be here for as long as it takes.
We’re not going away, we’ll be here for as long as it takes.”
“And the war machine rolls round and round
and the poor and the weak get trampled on the ground
and from where we stand their cries are drowned
by the clink of the franc and the dollar and the pound
as the war machine rolls round.”
“When the submarines are gone,
I’ll stop singing you this song.
Bin the bomb, ban the bomb, Trident out.”
“Never give up. Never give up.
Never give up. Never give up.
Never, never, never, never, never ...
... woooah! Never give up.”
Songs from: http://www.protestinharmony.org.uk/
After a couple of hours of singing (which, for the novice singer, is quite exhausting) we could thankfully grab a cup of tea, a sandwich or two, and cake, courtesy of volunteers from CND Stirling. The group had come along in support of the event and to provide refreshments for donations.
One of our songs included a chorus of two parts: one for protestors (“Aye but Ah wull sit here!”), one for police (“Naw, but ye’ll no sit here!”). A highlight of the day was managing to get one of the policemen to sing along for their line! We continued singing songs in resistance to the nuclear weapons at Faslane until later on in the afternoon, when we were treated to a puppet show by the Protest in Harmony group before packing up for the day.
Day three: More of the same
… more of the same happened on the Monday, including an attempt to shut down the base in a non-violent direct action. A few protesters were arrested.
“Never give up.”
When you spend a lot of time campaigning for things you believe in, at times it can all feel quite upsetting, lonely, and disturbing. Thinking about nuclear weapons and how abhorrent they are, without knowing what the future holds ... it can feel as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.
I was inspired and moved by the passion and determination of the other singers from the Protest in Harmony group, as well as that of the peace campers and all the other protesters who were there. Despite the rain, and less-than-ideal surroundings of the nuclear weapons base, everyone sang their hearts out. By the end of the day, I felt a strong connection with everyone in the group – and a renewed sense of hope for nuclear disarmament. We’ll never give up!
Links:
Trident Ploughshares: http://www.tridentploughshares.org/
Faslane Peace Camp: http://www.faslane365.org/faslane_peace_camp
Protest in Harmony: http://www.protestinharmony.org.uk/index.htm
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND): http://www.cnduk.org/
Other recommended links:
The War Game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrGg8PfkbZw
Dr Strangelove: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GhRwXzyqyE
Nae Nuclear: http://www.naenuclear.org/
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