International Action
Against ‘Dirty’ Weapons:
Huge Public Support for the Second International
Day of Action Against Depleted Uranium
May 27, 2003
For immediate release:
This Thursday 29th May the Second International
Day of Action Against Depleted Uranium is taking place. The scale
of the event promises to be many times larger than previously
seen as public outrage over the recent use of depleted uranium
(DU) weapons in Iraq by Britain and America grows. Groups all
over the world have pledged to take part and will be involved
in protesting against military, government and commercial targets
involved in the production and use of depleted uranium weapons
and public awareness raising in their local communities.
Countries that will be seeing protests on the 29th
May include so far; Yugoslavia, Greece, the USA, Ireland, Germany,
Finland and Britain. Organizers of the many protests range from
groups such as Nuke Resister in the States who have a long history
of working against DU weapons to individuals who have just found
out about the use of these weapons after the recent attack on
Iraq and feel compelled to take a stand. Fittingly Britain and
the US will see the highest levels of protests with at least 15
events planned across Britain and 10 across the States, including
Washington DC and New York. Anger at the issue in Britain is especially
strong in Scotland where DU weapons are tested.
Anna Bell from the Campaign Against Depleted Uranium
(CADU), who have been working to support those taking part in
the day, said “We have been completely taken by surprise
at how many groups have wanted to take part in the Day of Action.
People who have not been involved in campaigning before have come
to us and have said they couldn’t believe their governments
were capable of such hypocrisy and irresponsible behavior. Iraq
was the first time many people had heard of the weapons and their
effects. With the international trade in these weapons and the
contamination they cause respecting no borders an International
Day of Action is the most effective way of saying DU weapons are
completely unacceptable to the world community.”
DU weapons are both chemically toxic and radioactive
and can cause long term damage to human health and the environment.
They are have been labeled a weapon of indiscriminate effect by
the UN Subcommission for Human Rights.
For more information please contact:
The Campaign Against Depleted Uranium
Fax or telephone: 0161 273 8293
http://www.cadu.org.uk
info@cadu.org.uk
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