Londoners hold anti-nuclear rally

People in Britain have held a large protest against the renewal of the country’s nuclear weapons.

According to Press TV, the protest in London was set to be attended by political heavyweights including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas. The leaders were expected to give speech during the rally.

The demonstration is organized by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). It has already drawn the support of peace activists, academics, students, celebrities and others. The Stop Trident anti-nuclear rally has also secured the backing of the National Union of Students (NUS), which passed a motion to support it this week.

The protest came as the British Conservative government is pushing ahead with a nearly forty five-billion-dollar project to build a new generation of Trident nuclear missile submarines.

Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative government says the system is vital to safeguard Britain's security. "Disarming now would be a reckless gamble with our national security that would play into the hands of our enemies," Defence Minister Philip Dunne said.

Britain currently has four submarines in its Trident fleet, at least one of which is on patrol somewhere in the oceans 24 hours a day, AFP reported.

ME