Stop the St Athan MOD Murder Academy!

The MoD announced this week that building on the “Defence Training Academy” at St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan should start in 2009.

Every opponent of the war in Iraq should support the campaign to stop this development. St Athan will swallow £14 billion of public money, awarded to a private consortium including Raytheon, manufacturers of cluster bombs and depleted uranium weapons. It will train armed forces not only from the UK but from around the world – anyone who can pay the fees to ensure Raytheon and co make a healthy profit.

PR are taking the resolution below to the Stop the War conference this weekend (27 Oct). We will be arguing that a coalition against the “War on Terror” must take up the campaign against an institution devoted to preparation for future invasions – one, indeed, which will make these all the more likely.

For further information, check our Cardiff site www.cardiffpr.wordpress.com

An online petition, signed by Tony Benn among others, is at www.nomurderacademyatstathans.com.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Resolution on the St Athan Military Academy

This coalition notes:

The MOD's decision to both centralise and privatise its training at a new complex at RAF St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan, to open fully in 2013.

The award of a £14bn government contract for this to the Metrix consortium, involving among others Qinetiq, a privatised wing of the MOD led by ex-MOD John Chisholm, and Raytheon, manufacturer of the cluster bombs and depleted uranium weapons that have killed and maimed civilians in Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere.

The lack of public consultation on the project and lack of criticism or even debate in the mass media, or from supposedly anti-war MPs Welsh AMs, or the Welsh TUC.

This coalition believes:

That the new complex, on a scale hitherto unseen in the UK, will be the site of training of all branches of the armed forces for the “War on Terror”; in other words, for further war on the nations of the Global South and for the suppression of protest and civil liberties in the UK and throughout the world.

That the complex will represent a significant militarisation of the Welsh economy with a major impact on the lives of South Wales residents.

That the Welsh Assembly government has sold this package on the promise of jobs for South Wales, but (a) most jobs at St Athan will involve the redeployment of skilled workers and teachers from elsewhere, leaving low-paid unskilled work for the local labour force, and (b) the closure of training centres throughout the UK will actually lead to greater unemployment overall.

That it is contradictory to oppose imperialist wars, or the assault on civil liberties, if we do not equally oppose the training for these under the pretext of our 'defence'.

This coalition resolves:

To oppose the creation of the St Athan academy.

To organise a mass protest at the site of the academy and to facilitate events throughout the UK educating people about the reality of the academy.

To win the support of trade unions, student unions and activist groups in building an international campaign; to call on MPs, MEPs and AMs to support this.

To call on the UK government to solve the problem of unemployment in South Wales and areas affected by MOD closures by instead investing in socially useful jobs in health, education, construction etc, and the development of peaceful and environmentally friendly technology.

Proposed by Permanent Revolution

Fri 26, October 2007 @ 18:29