45 held in Trident base protest

12 April 2012

Forty-five people have been arrested after a blockade of Britain's nuclear submarine base.

Seven Greenpeace vessels, including the 164ft former icebreaker Arctic Sunrise, attempted to gain entry to Faslane Naval Base on the Clyde as part of an anti-nuclear protest.

With six inflatable speedboats, the vessel breached the base's restricted area at around 8am on Friday, sparking a game of cat-and-mouse with up to 18 police boats.

The day culminated in the storming and seizure of the Arctic Sunrise by police after a five-hour stand-off.

Faslane is home to the UK's Trident nuclear submarine fleet and frequently the scene of demonstrations. Greenpeace timed its action to coincide with the visit of a delegation of Labour MPs to Faslane.

Within two hours of arriving in the restricted area, the six rigid inflatables had been rounded up and a total of 16 people arrested.

Some people were picked up from the sea, Ministry of Defence Police said.

The Arctic Sunrise, commanded by a former Argentinian naval officer, meanwhile carried on trying to manoeuvre towards a boom protecting the nuclear submarines.

It eventually dropped anchor just outside the boom, with its crew refusing a series of police requests to move.

Around 20 officers armed with battering rams eventually clambered on board, smashing their way into the bridge and seizing control of the boat. A total of 29 people were arrested when the boat landed and were remanded in custody until Monday.

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