Protesters Lie on Road to Block Nuclear Convoy in Stirling

Two individuals lay on a road in Stirling on September 15, in order to block the progress of a convoy of what local news reports and activists said were nuclear weapons. The two protesters, Brian Quail and Alasdair Ibbotson, were waiting for the convoy to approach a roundabout in the town, when they ran onto the road and halted the trucks.

Video was uploaded of the protest by the Stirling University branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Footage shows a Ministry of Defence Police van leading a special escort group, used by British forces for the “transportation of Defence nuclear materials throughout the UK,” according to its website.

Ibbotson was dragged to the roundabout by police while Quail lay under a truck. Police can be heard on video attempting to coax him out from under the vehicle.

On Facebook, the Stirling University CND said that “we have highlighted how easy it is to stop a convoy. The only way the government can stop this dangerous cargo being targeted by terrorists is to get it off our roads.” Some commentators responded by suggesting that the protesters should have been driven over.

Video has been shared previously showing the same convoy configuration passing through Stirling. According to anti-nuclear website NukewatchUK, the convoys pass through Stirling on their way to RNAD Coulport in Scotland from AWE Burghfield in Berkshire. Credit: Facebook/Stirling Uni CND