Jon Wallace, one of our great Glastonbury volunteers is kindy running at this years Brighton Marathon raising valuable funds for BPEC.

Jon tells us a bit about him and what inspires him to help us fund our peace and education projects. If you could help suport Jon please donate via Paypal off our homepage (in the top right) saying "Jon" in the payment title. Our JustGiving page will soon be live also - so watch this space!

A bit about me

I’m 30 years old and I’ve lived in Brighton for the last 3 years. I enjoy the outdoors, long walks, historic buildings and animals (I’m a cat person and a dog person, even though I’ve never owned a dog). I love cooking and eating Vegetarian, Italian, Thai and Indian food, I like a drink, European beers and spirits mostly (my favourite is Jagermeister). I like rock music and going to see live bands big and small. I have only recently experienced festivals but having now tried it, I am keen to experience more. My other interests are sports (particularly tennis and football), reading books (mostly classic novels) and messing about with computers.

How I got involved with BPEC

My first involvement with BPEC was with the Glastonbury voluntary programme in 2013. As a Brighton resident, I was proud and privileged to support a small independent charity in striving to educate and contribute to sustainable causes. Having learnt a great deal personally in university and through my work training as a Building Surveyor, I felt a great sense of responsibility in promoting the charity’s aims and objectives to festival goers.

My love for running
I’ve been running for over five years now and I really enjoy it which is a rare thing as far as exercise goes. I’ve steadily improved and I’ve done a couple of charity runs in that time (for MacMillan who did some great work for my mother and for my favourite football team Arsenal who’s charity support the homeless of London). It was an ambitious step to do the Marathon, having only done 10K in an event, but when I had the chance I decided to take it.

(Image source: http://www.medact.org/campaigns-actions/open-letters/trident-take-action/)

Trident- what is it?

Trident very much is a relict of Britain’s Cold War nuclear deterrence strategy. It consists of four British submarines carrying nuclear weapons, up to 8 missiles and 40 nuclear warheads each. According to CNDUK (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament UK) these are 8 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, which killed at least 129.000 people.  

One of these submarines is floating somewhere in the oceans of this world at all times while the other three are either in maintenance or used for training. Trident was decided on in the early 1980s by the Thatcher government and came into use in the 1990s. Already back then BPEC opposed the use of Trident. In the last year or so the debate around Trident has livened up again and once more it is important to oppose it.

Why now?

If Trident was to be kept in use it has to be renewed soon. The decision to renew it has already been made by parliament in March of 2007, when 409 MPs voted for the renewal, to 61 votes against it. Since then there has been some planning and conceptual work going on and the “Initial Gate” phase, which is the Project Approval Stage of the renewal process, has been approved. However, in October 2010, the government chose to delay the ultimate decision if the renewal process should continue and how many submarines should be ordered until this year, 2016.

What are the political positions?

The Conservative Party have always supported the renewal of Trident with the argument that the UK needs nuclear weapons as an “insurance policy” against attacks on the UK. They pledged for replacing Trident in their manifesto in the general elections last year.

Labour has backed the renewal of Trident until now, stating that it is a cornerstone of peace and security. This position could change, though. After the election of Jeremy Corbyn, who opposes Trident, as leader of the Labour Party it is in doubt if Labour will stick with its support of Trident.

The SNP heavily oppose Trident’s renewal and their campaign against it was a fundamental part of their campaign in the general elections last year. They have described Trident as “unusable and indefensible”, explaining that “the plans to renew it are ludicrous on both defence and financial grounds”.

What’s the argument for renewing Trident?

Supporters of Trident say that it is an integral part of the UK’s security. Because of new threats, for example from “rogue states” and terrorist groups, there is a lot of uncertainty of how attacks on the UK could be dealt with. Nuclear weapons could help with deterrence. Furthermore, some say that the UK’s global influence would shrink without nuclear weapons. Besides the defence industry is a big employer, according to the BBC 15.000 jobs could be lost if the renewal of Trident doesn’t go ahead.

And the opposition?

Even though the renewal of Trident might cause the loss of some jobs, scrapping it could actually create a lot more jobs. The costs for Trident are enormous. The government estimated the costs between £15bn and £20bn, but Greenpeace has calculated that it might be more like at least £34bn and Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour party quotes £100bn. With this money Accident and Emergency departments across the country could be fully funded for 40 years, 150.000 new nurses could be employed, 1.5 million affordable homes could be built, 30.000 new primary schools or the tuition of 4 million students could be paid (numbers according to CNDUK). In short, there are better things that could be done instead of wasting money on nuclear weapons that might never be used.

The use of Nuclear Weapons is questionable, as it is illegal under international law. In 1996, the International Court of Justice has ruled that the threat or use of nuclear weapons is contrary to the rules of international law. Thus, Trident is not much more than a status symbol, as Tony Blair even has admitted in 2007, when the Labour Party committed to the renewal. In Blair's words, “the expenses are huge and the utility non-existent in terms of military use”, however, giving it up would be “too big a downgrading of our status as a nation”.

If an outdated, useless nuclear weapons system is more of a status symbol than a functioning health care or education system, there is clearly something wrong with our value system. And do we really STILL need a submarine-based system that was designed during the Cold War against threats from the Soviet Union? Nuclear weapons are extremely dangerous and deadly and should not be kept just as a status symbol.

What can be done?

Now more than ever it is important that we show the government that the majority of the British people does not want Trident. If you want to become active you can sign this petition. BPEC was at the national demonstration called for by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament UK to scrap Trident in London on the 27th of February with a stall, and hosted a Chalktivist protest outside the centre before the demo (watch the video here). Keep your eyes and ears open for the next demo, where we would love to see as many Brightonian faces as possible!

(Photo credit F Romberg)

Francesca Romberg, Social Media volunteer for BPEC recently took the Ferry to Calais hoping to lend a hand in the Jungle and Dunkirk migrant camps. On her return she gives her impressions.

25/03/16 F Romberg (R Freeman eds)

On Saturday at 3am we left the University of Sussex heading to Calais. As drunken revellers roamed the dark streets around us, we filled the car with donations from the Hummingbird Project and a healthy dose of nerves and anticipation. We were going to help, as so many British people have before us, in any way we could. For us, one of the most important purposes of our journey was simply “to bear witness”. To see the realities of the camps, to let the people there know that we care and to let governments know they cannot get away with this, to hear the stories of those willing to talk and to spread the word back home.

The camps in Calais and Dunkirk are supported almost entirely by British and French volunteers, giving time, money and great effort. We joined them, aware of the preposterous lack of proper support from the UK and French governments, big NGO’s such as the Red Cross and Oxfam. The only signs of official representation were the hundreds of riot police in Calais - the notorious Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité- and the tall, white, barbed wire topped fences paid for by UK taxpayers.

On arrival we call in at L’Auberge/Help Refugees warehouse. Here volunteers work like ants to provide aid. Most of the jobs there anyone can, and will, do. We find this out quickly as we chat to other volunteers from incredibly diverse backgrounds. We sort through donations; checking they’re fit for purpose, negotiating a maze of boxes to find the right storage place. The pile of clothes seems never ending; people have been generous - 2 weeks ago the warehouse was practically empty. Food bags and hygiene packs are put together to be sent out into the camps. In the kitchens, run with military precision by professional chefs, volunteers busily chop and wash-up preparing to feed over 2000 people a day.

After two days working in the hive-like warehouse, we head into the camp known as The Jungle.

The first thing to hit is the smell. The fumes from the nearby chemical plants are one of the many reasons the Jungle is completely unfit for human habitation, they cause many camp residents to suffer serious health problems. As we enter the destruction caused by the evictions that took place only a week before is plain to see. Shelters torn down and belongings left strewn across the site. Clothes, toys, books, food, blankets, all left behind - a testament to how little warning was given. The only buildings still standing in this half of the camp are community spaces - a church, a mosque, a youth centre, the Hummingbird Project’s Safe Space, Jungle Books (a community library and language centre) and the information centre, where the Iranian men who have sewn their lips together, protesting appaulling camp conditions are housed.

But beyond this there is still life in the Jungle. There is the highstreet. Shops, restaurants, and shisha bars are all open, we talk to everyone that we can. Give someone a smile and a greeting, and they’re often extremely happy to talk to you along with much tea and hospitality. We chat about life in Brighton, life in the camp, how long people have been here, why they want to cross the channel. Mostly it’s about family - mothers, brothers, fathers, children who live in the UK. This simple human connection is one of the most powerful aspects of meeting these people, one which is entirely overlooked by statistics, and political and media rhetoric.

Chatting our way around the camp we meet several boys in their early teens, mostly unaccompanied. It is impossible to fathom how these young boys have made the journey alone and on foot from places as far away as Afghanistan. The Jungle is an unbelievable place for anyone to live, but in leaking shelters, with little warmth and nightmarish sanitation, surrounded by highly dangerous crime and heavily-armed people-smugglers, these boys are making their way into adolescence.

With the recent destruction tensions are higher than ever as the conditions become more cramped. A terrible fight over a five Euro bike a few days before had resulted in a man having to be hospitalised. The legal centre had been burnt down in dubious circumstances, but it’s rumoured fascist far right groups could be behind it. As we headed to the local supermarket, just five minutes away, to pick up dinner, its cleanliness and orderliness illuminated by strip lights felt a world apart from where we had just been.

(photo credit F Romberg)

The Jungle cannot be ignored any more. Fences and police are not working. These people need love, compassion and real action. What is the point in having a life of comfort and security, if those down the road from us do not? Humanitarian aid is just a sticking plaster, hiding the issues at play here. The Jungle is the manifestation of the disastrous effects of colonialism, globalization, greed, war and inaction from global leaders.

Humanitarian aid is just a sticking plaster, hiding the issues at play here.

The following day we went to Dunkirk - a completely different story. The local Green Mayor has defied all odds and tried to create a camp which is fit for purpose, buying local farmland with dreams of warm shelters, schools and communal areas. But bulldozers closed in on the Jungle and in just three days they had to rush to prepare the camp for its new inhabitants.

The difference is instantly apparent; no makeshift shacks or leaking tents, no oppressive police presence, no piles of rubbish, putrid green pools of pollution or foul smells from poor sanitation and noxious chemical plants. Children cycle around on bicycles, purpose built wooden shelters decorated with little fences, or posters, fly Kurdish flags (the majority of the residents at the Dunkirk camp are Kurdish people from Northern Iraq) and the ground has been flattened and gravelled to minimise flooding.

Stationed in the women and children’s distribution centre for the day, comprised of brightly painted shipping containers, we are opposite another container to be turned into a communal kitchen. Our coordinator told us, “This is not a beggars can’t be choosers situation. These people have had their human rights violated repeatedly. If we can give them something they want, then hell yeah we will give them what they want.” Unclean, ripped or broken donations are kept back. This ethos of providing dignity as well as aid is uplifting to see. Throughout the day women and children come in looking for clothing, soap, baby wipes and formula and we do our best to provide. Smiling, kind, friendly and polite, some look through the boxes of clothes and try things on.

This is not a beggars can’t be choosers situation. These people have had their human rights violated repeatedly. If we can give them something they want, then hell yeah we will give them what they want.

On the day of the terror attacks in Brussels we are outside, enjoying the sunshine, chatting and playing with the children. A man comes up to us and insists on giving us a big bar of chocolate and a badminton set for the children. His people, the Bedoon, are from Kuwait where they are not legally recognised by the state. Bedoon are not entitled to the same rights as Kuwaiti citizens, despite making up 40% of the army. He wants to move to England because people there understand the situation of his people better than in other countries. His English, learned from films and a dictionary is very proficient. He offers truly sincere condolences to our Belgian colleague. Talking to him, hearing his story and seeing his kindness is truly humbling - if anyone can empathise it is the residents of these camps.

The conditions in Dunkirk are far better than in the Jungle, but still, it’s by no means perfect. It cannot accept many more people, internal politics of running the camp have created difficulties and there is still a lack of professional support. Above all, it is a refugee camp, not a proper home.

(photo credit F Romberg) 

On our way home we drive through passport control. We are ushered through with nothing but a smile, a glance at our passports and a quick check of the car boot. We remember the friends we’ve made. The ones who would be resting now after a long night of facing riot police, tear gas, fences and barbed wire for a chance to get to the UK. Even if they make it, their problems are far from over. In the UK they face destitution, squalid housing, drawn out asylum claims, people who prey on the poor and vulnerable, racism and the horrors of prisonlike centres where they can be detained for an unlimited amount of time.

Sitting here, recounting this, I think of all the times I’ve moaned about the UK- the weather, the government, the people, the mundane British lifestyle. Yet for many of the people I met on the border it is their dream. Of all the thoughts and feelings my time there evoked, the most pertinent was the amount of privilege we have. Privilege granted for no reason, it’s just the place we were born and the luxurious rights that it affords us.

If Fran's story touched you and you would like to lend a hand feel free to click the links below.

http://www.hummingbirdproject.org

http://www.helprefugees.org.uk

http://mepbrighton.com

https://brighton-and-hove.cityofsanctuary.org

http://brightonvoicesinexile.co.uk

http://techfugees.com

http://prosper.community

https://www.facebook.com/brightonshelterbuildproject/

http://www.refugee-action.org.uk

http://www.gdwg.org.uk

by Kelly Reichel 

(Image source: Peace Pledge union)

Every year around the beginning of November they come out again to be worn proudly; the red poppies that remind us of those who lost their lives fighting in the First World War and in conflicts since. Sometimes, however, there are also a few white poppies to be spotted. However, since they are still quite controversial and not many dare to wear the white poppy publicly, we thought we would try to explain a little about this symbol of peace.

Controversy

In 2015, the controversy was highlighted when the Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn wore a white poppy in                   

November of that year - and was criticised heavily. Labour MP Simon Danczuk commented on Corbyn’s white poppy:

It is deeply offensive to our armed forces, who have given their lives for the democracy and freedoms he enjoys.

But what does the white poppy stand for?

Just like the traditional red poppy, the white poppy is worn to commemorate those who died in war. The main difference is that while the red poppy mainly commemorates the soldiers who lost their lives while the white poppy  remembers all the victims of war and wishes for an end to all wars. It aims to emphasise peace as the only desirable outcome. The Peace Pledge Union, who sell the white poppies, explain:

The White Poppy symbolises the belief that there are better ways to resolve conflicts and embodies values that reject killing fellow human beings for whatever reason.

Some supporters of the white poppy also say that the red poppy has become too political for them, as a way to glorify and justify wars.

So what’s wrong with that?

Opponents of the white poppy claim that those who wear it are insulting the soldiers that gave their lives in First World War and in conflicts since. They also criticise it for undermining the significance of the red poppy. This aspect of the controversy reaches back to the introduction of the white poppy in 1933 by the Women’s Co-operative Guild as a symbol for peace. During that time, some women even lost their jobs for wearing the white poppy. Margaret Thatcher also criticised the white poppy in the 1980s, by expressing a “deep distance” to the symbol, while others still see it quite differently.

Lindsey German from Stop the War Coalition finds that the white poppy is very appropriate as a symbol for commemorating the loss of lives in war because it represents “the best way to protect interests of soldiers” aiming to “stop sending them into these disastrous conflicts in the first place”. And even the Royal British Legion, who traditionally sell the red poppy, see no problem in wearing a white poppy:

We have no objection to white poppies, or any group expressing their views. We see no conflict in wearing the red poppy alongside the white poppy. RBL

The white poppy as a symbol of peace carries a huge importance, especially if we consider the UK’s recent involvement in wars (6 alone in the last 15 years). Despite the fact that these wars differ from the First or the Second World War, in that we here in the UK, often don’t directly see the losses and the grief they cause, they are still devastating events for a huge number of people. The results of war are not only taking place around the 11th of November but at any time of the year. So here at BPEC we feel that the white poppy should be worn to show solidarity with those that live in conflict zones all year round. Especially given that the UK has recently approved to be part of a military intervention in Syria, wearing the white poppy is an act of solidarity which shows that we won’t close our eyes from the suffering that war causes.

Kelly Reichel

You can buy your own Peace Poppy all year round at the Brighton Peace and Environment centre opposite Brighton Station, with each initial 75p going towards the PPU and anything extra helping to fund our core work in Brighton and Hove. If you would like to order them in bulk please let us know by emailing us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.