Anti-war campaigners plan rally against ‘increasing militarism’ in Wales

Martin Shipton

Anti-war campaigners are planning to hold an all-Wales rally in Ceredigion to protest against what they see as the growing threat of militarism in Wales.

Mid Wales Against Arms has condemned what it describes as a threat by Westminster to bypass the Senedd and establish a defence college in Wales.

Last week, Wales Office Minister Anna McMorrin told the House of Commons that the UK Government “stands ready to step in” if the Plaid Cymru Welsh Government does not commit to a new Defence Technical Excellence College (D-TEC). The proposed college is part of the £50m Wales Defence Growth Deal.

The campaign group warns that Westminster is treating rural Wales as a militarised testing ground while starving local communities of vital funding.

The group’s statement comes ahead of a rally in Aberporth on Saturday 21 November. Mid Wales Against Arms spokesperson Heather Huntley and other campaigners will address supporters about what they describe as the growing presence of private arms companies across Wales.

The deal includes plans to expand air corridors across central Wales for military drone testing and give private firms greater access to testing facilities such as Aberporth.

Mid Wales Against Arms, which has previously campaigned against the Universities Defence Alliance, argues that bypassing the Senedd on devolved education policy to create a recruitment pipeline for the arms industry is anti-democratic and part of a wider pattern of militarisation across Powys and Ceredigion.

“Welsh Labour were rejected at the ballot box in May, and now the UK Labour government is threatening to trample over Welsh democracy to build a skills pipeline for the arms trade,” said Heather Huntley.

“Education is a devolved matter, and our communities did not vote to have our colleges turned into recruitment hubs for arms companies or our skies turned into expanded drone corridors.

“We are constantly told there is no money to fix our crumbling Welsh NHS or fund vital public services in Ceredigion and Powys, yet Westminster can find hundreds of millions in the blink of an eye for the algorithms of war. We need an urgent shift from warfare to welfare. Our land, our skies, and our communities are not for sale.”

Threats

Mid Wales Against Arms is calling on the Welsh Government to stand firm against what it describes as Westminster’s threats, reject the proposed college and halt the expansion of military drone corridors across central Wales.

The rally is open to the public and the press and will take place at West Wales Airport in Aberporth from 12.30pm to 3.30pm on Saturday 21 November.