US Navy Coming To Bomb Scotland

In a bizarre twist to the UK/US 'special relationship', the US navy will soon be arriving off the north coast of Scotland. There, it will fire shells at the tiny island of Garvie and part of the mainland at Cape Wrath. And all by invitation of the Ministry of Defence.

The US navy are coming here because protests have forced them out of the island of Vieques off Puerto Rico, in the Caribbean. They have been dropping bombs on Vieques for 58 years, including recently Depleted Uranium shells, leaving toxic ammo all over the island and increasing the cancer rate in the local population to 26% higher than the rest of Puerto Rico. In April 1999, one of many stray bombs killed a security guard. Since then, local islanders and Puerto Ricans have occupied the naval part of Vieques, acting as a 'human shield' to stop the bombing.

Many 'civil disobedience camps' have been set up, and the protestors have built a dock, church, school and dance hall (apparently in that order!) within the naval base.

The US navy is due to arrive at the firing range during March, headed by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, SSS Dwight D Eisenhower. They have been followed by protestors from Puerto Rico, who will be speaking at rallies in Edinburgh and Inverness.

Contact Mike Small on 0131 558 7444 (Product Office) or email mike@redherring.demon.co.uk, or see www.viequeslibre.org