CND campaigners march to Wylfa

Young anti-nuclear campaigners have put their foot down over the issue of nuclear power with a 70 mile march across Gwynedd and Anglesey.

The youth cohort of CND Cymru walked from Trawsfynnydd nuclear power Station in Gwynedd to Wylfa nuclear power station on Anglesey.

The march by campaigners aged between 16 and 35 finished with a rally on Saturday (September 10).

During the walk they presented declarations to Gwynedd Council, Anglesey County Council and Bangor University.

The campaigners also bedded down in village halls and community centres on the route.

The hike started with a rally, attended by about 80-100 people, at Trawsfynydd on September 4.

The first leg of the march took them to Porthmadog and a route, with various stopping points, took them via Penygroes, Bangor, Llangefni and Traeth Lligwy.

In the final section, the last leg took them from Traeth Lligwy to Wylfa on Saturday (September 10).

A rally was then held at Wylfa with speakers Bethan Siân Jones, CND Cymru, PAWB, Ceri Cunnington, Cymdeithas yr Iaith, Sophie McKe and XR Cymru.

Dr Bethan Sian Jones, who is 28, and lives in Aberystywyth, is the national secretray of CND Cymru.

She said “It has been fantastic, I didn’t get too many blisters yet! We have had so much support along the way, and people have been so kind and joined us on the route.

“We decided to do the march to raise our awareness of our feelings against the decision by the Westminster government, to site small modular nuclear reactors on the sites of Trawdfynydd and Wylfa.

“The government want to re-introduce the nuclear energy but we don’t think it will solve climate change.

“We know how dangerous it is re Chernobyla nd Fukushima, we are so fed up of the “green washing” about nuclear energy, people saying it is “green.”

“It is not, it is dangerous and it involves the mining of uranium, on the land of indigenous people in Australia and in the global south.

“They also say it will provide people with jobs, but it won’t.

“We hope people will come along to the rally on Saturday, we have speakers, and poetry readings, people from all social and political groups taking part.

“We have such a long lineage of anti nuclear protesting in Wales.

“People have been amazing, it’s been very humbling to meet people on the way who have supported us, and anti-nuclear organisations like PAWB and CADNO have been great too.

Robat Idris of PAWB said “It has been a truly inspiring experience to support the young members of CND Cymru in their march from Trawsfynydd to Wylfa to oppose the possibility of further nuclear reactors being built at the two sites.

“The welcome they have been given along the way tells us that nuclear is very far from being backed by the local population.

“Both PAWB (People Against Wylfa ) and our sister anti-nuclear organisation at Trawsfynydd, are greatly heartened by the example shown by our youth.

“They see nuclear power as being intrinsically entwined with nuclear weapons, as being too late to help with climate change, and as being too expensive to help with fuel poverty – as well as being totally toxic and with no credible waste disposal plan.”.

PAWB’s co-ordinator Dylan Morgan said: “Their goal is to underline why modular nuclear reactors or the traditional huge ones should not be built anywhere.

“They are presenting declarations on the march to Gwynedd and Ynys Môn County Councils and Bangor University on behalf of movements opposing nuclear power.

“People gathered at on the Ynys Môn side of the Menai Bridge on Thursday, morning (September 8) to welcome them,

“The march will end at 4pm, on Saturday afternoon, September 10 with a rally at Wylfa.

“The future belongs to the young. It is the privilege of campaigning groups CADNO and PAWB to support them on the march.

“We hope people will support them.”