Campaigners from Pembrokeshire-based PARC Against DARC travelled to the Senedd on Wednesday 5 March to give a presentation in opposition to Brawdy-proposed DARC space radar array, an AUKUS military proposal backed by President Trump the group argues could ratchet up tensions in space against China:
Campaigners said that they are now ‘ramping up efforts’ to stop DARC Radar.
Twelve Members of the Senedd from across the political spectrum have so far subscribed to a Statement of Opinion that recognises widespread local opposition to the proposal including a petition with nearly 17,000 signatures and concerns regarding DARC’s visual, health and regional security implications, and calls for a Welsh Government commission.
PARC Against DARC campaign steps up a gear
A PARC spokesperson said:
Today marks a big step change in the political impact of the campaign against DARC that has gone an incredibly long way very quickly, with now cross-party support from some Welsh Labour MSs, strong support from Plaid Cymru, and support also from the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ Senedd representative, Jane Dodds. For the many people opposing DARC in Pembrokeshire, this shows us the Senedd playing its best role: as a true reflection of the people that elect it. We strongly encourage MSs to heed our community’s call, and support the statement of opinion.
The spokesperson continued:
It’s right for politicians of all stripes to support this statement of opinion for all the reasons locals oppose DARC. Proposing a 27-dish DARC radar array on the skyline of a true jewel-in-the-crown natural wonder and headline Welsh tourism industry attraction like the St Davids peninsula has been a totally ill-conceived idea from the start, and the Senedd Members we spoke to today have certainly been some early adopters on the right side of history in reflecting that.
Global geopolitical instability
Sionedd Williams MS attended the event saying:
Yesterday I showed my support for the campaign against the DARC project in Pembrokeshire. Plaid Cymru has a proud tradition of promoting peace, and this US militaristic project has no place in Wales.
The campaign argues that DARC radar would also serve the current purposes of Trump’s US imperialist space domination agenda and Elon Musk’s massively expanding SpaceX space network.
PARC said:
This just heaps on the condemnation from local residents of a local area with a long and rich history of challenging such proposals.”
We now have an ‘untrustable Trump’ in the Oval office with a subordinate Starmer as UK partner. The rate Trump is going, we can’t even rely on the US being a UK ally by the time DARC would be built, so it must be stopped or we risk inviting the enemy inside the gate!
Symbolic peace doves released at the Senedd
The events were followed by a televised Vigil for Peace on the steps of the Senedd where Ali Lochhead from CND Cymru spoke of the group’s vision for Wales as a nation of peace. Côr Cochion Choir sang and closed the event as two Peace Doves were released as a symbol of the promotion of peace:
Heledd Fychan MS who sponsored the Peace Day said:
On this UN International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness and today I proudly sponsor an event at the Senedd, highlighting militarism in Wales, hosted by PARC Against DARC.
Plaid Cymru has a long-standing history of opposing militarism and advocating for peace. We remain committed to supporting the campaign by Pembrokeshire residents against the DARC proposals. A lot of interesting discussions and a valuable opportunity for Senedd Members to learn more and understand the strength of opposition and the reasons why this should be of concern to everyone in Wales.
Reduce military spending and stop DARC
PARC Against DARC concluded:
While Trump’s shock realignment of the World order is clearly dangerous, erratic and unpredictable, we support any efforts for peace and his indication that there should be a reduction in military spending by all the global superpowers.
Scrapping excessive AUKUS infrastructure like DARC would be a tangible commitment to slowing down that exact irrational cycle of militarisation. We and all campaigns in the Senedd today, as well as we are sure so many people, could so readily support a world where we commit our resources and our wealth as nations to improving lives and competing primarily on creating the technologies of the future, rather than harking back to the archaic, unaffordable international military stalemate culture of the past.
Campaigners urge all to sign their petition against DARC and call on Welsh residents to email Senedd Members and request they subscribe to the statement of opinion against DARC, using the campaign’s template on the campaign’s lobbying page.
Featured image via the Canary
