SYDNEY, May 7 (NNN-AAP) – Over a thousand people rallied in Port Kembla, in Australia’s state of New South Wales, yesterday, to protest plans to establish a local base for nuclear submarines, at the heart of the AUKUS agreement.
Members from the local activist group, Wollongong Against War and Nukes (WAWAN), carried a banner that read: “No war no nukes.” Union representatives and members of the Australian Labour Party, also joined the rally, some other banners read “No to AUKUS,” “No nuclear submarine,” and “No place for a nuclear base.”
Event organisers said, they are seeking to “send a clear message that (they) don’t want a nuclear submarine base here or anywhere else,” local media reported.
Local media cited WAWAN member, Alexander Brown, saying, the establishment of such a base would hamper the region’s transition into the renewable energy industry.
This is pointless war-mongering by Americans in the region, he said.
“What we need now more than ever is, a rapid transition into a renewable economy and peace in the region,” he added, “We don’t want it here or anywhere else.”
Port Kembla, a coastal town about a hundred km south of Sydney, along with Newcastle and Brisbane, were named by the former Morrison government, as potential sites for a base on Australia’s east coast.
The Albanese government said, it will take the time required to consider all feasible options.
