THE Yes activist behind the project for Scots to make a declaration of sovereignty to the United Nations has taken the idea further with a plea for the UN to be told that Scotland doesn’t want nuclear weapons on its soil.

Mike Fenwick started the Declaration of a Sovereign Scot project asking people to send letters to the secretary general of the UN confirming the desire for self-determination, and now he wants letters sent to Antonio Guterres to draw attention to Scotland’s opposition to Trident and all nuclear weapons.

Fenwick says this concept is set against the background of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and how that compares with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that he intends to increase the stock of such weapons.

He said: “At the beginning of this year at the United Nations, a treaty which had been in discussion for at least four or five years was finally announced and it was open to countries to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

“Straightforward you would think, but it only took a few months before Boris Johnson decided to announce it was not for the UK, and we’re going to increase our warheads despite any treaties prohibiting them.

“We’ve got 180 so far, and now they are to go up by a third to 240. How many people does Boris Johnson want to threaten with annihilation?

“My question is what, if anything, can we do about it?”

Fenwick pointed to the Declaration of a Sovereign Scot, the project which he started in April, and which saw him write to the secretary general about the issue of nuclear weapons.

“I am a realist,” said Fenwick. “I don’t expect the UN suddenly to say ‘We’ll support you ever more, Scotland,’ but I do think there are countries around the world who have ratified that UN treaty who would be interested in Scotland’s position on nuclear weapons.

“They should be made aware now of our opinion, and the fact that an independent Scotland will set about removing nuclear weapons from Scotland. That is a huge and powerful message to send to the world.

“That’s why I started the Declaration of a Sovereign Scot. One person, now joined by many others who have decided for themselves as individuals to take a stance, put their name to a document – not a speech but an actual physical document and act upon it.

“Sometimes even the smallest action starts a chain of events where it is only with hindsight that you can tell what caused that event to occur.

“That will be true of how we regain independence for Scotland – lots of small actions which seem insignificant but which produce a chain of events that leads to independence for our country.”

Fenwick also suggested that a petition be submitted to the Petitions Committee at the Scottish Parliament calling for a referendum on the subject of nuclear warheads harboured in Scotland.

He said: “The parliament should allow a referendum in which all of us can voice our opinion on support for the UK’s position, or support for the UN’s position. We should be doing this well in advance of indy.”