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What does it mean to be an anarchist at Faslane Peace Camp?

3 September 2018

The word anarchy conjures up visions of chaos, of masked figures and violent actions, but what does it actually mean to be an anarchist?

anarchist, (n) : One whose ideal of society is one without government of any kind

To withhold labour

“We don’t work, we don’t have jobs, we don’t pay taxes.

“While I think that many of our taxes go to very wonderful and positive things like the NHS – and these are certainly things we’re able to reap the benefits of – our tax payer money goes to fund Trident.

“It would be incredibly hypocritical of us to allow our money to go towards it, so we withhold our labour.”

Speaking on Our Story, Iona Soper, a resident at the Faslane Peace Camp, explained the realities of living in a place of anarchy:-

Faslane - living at the peace camp

Iona, a current peace camp resident, shares her first impressions of living there.

To be self-governing

“We’re a self-governing body, so we resist third-party justice systems.

“We reject things like the police so, if there’s an issue at the camp – if a rule has been broken, a crime’s been committed, there’s a problem, anything like that – then it’s all handled internally.”

Studying for a degree in social anthropology brought Iona Soper to Faslane Peace Camp. What made her want to abandon her conventional lifestyle and stay?

Our Story: Faslane

Mark Stephen visits Helensburgh and meets the different communities that coexist within the town, the naval base and the peace camp.