Save William McNeilly, Trident whistleblower
The Courage Foundation has opened an emergency fund for Trident whistleblower William McNeilly’s defence costs.Able Seaman William McNeilly is a 25-year-old British Engineering
Technician Weapons Engineer Submariner who has blown the whistle on
major safety risks and cover-ups within the British Royal Navy’s Trident
nuclear weapons programme, stating, “We are so close to a nuclear
disaster it is shocking, and yet everybody is accepting the risk to the
public.”
William McNeilly released a 16-page report
to WikiLeaks, who published the original in full. The report draws on
McNeilly’s experience in the Royal Navy to detail security lapses,
safety hazards and a culture of secrecy and cover-up. In particular,
McNeilly describes surprisingly weak security around the UK’s Trident
nuclear submarine base, writing that “it’s harder to get into most
nightclubs than it is to get into the [restricted] Green Area.”
McNeilly has turned himself in to police and is now being held in
Royal Navy custody at an undisclosed location, where he faces potential
prosecution. Whilst it is yet unclear what charges McNeilly will face,
he is in military custody and the UK has a number of military charges
that, like the Espionage Act in the United States, do not offer
defendants the chance to make a public interest defence.
