Explosion danger at Dutch military bases


This video is about the big 29 October 1983 demonstration against nuclear weapons in The Hague, the Netherlands. Over 550,000 people marched.

Translated from Dutch daily De Volkskrant, 1 May 2018:

Residents of areas around military bases and employees of the military have been unnecessarily at risk for years, because safety on Dutch ammunition grounds was not in order. As a result, there was an increased risk that ammunition could explode, for example in the case of lightning strikes. This is evident from internal Defense Department documents and the Inspectorate of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW), which the Volkskrant obtained after an appeal to the Public Access Act (Wob). …

During visits to thirteen ammunition depots, the SZW Inspectorate, formerly the Labor Inspectorate, found 89 shortcomings. This happened, for example, in Pesse, ‘t Harde and at the air force bases Volkel and Woensdrecht, partly because of the incorrect storage of ammunition or the absence of warning signs.

In Woensdrecht air base, the government had a plan to have United States nuclear cruise missiles. A massive peace movement succeeded in preventing that. If that would not have prevented, then a conventional ammunition explosion in Woensdrecht might have escalated into a nuclear explosion. At Volkel military base are still United States nuclear weapons. There such a nuclear explosion might still happen.