|PIC2|Methodists, Baptists and United Reformists have protested the Government's plans to replace Trident as they joined thousands of other demonstrators in a peace rally in central London Saturday.

The Methodist Church's Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice, Anthea Cox, and Head of Faith and Unity in the Baptist Union of Great Britain, Graham Sparkes, led an ecumenical service prior to the rally organised by the three Churches.

During the service, Ms Cox called on the gathered Christians to "march in peace and be witnesses to hope".

Ms Cox told Christian Today, "The replacement of Trident is a totally inappropriate response to the context of current issues of security and is based much more on insecurity between nations and issues of terrorism. I am completely not by convinced by this as an argument.

"We still have a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons. We have made a very clear commitment to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty to reduce our nuclear weapons.

"How on earth can we as a nation encourage the disarmament of other nations and the building of a climate where there is trust and a global climate where there is peace when we are looking to increase our own nuclear weapons arsenal?

She added, "This seems to be a very inappropriate way to deal with that commitment."

The anti-Trident protest was part of a wider anti-war rally calling on the Government to pull all troops out of Iraq.

While the Stop the War coalition put the turnout in London's Trafalgar Square at 60,000, police estimated the figure to be closer to 10,000.

In Glasgow meanwhile, Christians also made up part of the estimated 2,000-strong Bin the Bomb rally against Trident replacement which took place in the city's George Square.

Representing the Christian contingency was the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Alan McDonald, who said, "For 25 years the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has consistently argued that nuclear weapons are morally and theologically wrong and I have always strongly supported that decision."