The arrests happened after the protesters had organised the "Faslane Highland Games". These included all the traditional competitions, such as tossing the caber, putting the haggis and an egg and spoon race, and concluded with a tug o' peace which blocked the gate to the base.

Angus John McEwan from Inverkirkaig, long-time secretary of the Assynt Games, filled the traditional role of Chieftain. He said: "The two words 'nuclear weapons' seem innocuous as they roll off the tongue, but if you were to taste what is really in there, it's poison. They are unimaginable weapons. We have to make a start of getting rid of them, to try to loosen the traditional positions we have been tied in for so long, to change this threatening posture to other nations. I feel I have to try to keep the pressure up, even if at times this means being unconformist."

Helen Steven from Raffin, a founding member of the Assynt Peace Group, said: 'We went to the gates of the Faslane military base to toss the caber, putt a haggis, run races and have a tug of peace, all to show in a spirit of good humour that we want this country to be involved in games of peace, not war games, and to confirm all of the good things in life rather than the mentality of death."

The peace group had written to the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band inviting them to send pipers to the games, but they apologised for being unable to take part as it was their rest day.

Bill Ritchie of Achmelvich, prominent Assynt land reformer, recent recipient of the MBE and one of the protest organisers, said: 'We are proud to have brought a taste of the Highlands to the Faslane 365 protest and to have demonstrated in a spirit of peace and good fun against Trident. We represent the many people who are opposed to these weapons of mass destruction which are held, in breach of international law, at Faslane."

Duncan Hutchison from Lochinver makes a sit-down protest at Faslane.

Those arrested were Angus John McEwan, Helen Steven, Catriona MacDonald from Stoer, and Marianne Hutchison and Duncan Hutchison from Lochinver. All five were released without charge after being held at Clydebank Police Station overnight.

The Assynt Peace Group has been at the forefront of the movement in Scotland. The Lochinver Declaration for Peace was launched by Bruce Kent and signed up to by more than 100 people on Valentine's Day 2004.

Two members of the group, Ellen Moxley and Helen Steven, are past winners of the Ghandi International Peace Prize and of the Right Livelihood Award, usually known as the Alternative Nobel Peace Prize.

In October last year, 17 members of the group protested at Faslane with a traditional ceilidh on the roundabout outside the North Gate. Eight of them, including Angus McEwan, were arrested for blocking the gate by dancing in front of it.

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