6th October 2002.
200 peace activists have gathered at Lakenheath airbase today in the biggest demonstration at the base since the 1980s. A number of those attending have vowed to take non-violent direct action in order to disrupt the base. This week, people around the world are taking part in Abolition Days, calling for disarmament and accountability of American nuclear weapons bases.
Lakenheath is the USA’s primary tactical bombing base in Europe and over 30 nuclear warheads are kept there. Any USA – UK bombing campaign against Iraq would include planes from Lakenheath. Protesters from all over the UK, and other countries including the USA and Germany are at Lakenheath today to call for the removal of American nuclear weapons from the base and to oppose its involvement in a war on Iraq. Large local groups have come from towns and villages such as Feltwell, Bury and Colchester, as well as Norwich, the University of East Anglia, Cromer, Cambridge, Luton, and London.
The action began at 11 am with a silent march to the main gate of the base, where there was a vigil. The atmosphere was peaceful and solemn.
Juliette McBride, a Law Lecturer from Southampton, climbed into the base over the perimeter fences and onto the top of the water tower, where she dropped a banner that said ‘LAW NOT NUKES’. She was escorted off the base by the MOD police, who Juliette described as friendly and respectful, and agreed to leave her banners in place. It was a different story with the Suffolk Police, who unnecessarily searched Juliette’s bag and vehicle under the guise of searching for an offensive weapon, despite the fact that Juliette had just spent 20 minutes with the MOD who did not feel that it was necessary to search her bag. Juliette said:
“I am protesting against the presence of the USA Air Force here and their nuclear weapons, especially at the present time of global crisis when the USA want to go to war on Iraq to prevent them from having nuclear weapons.”
George Farebrother of the World Court Project says:
‘We are not here to break the law, we are here to uphold the law. The law is being broken here’
Arthur Paul Milling, ex-sheriff of York and a Magistrate for 10 years was arrested whilst trying to uphold the law. He and his partner Rachel were arrested after cutting through the fence at Lakenheath.
Nuclear weapons were found to be generally illegal under international law by the International Court of Justice in 1996. Rachel and Paul Milling were attempting to prevent the base from continuing its illegal practice of keeping nuclear weapons with the intention of first strike.
The demonstration was peaceful throughout. The police seemed reluctant to arrest the demonstrators; several people climbed over the fence into the base and were escorted out without arrest.
Colin Goldblatt, one of the organisers, said:
“The issue of US bases in Britain and their nuclear weapons is clearly a very relevant issue. People feel very strongly about the hypocrisy of American nuclear weapons in the face of their plans to attack Iraq for that very reason. We plan to build on today’s success and organise further actions here.”