The Yorkshire chapter of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and Sheffield CND invited No Nukes North coordinator Stacey Fritz to speak about Alaskan missile defense facilities at a conference at Sheffield University in October as part of the International Week of Actions to Keep Space for Peace:
FROM THE FRONT LINE:
STAR WARS & GLOBALISATION
International Conference on Missile Defence, Globalisation and the Militarisation of Space
Click here for Yorkshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's full report on the conference with more pictures
The famous moors of Yorkshire, covered with heather.
This is the land of the Brontes and Wuthering Heights, Francis Hodgens Burnett's "The Secret Garden", famous Yorkshire animal doctor James Herriot's "All Things Bright & Beautiful', proper tea time with crumpets and clotted cream, and....
big Star Wars radars!
Residents of Sheffield hold weekly peace vigils in the center of town, and conference attendees were glad to be there to join in. It was great to be able to tell them that I had just come from the four-day anti-war demo in Fairbanks. I figured that, with the time difference, we were all demonstrating at the same time.
Earlier the same day, we joined local residents and Sheffield University students for a demonstration outside the vice-chancelor's office before submitting a letter of opposition regarding the university's recent 15 million Pound contract with Boeing corporation, missile defense's biggest contractor. (more info on the demo and a copy of the letter are in CND's report)
One major highlight of the conference was meeting fellow speaker Kuupik Kleist. Kuupik is the representative from Greenland in the Danish parliament. He detailed the history of US military installations in his homeland, including the Air Force base at Thule that plays a critical role in the missile defense system. Thule's original residents are suing the Danish governement for illegally evicting them from their homeland in the early '50s to allow construction of the US base.
Kuupik was delighted to find so many other activists spreading information about the dangers of the new Star Wars program, and he said he would be glad to visit Alaska some day soon. He has felt very isolated in opposing the missile defense program and looked forward to relating conference events back home in Greenland.
Kuupik and our Brittish allies loved the northern alliance illustrated by the circumpolar north map on the Nukes North T-shirts, although it took most UKers a minute to realize they were represented on this (to them) upside-down image:
Of course, we are all part of the Global Network and have a great deal in common with our friends Down Under:
Jacob Grech from Australia sent a video-taped presentation to the conference. Jacob couldn't attend in person because he was busy organizing a huge demonstration at Pine Gap as part of the International Keep Space for Peace Week:
EXPOSE THE GAP!
Pine Gap is a US military satellite Echelon spy base in the center of Australia. It plays a crucial role in the war on Iraq and will be a command center for missile defense and American space dominance. With a dozen radomes and extensive computer and support facilities, Pine Gap employs nearly 1,000 people, mainly from the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office. Some 400 Australians traveled over 1,500 miles to attend the 3-day rally, which was a huge success in raising public awareness of Pine Gap's role in America's global war machine.
Carol Naughton, chair of the national Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, spoke at the conference and led workshops.
Dave Knight, former chair of CND and currently the GLobal Network's representative at the UN, spoke about banning missile defense, working towards a new outer space treaty and positive globalization
Maren is a local activist in Sheffield who is working on a film about Menwith Hill, the US echelon spy base in Yorkshire.
Robb Johnson, ex-dodgy punk and current awesome anti-war folk
singer/songwriter, provided Friday night's entertainment.
Robb's got a great site with downloadable
songs.
A model of the Fylingdales radar, sister Ballistic Missile Early Warning radar (BMEW) with the ones at Clear, Alaska and Thule, Greenland...
And a demonstration with local residents and Fylingdales Action Network leaders Jackie and Tricia in front of the actual radar station, right in the middle of the North York Moors National Park.
Local residents are deeply concerned about the health effects of the radar. Jackie and her husband run a parking lot in the nearby village, and the radar often emits a frequency that causes certain cars' alarms to go off and their immobilizers to activate.
Conference attendees met with the Action Network and peace camp supporters there to raise awareness of international opposition to the radar's use in the "Son of Star Wars" missile defense program.
Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network, questions the base commander about the radar's role in Star Wars while local journalists and the police liason officers take notes and snap pictures. The base commander refused to comment on missile defense or to admit that the US is the real manager of the base, technically controlled by the Royal Air Force.
Jimmy, the Ministry of Defense police liason officer assigned to the base, was extremely charming, polite, and well-informed. We all agreed he would look great in a No Nukes North T-shirt, and I do believe the nearby peace camp and the frequent peaceful protests by the Fylingdales Action Network, CND, and other groups make his job a lot livelier than it could be.
The idyllic nearby village of Goathland, where sheep and ducks roam and tourists abound. Of course, it is a lovely place to be stuck when your car is immobilized by the radar's waves.
A very prominent mark on the landscape, the Fylingdales radar looms over the countryside near Goathland.
Just a stone's throw away is the port of Whitby on the North Sea coast (just up the road from Robin Hood's Bay).
Whitby happens to be sister city to Anchorage, as it is the birthplace and home port of the great explorer Captain Cook, official white discoverer of Turnagin Arm and Anchorage. Here's Fylingdale Action Network member Keith standing in front of one of Whitby's famous fish and chip restaurants ~ this one named after Cook's ships.
It gave me such hope and inspiration to meet and work with all the wonderful people in the UK, Greenland, and other Star Wars locations, and I know they are very heartened to hear news of opposition to the Bush administration within the US. It is important to foster these international alliances based on human needs and peace at a time when our selected government is dedicated to extreme unilateralism and warmongering. Our true allies need to know that the actions of the US government do not represent the will of the people of this country so that they will focus their anger on the corporatists in power, and not into anti-Americanism.
Thanks, KEEP SPACE FOR PEACE!
PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE USE
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
Date – Thursday 24th October 2002
MENWITH HILL BLOCKADED IN ANTI-WAR MOVE
Group of Protesters attempt to close down the base as it plans Iraq War
BLOCKADE HAPPENING NOW!
This Morning Menwith Hill is the venue for a major non-violent blockade by an
independent group of protesters in an attempt to shut down the base as it prepares
for an Iraq war. The blockade, which has started and IS STILL TAKING PLACE as
this press release is sent, aims to disrupt work to pinpoint potential targets
in Iraq currently taking place within the base. The gates are blocked and the
traffic is queueing.
Menwith Hill’s main entrance is currently closed for essential maintenance
work and is closed off by concrete blocks and razor wire. Using D-locks, Tripods
and chains the protesters are blocking the two side entrance gates (Nessfield
gate and Steeplebush gate on the B road off the A59) being used whilst the repairs
take place. By blocking the entrances just before the next staff change-over
the protesters hope to stop the work of the base in very real, practical terms,
and in doing so, to stop war preparations.
Menwith Hill won an award for its part in the Gulf War of 1991. Its surveillance
capabilities will certainly be used for this coming war in order to pinpoint
targets and monitor enemy movements. However, it is also being used as we speak
to pinpoint targets, in preparation for a war.
TJ, one of the protesters that organised the blockade, said,
"The governments of the US and UK may say that they are trying to avoid
war, but at the same time this base is preparing for war. They are lining up
the targets whilst simultaneously sending the troops, planes and ships to the
region. Don’t let them fool you – they want a war. Once again, Yorkshire
is at the heart of US planning. Without this – the world’s biggest
spy base – war on Iraq would be much harder. It plays a key role in war
plans. As a Yorkshire resident I will not stand by and let this county be used
to plan an immoral and unjustified war which aims at nothing more than US dominance
in the Middle East. I will not let the US government use Menwith Hill, or any
other part of Yorkshire, for a war in Iraq."
As well as disrupting Yorkshire’s major role in the Iraq war, this blockade
shows once again just how vulnerable to attack the base is. It is not only peaceful
protesters that may wish to disrupt this base. Security is still lax.
ENDS
Notes for Editor
As this press release is being sent, the blockade is still taking place. More
information from TJ – on the scene 07771 508009 or from media liaison -
Neil Kingsnorth 01274 730795.
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: The blockade is taking place for as long as possible. Photos
are possible at both gates. Photographers should arrive as soon as possible
to avoid disappointment. Liaise with TJ to keep up to date.
Detailed further info on the poor security of Menwith Hill is available at http://www.menwithhill.ukf.net/index.html
and info on Menwith Hill more generally and its role in surveillance and missile
defence is available at www.yorkshirecnd.org.uk
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