While the assembled guests sat in their plastic-issued rainwear in Washington DC for the Inauguration of George W Bush as President of the USA, we gathered in the winter sunshine at the American National Security Agency (NSA) base at Menwith Hill, North Yorkshire, UK. This base (and also Fylingdales) is crucial to George W Bush and his insane ideas to develop and deploy the National Missile Defense (NMD) system.
We were once again at the Main entrance of NSA Menwith Hill with banners and placards to show our deep concern at the use of this base in the NMD system. We demonstrated with the US flag which had a simple message written on it: 'STOP STAR WARS'. Another placard, resting on top of the sandbag defences in front of the control box, said 'George W Bush......Oh dear!' There was a substantial press presence and filming by a French TV crew.
Chris Dean once again accompanied a group of eight people on a walk inside the base they freely roamed all along the alarmed, razor-wired security fence line with no interference from the MoD police (we have been frequently arrested for doing this in the past). At one point the group came within a few metres of the two new Space Based Infra Red System (SBIRS) radomes. The walk inside the base took about one and a half hours and for a while a corner of the Yorkshire Dales was peacefully reclaimed.
It was good to be there......it was essential to be there......and we will continue to be there to make sure that Menwith Hill, Fylingdales or any other US base in this country are not allowed to be used for the scary American NMD/TMD or BMD system.
USAF Feltwell
As part of the George W Bush Inauguration Day Protests on 20 January four members of Norwich CND went to the American Deep and Near Space Tracking Facility USAF Feltwell, Norfolk, UK on Saturday. They held a vigil with placards (including some with Bush's picture on) for an hour and then leafletted in the local village. They got some toots of support from passing cars, and had some interesting conversations with the MoD police.
The group is stepping up it's actions at USAF Feltwell due to it's possible implication in the American NMD system.