A well-attended public meeting of over 60 people heard concerns from eminent speakers and local individuals about the controversial Menwith Hill listening station near Harrogate. The meeting was on the 23rd June in the Friends Meeting House in Harrogate and was organised by the independent Menwith Hill Forum.

Opening the discussion, Councillor John Eveleigh, Otley Town Council and Menwith Hill Forum Chair, explained that the meeting was to inform the public of the "great listening post just up the road" and the dangers it posed making Harrogate a possible target for attack and at the same time unaccountable for its activities to the British population.

David Bowe, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humberwas the first speaker. He noted his ongoing concerns at the lack of transparency and accountability at the base. He also quoted the European Parliament's recent report on surveillance techniques affecting commercial businesses across Europe. This identified the Menwith Hill base as involved in a project called 'Echelon' which "...works by indiscriminately intercepting very large quantities of communications from the world's satellite phone calls, internet, email, faxes and telexes and then siphoning out what is valuable.. to find key words." (1).

Mr Bowe noted that the base may be going beyond considerations of national security into providing commercial espionage and assisting American diplomatic policy. However, despite being on Yorkshire land, no member of Parliament or member of the European Parliament has been allowed on the base to satisfy themselves that civil liberties are not being infringed.

David Bowe said: "We need to know more so that we can be satisfied the base's role is in the public interest and there is adequate democratic accountability of its activities."

The European Parliament is also abiout to set up a commission of inquiry on the work of surveillance bases like Menwith Hill as they affect fair play in competition for international business contacts.

Also speaking at the meeting was Professor Paul Rogers of the University of Bradford. Professor Rogers noted that the United States could be breaking the terms of the 1972 Anti Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty if it goes ahead with a tracking system that aims (through Menwith Hill and Fylingdales bases) to identify and destroy missiles in space (a system entitled SBIRS, space-based infra-red system). Such a move could lead to an arms race involving Russia and China and could bring about a whole new cold war."

The last speaker was Lindis Percy of the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (CAAB). She noted that CAAB had put a writ in to the High Court, on the unlawfulness of the SBIRS system, against the US base commander at Menwith Hill, the Secretary of State for Defence, the Defence Land Agency and the RAF Squadron Leader at the base. Claims that the base is owned by the RAF are a smokescreen, she said: "It does not even have a runway!"

In a detailed public discussion that followed members of the public expressed concerns that Menwith Hill and Harrogate would be more prone to an attack; and that the base was part of a huge military industrial establishment which continually needs supposed enemies to justify the spending of $60 billion on the SBIRS and national missile defence system.

On a more local level a member of the public, who lives just a mile from the base, complained:

"When I applied to Harrogate Council to put a circular window on my house the planning application was rejected. When Menwith Hill asks to put 27 huge golf balls up no one bats an eyelid".

Closing the meeting Councillor Eveleigh said that all who attended were most welcome to attend future meetings of the Menwith Hill Forum (the next meeting is on Friday 15th September at 6.30pm in Otiey Civic Centre. It was also noted that North Yorkshire Police had a vehicle stationed outside the venue throughout the Friends Meeting House at the beginning and end of this meeting.

Notes:

(1) European Parliament Science & Technological Assessment Unit: An Appraisal of Technologies of Political Control

For further information contact John Eveleigh (0113 206 5814) or David Bowe (01642 247722 or 01642 353110).