On 20 July, two women were arrested at USAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, protesting against plans to bring new US nuclear weapons to the base. Ginnie Herbert and Angie Zelter sat down and refused to move when police told them that they would not be able to deliver a letter to the base commanders. They were arrested for aggravated trespass at a ‘protected site’ under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (2005); the maximum penalty is six months in prison.
Angie and Ginnie were taken to…
From 13 – 25 July, there will be an international peace camp at USAF Lakenheath to protest against the plan to bring US nuclear weapons there. The camp is being organised by over a dozen groups in the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace (LAP).
LAP was launched on 26 March when eight women including Angie Zelter ‘crossed the line’ onto base territory at USAF Lakenheath, insisting on delivering a letter to the base commanders.
After almost an hour, the RAF commander of the base,…
A Citizens Weapons Inspection (CWI) team from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) gathered outside USAF Lakenheath on 23 September, with the aim of searching the base for nuclear weapons.
This followed growing evidence that the US air force is priming Lakenheath for the deployment of the new B61-12 guided nuclear bomb as part of a mass upgrade of US nuclear infrastructure in Europe.
The inspection was part of a nationwide day of action against US nuclear weapons in…
Hundreds of peace activists protested outside USAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on 20 May, demanding that the US keep its nuclear weapons out of Britain. Speakers included Reiner Braun from Germany, CND general secretary Kate Hudson, Guido van Leemput from the Netherlands, actor Michael Mears and CND chair Tom Unterrainer.
Hundreds of people gathered outside Lakenheath, the US air force (USAF) base in Suffolk, at a Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) demonstration on 19 November.
They were protesting against the return of US nuclear weapons to the UK.
Originally scheduled for spring 2023, the arrival of the new B61-12 free-fall/glide nuclear bomb at USAF Lakenheath seems to have been brought forward to December.
Speakers at the demo included CND chair Tom Unterrainer, Trident…
‘No US nukes in Britain!’ That was the message of over 150 activists from around the UK (and from the Continent) who joined the CND demonstration at USAF Lakenheath on 21 May.
The news that the US air force might be returning nuclear weapons to its base in north Suffolk broke on 11 April with a tweet from US researcher Hans Kristensen: ‘Looks like RAF Lakenheath air base has quietly been added to the list of nuclear weapons storage sites receiving upgrades in Europe.’
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The “Lakenheath 8” are on trial at Bury St Edmunds court on 6, 10 and 11 July for SOCPA criminal trespass (and criminal damage), at USAF Lakenheath last October. Sylvia Boyes and Helen John are awaiting a trial date for their SOCPA criminal trespass at Menwith Hill a year ago. The judge wants proof from the prosecution that the US spy centre at Menwith Hill is an RAF base. The next hearing is on 8 June.
On 1 October, 200 people descended on USAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. The airbase is believed to be home to around 110 US nuclear weapons of vital strategic importance to the US military. The following day eight activists broke into the base and locked on to the gates of the ammunition depot.
The demonstration on 1 October was called by CND and the Lakenheath Action group, and saw CND's Kate Hudson and Bruce Kent address the crowd along with Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn (who, apparently, had…
Here are two short reports from participants which, it is hoped, might enthuse you enough to join in with protests during October's "Keep Space for Peace" week (see box below).
Close it down!Chris Brennan writes...
On a sunny Saturday, 24 September, about 60 protesters marched around the old RAF Croughton site on the NorthantsOxon border which is acknowledged to house the infrastructure for US military and governmental communications between North America and Europe…
