Lakenheath Alliance for Peace are returning to the US-controlled RAF Lakenheath to stop the threat of US nuclear weapons coming to Britain. Activists will set up a peace camp and vigil from Monday 14 to Saturday 26 April. Their actions will then culminate in a blockade of the base on the final day to call on the government to refuse the siting of these nuclear weapons in Britain.
Lakenheath documents revealed
This protest comes after the Mirror ran an exclusive investigation revealing a shocking government cover up about the new US nuclear weapons deployment. Legal letters from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) to the Ministry of Defence resulted in the declassifying of a document exempting US Visiting Forces in Britain from meeting nuclear safety regulations. This blanket exemption not only applies to troops stationed at RAF Lakenheath, but across all US bases in Britain.
This means that Suffolk County Council will never be informed of the US nuclear bombs arriving at RAF Lakenheath. The council would therefore be under no obligation to have emergency plans in place in the event of a nuclear accident at the base.
CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt said:
Nuclear weapons are the most destructive in the world. They put us all at risk every day. Whether they are from the dangers of accidents involving Britain’s own nuclear weapons or US ones deployed at RAF Lakenheath. Far from keeping people safe, all these nuclear weapons make Britain a target. Yet the government is more concerned about its special relationship with the US than people’s safety.
Planned activities
The new camp will see a ramping up of activities since the last peace camp in July 2024. Alongside the 24/7 vigil, there will be a programme of events and actions taking place at the base and in nearby towns and villages including:
- 17 April, Greenham Women’s Day: Women who protested US nuclear weapons at RAF Greenham Common in the 1980s will lead the demonstration at the main gate.
- 21 April, War Crimes & Genocide Day: Solidarity groups and activists, including a doctor who has volunteered in Gaza, will gather to protest at RAF Lakenheath’s involvement in war crimes being committed by US/UK/NATO forces and its military support which enables Israel to commit genocide in Gaza.
- 24 April, International Peace Conference: Members of peace campaigns from across the world will join local and national speakers for a one-day conference in Bury St Edmunds. Participants will challenge US militarism and the drive to never- ending wars, the build-up of US controlled NATO bases in Europe and how these impact the environment and people.
- 26 April, Base Blockade: The final day of the camp will see activists engage in a blockade of the main gate of the base. CND will organising a stunt in reference to the British government’s nuclear secrecy.
You can find a full programme and timetable on LAP’s website here.
Lakenheath: risk and destruction
Bolt also said:
The peace camp comes just as we learn that Britain’s cover-up of a US nuclear weapons deployment has been in the works for at least four years, alongside proof that people living close to any US base in this country, not just in East Anglia, are at great risk.
We encourage everyone to get involved with this camp, whether its attending one of the vigils, joining the blockade on the final day, or taking part in the international peace conference.
Meanwhile, Lakenheath Alliance for Peace co-founder Angie Zelter said:
It is horrifying and shameful that USAF Lakenheath, on British soil and with the connivance of the UK government is involved in war crimes and genocide. Pilots from Israel and Saudi Arabia are trained at Lakenheath and US planes and bombs go out to take part in the bombings in Gaza and Yemen.
We are here to say this is not in our name and to warn service personnel in the base that they should never obey illegal orders and refuse to take part in the never ending wars that are destroying people and planet.
Zelter explained:
To mark the Genocide and War Crimes Day, we will hold a symbolic death march with baby shrouds, Red Rebels, and hanging baby clothes on the fence of the base. This is to remind everyone of the impact of these planes on babies and children. It is blood on their hands and from their planes.
Greenham Common Woman Ginnie Herbet said:
Women who protested at Greenham in the 1980s are now protesting at the return of US nukes to Lakenheath. The cruise missiles left Greenham Common, international law changed and the Common was handed back to the people. Forty years later and here we are protesting again as secret decisions are made and US nuclear weapons return to Lakenheath. Not in our Name!”
Featured image via the Canary
