At the fence three of us were allowed outside of the footpath to address those present through a megaphone - although this was rather difficult as there was considerable interference from the radar, or some other electronic system, that made the megaphone sound more like a Geiger counter.  At this point Jackie Fearnley read out the statement of support that had been sent from Stacey Fritz from No Nukes North in Alaska. A statement had been sent from the Fylingdales Action Network to Alaska for their protest demonstration on the same day.

We then reversed the journey back up the road to Eller Beck escorted by the police (who had been extremely pleasant and helpful all day). We then packed up and dispersed to our various homes.

It was a good day for meeting people, talking, enjoying the beauty of the Yorkshire Moors (as one protestor's sign said: "More heather less Bush"), showing our deep concerns about the huge costs involved in the escalation of highly dangerous, unreliable and expensive technology as a supposed solution to 'terrorist and rogue state threats', rather than the promotion of schemes to feed, house, care for and educate the world at a fraction of the cost.

The weather stayed fine - let's hope that's a good omen.

The Alaskan Keep Space for Peace Statement of Support

Alaskans are gathering at Fort Greely on this day to demonstrate our profound dedication to global cooperation, arms control, and a livable world for future generations. The missiles are right across the road, but we’ve come to preemptively deploy a fantastic Peace Dove instead. We think the dove has a much better chance of ‘Securing the High Ground’ as the motto on the Fort Greely sign says.

We’ve come to stand in solidarity with our neighbors from The Yukon in Canada, a few of whom made a considerable commitment and traveled some 400 miles so that they could illustrate how the deployment of missile defense so near to their border affects them. Many more Yukoners are with us in spirit and send their goodwill.

We also stand with many other people across the U.S. and the world today. We send our goodwill to our friends in the Vandenberg Action Coalition, who are protesting outside Vandenberg Air Force base where the other interceptors are located. We stand with the Yorkshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Fylingdales Action Network, who today gather outside the missile defense radar that dominates their landscape on the moors of Yorkshire. For our friends in the Brandywine Peace Coalition who are standing outside Lockheed Martin right now, please tell them they should not be creating our country’s foreign policy platform. Our thoughts are with all the people at every Keep Space for Peace demonstration, because we are all looking up at the same sky and praying that this precious and shared environment will be spared the warfare and destruction that is occurring on earth today.

Destroying international arms control and forcing our allies to adopt this destabilizing, Cold War-style missile system has escalated the militarization of the entire Arctic and many other regions of the world. Moreover, citizens of all countries need to speak out against this American project because its goal is not defense of the homeland, but, as Space Command says, full-spectrum domination by the American military of all of space and control from space of the earth below.

It is our duty as US citizens, who know that democracy can only survive with an informed and active public, to stand during International Keep Space for Peace Week with people from around the world in direct opposition to President George Bush. We reject this administration's policies of unilateralism and preemptive war -- policies that create hatred of the US and increase the chance of terrorism. We reject the destruction of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Non-Proliferation Treaty, cornerstones of arms control. Building missile defense systems at Fort Greely and Kodiak Island, Alaska, has already sparked a new arms race that will likely include the launching of multitudes of space-based weapons, many with nuclear components.

Deploying this incomplete and untested missile defense system protects nothing but corporate welfare for Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and TRW. Missile Defense is fast becoming the most expensive military project in the history of the world. We reject this bankrupting of our children's future. We are few and far away up here in Alaska, but we know you can hear us yelling: Keep Space for Peace!

(See local news reports)