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Report on Fylingdales
Demonstration
13 June 2009 From: CND |
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Protesters march to the gates of Fylingdales
Protestors from around the country marched to the gates of RAF Fylingdales radar base in North Yorkshire today in the largest demonstration against British involvement in US Missile Defence in recent years. The demonstrators, who had come from as far as Edinburgh and London, formed a long procession as they marched along the A169 to the main gates of the base where they handed a letter of protest into base commander Greg Hammond.
The letter called on the government to note public opposition to US Missile Defence and the obstacles the system presents to pushing forward the new international disarmament agenda, currently being discussed by the US and Russia. The event at Fylingdales marked the previous day's seventh anniversary of the US abandonment of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia, a step taken to allow the US to develop the missile defence system. A message of support from the Czech Ne Zakladnam (No Bases) movement was read out at the rally which preceded the march. The message highlighted in particular the pressure that the Czech movement had successfully brought to bear on the Czech parliament. The Topolanek government had been forced to withdraw the treaties supporting Czech participation in the system so that it did not lose a ratification vote. As Ne Zakladnam stated, the government's collapse was due to the proposed radar being "a core of their political identity."
The demonstration at Fylingdales follows the release of a YouGov opinion poll which shows the strength of opposition in Britain to the European deployment of US Missile Defence (see note 3). The poll shows almost three fifths (58%) of people agree that the siting of components of the US Missile Defence system in the UK and Europe will increase international tension between the US and Russia and, as a result, increase the threat to UK and European security, compared to less than 1 in 5 (19%) who disagree. Over half (53%) of the public agree that the Obama administration should cancel the plans for the bases in Europe, compared to only 1 in 5 (20% exactly) who disagree. Kate Hudson, CND Chair said, 'The possibility of major global reductions in nuclear weapons - leading towards eventual global abolition - is on the agenda for the first time in many years. There have been positive statements from Presidents Obama and Medvedev to this end, but US missile defence remains a major obstacle to successful negotiations. It is highly regrettable that the British government continues to support this system, putting Britain on the front line in future US wars, in spite of majority public opinion against. Gordon Brown has stated government commitment to multilateral nuclear disarmament yet he is backing a system which directly militates against it. This policy must be changed and Britain must pull out of the US missile defence system and use its special relationship with the US to encourage President Obama to cancel the system in its entirety.'
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June 11 2009 Poll Shows Strength of UK Opposition to US Missile Defence as Activists Head to Fylingdales Radar On 13th June Yorkshire protesters, along with concerned activists from across the country, will be converging at Fylingdales radar station to demonstrate their opposition to US Missile Defence. The demonstration will start at midday in Eller Beck car park on the A169. Speakers include: Jana Glivicka (Ne Zakladnam, Czech Republic), Fabian Hamilton (North East Leeds Labour MP), Martin Hemingway (Yorkshire Green MEP candidate), direct action activists Sylvia Boyes and Lindis Percy, Kate Hudson (CND Chair) and Yorkshire CND convenor Dave Webb. The speakers will be followed by a march up to the main gate and an opportunity to meet the Base Commander, Wing Commander Greg Hammond. The latest CND poll conducted by
YouGov shows almost three fifths (58%) of people agree that the siting of
components of the US Missile Defence system in the UK and Europe will increase
international tension between the US and Russia and, as a result, increase the
threat to UK and European security, compared to less than 1 in 5 (19%) who
disagree. The results correspond with those of similar polls conducted in Poland and the Czech Republic, demonstrating the unity of opposition to US Missile Defence across Europe. Hannah Tweddell, Yorkshire CND Development Worker, said “This poll reiterates the strength of opposition to US Missile Defence in the UK and reflects public opinion in Poland and the Czech Republic. We will be demonstrating at Fylingdales to send a message to Brown that we do not want US Missile Defence in the UK, Europe or anywhere else.” Jana Glivicka, from Ne Zakladnam (No to Bases) in the Czech Republic, said “CND has worked closely with the Ne Zakladnam since the very beginning of our campaign so I'm pleased to come and talk about our work over the past three years. Demonstrations and other forms of public pressure have led to the withdrawal of the radar agreements from the Czech Parliament and finally to the fall of the pro-radar government. The developments for us are positive, but we need a strong international movement to win the fight and I will be here to show the support of the Czech campaign for this demonstration.”
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Notes to Editors:
1. For further information and interviews please contact Ben Soffa, CND's Press Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
2. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of
Europe's biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 35,000
members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear
weapons everywhere.
www.cnduk.org
3. The GB survey was conducted online by YouGov, who
interviewed 2,015 adults between 26th and 28th May.See full opinion
poll results here
4. An opinion poll conducted in Poland on the 10th March
showed 53% "opposed the deployment of an anti-missile shield in
Poland". See
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/33125/us_missile_shield_rejected_in_poland.
An opinion poll conducted in the Czech Republic on the 9th February
showed 70% oppose the construction of a US missile defence shield base
in the Czech Republic. See
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/33111/czech_opposition_to_missile_shield_grows.
The collapse of Czech conservative-led government in late March has
meant that treaties to put the radar base there have been withdrawn
from their parliament. Unless they are re-introduced and passed before
the early election brought forward to October, it is likely a new
social-democrat-led government would be in power and cancel them
outright. In a further sign of how things are heading there, the
interim government has started removing the razor-wire fence at the
proposed radar station, built after activists occupied the site last
year. |
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