Protestors brave torrential weather to stage demonstration outside RAF Menwith Hill calling for base to close
Protestors brave torrential weather to call for shut down of RAF Menwith Hill
Campaigners staged a demonstration outside RAF Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, on Sunday (October 25), calling for the closure of the military intelligence base.
Despite heavy rain and strong winds, protesters marched around the perimeter of the base before gathering at the main gates.
The demonstration included a protest stunt in which campaigners struck inflatable golf balls, which they said represented the base’s radomes – large structures that shield radar equipment.
RAF Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, is a key US intelligence facility on UK soil.
It is used by US military personnel to gather intelligence from across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
The base has the capability to intercept communications from foreign satellites and monitor wireless communications on the ground.
The campaigners, who included representatives from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign, called on the Government to close the facility.
They raised concerns about its role in US military operations and intelligence sharing, including in relation to the conflicts in Gaza and Iran, as well as its involvement in missile defence systems.
Dave Webb, Chair of Yorkshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: “It is time to close US bases and send the occupying forces home.”