The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has called a march to the gates of Fylingdales radar station this Saturday 13th June, to protest against British involvement in US Missile Defence.
Demonstrators will meet at Ellerbeck, around a mile away from the main gates of the base near Whitby in North Yorkshire to hear speeches from Labour MP Fabian Hamilton, Yorkshire Green candidate in the recent European elections Martin Hemingway, and direct action activists Lindis Percy and Sylvia Boyes.
Those attending will also hear from Czech activist Jana Glivicka, who has been a leading figure in the campaigns against the proposed US Missile Defence radar near Prague. The new interim Czech government has agreed not to seek ratification of the treaties agreed with the US by its predecessor and has begun removing the razor-wire fence from the proposed site of the base.
After the rally, those attending will march up the road to the gates of Fylingdales to protest at Britain’s involvement in US Missile Defence, where they will present a letter to the base commander Wing Commander Greg Hammond.
The demonstration comes following a new opinion poll released by CND today which shows the strength of opposition in Britain to the European deployment of US Missile Defence . 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. A further question showed 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. The opinion poll results correspond with those of similar polls conducted in Poland and the Czech Republic .
Quotes
Kate Hudson, CND Chair said: “This poll shows that people in Britain feel exactly the same as people in Poland, the Czech Republic and across Europe. They do not support US Missile Defence bases in Britain or elsewhere in Europe – bases which are destabilising US and European relations with Russia and make us the front line in any future conflict. Gordon Brown would benefit from showing some real leadership by announcing plans to close the missile defence bases in Yorkshire and by urging Barack Obama to abandon US Missile Defence altogether.”
Jana Glivicka, from Ne Zakladnam (No to Bases) in the Czech Republic, said: “CND has worked closely with 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.”
ends
For further information and interviews please contact Ben Soffa, CND’s Press Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
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.