Protest group, Fairford Action* will mark three weeks since the start of the illegal bombing of Iran with a naming the dead ceremony outside RAF Fairford on Saturday, 21 March from 1:00pm.
As the US and Israeli attacks on Iran continue, the number of innocent civilians killed as a result of the conflict continues to rise. By far the most shocking atrocity to date is the US cruise missile attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab on 28 February, which killed 175 people, the vast majority of whom were school children. In contrast to US military personnel who have been killed in the war, the British government and mainstream media have made virtually no effort to remember the dead children, humanise them, or respect their memories.
Since that devastating attack, 18 US B-1 and B-52 heavy bomber aircraft have amassed at RAF Fairford and have started daily bombing missions. The British government has made the claim that these bombers will only be involved in “defensive” missions, even though the US and Israel are illegal aggressors conducting offensive strikes. The British government has failed to give any evidence that it can control, or even know, the targets that US aircraft flying out of Fairford are attacking.
With no end to this conflict in sight, Fairford Action will be holding a naming the dead ceremony outside the main gate of RAF Fairford, where we will read out the names of those who were killed in the airstrike on the school, as well as leaving children’s backpacks and clothes, and photos of those who died.
- Location: RAF Fairford main gate, GL7 4DL
- Time: 1:00pm
The protest at Fairford is part of a nationwide day of action against the bombing of Iran, including another major demonstration in London which assembles at Russell Square from 12 noon followed by a rally at Whitehall.
CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt said:
“This powerful protest at RAF Fairford couldn’t be more important. The US-Israeli war on Iran is a total disaster. In three weeks they have killed thousands of people, created a global economic crisis and risk dragging the entire world into a war that could go nuclear. Keir Starmer needs to end British support for this catastrophe – that means pulling the plug on the use of British bases, as well as ending all British military engagement.”
Drone Wars UK Researcher Peter Burt said:
“British bases have been vital to the ongoing illegal air war on Iran by the US, with heavy bombers now leaving Fairford daily with the support of refuelling planes from RAF Mildenhall. This is a highly dangerous situation which is rapidly escalating out of control, with energy infrastructure now being attacked and gas and oil prices continuing to skyrocket. The longer this continues, the higher the civilian death toll will be and it will only be a matter of time before the catastrophe of the school in Minab is repeated.”
*Fairford Action is made up of CND, Drone Wars, and Oxfordshire Peace Campaign