On Tuesday 4 July, protesters gathered near the Menwith Hill surveillance base in Yorkshire, where they read aloud their annual Declaration of Independence from America. The protest was held in the Kettlesing Layby on the A59 near Menwith Hill, where the sun shone kindly on the gathered crowd.
The Declaration of Independence from America
A copy of the original Declaration of Independence from America was on display at the event, beautifully written on a large scroll of paper. This will soon be presented to the Peace Museum when it reopens in its new location of Saltaire, West Yorkshire.
The 2023 version of the declaration, which was read aloud to the crowd, has small changes to the text, including reference to the American military base on Diego Garcia following the forced removal of the inhabitants by the UK government and the passing of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. A copy of the declaration is now on the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign’s website.
The declaration, modelled on the original US Declaration of Independence, talks of the rights of nations to “determine the means by which they, as a free nation, would seek to defend themselves”, in reference to US military presence in this country specifically, as for example at Menwith Hill.
The role of Menwith Hill
Invitations to attend and participate in the event had been sent to the director at NSA Menwith Hill. In previous years he was represented by Squadron Leader Geoff Dickson who, prior to his retirement, had a liaison role. This year, Inspector Holly Nicholls of North Yorkshire Police kindly appeared and was presented with a letter to pass on to the director. The letter contains a request to meet with him so we could learn his name and something about the American perspective of the rationale for the American control of the Menwith Hill surveillance base.
Peter Burt from Drone Wars UK spoke about the role of Menwith Hill in developing common intelligence, with vast amounts of data being collected from a variety of sources and processed by large computers. Insights into the handling of this data were provided by Edward Snowden. A system known as Fusion enables data to be used for identifying people of interest and enables them to be targeted by the US military, using a range of weapons including drones.
Burt explained that these targeted killings are carried out by smart weapons which turn out to be killing and injuring many people other than those targeted. This collateral damage is not accurately assessed and estimates range widely. It is known that friends and relatives of those harmed in the process are likely to be recruited into those groups that take up arms against American and other western interests. International law is clearly frequently broken, but as Burt concluded, international law progresses through violations.
An evening of songs and poems for peace
The East Lancs Clarion Choir were welcomed once more for the annual event, with singing that was as joyful as always, carrying messages about peace that need to be heard.
One of those to speak at the event was Professor Fiona Macaulay, who has had a long history of working for peace – undertaking a wide range of tasks from digging latrines at Greenham Common to working as an academic at the University of Massachusetts and undertaking visits to Latin America. She emphasised the long and honourable role that women have in peace making, particularly when it comes to sustaining campaigns over time. There are many examples of women having persistence in holding people to account, working across long time periods.
Macaulay is now based within the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford. It’s interesting to note that Margaret Thatcher once tried to have the Bradford Department closed down, but was unable to do so because of the quality of academic work being undertaken, so she arranged to have funding cut. However, the nature and quality of the work being undertaken meant that other funding was obtained. For those in power information is a valuable resource and is a source of further power.
The protestors heard how when you are repeatedly shown military installations, you begin to accept them as normal. For example, the extensive military bases in Kashmir are now just accepted as the new normal, rather than exceptional. The same concept applies to shifts in political ideology and policy, as well as climate change and the destruction of the environment – ecocide has become is the new normal.
Victoria Jaquiss and the Foxwood PanyardSteel Band gave a rousing performance from the other side of the layby. Even for those unfamiliar with steel band music enjoyed the vibrancy of the performance. Following this was a comedic presentation by Beau and Slick the Satirical Cowboys, which was different to anything tried previously at Independence from America events. Guitar, singing, repartee and jokes made this contribution quite unique. References to Menwith Hill were well timed and appreciated.
Menwith’s role in a new space race?
In 1976, the UK signed the Outer Space Treaty along with the Russian Federation and the United States of America. The treaty explicitly bans the use of nuclear weapons in space and paves the way for more international co-operation in this frontier. However, the UK is assisting the US military in their stated aim to be able to fight in outer space. Menwith Hill is an important part of US/UK collaboration in collecting data for surveillance and tracking and targeting space objects (along with the powerful radar at Fylingdales). The war in Ukraine has demonstrated how important space assets are in conflict and Menwith will be playing a key role.
The carbon footprint of the world’s military is substantial and the launching of space craft either vertically or horizontally from large aircraft only makes matters worse. The UK is developing at least three space ports and there is US involvement there.
Winding down the event
The last act of the event was Microphone Jack. Earlier he had played a helpful role in getting the large tent set up, now he occupied the space with his engaging and challenging poetry. He had brought a large number of props which he used to good effect. Special guests Beau and Slack were also brought on to frame his performance dressed as armed guards protecting bright yellow barrels of radioactive waste.
The tents were dismantled and packed away quickly at the end along with the flags and banners. A quick check failed to find any litter left by those attending the event. Inspite of the forecast for rain the weather remained calm and clear for the whole time. Those interested are welcome to come to the weekly Peace Witness at the Nessfield Gate of the Menwith Hill Base on the B6451. This is held on Tuesdays from 6pm to 7.30pm.
You can find out more about the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign on their website.
