Report from Civilisation 3000 on 1st May 2021
Supporters of the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign and Yorkshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) gathered at the main gates of Menwith Hill on 30th April 2021 to mark the International Day of Action Against Foreign Military Bases.
Menwith Hill on the North York Moors outside Harrogate, is one of a network of high-tech US bases spread around the world, gathering military, political and economic information relayed to it by information-gathering satellites.
Its huge domes housing antennae and equipment which relays information to the Pentagon are a striking feature of the skyline.
Like many other bases in this country, it is said – on the entrance noticeboards – to be a Royal Air Force base but is actually occupied by around 1,000 US military and civilian personnel. Members of Parliament have been refused access to the base, which is guarded by the Ministry of Defence Police and CND points out that the world’s military powers, particularly the US, operate more than 1,000 bases worldwide, often outside the control of the countries which host them.
MHAC co-ordinator Sarah Swift said: “Menwith Hill provides information for the targeting of drones which kill innocent civilians. It is involved in missile defence, ramping up the possibility of an accidental nuclear war. It was involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan”, and added:
“The United States objects to surveillance of its own citizens, yet Menwith Hill is enabling surveillance of civilians across the world.”
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