On Saturday 4 July, some 40 to 50 protesters gathered outside the main gates of RAF Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire. On US Independence Day, the aim was to highlight and object to the presence of US bases in Britain.
Organised by the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign, this was the latest of many protests which have taken place at the base over decades. It is a British military establishment in name only. In reality it is operated by the US military, playing a key role in the targeting of US drone strikes and other remote warfare operations.
Self-determination
The protest took place on the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. Members of the campaign read out their own Declaration of Independence, echoing the US founding fathers call for national self-determination.
Essentially, Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign says if freedom from outside interference was good enough for the Americans, then it’s good enough for us: “US bases off British soil”.
Secret
The US is able to operate Menwith Hill as one of its own bases under Cold War agreements, the terms of which are still partly secret. It was always intended as a surveillance post aimed at the Soviet Union and its allies.
With advances in signals intelligence technology, it is now one the main bases in a global surveillance network under the control of the US National Security Agency.
Growing
This surveillance role has grown despite the end of the Soviet Union and dissolution of the Warsaw Pact. Indeed it continues to grow – no doubt linked to recent expansion at Menwith Hill.
The campaign has also grown over 60 years – from a local group focused on the base to one that seeks to raise awareness about all US visiting forces in Britain and worldwide. And crucially that involves trying to bring about public scrutiny and accountability of the actions of those forces.