The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) will be shining a spotlight on the British government’s ongoing cover-up of plans for a US nuclear weapons deployment to RAF Lakenheath. On Saturday 26 April, it will be holding a blockade of the main gate.
RAF Lakenheath: CND to take action against nuclear weapons in Suffolk
‘Donald Trump’ and ‘Keir Starmer’, along with replicas of the B61-12 guided nuclear bomb will join campaigners at the site.
CND activists are coming from across the country to take part in the blockade of the main gate of the base from 12pm.
The blockade takes place on the final day of the ‘Lakenheath Alliance for Peace’ peace camp. Campaigners have maintained a continuous presence outside the main gate of the base since 14 April. Throughout, they have hosted events highlighting Lakenheath’s role in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, the role of the military in climate breakdown, and NATO’s nuclear network in Europe.
Activists are carrying out the blockade after CND’s lawyers forced the Ministry of Defence to declassify a significant nationwide exemption certificate. Former defence secretary Ben Wallace issued this in March 2021 on the grounds of ‘national security’.
The document shockingly exempts US Visiting Forces from adhering to British nuclear safety regulations at its bases across Britain, which includes RAF Lakenheath.
Keir Starmer: come clean about the US nuclear weapons cover-up
CND is calling on prime minister Keir Starmer to come clean about this cover-up. It’s demanding he publicly announces that US nuclear weapons will not be deployed to Britain.
CND general secretary Sophie Bolt said:
Trump’s reckless ‘America First’ agenda is increasing international tensions every day. Siting US nuclear bombs in Britain will put us on the frontline of any military confrontation. The British government needs to step back from its so-called ‘special relationship’ with the US and refuse to host these deadly bombs. The US has poured millions of dollars into upgrading the base in preparation for siting new nuclear bombs. Yet the government refuses to come clean.
RAF Lakenheath has a history of near nuclear accidents which were covered up for decades. The best way to protect people in East Anglia and across the country is to not have nuclear weapons in the first place. With nuclear dangers on the rise, the presence of US nuclear weapons in Britain makes us a target in the event of a nuclear war – with catastrophic consequences. Any accidents involving a nuclear weapon would have a devastating environmental and humanitarian impact which no amount of drilling could prepare us for. CND is calling on everyone who is concerned about this to join us at the blockade on RAF Lakenheath’s main gate this Saturday, 26 April.
If you want to join the CND’s blockade, head to RAF Lakenheath Gate 1, Brandon Road, Suffolk, IP27 9PN, on Saturday 26 April for 12pm.
Featured image supplied
