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Rock singer joins demo at Fylingdales
A MESSAGE of solidarity from Alaska condemning President Bush's "Son of Star Wars" missile defence system echoed across the North York Moors to mark the start of International Keep Space for Peace Week. Brian Dooks
The lead singer of Radiohead, Thom Yorke, joined 250 demonstrators who used a rediscovered bridleway to the inner security fence 300 yards from Fylingdales Early Warning Station on Saturday, where a message of solidarity was read from protesters at Fort Greely in Alaska.
The regular, rasping note of the Fylingdales radar, being upgraded for its new role in the United States space-based missile defence system, interfered with the message, broad-cast through a loudhailer to those attending the protest, organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
It said: "Our thoughts are with all the people at every Keep Space for Peace demonstration because we are all looking up at the same sky and praying that this precious and shared environment will be spared the warfare and destruction that is occurring on Earth today.
"Destroying international arms control and forcing our allies to adopt this de-stabilising, Cold War-style missile system has escalated the militarisation of the entire Arctic and many other regions of the world.
"Citizens of all countries need to speak out against this American project because its goal is not defence of the homeland, but as Space Command says, 'full-spectrum domination by the American military of all of space and control from space of the Earth below'."
Those demonstrating outside Fort Greely said it was the duty of US citizens and people around the world to oppose President Bush.
Fort Greely is one of the bases from which missiles would be launched into space to destroy incoming missiles detected by Fylingdales and other early warning stations.
Earlier Thom Yorke challenged the Prime Minister over the scheme.
He said: "How dare you, Mr Blair, assume the right to sign us up to Star Wars without consulting us, just assuming that it is the right thing to do, to dominate space and go against every treaty."
Emphasising it was wrong to ignore China and Russia, he said: "I do not understand what is democratic about assuming the right to put weapons in space."
It was daft to think China and Russia would just let it happen.
"It seems the British and the US public are that daft. They are just letting it happen. Why?"
CND's national chairman Kate Hudson said: "The world is an increasingly dangerous place. I think the main reasons for that are the increasingly aggressive policies of our own Government and the current US administration."
As the demonstrators turned away from Fylingdales, where they had been policed by 120 officers from North and West Yorkshire on a one-and-half mile march up from Ellerbeck Bridge, they left a cordon of 80 Ministry of Defence Police to contemplate the end of the message from Alaska.
It said: "Missile Defence is fast becoming the most expensive military project in the history of the world. We reject this bankrupting of our children's future. We are few and far away up here in Alaska but we know you can hear us yelling: 'Keep Space for Peace'."
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
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