The Guardian 11 October, 2006
Anti-nuclear actions at Lakenheath
Eight anti-nuclear campaigners locked-on to the gate of the munitions area of the airbase at Lakenheath in Suffolk, in the south east of England, on October 2. The activists were intent on exposing the storage of cluster bombs at Lakenheath as well as the presence of over 100 US nuclear weapons kept at the site under the UK’s commitment to NATO.
The activists entered the base early in the morning and headed directly for the facility where the cluster bombs were seen by some of them.
The group then blocked the weapons storage facility with their bodies, preventing military personnel from entering the area, until they were finally arrested.
Mell Harrison, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s (CND) Eastern Region organiser and one of the eight arrested activists, said: "Cluster bombs kill and maim innocent civilians indiscriminately.
"Many Lebanese civilians have been killed in recent weeks by cluster bombs, even after the active conflict between Israel and Hizbullah ended.
"It is unconscionable that these weapons are being stored in Britain."
The action followed a successful demonstration at the base on the previous day when over 200 anti-nuclear campaigners gathered to protest against the nuclear weapons that are kept on the base — 110 at any one time.
Torrential rain, hail, and thunder and lightening did little to curb the enthusiastic response of the campaigners who vowed to continue their protests — in agreement with the CND slogan, "Now more than Ever".
Simultaneous actions took place at bases across Europe.
David Higgin — a founder member of the Lakenheath Action Group which jointly organised the demonstration — read messages of support from France, Belgium, Germany and Turkey.
Jeremy Corbyn MP told the peace campaigners that nuclear weapons cannot buy international influence. He cited the achievements of Nelson Mandela who brought about the peaceful end of apartheid and the renunciation of nuclear weapons, all without a single nuclear weapon.
He went on: "We are here today to stand up and speak for all those who do not think that nuclear weapons make for a safer world. We are here to say, ‘No to nuclear and Yes to Peace’."