Home  Media Press Releases Missile Defence CND calls 'No to US Missile Defence' demo at Fylingdales radar this Saturday
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CND calls 'No to US Missile Defence' demo at Fylingdales radar this Saturday |
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Tuesday, 09 June 2009 |
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has called a
march to the gates of Fylingdales radar station this Saturday 13th June, to
protest against British involvement in US Missile Defence.
Demonstrators will meet at Ellerbeck, around a mile away from the
main gates of the base near Whitby in North Yorkshire to hear speeches from
Labour MP Fabian Hamilton, Yorkshire Green candidate in the recent European
elections Martin Hemingway, and direct action activists Lindis Percy and Sylvia
Boyes.
Those attending will also hear from Czech activist Jana Glivicka,
who has been a leading figure in the campaigns against the proposed US Missile
Defence radar near Prague. The new interim Czech government has agreed not to
seek ratification of the treaties agreed with the US by its predecessor and has
begun removing the razor-wire fence from the proposed site of the base.
After the rally, those attending will march up the road to the gates of
Fylingdales to protest at Britain's involvement in US Missile Defence, where
they will present a letter to the base commander Wing Commander Greg Hammond.
The demonstration comes following a new opinion poll released by CND
today which shows the strength of opposition in Britain to the European
deployment of US Missile Defence (see note 3). The poll shows almost three
fifths (58%) of people agree that the siting of components of the US Missile
Defence system in the UK and Europe will increase international tension between
the US and Russia and, as a result, increase the threat to UK and European
security, compared to less than 1 in 5 (19%) who disagree. A further question
showed over half (53%) of the public agree that the Obama administration should
cancel the plans for the bases in Europe, compared to only 1 in 5 (20% exactly)
who disagree. The opinion poll results correspond with those of similar polls
conducted in Poland and the Czech Republic (see note 4).
Quotes
Kate Hudson, CND Chair said: "This poll shows
that people in Britain feel exactly the same as people in Poland, the Czech
Republic and across Europe. They do not support US Missile Defence bases in
Britain or elsewhere in Europe - bases which are destabilising US and European
relations with Russia and make us the front line in any future conflict. Gordon
Brown would benefit from showing some real leadership by announcing plans to
close the missile defence bases in Yorkshire and by urging Barack Obama to
abandon US Missile Defence altogether."
Jana Glivicka, from Ne Zakladnam (No to Bases) in the
Czech Republic, said: "CND has worked closely with Ne Zakladnam since the
very beginning of our campaign so I'm pleased to come and talk about our work
over the past three years. Demonstrations and other forms of public pressure
have led to the withdrawal of the radar agreements from the Czech Parliament and
finally to the fall of the pro-radar government. The developments for us are
positive, but we need a strong international movement to win the fight and I
will be here to show the support of the Czech campaign for this demonstration."
ends
- For further information and interviews please contact Ben Soffa, CND's
Press Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
- The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe's biggest
single-issue peace campaigns, with over 35,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns
for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere. www.cnduk.org
- The GB survey was conducted online by YouGov, who interviewed 2,015 adults
between 26th and 28th May.See full opinion poll results at: http://www.cnduk.org/images/stories/resources/missiledefence/yougov_opinion_poll_may_2009.pdf
- An opinion poll conducted in Poland on the 10th March showed 53% "opposed
the deployment of an anti-missile shield in Poland". See http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/33125/us_missile_shield_rejected_in_poland.
An opinion poll conducted in the Czech Republic on the 9th February showed 70%
oppose the construction of a US missile defence shield base in the Czech
Republic. See http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/33111/czech_opposition_to_missile_shield_grows.
The collapse of Czech conservative-led government in late March has meant that
treaties to put the radar base there have been withdrawn from their parliament.
Unless they are re-introduced and passed before the early election brought
forward to October, it is likely a new social-democrat-led government would be
in power and cancel them outright. In a further sign of how things are heading
there, the interim government has started removing the razor-wire fence at the
proposed radar station, built after activists occupied the site last year.
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