Declaring “We campaign to scrap nuclear weapons,” 250 activists joined a peace camp outside the Lakenheath “Royal” Air Force base in Northeast Britain April 14 to 26, organized by Lakenheath Alliance for Peace. Seven resisters were arrested April 26 during a blockade of the main gate. Besides protesting the return of U.S. B61 nuclear bombs to Britain, the camp drew attention to the U.K.’s role in supporting Israel’s genocide in Palestine, as well as how Lakenheath and the global network of 800 U.S. military bases drive climate breakdown, the Alliance reported. Sophie Bolt, of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said, “Rather than arresting people for peacefully protesting the return of U.S. nuclear weapons to Britain and the base’s role in supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the police should be investigating clear violations of international law being facilitated by both the British government and U.S. bases in Britain.
Nuclear weapons don’t make us safer, they make us a target.” The Morning Star online reported, “Last month, CND forced the declassification of [documentation] that U.S. forces are exempt from adhering to British nuclear safety regulations.” Bolt said, ‘There’s no public consultation. This is all being done behind closed doors. It’s a complete nuclear cover-up.’” One placard at the gate read: “I am not here for protest, I am here to prevent a crime.” — Lakenheath Alliance for Peace and CND, April 28; Morningstar online, April 27, 2025
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