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                Date: 2001-07-04
                 
                 
                UK: Greenpeace besetzt Menwith Hill
                
                 
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      Rund hundert Greenpeace-Aktivisten haben heute die  
Absperrungen rund um Menwith Hill überwunden und sich auf dem  
Gelände einer der Top drei ECHELON-Stationen festgesetzt. 
 
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relayed by Goetz Ohnesorge 
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Over 100 Greenpeace volunteers invade Menwith Hill spy base to  
expose Britain's role in Star Wars programme At 5am, over one  
hundred Greenpeace volunteers from the UK, Denmark and the  
USA invaded Menwith Hill Spy base, near Harrogate, North  
Yorkshire, to expose the base's proposed role in President George  
W Bush's 'Star Wars' (National Missile Defence) system. They are  
currently occupying three areas within the high security site.  
 
The Menwith Hill base is rented from the RAF by the US National  
Security Agency (NSA) and is home to over 1,000 American NSA  
personnel. It is primarily a listening base, which intercepts  
international phone, fax and email communications. However it also  
houses two 'golf ball' radomes that George Bush wants permission  
to use as the 'eyes and ears' of his planned Star Wars system (1).  
 
Fifty Greenpeace volunteers, many carrying flags with the message  
"Star Wars Starts Wars" and others dressed as missiles to  
symbolise the new arms race that Star Wars will create, entered  
the base via the front gate accompanied by the theme tune from  
Mission Impossible. They are currently occupying a water tower  
just inside the entrance.  
 
The other two teams of volunteers evaded the UK military police  
that guard the site and scaled a series of three-metre-high razor- 
wire fences to enter the heart of the base. One team is occupying  
the area surrounding the radomes that Bush proposes to use as  
part of Star Wars, the other is occupying the roof of one of the  
facility's buildings.  
 
Greenpeace UK Executive Director, Stephen Tindale (who is at  
Menwith Hill), said: 'If Bush's proposed Star Wars system is  
allowed to go ahead it will be a disaster - arms agreements will  
crumble and a new arms race will be triggered, as countries rush to  
develop new weapons to evade its 'shield'.  
 
He continued: 'There are two UK sites - here at Menwith Hill and  
another at Fylingdales - that George Bush needs as the 'eyes and  
ears' of his planned Star Wars system. But Bush can't install the  
system without Blair's approval '.  
 
'We urge Tony Blair not to kowtow to Bush on such a crucial issue.  
He must say no to UK involvement and stop Star Wars in its  
tracks'.  
 
The other UK base that has been identified as having a role in  
Bush's Star Wars plan is Fylingdales (also in Yorkshire) which  
contains a powerful 40 metre high 'X Band' radar. The US  
Government also needs permission from the Danish Government to  
use a similar radar base in Thule, Greenland.  
 
Andy Tait, Star Wars campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said, 'If Blair  
gives the go ahead for Bush to use this base as part of his Star  
Wars fantasies he will make Britain a prime target for anyone  
wanting to knock out the Star Wars system. Blair must say no and  
help stop Star Wars'.  
 
Mehr 
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/contentlookup.cfm?UCIDParam=20010703054620&BannerParam=nav_med
                   
 
 
 
 
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edited by  
published on: 2001-07-04 
comments to office@quintessenz.at
                   
                  
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