100 GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS INVADE US SPY BASE

3 July 2001

Menwith Hills, UK - In the early hours of this morning over one hundred Greenpeace activists from the UK, Denmark and the USA invaded the American 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 British government 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 would become the "eyes and ears" the planned Star Wars system (1).

Fifty Greenpeace Activists, 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, breached security and went through 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 activists also evaded the UK military police that guard the site and scaled a series of three metre 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.

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.

"Danish activists are here today because we share a common concern with the UK. Both our countries have the power to stop George Bush's Star Wars programme because it requires the use of the facilities here at Menwith Hill and at Fylingdales as well as in Thule in Greenland. Both our governments should say no to Star Wars by refusing the use of these facilities", said Dan Hindsgaul of Greenpeace Nordic from inside the Menwith Hill base.

"Britain and Denmark should unite as partners in disarmament to stop the Star Wars programme before it ignites a new nuclear arms race and destroys the international arms control and disarmament process." Hindsgaul added.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Call mobile 07801 212993 or the Greenpeace UK media office 0207 865 8255 (pager 01399 787076).

(1) Two SBIRS (Space Based Infrared System) Radomes have been constructed in the Menwith Hill complex. If the UK government give the go ahead they will be used as a ground relay station to transmit information on missile location and trajectory back to the US to assist with targetting for ground, sea, air and space based interceptors.