RAF Fairford: Oxfordshire protestors against US drones
Posted: 27th January 2025
The video from Saturday’s demo at Fairford is now online on Youtube:
Good coverage of this protest.
RAF Fairford: Oxfordshire protestors against US drones | Oxford Mail
https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/24885030.protestors-gather-outside-raf-fairford-base-today/#comments-anchor
US Spy Drones out of RAF Fairford – Thank you!
Dear all,
We’re writing with a big thank you to everyone that attended our webinar and demonstration opposing US spy drones at RAF Fairford!
After a webinar with almost 90 attendees, over 40 of you joined us for a sunny (if chilly!) afternoon at RAF Fairford itself, with fantastic speeches from CND, Oxford PSC, Oxfordshire Peace Campaign, and Drone Wars UK. The demonstration received coverage in several local newspapers – including the Oxford Mail and Swindon Advertiser – as well as the Morning Star.
You can view our photo gallery from the day here, and some extra photos by Oxfordshire Peace Campaign here – with thanks to Chris Brennan. And be sure to watch our video round-up of the day below!
For those of you new to Drone Wars’ work, be sure to visit our website for information, resources, and blog coverage of the developments unfolding in drone warfare and other military technologies. You may be particularly interested in the background behind Global Hawk drones at Fairford, and evidence of Global Hawk surveillance flights over Occupied Palestine in recent months.
Finally – we hope to see many of you at our online conference on the 22nd of February! Register for your place here.
In solidarity,
Cora Morris
Research and Campaigns
Drone Wars UK
Extract from Tony Goslings latest newsletter from Bristol -
Emacs!
Nigel Day, Oxford CND, on Brize Norton complicity
with Genocide, Fairford protest, and US bases in
UK. Protestors gather outside RAF Fairford base
on Saturday PROTESTORS gathered outside the gates
of an RAF station to oppose plans to fly US
drones from the base. Demonstrators led by the
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Drone Wars
gathered outside the main gates of RAF Fairford
at 1pm on Saturday to protest against plans to
fly US Global Hawk drones from the station.
The protest comes as reinaugurated US President
Donald Trump repeated his plan to Make America
Great, articulating a peace through strength
foreign policy. RAF Fairford accommodates US
military personnel and is home to the
headquarters of the 501st Combat Support Wing (an
administrative support wing of the United States
Air Force) and the 420th Air Base Squadron.
According to CND, the US plan to operate the RQ-4
Global Hawk drones from RAF Fairford in
Gloucestershire as part of NATO’s Agile Combat
Employment concept, which argues key military
aircraft should be allowed to operate from
different bases to make it more difficult for
adversaries to carry out pre-emptive strikes. The
campaign said that according to documents
submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority, the
working assumption is that the drones will fly
two to three times a week when they are at the
base. However, it added that a trial flight into
the base in August last year ‘seriously disrupted
UK passenger flights arriving into Birmingham
airport’. CND general secretary Sophie Bolt said:
“The Global Hawk is part of the US spying
apparatus and has been for decades. “Whether it’s
US nuclear weapons stationed at RAF Lakenheath or
drone flights from RAF Fairford, these British
bases are critical hubs for the US war-fighting
machine. “With Donald Trump back in power, this
is even more alarming. “Instead of hiding behind
bogus arguments of national security, the British
Government should be held accountable for the war
crimes being perpetrated from these bases.”
Director of Drone Wars Chris Cole said: “While in
theory, the UK has to give approval for any
military operations carried out from its
territory, given that the UK Government is so
determined to stand shoulder to shoulder with
Washington, there must be serious questions as to
whether the Government would ever refuse
permission for flights, no matter what the
purpose of the operation. “Allowing US drones to
fly from Fairford is effectively handing
Washington a blank cheque for its drone operations and must be challenged.”
Pictures
- Click here - [1.28 MB]