Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors
Protesters gather at air base to deliver their anti-war message
By Tamash Lal - Fairford - Wilts & Glos Standard 7 Nov 2002.
Anti-War protesters demanded access to the US air base at RAF Fairford to search for weapons of mass destruction last week.
Activists calling themselves the Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectorate asked to be allowed into the base to search for nuclear missiles.
Because the US government is demanding that weapons inspectors be allowed back into Iraq, they said it should allow its own military bases to be inspected.
It is hypocritical, they said, for teh world's most heavily armed nation to demand that other countries disarm.
During the Gulf War of 1991, B-52 and B-1 bombers flew from Fairford to attack Iraq.
The protesters, who included a GP, several artisits, a university lecturer and a musician, dressed in what looked like protective clothing and carried placards.
Inspection 'equipment' had been made from household items - one man even had a vacuum cleaner strapped to his back, which he had turned into a 'collateral damage anticipation detector'.
They also had 'lie detectorss' and 'hypocrisy detectors'. (he forgot to mention our 'smart bomb intelligence testers')
The demonstration was held on Thursday as part of a national day of protest against the US-led plans to invade Iraq.
The activists, some of whom had been present at the Greenham Common protests of the 1980s, were from Stroud Peace Group.
Artist Grace Trevett, who organised the protestm asked guards whether the group could enter the airfield, one of the most important Nato bomber bases in Europe, but was told they could not.
She said: "The US government is hypocritical in saying it wants inspectors to be allowed into Iraq when it ahs more weapons that any other country and is developing a whole new generation of nuclear weapons."
The protestor presented guards with a poster saying "Don't Attack Iraq" which was addressed to the base commander.
The group's self-styled chief weapons inspector David Cockcroft said: "We want all weapons of mass destruction to be open to inspection."
Lieutenant Jake Martinez, US base spokesman, said: "Official inspectors would be welcome at RAF Fairford when and if the Ministry of Defence requires them."
