EPISODE TWENTY NINE: “Nothing to do with safety or security”
Sylvia and Betty attend a Yorkshire CND ‘Breaking the Links’ demonstration outside Menwith Hill. The women soon discover that they are denied the opportunity to walk freely around the perimeter of the base and finding themselves ‘caged in’ and under close surveillance by the police, tensions rise. This small group of elderly campaigners is soon outnumbered by the police; a disproportional response which is estimated, by those on the ground, to be 3:1. Police intimidation during peaceful protest highlights the concern that if people are deterred from protesting, using simply their voice and a placard, will they find new ways to be heard which could in fact warrant such over zealous policing?
Further Information
Read CND’s evidence to the inquiry on human rights issues arising from policing and protest here.
Disarming Grandmothers 
I recently had the great pleasure of spending a few days with Sylvia, driving aroung the North Yorkshire countryside in support of a group of cyclists riding from Fylingdales to Menwith Hill as part of Keep Space for Peace week. A more courageous, selfless and inspiring person I could not have hoped to meet. Thank you Sylvia, and thank you to the Crew here for making a brilliant and compelling series of mini docs .
Chris