Three episodes about the grandmothers, their ‘serious organised crime’ and the Spy Base they trespassed into. A starter pack if you will before the series gets under way.
EPISODE ONE: “NUTS IN A FUNNY WAY”
Helen John and Sylvia Boyes are as similar as they are different. This episode looks at the women behind the campaign: their family’s reaction and their reasons for protest with a little military drive by thrown in…
FURTHER RESOURCES
For further information about Fylingdales please visit CND or the RAF website.
Find out why Helen and Sylvia were concerned about an attack on Iran
EPISODE TWO: “A TERRORIST BUT NOT A VIOLENT TERRORIST”
On 6th April 2006, former Greenham Common protesters, Helen and Sylvia walked over a yellow line at U.S Spy Base, Menwith Hill. The yellow line represented the boundary of a designated site under The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, one which, if crossed, was punishable by up to 51 weeks in prison and/or a £5,000 fine. Helen and Sylvia believe that section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, which is part of the Terrorism Act, adds a layer of protection to American war fighting and is a backward step for civil liberties. Their act of protest made front page of the Independent, sparked a trial for terrorism and caught the eye of a filmmaker who decided to tell their story.
FURTHER RESOURCES
Read the article in The Independent
Read a statement from Liberty highlighting their concerns of Government legislation that works to stifle protest on the news page.
EPISODE THREE: OUTSIDE THE PERIMETER FENCES
This episode examines the US Spy Base, Menwith Hill, in Yorkshire. Hearing from David Cameron (when he was speaking as leader of the opposition) CND and Helen and Sylvia, this episode asks the question whether national security is ever worth compromising our civil liberties for.
CREDITS
Footage used from David Cameron’s Web Cameron courtesy of The Conservative Party.
FURTHER RESOURCES
For further information about Menwith Hill visit CND or the RAF website.
To find out about the latest demonstration against the base see Russia Today.
To see The Mark Thomas Comedy Product about Menwith Hill please click here
Disarming Grandmothers 