With the trial over, Helen and Sylvia re-focus their energies on campaigning and decide to surprise RAF Fylingdales by arriving under the cover of darkness to display banners outside the base. It seems, for now, that their humour, wit and cheeky banter has returned as they battle against the unforgiving conditions of the Yorkshire moors to try, once more, to promote their messages of peace.
FURTHER INFORMATION
To find out more about Fylingdales please visit the official RAF site
To find out more about Yorkshire CND and their campaigns against Fylingdales please click here
EPISODE TWENTY SIX: “Dedicated, thoughtful and whatever”
The women begin their first day as convicted serious organised criminals by protesting outside another US Base, this time Fylingdales. The ironic contrast between verdict and sentence raises questions among fellow campaigners as to the outcome for future arrests under this legislation. By making trespass onto military bases an ‘act of terrorism’ yet punishing those found guilty with, what is effectively, a slap on the wrist, the message to the peace movement isn’t entirely clear. Indeed with a growing number of campaigners deliberately seeking to challenge the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, in conjunction with the costs of lengthy court cases, one wonders what the new legislation has achieved; besides uniting protesters young and old to make a stand against their Government.
A new day brings a new protest at Menwith Hill. Sylvia and Betty, another close friend and ally, greet the morning traffic into the Spy Base with banners of peace whilst standing strong against an antagonist policeman. Back at the camp personal tensions run high between Helen and Sylvia, as thoughts turn to the lack of involvement in the peace movement. Feeling the weight of peace firmly on their shoulders, perhaps it is not surprising that the women aren’t always smiling?
Helen and Sylvia’s trial for terrorism fused together two very different women. Their contrasting personalities, beliefs and ways of working have slowly come under strain and in this episode we catch a glimpse of the tension that runs throughout their friendship. Whilst united by peace, the woman freely admit the need to find common ground in their personal partnership, but is this one resolution too far?
After years of campaigning along with countless arrests, court cases and prison stays, Helen surprises everyone when she reveals her nerves over this particular trial. With friends and fellow campaigners striving for a way to make the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act inoperable, the responsibility of setting a legal precedent begins to take its toll. But do they expect too much from her?
Anne Lee is the ‘wise owl’ behind the scenes of those Disarming Grandmothers! Often in the background, researching and preparing cases, she too has dedicated her life to opposing Menwith Hill Spy Base. Helen and Sylvia often tap into Anne’s knowledge and together they come up with new ways to present their case and bring their campaign into the public domain. These three Yorkshire grandmothers represent the brains, the humour and the soul of the peace movement and together they are truly disarming.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Watch Episode 2 & 3 in the Opening Trilogy to find out more about the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, Helen and Sylvia’s act of protest and Menwith Hill Spy Base.
Sylvia has, by her own admission, received countless convictions as a result of campaigning for a peaceful world. In this episode we discover how her family has been effected by the choices she has made.
Not content with trespassing into a US Spy Base, Sylvia continues to campaign for a peaceful world by lying down in front of a nuclear truck convoy and boarding a US military plane.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Find out more about Sylvia’s action at Prestwick Airport and why a few weeks later her fears appeared to be justified.
Over a year later the charges against Sylvia for boarding a US military plane were dropped, to find out more click here.
CREDITS
Photographs of nuclear truck convoys kindly supplied by Fototruck and Nukewatch
Newspaper article “Yorkshire Woman among campaigners accused of airport security breaches” used with permission from the Yorkshire Post.
Sylvia and I take a walk around the perimeter of Menwith Hill and find ourselves accused of forming an unlicensed procession! Coinciding with a small organised CND demonstration at the entrance to the base, our walk took the police’s interest as being potential ‘splinter group’ activity. This episode serves as an example to the everyday erosion of basic civil liberties which peace campaigners, in particular, find themselves regularly challenging.
FURTHER RESOURCES
Watch Episode 3 in the Opening Trilogy to find out more about Menwith Hill.
Disarming Grandmothers 