Please network this widely
Please come to the Disarmament Camp and celebrate our success of putting it up right by the fence of AWE Burghfield. Do not be put off by the MOD police who will approach you hoping to stop you from joining us. Our camp is only a few hundred yards/meters from the main gate on The Mearings. They are not allowing any vehicles that want to visit the Disarmament Camp onto this road. Therefore people will have to be dropped off and park their car and walk through. People with disabilities can insist on being allowed through with their vehicle to drop off disabled or old people and will then need to take their car back out again. If the vehicle has a blue disability badge then their vehicle will be allowed to the camp for the day.
The police are saying that the camp is an “illegal camp”, and if they continue, they risk arrest. They will be asked for their names and addresses. However, there are no risks of arrest for “visiting” the camp, and you do not have to give a name and address when asked. You can therefore walk through from either end of the MOD controlled road – The Mearings – see the map further below – and come and visit us.
If you want to camp with us, and we really want this – there are around 30 of us here at the moment – then “visit” us, leave your camping gear in the car, come to the camp and get fully briefed, so that you can make an informed decision. What is happening is that people “camping” overnight are being asked by the police to give a name and address in order that they can be sent a summons to court for breaking MOD byelaws – maximum fine £500. In fact, if this ever went to court and we were found guilty (debateable), the likely fine is about £50. We doubt that they will take all of us to court, but if they do, we will appeal that decision.
We think that the prohibition of camping on byelaw land is an infringement of our right to peaceful assembly, as protected by the European Convention of Human Rights – a view that was shared by the Supreme Court of Appeal in the case of the Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp against the almost identical byelaws at AWE Aldermaston (The judgement ([2009] EWCA Civ 23) is available at http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2009/23.html).
Our Disarmament camp is a protest in and of itself, and not just a place providing accommodation.
Car parking space is available around Burghfield village, near Burghfield church and near the CSA. See the map below.
If you have heavy luggage that you cannot carry yourself, come to the southern end of The Mearings and give us a call on 08454-588362 or 08454-588367. We have a wheelbarrow and trailers to help you get stuff to the camp.