Six peace activists arrested after drone protest at RAF Waddington

'War is not a video game'

This morning six peace activists, representing 'Disarm the Drones' have become the first in Britain to be arrested and charged for anti-drones related offences, they were kept overnight at Lincoln police station after they planted a peace garden in RAF Waddington yesterday morning, they’ve been charged with Conspiracy and Intent to Trespass and Cause Criminal Damage.

The nonviolent peace activists managed to breach security at Britain’s top security drone control base in Lincoln. They were jailed overnight and sent to court this morning. Their homes were raided by police last night and computers have been seized.

Their action was timed to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the first UK Drone strike and the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.

The six individuals, who brought news stories about civilians killed as a result of drone strikes were: Chris Cole, Fr Martin Newell a Catholic Priest, Dr Keith Hebden an Anglican Priest, Susan Clarkson a Quaker Pensioner, teacher Henrietta Cullinan and Penny Walker a Grandmother. They all felt moved to act after British Armed Drones (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles) became operational from British soil on 25 April 2013, and the MoD has since confirmed that British drones controlled from RAF Waddington have made their first kill in Afghanistan.

Serious legal questions have been raised by the UN, Britain and the US about the legality and morality of drones, especially around their use in undeclared wars.

Chris Cole said: “To build real peace and security in our world we need to breech the silence and secrecy that surrounds remote warfare and expose the impact of the drone wars on global peace and security as well as the lives of ordinary Afghans.”

Penny Walker said: “We created a gateway and peace garden at RAF Waddington in order to make a way for other people of peace to do their civic and moral duty and disarm these drones.”

Dr Keith Hebden explained: “After entering RAF Waddington we planted a vine and fig tree, echoing the words of the prophet Micah, ‘they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid.”