The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) is sufficiently concerned about the erosion of civil liberties to do with ‘policing and protest’ so as to pursue an investigation, take submissions and hear oral evidence.

This can all be found on the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases website: www.caab.org.uk

It is not a matter, therefore of the base chiefs being happy or not happy or indeed letting or not letting protests to continue.

It is actually not in their gift.

In their remit, the JCHR says: “The right to protest is a fundamental feature of a democratic society, encompassing the rights to freedom of assembly and expression, among others.”

These rights have long featured in British legal tradition, and are protected by Articles 11 and 10 respectively of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Many of us have been involved with protest (among other important ways of raising these issues) at Fylingdales and Menwith Hill for many years.

We have had a constant struggle to maintain the right to protest, particularly from the Ministry of Defence Police Agency which continues to manipulate and abuse the law.

As many of your readers will know, RAF Fylingdales is one of the two crucial UK connections to the dangerous American Missile Defense/Offensive weapons system in space.

The other US base, being the one at Menwith Hill, we continually struggle and have to insist that the weekly Tuesday evening demonstration (6-8pm) happens.

People over the centuries have struggled, suffered and died to gain these precious civil liberties.

It is imperative the base chiefs remember this as to forget this is done at all our peril.

Lindis Percy, co-ordinator with Laila Packer, Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (CAAB), www.caab.org.uk