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The first peace camp was the women only peace camp at Greenham Common, England set up in 1982. Other mixed peace camps sprang up in Upper Heyford, Daws hill in High Wycombe, Molesworth common, Lakenheath, Naphill and Faslane, where the camp remains. There is also currently a women's peace camp at Aldermaston for one weekend a month. A peace camp was set up at Fairford on 17th February 2003.
In the 1980s people came to live outside these bases in order to witness and protest against the presence of the nuclear weapons then directed against the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, the United States Air Force had land-based cruise missiles at several of these locations; they have since been removed back to the USA, though there remains a US military presence in the UK, and the UK continues to possess and develop nuclear weapons, and so it is no surprise that the concept of the peace camp remains alive today. Thanks to Faslane there has continuously been at least one peace camp outside a military base in the UK for morer than 22 years.
A bunker was constructed for Strike Command on National Trust land (Bradenham Village) near High Wycombe, England. Naphill Peace camp was set up to witness and oppose this construction. The Angry Pacifist magazine was produced out of Naphill Peace camp.
External Links
faslane peace camp website (http://www.hull.ac.uk/php/ggsdah/faslane/Fashome.htm|)
bbc news (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/428126.stm|)
aldermaston peace camp website (http://www.aldermaston.net/|)
fairford peace camp website (http://www.cynatech.co.uk/gwi/peace-camp.htm|)
bbc news (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2901121.stm|)
bbc news (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2909337.stm|)
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