Lakenheath main gate blocked by protesters: No More Bloody Wars

November 3, 2026

At around 6:45 a.m. this morning, on 2nd November 2026, ten peace protestors have blocked the main gates of RAF Lakenheath, using heavy-duty locks to attach themselves to a car and to each other. They are repeating a similar action taken in April this year by some of the same people today. These protestors come from a diverse range of backgrounds: young and old, and a multitude of faiths and heritages.

The protest has three demands for Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government:

To shut down US bases residing in the UK.

To stop its support for illegal wars.

Remove US nuclear weapons from UK soil.

RAF Lakenheath has been blockaded the day before the US midterms to send a firm message that the US military are not welcome in the UK. Thanks to Trump’s illegal wars, his approval ratings are at the lowest they’ve been during either of his presidential terms.

The UK is now a legitimate target under international law, due to the UK’s complicity and its participation in allowing US bases to continue operating here. Also, locally, since Lakenheath was established as a US base, it has enacted violence against UK civilians; recent cases include rape, and death from reckless driving.

This nonviolent direct action is in response to war crimes being aided at both Lakenheath and Mildenhall RAF bases. These airbases are owned by the RAF but are used exclusively by the US Air Force, including to support their illegal wars of aggression across the Middle East. This has been particularly highlighted in the recent war against Iran; during which, over 170 fighters and bombers were deployed from RAF Lakenheath, with two being shot down during the conflict.

RAF Mildenhall has typically been used to carry out US refuelling operations during conflicts such as this, and in January three F35i fighters were transferred to Israel via RAF Mildenhall to support Israel’s illegal attacks on Lebanon, as well as the continued genocidal bombing of Palestinian civilians.

It has become apparent that after the midterms, the US and Israel are planning to escalate the war on Iran, a war that began with no evidential or rational basis to class as ‘pre-emptive’. This means the UK will be facing even more danger from the enemies that the US continues to attack. This comes at a time where the threat of nuclear war is at its highest in history and, alongside AI, threatens human extinction within the next two generations.

This nonviolent protest is firmly opposing the nuclear weapons that have been brought back to Lakenheath after an absence of 35 years. By obeying and complying with the demands of the US military complex, the UK has become very closely tied with the nuclear security strategies imposed by the US. Despite another new prime minister, foreign secretary and ambassador to the US, the UK government remains as spineless as ever in the face of the Trump administration’s global conquest of terror.

The UK is a signatory to the Conference on Ending the use of Offensive Weapons, and of the Genocide Convention, as well as the European Convention of Human Rights, and so by complying to these US pressures our government is breaching these legally binding international agreements.

One of the protestors at Lakenheath is a 94-year-old human rights lawyer, Margaret Owen, says: “At the age of 94 this is a wonderful opportunity for me to take part in a lock on, which I’d never heard of before, and to stand against the war machines that are destroying millions of lives.”

Rajan Naidu, 75, a human rights and social justice campaigner and a Quaker, says: “It is an incredible and grotesque fact that the British government, in permitting foreign states such as the US and Israel to use British bases like RAF/USAF Lakenheath as launchpads for their pursuit of illegal wars of aggression (e.g. the US war on Iran), war crimes, crimes against humanity (e.g. the illegal occupation, ethnic cleansing, infanticide, genocide of Palestinian people, by the Apartheid regime of Israel), places Britain, squarely and shamefully, in breach of international laws, standards, conventions. British politicians must stop allowing Britain to be exploited as a captive state, of the US, Israel or any other foreign power. Britain must move quickly and decisively to regain its national independence from foreign states like the US and Israel, and begin to behave like a defender, and not gross violator, of human rights/justice/peace.”

Shel McDonagh, 39, an organiser of Fairford Action at another RAF base being used by the US in this illegal war on Iran, says: “Our government has an obligation for our safety to shut these US bases down now and end it’s support for the US military. We are now a legitimate target of war, we have seen fuel prices increase by over 40% since the end of February, and the bases contaminate the air, water, and soils around them. The US is not welcome here and these wars do not have public support despite what the media spins. Burnham needs to focus on the future of our communities, not lining the pockets of genocidal and imperialist leaders and industries. If our government won’t follow international law to protect its citizens, it is our moral obligation to take action to shut these bases down.”

Ben Taylor, 32, an ex-soldier, says: “The UK government needs to stop giving in to the bullying of the US. By giving in, UK citizens suffer, especially the poorest and those most at risk. The resources being used for supporting the US military presence here would make a huge difference in supporting the failing services in our NHS, in schooling and in affordable housing. Instead the UK government puts not just those serving, but also UK citizens here at further risk; and ultimately it continues to be complicit in these unnecessary and childishly impulsive wars.”

Another protestor, Carolyn Gelenter, 68, a Jewish daughter of a Polish holocaust survivor and who took part in the action at Lakenheath last April, says: “The illegal wars continue, the genocide continues. After what my father suffered, I am compelled to participate in whatever form of nonviolent action it takes to stop our government from using taxpayers money to aid and abet illegal war and genocide.”

An update from ITV Anglia reported that nine people were arrested and taken into custody, with the 10th person released on police bail. The U.S. Air Force says it’s aware of the situation.

For the press release and updates see: https://lakenheathallianceforpeace.org.uk/lakenheath-blockaded-again/

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