purple peace pixies ~*~ and the Fairford Arms Dealers July 2003

Thurs 17th
Camping it up, damp and slightly chary, we pitched not more than 10 yards
from the entrance to the Rogue International Arms Traders' official camp
site. And at Gate 10! Four of us, all arriving together as if we'd planned
it. The pansies Briar had planted in the last weeks of the witness to all
that terrible bomb loading are thriving but it isn't what we noticed. Less
than three months since the last B52 of the occupation had left USAF
Fairford, the arms dealers had once again taken over our glorious
Gloucestershire.

Yes, there was a bit of a discussion with the plod, who insisted we go away,
but whether it was the effect of the previous week's Liberty report or the
prospect of arguing it out in front of hundreds of spotters and their
families, we stayed firmly put.
 http://www.fairfordpeacewatch.com/RIATpics1.html

The local councillor then came to visit and insisted that the police clear
us away. One of this lot:
 http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleID=63 but which one, she
didn't want to say.


Friday 18th
By lunchtime the original 4 had become 12, and as the banners went up, the
RIAT visitors began to roll in. 'Gerra Job!', blessem, if they only knew ;o)

It was 'Youth day' apparently, and somewhere around 14,000 young teenagers
tentatively stepped from a huge fleet of coaches and then stood about in the
rain while jobsworth generals yelled orders at them through megaphones. It
began to rain. Hard. Two little helicopters played Budgie in the sky with
one big helicopter, and nobody was impressed. It poured.

The ~*~ purple pixies ~*~ began to discuss decorating tips and countryside
improvements and the banners began unfurling. All along the slip road to the
entrance of the RIAT were banners and flags and peace messages and pictures
of liars and bombs and little children in pieces. Nobody who came to this
year's Rogue Arms Traders fest of warmongering could ignore the message.

PEACE in 6 foot high pink letters hung directly opposite the Stealth Fighter
sitting on the runway.

Down at the DeVere in Swindon the 'top military brass' and the world's arms
dealers had gathered:  http://www.devereonline.co.uk/hotel_swindon/

And then came the news about David Kelly. People were starting to look
sheepish. The police suddenly turned friendly. Inspector Cheryl Boyce rolled
up and asked if we were okay, if we had any problems we wanted to raise with
her. Yes! Send them all Home!

100 BAe banners were strung along the fences, and three rather lame 'No USAF
or DOD Endorsement of Sponsor(s) intended.'
 http://www.fairfordpeacewatch.com/RIATpics/Thu17-Fri18th/IM001938.jpg
Oh really? And the sponsors are:

* BAe
 http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/profiles/bae/bae1.htm
 http://www.baesystems.com/

* Rolls Royce:
 http://www.caat.org.uk/campaigns/clean-investment-campaign/rolls-royce-2002.
php
 http://www.rolls-royce.com/defence/riat/default.htm
 http://www.tridentploughshares.org/prel/prel03/r030226.php


* Lockheed Martin
The world¹s largest arms producer. Products include the F-16, the C-130J,
the F-117 and the F-22 fighter planes.
 http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-i=1&sp-q=lockheed+martin&sp-a=sp10026d36&
sp-p=all&sp-n=11&sp-f=ISO-8859-1

* Northrop Grumman, who make the B2 stealth bombers and
 http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-a=sp10026d36&sp-f=ISO-8859-1&sp-q=northro
p+gruman&sp-p=all
 http://www.northgrum.com/
 http://www.iss.northropgrumman.com/products/usaf_products/b2/b2.html

* EADS, the 4th largest US defence contractor, after Boeing, Lockheed
Martin, and Northrop Grumman.
 http://www.caat.org.uk/information/publications/companies/eads.php
 http://www.eads.com/eads/index.htm

they make the Eurofighter:
 http://www.eads.com/eads/en/index.htm
 http://www.eurofighter.com//Typhoon/Programme/
 http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/eurofighter.htm

pictures of the Eurofighter typhoon at RIAT:
 http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?regsearch=ZJ802&distinct_entry=
true

All that death, bombs and hunks of screaming weaponry, 14,000 schoolkids and
the pouring rain.


Sat 19th

About 9am the crowds were arriving, or were they? No big traffic jams, no
huge crowds. Onwards and upwards, Cap'n Mainwaring! The flags and banners
were hung on either side of the main gate and the ~*~ pixies ~*~ came out to
play. 'WAR IS NOT ENTERTAINMENT'. Wartrose Jubilee Gardens charged £15 per
head, bouncy castles and a helter-skelter. Cornettos and sunscreen.

'Don't give 'em your name, Pike!'
Yes, some of them really were dressed up like characters in Dad's Army. As
the sun came out and the sky filled with ear-drum bursting, fossil fuel
burning screetches, minimum wage 'security' attendants sweltered.
 http://www.fairfordpeacewatch.com/RIATpics2.html

Lunchtime and the Damascio Lopez meeting at the Community Hall in Fairford
town. Truly humbling. And although people were itching to get out and
leaflet and march and mayhem and all, the silence was palpable. There were a
couple of moments when it was difficult to meet the eyes of friends, so full
were they with tears.
 http://www.fairfordpeacewatch.com/DU.html

50 people marched around the base that day, gathered at Gate 10 that
afternoon. Lindis Percy, are you reading this? Last year one, this year
FIFTY!! From Oxford and Bath and Banbury and Birmingham and Swindon and
America. :o)

In fluffy frocks and feather boas, in ~*~ pixie ~*~ purple, in spotter
disguise, in cammos, in yellow jackets and in white gowns.

Strange thing to say, but what a wonderful day! Even plod commented that
we'd had a very good turnout and as the radios crackled about how
good-humoured and friendly a lot we all are, another matching set of fighter
planes tore across the horizon. 'It's the Eurofighter they're all after,
luv'. Ah well.

The lovely fellow running the Walls ice-cream concessions came over for a
full-on rant. He was utterly disgusted at what he'd seen. Bringing children
to gloat over all these war machines. A B52 sitting on the runway, complete
with Memphis Belle nose art. Repellent. This is the one that made its
war-porn appearance:

B-52H-135-BW 60-0001 Memphis Belle IV.
This Belle was the first H-model BUF built.

 http://www2.acc.af.mil/accnews/feb02/02063.html

 http://www.shreveporttimes.com/b52celebrating50years/photo/
For 50 years, Boeing's B-52 Stratofortress has been the free world's Big
Stick - rarely used in anger, but commanding global attention every time the
planes' eight jet engines roared and they deployed to bases around the
world.

 http://www.flightjacket.com/NArtMemphisB.htm

"On the opening day of Desert Storm, the 2nd Bomb Wing launched seven of
it's B-52s from Barksdale AFB against enemy targets in Iraq, resulting in
the longest combat mission in aviation history and the first combat
launching of conventional Air Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCM). It's mission
ended on April 17, 1991.

As it enters its sixth decade, the airplane is getting workout in the war
against terrorism. And no end is in sight for its role in the nation's
arsenal. "

and just in case anyone's forgotten what it sounds like, the B52 landing
noise:  http://www.shreveporttimes.com/audio/b52/b52.mp3

Sun 20th
The wonderful Oxford nvda contingent and Women in Black, with their awe-ful
pictures of dead and dying Iraqi children, and the sombre drumming made for
a very moving day. Playing dead in a tangled heap of bodies at the gate.

Mon 21st
Can anyone explain why it might be illegal to carry around a bag of D's? The
only person to be searched under S44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 was bringing
improvements for the BAD BAe banners fouling up the countryside.

BAe: a BAD thing, m'kay?
 http://www.fairfordpeacewatch.com/RIATpics3.html

So, the reports from the plane spotter sites say that attendance at this
year's Arms fest is between 50% and two thirds down on last year. That
100,000 people paying an average of £30 each has only generated a surplus of
100k for the Benevolent Fund. That The RIAT is run by Benevolent Fund
Enterprises, whose objects are to recruit for the RAF and run the RIAT. That
the RIAT pays for all the fuel of the exhibiting aircraft. And that the RAIT
doesn't ever break even without massive sponsorship from the arms dealers.

What's the truth behind all this?
Wouldn't we just like to know.

AND

Waitrose?
Have we let them off the hook?
Have we?

Not likely!
More?

Watch this space!!

 http://www.fairfordpeacewatch.com