USAF Croughton and Lindis Percy (1)

Lindis Percy, the well-known peace campaigner and joint co-ordinator of CAAB (Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases) has just heard that her ‘arrest’ by US personnel at USAF Croughton on September 8th and subsequently by British police, will not lead to charges. She intends to take civil action against the US security police for their wrongful and violent action against her.
Lindis was one of the main speakers at the Croughton Peace March and Picnic on Saturday 24 September (see photos and brief report  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/2005/09/324194.html) and will shortly be sending us the text of her speech.

See also  http://www.caab.org.uk/ and  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/2003/10/278728.html


REPORT OF LINDIS PERCY’S ARREST AT USAF CROUGHTON

Wednesday 8 September 2005
USAF Croughton
near Northampton

Their Mission Statement is 'Striving to be the premier provider of global
communications services, while fostering a close-knit community based on
quality of life, mutual respect and camaraderie.'
Lindis Percy was violently 'arrested' when she was thrown to the ground,
handcuffed and 'detained' by US 'security' personnel for three quarters of
an hour, before being arrested by two Northamptonshire police officers for
'aggravated trespass' (s.68 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994).
PC Katie Pearce (1267) and PC Ruth Marshall (74) were clearly taking
instructions from the American personnel present. They refused to remove
the US applied handcuffs and instead let the Americans call the tune.
Lindis had been openly on the base for nearly two hours without being
noticed. Just before she left she pressed a buzzer by the US
'communications' centre to identify herself and to let them know that she
was leaving by the same way as she came in. Worryingly she did not see one
'security' patrol during the time she was walking on the base.
Before finally leaving by car, Lindis felt moved to go to the US guard post
at the Main entrance to express sympathy about the aftermath of the recent
terrifying hurricane in the US. She quietly spoke to the 'security'
personnel for about four to five minutes about the outrage of the response
and the fact that the US is the richest and most powerful country in the
world; and yet the response was woefully inadequate and the US has had to
ask the world for aid. She then turned away towards the Main exit gate and
left.
It was at this point that as she was leaving, she was 'arrested and
detained' by the US authorities. The Northampton Police officers told
Lindis that the US personnel had told them that she had been handcuffed
because she was 'resisting arrest'. At the highest level of the law Lindis
was a civil trespasser.
Lindis was held in Northampton police station for nearly 14 hours. She was
interviewed by two Ministry of Defence Police Agency (MDPA) officers before
being bailed to return on 27 October 2005.

PLEASE NOTE:
a. US personnel on US bases in the UK have no powers of arrest in the UK.
b. The Ministry of Defence Police Agency are in the process of setting up
an office at USAF Croughton so reflecting the importance of this base.
c. The MDPA are paid for and under the operational control of the US
authorities.