The Lakenheath Alliance for Peace is a coalition of nearly 50 British and International peace groups which have come together to protest against the existing militaristic installations, and the threatened stationing of nuclear weapons, at RAF Lakenheath airbase in eastern England. The Alliance is organising an international Peace Camp which is being held at Lakenheath from 14th to 26th April 2025; the Peace Camp will bring together protesters and peace activists from many parts of the world.

USAF Lakenheath and nuclear weapons in UK

RAF Lakenheath is in reality USAF Lakenheath; it is the largest US airbase in Europe, assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe and Africa. Its Air Force units maintain combat-ready wings that are pledged to NATO, and plans, conducts, controls, coordinates and supports air and space operations in Europe, parts of Asia and all of Africa with the exception of Egypt. Over the past two decades, warplanes based at USAF Lakenheath have led devastating conventional weapon missions in Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Serbia, Libya, Syria, the Middle East and East Africa.

American nuclear weapons were stationed at Lakenheath until 2008 when they were removed under popular pressure, marking the first time that the UK has been free of US nuclear weapons since they were first deployed after the second world war. In recent years, documents have come to light revealing that the return of nuclear weapons to Lakenheath is scheduled; contracts have been awarded and building work is underway on the secure storage facilities that these weapons require.

The return of American nuclear weapons to Britain, one of the US’s main allies within NATO, and one of the main cheerleaders for NATO militarism, would represent a major provocation at a time of escalating tensions between NATO and Russia, and in world geopolitics more generally. Lakenheath is a symbol for the risks we are facing and for the irresponsibility of so many of the world’s governments, and of the nuclear-armed states and alliances in particular.

In calling on you to join us at Lakenheath, we are inviting you to protest against the rise of militarism everywhere, and the dangers which US nuclear and conventional weapons, and the airbases which host them, represent in Europe and throughout the world.

Peace camp

The April 2025 Peace Camp will be a major landmark within what is already a rich history of protests by the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace. Significant days of action have been scheduled there for two years now, involving the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and many other groups and individuals. Monthly vigils are held at the airbase, and in July 2024, hundreds of protesters gathered there for a 3-day peace walk and 10-day peace camp (see the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSSqXkzlw2c ). The Lakenheath Alliance for Peace is open to all groups and individual supporters which share its aims and its absolute commitment to nonviolence.

The April 2025 Peace Camp will present a unique opportunity to meet campaigners from diverse countries and backgrounds. Accommodation will be provided at a campsite near the Lakenheath airbase, where workshops and informal meetings will be held throughout the duration of the Peace Camp. 24-hour vigils, and various forms of actions and protests, will be held outside the main gate of the airbase, or occasionally at different locations in the vicinity of the base. The different protests will culminate with a blockade of the base on Saturday 26th April.

A major focus of the LAP is communication and engagement with the local communities living near the airbase. Their lives are affected by the horrendous noise generated by the planes, by the disruption to roads and transport caused by both the personnel of the base and the contractors servicing it, and by the impact of the base on wildlife and fauna. The schedule of events for the Peace Camp includes several events which express this wish for engagement with local people – stalls and festive events on markets, public meetings, etc… See https://lakenheathallianceforpeace.org.uk/peace-camp-events/ for details.

International Peace Conference

The more than 800 US airbases dotted across our planet impact local, regional and national economies, communities, and politics in a myriad different ways. The diverse forms of their impact will be the main theme of an International Peace Conference to be held, as part of the Peace Camp, on Thursday 24th April. The following link gives the Agenda for the Peace Conference: https://lakenheathallianceforpeace.org.uk/international-peace-conference/.

The link also gives the following synthesis of the themes and aims of the International Conference , which could serve as a message concerning the Peace Camp as a whole:

“Central to US militarisation and its increasing nuclearisation, is its extensive network of foreign military bases…. A number of US bases across Europe – under the auspices of NATO – enable US nuclear weapons to be present in Europe. They put Europe on the front line in US wars, and risk nuclear war being fought in Europe. These bases are currently in the process of being equipped with upgraded and more versatile nuclear weapons, as well as being used to support ongoing US wars. ….

This conference aims to analyse these political and military developments – globally, regionally and locally, drawing together movements and activists from across the world, to support each other, strategise together, and plan action for resistance and change.”

How to join the camp and conference

Please join us at the International Conference, and also for as much of the Peace Camp as you are able to. If you would like to run a workshop, concerning any aspect of the campaigning activities in your own country or any relevant theme, that would be greatly appreciated. Your presence and contribution will in any case make a real difference.

Lakenheath is approximately two hours from London by car or train, and all local transport and accommodation will be taken care of. You can sign up here at https://lakenheathallianceforpeace.org.uk/sign-up/

Visit the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace website for more details, or contact LAP at their email address lap@gn.apc.org.