Activists evade capture at spy base
A lone protester has been joined by six other peace campaigners at one of Britain's most secret spy bases.
More than 100 Greenpeace activists strolled through the gates of the Menwith Hill base in North Yorkshire on Tuesday.
Overnight specialist police teams managed to remove most of the protesters who had chained themselves to buildings - but one activist, named Ricko, managed to evade officers.
The activists are demonstrating against the controversial Son of Star Wars missile defence shield.
Greenpeace spokeswoman Louise Edge said: "Ricko had been on the roof of the radar building with a number of other campaigners.
"When the police got on the roof, he managed to skid off the other side and leg it across the base with a couple of police officers in hot pursuit and was able to climb up one of the directional masts. He's now 60 metres up in the air, well out of the clutches of the police, and although he's cold his spirits are high."
Ricko, a Greenpeace worker from New Zealand, has been joined on the base by six more campaigners who managed to "re-invade" the site.
Ms Edge said: "About 20 campaigners broke back in today. Most were recaptured and ejected but six have managed to climb on to some really high masts."
The Ministry of Defence has refused to comment on the ease with which large numbers of Greenpeace supporters breached the security but confirmed four arrests were made yesterday. Two were for criminal damage and one for possession of an offensive weapon. No details were available on the fourth arrest, she said.
Activists from the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases plan to hold their own protest against the Son of Star Wars project. Protesters intend to drive in convoy from Menwith Hill to another US base at Fylingdales in North Yorkshire.
