AMPLIFY: The Women of Greenham Common, Camping For Peace and Nuclear Disarmament
What’s your ideal camping trip?
Does it involve about 250 of your closest girlfriends, some in witch's costumes and military gear? What about a 36-woman-human chain surrounding an army base, a couple of arrests, fights with the UK government and police, and disarming nuclear missiles? If your answer is yes, you'd fit in with the Women of Greenham Common Camp, better known as the Peace Camp, a group of 70,000+ women who disrupted governmental nuclear testing, all while pushing women from around the world to fight against the use of nuclear missiles during the Cold Wars of the 1980s.
There are four things you should know about the women of Greenham Camp:
1. The Peace Camp started as an anti-nuclear debate to limit the use of nuclear missiles for war but turned into a 19-year protest.
2. While protesting, the women lived in harsh conditions because the .forest surrounded the base; the women had limited access to electricity and suffered severe weather in the winter storms.
3. In 1983, about 70,0000 women (some with their children) made it difficult for national and international media to ignore, although they were subject to attacks by members of the Greenham military base, the media, and opposition groups.
4. During the 19-year protest, the women wanted to be seen as “mothers and protectors” who tried to protect and secure a better future for their children, but the media and government branded them as enemies of the state and “traditional” family values.
But who exactly were the women involved in Greenham Common Peace Camp, and why did they risk 19 years of their lives to end the use of nuclear weapons and remove cruise missiles?
In 1980, the world was filled with confusion and threats of nuclear war. So much so that the UK government distributed brochures and created guidelines and campaigns like Protect and Survive Campaign on how to survive a nuclear attack. Later that year, the French Minister of Defense, Francis Pym, sent 160 nuclear warheads to the RAF Greenham Common military base in Berkshire. The French and British governments relocated American missiles to the UK. Their decision and the subsequent potential of a war angered citizens. In September 1981, a Welsh group, Women for Life on Earth, organized a march to Greenham. A group of 36 women (including 6 men and their children) marched 100 miles from Cardiff to the Greenham air-force station. Their mission: protest the placement and storage of American cruise missiles in the UK. They marched to speak to UK governmental officials about the country’s military activities and their stance on nuclear weapons. What started as a debate ended in multiple peace camps inside and around the base’s main entrance.
Now, imagine it’s 6:30 pm, raining, and you and 35 women have chained yourself to the gates of a military base, in the middle of the forest, and the police are watching and laughing at you.
The women undoubtedly must have been terrified but bravely powered on. The group set up their peace camp and held banners in front of the military base that read “Stop the missiles” and “Cruise Spell World War 3.” At the start, the Greenham Common protesters weren’t taken seriously, but with each passing month, more women joined. By March 1982, the camp was filled with 250 women protesters. That same year, the Newbury District Council evicted the women. As a counterattack, they set up multiple camps nearby.
Disruption At The Base
As the women began receiving recognition, even more women joined the movement. They sent letters to women groups around the country, calling for help, and by December 1982, the camp grew to about 30,000, joining forces for the ‘Embrace the Base’ event. Despite their efforts to stop the missiles from entering campgrounds, November 1983 marked the first arrival of cruise missiles. Many of the women faced court fines and imprisonment along with evictions and charges of destruction of military property, and unlawful protesting. None of this deterred them.
Strategic Planning Tips from the Women of Greenham Common Camp
How do you solve a problem when the government doesn’t listen?
1. Create a woman-only protest with nine smaller camps surrounding a military base.
2. Decorate the base with photographs of children, flowers, and ribbons.
3. Stand in a 14-mile human chain.
4. Organize masquerades, “body” sit-ins, and lie on the ground.
5. March in funeral processions and speak about the potential loss of children and life due to nuclear war.
6. Eliminate “leadership” positions, making it difficult for police or politicians to communicate with one and not all.
7. Dress as teddy bears and force your way onto base grounds while fighting armed guards.
Women from all walks of life joined the Peace Camp, using their unique skills to expand their mission. For example, poets and singers created protest songs and chants, and artists and teachers created posters, leaflets, and information packets. The group was organized and determined.
In 1984, the Women were once again evicted but returned during nightfall. For the next three years, it was a waiting game. The 70,000+ stronghold dwindled, and by 1986 it seemed like all the women had left. Questions poured in: Where did the women go? Had the government or opposition groups driven them out? In actuality, small groups of women would cut down parts of the fence to camp every night. The women of the Peace Camp were strategic planners. They created smaller sub-camps based around the entrance gates, named after the colors of rainbows, e.g., Yellow Gates, with their own rules.
The Peace Camp continued to be active between 1981-1991, sometimes with 50,000 women and other times, 40, but the group’s perseverance never let out. And, by March 1991, the U. S government, followed by the British, removed the cruise missiles from the base. The Women’s protests, along with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, aided in the closure of Greenham Base. The women of Peace Camp remained until 2000. During the last years of the Greenham Common protest, the women protested the UK Trident program. This program would allow the government to develop and operate nuclear weapons in the UK. Before leaving the base, the women won the right to create a memorial on site. In 2002, the Women’s Peace Camp became a memorial and historic site.
Why We Amplify
The women of Peace Camp influenced women on a local scale, and women around the world. The Peace Camp became a global symbol of women’s resistance against war and violence, which fit perfectly with the group’s Female Dragon symbol. The camp inspired peace movements like the Window Peace in New York City to speak up against nuclear missiles and war. They expressed their solidarity through art. As a tribute to the Women of Greenham, 51 female artists collaborated to create a piece of performance art installed at the base. The action was a year-long 51 women-artist collaborative performance art installation as a tribute to the women of Greenham. The Women of Peace Camp influenced women worldwide, changing the perception of women’s roles in politics and protest.
Forty years ago, a group of women made their way to Berkshire, England, for a debate. A debate that would last 19 years, influencing the United Kingdom’s role as a leader in nuclear power. We Amplify them today for their ability to power through in the face of political adversity and armed guards who wielded that intent. The Women of Greenham Common Peace’s motto, “You can’t kill the Spirit,” reminds us to speak up and fight for what we believe in.
Facts and Check Outs
● There were several instances where the women would climb over the military base fence and dance on top of silos.
● In 19 years, 100+ women were arrested, with one death. Member Helen Wynn Thomas died in an accident at Greenham on August 5th, 1989. She was later added to the memorial.
● Check out the Greenham Peace Camp songbook, Greenham Women Are Everywhere
● Check out The Guardian’s interview with the women of Greenham., “Greenham peace camp: Bringing the fence down,” and live footage of the women keening at Parliament Square.
● The women of Greenham Common Peace Camp worked in partnership with the Seneca Women's Encampment for a Future of Peace and Justice, another women-only peace camp protesting missiles cruise and Pershing II.
Joycelyn lives in Cypress, Texas. She’s the daughter of immigrants and did not go to Law School, but received three degrees (BA, MA, MPH) and is happily freelancing and working in the nonprofit world. She enjoys writing about healthcare recruitment and even worked as a Healthcare Organizer. When she’s not writing, she’s transcribing, developing community toolkits, and researching womxn’s history. Which is why she’s excited about writing for AMPLIFY. On her off days, she spends her time on Twitter reminding everyone to drink water and enabling others to watch more dramas. Follow her on Twitter: @jg_humanitarian