LAST WEDNESDAY they tried to evict the peace camp at Main Gate of Greenham Common missile base. Women have been living there for more than two and a half years. But it won't be the end of the Greenham Peace Camp.
AS the women already shown, the camp is more than a matter of pulling down a few benders. A whole movement that has mobilised tens of thousands of women has to be destroyed too.
JUDE WOODWARD looks at the achievements of the Greenham women the last two and a half years. THIS is not the first time that the powers that be have tried to evict the Greenham women. The Main camp was evicted 18 months ago when New bury changed its by-laws lo vent the women having the right camp on common ground. women moved on Transport land, and have been there ever since.
Newbury Council littered the site of the camp with massive boulders. But the women decorated the rocks and moved back.
The Tories are about to learn what Newbury Council learnt before, can evict the camp, but you can't kill the spirit!
Tenacitv and courage are not lr short supply at Greenham. They have have destroying over had to be. continual harassment verval and prysical abuse Gate through rain months and vears preto But the spired a whole Ministry of Greenham, women into political activity. harassment SUS.
Socialist Action 13 April 1984 The womens Peace camp stays FOR large scale labour movement support.
The December 1982 action forced the issue and but cruise back at the cen tre of CND's agenda, with the Human chain trom ureenham to Burghtield and the massive October march.
That didn't end the debate in CND Sanity, the CND journal, ran a letters women-only editors claimed that the vast majority of letters received had been against. But once again the dynamism and inspiration of Greenham them, so that by 1983 CND conference a resolution supporting women-only actions was overwhelmingly supported. Doubters It wasn't just the doubters in CND that were carried along by Greenham. It had enormous impact in the labour In the General Election CND was Incined to play a low key role as it didn't want to be seen as too political. No mass actions were organised and the Labour Party was kept off CND platforms. calling for a vote for the SDP and the Liberals.
On 24 May, sixteen days before the poll, Cases. for Disarmament, broke through all this. Actions, backed by the TUC and the Labour Party took place up Workplaces were unions responded to the women's call for token strike action.
The Tories turned their press guns into a full frontal assault on Greenham. The press blared 'smelly' Greenham women, all lesbian drugtakers noses. Scandal was whipped up when a baby was born at the camp.
Greenham April 1984 action.
carried all before EP Thompson even suggested on International Women's Day Greenham women COVELV visited, and some Greenham Sections hesitated.
away about the with pins through their Blockading at Greenham, July 1983 of the labour movement Some tried to distance themselves from the Greenham movement. Jean Mc Crindle gave Greenham the only mention it got at the Labour Coordinating Committee conference in when she explained how she found it 'hard to relate' to some of the things the Greenham women did.