Beth Louise

Lets talk about the Bad-Ass ladies of Greenham Common

13:42

So starting off my more political/historical blog posts is two topics which I find very important, and relevant; Feminism and Nuclear Disarmament.

And who would've thought the two could be so inexplicitly linked?

Well let me tell you, they are.

The Chain (creds BBC)

For those of you who are unaware, Greenham Common is an RAF airbase in Berkshire, England, and it is most well known for the protests and peace camp set up around it in the 1980s.

A new-wave of nuclear activism, re-emerged in the late 1970s, and was in part due to the decision to station US Cruise and Perishing missiles in Western European countries, which included Great Britain. Similarly, in Eastern Europe, Soviet missiles were also being deployed. This lead to an influx of members to anti-nuclear groups, such as the British CND. Smaller groups were also set up, including the Welsh group, Women for Life on Earth. This group of women travelled to RAF Greenham Common in 1981, to deliver a letter to the Commander of the airbase, requesting a debate on the stationing of nuclear weapons on the site. This request was ignored. This led to a 19-year protest around RAF Greenham Common, known as the “Women’s Peace Camp”. It was a non-violent protest, where the women lived in a communal environment. They protested with blockades, creating a human chain around the airbase. One chain stretched 14 miles and consisted of 70,000 women! The women at the camp lived without running water and electricity. The women also created murals and art, in protest, notably a 'patchwork rainbow dragon' (which sounds awesome doesn't it?)

Patchwork Dragon Pamphlet (creds Pinterest)

The role of a women-only protest was extremely significant, as it accentuated the role of the 'mother' in 'saving' their children from a nuclear world. The strength of the protest was instrumental in the removal of nuclear weapons from Greenham Common. For me, this protest is a ridiculously great example of girl power. It is inspirational to see an all-female community joined together by a common cause, and to see their protest culminate into real change is a lesson so many of us can learn from today.

This particular protest is just one example of the methods used by nuclear activists, and it demonstrates the power that the protests can have. It also shows the power women can have on political change, and this protest was one of the most famous cases of the anti-nuclear movement of the 1980s.