Campaigners will gather at RAF Menwith Hill on Saturday (24 October 2026) to call for the closure of the North Yorkshire intelligence base over its links to US military and intelligence operations.
The demonstration has been organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Yorkshire CND and the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign.
Organisers say the protest will highlight concerns about the base’s role in US military operations, nuclear weapons policy and intelligence sharing with Israel.
RAF Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, is a major intelligence-gathering facility operated with US involvement. Its distinctive white radomes house satellite communications equipment.
Protest planned for Saturday
Campaigners plan to stage a demonstration outside the base’s main gate on Menwith Hill Road, off Skipton Road.
The protest will include a stunt involving giant inflatable golf balls, representing the base’s radomes, which participants will attempt to kick into buckets marked with US flags. Organisers say people wearing Donald Trump masks will attempt to stop them.
A public meeting is also scheduled for noon at Friends Meeting House in Harrogate, ahead of the rally at Menwith Hill. The organisers’ press release gives conflicting start times of 3pm and 3.30pm for the demonstration, so the exact time should be confirmed before attending.
Campaigners raise concerns over intelligence sharing
CND argues that RAF Menwith Hill plays a significant role in US intelligence gathering and missile defence systems, and claims its activities risk drawing the UK further into international conflicts.
The organisation has also raised concerns about whether intelligence gathered at the base has been used to support US military operations involving Iran and Israeli military operations in Gaza.
These claims form part of the campaign group’s case for closing the facility.
CND general secretary Sophie Bolt said:
This protest comes at an absolutely critical time. The threats of nuclear weapons being used in war has never been higher.
The use of RAF Menwith Hill to help the Trump administration achieve nuclear pre-eminence is a very dangerous development, which is driving a new nuclear arms race.
Louise Regan, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, also called for an end to intelligence sharing with the Israeli military, arguing that the UK government must address what she described as British complicity in the conflict in Gaza.
Dave Webb, chair of Yorkshire CND, said campaigners wanted US bases in the UK to close, while Hazel Costello of the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign called for greater public scrutiny of the facility.
About RAF Menwith Hill
RAF Menwith Hill is a strategically significant intelligence facility in North Yorkshire, with close links to US intelligence agencies. Its capabilities include satellite communications and signals intelligence.
The facility has also been associated with missile warning and defence systems. CND argues that its role in these systems contributes to nuclear tensions, although the organisation’s claims about the base’s contribution to particular military operations have not been independently established in the material supplied for the protest.
The demonstration comes amid wider debate about the UK’s defence relationship with the United States and the use of British-based facilities in international military operations.
The Harrogate Informer has not independently verified the campaigners’ claims about the use of intelligence from RAF Menwith Hill in specific military operations.