Protesters against the presence of the Menwith Hill military base staged their own version of Independence Day on July 4.

Co-inciding with America’s celebrations of achieving independence from the UK in 1776 — and also on general election day — the campaigners gathered in the Kettlesing Layby on the A59 near Menwith Hill to stage their annual “Independence from America” protest.

The event was organised by the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign and Yorkshire CND to, they say, “highlight the lack of accountability of the base and its occupants”

The campaigners say that though Menwith Hill is ”nominally an RAF Base, this United States surveillance facility is closed even to UK Members of Parliament and maintains secrecy about its actions - for example the directing of drone attacks and economic spying”.

There were several speakers including Phill Gittins, from World Beyond War, who asked attendees to close their eyes for a few minutes while they imagined the world we wanted for ourselves and our children.

A spokesperson for the event organisers, said: “Warfare has moved on from the American War of Independence (1775 – 1783). The financial, social and environmental costs have escalated.

“The proportion of civilians killed and injured rises steadily, so called collateral damage. Peace education can make a real difference and young people should be given the opportunity to learn about Peace and their role in peace building.”

Joanna Frew, from Rethinking Security, talked about the difference between states and people. The spokesperson added: “We need to prioritize the needs of people over the needs of the State. We need to build confidence that security can be achieved by developing sustainability and justice.”

David Webb, from Yorkshire CND, said that the roles of both Menwith Hill and similar establishment Fylingdales, on the North Yorkshire moors near Whitby, need to be better understood.

The campaigners say that massive amounts of data are being collected from surveillance by satellite and by the covert monitoring of land based electronic communications.

Sam Legg spoke to the gathering about the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Encouraging all governments to sign up to the TPNW is an essential step in making the world a safer place for all.

The serious presentations were interspersed with comedic songs from Beau Disco, a dramatic performance about understanding our own motivations from Roger Harington and a very lively jazz duet by Harvey Parkin-Christie and Teruki Chan.