MEPs occupy runway at military airbase
A group made up of peace campaigners and Green members of the European Parliament staged a protest action on Wednesday morning at the Kleine Brogel military airbase in Limburg Province. They blocked the base’s runway in an effort to bring attention to their demand for the withdrawal of the American nuclear weapons that are stationed at the base.
The protesters were made up of a group of four peace campaigners and three MEPs from the Green Group in the European Parliament, one each from France, Luxemburg and the UK.
They climbed over the perimeter fence of the base at around 8am. They block the runway and unfolded a banner with the inscription “Europe Europe free of nuclear weapons”.
As well as calling for the removal of the American nuclear weapons from the base, the protesters also called for Belgium to sign up to the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons. 122 countries signed up to the treaty in 2017. However, Belgium abstained.
The protesters were detained by the military police. Outside the base a fourth MEP was detained along with a further 8 peace campaigners from the organisation “Agir Pour La Paix”.