On a rainy day in June, police estimated that 2,000 people formed a human chain around USAF Ramstein in Germany, the headquarters of the US air force in Europe. The activists were protesting against the base’s critical role in transmitting information between operators in the United States and drones in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Syria.
Former US drone operator Brandon Bryant told Der Spiegel magazine in 2013 that Ramstein co-ordinated Washington’s global drone war. This was confirmed by US intelligence documents leaked to the Intercept and Der Spiegel in 2015.
Police allowed the protesters, who had walked from neighbouring towns, to block traffic leaving and entering the base for 10 minutes.
The police described the protest as peaceful and said there were no incidents.
A rally was also held, with songs and speeches, including from former CIA analyst Ray McGovern. The action was organised by ‘Stop Ramstein – No Drone War’.
Topics: Drones & autonomous weapons