Above: Peace activists organized by Massachusetts Peace Action protested nuclear war preparations at Battle Green in Lexington, MA. Cole Harrison photo
Lincoln, MA, May 27, 2018 — Six peace activists were arrested on May 27, 2018, at the gate of Hanscom Air Force Base as they protested the role of the base in nuclear war planning.
Hanscom is the location of the Program Executive Office (PEO) for Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3), which seeks to improve the communications system that would be used by U.S. forces in a nuclear war.
“The money being poured into the ‘NC3’ program are an early warning sign that the government is abandoning any pretense that the U.S. seeks arms control or nuclear disarmament and is rather preparing for nuclear war with Russia, China, or both,” said Dr. Jonathan King, a board member of Massachusetts Peace Action, at the protest. “The money being spent on nuclear annihilation could fund free college and free health care for every American,” he continued.
About 40 activists organized by Massachusetts Peace Action assembled at the Minuteman Statue where they participated in a flash mob in which they were “frozen” for two minutes. They then walked from Lexington Battle Green to Hanscom.
John Bach of Arlington and Cambridge Friends Meeting, John Schuchardt of the House of Peace in Ipswich and Veterans for Peace, Pat Ferrone of St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, Laura Evans of Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport, Jerald Ross of Chelmsford, First Parish Bedford and Massachusetts Peace Action, and Dan McLaughlin of Cambridge, were arrested by the Lincoln police for trespassing as they attempted to deliver a letter protesting nuclear weapons development at Hanscom to the base commander. They were released on personal recognizance and are to appear in Concord District Court at 8 am on Tuesday, May 29.
“Nuclear weapons are a danger to all life on earth: human, plant, and animal. There is no justifiable reason to launch a nuclear weapon as doing so will end the lives of millions, if not billions, of people across the globe”,” said Michelle Cunha of Bedford. “Knowing my neighbor Hanscom has been chosen to build the Nuclear Command and Control system (NC3) which would control weapons in a nuclear war is terrifying. The Pentagon did not ask residents of Bedford, Concord, Lincoln, or Lexington to vote on this matter, they simply implemented their decision without any discussion. This is not the democracy my ancestors fought for when they overthrew King George during the Revolutionary War.
Massachusetts Peace Action is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to develop the sustained political power to foster a more just and peaceful U.S. foreign policy.