For Peace!

Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp was the largest women's protest since the struggle for the vote. Women from all walks of life congregated in Berkshire from September 1981 to directly challenge Britain as a war state, the Cold War and the deployment of U.S. nuclear missiles at a local military base. This exclusively female space also fostered a questioning of gender roles, confronting many aspects of militarism and patriarchy, as well as heteronormativity. It was a collective space for thinking, doing, creating rituals and art, for storytelling and healing, for loving and change. Different mini-camps were set up at different gates to the military base, each one named after a different colour and evolving a different character and composition. Many acts of civil disobedience were committed, from regular base incursions, to fence-cutting and tying photos and children's toys to remind soldiers of their humanity. 'Embrace The Base' (1982) was the largest action which saw over 30,000 women coming together to encircle the base's perimeter. The inspiring slogan 'Carry Greenham Home' saw women bring the spirit of the camp with them as they returned to their communities, homes, countries and workplaces. These seeds grew into a global peace network and an experience of defiance which still continues to evolve.