A United States flag emblazoned with the words "STOP STAR WARS" and displayed during protests at American-occupied military bases in England by the women of the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (CAAB) has allegedly distressed some GIs enough that Crown prosecutors near two bases brought "Public Order" charges against Lindis Percy for the acts.

In late April, Harrogate Magistrates' Court heard Percy's attorney ask "Why are we in the U.K. trying to criminalize behavior which is lawful in the U.S.?" In the end, the magistrate rejected as "wholly over the top," the claim that Americans at Menwith Hill spy base could have been so distressed by the peaceful protest last December.

A different conclusion was reached by Fakenham Magistrates' Court in May. Declaring a "pressing social need in a multi-cultural society to protect from denigration objects of symbolic importance to one cultural group," Percy was fined £250 for offending the Public Order Act, plus £100 for a conviction of obstructing the highway during the demonstration last December at the Feltwell Deep and Near Space Tracking Facility. Percy politely criticized the ruling, telling Magistrate Peter Heley that his ruling effectively decided what symbols would be acceptable in any future peaceful protest. Heley then had Percy arrested for contempt of court. That afternoon, she was offered a chance to retract her comments. "I am having great difficulties at doing what you ask," Percy responded, whereupon she was fined an additional £250. The Public Order conviction is being appealed.

Percy was again arrested May 26 while holding the same decorated flag at USAF Mildenhall's annual Air Fete on charges her behavior was "likely to cause a breach of the peace". She was held for seven hours, but then charged only with "going equipped to cause criminal damage" with a can of unopened spray paint found in her belongings. Percy's appeal to the High Court in London in 1994 has already established that a "breach of the peace" charge in a peaceful protest case cannot be sustained unless the arrested person has been violent.

Other court cases against CAAB's persistent efforts to uphold British rights in the face of American occupation forces are detailed in their newsletter, available for a donation. For more information, contact CAAB, 8 Park Row, Otley, West Yorkshire, LS21 1HQ, England, UK. Email: anniandlindis@caab.org.uk web: www.caab.org.uk.