Buechel AFB

Last April 7, seven activists entered Buechel Air Base in Germany to protest the ten U.S. nuclear bombs stored there. German Tornado pilots are trained, as part of the "nuclear participation of the German military" in NATO, to fly the bombs to their targets in time of war.

The group of protesters cut a ten-yard gap in the fence, entered the base and unfurled banners proclaiming "Observe International Law - Abolish Nukes" and "Nukes in Buechel = 100 Hiroshimas." While they may satisfy NATO's requirements, the activists noted that the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty obliges Germany "not to accept directly or indirectly the power of disposition over nuclear weapons or nuclear devices." They demanded that Germany remove the estimated 64 nuclear weapons at Buechel and Ramstein Air Bases, to make Germany nuclear-free as its contribution to a nuclear-free world. Military police turned the seven over to civilian authorities. Two people have already had probation revoked from a former action, resulting in a one month jail sentence. They face more prison time if convicted now.

For more information, contact Wolfgang Sternstein, Hauptmannsreute 45, 70192 Stuttgart Germany.