The USAF has been approached for comment.<\/p>\n
Ten protesters used heavy-duty locks to attach themselves to a car and to each other outside the base entrance.<\/p>\n
The group, which arrived at the base from about 06:30, called on the British government to shut down US bases in the UK, to remove what it said was complicity in conflicts in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
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The protesters are demanding the British government shut down US bases in the UK [Shaun Whitmore\/BBC]<\/p>\n
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Four protesters, including Margaret Owen, chained and bolted themselves to a car parked outside the base [Shaun Whitmore\/BBC]<\/p>\n
Two of the activists at Lakenheath, Margaret Owen, a 94-year-old human rights lawyer, and Rajan Naidu, have both taken part in similar protests before.<\/p>\n
Owen said she “had been protesting for years on behalf of the Palestinians”.<\/p>\n
She was arrested following a demonstration in Liverpool during the Labour Party conference in September and, more recently, after a protest outside the US Embassy in London.<\/p>\n
She said, as a Jewish woman, she was “absolutely horrified about what Israel is doing in Gaza, about the genocide, the horrific genocide”.<\/p>\n
Naidu had been arrested and charged following a protest in April outside Lakenheath.<\/p>\n
“I say we’re in peaceful civil resistance to injustice, to corruption, to war crimes, to crimes against humanity, against infanticide, genocide. That’s what we are,” said Naidu.<\/p>\n
Police have been charging protesters with conspiracy to commit a public nuisance, obstruction of a highway and locking on.<\/p>\n
A UN commission of inquiry has said Israel has deliberately targeted Palestinian children resulting in genocide<\/a> in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n Israel has repeatedly defended itself against claims of genocide.<\/p>\n Rajan Naidu said he expected to be arrested during the protest in Suffolk [Shaun Whitmore\/BBC]<\/p>\n The protest group also expressed concerns about the possibility of nuclear weapons<\/a> being housed at the base.<\/p>\n The F-35A Lightning II aircraft is certified to carry the B61-12 thermonuclear weapon.<\/p>\n “By obeying and complying with the demands of the US military complex, the UK has become very closely tied with the nuclear security strategies imposed by the US,” the group said.<\/p>\n The US and Nato have a long-standing policy on neither confirming nor denying where nuclear weapons are kept.<\/p>\n The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said Monday’s protest was one for the US military to comment on.<\/p>\n In April, in a response to a similar protest<\/a>, the MOD said the US had been authorised to use British military bases for specific defensive missions to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities.<\/p>\n A spokesperson added that Iran was “threatening British people, bases, and our partners in the region”.<\/p>\n Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below.<\/p>\n Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and X<\/a>.<\/p>\n More on this storyRelated internet links![\"Rajan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/18f546897d02d49533fb8d8743587742.jpg\"\/)
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