400 protest against drone use near RAF base
Anti-war campaigners have today been protesting against the use of drones outside RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.
ITV News' Carl Dinnen reports:
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Hundreds protest outside Britain's first drone base
Around 400 anti-war protesters descended on an RAF base today to protest the use of "barbaric" armed drones from UK soil in Afghanistan.
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Anti-war protesters target RAF base over drone use
An RAF has been targeted today by anti-war protesters following the confirmation that it had begun to remotely control armed drones in Afghanistan.
It's the first time the drones have been controlled from the UK at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire but the Ministry of Defence say they will not be used for targeted assassinations - a practice that has produced outrage against the American use of drones.
Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen reports:
Protester says drones are 'fundamentally wrong'
Chris Nineham, from the Stop the War Coalition, believes armed drones are fundamentally wrong, and he will campaign until the technology is banned.
Hundreds start drone protest march to RAF Waddington
Hundreds of peace campaigners have started marching from Lincoln to RAF Waddington, in protest of a new fleet of armed drones being based in the UK for the first time.
The RAF began remotely operating its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles earlier this week from the airbase in Lincolnshire.
Previously operated from a United States Air Force base in Nevada, the aircraft are used to support coalition ground forces in Afghanistan.
Members of the Stop The War Coalition, CND, The Drone Campaign Network and War on Want are estimated to walk the four mile route in around two hours.
War protester: 'Now is the time to ban killer drones'
Ahead of a planned protest outside an RAF base today against the UK's use of armed drones in Afghanistan, War on Want senior campaigns officer Rafeef Ziadah said:
Drones, controlled far away from conflict zones, ease politicians' decisions to launch military strikes and order extrajudicial assassinations, without democratic oversight or accountability to the public.
"Now is the time to ban killer drones - before it is too late.
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MoD defends its use of drones in Afghanistan
The Ministry of Defence has defended its use of drones in Afghanistan, which it says have saved the lives of countless military personnel and civilians.
– Ministry of Defence spokesmanUK Reaper aircraft are piloted by highly trained professional military pilots who adhere strictly to the same laws of armed conflict and are bound by the same clearly defined rules of engagement which apply to traditionally manned RAF aircraft.
Anti-drones protest set to be staged at RAF base
Anti-war protesters are set to gather outside an RAF base today to voice their opposition to the UK's use of armed drones in Afghanistan.
Members of the Stop The War Coalition, CND, The Drone Campaign Network and War on Want will march from Lincoln to nearby RAF Waddington.
The RAF began remotely operating its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles deployed to Afghanistan from the Lincolnshire airbase earlier this week.
In a statement, the RAF said it had started supporting the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan ground troops with "armed intelligence and surveillance missions" remotely piloted from RAF Waddington.
The aircraft were previously operated from a United States Air Force base in Nevada.
British public has 'sophisticated understanding' of drones
Professor Sir Michael Aaronson, director of cii, said:
– Professor Sir Michael AaronsonThis research demonstrates that the British public has a reassuringly sophisticated understanding of the benefits and dangers of the precision strike capabilities that drones provide.
They are not soft on counter-terrorism but they are uneasy about the wider foreign policy implications of the power these capabilities give Western governments.
It is important that the public is properly informed about the issues if governments are to harness the power of technology in a socially-responsible way.
'British public are clearly divided on drone use'
YouGov academic director Dr Joel Faulkner Rogers, whose research is published in Hitting the Target?, has said that the British public are divided over the use of drones.
He said:
– Dr Joel Faulkner Roger, YouGovThe British public are clearly divided on whether the current use of drones is ultimately doing more harm or good to Western security.
But there's also a distinction between attitudes to the weapon and the way it's used, which go beyond binary moral judgements about 'drones good' or 'drones bad'.
A majority of Brits also support the policy, at least in principle, of targeted drone strikes against known terrorists, with many who support a view that drones can help to reduce, as well as cause, casualties if military action is required.
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