Princess joins rocket protest

Press, 31 October 1983, Page 6

Princess joins rocket protest

NZPA The Hague An estimated 500,000 peace demonstrators marched through The Hague against the planned deployment of new nuclear missiles in Europe in a turn-out surpassing organisers’ predictions. Slogans on the 12km- long route included, “No new nuclear arms in Europe,” and, "Get rid of all nuclear arms in the world.”

Among the participants in the demonstration were about 100 Dutch soldiers who defied military regulations by

marching in uniform, and Princess Irene von LippeBiesterfeld, a non-conform-ist member of the Dutch Royal Family. About 30 members of a Right-wing group had tried to disrupt part of the demonstration but were dispersed by the police. Six of them had been arrested, the police said. As the march progressed in bright sunshine, six light aircraft circled above in a counter demonstration staged by the Dutch war veterans and ex-service-men’s legions. The planes towed banners

saying, “Rather a missile in the garden than a Russian in the kitchen” and, “N.A.T.O. assures your freedom.” In other developments — ® The Police in Copenhagen said that 65,000 pacifists had converged on the city’s centre, while antinuclear protests had taken place in at least nine other Danish cities. @ In Portugal thousands of people participated in peace marches in Lisbon, Oporto, and other main cities. Trade unionists from the communist-influenced C.G.T. confederation made

up the bulk of the protesters. © At Heilbronn, West Germany, about 500 antinuclear demonstrators began a planned four-day sitdown blockade of one of three United States military bases that they say are soon to be equipped with Pershing-2 nuclear missiles. © In London, “The Sunday Times” newspaper published the results of an opinion poll showing that 73 per cent of the British people believed that in the event of a world conflict the United States Government

would launch Britain-based cruise missiles even if the British Government opposed their use.

Also in England the police arrested about 100 protesters at the Greenham Common military base yesterday during a demonstration by 1000 women against installation of cruise missiles in Britain and the United States-led invasion of Grenada.

Some of them managed to cut through several metres of the wire fence surrounding the base before they were arrested.