Star Lifter focus of protest rally

Press, 12 October 1988, Page 7

Star Lifter focus of protest rally

The Anti Bases Campaign is to stage a protest rally at Christchurch International Airport during Labour Weekend.

But a plan by the group to inspect the cargo of the weekly United States Air Force Star Lifter flight through Christchurch is unlikely to receive American or New Zealand Customs approval. The Military Airlift Command aircraft travels through Christchurch each Sunday on its way to the American base at Pine Gap in Australia. A spokesman for the Anti Bases Campaign, Mr Murray Horton, said the Star Lifter flight had nothing to do with the U.S. Naval Support Forces, Antarctica, or American operations in Antarctica. A focus of the protest rally on Sunday, October 23, would be an intended citizens’ inspection of the Star Lifter’s cargo.

Mr Horton said the group’s protest actions would be non-violent and

pose no threat to flights or passengers. Mr Horton declined to elaborate on how the protest group would inspect the cargo. “You’ll have to wait and see. We intend to invoke New Zealand’s nuclearfree legislation and assert our sovereignty over the base.” But the protesters are unlikely to be given permission to cross the airport perimeter and examine the aircraft. A spokesman for the United States Information Service, Mr Karl Stoltz, said that quite apart from any decision from American authorities, the StarLifter parked in a New Zealand Customs examining area. “Our people are unlikely to give the group permission to examine the aircraft or its cargo.” Mr Michael Brown, a

spokesman for the Customs Department at Christchurch International Airport, confirmed that the U.S.A.F. Star Lifters parked in a Customs-con-trolled area.

“Even if the protesters received permission to cross the airport perimeter, it would be a case of whether the owners, in this case the United States Air Force, would permit members of the public to examine their property. “These aircraft park in a designated Customs examining area and we examine everything that comes off the aeroplane. We usually do not allow the public to take part in this examination.” Mr Horton said the national protest rally would be attended by a peace group member from Alice Springs, the Australian destination of the Star Lifter flights.