lang: en
Summary
From 1981 to 1993, women established a peace camp at Greenham Common in England to protest the housing of U.S. cruise missiles. Through sustained nonviolent protest, including encampment, marches, and creative actions, they successfully contributed to the removal of the missiles. The campaign also empowered women and transformed peace campaigning in Britain.
Background
In 1979, NATO purchased land at Greenham Common to build a base for 96 Tomahawk Ground Launched Cruise Missiles as part of U.S. Cold War strategy. The women opposed the missiles due to foreign ownership, use of common land, and opposition to nuclear weapons. Their goal was to remove the U.S. nuclear missiles from British soil and to empower women.
What happened
On September 5, 1981, four British women chained themselves to the fence of Greenham Common airfield after walking 100 miles from Cardiff. [source: nv-database] The base commander told them they could stay, leading to a twelve-year encampment. [source: nv-database] In February 1982, the campaign voted to become women-only, strengthening its feminist identity. [source: nv-database] The first major action occurred on December 12, 1982, when 35,000 women encircled the base in the ‘Embrace the Base’ action. [source: nv-database] In October 1983, over 1,000 women dressed as witches cut sections of the fence. [source: nv-database] On December 12, 1983, 50,000 women held mirrors to military crews. [source: nv-database] Despite mass evictions in 1984, women returned and rebuilt. [source: nv-database] The Cruisewatch campaign tracked and publicized missile movements, and protesters blocked missiles by lying on the ground. [source: nv-database] The first missiles were removed in 1989, the last in 1991, and the campaign ended in 1993 when most women left. [source: nv-database]
Key people & organizations
- Eunice Stallard
- Helen John
- Karmen Cutler
- Ann Pettitt
- Lynnie Seward
- Lynne Whittemore
- Yoko Ono
- Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)
- Quaker groups
- Cruisewatch
Tactics used
- boycotts-and-strikes
- nonviolent-direct-action
- civil-resistance
- coalition-building
- distributed-organizing
- dilemma-actions
- framing-and-narrative
- escalation
- affinity-groups
- citizen-lobbying
- petitions-and-e-campaigning
- public-narrative
The women combined sustained encampment with creative, symbolic actions like fence-cutting and mirror-holding to gain publicity and disrupt military operations. Their use of nonviolent direct action, coalition-building, and distributed organizing maintained pressure over twelve years. [source: nv-database]
Outcome
Verdict: won.
The women achieved their goal of removing U.S. missiles from British soil, though the missiles remained until the Cold War ended, so the outcome is partly attributed to broader geopolitical changes. The campaign also succeeded in empowering women and revolutionizing peace campaigning in Britain. [source: nv-database]
Lessons
- Sustained nonviolent encampment can maintain pressure over many years.
- Creative, symbolic actions can attract media attention and build public support.
- A women-only space can strengthen feminist identity and differentiate a campaign from others.
Sources
- Global Nonviolent Action Database —
[[nv-database]]
Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.
Sources & verification
nv-database— grounding: primary — license: link-only- Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via
worker_casestudies_v2.py