Last Friday 500 demonstrators arrived at NSA Menwith Hill for an Independence from America party against US military presence in the UK at the Gatecrasher's Ball.  Dressed in costumes, ball gowns, masks and top hat and tails, demonstrators took part in a public reading of a new Declaration of Independence from America reports SchNEWS. Menwith Hill, America's leading spy base outside the US, played a crucial role in both Gulf wars. It's also central to plans for the "Star Wars" National Missile Defence programme. Mark Thomas, looking rather fetching in frock and feather boa, introduced the line up of speakers, musicians and poets and gave a rousing speech himself. He told SchNEWS it was like a Reclaim the Streets party in the countryside. Everything was going swimmingly until the police added some special party-pooping touches of their own. Organisers from the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases with full police liaison had planned a walk around the base, stopping at various points to give information about activities at Menwith Hill. The police, in their wisdom, had decided to head up the walk with horses that were inadequately trained and kept rearing up, backing into protestors, and generally causing havoc. One of the protestors said "On the day the police unilaterally changed all the carefully negotiated agreements. The police were responsible for any conflict that happened and it was quite unnecessary that so many police and police horses were drafted in. There could have been serious injuries because of the incompetent policing." After first refusing to withdraw the horses, the police eventually replaced them with others, but the guided tour had to be cut short. There are weekly witness and protests outside the main entrance to Menwith Hill every Tuesday evening (7-9 pm). Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases, 8 Park Row, Otley, West Yorkshire, LS21 1HQ 01943 46640 http://www.caab.org.ukhttp://www.schnews.org.uk