"look out for anoraks" ? where did you get this email that shows communication between planespotters and the police? I find it hard to beleive the police would request planespotters mix with the protestors and grass them up, surely they are trying to keep all non-military people (ie decent humans) away from fairford.
Your post sounds dangerously like the type of divide and rule disinformation they have been spreading. Yes our "ranks" are infiltrated by the police, but being paranoid can be divisive, and counter-productive.
How are we supposed to spot a planespotter from a legitimate protestor? glasses? acne? detailed military aircraft knowledge? I know protestors who match that description...

It is very easy to tell the difference between planespotters and peace activists. We peace campaingers wear very obvious anti-war badges, carry banners and introduce people to each other.

By and large, planespotters are solitary, or go in twos, a bloke and his mate or missus. They all drive cars and park them on verges, most have high quality cameras with zoom lenses and binoculars.

Yesterday outside USAF Fairford the plane spotters outnumbered the peace campaigners approx 4-1 and seemed able to happily wander around the perimeter fence and chat to polce and take photographs. This is despite the S60 order under the Criminal Justice Act, which was designated a mile all around the perimeter.

Peace campaingers on the other hand were searched for 'weapons' and generally harassed. One was even prevented from talking to the press.

Please don't assume that you know what is happening unless you have witnessed it at first hand.

In love and peace..

xxx

I got it from plane spotters email lists as I mentioned

the general point of view that appears on their lists & websites is anti - using terms such as 'the great unwashed','dole scroungers' 'keep away from fairford unless you want to be surround by thousands of rainbow jumpers' etc

I'm making no assumptions about anything - or speading 'divide and rule disinformation' - merely reporting whats on plane spotters emails and websites and letting people know that the anoraks may well inform the police if they see anything happening. As you already noted, they are able to wander round at will whilst we get harrassed & searched, so there's obviously a police distinction between us & them
And nowhere in the stuff I've seen - or posted - was there any mention of plane spotters 'infiltrating' or 'grassing up' protesters - read it again!

If the polis are hassling protesters but not planespotters, isn't the obvious tactic to dress up as planespotters?

more from the plane spotters website:

"Date: Tue Mar 4, 2003 3:48 pm
Subject: Fairford security

Hi All,

If you really want assist with security at Fairford during the current deployment then members of the base security will be very pleased to hear of any incidents taking place,about to take place or likely to take place.

Contacts are - Jim Williams 07740 609705 or Brian McCombs 07876
148170.

I'm sure they'll be eternally grateful for any info"

I totally support the peace camp, and plan to visit it as soon as possible. However when i read this comment i had a look for aviation mesage boards and was actually surprised how much anti war feeling i found. I dont think its fair to tar all plane spotters with the same brush, and i must say i'm not sure which email lists you have been reading.

Peace and Love

Jay

The information about police treating spotters & protestors differently is of course correct. One group threaten the security of the base, the other do not. So why shouldn't the cops treat non-threatening types differently? And yes they have given spotters phone numbers with which to report any suspicious activity.

You may have noticed Fairford has gained extra razor wire and an inner perimeter fence in recent weeks/months. This is directly in response to the ongoing 'Gloucestershire weapons inspectors' invasions of the base, and has pissed off spotters a lot because it means photos through the fence are no longer possible. So regardless of politics you protestors are not popular with spotters because you've made their hobby harder.

I know a lot of spotters, and they are fairly evenly divided about the war, but are pretty much of one mind about the protest efforts - they are pointless, will not affect anything one iota, but do make life harder for security forces (who have more worrying types of people to look out for) and spotters alike. A mindless minority of the less socially-adept spotters have resorted to the sort of 'scrounger' and 'crusty' insults (including direct verbal abuse at Fairford). As an aircraft enthusiast myself I can only apologise for their rudeness. You can at least rest assured most people hurling such abuse are, and probably always will be, virgins.

Anyway... a barely-reported bunch of students on a runway does nothing to stop a war. A million people marching in central London is another matter, but more important is just going to be using your damn votes to kick this bunch of warmongering idiots out of office as soon as we can. Our servicemen and women don't need grief - they're just doing their jobs (and if you read between the lines with all the 'problems' the deployments are having, don't you think they're doing them unusually slowly/badly... perhaps because they agree with you that this war isn't right).

So chill, peace out, etc. and don't go treating all spotters with contempt, they're not all twats.

The very fact that the above contributors actually live in a democratic country allows them the luxury of being able to post comments on a public website and are allowed to protest against something they feel strongly about...

How large is the expatriate community in Iraq ? Do any of you actually know ?

How large is the Iraqi expatriate community in this country ? - approx 300.000 people !

Does'nt that tell you something - they are not here for the weather or the money -

where were you lot when Halabja and its' poplulation of 5'000 people were gassed ?

Where were you when 2 million Kurds were on the move with approx 20.000 dying thru exhaustion and harrasment by the Iraqi army ?

Where were you when the Southern Shia population were rocketed bombed and then subjagated and tortured ?

There hav'nt been many exiled Iraqi voices railing against the current US/GB proposals -

Iraq has been building this situation for 12 years its' own population live in fear -

When the present government in Iraq are history and the indigenous people have a right to self-determination and fiscal control over their own live and the full story comes to light you will be ashamed of having supported the so-called peace campaign - only time will tell - bi for now i will post again accordingly - i might even see some of you tomorrow as i am down to take some pictures of 'The Big Stick' and if i see any of you acting suspiciously you will be sorted - ...Loz.

Bob,

You are as big a fool as the dozy twonk that you copied the message from and you are as likely to incite an incident as him/her.

I'm not a plane spotter, I'm a photographer, if I saw you, a spotter or anyone else acting in a manner likely to cause offence I'd be happy to report you.

These people are over here to do a job, it may not be a job you agree with, I sure as shit don't agree, BUT it is their job.

Be easy, enjoy your demonstrating, at least we have the luxury of being able to do that without being gassed or tortured. You only have to witness the replies given by those returning from Iraq after deciding to quit the human chain to realise that some things become inevitable.

Peace all

FX

The information about police treating spotters & protestors differently is of course correct. One group threaten the security of the base, the other do not. So why shouldn't the cops treat non-threatening types differently? And yes they have given spotters phone numbers with which to report any suspicious activity.

You may have noticed Fairford has gained extra razor wire and an inner perimeter fence in recent weeks/months. This is directly in response to the ongoing 'Gloucestershire weapons inspectors' invasions of the base, and has pissed off spotters a lot because it means photos through the fence are no longer possible. So regardless of politics you protestors are not popular with spotters because you've made their hobby harder.

I know a lot of spotters, and they are fairly evenly divided about the war, but are pretty much of one mind about the protest efforts - they are pointless, will not affect anything one iota, but do make life harder for security forces (who have more worrying types of people to look out for) and spotters alike. A mindless minority of the less socially-adept spotters have resorted to the sort of 'scrounger' and 'crusty' insults (including direct verbal abuse at Fairford). As an aircraft enthusiast myself I can only apologise for their rudeness. You can at least rest assured most people hurling such abuse are, and probably always will be, virgins.

Anyway... a barely-reported bunch of students on a runway does nothing to stop a war. A million people marching in central London is another matter, but more important is just going to be using your damn votes to kick this bunch of warmongering idiots out of office as soon as we can. Our servicemen and women don't need grief - they're just doing their jobs (and if you read between the lines with all the 'problems' the deployments are having, don't you think they're doing them unusually slowly/badly... perhaps because they agree with you that this war isn't right).

So chill, peace out, etc. and don't go treating all spotters with contempt, they're not all twats.

I'm not a spotter - I, like FX, am a photographer (with, as one of the blinkered put it, high quality photographic equipment).

However, I take exception to being tarred with the same brush and don't like it.
If someone wants to jot numbers down, fine. If someone wants to do a spot of peace protesting outside a base, fine (and I'd have those that go breaking into bases dealt with accordingly - it's not PEACE protesting is it!!!). How you have the cheek to call plane spotters 'anoraks' is beyond me. If I'm outside a base taking photos and someone acts suspiciously, I don't give a damn who they are, I will ring someone and let them know. If it's a spotter, ah well. If it's a peace protester, all the better.

We're all entitled to our own opinion - if you don't agree with that, perhaps you ought to be out in Baghdad. It'd do us all a favour.

I'm sure if the "peace camp" had always been a peaceful affair with people just flying their flags there would have been no trouble from either the plane spotters, the local police, the MoD police or the American security police. However having someone break into the base the first night the bombers were there did absolutely no one any favours. Now the US security police treat anyone who walks near the fence as a possible intruder, when they go back home just what will their impression of the British be? Peaceful protestors or not so peaceful intruders who threatened the security of American land and assets?

please can we all remember that the us section of fairford is not british soveriegn territory and that our laws abd rights do not apply there or on any of the other 9 US military "outposts" in the UK.

our elected representatives (MP's) are not allowed into these areas and our civil service believes that ANY details about US involvement in assisting the UK in operations from these outposts is protected under the UK secrecy laws.

EVEN THE CROSS PARTY DEFENCE SELECT COMITTEE WHO IMPARTIALLY OBSERVE THE ROLE OF THE U.K. ARMED FORCES ARE UNABLE TO ACCESS ANY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

Breaking into airbases is a peaceful protest is it?

Pull the other one... if you lot really want to protest in an effort to get peace, why not go and do it in Iraq to stop him murdering his own countrymen.

Set of clowns, the lot of 'em. Peace protestors that is.

Ladies and Gentlemen - Boys and Girls -

It's Hammer Time !

Regime-Changing ordnance is winging its way towards the man himself...

The Buffs @ Fairford are loaded for Bear...

Sadaam and his Henchman have had 12 years to stop pissing us and his people about...

Bi Bi Sooty...

Loz.