Thom Yorke leads CND's march to the Fylingdales radar

Thom Yorke spoke at CND's No to Star Wars demonstration outside RAF Fylingdales on the North York Moors on Saturday 25 September, then led about 250 marchers along a moorland footpath to within 400 yards of the base's radar. Fylingdales, the early warning station near Whitby, is the only British base so far named as part of the US missile defence system. The rally was one of about 100 protests around the world in Keep Space for Peace Week.

He had asked fans along a week earlier on Radiohead's message board, in his usual lower case. im planning a trip to fylingdales anybody want to come? its a nice place. they have big domes and stuff. its up north. and im down south. bring a sandwich.⁴

Ten days after he joined R.E.M. on stage at St James's Church in London, Yorke talked with Radiohead fans before going up to speak for about five minutes to a crowd NME put at nearly 400, some of whom had come from Japan and the United States. People like them needed to turn up to days like this, he told them, and America must not be allowed to run the world. How dare Tony Blair sign us up to 'Star Wars' without even giving it a really serious thought…without even consulting us? It's sickening.⁵

Then he led the march, by one account chanting that Blair is a poodle. The marchers had found a footpath on an Ordnance Survey map that ran to the perimeter fence, and Yorkshire CND said no big protest had come so close to the pyramid-shaped radar before.

Yorke told Leeds Today he did not know how the Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, who authorised the work, could sleep at night. Neil Kingsnorth of Yorkshire CND told the BBC the day had been peaceful and lively, and that many people had come because of Yorke.

Back on the board on 29 September, asked how the new album was going, Yorke answered pffffft³. Asked how Fylingdales went, he wrote it was highly radioactive.³ The trip had given him the worst headache.