HUNDREDS of foil kites, puppets and balloons were in the air at Menwith Hill as an estimated 2,000 people protested against military action in Iraq.

Organisers claim the demonstration was the biggest at the base for more than 15 years.

Several protesters tried to enter the base but were held back by more than 100 officers from four forces on Saturday, last week.

There were 12 arrests, but nobody was hurt, according to police.

Protesters of all ages from across the North of England gathered at the colourful demonstration to protest against the role of the base to the US war effort.

Demonstrators hoped to disrupt signals at the base with all the foil in the air and the day involved speeches and a tour round the base.

Neil Kingsnorth, Development Worker at Yorkshire CND said: "It is imperative that people continue to protest.

"This is Blair's war but it is not in the name of the people of Britain.

"We showed that clearly in the build-up to war and we must continue to show it now.

"The war may be on but, as innocent people are killed in the name of oil and power, so we must continue to oppose it and try with all we have to bring it to as swift an end as possible. We have that responsibility."

Speakers at the protest included Milan Rai and CND vice-chair Jenny Maxwell.

Neighbourhoods Opposing War (NOW) organised the event with the support of Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (CAAB) and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

Anni Rainbow, who is joint co-ordinator of the CAAB with Lindis Percy, said that the demonstration was a success.

She said: "There were definitely over 1,000 people, but I couldn't say how many exactly and I think on the whole it went pretty well."

Ms Rainbow added that the members of the CAAB would continue to meet every Tuesday night between 7pm and 9pm at the main gate at Menwith Hill.

She invited anyone to join them to witness and protest against the American missile defence proposals at Menwith Hill, Fylingdales or any other base to be used in the UK.

A NOW spokesman said that Menwith Hill plays a crucial role in war on Iraq.

She said: "As the largest electronic monitoring station in the world it picks up communications from satellites covering the Middle East and it even won an award for its eavesdropping in the last Gulf War.

"It is the brains of any attack on Iraq. Menwith is also a key base for the project of long-term military aggression - Star Wars."

Paul Truswell, MP for Horsforth and Pudsey, said: "As someone who felt that we entered into military action prematurely, I can understand some people's continuing and acute concern about the war and the existence locally of military establishments like Menwith Hill.

"In Britain people have a right to demonstrate these concerns in a peaceful way. It is part of our democracy.

"Despite my reservations about military action, my thoughts are with our service men and women and innocent civilians.

"I hope for a swift conclusion to the conflict, with the fewest possible casualties, and look forward to the humanitarian rebuilding of Iraq after the removal of Saddam's vicious regime."