"Snowball Telephone Blockade leaflet" [Temp.2024.14.36]

Catalogue Number
Temp.2024.14.36

Object Name
Leaflet

Title
Snowball Telephone Blockade

Place
London

People
Ministry of Defence (MOD)

Events
Snowball Campaign

Date
1987

Description
Black and white leaflet with an illustration of the Ministry of Defence main building in London. On the frontage of the building is text "SNOWBALL M.O.D. TELEPHONE BLOCKADE" with a huge pile of snowballs blocking the doorway. Text at the bottom reads "January 23rd". On the reverse side is information about when and how to ring, aiming to "jam the main switchboard with Snowball calls".


The Snowball Campaign was a direct-action campaign, calling on the UK government to vote for multi-lateral disarmament, to encourage the USA to do the same, and to cease the Trident and Cruise missile programmes. Activists cut the perimeter fence at nuclear bases including USAF (US Air Force) base Sculthorpe, alongside producing articles and TV programmes, newsletters, and letter writing. Starting in 1984 with three people, each organised wire-cutting event aimed to increase, or snowball, the numbers of people cutting the fence who would then hand themselves into the police and be charged with criminal damage, which generated media and political interest in the campaign.

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