Rain and tearing winds did as much as North Yorkshire and Ministry of Defence police to keep people away from Menwith Hill, one of the country's most sensitive eavesdropping bases, where there was a day-long blockade to mark the anniversary of the Iraq war.

Well before dawn, a group of protesters appeared at the main gate, fastening their arms together with tube-locks to form a human chain. While guards with automatic weapons watched from a distance, police spent over an hour using bolt cutters and saws to unpick the passive blockade.

Twenty-two people were arrested including the redoubtable peace campaigner Lindis Percy, a grandmother and midwife from Hull who climbed the gates of Buckingham Palace shortly before President Bush's state visit in November. Cells at Harrogate police station filled up and protesters held later in the day were taken 25 miles to York.

Most were questioned about alleged breaches of the peace, apart from a couple arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage to fences. North Yorkshire police described the confrontation as "good natured" and constables accepted anti-Menwith magazines from Annie Rainbow, another long-time campaigner whose wheelchair was allowed to park by the main gate.

"People were given peaceful direct action training yesterday in Leeds," said Ruth Tanner of CND, which is trying to turn the moorland site into a new Greenham Common. The growing cluster of geodesic radomes, frequently obscured by rain and mist, played an important part in communications during the conflict and is linked to the Star Wars space defence system.

Ingenious protest methods yesterday included two disabled demonstrators' wheelchairs chained together and a young man who locked himself by his neck to the back of a police van. Two of the entrances were shut for the day and traffic slowed to a snail's pace on both sides of the main gate.

Thousands are expected to march through London today to mark the first anniversary of the war in Iraq, writes Sam Jones. Demonstrators taking part in the "No More Lies Mr Blair" march, which was called by the Stop the War coalition, CND and the Muslim Association of Britain, will meet in Hyde Park at noon.

Green Party councillor, Mark Hill has been arrested for causing an obstruction at a protest today. Mark Hill was joining other protesters, who used the first anniversary of the war on Iraq to put across their opposition to the base and the war.

Cllr Hill, who tops the Green Party's Yorkshire and Humberside Euro-election list was arrested at Menwith Hill near Harrogate, and has been released with a caution. Mark Hill has a real chance of becoming Yorkshire's first Green parliamentarian in June.

Cllr Hill was protesting together with CND against its continuing use as a spy base for the USA. Cllr Hill, who is a group leader on York City council, is amongst other who are angry that the base is used for advance battle planning, finding targets to hit and monitoring battles as they take place.

A Green Party spokesperson said today:

"We support Mark Hill's actions. It is ironic that the war in Iraq is estimated to have already cost more than 22,000 lives, yet it is peaceful protesters who are put behind bars.

"Cllr Hill was arrested for blocking the entrance to the US spy base at Menwith Hill, which is the biggest military spybase in the world, and an integral part of the US war machine, and will be a Star Wars base with satellite systems. We do not want this in the UK."

At a speech made at Menwith Hill on American Independence Day last July, Cllr Hill said:

"I certainly promise to make Menwith an election issue and if I'm elected to make Nuclear Missile Defence a key European parliamentary issue."

But Mark Hill, who was also arrested at the US base last June, fears a third arrest may see him charged, rather than formally cautioned.

In total 28 were arrested during yesterday's "block the base" demonstration, which marked one year since the second invasion of Iraq.

The first protesters were arrested at 7am as they attempted to disrupt the base by blocking vehicles and gates. The last person was released at 7pm.

Mr Hill, freed from Northallerton Police Station at 3pm, said: "I still feel very strongly about this issue. I have been involved with CND since 1980. This is an outrage. Trillions of dollars are spent on sophisticated listening equipment to feed America's paranoia about nuclear war."

A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said between 130 and 150 people attended the demonstration. Access was maintained at all times.

Of five arrested people at York Police Station, three were released, one cautioned and one charged with obstruction.