Sunday 19th August – marking out 3rd runway, march on BAA & blockade, Cardiff banner solidarity, Norwich Airport solidarity demo, BA perishables blockade
Monday 20th August – BAA blockade continues, Newcastle solidarity demo, Tyneside Esso banner drop, BP HQ, Sizewell nuclear power station, Bridgepoint owners Leeds/Bradford airport occupation, Trafalgar Square, 2 carbon offset companies occupied, clowns mark out runway in Clive Soley’s garden
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Sunday 19th August 2007
As part of the actions today from the climate camp people are making a symbolic protest to mark out the boundary of the proposed third runway
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Report from the Kids March from the Camp for Climate Action
Just after midday the Kids and parents March along with the RinkyDink Sound system, the funeral procession and a ‘monstrous plane’ figure (assembled by kids and parents in the days before), set off on the march to Sipson Village. There were local residents waiting at the gates of the camp with their children to join with the march.
The march to Sipson was held up every 100 meters or so by police with no clear reason stated by them. Several police vans were in front of the kids march and several behind which effectively held them static and obstructing the march moving forward could be used to move them on.
Eventually the kids march reached their intended destination which was a local garden centre, where the proprietors openly welcomed them. However due to the fact that along the way the kids march had swelled (to around 5/600 ppl) with the number of local residents and their children which had joined the march, number were too great for the garden centre. Local residents on the march and campers came to a joint agreement continue on to Sipson; the march left the garden centre and continued to move on.
The march to Sipson was very lively with chants and singing and lots of support and cheering from locals. At Sipson however, a long delayed occurred over the decision on where to go next. The negotiations on where to go next involved discussions with the police, the local MP John McDonald was active in these negotiations conveying the wishes of the march.
Sipson and Harmondsworth residents on the march wanted to go onto Harmondsworth and along with the Kids march, this is what was collectively decided and negotiated. At Harmondsworth the plan was to assemble at the local village green. However on the way to the village green march was blocked by a line of police with a phalanx of riot cops approaching behind the police line. A long stand off of around half an hour took place whilst further negotiations between a police commander and John McDonald occurred. It was eventually agreed that the Kids March could advance down then road to Harmondsworth Village Green, where the march began to have a series of speeches.
The speeches included John McDonald who thanked the Camp for Climate Action as well as saying that the plans for the 3rd runway would destroy Sipson and Harmondsworth, before declaring “No third runway, we will win”.
Another speaker was Christine Shilling from NoTRAG – No Third Runway Action Group Heathrow Airport – (www.notrag.org), who said that 7 years ago she and a few neighbours became concerned about the runways and as their campaign began to grow …. she never dreamed that what has happened could have happened and it had given her confidence that they would win.
A local Harmondsworth resident also spoke movingly of his daughter who was buried at the local Harmondsworth cemetary and had been outraged at the original plans which involved moving the bodies from the graveyard. He was determined to stop the third runway and that the climate camp had enormously lifted the spirits of many. He said that the protests were peaceful, but that if the politicians would not listen to them then he did not think it would always be so and that people would have to take more direct action.
Another speaker, George Monbiot spoke of a local man, Richard Cox, also buried in the Harmondsworth Cemetery who ‘invented’ the Cox’s Orange Pippin apple (Cox’s apple). he went on to say that the local area used to be full of orchards, now buried under runways. Monbiot said that the fact that we now have to fly in apples from far away demonstrates that the cause of all this is economic madness without end.
After the speeches when folks were deciding to leave the green, a set of decisions were collectively made. Some decided to leave the village green and head back towards the camp, other decided to head towards BAA and others decided to stay on the green and disperse later on.
Those groups going towards BAA and the camp separated at a junction. The group that came back to camp did not have any further delays from the police and there were no incidents reported.
All in all an amazing march – well done to all!!
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rushes of the rush – video/mp4 5.2M
This video shows protesters heading towards the HQ of BAA from the Climate Camp. They fan out when they pass the Police line to draw their escorts in different locations. video/mp4 1.5M
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The kettle behind the BAA blockade
A wholly peaceful group arrived behind BAA’s headquarters around 3.30 this afternoon. Despite the fact that the contingent was largely composed of the CIRCA clowns, police responded in their usual way by sending in the riot squad.
Groups arrived carrying banners such as “Don’t runaway – cut the system’s wings” and “Visit Scotland – but don’t come by plane”. Within minutes the atmosphere was deafened by sirens, and the adjacent McDonalds got its own police cavalry for protection.
Clowns tried to defuse the tension in their unique and familiar way but were rebuffed by over aggressive riot cops, who felt the need to manhandle them and push them roughly back into their newly created pen.
The crown numbered maybe forty, the police presence was in the hundreds.
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BAA get Punished for the most Devastating Climate Change
Activists from Oxford are part of the – still ongoing – 100+ strong overnight blockade at BAA HQ opposite Heathrow Airport.
To Affinity and Beyond!
A strong group from the Oxford barrio formed several affinity groups and travelled to Sipson to mark out part of where the runway, if built, will trash (in our case Heathrow Primary, a small school on Harmondsworth Lane, ironically bearing a concorde as its logo). Although a few Oxonians were caught in a kettle, penned in by the police, on the kids’ march, most managed to avoid being surrounded. Then onto a quick detour at a friendly local pub (thanks for the free tea!) before heading towards BAA.
Funky Monks
One affinity group – dubbed the monks and the mikes – split off, to meet later in the carpark at BAA. The Monks proceded to deliver a sermon worshipping BAA and 40 – 50 people joined in to prostrate themselves in front of the building. They sang a chant to depict the proposed airport expansion. And invited people to join in their only hymn:
“All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small.
All things wise and wonderful,
BAA kills them all.”
Whilst the praying and conga’ing was taking place, activists from the Scottish barrio and a the clowns who arrived by bus were kettled in. Although it can be argued that this was a form of sublime masochism on the part of the riot cops who then had to put up with four hours of in-your-face clowning.
At 6pm, the sound systems and kids’ march arrived. And then the police started getting heavy-handed.
Police fuck-wittery
The police began to cordon people in once the march had arrived and they threw their weight around. One Oxford activist felt the wrong arm of the law as she tried to get to her partner and was thrown violently to the floor. Fortunately, as Oxford is a strong group there were lots of witnesses – and hugs to be had.
Block the BAA
Once everyone arrived, there was a brief battle of sound-systems (oh no, blocked in with music, dancing and food – damn!), and then people decided to block the car park to BAA.
To fast-forward to where the author of this piece left, there was a tarpaulin city and singing going on at around midnight – and the activists are still there now. We’re going back to join them.
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Cardiff solidarity with Heathrow protests
South Wales anarchists and friends dropped a banner in front of the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff this afternoon in solidarity with the actions taking place at the Climate Camp in Heathrow.
http://www.southwalesanarchists.org/
& For news non-hierarchical action against Climate change read Gagged!
gwentanarchists@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.gaggedanarchist.tk
More banner drops in Newport & Cwmbran
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Solidarity Demonstration With Heathrow Campaigners At Norwich Airport
A small group of people acting as representatives of members of a wide range of local organisations including Norwich FoE, Norwich Campaign against Climate Change, Norwich and Norfolk Green Parties, BROADS, and local airport-area residents performed an aviation information campaign at Norwich Airport in support of the current national protests at Heathrow airport against manmade climate change action. Between 2.30 to 3.30pm today Sunday 19th August in solidarity with the Heathrow climate change action, local campaigners handed out educational leaflets to passengers leaving from Norwich airport to European destinations.
A small group of people acting as representatives of members of a wide range of local organisations including Norwich FoE, Norwich Campaign against Climate Change, Norwich and Norfolk Green Parties, BROADS, and local airport-area residents performed an aviation information campaign at Norwich Airport in support of the current national protests at Heathrow airport against manmade climate change action.
See video at: http://tinyurl.com/2j4rw2
Between 2.30 to 3.30pm today Sunday 19th August in solidarity with the Heathrow climate change action, local campaigners handed out educational leaflets to passengers leaving from Norwich airport to European destinations.
‘We highlighted the 37% increase in passenger numbers and the increased CO2 pollution and noise pollution’, said Cllr. Rupert Read, lecturer at UEA and Norfolk Green party’s lead candidate for the next European elections in 2009, and press contact for this event.
He continued, ’We informed people about alternative travel arrangements available to visit nearby Europe; train options are convenient and provide much more time for relaxation during the trip. For example, I went by train to Brussels last year – it was a lovely trip. We need a change in attitude similar to that that has already been experienced in Germany, where, in a turnaround compared to previous years, many thousands of people consciously chose to holiday at home, their reason being their desire to play their part in preventing catastrophic climate change. We have once chance, at this moment in history, to do the right thing, and press for political change that will stop aviation expansion and air travel from terminally undermining our chances of keeping the Earth’s climate long-term habitable for humans.‘
The campaigners highlighted failing Government policies. Cllr. Andrew Boswell said, “New Labour promised a reduction in CO2 pollution but they are simply not prepared to take the necessary actions. Instead of stemming the increase in flights and emissions, they are planning to massively expand the aviation industry, for example, with new runways at Stansted and Heathrow, and proposed fourfold flight increase at Norwich.
“Whilst our farmers pay VAT on transport costs, airlines get away with subsidising imports of food from all over the world, putting our farmers’ livelihoods at risk.
“The government must stop its programme of runway expansion, which threatens to make residents’ lives a misery and to destroy the climate that our children will inherit.”
Background: Norwich airport is surrounded by housing on three sides and its future expansion is therefore an uneconomic undertaking.
Norfolk Green Party has in the past argued for the development of much-needed housing in the area, rather than for expanding a rather insignificant airport. Norfolk desperately needs affordable housing to house young people who are not able to pay steep house prices.
Norwich Airport carried 745,879 passengers in 2006, that is a 37% increase over the previous year 2005. The projected growth forecast is for 2.045 million passengers by 2015 with a further increase to 2.974 million by 2030 – a fourfold increase from 2006. Add to this the many increasing civil recreation flights, training flights, the incoming and outgoing flights for servicing and engineering repair, the helicopter traffic, etc. and you have many more flights. This is disastrously unsustainable, environmentally.
The demonstration was arranged fully co-operatively informing Norwich Airport, so as not to cause any alarm at their end. It will be entirely peaceful, and will not even disrupt traffic or cause any congestion.
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BA World Cargo depot
police in huge numbers, including silver commander, came hurtling from the BAA seige to the BA depot. Suport team cleared away, lockers on removed and nicked by about 22.10. The shift of cops releived the pressure at BAA which is reported to have a good party vibe going into the night.
blockade was in place four hours – all released without charge
update
The eight blockaders just got back to the camp after being held at Staines police station from 1am until 2.30pm this afternoon. The blockade was in place from 8.30pm Sunday evening until a quarter past midnight, when the last blockader was moved from the road. The freight center that was blockaded handles exotic frozen foods flown in from around the world to be distributed to the supermarkets. Amongst the many lorries backing up we spotted Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Farm Foods.
The protest highlighted the insanity of flying food into this country – clocking up airmiles and destroying our local economies. The banner encouraged people: “Enjoy local food”
Silver command arrested people initially under Section 68 (Aggravated Trespass). This afternoon all were released without charge and with no further action taken. Nice one!
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Press Release – Climate activists blockade Heathrow freight depot
19th August 2007, 21:30
At 21:00, eight protesters from the Camp for Climate Action have blockaded British Airways’ World Cargo Depot at Hatton Cross, outside Heathrow Airport.
The protesters blockaded vehicle access by locking themselves together in a ring with ‘arm tubes’.
British Airways handle air freighted foodstuffs, which are a rapidly growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. Air freighting of food to UK grew by 140% between 1992 and 2002. Air freighted food amounts to 14% of total food-related CO2 emissions.
The protesters claim that importing fruit and vegetables from developing countries encourages unsustainable farming practices, uses scarce water resources and keeps farmers locked into a cycle of poverty, competing for ever lower prices.
Anna Kay, one of the blockaders said, “We in the UK need to move to eating locally produced and organic food instead of supporting this energy intensive and environmentally destructive industry”.
The blockade was organised by an independent group of activists who have been taking part in the Camp for Climate Action.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
Arm Tubes are lengths of tube into which two protesters put their arms and lock themselves together.
Blockaders on location can be contacted on 07798 745613.
Camp Press Group can be contacted on 0777 286 1099 or 07858 177178
Police took ages to locate the blockade despite the target being publicly known as one of the Climate Camps ‘plan B’ targets. When their arrived, they arrived in force having reployed from the occupation of the BAA HQ car park. Over 20 vans finally turned up with senior polices including silver command. They also appeared to be having difficulty locating the specialist team responsible for cutting people out of lock ons.
The seven people doing support were threatened with arrest and having knowingly breached the Heathrow Bylaws they decided to leave after a quick discussion with those in the lock on. The supporters are now back at the camp and as we write there is no indication that those in the lock on have yet been cut out and taken to a police station.
BA World Cargo Perishables was targeted highlight the unsustainable and increasing transportation of perishable produce by air including both flowers and food.
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Monday 20th August 2007
Update on BAA sit-in
20.08.2007 01:24
At least 200 people now blocking the only road access to the main BAA building.
Protestors have set up shelters and are currently eating, sleeping, singing and chilling with a temporarily more relaxed policing style. Police are currently letting more people join, but it’s unclear how long this will last. Wheelbarrow full of treats, including hot food, raised spirits of the blockaders, who plan to stay until workers arrive for work in the morning.
Small skirmish will be ignored by Ferovial
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It is apparent that the little skirmish outside the BAA HQ will be nothing to when the real demolition of peoples’ homes and properties begins in a few year’s time. What is not realised is that BAA is no longer ‘British’ Airports Authority but belongs to two Spanish billionaires who also own the huge Spanish construction / property development Ferovial. In purchasing BAA they also inherited the grandfather rights of compulsory purchase of all properties in the way of airport expansion. It is the only foreign owned company can legally demolish other people’s properties. Ferovial doesn’t give a damn about Climate Change of the Climate Camp. Fears of direct intimidation from Ferovial against protesters is already causing some concern around Heathrow.
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Not BAAd
After a somewhat surreal night of dark rum, wet arses, singing and watching a white rabbit attempt to frighten off the rozzers (no, really) we learned that the bosses at BAA had sent everyone home for the day. I encourage all BAA workers to think about what fun staying at home and lazing about was and to phone in sick and/or sabotage their workplace at every opportunity 😉
We left the car park feeling knackered but exhilarated, having survived “the blue fury of the Metropolitan Police” and shut down BAA for the day. BAA had tried to take five million people to court the previous week to stop any kind of protest or dissent from its profit-led corporate agenda. And we had just spent the night in their bloody car park!
One affinity group member arranged a whip round at the camp to make up for the money BAA had lost paying our legal costs and having to close for the day. Contributions included rather a lot of spit, a week’s worth of old fag butts, a damp packet of rizla, a nappy and an out of date travelcard (which later had to be removed for use as roach material). Unfortunately overzealous recycling crew at the camp mistook the collection for rubbish. Which means that BAA will be getting from the camp the same amount as it has done for local people and for the environment; fuck all.
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Newcastle action….
In solidarity with climate camp protests….
Due to various commitments i had to leave climate camp on saturday having been there since monday 13th. It was quite depressing knowing i was missing the big action. However my inspirational 10 year old son suggested we took action in newcasle city centre this morning (monday 20th). He dressed as batman and I was a clown. We descended on monument, at 8am with help from 2 other local activists (who kindly printed 300 leaflets about the cause)! We made banners, “Climate Change Kills” and “Stop BAA”. The local press came, interviewed my son and took photos! We are hoping to make The Evening Chronicle tomorrow. The action lasted approx 90 minutes and we got a good response from the public. Although more “fluffy” than we would have liked my son was loving it and demands to come to climate camp next year as i was unable to bring him this time.
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Tyneside Esso Banner Drop
Activists dropped a banner on ESSO to highlight their funding of climate change deniers.
Passing businessmen and bent scientists were handed checks for millions of pounds from ESSO.
The office manager commented; “ESSO aren’t here any more; all the demonstrations aren’t good for business. We put all their mail in the bin; thats the best place for them, too!”
The Aviation Authority, over the road, was blockaded.
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BP Headquarters Occupied in Central London
Around 30 people have blockaded the BP head offices in St James Sq, london this morning. Some are superglued to each other and some are D-locked to railings on te side of the building.
Quoting one of the activists, Stanley Owen: ‘We cannot sustain infinitive growth on a finite planet’. With its 31 million tonnes of fuel used a year, Heathrow is like the ‘biggest carbon bonfire’. BP is one of two fuel suppliers to the airport.
The atmosphere at the blockade is very good. ‘Workers are not getting in, we’re talking to them about having the day off’ said one of the supporters who have gathered in numbers outside the building and are leafleting workers and passers by.
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Blockade at Sizewell B nuclear power station
A group of five people have locked to concrete blocks in the entrance of Sizewell nuclear power station. They started the action at 7.45am this morning and unfurled a banner reading ‘nuclear power is not the answer to climate chaos’.
The protesters have targeted the power station to highlight that nuclear power is no answer to climate change.
Sizewell B nuclear power station is operated by British Energy and is the UK’s only large pressurised water reactor. In the first ten years of it’s operation it produced about 3% of the UK’s electricity. British Energy claim the power station has reduced the amount of greenhouses gases that would otherwised have been released by fossil fuel generation by around 60 million tonnes.
However they have conveniently accounted for only a tiny part of entire production cycle. A large amount of energy (and therefore greenhouse gas emissions) are involved in the mining of uranium ore, it’s refining and enrichment and the construction and eventual decommissioning of the nuclear power stations themselves also needs to be factored into the equation.
Last year, during the climate camp near Drax in Yorkshire, protesters blockaded the Hartlepool nuclear power station.
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Sizewell Nuclear Power Station Closed in Response to Climate Change
Activists from the “Camp for Climate Action” have today, 20 Aug 2007, blockaded Sizewell nuclear power station to oppose the myth that nuclear power is carbon neutral and a solution to climate change. The peaceful protest, which started 7:45 this morning, is currently disrupting traffic going in the main entrance to both Sizewell ‘A’ and ‘B’. Sizewell, on the Suffolk coast, has been identified as a possible site for a new nuclear reactor by Government consultants recently.
Five activists have chained themselves together across the road to the plant. They are holding banners reading “Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Climate Chaos” and “Don’t Nuke the Climate”.
The action forms part of the widely publicised Camp for Climate Action currently taking place outside Heathrow airport. The surprise blockade of Sizewell nuclear power plant was organised to oppose plans for the construction of new nuclear power stations. The British Government’s energy white paper, published in May 2007, contains proposals for the construction of a new generation of nuclear power stations, supposedly as a solution to global warming. This is a claim that the protestors strongly oppose.
At present, nuclear power is responsible for producing around 4% of the UK’s energy. The activists are concerned that the construction of new nuclear power plants will not provide a real answer to the threats posed by global warming. One of them, Adam Conway said: “If you take into account the whole life cycle of a nuclear reactor and all its fuel and waste then nuclear power is not carbon neutral. And that’s before you consider the dangers and insecurities inherent in nuclear power. To expand nuclear power in response to climate change would be to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
The protestors also draw attention to the as yet unsolved problem of nuclear waste generated by nuclear power, and the risk of nuclear accidents. Mell Harrison, co-ordinator of Eastern Region CND and one of the activists involved, commented: “The construction of new nuclear power plants is not only incredibly costly, it’s also very short sighted. We would be able to produce a limited amount of electricity for a couple of generations, but the coming hundreds of generations will have to deal with the waste produced by the nuclear industry. There is also a risk of catastrophic nuclear accidents and an increased risk of nuclear weapons proliferation. Large areas are still affected by the radiation released by the disaster at Chernobyl, and now they are proposing building new nuclear power plants in an area that is at risk from sea level rise.”
The protest at Sizewell is one of many nonviolent actions that have been organised by participants in the “Camp for Climate Action”, to draw attention to the dangers of climate change, and to highlight positive solutions to the problem. The site at Sizewell has been identified as one of a number of possible locations for new nuclear power stations in the UK. Sizewell hosts the most recently constructed civilian nuclear reactor in Britain, “Sizewell B” that began commercial production of electricity in 1995 following Britain’s longest ever public enquiry.
Contact: 01603 722898 Peter Lanyon (offsite)
07971 347549 Mell Harrison (part of the blockade)
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Sizewell nuclear powerstation blockaded
Activists from the Camp have blockaded Sizewell nuclear power station. Press release below was written by activists before they blockaded.
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 August 2007
Sizewell Nuclear Power Station Closed in Response to Climate Change
Photos (free from copyright) available from:
http://fme.sincerethought.org/gallery/v/2007/climate
Activists from the “Camp for Climate Action” have today blockaded Sizewell nuclear power station to oppose the myth that nuclear power is carbon neutral and a solution to climate change. The peaceful protest, which started 7:45 this morning, is currently disrupting traffic going in the main entrance to both Sizewell ‘A’ and ‘B’. Sizewell, on the
Suffolk coast, has been identified as a possible site for a new nuclear reactor by Government consultants recently.
Five activists have chained themselves together across the road to the plant. They are holding banners reading “Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Climate Chaos” and “Don’t Nuke the Climate”.
The action forms part of the widely publicised Camp for Climate Action currently taking place outside Heathrow airport. The surprise blockade of Sizewell nuclear power plant was organised to oppose plans for the construction of new nuclear power stations. The British Government’s energy white paper, published in May 2007, contains proposals for the
construction of a new generation of nuclear power stations, supposedly as a solution to global warming. This is a claim that the protesters strongly oppose.
At present, nuclear power is responsible for producing around 4% of the UK’s energy. The activists are concerned that the construction of new nuclear power plants will not provide a real answer to the threats posed by global warming. One of them, Adam Conway said: “If you take into account the whole life cycle of a nuclear reactor and all its fuel and
waste then nuclear power is not carbon neutral. And that’s before you consider the dangers and insecurities inherent in nuclear power. To expand nuclear power in response to climate change would be to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
The protesters also draw attention to the as yet unsolved problem of nuclear waste generated by nuclear power, and the risk of nuclear accidents. Mell Harrison, co-ordinator of Eastern Region CND and one of the activists involved, commented: “The construction of new nuclear power plants is not only incredibly costly, it’s also very short
sighted. We would be able to produce a limited amount of electricity for a couple of generations, but the coming hundreds of generations will have to deal with the waste produced by the nuclear industry. There is also a risk of catastrophic nuclear accidents and an increased risk of nuclear weapons proliferation. Large areas are still affected by the radiation released by the disaster at Chernobyl, and now they are proposing building new nuclear power plants in an area that is at risk from sea level rise.”
The protest at Sizewell is one of many nonviolent actions that have been organised by participants in the “Camp for Climate Action”, to draw attention to the dangers of climate change, and to highlight positive solutions to the problem. The site at Sizewell has been identified as one of a number of possible locations for new nuclear power stations in the UK. Sizewell hosts the most recently constructed civilian nuclear reactor in Britain, “Sizewell B” that began commercial production of electricity in 1995 following Britain’s longest ever public enquiry.
Contact: 01603 722898 Peter Lanyon (offsite)
07971 347549 Mell Harrison (part of the blockade)
END
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This audio report made by phone from those locked-on at Sizewell B nuclear power station was made at around 11am Monday 20th as part of the 24 hours of action against climate change. Those involved explain what they have done and why they are doing it.
Audio Click here to download or listen to the report – mp3 425K
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Yorkshire flatcap-wearers occupy venture capitalist offices
Climate campers from the Yorshire neighbourhood today occupied the offices of venture capitalists Bridgepoint, new owners and would be expanders of Leeds/Bradford airport, presenting them with three demands:
1) Drop the plans to massively expand Leeds/Bradford Airport
2) Close down Leeds/Bradford Airport completely.
3) Use the 150 million pounds from Leeds City Council to turn the airport into an ecopark.
Just before 9am this morning they entered the premises in Warwick Street, just around the corner from London’s Piccadilly Circus. Three banners were unfurled in the windows, the outside of which were liberally covered with flyers explaining the occupation.
After a short scuffle with security Bridgepoint director James Murray agreed to come to the reception to hear the protesters demands – it was made clear that this was the start of a long and sustainable campaign against the airport.
Workers arriving for the day were offered Yorkshire puddings and engaged in conversation, explaining the science of climate change and reasoning why Leeds airport – and all the others – shouldn’t be expanded.
Finally a declaration from the people of Yorkshire was read out, a souvenir snap was taken and people peacefully left the building.
To his credit, director Murray took his pudding upstairs with him.
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Declaration from Leeds people to shut down Leeds airport
This declaration was read out on 20th August in London during the occupation of Bridgepoint Capital’s office.
A declaration from the people of Yorkshire
To Bridgepoint Capital, the aviation industry, so-called captains of industry, political leaders and the great Yorkshire public…
You may be aware that recently Leeds Bradford Airport was sold off lock stock and barrel by our five West Yorkshire councils. It was bought by equity giant Bridgepoint, whose offices we are visiting today, for a staggering £145 Million.
We have noted with great concern the interest that Bridgepoint has shown in our region. Thankyou for the interest, but let us be clear we don’t need this kind of interest. You seem hungry to buy up companies and expand them regardless of social and environmental costs.
It seems that you, as the new owners of our airport, want to double passenger numbers from about 3 million passengers to seven million by the year 2015. You say you are gong to spend £70 million to do this.
We have some advise for you. Save your money. Spend it somewhere else it is wanted more. Further expansion is out of the question. The airport is ruining our lives and our environment.
We are shocked and dismayed that you are planning this kind of expansion. It flies in the face of the government’s plans to halt the growth of greenhouse gases. Do you realize that the Government has set a national target for a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from 1990 levels of 60% by 2050? It’s clear that even if you do know, you don’t care. Current growth in aviation means that in the future air travel will account for virtually all our carbon allowance as a country – that’s before any of us turn on a lightbulb your industry have used up all the carbon we are budgeted to use as a nation. How selfish. How stupid.
Do you realize that aviation has now become the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases, the main contributor to climate change? Did you notice the devastating floods that just hit our region from Hull to Sheffield and York, claiming lives, destroying thousands of homes and causing millions in damages? Do you realize this devastation is linked to carbon industries like aviation?
Today we say Enough. This is why we are here. We, as representatives of the people of Yorkshire demand the following:
• That Bridgepoint Capital immediately divests itself from Leeds Bradford Airport
• That full control of the airport is given to the people of Leeds
• That considering there are plentiful airports in the region at Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and now Doncaster, Leeds Bradford Airport is closed down.
• That the site of the airport is made into an environmental park using the £150 Million windfall that the local councils received from selling the airport.
These are our demands. They are the only way we can protect the future of our region, our children and our environment. We cannot watch as you profit from the plunder of our future. The people of Yorkshire will not stop opposing your expansion plans until our demands are met.
From the Dales and Valleys of Northern England.
This day, 20th August 2007.
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Wanted: Bridgepoint Capital
For environmental crimes against the people of Yorkshire…
In particular… for planning to expand Leeds Bradford Airport…
… for proposing to double passenger numbers to 7 million
…for putting our environmental future in great peril
…and for ignoring warnings of scientists and governments about the links between airport expansion and climate change
www.climatecamp.org.uk
No Leeds Airport Expansion Group
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Trafalgar Square Climate protest
Not waving but drowning….
Five ‘drowned’ figures were floated in Trafalgar Square fountains this morning to highlight the link between flying and climate chaos. Each carried his/her own placard with messages such as “Your flight cost me my home”, ” Your flight cost me my children”, etc. Tourists and passers-by were given leaflets made at the Camp for Climate Action and many seemed unaware of the current crisis in Bangladesh, where half the country is under water.
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Carbon Offset Companies targeted by Climate Camp Activists
Activists from the Camp for Climate Action have simultaneously targeted the offices of two separate carbon offset companies. The protestors are dressed as red herrings in order to highlight that carbon offset schemes are a dangerous distraction from taking effective climate action.
This morning, the offices of two high profile carbon offset companies in different cities – the Carbon Neutral Company in London and Climate Care in Oxford – have been disrupted.
The protestors are colourfully dressed as red herrings to symbolise the fact that carbon offset schemes are corrupting the climate change debate, taking attention away from effective responses to the threat of climate change and conning the general public. Their aim is to disrupt the day-to-day running of the offices and to raise awarness about the ineffectiveness of carbon-offset schemes – especially among well meaning office staff who may not realize the damage their work is doing to the fight to prevent runaway global warming.
Carbon offsetting doesn’t work because:
We cannot know what emissions have been avoided as a result of renewable energy projects – any hypotheses are guesswork. Therefore we cannot possibly calculate how much it would cost us to buy those savings – offset companies are selling us nothing but hot air.
Many schemes for ‘neutralising’ our emissions – such as tree planting – have been completely discredited, being scientifically illiterate and based on invented savings and . Yet companies such as Climate Care and Carbon Neutral continue to use them.
Real offsets would have to save the same amount of carbon within the same time frame as it is released. Trees are assumed by the offset companies themselves to take at least 99 years to absorb the carbon emitted in a 2 hour flight. Even if it did work, it would be like filling a bathtub with a bucket while trying to empty it with a thimble; the bath will soon overflow.
Most techno-fix offset schemes are based in the developing world. Even if every poor nation on the planet went carbon-free today, industrialised nations would still have to slash our carbon emissions if we are to have any hope of preventing catastrophic climate change. Emissions from developing nations are not the problem.
“Carbon offset companies are selling well-intentioned consumers a dangerous peace of mind by pretending that they can make emissions disappear” said Theo Middleton, one of the activists in the Climate Care office. “Climate Care and BA have teamed up to offer fliers a false opportunity to buy their way out of their responsibility to the climate.”
“Carbon offsets are ineffective, based on dubious science and lead people to believe they
are helping when they are not – the concept and the practice are a con,” said Sophie Nathan, who is taking part in the Carbon Neutral Company invasion. “Real climate action involves taking direct responsibility for personal emissions levels as well as engaging in
political organisation for wider change.”
Notes for Editors
Carbon offset companies have been on the receiving end of a great deal of negative publicity in the last year. This is the second time in 2007 that the Carbon Neutral Company has had its offices occupied by environmental activists.Both companies were also negatively portrayed in a recent Channel 4 documentary on the offsets industry
and in a report put out earlier in the year by the Amsterdam-based think tank, the Transnational Institute. New Internationalist magazine focused on the debate in July last year, exposing ineffective and damaging offset methods for fighting climate change.
This is big business – British Airways reported a £620m pre-tax profit for the year ending March 2006, a 20 per cent increase on the previous year, despite the increase in fuel costs during the period, and its short haul service moved into profit for the first time in a decade. This was a period of expansion and profitability as much for Climate Care as it was for British Airways. In July 2006, Climate Care’s David Wellington wrote that “in the past 10 to 12 months we have seen a 10-fold increase in sales,” and that 85 per cent of this growth was in “online sales for offsetting flight emissions”.
i
see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6382253.stm
ii
see
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/dispatches/the+great+green+smokescreen/589267
iii
“BA Profits Up by 20%,” 24 May 2006, from the Business Travel
Europe website
iv
E Addkey, “Boom in Green Holidays as Ethical Travel Takes Off,”
The Guardian, 17 July 2006
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Clowns mark out site of 4th runway – in Lord Soley’s garden
This report in by phone around 6pm from Sgt Slideshow Bob taking part in Operation Ealing Comedy , the marking out of the site of a ‘proposed 4th runway’ in the garden of Lord Soley who is the former Labour MP for Hammersmith, and now campaign director for Future Heathrow, an alliance of trade unions, business groups, airlines and professional associations which support the airport’s sustainable modernisation.
Audio Click here to download or listen to report – mp3 185K
MP3 32kbs, <1min
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Audio Podcast on Climate Camp day of actions…
In this podcast we focus in on one direct action which took place at the BAA offices at Bath Road in Heathrow. We were there for 24 hours. We interviewed several people some of whom who were penned in at other actions and this podcast gives a flavour of how the day went on Sunday 19th August 2007, the Day of Action.
Download: ogg open source format or mp3 format
Audio report from some of those camping overnight at BAA
This report came in by phone at around 11pm on Sunday night from some of those currently occupying the entrance to the car park of the BAA HQ near Heathrow airport.
Click here to download or listen to report – mp3 373K
Audio Listen to 1:20am update from blockade – mp3 316K
Julia’s rushes from sunday day of action at climate camp
Video julia’s rushes – video/mp4 2.8M
Kids March, a view of the site, general march chilled action, and the BAA offices protected by Police
Video kryptik’s video rushes from sunday – video/mp4 4.9M
fran’s rushes of the rush to the south
Some nice bits some nasty. It was a rush to Baa
Video rushes of the rush – video/mp4 5.2M
Video of climate protesters breaking out of camp in a fan formation
This video shows protesters heading towards the HQ of BAA from the Climate Camp. They fan out when they pass the Police line to draw their escorts in different locations.
Video fan formation protesters on the way to BAA – video/mp4 1.5M
Video rushes of people representing themselves for climate action
It’s lunchtime, at the climate camp and groups of people are leaving site on protest and action. This video shows how they are communicating their message and having a laugh. Contains, paper demo, kids march, exit the system, samba, climate band jam, and more!
Video day of action video rushes middayish from jo – video/mp4 4.4M
video of a group leaving the climate camp site on day of action
A quick video of a group leaving the climate camp on the day of action. There are some fully colourful “shields” with the images of young people from the global south leading the group.
Video leaving the climate camp on the day of action – video/mp4 1.0M