[Update, 10.43am: First arrest of the day reported as campaigner removed from tree.]
30 Jan: Day 48 of the current phase of Combe Haven protests has begun with activists still in the trees at Decoy Pond Camp (see here for maps and directions). The eviction continues! East Sussex County Council are still insisting that no food, water, blankets or medicines be allowed up to the people high-up in the trees, who faced gusts of wind of up to 54mph last night.
Meanwhile, local grandmothers are mobilising to bring inflatable dinghies to the flooded valley ths Saturday (2 February) for an aquatic demonstration of their support for the peaceful protests.
Five people were arrested yesterday, bringing the total number of arrests so far to 26. All have now been released: one was cautioned, and the remaining four have been charged.
As we noted at the time of the eviction of “Base Camp”: This is only the end of the beginning for the protests against the Bexhill Hastings Link Road (BHLR)!
If you can’t make it down to the Valley this week then please sign the Pledge / like us on Facebook / follow us on Twitter (@combe_haven) / send a donation (use the PayPal buttons on this site or send a cheque) and stay posted for news on Phase 2!
Two short films from yesterday’s eviction:
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Press Information Note
Combe Haven Defenders [1]
30 January 2013
EVICTION OF HASTINGS ANTI-ROAD CAMP ENTERS THIRD DAY
Local grandmothers to show support with “Grannies’ Dinghy” action this Saturday (2 Feb)
30 January, 8.15am: At least four activists are still in the treetops of the third [2] anti-road camp along the route of the proposed Bexhill-Hastings Link Road (BHLR) this morning, as local grandmothers mobilise to bring inflatable dinghies to the flooded valley ths Saturday (2 February) for an aquatic demonstration of their support for the peaceful protests.
Campaigners are currently peacefully resisting the eviction of the Camp, which is located just west of Upper Wilting Farm in Crowhurst (TN38 8EG) [3]. East Sussex Council have denied food and water to the protesters – who have faced heavy rain and gusts of up to 54mph, fifty-feet up in the trees – since Monday morning [4].
Local grandmothers will be assembling with inflatable dinghies at 12.45pm this Saturday (2 February) at the Plough Inn in Crowhurst (TN33 9AW), from where they plan to mount an aquatic demonstration against the Road in the nearby flooded fields – fields through which the Road is supposed to pass [5]. An earlier action (“Grannies’ Tree”) was reproduced in both the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph.
The £100m Road project is one of over forty “zombie roads” that were declared dead years ago but have now been resuscitated as part of as part of Britain’s largest road-building programme in 25 years [6,7].
Seven people have been arrested since Monday, including Natalie Hynde, daughter of pop singer Chrissie Hynde [4]. The peaceful protests against the Road– which have now been running continuously for 48 days, with 26 arrests – have seized national attention over the past seven weeks [8].
Adrian Hopkins of the Combe Haven Defenders said: “Resistance has been growing to this awful scheme as each day passes and more people become inspired by the action so far taken to protect the beautiful Combe Haven valley. This is only the beginning of a sustained campaign of peaceful resistance to this environmentally disastrous white-elephant project.”
NOTES
[1] http://www.combehavendefenders.org.uk
[2] The first camp was established on 21 December. Two other camps along the route, ‘Three Oaks’ and ‘Adams Farm’, have already been evicted, on 14 Jan and 16-17 Jan respectively, resulting in seven arrests.
[3] For maps and directions see http://combehavendefenders.wordpress.com/camp-groundrules-directions/
[4] http://combehavendefenders.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/29-jan-escc-still-denying-food-blankets-to-activists-facing-44mph-gusts/
[5] http://combehavendefenders.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/sat-19-jan-grannies-photoshoot-2/
[6] See ‘Controversial ‘zombie roads’ scheme to be resuscitated’, Guardian, 10 October 2012, http://tinyurl.com/zombieroads
[7] http://bettertransport.org.uk/media/26-Oct-roads-report
[8] http://combehavendefenders.wordpress.com/recent-media-coverage/