31st January 2014
ANTI FRACKING CAMPAIGNERS SHUT SWINTON CIVIC CENTRE
Salford Council's Civic Centre in Swinton was dramatically shut down this afternoon as five anti-fracking campaigners from the Barton Moss Protection Camp locked on in the reception area.
The campaigners' action was against Government attempts to bribe Salford Council to allow fracking in the city.
The front doors of Salford Civic Centre were closed this afternoon as five campaigners locked on in its reception area to draw attention to ConDem Government attempts to bribe councils to accept rates and community payments in exchange for allowing fracking in their cities.
Two anti-fracking campaigners from the Barton Moss Community Protection Camp – site of exploratory drilling by fracking company IGas – superglued themselves to bars on the reception windows, while two more attached themselves to an arm tube, with another superglued to them. It took the Greater Manchester Police Protester Removal Team around two hours to free them, while the Centre remained closed to the public.
"The protectors are here protesting against Salford Council's allowance of IGas to do exploratory drilling with a view to fracking at Barton Moss" said Darren Nesbit, an observer from the Camp "We've had one of the protectors, Boris, here on the lawn of the Civic Centre for the last few weeks and we attended the demo at the full Council meeting recently.
"Everything we do is to, firstly, raise awareness of fracking and the corruption of the Government and Council, and, secondly, to let councils know that this is what will happen to every council in the country if they allow fracking or any other corporate rape of the earth which will affect their residents."