The Camp for Climate Action 2008

[Fungus]

http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/
The Camp for Climate Action, at Kingsnorth, Kent, 3rd to 11th August



Anyone else going? Theres a decent chance I will be, though not confirmed yet :)
And for those in Edinburgh there is a meeting at the Forest Cafe tomorrow at 8pm for those interested in going - AFAIK theres a minibus going down, I'll have to go to the meeting and see :)

[Pob]

Me and Toni are going :)

[emzy1985]

It came up at my last AR meeting. I might go down for the day because they are having a massive AR camp there, well because obviously being vegan helps the planet.

Got alot on in those two weeks though!

[Fungus]

Seems like I won't be able to go at all btw .. parents being annoying about me being 'responsible for myself' if there's something 'dangerous' going on and I might get 'hurt' or 'arrested' and BS like that .. :(

[Maisiepaisie]

Seems like I won't be able to go at all btw .. parents being annoying about me being 'responsible for myself' if there's something 'dangerous' going on and I might get 'hurt' or 'arrested' and BS like that .. :(
Being a mum of 2 teenage boys (13 and 15) I can understand why they feel that way but in that situation I would either accompany them or make sure someone responsible would be there to keep an eye on them. Is there no one like that who can go with you?

[veganbikerboy]

I dont know whats going on, but I have just heard that riot police have 'raided' the site, using sheilds and pepper spray to push people around.

I dont know more than that, I am sure more will come to light this evening...

[Honest_Goodbye]

Just seen it on the news! I saw someone i know :D They were having quite an argument about it on channel 4 news.

[Kevster]

The usual state tactics that have been utilised against peaceful animal rights protesters.

'Dirty tactics to defend a dirty industry

Aggressive policing at this year's climate camp in Kingsnorth has exposed the UK authorities' contempt for peaceful protest
Caroline Lucas

www.guardian.co.uk,
Monday August 04 2008 17:00 BST

Sitting in a teepee in the peaceful Kent countryside, surrounded by campaigners from across the UK mulling over the future of renewable energy and swapping vegan cake recipes, you could be forgiven for temporarily forgetting the outside world and its many woes. Perhaps, then, we must also forgive the police at the climate camp in Kingsnorth this week for losing their grip on reality, as the sense of perspective which should have underpinned their policing strategy for the event flew straight out of the canvas window. [...]'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/04/kingsnorthclimatecamp.climatechange

[Kevster]

A blog from Climate Camp:

'Tuesday: Day 2 of Climate Camp 2008

Greetings from a beautiful field near the Kent coast which today is the epicentre of the battle to stop climate change.

I've been at the Camp for Climate Action at Kingsnorth since it began a couple of days ago.

This activist ecovillage has sprung up with several aims in mind. Most importantly, we are here to prevent runaway climate change: the biggest issue threatening the future of our planet. Right now, that means stopping a new generation of coal-fired power stations being built. [...]'

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/08/kingsnorth_protester_diary_blo.html

[Pob]

it's been a bit manic. police just been challenged on their search everyone policy and have stopped it. they haven't seriously tried to get onsite today. yesterday they battered an MP so now they being more restrained. come and join us in the south coast 'hood!

[Elahiya]

I read in the newspaper that there were 9 or 10 arrested?!

[horselesspaul]

it's been a bit manic. police just been challenged on their search everyone policy and have stopped it. they haven't seriously tried to get onsite today. yesterday they battered an MP so now they being more restrained. come and join us in the south coast 'hood!
Trying to make the time to come if only for tea and a peddle of a cycle generator asap Pob.
F*ck tha police..well not literally, obviously.

[Pob]

We couldn't stay for the day of direct action unfortunately, and have just got back.

Policing was diabolical, with a helicopter flying and hovering low over the site several times between 1am and 3am most mornings. This was followed up on 3 mornings by attempted incursions by the police at 5:15 am.

For most of the time there was a line of police just inside one of the entrances, where they were trying to push protesters back to clear vans and barricades out of the area. They withdrew the other side of the fence the other night during a thunder storm after we erected metal tripods nearby - think they weren't keen standing to close to the tripods during the storm!

Activist tactics during the standoff were to sit and sing, engage the police in debate about climate change, and make them laugh, etc. Police tactics varied from being friendly to shoving, pressing knees into people, standing on hands, to riot police pepper spraying, walking over, and hitting seated protestors including elderly women.

Police regularly flouted the law in terms of stopping and searching illegally. Instances included not having proper grounds for the search, and going through personal papers (illegally) to establish identities - my bank card was checked to make sure I hadn't sharpened the corners! Items removed during searches included sellotape (could be used to tie up police), a wood saw (no idea on that one), safety pins (weapon?), marker pens and paints (risk of criminal damage). One person was arrested for drugs for having hayfever tablets, another was arrested for wearing a borrowed coat. Items allowed onsite included bottles of wine and other things that could be far more dangerous than a safety pin. At one point police cut the water supply to the site.

Press coverage has been a mixed bag. Police managed to blag the need for riot police, by saying that coins and forks had been thrown, which was completely untrue. Every single case of violence was directly started by police against activists who were either sitting down or had their hands above their heads. Welsh police were particularly nasty bastards, with dodgy searches and inciteful behaviour in the front lines. I spent two hours with a Welsh copper pressing his knee against my head and pushing against me.

Lots of people I spoke to were shocked by police behaviour. It was a real eye opener for some people I hope, so they can see that the police are nothing more than a private army.

I've just seen that me and Toni are in a video on mefeedia. :D

[horselesspaul]

Good post Pob.
They employed a lot of these tactics against travellers back in the day but were often found to be breaking the law. I fear this may not be the case in this instance.

[Pob]

This video on the BBC site pretty much sums up how the policing went.

Nice cut from an activist being smacked in the face with a riot shield to a copper saying they were invading the site for our health and safety!

Scargill (speaking at the end) seems to have lost the plot - it's a question of finding alternatives to fossil fuels, not digging more of em up!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7540450.stm

It reminded me of the footage I had seen of police versus travellers, too. Although, this time their hearts didn't seem in it and we were able to stop them by standing in the way.

[eve]

Just read that protesters from the climate camp at Kingsnorth power station have scaled London's Smithfield Meat Market and unfurled a pro-vegan banner. It came on the Telegraph Expat news: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/08/11/noindex/eaclimate111.xml&CMP=EMC-expat2008

[Corum]

Yaay!!! :D