[Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, Europe, Apr-Aug 2008

[Andy]

ON THE BARRICADES:  Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/


*  UK:  "Skirmishes", direct action and police repression at Climate Camp

*  Action during Camp targets bank in London

*  GERMANY:  Clashes over plans to build new coal-fired power station

*  GERMANY/GLOBAL:  Activists protest at GM discussion summit

*  GREECE:  Protesters occupy power station for 20 days

*  IRELAND:  Protest against pylon plan

*  IRELAND:  Climate change protest in Dublin

*  UK:  Coal train occupied

*  UK:  Plan for new coal stations could spark protest campaign

*  UK:  BASF occupied, shut down over GM

*  LUXEMBOURG:  Mittal faces protests over pollution

*  UK:  Camp Titnore reaches second anniversary; protesters thrown out of 
election count

*  BULGARIA:  Protest to save park

*  BELGIUM/GLOBAL:  "Flintstones" arrested at European Parliament in fuel 
protest

*  SPAIN/KIRIBATI/GLOBAL:  Greenpeace stop Spanish tuna hauler

*  UK:  Rural protests over "eco-towns" development scheme

*  IRELAND:  Protesters disrupt dump meeting

*  UK:  Protests against asphalt plant

*  SPAIN:  Nude cyclists call for cycle lanes

*  UK:  Beckton biofuel plant protested

*  UK:  Coal site occupied, evicted

*  UK:  Big protest against Heathrow expansion

*  UK:  Academy protesters defy eviction

*  FRANCE:  Greenpeace scale Eiffel Tower in climate change protest

*  IRELAND:  Protests over dangerous chemicals

*  IRELAND:  Campaigners claim victory over waste centre

*  IRELAND:  Rossport/Corrib protests continue, more clashes with police

*  UK:  Protester glues himself to Prime Minister in climate change protest

*  UK:  Activists occupy incinerator site

*  ICELAND:  Direct action hits heavy industry sites

*  SCOTLAND:  Protests against dock redevelopment

*  NORTHERN IRELAND:  Protest car parked to disrupt Grand Prix

*  UK:  Bank targeted over coal links

*  IRELAND:  Campaign against landfill site

http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/coal-plant-protesters-injured-skirmishes-police


Coal plant protesters injured in skirmishes with police
by LotusFlower | August 10, 2008 at 09:36 am | 118 views | 1 comment

As a police helicopter circles warning that unless protesters disperse 
"police horses, dogs and batons will be used" the huge sound system starts 
playing 'I've been loving you too long' the pained and wonderful voice of 
Otis Redding cutting through through the chopper's noise. It's the 
continuing climate camp protest at Kingsnorth with the weekend family 
carnival feel to the protest been undercut by the threat of police violence. 
The protesters are not looking for violence just action on the proposed coal 
fired power station that they bitterly oppose. This story will not go away 
and is the biggest protest camp in the UK for many years and is slowly 
starting to gather momentum towards the kind of media coverage that the 
Newbury Bypass protest with its hero Swampy had some years ago. The call on 
China and the developing world not to burn coal seems hollow when the UK is 
itself proposing to do so a be it with what is claimed to be 'clean burn' 
coal fired stations.
Protesters battled with police yesterday but failed to shut down Kingsnorth 
coal plant as the climax of the week-long climate camp ended with a series 
of skirmishes.
Only a handful of protesters succeeded in getting inside the site near 
Rochester, Kent. Around 50 were arrested, bringing the total for the week to 
more than 90.
Climate camp organisers said last night that about 1,500 people took part in 
the day of direct action and marches. They were matched by nearly 1,500 
police officers. The only serious scuffles came when a group of 70 people 
tried to go into a cornfield. They were met by 100 police, some of whom used 
batons. Several people were injured.
Police also used horses, dogs, trail bikes and helicopters to control 
demonstrators as they approached the power station across fields and down 
country lanes.
Environmentalists are targeting Kingsnorth because they claim the new plant 
planned there by its owner, the German energy group E.on - the first for 
nearly 30 years - will usher in six more and make it almost impossible for 
the UK to meet its carbon emissions targets.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/10/kingsnorthclimatecamp.activists?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Coal plant protesters injured in skirmishes with police
John Vidal and Tim Webb
The Observer,
Sunday August 10 2008
Article history
Protesters battled with police yesterday but failed to shut down Kingsnorth 
coal plant as the climax of the week-long climate camp ended with a series 
of skirmishes.
Only a handful of protesters succeeded in getting inside the site near 
Rochester, Kent. Around 50 were arrested, bringing the total for the week to 
more than 90.
Climate camp organisers said last night that about 1,500 people took part in 
the day of direct action and marches. They were matched by nearly 1,500 
police officers. The only serious scuffles came when a group of 70 people 
tried to go into a cornfield. They were met by 100 police, some of whom used 
batons. Several people were injured.
Police also used horses, dogs, trail bikes and helicopters to control 
demonstrators as they approached the power station across fields and down 
country lanes.
Environmentalists are targeting Kingsnorth because they claim the new plant 
planned there by its owner, the German energy group E.on - the first for 
nearly 30 years - will usher in six more and make it almost impossible for 
the UK to meet its carbon emissions targets.
Ten protesters commandeered crowd control barriers to scale the southern 
perimeter fence of the power station. Four people are believed to have 
crossed the marshy land between the fences and scaled the second, 
electrified security fence. They were immediately detained by police with 
dogs.
Yesterday a climate camp spokeswoman claimed that more than 20 boats and 
rafts were launched on the River Medway despite a ban by Medway port 
authority.
The police said that they removed 123 people from boats.
'Most did not get far, but two reached the power station and the crew of one 
also got over the perimeter fence,' said Madeleine, one of the protesters. 
'It was a total success. We stopped any coal getting to the station and 
disrupted its operation. If the government gives the go ahead for a new 
plant, we will be back to stop it. This is not a symbolic protest.'
While a minority tried to get into Kingsnorth, about 1,000 protesters, 
including many families with children, formed a carnival-like procession 
along the three miles from the camp to the plant's main gate. They arrived 
just before noon when the mood was dampened as it began to rain. Police and 
coastguard helicopters hovered over the area all day.
A great cheer went up as a banner reading 'No new coal' was hoisted on the 
main gates of the power station. Five mock 'suspect: wanted' boards were 
also hung up on the gates, each with a silhouette and names of the five key 
people involved in plans to build the new plant: Energy Minister Malcolm 
Wicks, Business Secretary John Hutton, Gordon Brown and two E.on chiefs.
About 150 police looked on behind crash barriers as speakers gave passionate 
addresses and protesters sat down for a picnic. Malcolm Hunter, from 
Leicester, who was dressed in an orang-utan suit, said: 'This protest is 
about raising awareness. Hopefully it will put pressure on government not to 
approve new coal plants.'
Shortly before lunch, the sound system cranked up 'I've been loving you too 
long' by Otis Redding when a police helicopter circled and a loudspeaker 
announced: 'This is a police warning. Please disperse in 10 minutes or 
police horses, dogs and police batons will be used.'
Organisers said that the protest had permission to remain outside the gate 
only until 1pm. Protesters packed up and turned back towards the camp 
without any trouble.
Curious locals looked on as the action unfolded. Vic Mortley, 75, from Hoo 
village, who had served in the RAF, said: 'I don't want any part of the 
protest. We have lived with coal for 75 years. Are we aware of what coal is 
really doing - can we see the carbon emissions in the air?'
Other locals were on the side of the protesters. Jo Barrett, from Stoke 
village, said: 'Opinions are roughly divided. There's plenty of water round 
here. There must be a cleaner way of generating electricity.'

http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/uk-police-starve-out-climate-camp-protesters

UK Police starve out climate camp protesters
by LotusFlower | August 5, 2008 at 08:02 am

The 'Climate Camp' at Kingsnorth Power Station in the UK has had access to 
food supplies cut of by UK police as they attempt to starve out 
environmental protestors who are against plans to build a new coal fueled 
power station. Action was stepped up when the Drax train protesters who 
stopped a train in June and were arrested with orders placed on them not to 
go near any power station rang the police to tell them that they were going 
to join the camp at Kingsnorth.

Despite telling the police of their intentions 4 of them managed to sneak in 
and now the police decked out in riot gear against these peaceful protesters 
are attempting to starve the protest to a halt.

Drastic action it seems to quell this action. The UK government are uneasy 
about environmental protests given their own environmental push but such 
protests against coal might work in favour of the governmnets ultimate plans 
to reintroduce and expand its nuclear energy programme.
Hundreds of riot police pushed back protesters at the Kingsnorth coal power 
station "climate camp" in Kent yesterday, as officers raided the site and 
made eight arrests.
Kent Police seized four men aged between 24 and 45 for public order offences 
in dawn skirmishes. A 27-year-old man was also arrested for obstructing 
police and a 40-year-old man was held on suspicion of possessing a 
prohibited weapon.
Scuffles broke out as shield-carrying officers moved in to surround 
protesters in the afternoon after the high-profile arrival of five 
campaigners who are trying to breach a court order banning them from 
entering the site. Police also stopped food deliveries to the camp.
The five protesters – Paul Morozzo, Jonathan Stevenson, Ellen Potts, Mel 
Evans and Oli Rodker – were among 29 that were arrested in June for stopping 
a coal delivery train outside Drax power station in North Yorkshire. Their 
bail conditions ban them from going near any British power station and from 
attending the climate camp but they phoned ahead to warn the local police 
commander of their arrival aboard the 1.33pm train from London Victoria to 
Chatham, Kent.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/08/kingsnorthclimatecamp.climatechange?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Climate protesters arrested after gluing themselves to bank
Elizabeth Stewart and agencies
guardian.co.uk,
Friday August 08 2008 14:02 BST
Article history
Two environmental activists who glued themselves to the front doors of a 
bank in London today have been arrested for a breach of the peace, police 
said.
A group of four protesters calling themselves Rising Tide held a banner 
outside the Royal Bank of Scotland reading: "RBS - cashing in on coal" and 
handed out leaflets.
The protest was part of the week-long camp for climate action, taking place 
outside Kingsnorth power station in Kent.
Protesters are campaigning against a new generation of coal-fired 
electricity plants.
The activists staged the demonstration at the entrance to the RBS oil and 
gas division to highlight the relationship between the financial sector, the 
fossil fuel industry and climate change.
In another protest, the Eon-sponsored Lego model of Kingsnorth power station 
at the Legoland Park in Windsor was "occupied" by tiny Lego eco-activists 
with a banner reading: "Stop climate change."
The actions followed a series of protests yesterday when green campaigners 
blockaded a biofuel depot in Essex, unfurled banners at Gatwick airport and 
staged a "die-in" at the RBS headquarters by lying in a pool of oil outside 
the building.
Around 1,500 people have now converged on the climate camp site amid a heavy 
police presence to prepare for tomorrow's day of mass action.
Protesters have planned an assault by land, water and air to "shut down" 
Kingsnorth.
One group of campaigners will lead a procession to the power station's main 
gates, while another will reach it through undergrowth.
A third aims to make a secret air approach, while a fourth plans to stage a 
"great rebel raft regatta" despite moves by police to ban the flotilla on 
health and safety grounds.
Some politicians have expressed concerns over policing at the climate camp, 
which has been described as "heavyhanded" by protesters.
The Green party MEP for the south-east, Dr Caroline Lucas, the Liberal 
Democrat MP for Lewes, Norman Baker, and the Morley and Rothwell Labour MP, 
Colin Challen, have written to Kent police calling for action to resolve the 
"increasingly threatening confrontation".
They said the escalating situation had been caused, in part, by "a 
disproportionate police response".
The comments came as Kent police extended stop and search powers for 
officers policing the protests yesterday.

http://www.euronews.net/en/article/24/08/2008/coal-power-ignites-protests-in-germany/

Coal power ignites protests in Germany 24/08 13:42 CET

There have been clashes between environmental protestors and police in 
northern Germany at the proposed location of a new coal-fired power-station.
Up to 700 demonstrators turned up at the site at Moorburg, a suburb of 
Hamburg.
The campaigners argue that should the plant go ahead, emissions of carbon 
dioxide would increase by 40 per cent in the Hamburg area.
The power giant Vattenfall has promised to install technology at Moorburg to 
capture the greenhouse gas by 2013, but opponents point to the fact that 
there are also 25 other coal-fired power-plants in the pipeline in Germany.
Environmentalists say coal-burners produce around twice as much CO2 as 
gas-fired generators. But the country has a plentiful domestic supply of the 
dirtiest type of coal, lignite, reducing the need for energy imports.
Germany and other EU states have agreed to cut CO2 emissions by a fifth by 
the year 2020.

http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=592122

Thousands protest in Germany against GM food as UN summit starts
Posted: 2008/05/14
From: Source
Campaigners, many waving colorful flags and banners with slogans such as 
''Biofuel Creates Hunger'' and ''Good Food Instead Of GM Food'', walked and 
danced through the western German city.
(Reuters)

BERLIN - About 5,000 activists marched through the German city of Bonn on 
Monday to protest against genetically modified food at the start of a U.N. 
conference to discuss risks linked to the technology.

Campaigners, many waving colorful flags and banners with slogans such as 
“Biofuel Creates Hunger” and “Good Food Instead Of GM Food”, walked and 
danced through the western German city. Some drove tractors and floats.

“We are protesting for biodiversity and against the destruction of nature, 
against GM, for the protection of biodiversity,” activist Amira Busch told 
Reuters Television.About 2,000 government and non-governmental officials 
will attend the five-day U.N. conference in Bonn to discuss global 
protection measures for the transfer of genetically modified plants, 
including rice and soya.

The issue has become particularly sensitive due to a recent surge in food 
prices which has sparked anger and protests in some developing countries.

The experts will try to agree on ways to help implement a U.N. agreement on 
the trading of living genetically modified organisms called the Cartagena 
protocol.

In Europe, consumers are fairly skeptical about GM crops but the biotech 
industry says its products are as safe as non-GM equivalents.

The conference, which starts on Monday, precedes a bigger summit next week 
on biodiversity in Bonn where some 4,000 international experts and 
government ministers will try to agree on ways to slow the rate of 
extinctions.

“We want biodiversity to be part of humanity’s wealth and a precondition to 
overcome hunger,” said Greens EU lawmaker Friedrich-Wilhelm Graefe zu 
Baringdorf who was on the march.

“We demand that all other activities, which probably boost industry’s 
profits, do not endanger food security for future generations,” he told 
Reuters Television.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100014_03/06/2008_97335

Six arrested as police defuse power protest
Riot police stormed a power station belonging to the Public Power 
Corporation (PPC) in Kozani, northern Greece, yesterday and arrested six of 
the protesters who had taken over the plant for more than 20 days.
The protesters had seized control of a conveyor belt carrying lignite into 
the factory on May 10, protesting against the extensive pollution caused by 
the power station.
Police said they entered the area at 5 a.m. after giving the protesters a 
final warning.
There were no reports of injuries.
PPC had warned over the weekend that if the protest action continued, the 
company would be forced to schedule power cuts across the country.
The protesters have vowed to continue their action.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0804/pylon.html

Protest against plans for pylons in NE
Monday, 4 August 2008
Farmers have been protesting at plans by Eirgrid to construct new 
electricity pylons in the northeast.
Hundreds of farmers gathered in Kilmainham wood in Co Meath to campaign 
against two new high voltage energy lines.
The North East Pylon Pressure group wants the lines built underground but 
Eirgrid has rejected this as unworkable.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/environmentalists-stage-climate-change-protest-in-dublin-13892764.html

Environmentalists stage climate change protest in Dublin
Sunday, 15 June 2008
Environmentalists are to stage a protest in Dublin today against what they 
say is the Government's inaction on climate change.
Stop Climate Chaos, which is organising today's event, has accused the 
Government's of having an appalling record on pollution.
The group says €290m in tax payers' money has already been put aside to 
cover greenhouse gas emissions.
"This figure could easily double before the end of the Kyoto period in 
2012," Spokesperson Ciara Gaynor said, "And the money is coming from PAYE 
tax payments, so it's a stealth tax; there is no incentive for anyone to cut 
their pollution."

http://www.buzzflash.net/story.php?id=55504

Climate Change Protesters Hijack Coal Train: by Martin Wainwright
www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/13/activists.climate...
sent by OrpRam since 54 days 4 hours 12 minutes, published about 53 days 7 
hours 6 minutes
Climate change campaigners hijacked a train carrying coal to Britain’s 
biggest power station this morning, swarming on to the roof of its 20 huge 
trucks. The 40 protesters stopped the regular delivery service to Drax in 
Yorkshire disguised as railway workers in yellow warning jackets and waving 
red flags, having read up on standard railway safety rules. The ambush took 
place at an iron girder bridge over the river Aire between the villages of 
Gowdall and Hirst Courteney at 8am GMT. One group then used the bridge 
girders and climbing equipment to scale the 12ft high trucks.They hoisted a 
huge banner reading “Leave it in the ground” - referring to the coal 
destined for the power station’s furnaces. The protesters carried food, 
water and even a portable lavatory with the intention of being able to 
remain on board for several days.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/18/carbonemissions.energy?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Plans for new coal plants under fire
Campaigners seek guarantees of safeguards to prevent the escape of carbon 
gases
Juliette Jowit and Tim Webb
The Observer,
Sunday May 18 2008

Drax power station. Photograph: Press Association
Protesters are to launch one of the hardest-hitting environmental campaigns 
for more than a decade over plans to build a new generation of coal-fired 
power stations in the UK.
Senior scientists, City investors, international leaders and MPs from all 
parties have joined environmental groups in condemning plans to approve coal 
plants before there are guarantees that they will be fitted with equipment 
to stop the release of harmful greenhouse gases.
Supporters of new coal power say Britain desperately needs to fill a looming 
energy gap and improve security of power supply. But objectors claim it is 
impossible to build coal stations - the most polluting of all power plants - 
and still cut pollution.
Without a new technology to control carbon emissions, known as 'carbon 
capture and storage', the eight plants being planned would account for the 
entire carbon target that the UK has set itself for the middle of this 
century, say campaigners. As a result, opposition to construction of new 
plants has hardened recently with new names joining the growing coalition of 
opposition every week. Activists' plans are aimed at the government and at 
Eon, the German-owned company proposing to build the first of the new plants 
at Kingsnorth in Kent, said Matt Phillips of the European Climate 
Foundation.
Eon has already been targeted with protests at its offices and outside the 
headquarters of the Football Association (the company sponsors the FA Cup). 
The Climate Camp, which last year organised a high-profile sit-in at 
Heathrow airport, has said that its 2008 camp will probably be at 
Kingsnorth. Events targeting other coal plant sites in Essex, Northumberland 
and Fife are expected.
Eon has proposed building two new coal-fired generators next to its current 
plant at Kingsnorth. The old plant is to be closed because it will fail 
tough new EU pollution limits that come into force in 2015. The two new 
800-megawatt generators would provide the same electricity as the current 
plant, about enough to supply one and a half million homes.
Eon estimates that the new plants, for which it is awaiting government 
approval, will each generate greenhouse gases equivalent to eight million 
tonnes of carbon dioxide a year at full capacity. That compares with 10 
million tonnes for the existing plant. Approval for the project, which could 
cost £1.7bn, would be expected to bring forward applications from other 
utilities. Campaigners claim there are plans for at least seven new plants - 
at sites including Tilbury in Essex, Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire and Blyth 
in Northumberland - generating 10-12 gigawatts of energy, which would pump 
the equivalent of 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere 
every year.
To help to head off mounting public anger, Eon has entered Kingsnorth for 
the government-sponsored competition to stage the first commercial trials of 
carbon capture and storage at the site. Such schemes involve removing carbon 
dioxide as it is produced by burning coal and then pumping it into spaces 
under the ground, where it can be stored for thousands of years. Britain is 
considered to be well suited to such technology, with its many depleted 
North Sea oil and gas fields.
However, when asked when carbon capture could be taken beyond the pilot 
project stage, Eon's clean coal business development manager, Andy Read, 
admitted: 'It's a bit of a guessing game ... It depends on government 
support.' He also admitted that there is no guarantee that carbon capture, 
even if it is proved to work, would be fitted to Kingsnorth without the 
necessary subsidies.
The British government has also come under fire. In the last few months 
opponents of its promotion of coal power have ranged from the Royal Society, 
the world's most prestigious scientific organisation, to the powerful 
Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, whose members include BNP 
Paribas, HSBC and the pension funds of the BBC and the Environment Agency.
The UK is looking isolated internationally. Denmark and New Zealand have 
moratoriums on new coal-fired power stations, Canada has a deadline for new 
coal generators to have carbon capture fitted by 2018 and California has 
imposed the same deadline by 2020. US protests have led to 59 of the 151 new 
coal plants announced last year being dropped and 48 contested in court.

http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20631

Anti-GM protest shuts down BASF UK headquarters (& photos & video links)
North West England
genetics - crop
BASF1.JPG
BASF HQ 2
BASF HQ 3
BASF HQ 4
At the crack of dawn, Tuesday, 6th May, after a long night of preparation, 
Earth First! activists from all across England jumped into two vehicles and 
speed towards south Manchester, dead set on taking some effective action 
against the ecologically destructive plans of notorious chemical company 
BASF. There was no desire for symbolic protest, but simple action that hit 
hard at the one thing they value the most, their pockets.
At 7.20 am they turned hard into the only entrance to BASF’s headquarters in 
Stockport, vehicles blocking the entrance while various affinity groups 
piled out and got to work. A team of eleven people with lock-on tubes took 
the ground in front of the long gate, while others D-locked several side 
gates that were for pedestrian use only.
Meanwhile, some people spoke to the guards and were told that he wanted to 
shut the gate. Which was excellent news, and there was a rapid change of 
plan. The arm-tubes were put back in the vehicles, which disappeared off, to 
be used for the next action, and once the gate was closed a seriously 
heavy-duty motorbike chain was wrapped around it and one activist D-locked 
himself to it. And that was us there until 12noon, job done, BASF’s UK 
headquarters shut down for the morning.
A 30x10 foot banner saying Stop GM was hung from a nearby flyover so 
everyone would get the message as to why were there. Though, given we were 
on the border with Cheshire, one confused local inhabitant was curious as to 
what we had against Greater Manchester!
The only trouble came from the various BASF executives clearly eager to get 
to their phone conferences and thought driving at people constitutes 
acceptable behaviour. With such a casual attitude towards protestors 
standing in their way it is hardly surprising that they do not give a damn 
about what effect their products have on the rest of the world.
The weather was wonderful, sunny and warm, and we relaxed on the road while 
all the BASF workers were told to drink coffee in M&S or sit in the B&Q 
carpark – which naturally were leafleted so they had something to read while 
they waited. The police, when they turned up, were polite and clearly 
outnumbered by the protestors, so let them get on with it. There was a 
police liaison to keep things happy, and when the blockade was lifted, and 
everyone left with all their equipment – including the D-Locks and chains – 
and their were no arrests. The only thing they wanted was the large 
Sainsburys banner which had been redecorated with anti-GM messages, which 
they wanted to return to Sainsburys in case it had been stolen. We could not 
say fairer than the police delivering our anti-GM message back to the 
supermarket chain...
Though we were only there for the morning, the activists left on our own 
terms, knowing that the impact would continue to reverberate through the 
company. Evidence from other actions shows that the impact does not stop 
once the blockade is lifted, but the entire day will be lost. Meeting will 
have to be rescheduled, work-time caught up on, other offices will be 
furious about not being able to get in touch, and so on. And the bosses will 
still be paid for the time spent twiddling their thumbs. An excellent day 
out... if it could not be spent on the allotment, the next best place is 
lying on a roadway.
The pressure on GM companies has not gone away.
------------------
Press release:
BASF UK HQ currently completely blockaded by protesters.
This morning 30 protesters from Earth First! have shut down the BASF UK 
headquarters (1) at Cheadle Hulme near Manchester (2), to highlight the 
company's role in pushing GM onto our plates. BASF is planning to run the 
UK's only trial of GM crops this year, a trial of blight resistant 
potatoes.(3)
The protesters arrived early in the morning at the flagship offices and have 
since been blockading the gate by sitting in front of it and locking on 
using d-locks and other equipment. They are successfully preventing any 
staff from
entering and are demanding the company pull out of GM immediately. They have 
also hung a giant 30 x 10ft banner reading "No To GM". The protesters are 
planning to blockade the gate for several hours.
Mary Sunderland from Earth First! Said: "GM has no part to play in our 
future: it's a dangerous, unwanted and unproven technology geared towards 
maximising profits for multinational corporations such as BASF. It is not 
the answer to food shortages, hunger or climate change. The real solution is 
to change now to a sustainable farming system and to distribute resources 
fairly around the world."
The bio-tech industry claims GM will feed the world's poor, but experts 
disagree. A major new study published in April shows that modified soya 
produces 10 per cent less food than its conventional equivalent, confirming 
earlier studies showing the same trend. The study finds that the very 
process of modification depresses productivity.(4)
This revelation came just a week after the biggest study of its kind ever 
conducted,the International Assessment of Agricultural Science, concluded 
that GM was not an answer to world hunger. The UN study, conducted by over 
400 scientists and approved by over 54 governments is a sobering account of 
the failure of industrial farming. The key message of the report is that 
small-scale farmers and agro-ecological methods provide the way forward to 
avert the current food crisis and deal with the effects of climate 
change.(5)
Neil Ross from Earth First! UK adds: "It's time for everyone who is 
concerned about the future of our food and environment to stand up again and 
to say 'No to GM'. When five years ago 86 per cent of the UK public said 
that they did not want GM foods the government and bio-tech industry brushed 
those concerns aside as unscientific. Science is now proving that we were 
right to oppose GM. Thanks to the courage of many ordinary people who ripped 
up GM crops our countryside has been GM free for the past four years. (6) We 
are determined to keep it that way. The message to BASF and
the government couldn't be clearer. Stop wasting money on GM (7) and start 
investing in the real solutions to hunger: small-scale organic farming and 
equitable trade."
_
Notes
(1)BASF is the world's leading chemical company.
(2) Heading south from Manchester on the A34 , turn right onto Stanley Road 
(B5094). Take the second left onto Earl Road. Continue under the flyover 
(Manchester Airport Eastern Link Road) and BASF HQ is on your right.
(3) The UK trials of BASF's blight resistant potatoes were due to take place 
from last spring at two locations for a period of five years. One site is a 
research centre in Cambridge, where last year anti-gm campaigners succeeded 
in destroying the field during a night time raid. The second trial site was 
never planted as BASF was unable to find a site for it. Campaigners have 
already vowed to decontaminate the Cambridge site again, should BASF go 
ahead with the controversial trial. Many believe that the trials are 
unnecessary as blight resistant potatoes are already available
through conventional breeding.
(4) The study was carried out over the past three years by the University of 
Kansas in the US grain belt and published by Professor B Gordon in the 
journal 'Better Crops'. He grew a Monsanto GM soy bean resistant to the 
herbicide Round-up and compared it with a conventional variety. The GM bean 
produced only 70 bushels per acre compared to 77 bushels for the 
conventional bean.
(5) The report from the United Nations World Food Programme, the 
International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for 
Development (IAASTD) called for a back-to-basics approach to farming to meet 
the challenges of climate change and escalating food prices. The authors saw 
little role for GM technology in feeding the poor. The report
was based on a rigorous and peer-reviewed analysis of the empirical evidence 
by hundreds of scientists and development experts. 
http://www.agassessment.org/
(6) When GM crop trials started in the UK in 1998, no one could have 
predicted the public opposition to it. Within just 5 years, all GM companies 
including Monsanto, Syngenta and Bayer had retreated from Britain, numerous 
field trials had been destroyed and a moratorium against GM crop growing had 
been imposed.10 years later, Britain is still free from any commercial 
growing of GM crops. This opposition has also sparked massive resistance 
elsewhere in Europe.
(7) Using the Freedom of Information Act Friends of the Earth managed to 
obtained still partial information in October 2007 which shows that the 
Government gave at least £50 million a year for research into GM crops and 
food, compared with £1.6 million for research into organic agriculture last 
year, in spite of repeated promises to promote environmentally friendly, 
sustainable farming. http://www.i-sis.org.uk/dirty_GM_secrets.php
manchester[at!]earthfirst.org.uk
http://www.earthfirst.org.uk

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_12115.cfm

Protestors Shut Down Biotech Company Headquarters in Europe
BASF Targeted in GM Protest
By Alistair Driver
Farmers Guardian, UK, May 6, 2008
Straight to the Source
ACTIVISTS prevented staff entering BASF UK's headquarters at Cheadle Hulme, 
near Manchester, this morning (Tuesday, May 6), in a protest at the 
company's GM potato trials.
Earth First! said 30 of its activist had shut down the offices in order 'to 
highlight the company's role in pushing GM onto our plates'.
BASF is planning to run the UK's only trial of GM crops this year featuring 
blight resistant potatoes.
The protesters arrived early in the morning and blockaded the gate to the 
headquarters by sitting in front of it and employing d-locks and other 
equipment. The protesters also hung a 30 x 10ft banner reading "No To GM"
No staff were able to enter the building until the protestors left at around 
midday, having blockaded the gate for several hours.
"They are successfully preventing any staff from entering and are demanding 
the company pull out of GM immediately," a statement released by Earth 
First! said.
Mary Sunderland from Earth First! said: "GM has no part to play in our 
future: it's a dangerous, unwanted and unproven technology geared towards 
maximising profits for multinational corporations such as BASF.
"It is not the answer to food shortages, hunger or climate change. The real 
solution is to change now to a sustainable farming system and to distribute 
resources fairly around the world."
Around 200 BASF are based in the building, although none of them are 
involved in production or research work and none are working on the GM 
potato trials, according to BASF spokesman Chris Wilson, who, himself was 
stuck outside the building.
BASF issued a statement criticising the methods of the protestors. "We take 
seriously the concerns that some people have regarding plant biotechnology. 
We will do everything to provide answers to any questions people have and 
look for ways to discuss the issues with the public. We are seeking a 
matter-of-fact dialogue based on scientific fact.
“However, we have been concerned by the actions of protestors on a number of 
occasions. We are particularly disappointed that activists disrupt our daily 
business by protesting in front of our site - therewith hindering our 
colleagues from entering the site.”
“We hope that people will in future voice their concerns in a peaceful and 
constructive way.”
BASF said the potato field trial had received consent from the Government 
and was being carried out in strict accordance with the regulations laid 
down.
“There is no reason to expect that the genetically modified potatoes are any 
less safe than conventionally produced potatoes.
“When approval for a field trial project is granted by the authorities in 
charge, this approval confirms that the tested crops are safe to be planted 
using the management procedures to be followed during the trial.”

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15035

LUXEMBOURG: Mittal braced for protests on pollution

by Heather Stewart, The Observer
May 11th, 2008
Steel giant ArcelorMittal will be accused of leaving a trail of 
environmental destruction in its wake this week when campaigners descend on 
Luxembourg to protest at its annual meeting.
Run and part-owned by Britain's richest man, Lakshmi Mittal, ArcelorMittal 
has received more than $500m in taxpayer-backed loans over the past decade, 
from development lenders including the London-based European Bank of 
Reconstruction and Development.
Bankwatch, a network of local campaign groups that monitors the activities 
of the EBRD, says the steelmaker has used the cash to boost its bottom line, 
instead of mitigating the environmental and social impact of its plants.
Protestors will present Arcelor's shareholders with a 40-page dossier of 
evidence about the firm's behaviour across the globe, from Orissa in India 
to Vanderbijlpark in South Africa. Pippa Gallop of Bankwatch said the firm 
had grown rapidly by buying up former state-owned steel plants without 
investing sufficiently in cleaner technologies: 'The main problem is the 
aggressive cost-cutting strategy of this company.'
Jan Syrtr, a Czech lawyer involved in bringing a test case against the 
company over pollution levels from its Ostrava plant, said people in the 
local district of Radvanice a Bartovice have to use magnets to clear the 
steel dust from inside their homes. 'Depending on the state of the weather, 
you can really smell that you're in Radvanice,' he said. 'We don't want 
money; we just want this to stop.'
Liz Ilg, from Citizen Action in Cleveland, Ohio, will demand the company put 
more effort into cutting pollution at her local works. She said: 'This is 
the most urban steel mill in the US: they've got more people living around 
them than any other plant - 390,000 within five miles.' Mittal took over the 
plant from International Steel Corporation in 2004.
'The main message is: start to look at pollution prevention at your 
facilities. The best way to do that is to sit down and talk to community 
members,' said Ilg. She has collected 34,000 signatures on a petition, but 
says the company has so far refused to meet local people.
A spokeswoman said: 'ArcelorMittal takes health and safety and environmental 
issues very seriously. During 2007, we spent approximately $500m on health 
and safety and environment-related projects and since 1990 we have 
successfully reduced the CO2 footprint of our steelmaking by over 20 per 
cent.' She added that the company was drawing up plans to reduce emissions 
from the Czech plant.
Gallop said it was difficult for civil society groups to monitor whether the 
EBRD's loans to ArcelorMittal have been well spent. 'In many cases, the 
improvements are completely unverifiable, because the action plans have 
never been released,' she said. An EBRD spokesman said the bank had clear 
policies 'to assess the impact of our loans'.

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/05/398777.html

Camp Titnore birthday protest
SCIMC | 13.05.2008 19:45 | South Coast
CAMP TITNORE, the eco-protest site near Worthing, West Sussex, celebrated 
its second birthday on Saturday May 24.
To mark the occasion, a 'party' was held on the steps of Worthing Town Hall 
in Chapel Road.
Alongside the usual placards and banners were party hats and home-made 
birthday cakes, as supporters posed for press photos, gave three cheers to 
the eco-activists who have been protecting our countryside since May 2006 
and gave a rendition of 'Happy Birthday to You', as between six and nine 
police watched on at a distance. There was even a spot of tree climbing.
One campaigner said: "The campaign has, of course, being going a lot more 
than two years, but the extraordinary achievement of those who have kept 
alive a continued presence in the woods since May 2006 just cannot be 
over-emphasised."
Less cheerful news was that Tesco's plans for its massive expansion on the 
West Durrington site have now been given outline planning permission by 
Worthing Borough Council.

Mainstream media links BBC report
Worthing Herald report The event was given added poignancy by scenes at the 
recent election count, when heavy-handed security and police threw out Save 
Titnore Woods! candidate Dawn Smith and her supporters.
The incident happened on Friday May 2, when Dawn, who was standing for the 
Stop Durrington's Overdevelopment - Save Titnore's Trees party, in the 
borough's Northbrook ward, was arrested after a row at Worthing's Assembly 
Hall, apparently for "disorderly behaviour".
She was thrown to the ground by police, held down with her hands behind her 
back, knelt on and handcuffed, then held for four hours at Durrington police 
station - all for objecting to her supporters being violently ejected from 
the count.
Dawn, who has not been charged, explained that there was confusion over the 
passes for her guests at the count, who included Titnore eco-campers. Names 
she had registered did not seem to have been recorded, in an official 
bungle.
Other people, considered of "respectable" appearance, were waved through by 
security but they demanded ID from her supporters.
While she went to try and sort the error, some of the campers wandered 
through into the hall and were attacked and physically thrown out by 
security staff in what she called a "complete over-reaction".
Dawn objected vocally. She said: "I shouted at them. The only reason they 
did this was because the guys had dreadlocks. I'm not going to stand by and 
see someone jumped on."

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=92878

Citizens of Bulgaria's Varna Protest against Destruction of Downtown Park
7 May 2008, Wednesday

Citizen of Bulgaria’s Varna Protest against Destruction of Downtown Park: 
About 200 citizens of Bulgaria's sea capital and top tourist destination 
Varna besieged the Municipal Administration Wednesday morning to protest 
against the cutting of trees in the downtown Sevastopol garden, which took 
place during the May 1-6 holidays.

"The City Is Not a Playground for Incompetent Politicians", one of the 
protesters' posters stated according to the report of the Bulgarian private 
Darik Radio.

The civic protest was supported by local environmentalist organizations such 
as the Zelena Varna ("Green Varna") association.

The protesters waited for over an hour to meet with a representative of the 
municipal administration. After they shouted energetically their slogans, 
the Deputy Mayor Venelin Zhechev finally showed up before them.

Zhechev explained that the firm that had been hired to execute the 
"sanitary" cutting and pruning of trees had done its job professionally. In 
his words the activity would continue for two more days.

The "sanitary" cutting of the trees in the central Sevastopol garden which 
started on May 1, was interrupted by resentful citizens and 
environmentalists. Then the Municipality promised it would not be resumed 
until a public discussion of the issue took place.

The explanation of the Municipal Administration about the cutting of the 
trees during the non-working days was that it aimed to cultivate the park by 
cleaning it from old trees and fallen branches, and by planting Indian 
lilac, red-leaved plum trees, and magnolias.

Meanwhile, the Varna environmentalists prepared a protest petition against 
the mutilation and destruction of the emblematic Sevastopol garden, which 
has already been signed by over 7000 Varna residents.

The organizers announced that official protest letters to the Bulgarian 
Parliament and the Regional Prosecutor's Office.

According to the statements from the technical crew, who pruned the trees, 
the purpose was to remove dry and old trees by allowing offshoots to grow, 
and by using the pruned two-meter high tree trunks for woodcarving.

According to unofficial information, however, the park has been destroyed so 
that a parking lot or some sort of an expensive building could be 
constructed in its place, and the whole activity is related to certain 
business interests.

The environmentalists have placed black bands on the trunks of the pruned 
trees and signs reading, "They mutilated me!"

The Sevastopol garden is located only a two-minute walk away from the 
building of the Municipal Administration, and a three-minute walk from the 
Sea Garden and the Black Sea coast. It is across from the famous Cherno More 
Hotel ("Black See Hotel").

Paradoxically, the affair with the cutting down of the trees in downtown 
Varna coincided with the visit of the MEP David Hammerstein, who declared 
that the environmental violations in Bulgaria were shocking.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKL2647405920080526

"Flintstones" arrested in EU car emissions protest
Mon May 26, 2008 2:39pm BST

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - "Fred and Wilma Flintstone" were arrested as they 
approached the European Parliament on Monday to protest about the influence 
of the auto industry on proposals to curb carbon dioxide emissions from 
cars.
Six Greenpeace activists dressed as cavemen and travelling in a 
Flintstones-style vehicle were detained along with three others for public 
order offences, police said.
A stone tablet accusing car lobbyists of driving climate change was 
confiscated before it could be delivered to lawmakers, a Greenpeace 
spokeswoman said.
The European Parliament will this week start debating legislation to force 
down CO2 emissions from cars, with fines on manufacturers that fail to 
comply.
But lawmakers will consider amendments that weaken the original proposals 
from the EU's executive European Commission by reducing the level of fines 
and phasing the laws in more slowly than initially envisaged.
European carmakers say the proposals threaten their ability to compete in 
international markets. Germany has vowed to stand by its car sector, which 
produces powerful luxury vehicles such as Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
"Our activists and their zero-emission vehicle are raising the alarm about 
the influence this dinosaur industry exercises over EU climate policy," 
Greenpeace transport campaigner Melanie Francis said.
(Reporting by Pete Harrison)

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSSYD1728120080527?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews

Greenpeace protests against Spanish tuna ship
Tue May 27, 2008 4:25am EDT

By Michael Perry
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Greenpeace staged a high-seas protest against a 
Spanish-owned tuna fishing ship in the South Pacific on Tuesday, dropping a 
25 meter (75 feet) floating banner "No Fish, No Future" into its net.
Greenpeace ship Esperanza had been tailing the Albatun Ters for five days, 
claiming it is the biggest tuna catching vessel in the world, and on Tuesday 
launched a protest as the ship was fishing off the Phoenix Islands in 
Kiribati.
The banner was dropped into the vessel's trawling net in an attempt to stop 
the ship from retrieving the net and using it again, but the move failed to 
prevent the ship from hauling the net back in.
"Early this morning we caught it fishing inside Kiribati waters and took 
action," Lagi Toribau, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Oceans Campaigner on 
board the Esperanza, told Reuters by telephone.
Greenpeace said the Albatun Tres can net more than 3,000 tonnes of tuna in a 
single fishing trip -- almost double the entire annual catch of some Pacific 
island nations.
"Time and tuna are running out. Vessels of this size cannot be left to 
plunder and empty out the remaining tuna stocks and need to be taken off the 
water and scrapped immediately in order to address the overcapacity of the 
world's tuna fleets," Sari Tolvanen of Greenpeace International said in a 
statement.
South Pacific nations decided last week to ban licensed tuna vessels from 
fishing in international waters between their islands and to require them to 
always carry fishing observers.
The new rules will take effect from June 15, 2008.
In February, the island nation Kiribati created the world's largest 
protected marine reserve, a California-sized watery wilderness covering 
410,500 square km (158,500 square miles), to preserve tuna spawning grounds 
and coral reef biodiversity.
Greenpeace said the Albatun Tres was fishing under an EU agreement with 
Kiribati and called on small Pacific island nations to reject approaches 
from other European fishing firms for more tuna fishing licenses.
Greenpeace said decades of over-exploitation has reduced some of tuna stocks 
in the Pacific to just 15 percent of what they once were and European 
fishing firms are now chasing tuna in the Pacific after tuna stocks fell in 
the Atlantic.
"The Albatun Tres has arrived to the Pacific from the Indian Ocean earlier 
this year. The Pacific tuna stocks are in decline and there simply isn't 
enough fish in the sea to fill the holds of these huge vessels," said 
Toribau.
"Adding more vessels to those already allowed to fish guarantees that there 
will be no fish left for the future."
Rising fuel prices will likely force Japanese fishermen to suspend some tuna 
fishing in the Pacific and Indian oceans, officials from Japan's main tuna 
fishing union said on Tuesday.
The union is considering stopping about 80 fishing boats from going to the 
Pacific and the India Ocean for three months or more to catch bigeye tuna 
and yellowfin tuna, two common and reasonably priced fish at sushi bars, 
union officials said.
The officials said tuna fishermen in Taiwan, China and South Korea were 
likely to follow suit.
Greenpeace welcomed the news that Asian tuna fishing operations may be 
reduced but called for a permanent reduction based on environmental grounds.
In February, the island nation Kiribati created the world's largest 
protected marine reserve, a California-sized watery wilderness covering 
410,500 square km (158,500 square miles), to preserve tuna spawning grounds 
and coral reef biodiversity.
Greenpeace said the Albatun Tres was fishing under an EU agreement with 
Kiribati and called on small Pacific island nations to reject approaches 
from other European fishing firms for more tuna fishing licenses.
Greenpeace said decades of over-exploitation has reduced some of tuna stocks 
in the Pacific to just 15 percent of what they once were and European 
fishing firms are now chasing tuna in the Pacific after tuna stocks fell in 
the Atlantic.
"The Albatun Tres has arrived to the Pacific from the Indian Ocean earlier 
this year. The Pacific tuna stocks are in decline and there simply isn't 
enough fish in the sea to fill the holds of these huge vessels," said 
Toribau.
"Adding more vessels to those already allowed to fish guarantees that there 
will be no fish left for the future."
Rising fuel prices will likely force Japanese fishermen to suspend some tuna 
fishing in the Pacific and Indian oceans, officials from Japan's main tuna 
fishing union said on Tuesday.
The union is considering stopping about 80 fishing boats from going to the 
Pacific and the India Ocean for three months or more to catch bigeye tuna 
and yellowfin tuna, two common and reasonably priced fish at sushi bars, 
union officials said.
The officials said tuna fishermen in Taiwan, China and South Korea were 
likely to follow suit.
Greenpeace welcomed the news that Asian tuna fishing operations may be 
reduced but called for a permanent reduction based on environmental grounds.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1399227/ecotown_campaigners_plan_human_ring_protest/index.html?source=r_technology

Ecotown Campaigners Plan 'Human Ring' Protest
Posted on: Friday, 23 May 2008, 00:00 CDT
CAMPAIGNERS against a proposed 15,000-home ecotown in North Yorkshire will 
start circling the wagons on Saturday when they form a human ring around 
their parish church.
Willow Green, near Kellington, is one of four sites earmarked for the 
scheme, all of them in the Selby area. It is likely to be one of the most 
heavily opposed plots because locals regard it as an attractive spot in its 
own right.
Willow Green consists of fields which are normally kept as stubble, rich in 
flora and fauna and commanding magnificent views of St Edmund's Parish 
Church.
>From 11am on Saturday the historic building will be the scene of a 
banner-waving protest. Objectors will surround the church, in a symbolic act 
to show their determination to shield the borders of the village from an 
"eco-slum".
Campaigners against the ecotown recently attracted 550 people and their dogs 
in a mass dog walk to show that this eco-town proposal was "barking mad".
Kellington Church is unique because of its location in the landscape. 
Celebrated antiquary Roger Dodsworth, who visited Kellington in July 1621, 
wrote of St Edmund's standing in "splendid isolation" away from the village.
its importance is also stressed in Selby Council's Local Plan which says: 
"St Edmund's Church to the west of Kellington dominates the skyline when 
viewed from the village and is a particularly fine Grade I listed building.
"It contributes significantly to the setting of this village where the 
contrast between built development and open countryside is particularly 
apparent. St Edmund's has Norman origins pointing to the long history of 
settlement at Kellington."
Objectors say both the building and the views of the church must be 
protected from the threat of the new town.
Selby councillor John McCartney said: "We know that the Willow Green site is 
incapable of providing a sustainable ecotown. The rail line to Leeds is full 
to capacity, with no way that its capacity can be increased.
"The Willow Green site is too far away from any major centres of employment. 
What is the point of providing a huge block of social housing in a site 
where the low paid simply could not afford to get to work?
"The risk is that it could become an eco-slum. The rest of the site will be 
full of carbon-creating commuters, putting further pressure on the M62 and 
making a joke of the ecotown image."
He argued Willow Green was too close to Knottingley and the other five town 
areas of Wakefield, much of which needs regeneration which a new town on the 
Willow Green site would suck away. "We know all that and so do the 
Government yet they still refuse to rule out this daft scheme," he added.
Willow Green is one of four areas in the Leeds city region earmarked as 
possibles for the environmentally friendly new town.
The other three are the existing RAF airstrip at Church Fenton, Burn 
Airfield or Gascoigne Wood, which includes the former colliery site.
All have attracted criticism. Coun Mary McCartney added: "We are confident 
that we will get a good turnout on Saturday. Over 350 people attended two 
information meetings that we held last week to update residents on the 
proposal."
The Government has announced a number of other sites around Britain from 
which 10 ecotowns will be built, including Rossington, near Doncaster. But a 
plan to build a 9,000-home ecotown using nearly all the green belt land in 
the Leeds suburb of Rothwell has been withdrawn.
(c) 2008 Yorkshire Post. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All 
rights Reserved.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7441799.stm

Saturday, 7 June 2008 15:25 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version

Protesters march against eco-town

Ben Fogle attended the protest with his father, who lives nearby
About 2,000 people have attended a protest rally against plans to build an 
eco-town at Ford in West Sussex.
People from surrounding villages turned out to hear speeches about the plans 
to build 5,000 homes on the former Ford Airfield site and surrounding 
farmland.
Protesters waved banners and posters and marched three miles along footpaths 
in countryside surrounding the site.
Among them was BBC presenter Ben Fogle, who attended the march with his 
father and Ford resident, Dr Bruce Fogle.
Mr Fogle said it was "wrong" to sacrifice arable countryside for urban 
development.
It's not that we disagree with the concept of affordable and eco-friendly 
housing, far from it

Terry Knott, CAFE co-chairman
Ford is one of 15 sites in England to be shortlisted for the 10 new towns.
The government announcement in April was met by a storm of protest from MPs 
and local people.
Residents in and around Ford have claimed there will be eight years of 
"traffic chaos" if the proposal gets the go-ahead.
They also fear the development will engulf the nearby villages of Ford, 
Climping and Yapton and flooding, which often occurs in the area, will be 
made much worse by the extra houses.
The government has said that of the 5,000 homes to be built, 2,000 would be 
affordable.
The plans would include about 4,000 jobs in new business parks, new shops, 
health and sports centres, and large amounts of green space.

Hundreds of people turned out in opposition to the eco-town
The eco-town would also help deliver the A27 Arundel bypass.
Many of the protesters in Saturday's march were members of local campaign 
group Communities Against Ford Eco-town (CAFE), which was set up after the 
government announcement.
They heard speeches from local MPs, Nick Gibb and Nick Herbert, while a 
message of support from former local resident and Olympic swimming champion 
Duncan Goodhew was read out in his absence.
The Duchess of Norfolk, whose family seat is Arundel Castle, and Gordon 
Roddick, husband of the late Anita Roddick, also took part in the march.
CAFE co-chairman and Yapton resident Terry Knott said: "It's not that we 
disagree with the concept of affordable and eco-friendly housing, far from 
it.
"It's just that there are so many reasons why such a development should not 
be sited here, and virtually no arguments in favour of doing so.
"Eco-towns should in theory provide affordable local housing to meet 
identified needs, however, there is limited demand for affordable housing in 
this rural part of West Sussex and restricted demand for employment in and 
around Ford."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/7425071.stm

Thursday, 29 May 2008 10:19 UK
Protestors disrupt dump meeting

A meeting in Coleraine Borough Council's offices about a proposed super-dump 
in Ringsend near Garvagh has been disrupted by protestors.
The North West Regional Waste Management Group had invited community groups 
to a briefing on Wednesday night.
The proposed dump would receive waste from seven council areas.
A PSNI spokesperson said between 70 and 80 people gathered to block the road 
leading from the council's offices.
The protestors also prevented two people from leaving the grounds.
"We are disappointed that a protest was held illegally and condemn the 
actions of those involved in intimidating and preventing members of the 
public from leaving the premises," said the police spokesperson.
The super-dump is one of three facilities proposed for the site at 
Letterloan Road in Ringsend.
On Wednesday Coleraine Borough Council voted not to site another dump - for 
mechanical and biological waste - near Ringsend.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/NEWS01/806120388/1002/NEWS01

Asphalt plant draws protests

June 12, 2008
By Brent Curtis Herald Staff
What the nose knows seemed like enough evidence to residents who protested a 
new asphalt plant in Rutland on the grounds that it would turn nearby 
neighborhoods into virtual road construction sites.

But from the point of view of state Air Pollution Control Division 
officials, monitoring and enforcing odor complaints isn't as easy as passing 
a sniff test.

Doug Elliot, head of the division's air permitting program, said during a 
public hearing on the plant Wednesday that while the draft permit for Wilk 
Paving's proposed asphalt plant on Ripley Road includes a condition not to 
emit nuisance odors, it can be "difficult" to determine whether an odor 
constitutes a nuisance and whether it's bothersome to a high enough number 
of people to prompt agency enforcement actions

"What's a nuisance? It seems like a vague thing that's weighed toward a 
corporation's interest," Rutland Town resident Teddy Lovko said. "You're 
talking about an odor that's not going to stop at property boundaries."

Elliot said he didn't disagree.

"It is vague," he said. "The largest quantifiable emissions from the plant 
would be emissions from fuel burning and dust and those emissions would be 
small."

That answer didn't satisfy neighbors who referred to an estimate that Wilk 
owner Steven Wilk made in the past that the plant wouldn't smell any worse 
than a typical road paving operation.

"If it's an odor like driving by a paving job, I find that odor 
objectionable," said Rutland resident Frank Smead. "I don't want to see a 
plant like this in the community."

"It might not be quantifiable, but it's significant to me," Rutland resident 
Thomas Hart added.

A number of residents also raised concerns about wind patterns that would 
blow the smell and emissions from the plant toward the city's downtown and 
inversion effects — low smog ceilings that typically develop in valleys 
where air currents become trapped — which they argued would make the smell 
and emissions linger.

"I don't object to asphalt plants, but I think it's a bad idea to build one 
upwind of our little valley," Rutland resident Kevin Kiefaber said.

Elliot responded to questions about inversion effects and the cumulative 
impact of adding the plant's emissions into the industrialized valley in the 
same manner. Because the plant's projected emission levels are low, Elliot 
said they don't pass the regulatory threshold that would require inversion 
testing or the aggregate impact on air quality.

While some residents argued on the grounds of odor or weather patterns, 
Joseph Tilden and Claire Sullivan said the plant could shorten their lives.

Sullivan, who said she recently had one of her lungs removed and Tilden, who 
produced an emergency supply of oxygen he carries with him for his asthma, 
hay fever and high blood pressure, both said they had serious health 
concerns.

"If you can't breathe, you can't live," Tilden said.

Wilk and his attorney were on-hand during the hearing but made no public 
comment. After the hearing ended, Wilk stayed to talk with those who came.

"I still invite anyone with questions to call me," he said.

Members of the public who couldn't make the meeting can still weigh in on 
the plant and the agency's draft permit by sending written comment to the 
division by 4 p.m. on June 23. Letters should be addressed to the Agency of 
Natural Resources, Air Pollution Control Division, Building 3 South, 103 
South Main St. Waterbury, VT 05671-0402.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/europe/2008/06/09/160227/Nude%2Dcyclists.htm

Nude cyclists protest in Spain

AP
Monday, June 9, 2008
MADRID, Spain -- Hundreds of cyclists rode nude through Spain's main cities 
to promote environmentally friendly transport and to call for cycle lanes to 
be put in place.
Organizers say streets "have been hijacked by private cars," making them 
"hostile, dangerous places."
Cyclists took to the streets in cities including Madrid, Barcelona and 
Zaragoza during Saturday's protest.
One protester, Ignacio Fernandez, had "No Oil" written on his back and said 
"Spanish cities have few lanes dedicated to cyclists, and it's time that 
changed."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/07/europe/EU-GEN-Spain-Nude-Bikers.php

Nude cyclists ride through Spanish cities in environmental protest

The Associated Press
Published: June 7, 2008
MADRID, Spain: Hundreds of cyclists rode nude through Spain's main cities to 
promote environmentally friendly transport and to call for cycle lanes to be 
put in place.
Organizers say streets "have been hijacked by private cars," making them 
"hostile, dangerous places."
Cyclists took to the streets in cities including Madrid, Barcelona and 
Zaragoza during Saturday's protest.
One protester, Ignacio Fernandez, had "No Oil" written on his back and said 
"Spanish cities have few lanes dedicated to cyclists, and it's time that 
changed."

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/06/400635.html

Protests against planned agrofuel power plant in Beckton
Almuth Ernsting | 09.06.2008 13:46 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | London
On 31st May and 4th June, banner protests were held against plans to build 
the UK's first agrofuel power plant in Beckton, London. Around 500 local 
residents signed a petition against those plans, which was handed to the 
mayor on 2nd June (with around 100 further signatures having been added 
since then). The protests were organised by Biofuewatch and the London Food 
Not Fuel Group.

Beckton protest 4th June

Beckton protest 4th June

Beckton protest 31st May

On 4th June, Newham Council recommended approval of the company Blue NG's 
planning application for an agrofuel CHP plant which would burn 56,000 
litres of virgin vegetable oil per day, despite hundreds of residents having 
signed a petition against those plans, despite strong warnings that the 
plant threatens to worsen air pollution and its health impact in an area 
which already has one of the highest asthma rates in the UK, and despite the 
strong evidence that agrofuels from monocultures worsen climate change, help 
to push up food prices, and threaten biodiversity and communities' control 
over and access to land in the global South.

The company plans at least seven further such plants and, according to an 
article in the Independent on Sunday, as many as 43 in total. The final 
decision on the Beckton application is expected to be made by the London 
Thames Gateway Development Corporation this Thursday, 12th June.

For further information about the background and how to get involved in the 
campaign, see www.biofuelwatch.org.uk
Almuth Ernsting

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/06/401999.html

Leave it in the Ground… in Court and a protest
Leave it in the Ground | 26.06.2008 23:51
Under the cover of darkness on 18th June, climate campaigners from ‘Leave it 
in the Ground’ occupied the UK Coal’s Lodge House site in Derbyshire by 
barricading themselves in a disused farm building and taken to the trees on 
the site of the proposed open cast mine.

Activists secured themselves in the Prospect Farm building, on the site 
which is about to be devastated by huge machines, according to one local we 
have stopped 30 people from working on the site, who are eagerly waiting for 
the go ahead to start stripping the earth away so the timing was spot on! 
The protesters have claimed squatter’s rights.

The proposed open cast mine is a 122 hector area and will have 1 million 
tonnes of coal ripped out of rural Derbyshire

For the latest info check the blog  http://leaveitintheground.wordpress.com

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2008/08/405652.html

Derbyshire Coal Mine Occupation - Eviction Happening Now
notts-dispatch | 11.08.2008 11:11 | Ecology | Nottinghamshire
It is now confirmed that the police have launched a full eviction attempt at 
the Bodge House squat in Shipley, Derbyshire. The house is located on the 
site of a proposed open cast coal mine.
Update Sunday 10th August: Eviction is still ongoing at Bodge House, in 
Derbyshire. This is the 4th day of the operation and 4 people were arrested 
earlier today. The house is very heavily barricaded and 2-3 people are still 
reported to be inside. 4 vans of police and bailiffs still in attendence.
Update Friday 8th August: (added comment by Jane) - We were there today to 
give support to those still in the house. We arrived about 11.00am. There 
were loads of police as would be expected and 3 people were taken out of the 
house while we were there and taken to Ripley police station. We were not 
allowed near so could not see who it was. Around 3.00 in the afternoon a 
chap in a suit and 2 women in inappropriate shoes turned up. We think they 
were from the bailiff teams. They spoke to the chief inspector in charge and 
went to the house. All the time the bailiffs on site had been cutting down 
the trees surrounding the house and trying to get in the front door of the 
house. They succeeded just before the 'suits' arrived. We left around 4pm to 
run some film to ITN but I heard later that the bailiffs had started up a 
generator to get air to the people in the tunnel under the house but left 
the site around 5.30. they are due back tomorrow (Saturday) to get the 2 
people in the tunnel out. Anyone who can get there, please get there to give 
support.
Update Thursday 7th August: Around 7.45am about 60 police and 50 bailliffs 
arrived at the house. Throughout the day the police have been trying to get 
through the barricades and defences. Local people and media have been at the 
scene. So far 3 people have been removed from lockons and a cargo net 
outside the house and have been arrested. 7 people are still inside and are 
heavily barricaded in, included being hidden in tunnels under the house. The 
bailiffs have put up security fences and although they have managed to enter 
part of the building, the eviction attempt has been stopped for today. It is 
estimated the eviction will take at least another couple of days.
On Friday July 18, UK Coal, who own the site, were granted a possession 
order for the Squatted farmhouse on the planned Lodge House open cast coal 
mine site. For some time it has been anticipated that an eviction is 
imminent, particularly as the climbing team used against road protesters has 
been seen around the site. It is evident that with the Climate Camp 
happening at Kingsnorth Power Station, the police saw their oppertunity to 
move in.
A little background: The site was occupied on Tuesday June 18 by climate 
campaigners from ‘Leave it in the Ground’. They barricaded themselves in a 
disused farm building and took to the trees on the site of the open cast 
mine. Under the cover of darkness activists secured themselves in the 
Prospect Farm building, on the site which is about to be devastated by huge 
machines. and claimed squatter’s rights.
Last people evicted - for now.
14.08.2008 21:47
This morning at around 2.30am the two humans in the tunnel under Prospect 
Farm, the anti-opencast protest site near Shipley were eventually removed 
and arrested. The tunnel team seemed to have been pushed into working a 19 
hour shift by UK Coal and their bosses after a week of hard work. Every day 
we noticed the increasing pressure on the tunnel team to work faster and 
faster. By the end it seemed that UK Coal were panicking at the rising cost 
of the eviction, and the ongoing coverage of the issue by the mainstream 
media.

Despite some rumours circulated in the popular media it was on the whole a 
comfortable and safe eviction, helped by the solid clay we were digging in. 
Digging small arc-shaped wormholes and chambers is the safest way to go, as 
arches are generally made stronger by weight applied to them.

It was a good innings really and we hope that people will take inspiration 
from the positive impact of the site to create many more varied actions all 
over the place. Certainly the struggle does not end here. We need to 
celebrate our collective impact and show all vessels of destruction and 
hatred that we are not prepared to cower back from prosecution or 
intimidation.

They do not know the end of it yet.

Good show chaps!
anon


http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/business_money/huge+heathrow+protest+/2266592?intcmp=rss_news_perspectives_climate_change

Huge Heathrow protest
Watch the report
Print this page
Last Modified: 31 May 2008
By: Channel 4 News
Thousands of campaigners fighting to prevent a third runway at Heathrow 
staged a demonstration around the airport today.
Many gathered in a field to form a giant 'No', whilst others marched in 
protest against Heathrow's expansion.

Almost 3,000 protestors are thought to have joined the protest, which comes 
as the government attempts to head off the disquiet of backbenchers over 
reforms to planning law.

Critics say the proposals will make it easier to force through big 
infrastructure projects like airports and nuclear power stations, against 
local opinion.

The Planning Reform Bill would establish an non-elected Infrastructure 
Planning Commission which would have the final say on major developments.

The government says this will speed up the planning process, but critics say 
there will be less public involvement.

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/thousands-join-protest-against-heathrows-third-runway

Thousands join protest against Heathrow's third runway
by amyjudd | May 31, 2008 at 05:11 pm | 124 views | 1 comment

by ranma_tim

by amyjudd
slideshow view all 2
Thousands of protestors have taken part today in a carnival-style protest 
against the proposed expansion of Heathrow.
Climate change, increasing noise pollution and congestion have united 
environmental groups and more than 20 councils against the government-backed 
BAA plan for a third runway and a sixth terminal.
More than 3,000 turned out for what was dubbed the Make A Noise Carnival, 
walking from Hatton Cross in west London to Sipson, the village that will be 
obliterated if the planned third runway goes ahead.
The mood was jocular and good humoured, despite the strong feelings the 
proposed expansion has evoked.
In a village field, as bands played, the protestors gathered to form a huge 
NO, which they expected to be visible from passing aircraft.
Many came in fancy dress and on stilts and paraded behind brass bands.
John Stewart, chairman of Heathrow anti-noise and anti-expansion group Hacan 
said: "Heathrow has never before seen a spectacle like this. Coaches have 
come from as far away as Manchester and Southampton and we have been joined 
by campaigners from Athens in Greece. Heathrow has become a symbol of 
worldwide resistance against aggressive airport expansion."
Tamsin Ormond, who recently scaled the roof of parliament in protest at the 
proposals and helped organise the event, told a cheering crowd: "Gordon 
Brown has a real fight on his hands here.
"People face losing their homes if he gives the green light to a third 
runway, and they'll be joined tomorrow by thousands of others who are deeply 
concerned about increased noise levels and climate change. That's why we are 
using our bodies to form a NO so big it will be visible from planes circling 
Heathrow. The mood in west London is pretty angry right now."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7507943.stm

Tuesday, 15 July 2008 20:28 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version
Academy protesters defy eviction

The council said the area needs Wembley Park City Academy to be built
People opposed to plans to build a city academy on a sports ground have 
refused to leave despite an eviction order.
Brent Council obtained the order to have the group of campaigners removed 
from Wembley Park Sports Ground by 1800 BST on Tuesday.
But the protesters, who have occupied the north-west London site since March 
2007, have refused to do so.
The council said bailiffs would now be sent to the site on Wednesday to 
remove the demonstrators.
The injunction bans Hank Roberts, one of the leaders of the campaign, from 
the site for two years.
After the 1800 BST deadline passed he said: "They've not got me to leave and 
no-one else has left.
"I will not be leaving - they've got to drag me off this roof."
Protesters object to the sale of the land for the development of the 
privately-run Wembley Park City Academy
They want it to be built on an alternative site in the south of the borough 
and for the sports ground to remain intact.
Brent Council said the Wembley Park City Academy is needed to meet demand 
for secondary school places in the area.
John Christie, Brent Council's Director of Children and Families said: "The 
council was left with no choice but to apply for the court injunction and 
order for possession to evict the squatters.
"Work is due to start on the temporary school building next week and the 
latest illegal occupation could have seriously jeopardised us providing 
school places for children who are starting in September.
"It is staggering what lengths the opposition has gone to in its attempt to 
stop the building of this urgently needed school, particularly when young 
people's education is at stake."

 http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/13/worldupdates/2008-07-13T164702Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-344920-1&sec=WorldupdatesSunday July 13, 2008Greenpeace climb Eiffel Tower in nuclear protestPARIS (Reuters) - About 15 environmental activists climbed the Eiffel Toweron Sunday to unfurl a banner protesting against France's nuclear energypolicies, on the day when it hosts a major summit of heads of state.Campaign group Greenpeace said the banner showing the nuclear logo wasplaced in the middle of a circle of stars representing the European Uniondisplayed on the tower to mark France's six-month term as EU president."Since he was elected, President Nicolas Sarkozy has done everything hecould to sell nuclear energy," said Frederic Marillier of the French sectionof Greenpeace in a statement."At the U.N., as head of the European council, or just recently at the G8,he has behaved like a travelling salesman for Areva and has used politicalplatforms to promote French nuclear power," Marillier said, referring to theFrench nuclear energy producer Areva.Sarkozy was hosting over 40 heads of state and government in Paris on Sundayfor a summit on the partnership between the European Union and countriesfrom the Mediterranean region.The issue of nuclear safety has come to the fore in France over the pastweek because of a uranium leak from a nuclear power plant in the southeastof the country.Areva said on Tuesday 30 cubic metres of liquid containing uranium wasaccidentally poured on the ground and into a river at the Tricastin nuclearsite. The incident was classified at level one on the International NuclearEvent Scale, in which the lowest level is zero and the highest is seven.The incident exacerbated anger among environmentalists over Sarkozy's July 3announcement that France would build a second new-generation EuropeanPressurised Reactor (EPR), bringing to 60 the number of nuclear reactors inthe country.France, which took over the rotating EU presidency on July 1, is Europe'sbiggest atomic energy-producing nation.The Greenpeace protest at the Eiffel Tower was the second anti-nucleardemonstration in Paris in as many days. On Saturday, thousands of protestersmarched in the city centre carrying banners with slogans like "Stay inactivetoday and you'll be radioactive tomorrow".http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0709/chemical.htmlProtest over Wicklow chemical destructionWednesday, 9 July 2008 22:36Around 50 people held a protest at Leinster House today over plans todestroy chemicals in the Wicklow mountains.The Co Wicklow residents say they are very concerned at plans to destroyseven canisters of hydrogen cyanide at Manor Kilbride.They handed in a letter of protest to Minister for the Environment JohnGormley.http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Protesters-force-12m-waste-plant.4342412.jpProtesters force £12m waste plant plan out of PortobelloPublished Date: 31 July 2008By Brian FergusonCAMPAIGNERS yesterday claimed victory over plans to create a £12 millionwaste plant on Edinburgh's waterfront.Commercial, industrial and household waste from across Edinburgh, EastLothian and Midlothian would have been brought into the proposed site atPortobello.But councillors yesterday voted 9-2 against the waste transfer centre, whichwould have seen up to 350,000 tonnes of waste a year handled before beingtransported to a landfill site in Dunbar, East Lothian.However, the company behind the scheme, which was strongly criticised forchanging key figures its application at the 11th hour, has signalled it willalmost certainly appeal the decision.Viridor, one the UK's leading waste management firms, estimated around 200lorries a day would visit the site, between 6am and 7pm. However, itsplanning application stated more than 900 lorry journeys may have needed tobe accommodated.More than 700 objections were lodged against the proposed plant, which hadoriginally been envisaged as a replacement for the city council'slong-established plant at Powderhall.However, the council has since confirmed it has no plans to close downPowderhall and the Portobello scheme was envisaged purely as a commercialoperation.It was claimed the new site would cut the number of road journeys being madefrom across the Lothians to the landfill site, even though waste from EastLothian was to be transported out of the area by road and then brought backin again by rail.Campaigners and councillors mocked claims that the new plant would have noimpact on traffic congestion levels in the Portobello area, particularly onthe busy Harry Lauder Road.And the company, whose representatives were continually heckled and jeeredthroughout the planning committee meeting, was told that its plans were"totally unsuitable" for a seaside town.Viridor's planning manager, Peter Wishart, insisted the site was the onlyone suitable because its location at a former freight terminal had a directrail link to Dunbar.He told the planning committee: "This is a facility for the whole city whichwill help reduce road journeys and carbon emissions. The proposal complieswith the local structure plan and the site is earmarked for industrial orbusiness use."However, Mr Wishart failed to address concerns over why his company waspursuing the application before local and national waste strategies arecompleted.Labour councillor Lesley Hinds said: "We are being asked to approvesomething in isolation before we know what the Scottish Government's newpolicy is going to be and while work is ongoing into a Lothian-wide wastestrategy."Liberal Democrat councillor Elaine Morris said: "It's completelyunacceptable that key elements of the application have changed at the lastminute. It's simply not on."Diana Cairns, a spokeswoman for the Portobello Opposes New Garbage Sitecampaign, said: "The applicants produced no evidence to support their claimsand this development was just completely inappropriate for Portobello."After the meeting, Viridor's spokesman, Dan Cooke, said: "We will obviouslynow have to examine our options, although an appeal is quite possible."http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0724/corrib.htmlCorrib protestors clash with gardaíThursday, 24 July 2008There have been further protests in Glengad in north Mayo as security staffand gardaí clashed with local opponents of the Corrib gas pipeline.The confrontation took place on the beach where the controversial pipelineis planned to come ashore.Local residents are trying to prevent the erection of fencing on the beachby the Corrib gas consortium and have called for a suspension of the work.AdvertisementThis morning they were involved in a series of scuffles as constructionworkers arrived on the site to resume the work, which has been going on forseveral day.The demonstration is continuing but so far there have been no arrests.The Corrib Gas consortium has said work is continuing at the site and itagain re-iterated that it has all the necessary permits and consent for thework.http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0722/corrib.html12 released after Corrib pipeline protestTuesday, 22 July 2008 20:10Twelve people arrested in Co Mayo following a protest against the Corrib gaspipeline have been released without charge.The 11 men and one woman were held over public order offences and were takento Bellmullet Garda Station.Gardaí say a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.AdvertisementThe 12, who are members of a newly formed community group, were taking partin a protest at Glengad Beach where the pipeline is due to brought ashore.The group is opposing the location of the €300m gas refinery 9km inland atBellanboy.The group says it wants the gas refinery relocated to an area on the northcoast of Mayo where they say will present less of a health and safety hazardto the local community and the environmenthttp://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20080723-0839-britain-glueprotest.htmlHappy to be stuck with you: Glue-handed activist claims audience with UKleaderBy Raphael G. SatterASSOCIATED PRESS8:39 a.m. July 23, 2008LONDON – A climate change activist assured himself a captive audience – bygluing himself to the prime minister of Britain.Dan Glass, 24, grasped the sleeve of Gordon Brown's suit with a glue-coveredhand at an awards ceremony Tuesday night, according to Plane Stupid, a groupknown primarily for its attention-grabbing stunts and fierce opposition tothe expansion of Heathrow Airport. Brown's spokesman confirmed the incident.Glass had been invited to receive an award for his campaigning activitiesfrom the Sheila McKechnie Foundation, a social justice group.He smuggled glue into Brown's official Downing Street residence in pouchesattached to his underwear and slathered it on his hand as the prime ministergave a speech.Glass clamped his hand onto Brown's suit during the reception and beganlecturing him about climate change. An audio clip posted to the Plane StupidWeb site carries the sound of Glass warning the prime minister he is beingtaken captive.“I've just glued myself to the buttons of the prime minister, but do notworry. It's a nonviolent protest,” he says, as Brown is heard laughing. “Butif you do pull your sleeve away it will really hurt me so please don't.“This is just to say that: We cannot shake away climate change just like youcannot shake away my arm.”Brown shook Glass off rather easily, according to a Downing Streetspokesman. “The glue wasn't that sticky,” the spokesman said while speakingon condition of anonymity in line with office policy. He added that theincident was “all very lighthearted” and that Glass had not been punished.http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/07/404345.htmlActivists Squat Newhaven Incinerator Site in ProtestFRANCESCA CORVINO | 22.07.2008 08:27 | Ecology | South Coast'Stop Incineration Now!' protestors demonstrate their fury now thatconstruction on the highly controversial incinerator plant has begun.Activists have taken over the site of the proposed new incinerator plant inNewhaven. They entered the premises under the cover of darkness last nightin an organised attempt at non-violent direct action, after resistancethrough democratic means failed them. Several protestors formed a barricadeby superglue-ing themselves to the road in an attempt to prevent vehicleaccess, whilst on the site itself, other members of the group 'locked-on' tomachinery in order to halt further activity. They claim to be exercisingtheir democratic right to protest non-violently in a last-ditch attempt topromote their concerns about the consequences of incinerators on publichealth and safety.Amidst a storm of controversy and fierce opposition from local residentsconcerned about pollution and health risks, construction of the incineratorby Veolia (Onyx) began early in June this year despite the fact thatplanning permission had not been officially approved and a judicial reviewof the process was still incomplete. Angry at what they saw as a directattack on the health of the public and a lack of transparency throughout theplanning process, local Newhaven campaign group Dove2000 fought to keep theissue in the public eye and generated 15,000 written objections to thescheme. It claimed that, falling way short of providing a necessary solutionto waste management, the plant instead would be responsible for theinevitable contamination of the local area, the release of highly dangeroustoxins into the atmosphere and the disastrous consequences of toxic ashdisposal.The devastating health implications for the environment and those living orworking within the (10-15 mile radius) fallout zone of the incinerator planthave been well documented by groups like Dove2000, and according to Dr. NeilCatman (former incinerator inspector and internationally recognised experton toxic waste incineration),'in licensing these incineration operations, the government is creatingzones of sacrifice....I'm not just talking about people getting sick. I'veseen them die. If the wind would blow the smoke towards the school on aMonday you'd see the children being at home sick on Tuesday and Wednesday.The schools near the incinerators had the highest absentee rates in thedistrict. I met a lot of these children. I've seen them die of leukaemia,brain cancer and a host of other disorders'.It is claimed* that incinerators emit some of the most toxic andbioaccumulative air pollutants including acidic gases and fine dustparticles which penetrate deep into the lungs causing respiratory diseaseand asthma; dioxins which suppress the immune system, cause cancer, and posea particular problem for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers as they passthrough to babies, readily reducing the rate of male births, causinghormonal disruption, learning difficulties and behavioural problems. Alsoemitted are nanoparticles and 2.5 micron particles which are knowncarcinogens able to migrate around the body, and a variety of dangerousheavy metals which affect the kidney and lungs, cause nerve and brain damageand adversely affect the central nervous system.* (www.dove2000.org.uk). The decision to use incinerators for burningradioactive waste from nuclear power stations is also being considered.By last year alone the cost of the project had soared to £145.7 million,with Brighton and Hove City Council and East Sussex County Council havingcollectively invested at least £2 million in legal fees to bring the projectbeyond the planning stage. There are a further 100-168 incinerators plannedfor use in the UK, though it appears that the Stop Incineration Now! networkof protestors are determined to assert their belief that this money could bemore advantageously spent on recycling initiatives to combat wastemanagement problems more sustainably without creating further environmentalproblems for present and future generations.The activists from Stop Incineration Now! continue to occupy the sitedetermined to bring the discussion to the national forum.http://www.indymedia.org/en/2008/08/911330.shtmlDirect Action Shuts Down Heavy Industry Projects in Iceland12 Aug 2008 21:14 GMTIceland has a reputation for clean energy, and is usually the textbookexample of clean, green geothermal energy. But recently, aluminiumcorporations ALCOA, RioTinto-Alcan and Century Aluminium are pushing forlarge scale, intensive geothermal development to power new smelters on thesubartic island, destroying large tracts of silent, empty, undevelopedwilderness. And this is not enough. If all the heavy industry plans areexecuted, all major glacial rivers would also be dammed.Saving Iceland is holding it's fourth direct action camp in the Icelandicwilderness. Over the last weeks, work on the Century Aluminum Helguviksmelter construction site was stopped for a day. Century's existing smelteras well as a steel factory were blockaded, holding up a shift change forseveral hours. A Reykjavik Energy geothermal drill site at Hellisheidi,being built for Century, was completely shut down for a day as activistslocked to machines, climbed the drill and occupied the power control room.The national power company Landsvirkjun had it's office invaded, and it'sCEO Fridrik Sophusson had his home visited. Saving Iceland nailed aneviction notice to his door. Landsvirkjun want to remove farmers from theThjorsa river valley to build a number of dams to provide energy to a RioTinto Alcan smelter. In the north of Iceland, they are deep drillinggeothermal boreholes for an ALCOA smelter in the north, affecting largetracts of wilderness. Outside Iceland, there were demonstrations atIcelandic embassies and consulates and the Glencore, ALCOA and Impregiloheadquarters in Switzerland and Italy.[IMC DE] [IMC NL] [IMC UK</ a>] [IMC Oost-Vlaanderen][Images] [Videos]Aluminium is used for packing, construction, car and plain manufacturing butit's largest consumer is the arms industry, producing tanks, missiles,small-arms and jets used on a large scale in every modern war. The industryis highly profitable while demand for 'lighter, faster and stronger'(ALCOA's slogan) equipment is soaring. Ironically, aluminium cars are soldas 'eco-friendly': lighter, so more fuel-efficient. The reality is thatbauxite mining destroys rainforests in the Caribbean</ a> and displacestribal people in India, while smelting produces large amounts of greenhousegases. Large dams for electricity generation is threatening to destroy notonly Iceland's highland wilderness but also the central African rainforestin Congo and large tracts of the Amazon.http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Docks-revamp-plan-protesters-given.4394906.jpDocks revamp plan protesters given the slipA PROTEST group set up to challenge plans to revamp Leith Docks failed toget its message across to councillors on a site visit.Joined-Up Master Planning (JUMP) wanted to stage a protest at theheadquarters of Forth Ports, the company behind the application, yesterday,but councillors sold them a dummy. JUMP members wanted to put on ahigh-profile demonstration and hand councillors leaflets, but didn't haveenough people to cover all the entrances to Forth Ports' offices and membersof the planning committee passed through the Salamander Street entrance.Co-founder of the group Shaeron Averbuch said: "JUMP also tried to issue asummary of information to the planning committee prior to their embarkationon to the bus from the City Chambers – this had also been unsuccessful asdespite being given one set of information by council staff, departure planswere not as to information provided."Councillors are due to rule on the outline planning application forthousands of homes and offices, as well as leisure facilities, later thisyear.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/motorbikes/7560788.stmThursday, 14 August 2008 12:28 UKProtest holds up Ulster GP ridersRyan Farquhar is one of the riders in the Ulster Grand PrixThursday morning's Ulster Grand Prix practice session was held up after anangry local resident parked her car close to the course in a protest.The woman left her vehicle on her own property close to the Budore sectionof the Dundrod circuit in a dispute with race officials.The Dundrod 150 road races were held as scheduled later on Thursday with anumber of extra safety measures.Hay bales were put around the vehicle and yellow flags used to warn riders.http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/RBS-faces-coal-loans-protest.4376805.jpRBS faces coal loans protestTHE Royal Bank of Scotland is set to face a raft of protest after details ofits loans to coal companies emerged, environmental groups have warned.Green protesters said today that RBS would face boycotts and possibly directprotests if it continues to pump cash into the industry.A report has shown that over two years the Edinburgh-based banking giantparticipated in 27 different loans to coal projects, worth £8 billion.And while RBS pointed out it was one of the biggest funders of renewableenergy projects across the globe, campaigners warned of a "public backlash".Friends of the Earth Scotland's chief executive Duncan McLaren reportedlysaid: "Coal is the dirtiest and most inefficient fossil fuel there is."http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=15066Protesters angry at landfill site awardProtestors complained about smells from landfillA waste management firm that became the first in Ireland to be awarded thePeel Cup was subject to a protest at one of its landfill sites.On the day Greenstar were to receive the Peel Cup, which is awarded by theChartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM), for its Ballynagran ResidualLandfill site in Co Wicklow, residents protested to mar the celebrations.Some 16 protesters handed visitors arriving to the award ceremony and openday copies of two letters of non-compliance issued by the EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) over odours emanating from the site."We are annoyed at the idea of Greenstar throwing a big party over the awardwhen we have been asking and waiting for over a year and a half to talk torepresentatives about our concerns," protestor Michael Mulvihill told theWicklow People."We have to live with the moist foul odour. It's stomach churning."The judging panel reportedly had not heard of the letters of non-compliance.