Climate Camp 2008 News Thread

[winjer]

There were officers without numbers on, which is illegal

No it isn't.

It was a recommendation of the PCA, and it's just about arguable that it's a breach of the code of conduct:
"police officers should not behave in a way which is likely to bring discredit upon the police service."
but it's certainly not an offence, and I believe never has been.

 

[laptop]

'weapons stash' near climate camp:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7542592.stm

Campers condem smear by police. "Last year it was bombs at Heathrow, this year it is knives in a wood, every year it's something, and always, always these crazy stories turn out to be untrue." said Paul Sumburn at the Camp.

We remind everyone that somebody (police?, BAA?) started a similar smear campaign against us last year at Heathrow, reported by the Evening Standard, who we persued through the Press Complaints Commission and won our case. We will vigourously persue any unsubstantiated claims against the camp. We welcome critical reporting. But outright lies must challenged.

http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/home

from indymedia feed: http://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405438.html

 

[moon23]

smear stirring shite .. ffs how low will they go .. and the attack on the camp was for the campers own safety!! lol

Yes the police shouldn't point the finger at the climate camp without any evidence, for starters it has predjudiced any legal case that might have arisen. For all they know some local kids might have hidden it there (if we assume it wasn't planted).

 

[co-op]

Yes the police shouldn't point the finger at the climate camp without any evidence, for starters it has predjudiced any legal case that might have arisen.

LOL. There won't be any "case", it's utter nonsense.

 

[durruti02]

Paul Morozzo one of the environmentalists bailed on condition of NOT going to CC, after the Drax action has been arrested as he tried to enter CC

.. ( p.s paul is an all round good man and activist extraordinaire!! )


http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405429.html

 

[SpookyFrank]

No it isn't.

It was a recommendation of the PCA, and it's just about arguable that it's a breach of the code of conduct:
"police officers should not behave in a way which is likely to bring discredit upon the police service."
but it's certainly not an offence, and I believe never has been.

Indeed, coppers removing shoulder numbers is very much the norm in 'public order' scenarios such as this. There bloody well should be a law against coppers being unidentifiable but there you go

 

[october_lost]

'weapons stash' near climate camp:

Among the items that were recovered was a 15in knife, a pointed throwing star, grappling irons, shields, kitchen knives and chains, many of which were found hidden in trees and undergrowth around the site.

Complete non-story.

 

[ddraig]

loads of the links on here are down

keep it up and stay safe whoevers there, saw a glimpse of a Welsh urbanite in one of the pics

 

[laptop]

loads of the links on here are down

All working for me

keep it up and stay safe whoevers there, saw a glimpse of a Welsh urbanite in one of the pics

Aye...

 

[The Black Hand]

Climate Camp Violently Attacked, Incursion Resisted.
Well, I thought the policing couldn't get any worse. I was wrong.

The police violently attacked the camp at the north gate at dawn yesterday morning, allegedly on the pretext of towing away, searching and presumably impounding vehicles parked there. They went mad while we were trying to liaise with them and the Metropolitan Police were, as is usual at political protests, at the forfront of the violence.

There were officers without numbers on, which is illegal, an officer punched one legal observer in the face, which is illegal, and they also used pepper spray and batons, including the spraying of a local woman who had joined the protest. We responded by raising our arms and chanting things like 'OFF! OFF! OFF!' while trying to push them off the site.

The fighting continued at the north gate throughout the day and then, in the afternoon, they appeared at the south gate and were again resisted. The police were physically held off with the same methods as at the north gate and were less violent, but repeatedly hit people with their shields instead. At the north gate they used the edges of their shields to break people's linked arms and stamped on people doing a sit-down protest. They didn't stop stamping until they trod all over a 63 year old woman and then realised the fact.

The police response also included the searching of certain journalists, especially those who cover political demonstrations.

Various MP's have condemned the police riot and gone on record as doing so, and the NUJ are also aware of the searching of journalists.

Toodle Pip for now.

Scum.

Keep up the good work...

 

[moon23]

LOL. There won't be any "case", it's utter nonsense.

Yes and the best way to prove that to people is to expose the ways in which they have treated it differently to a weapons stash found anywhere else e.g. pointing the finger straight away based on circumstantial evidence.

 

[durruti02]

Psyops at CC ..

Psyops, terror and policing of the climate camp
camper | 06.08.2008 03:50 | Climate Chaos | Repression | Terror War | London | South Coast

Police mounted an outrageous terror attack on the camp in the early hours of Wednesday 6th, sounding sirens, circling their helicopter over the site, cutting the flood lighting, then deploying van loads of tooled-up riot cops at the gates in the darkness and getting them to number off and yell 'get up, get up' into the camp....


2:57 police waking the camp
sirens
lots of confusion
police copter over camp
people gathering at front gate
copter flying around camp
3:04 helicopter now left
no incursion
just annoying us? keeping us jumpy?
3:07 helicopter can still be heard in distance coming back to camp
3:08 back over camp now
3:09 police lighting towers just went off
sirens again
kicking off!
shouting
screams at gate
3:11 not sure whats happening
barricade being formed
helicopter still circling
riot cops numbering off at gate
3:18 all riots cops now got back into their vans at main gate and driven off
just a few cops still at gate
calmed down, although a good chunk of the site is now awake
camper
Homepage: http://climatecamp.org.uk

 

[bluestreak]

I can only assume that they're trying to dispirit everyone enough that they pack up and go home; or provoke a confrontation.

Either way, I hope they get struck down by god. Scum.

 

[durruti02]

I can only assume that they're trying to dispirit everyone enough that they pack up and go home; or provoke a confrontation.

Either way, I hope they get struck down by god. Scum.

his vengance will be mighty!


( need to check he's on our side mind!)

 

[Matt S]

God is scary. Check out Psalm 136. He smote Og, the king of Basan. Don't mess with him.

Matt

P.S. I may be sleep deprived this morning.

 

[durruti02]

sorry for thread distraction but

"And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder: One of the four beasts saying: "Come and see." And I saw. And behold, a white horse.
There's a man goin' 'round takin' names. An' he decides who to free and who to blame. Everybody won't be treated all the same. There'll be a golden ladder reaching down. When the man comes around.

The hairs on your arm will stand up. At the terror in each sip and in each sup. For you partake of that last offered cup, Or disappear into the potter's ground. When the man comes around.

Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers. One hundred million angels singin'. Multitudes are marching to the big kettle drum. Voices callin', voices cryin'. Some are born an' some are dyin'. It's Alpha's and Omega's Kingdom come.

And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree. The virgins are all trimming their wicks. The whirlwind is in the thorn tree. It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Till Armageddon, no Shalam, no Shalom. Then the father hen will call his chickens home. The wise men will bow down before the throne. And at his feet they'll cast their golden crown. When the man comes around.

Whoever is unjust, let him be unjust still. Whoever is righteous, let him be righteous still. Whoever is filthy, let him be filthy still. Listen to the words long written down, When the man comes around.

Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers. One hundred million angels singin'. Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettle drum. Voices callin', voices cryin'. Some are born an' some are dyin'. It's Alpha's and Omega's Kingdom come.

And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree. The virgins are all trimming their wicks. The whirlwind is in the thorn tree. It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

In measured hundredweight and penny pound. When the man comes around.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts, And I looked and behold: a pale horse. And his name, that sat on him, was Death. And Hell followed with him. "

http://www.hit-country-music-lyrics.com/johnnycashlyrics-mancomesaround.html

 

[durruti02]

the intimidation continues .. latest is that the CC mini bus shuttle ( brings people from Strood ) drivers have been arrested and the vans themselves 'stolen'/impounded by the police .. pathetic

 

[moon23]

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/5552/

A rather Critical piece on the Climate Camp. Can't help feel that comparing them to Gordon Brown is streching it a tad!
Still I agree on his point about Nuclear.

 

[moon23]

the intimidation continues .. latest is that the CC mini bus shuttle ( brings people from Strood ) drivers have been arrested and the vans themselves 'stolen'/impounded by the police .. pathetic

It's beyond a joke, I wonder how far up Kent Police's policy towards the camp has been authorised?

 

[durruti02]

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/5552/

A rather Critical piece on the Climate Camp. Can't help feel that comparing them to Gordon Brown is streching it a tad!
Still I agree on his point about Nuclear.

as usual it is all straw man ..

"For the billions in the world who live on less than one dollar per day, environmentalists’ demand to ‘reduce consumption’ and ‘halt economic growth’ must sound like a sick joke. "

99% of CCers would SUPPORT and increase in consumption for the vast maj of people ..

 

[Bakunin]

There was more overly (and deliberately) heavy-handed policing at the Climate camp yesterday.

The police again attempted to force access through one of the gates, but were again held back and repulsed by the campers. There was no attempt to gain access through the other gates.

The local Council wanted to make an inspection today and check that our cooking facilities were up to scratch, which they are. They were denied access to the site by the police. There also reports coming in of numerous locals being stopped, searched and having articles confiscated, despite their being unconnected to the camp at all.

The talks by Arthur Scargill, Caroline Lucas and George Monbiot went ahead uninterrupted, despite the heavy-handed and unnecessarily aggressive police actions at the camp. Lucas will be raising the issue of the policing with the European Commission on the grounds that it is a deliberate attempt to halt peaceful protest.

There were two false alarms at the gates during Tuesday night and an attempted raid on Wednesday morning. The raid was again held back and repulsed by the campers. The Assistant Chief Constable of Kent Police has attempted to justify the repressive policing by claiming that we were hurling 'forks and coins' at the riot police. Either his officers are lying to him or this man is a liar himself as I have heard no reports of this on the camp whatsoever.

Police have also attempted to block food supplies from coming into the camp.
There have also been repeated attempts to seize and take vehicles parked around the camp under the Abandoned Vehicles Act.

Local MP Bob Marshall Andrews cut short his holiday and returned to the area specifically to visit the camp and condemn the police tactics.

 

[durruti02]

campers ignore stop and search .. but local people essentially have been intimidated by 4 hour waits and full searches from coming to CC

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405596.html

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SjN3xBcJKIU

 

[durruti02]

regular video updates here


http://www.undercurrents.org/visionon/

 

[paolo]

Duritti - would be good if anything can be paralelled onto Youtube... Not sure if you have any possible influence on that. Would be interested to see the vids.

 

[durruti02]

Duritti - would be good if anything can be paralelled onto Youtube... Not sure if you have any possible influence on that. Would be interested to see the vids.

ok looks like it's happenning already

http://uk.youtube.com/results?search_query=climate+camp+2008+kent&search_type=&aq=f

 

[durruti02]

actions galore today .. lock on at a Thurrock Agrofuels factory, Gatwick Airport in protest at short haul flights, and RBS in Londonfor supporting oil;

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405633.html

"..George Monbiot, who is at the Climate Camp said "far from being a solution
to Climate Change, agrofuels are so damaging they make petroleum look
green. They threaten both to accelerate Climate Change and to trigger a
global humanitarian disaster. I'm delighted that this depot has been
blockaded and I hope it sends a strong signal that agrofuels are a part of
the problem not of the solution.".. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7546555.stm

 

[kyser_soze]

These OB are eejits. Instead of a constant campaign of resistance-engendering harrasment and acting in ways that will only ever increase people's resolve, justy leave it until the little scamps do try something illegal with the ropes, chains, pipes and everything else, and then come down like a ton of bricks...

It's all completely fucked up - has this cheief copper got no idea whatsoever of history?

 

[durruti02]

rbs action

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405655.html

A report released today by a coalition of environmental NGOs [2] reveals
that RBS is estimated to have been involved in providing loans of over $20
billion to coal-related companies in the last two years – including the
energy company E.ON.

Head of Climate Change Campaigns at People & Planet, Bronwen Thomas said

“Thousands of climate change activists are currently gathered at the
Climate Camp in Kingsnorth to oppose E.ON's plans to build the first
coal-fired power station in the country for 33 years. Coal is the dirtiest
fuel there is. Opening coal fired power stations is madness - We should
be stopping climate change not making it worse”

PANDA student activist Alex Wood, 22, is currently chained to other
activists in front of RBS. He explained his reasons: “I'm risking arrest
today because RBS must take responsibility for the emissions caused by
their investments. Climate change causes the death of 150, 000 people per
year – each one of the fifteen bodies lying outside RBS represents 10, 000
deaths. To stop this number increasing RBS must act now.”

RBS, who refer to themselves as 'the oil and gas bank' has also loaned
money to companies like Arch Coal, who are involved in the controversial
technique of coal mining called Mountain Top Removal. This destroys the
tops of entire mountains and produces large quantities of toxic sludge.

PHOTOS ON REQUEST: [email protected]

NOTES:

[1] RBS London HQ address is 250 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4NR

[2] PANDA is People & Planet's Associated Network for Direct Action. For
more details see:
http://peopleandplanet.org/ditchdirtydevelopment

[3] The coalition of groups consists of Friends of the Earth Scotland,
People & Planet, Platform, BankTrack, Stop Climate Chaos and Scottish
Education and Action for Development.

[4] For more info on the Climate Camp visit www.climatecamp.org.uk

[5] For more info on the Royal Bank of Scotland’s financing of fossil fuel
extraction see: www.peopleandplanet.org/ditchdirtydevelopment

 

[Bakunin]

It was a much quieter day at the Climate camp yesterday, a welcome breather for us after the events of the last week or so.

We spent the day chilling out and attending to essential tasks (meetings, media response, liaison, cooking, adding to our infrastructure and so on) and generally taking a little bit of a rest and getting some of the camp's workshops out of the way. The week has obviously been disrupted badly by the police activity, and stop and and searches and so on are still going on as anyone attempts to enter or leave the camp. Good news is that vehicles are now going to be allowed to park nearer to the camp so people can deliver essential supplies and camping kit as people are still arriving in numbers here.

Today was much busier, with three solidarity actions going ahead. Plane Stupid hit Gatwick Airport, another group targetted an agrofuels facility in Thurrock and another action was carried out at the offices of RBS Bank as well. The police met the agrofuels facility action with particular aggression, pulling people out of lock-ons instead of using the cutting teams to get them out.


Currently, police are blocking legal observers from advising people on their rights and doing their work.

Toodle Pip for now.

 

[laptop]

World's smallest campaigners scale Kingsnorth smokestack