In a determined direct action at Ratcliffe Coal Power Station at Nottingham in England, 1000 Climate Activists have “swooped” on the power station in an effort to shut it down. The action resulted in dozens of arrests and protestors tore down fences and breached the perimeter at several points. Despite power supply not being interrupted, protestors considered the action a success through publicity gained and the fact it shows people are willing to attempt decommission coal power stations to bring down emissions, if the pollutions will not. Visit UK indymedia for further details of the action.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/10/439990.html
An excellent report on the demonstration can also be found from the ABC’s World Today program at
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2009/s2717796.htm
It includes interviews with protestors, one such interview is included below
“Ed Thompson was part of the protest and he told me that major coal-exporting countries like Australia carry a special responsibility but if governments won't act, groups like his will.
ED THOMPSON: The power station that we are protesting at producing 9.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every single year which is actually the annual equivalent to whole entire nations such as Nepal, Cambodia, Cameroon.
PHILIP WILLIAMS: Now your methods have been questioned by the Government. They say that there is no place for illegal activity, for violence. How would you respond?
ED THOMPSON: In Britain we have got large numbers of very big environmental NGOs that have been campaigning on climate change for years and years and years and in response the Government has said yes to airport expansion, yes to new coal-fired power stations and no to significant investment into renewables so basically you know, standard lobbying to the political elite really isn't working.”
Description of footage can be found below
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/nottinghamshire/8313295.stm
This Guardian story includes a police officer admitting that protestors engaged en masse in trying to pull down the fence were hit with batons and bitten by police dogs.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/18/protesters-arrested-ra...
