earthfirst – Page 49 – Earth First!

Cuadrilla’s central fracking lair (AKA HQ) protest in the Midlands

1st August 2013

We’ve all heard about the revolution kicking off in Balcombe, but before today few would have known that the HQ of Britain’s premier fracking corporation Cuadrilla are located in the Midlands. Their offices in Lichfield were stormed today by a group acting in solidarity with the bockade in West Sussex.

1st August 2013

A man in a suit, calling himself Mr Fracktastic, was accompanied by another man in a high vis carrying a fracking rig, which appeared to be made of cardboard. The unsightly duo were chased down the streets of a picturesque city, known by the locals as LichVegas, by an articulate and well-dressed mob armed with well-researched facts and catchy chants.

Mr Fracktastic shouted incoherently through a megaphone: ‘It’s going to be fracking fantastic, we’ll produce billions of litres of chemically enriched delicious water for you all to drink.’

The group responded by chanting: ‘No Dash For Gas! Reclaim the Power!’ and handed out informative leaflets to bemused onlookers. The protesters explained how fracking has become the frontline of the Government’s Dash for Gas, their lans to build up to 40 new gas-fired power stations as our existing power stations come to the end of their life. They’ll be pumped full of fracked gas fresh from our devastated countryside, leaving a trail of broken communities behind. As we spin into climate chaos from further fossil fuel fanaticism, the price of gas is set to rocket, pushing even more people into fuel poverty.

The rag tag bunch finally arrived at Cuadrilla HQ only to find that the doors of the office were locked and de-logo’d, guarded by police and surounded by a (modest) media frenzy.

‘Ha!’ Mr Fracktastic exclaimed. ‘The police are doing their job; protecting corporate profit and not the people.’ The coporate big wig proceeded to launch into a tirade, declaring the protesters a ‘bunch of smelly hippy vermin who simply do not understand the medically proven benefits of water enhanced with fracking fluid.’

Within a minute the posh executive was ovecome by the crowd, first cowering under the cardboard drilling rig. Finally, he lay on his back, arms and legs raised in the air and whimpered ‘I submit’ in a distinctive Etonian accent.

It was a small victory for the forces of sanity, in a battle that is set to continue in the coming weeks, with an ongoing blockade at Balcombe and the Reclaim the Power camp

Video & local newspaper coverage

Video: Activists Shut Down First Tar Sands Mine in Utah

3.8.13

Respect Existence, or Expect Resistance!

Earlier this week activists converged at PR Springs, site of the first proposed tar sands mine in the United States. They shut down work at the mine, and road construction, for the entire day.

http://youtu.be/Yr3lwylwMn0

For more information visit: http://www.peacefuluprising.org/actioncampaction

Please LIKE and SHARE to let US Oil Sands know–if you build it, WE WILL COME!

Latest News From The Great Gas Gala – Day 8

Update (3:45pm): Two fracking trucks forced through blockade with police escort. Ambulance called for lady pushed over by police.

Update (1:00pm): Police tow away fire engine with two frackfighters still lock on inside!

Update (3:45pm): Two fracking trucks forced through blockade with police escort. Ambulance called for lady pushed over by police.

Update (1:00pm): Police tow away fire engine with two frackfighters still lock on inside!

Update (11:00am): Police have put up scaffolding next to fire engine and are trying to cut frackfighters off. Driver arrested. Support Balcombe in its fight against fracking!

Update (8:45am): Police trying to talk frack-fighers into leaving! Will they succeed?

Update (7:30am): A beautiful day in Balcombe. Weather lovely and an old fire engine is blocking the entrance of Cuadrilla’s fracking site. How could it get any better? Support the community in Balcombe!

Update (6:50am): Balcombe gets more support. Antique fire engine blocking entrance of Cuadrilla’s fracking site in Balcombe in Sussex

Our Children Say No To Fracking In Balcombe

Police Trying To Tow Fire Engine Away With Frackfighters Still Inside!

Frackfighters Inside The Fire Engine At The Community Blockade In Balcombe

Police Suround Frackfighter’s Fire Engine At Community Blockade

Good Weather For Day 8 Of The Community Fracking Blockade In Balcombe

Police Cutting Team On Roof Of Fire Engine In Blacombe

Police Have Put Up Scaffolding Next To Fire Engine In Balcombe

Police Trying To Remove Frackfighters From Cab Of Fire Engine In Balcombe

Very Sunny Day In Balcombe! Take Sensible Precautions!

Frackfighter’s Twitter Account Was Suspended Shortly After The Began Tweeting

Police Trying To Remove Frackfighters From Roof Of Fire Engine In Balcombe

Good Start To The Day At Community Fracking Bloackade Of Cuadrilla’s Site

Fracking Emergency Crew Block The Entrance To Cuadrilla’s Site In Balcombe

Community In Balcombe Gets Support From An Unlikely Source. Fracking Emergency!

The FrackFighters Settle In For The Long Haul At Balcombe Community Blockade

Community Fracking In Balcombe Get A Hand. Fracking Emergency!

Community In Balcombe Gets Support From An Unlikely Source. Fracking Emergency!

The Fracking Emergency Crew At The Balcombe Community Blockade

Fracking Emergency Crew Are In Balcombe! Old Fire Engine Blocking Entrance To Site

Fracking Emergency! Old Fire Engine Blocking Entrance To Fracking Site

Latest News From The Great Gas Gala – Day 7

31 July 2013 Fracking company Cuadrilla Resources are trying to start drilling in Balcombe, West Sussex and the community is trying to stop them. Over 250 people stopped 15 trucks bring on equipment on Day 1 (Thurs). On Day 2 more than 100 police were used to break the blockade and escort trucks onto the fracking site. On Day 3 the community continued to resist attempts to force trucks through the blockade but gave up early afternoon. On Day 4 Cudrilla did not attempt to bring any trucks onto the site. On Day 5 Cuadrilla continued to try to push trucks through the blockade and the community have continued to resist. Camp is still going strong and renewed efforts are being made to defend Balcombe.

Update (10:00am): Cuadrilla’s fracking site closed and trucks being turned away. Go Balcombe!

Update (9:00am): Two people superglue themselves together, locking the gate of the Cuadrilla fracking site to defend the community of Balcombe and Sussex more generally from fracking

Cuadrilla’s Fracking Site In Balcombe Blocked By Community

Two People Glue Around The Gate Of Fracking Site In Balcombe

Two People Lock The Gate Of The Cuadrilla Fracking Site In Balcombe

Ongoing road bloackade against Mining in Sweden

30 July 2013 Right now there is a battle against mining in Sapmi, north of Sweden, going on. We have barricaded the road leading to the site where Beowulf Mining Plc. want to make test mines. This is the Sami peoples lands stolen by the Swedish state and colonized since way back. We stand in solidarity with indigenous culture and fight against the mega-machine of mining. The Swedish police are now on the site removing obstacles to help the mining corporation proceed. At least 6 people have been arrested already but protests are still going on. For five days the police have this special mission to help the evil corporation, that’s why we need people now!

This is a strategic battle, if the resistance to the mine is strong enough Beowulf will not be able to sell the mining site to another corporation (which is their plan). There is a security radius of 150m from the test pits, if people are inside those the corporation are not able to detonate explosives. How far is this corporation ready to go? Are they ready to blow people up to get their ore? We don’t know but we are ready to die to stop them. Solidarity protests, new warriors, prayers, actions and whatever you can imagine to help is/are welcome!

For everything wild and free!

ALF Releases Captive Pheasants from Farm in Riverside, CA

30 July 2013 Riverside, CA: In a communique received by the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, the Animal Liberation Front has taken credit for liberat

30 July 2013 Riverside, CA: In a communique received by the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, the Animal Liberation Front has taken credit for liberating captive pheasants from four out of six pens at a Riverside, California farm on July 22nd. According to documents posted at the Wildlife Farm Database (“Directory of captive wildlife operations for activists”), the Ash Grove pheasant farm is one of just over 60 farms in California that breed “game birds,” including quail and partridges.The birds are slaughtered for sale as meat, or sold to captive hunting facilities to be shot at close range by so-called hunters.

This is the third raid of a pheasant farm in the last 18 months. In March 2012, the Animal Liberation Front released 70 to 100 birds from a farm in Oregon. Several months later, the ALF released “dozens” of pheasants from another Oregon farm.

The communique reads, in full:

On the night of July 22, the masked rescuers of the Animal Liberation Front entered the Ash Grove Pheasant Farm at 10540 Victoria Avenue in Riverside, California. As the farmer slept just feet away, the fencing was torn open with wire cutters. Four of the six pens on the property were breached, giving these beautiful beings a chance at freedom.

Wildlife farms are everywhere. Their victims can be immediately released, with no rehoming necessary. This life saving action took no specialized skill, less than twenty-four hours of planning, and fifty dollars. With basic tools and determination, anyone is capable of destroying the barrier that stands between an animal and their freedoms.

Stop fraternizing about it. Stop fantasizing about it. Stop frightening yourself out of it. You know you want to – just do it. Wild non-humyns await their release from prisons in your neighborhoods.

‘For only a fool would cling to this world as it is,’ A.L.F

The Animal Liberation Front utilizes economic sabotage in addition to the direct liberation of animals from conditions of abuse and imprisonment to halt needless animal suffering. By making it more expensive to trade in the lives of innocent, sentient beings, the ALF maintain the atrocities against our brothers and sisters are likely to occur in smaller numbers; their goal is to abolish the exploitation, imprisonment, torture and killing of innocent, non-human animals.

Arson at a New Mexico Horse Slaughterhouse

30 July 2013 Earlier today, the owner of Valley Meat, Co., near Roswell, NM, announced that his horse slaughterhouse was hit by arson. The blaze did not burn the whole factory down, but appears to have been targeted for the refrigeration unit.

According to De Los Santos, “The fire inspector was out there. He took samples of the dirt and stuff just to make sure. But he said this was something that was not done by electricity or lightning. He said something was poured on it to light it.”

The damage will postpone the factory’s startup, since it cannot work without a refrigeration unit. Chaves County police are calling the blaze, “very suspicious.”

According to AP, a passerby notified authorities on Saturday after noticing someone jump the fence and pour lighter fluid on the refrigerator.

De Los Santos claims that opponents have made various threats to him, like “We hope the place catches on fire.” But it’s hard to narrow down the opponents, since the list of organizations opposed to horse slaughtering includes the Humane Society, the USDA, and other groups.

It appears that the Department of Agriculture held up the permits for Valley Meat, but was sued by the company for failing to act. At that point, the permits were given, in spite of a lack of sufficient environmental review.

Direct action gets the goods.

None of this would have been possible two years ago, since Congress lifted a ban on domestic horse slaughter in 2011. Most horse meat, however, is likely to be shipped to other countries that eat horses and to zoos for animal food.

The Great Gas Gala Day 6

30 July 2013 Photos from yesterday show that the police are massing to get Cuadrilla vehicles onto the site at Balcombe, so Cuadrilla can begin the dangerous path to fracking.

Update (7:00pm): Rain cleared and more people coming down to show their support.

Update (5:00pm): Very large numbers of police being used to try to imposed fracking on the people of Balcombe. Come and support them!

Update (9:40am): Fracking truck attempting to force way through blockade with help of police. Come down and support community!

Update (9:00am): Weather not great today but but community standing strong against Cuadrilla’s fracking threat. Come support them.

Update (7:00am): Breakfast begin prepared at community blockade in Balcombe. Come down and support the fight against fracking.

Camp is still going strong and renewed efforts are being made to defend Balcombe. Come down and support the fight against fracking.

Willits Action Update

July 30th

In yet another stealthy pre-dawn action, protesters against the Caltrans bypass around Willits again snuck onto the construction site, this time on the south end of the route, locking themselves to a giant bulldozer called a ripper. The machine is tearing apart a hillside and using the soil to fill in wetlands and streams to build a freeway. For the first time, press has access to the protest site, after Willits News photographer Steve Eberhard was arrested when he tried to cover a protest last week.

Two women, Kim Bancroft and Maureen Kane, have locked their hands around the equipment in welded steel tubes, which are difficult to remove and must be sawn through. A third protester, Steve Keyes, was arrested when he would not leave their side, where he was stationed with water. Temperatures have been in the nineties all week. A crowd of local citizens has gathered in support, and CHP is on scene. Bancroft explained: “Caltrans put out false information to justify a four-lane bypass. The people of Willits designed an alternative route that would not be so expensive or destructive, and it was ignored.” The project’s cost at this point is $210 million.

“Caltrans is attempting to mitigate for the loss of wetlands on an unprecedented scale, using an untried method with no long term manager and without long term funding to sustain it”, said Ellen Drell, founding board member of the Willits Environmental Center. “They’re replacing an already functioning wetland with a speculative plan.”

Caltrans purchased one third of the entire Little Lake Valley in an effort to mitigate for this project, which will cause the largest loss of wetlands in 50 years. In a scheme that they themselves acknowledge to be experimental, Caltrans will excavate 266,000 cubic yards of wetland soils, gouging out unnatural depressions. In other areas the plan calls for stripping off existing vegetation and replacing it nursery grown plants.

“The total price tag of this mitigation travesty to the taxpayers is $54 million dollars,” said Drell.

The Mendocino Conservation Resource District (RDC), which Caltrans assumed would take over management of the mitigation plan, has declined to accept ownership of the mitigation lands or responsibility for its management, after reviewing the mitigation plan. Thus the plan is moving forward with no manager, leaving one-third of valley lands with Caltrans as the sole owner, and no plan for the future. While there is funding for earth moving, planting and 40 miles of fencing, there is zero funding for land management, including rotational grazing for cattle, oversight, maintenance, and flood control.

Protests over the Willits Bypass freeway have been ongoing since January when a young woman calling herself “Warbler” took up residence high in a pine tree on the route. Her tree-sit, and 5 others were ended after 2 months in a huge military-style operation by CHP swat teams. “Warbler” returned to the trees this week, this time in a rare wetland ash forest at the north end of the route. Over 30 people have been arrested, and rallies, petitions, protests and a lawsuit continue.

http://youtu.be/0y1vwWVTGv4

Communiqué After 50 days of Occupation in Zurawlow, Poland

29th July 2013: It has been 50 days since the start of the protest against Chevron’s activities by residents in Zurawlow, Rogow and Szczelatyn, Poland. Since then, they have successfully blocked the access to the land leased by Chevron where the shale gas extraction was planned to be carried out.

During that time, farmers had arranged meetings with various officials, ranging from local municipality administrators down to Ministry of Environment. Unfortunately, all of the meetings and discussions failed to meet demands of the protesters.

Protesters are being supported by activists from all over the world. We are deeply appreciative of your support. Simultaneously, we would like to ask you for direct support. At this time of the year the most important period (field harvesting) for farmers begins, thus it is crucial for us your presence at the site of the protest. Only your support, joint actions and solidarity gives us a chance to reach victory.

http://occupychevron.tumblr.com