Climate Chaos – Page 11

Summary of Repression from ZAD

30th June Summary of arrests and trials since the demo in Nantes, February 22nd, according to information found by the anti-repression committee (CARILA)

February 22nd: 14 arrests, two released without charge. Of the 12 people charged, 5 had immediate trials the next day, and the 7 others will have trials later (3 on June 19th, 2 minors in children’s court, and no news for the 2 others).

February 24th: 5 immediate trials, 4 of them judged for “violence against someone with public authority”, and “participating in an armed group”. They were all convicted.
100 hours of community service
5 months suspended sentence
5 months of prison
5 months of prison and 1 month probation
6 months of prison and 6 months of probation + 500 euros for the undercover cops supposedly injured

Of all those convicted this day, no one went directly to prison. This means that they can negotiate a lighter sentence.

March 31st: First wave of arrests after the demo: 9 people were arrested at home (in Carquefou, St. Herblain, Nantes, and Ille-et-Vilaine).

2 were released without charges
4 were judged the next day in immediate trials
2 minors: one accused of throwing fireworks at the police judged in juvenile court, placed under house arrest until their trial in 2015, the other we don’t think they were charged but we have no confirmation
1 person had a trial later but we don’t have contact with them

April 1st: Immediate trials for those arrested the day before

P: 4 months suspended sentence, forbidden to carry weapons for a year, forbidden to protest in Notre Dame des Landes and Nantes for a year
J: 5 months of prison, forbidden to carry weapons for 2 years, forbidden to protest in Nantes for 2 years
G: 2 months suspended sentence + 2 months prison (suspended sentence from last arrest), aquitted for vandalism
E: 1 year of prison, starting immediately after the trial, forbidden to protest for 3 years, forbidden to have explosives or flammable materials for 3 years. The judge doubled the sentence that the DA asked for!

May 14th: G arrested in Paris under a warrant for vandalism February 22nd. He refused an immediate trial, fuzzy photos were the only evidence. He was placed in preventative detention, but got out a month later because of a procedural error. His trial is July 16th.

May 27th: R. arrested in the street in Rennes by undercover cops, transferred to Nantes. He refused immediate trial, and was put under house arrest, and forbidden from the Loire-Atlantique region until his trial, June 19th.

June 13th: Additional trial for someone convicted February 24th to decide how much they should pay in damages to the undercover cops. No information on the verdict for the moment.

June 18th:
O. arrested at home in Rennes, accused of vandalism, he has an immediate trial the next day.
Someone from the ZAD arrested in Nantes, who had a warrant out for violence against the police and participating in an armed group.

June 19th:
Trial for 3 people arrested during the demo -K: convicted of throwing paving stones towards the police and arrested in possession of a hammer and an iron bar, 4 months suspended sentence, 18 months probation (forced to find a job or go to vocational school, and forbidden to carry weapons) + 105 hours of community service -C: convicted of participation in an armed group and throwing a beer can at the police, sentenced to 2 months suspended sentence -G: arrested in possession of a hammer, sentenced to 1 month suspended sentence
Hearing for O. (arrested in Rennes the day before): he refuses his trial and is put under house arrest until his trial, July 10th
Trial of R. (arrested in Rennes, May 27) for vandalism and participating in an armed group. Sentenced to 8 months suspended sentence + 1 month suspended sentence + 5218 euros in damages for the city of Nantes+ forbidden from Loire-Atlantique region for 2 years.
Hearing for 5 people arrested 2 days before by undercover cops while driving: -one person (a hitch-hiker) accepted the immediate trial, convicted to possession of 1 gram of hash + refusing fingerprints and DNA. No sentence 3 people refused immediate trials and are put under house arrest until their trial, July 18th 1 person refused an immediate trial and is in prison awaiting trial (July 18th)

“They were arrested tuesday after a “random” identity control by undercover cops on the ring road in Nantes. Amoung them was R., who had a trial Thursday and was on their way to Nantes to see their lawyer with their friends. After 48 hours of police custody, 4 of them were charged with “possession of stolen goods”, suspected of having stolen… a head lamp. Also they refused to give fingerprints and DNA. More seriously, they are accused, based on some flyers in their car and a toolbox, of “association of wrong-doers”, and “intent to commit an armed assembly in front of the courthouse in Nantes”. They risk up to 5 years in prison.”

June 20th: Hearing for S., who lives on the ZAD. He was arrested 2 days before in Orvault, accused of having stolen 2 books. He had a warrant out for participating in the February 22nd demo. He is accused of theft (with prior convictions), refusing fingerprints and DNA (with prior convictions), and participating with a weapon in an armed group, and violence against the police. He refused an immediate trial and has been put in jail awaiting his trial on July 7th.

2 people are currently in preventative detention, awaiting trial.

Climate Activists Blockade Oil Terminal, Demand Halt to Crude-by-Rail Traffic in Pacific Northwest

30th June This morning, climate justice activists with Portland Rising Tide shut down the ArcLogist

30th June This morning, climate justice activists with Portland Rising Tide shut down the ArcLogistics crude oil terminal in Northwest Portland.
Portland resident Irene Majorie, 22, locked herself to a 55-gallon barrel filled with concrete that was placed on the railroad track leading into the facility.

Train cars enter from a nearby yard to offload oil into 84 storage tanks, before it is piped onto oceangoing ships bound for West Coast refineries. Majorie’s arm was locked to a piece of metal rebar embedded in the concrete, stopping trains for four hours before being cut out by police.

Attempts by law enforcement to move her and the barrel simultaneously risked grave injury; likewise, any train traffic threatened her life.

“This is about stopping the oil trains,” said Majorie. “But beyond that, it is about an industry and an economic system that places the pursuit of profit before the lives and relationships of human beings seeking survival and nourishment, and before the communities, ecosystems, and planet of which we are a part.”

Oil trains are coming under increasing scrutiny recently owing to their propensity to derail in fiery explosions. Portland Rising Tide, however, disputes the notion that an oil train is ever safe, since crude oil is only transported to be burned. Whatever the risk of explosion, the guaranteed result is a worsening of the climate crisis, which is already wreaking ecological havoc and claiming human lives.

US crude oil production has risen from ~5 million barrels per day in the late 2000s to ~7 million barrels per day currently. Increased extraction is North Dakota’s Bakken Shale has resulted in a dramatic rise in oil train traffic, with 250 percent more oil trains traveling Oregon rail lines in 2013 than in the previous year.

Governor Kitzhaber has expressed “deep concern” about oil trains but thus far done nothing to stop them. “Society should be engaged in a rapid, radical decline in fossil fuel use,” said David Bennett. “Instead, policymakers—even those who claim to understand the magnitude of the climate crisis—are forcing us to engage in an absurd conversation about creating ‘safe’ oil trains and building more fossil fuel infrastructure.”

The ArcLogistics terminal, which began operation in January, is one piece of infrastructure facilitating increased oil production. When ongoing construction is completed, the facility will have the capacity to transport 16,250 barrels of oil per day.

In April, Portland Rising Tide entered the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s offices in downtown Portland, issued termination letters to employees at their desks, and announced the formation of a new People’s Agency, which would carry out DEQ’s mandate free of corporate influence. This is the first enforcement action of the nascent agency.

“If our policymakers listened, we would demand an immediate halt to oil train traffic in Oregon and the closure of all crude oil terminals,” said Emma Gould. “Since they don’t, we’re halting oil trains ourselves.” High resolution photos are available for download and may be used with attribution

Today’s action saw activists from across the continent joining together to say no to oil trains, showing that oil trains are an international issue of concern for people and nonhuman animals everywhere.

Blockade Halts Old-Growth Logging in Mattole Forest

30th June A forest defender has taken to the trees to defend an important area of the Mattole Riv

30th June A forest defender has taken to the trees to defend an important area of the Mattole River watershed in Northern California. Going by the name “Skunk,” the blockader is stopping the construction of a new logging road into old-growth forest.

Skunk is supported by residents of Humboldt county and allies who have worked for months to stop Humboldt Redwood Company’s plan for 1,000 acres of logging in the Mattole Forest.

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In April, activists hung a banner across from Humboldt Redwoods State Park to protest the logging in the Mattole.

While Humboldt Redwood Company claims they are not logging old-growth, their definition restricts logging only areas with more than 8 old-growth trees in the span of an acre. They also define old-growth as existing in the year 1800, cutting out any trees younger than exactly 214 years.

Skunk insists, “Our main demands to Humboldt Redwood Company are very simple—don’t cut unlogged forest, and don’t cut old-growth. This road threatens to destroy forest that has never been logged before, and will pave the way for logging even more important habitat if the community does not rise up to stop it.”

The Mattole provides shelter to Golden Eagles and Spotted Owls, among other rare species, and has long been the home of old-growth Big Leaf Maple, Douglas Fir, Tanoak, and Madrone.

This area of Northern California has a long history of forest defense against Maxxam/Pacific Lumber throughout the 1990s. What we are perhaps seeing is just the beginning of a new chapter.

Villager Wins Court Battle Against Hydroelectric Plant Construction

26th June An administrative court in the Black Sea province of Rize has ruled to halt the construction of a hydroelectric power plant (

26th June An administrative court in the Black Sea province of Rize has ruled to halt the construction of a hydroelectric power plant (HES) that was being built on the Andon River, which provides fresh water to at least 3,000 people in the village of Küçükçayır.

Küçükçayır village was declared an environmentally protected site in 2011. The village’s residents held a protest in February against a HES being constructed near the river, closing the main road of the village for hours as part of their protest and not allowing construction equipment to operate at the site.

According to a Cihan news agency report on Wednesday, Kezım Delal, one of the villagers, sold a cow and took a loan from a bank in order to file a lawsuit against the construction company. Emphasizing that he has been struggling in court against the construction plan, which is likely to harm the environment, Delal said the injunction to halt construction stands as an important step towards protecting the environment from other upcoming power plant construction projects that might destroy the country’s natural beauty.

“I have been living in this village for 70 years. I was born here. This is my home. I am so happy that court ruled in favor of our future. Now, I just want to see the construction company leave us alone right away,” he told the press.

Emphasizing that they have been keeping watch for almost eight months in order to prevent the construction company from doing any damage, Delal thanked all his friends who did not leave his side during the protest. “This victory belongs to all of us. Now we can move on with our lives,” he added.

Stating that they were taken into custody by gendarmes many times due to the their protests, Yusuf Esir, another villager, said that he was happy to take a stand against the construction plans. “In order to intimidate us, gendarmes took us into custody many times. But nobody can deter us. If anybody should leave this village, it’s the construction company, not us. Because this is our village,” Esir stated.

Climate Change Induced Heat Wave Causes Riots in India

14th June

Under relentless heat, India is reaching the breaking point.

As the country tries to keep cool, the power grid is failing. Rioting protesters in the north of the country set fire to electricity substations last weekend and held power workers hostage, accusing the government of distributing scarce power resources based on political preference.

From Al Jazeera:

Residents had been particularly angry about the power cuts after receiving reliable supplies through the Indian elections, which ended May 16. Since then, only some regions have been guaranteed unbroken power supplies, while others have received little to none.

The High Court in the city of Allahabad is now hearing a petition alleging discrimination in power distribution, and has asked the government to explain why some regions appeared to be receiving preferential treatment.

Those regions include the city of Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of new Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as constituencies held by Yadav and other top officials in Uttar Pradesh’s ruling party.

As Slate’s Joshua Keating reported recently, a study this year by Lakshmi Iyer of the Harvard Business School and Petia Topalova of the International Monetary Fund found a connection between extreme weather (particularly lack of rainfall) and increased crime in India.

Meanwhile, the heat continues. On Wednesday, New Delhi enters day 10 of a blistering heat wave that’s broken at least one long-standing record, with part of the city peaking at 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47.8 degrees Celsius) on Sunday. During that stretch, the average high temperature at the airport in New Delhi has been 109.9 Fahrenheit (43.2 Celsius), with the average low an astonishing 84 Fahrenheit (28.9 Celsius). Days upon days with nighttime low temperatures above 80 Fahrenheit can be deadly, especially for those without a way to keep cool.

If there’s any consolation, at least that’s a dry heat. The dewpoint—the amount of moisture in the air—has been low all week across northern India, with dry air helping to boost the effectiveness of built-in human air conditioning (evaporation of sweat) and making the temperature feel somewhat cooler in the shade.

Areas farther south, near where the monsoon was advancing, were even more unbearable. Just after midnight Wednesday local time, the heat index was still 110 Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) in Mumbai. Yep, 110 degrees. At nearly 1 in the morning. I simply can’t fathom existence in those kinds of conditions. Hindu priests thereperformed special prayers for rain to relieve the sweltering country of its misery.

The good news: The end of this scorcher is in sight as the monsoon continues to advance northward. The bad news: In some of the hardest-hit places, like Delhi, that end is still a week away. High temperatures there are expected to stay above normal until next Tuesday.

A developing tropical cyclone is helping to surge monsoon moisture northward along India’s West Coast this week, though it’s still going to be quite some time before the cooling monsoon breezes break this heat wave for good. India’s monsoon was five days late and is expected to bring below normal rainfall this season, in part because of a building El Niño.

Since the forecast of a weak monsoon, India’s government has initiated a contingency plan designed to relieve pressure on its overtaxed power grid, reported the Times of India on Tuesday. Two years ago, India suffered the worst blackout in world history, putting some 600 million residents in the dark. Much of India’s electricity generation comes via hydroelectric power. The monsoon season in 2012 was also below average, and demand for electricity is soaring as a burgeoning middle class buys more and more air conditioners.

As the New York Times’ Elisabeth Rosenthal wrote at that time, “We can’t live with air-conditioning, but we can’t live without it.” In a more temperate climate, Americans use more electricity on air conditioning than the rest of the world combined. Rapidly expanding use of air conditioning in tropical countries will further boost global warming through the release of heat trapping gases. It’s a Catch-22.

India, for one, is warming to air conditioning. In 2007, only 2 percent of India had air conditioning, but that number is rapidly increasing. The hot weather of the past few weeks has boosted sales of air conditioners by 15 to 20 percent compared with last year.

This month’s oppressive heat wave already bears the fingerprint of global warming. Over the last 100 years, India’s average temperature has warmed by about half a degree Celsius (PDF), and monsoons are getting more extreme. The warmest time of the year is typically just before the monsoon hits, when temperatures routinely top the triple digit mark in the otherwise semi-arid north.

This year, though, has been anything but routine.

Environmentalists Halt Leard Forest Clearance for the Winter

13th June Australia Whitehaven Coal yesterday announced it would halt its clearing of Leard State Forest until September following an injuncti

13th June Australia Whitehaven Coal yesterday announced it would halt its clearing of Leard State Forest until September following an injunction in the NSW Land and Environment Court by the Maules Creek Community Council.

The group, aided by the EDO, specifically appealed over the fact that many animals in the forest hibernate over winter and therefore were more likely to be killed by clearing during winter months.

The company voluntarily called a halt to clearing yesterday afternoon, just as the court’s decision on the injunction was due, until the results of a full hearing on the matter.

Maules Creek Community Council spokesperson, Phil Laird said, ‘We are pleased that Whitehaven has been forced to respond to our legitimate challenge in the court by today undertaking to stop clearing in Leard State Forest’.

The Maules Creek Community Council is arguing that Whitehaven is in breach of its development consent by winter/spring clearing of the forest. A breach of development consent contravenes the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

‘This outcome today sends a strong message to coal mining companies across NSW and to the NSW government: if they will not enforce the law, then the community is prepared to step up and do it themselves’ Mr Laird said.

‘We appreciate the action taken by Whitehaven today and we will be preparing to vigorously pursue the full legal challenge,’ he added.

The new Maules Creek coalmine project involves a total clearing of 1664 hectares of forest, which currently provides habitat for threatened species including bats, koalas, forest owls, the Swift Parrot and the Regent Honeyeater.

The Nature Conservation Council of NSW has welcomed Whitehaven Coal’s decision to adhere to the conditions of its development consent.

‘This is a clear victory for community members who have been working tirelessly to protect this forest and the region’s water resources,’ campaigns director Kate Smolski said.

‘The decision to stop winter clearing does not end the fight to save Leard Forest, but it does at least give hibernating native animals a fighting chance to escape the bulldozers.

‘It is regrettable the NSW government did not enforce the conditions of its own consent for this atrocious mine, leaving Maules Creek Community Council little alternative but to take legal action.

‘State and federal laws have failed to protect this important natural area, demonstrating the need for deep reform to protect important natural places from coal mining.

‘Until that reform occurs, community groups will continue to seek remedy in the courts, and ordinary people will feel compelled to take direct action in the forest.

‘The Maules Creek mine will tear out the heart of Leard Forest, destroy one of the largest remnant areas of wildlife habitat in western NSW, threaten groundwater resources, and have a lasting negative impact on the local community of Maules Creek. This project should never have been approved.’

Greens NSW MP and environment spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has also welcomed news.

‘This decision… proves community concerns were justified. It is clear that Whitehaven saw the writing on the wall and went for an undertaking before it was ordered to by the court,’ Dr Faruqi said.

‘Unfortunately, much clearing has already taken place.

‘I have seen with my own eyes just yesterday the section of the forest bulldozed by Whitehaven Coal, presumably in anticipation of a suspension.

‘It is outrageous that Whitehaven Coal was allowed to undertake winter clearing in the first place. This was completely unnecessary.

‘There needs to be an investigation into how these approvals were granted by the NSW government in the first place, as large tracts of endangered ecological communities have been cleared and cannot be replaced or offset.

‘I was also disturbed to see valuable public resources being used to benefit a mining company, with the government ordering police to set up roadblocks on public roads and search cars.

‘The government should be protecting the Leard Forest, not big coal.

‘In a democratic society, the public have the right to protest peacefully and I have been inspired by the activists standing up to protect our environment and our wildlife.

‘The Greens and many in the community are opposed to this massive coal mining project because of its destructive impacts on biodiversity, cultural heritage and its massive contribution to climate change: allowing clearing during the winter months further compounded these damaging impacts.

‘Congratulations to the grassroots community groups and the Environmental Defenders Office that brought forward this legal challenge. The Greens will continue campaigning to stop this coal mine completely’ she concluded.

Patagonia Dam CANCELED!

chao hidroaysen 13th June After an eight-year struggle, Chile’s grassroots and environmental movements have successfully won the rejection of five planned megadams on two Patagonian rivers!

It’s not every day we celebrate a victory as significant and hard-won as today’s triumph in the eight-year campaign to protect Chilean Patagonia from the destructive HidroAysén dam project!

This morning, Chile’s highest administrative authority – the Committee of Ministers – made a unanimous decision to overturn the environmental permits for the controversial five dam mega-project, which was planned on the Baker and Pascua rivers. This highly anticipated resolution effectively cancels the project, ruling that assessment of the project’s impacts was insufficient to grant project approval back in 2011.

The Committee, which consists of the Minister of Environment, Health, Economy, Energy and Mining, Agriculture, and Tourism, evaluated 35 appeals which were filed by the Patagonia Defense Council and local citizens in response to the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment after it was approved in May 2011. Though it has taken more than three years, with meetings and decisions being repeatedly delayed and eventually passed on to the new administration, today’s decision is a recognition of the technical and procedural flaws surrounding HidroAysén as well as the significant impacts the project would have had on one of Chile’s most iconic regions.

What began as a grassroots effort to protect the pristine Baker and Pascua rivers, and the communities and culture of Patagonia, has developed into a fully-fledged international campaign and galvanized a national environmental movement. Over the past four years Chileans have taken to the streets to demand a halt to HidroAysén and around the world an international community has rallied around this call. Today it is these voices that have won out, and together have set in motion a new path towards a bright future for Patagonia and the hope of a truly sustainable energy future for Chile.

Pascua River, Patagonia: Undammed!

To borrow some words from Patricio Rodrigo, Executive Secretary of the Patagonia Defense Council, “The government’s definitive rejection of the HidroAysén project is not only the greatest triumph of the environmental movement in Chile, but marks a turning point, where an empowered public demands to be heard and to participate in the decisions that affect their environment and lives.”

We are thrilled that the government is siding with the majority of Chileans and tens of thousands of people around the world to say no to HidroAysén! We commend President Bachelet for remaining loyal to her campaign promise that HidroAysén would not have her support. And we are looking to the future, with the hope that measures will be put in place to protect this unique region from future threats. (In fact, President Bachelet and the Minister of Environment recently formalized a bill that would create the Department of Biodiversity and Protected Areas (SBAP) with the aim to preserve critical ecosystems throughout Chile.)

Caltrans Case Against Tree Sitter Dismissed

10th June Long-standing trespass charges against Mark Herbert, aka “Falcon,” who perched in an old oak tree in April, 2013, above the hill west of Highway 101 that Caltrans is now

10th June Long-standing trespass charges against Mark Herbert, aka “Falcon,” who perched in an old oak tree in April, 2013, above the hill west of Highway 101 that Caltrans is now excavating for soil to construct the much-protested Willits Bypass, where he observed and reported on developments, were dismissed entirely on May 29th by Judge Ann Moorman in Ukiah Superior Court. Falcon was charged with trespass 602K, “entering any lands, whether unenclosed or enclosed by fence, 1) for the purpose of injuring any property or property rights or with the intention of interfering with a lawful business…”

The District Attorney told the court that no one had subpoenaed the CHP officer from the Special Weapons and Tactics unit who supervised the arrest of Herbert, the witness who was supposed to testify. Unlike other tree sitters, including Warbler, the young woman whose original tree sit sparked the Bypass protests, Herbert was not extracted by force, but agreed to come down when requested to do so.

Herbert’s attorney, Ed Denson, said “Judge Moorman indicated the case was almost a year old and she dismissed it. The CHP investigation was very perfunctory and it should have been clear to the investigating officer that Herbert had committed no crime. The evidence shows that no intention on Herbert’s part to interfere with any lawful business or occupation. “

Denson elaborated: “Herbert’s case differed from that of all the other tree sitters, but the CHP failed to note that. Their report said his tree was north of 101, but the videos clearly show it was on a hill well south of 101 out of the construction area. No one from Caltrans or the CHP had even come to his site to ask him to come down until the day he was arrested by a team of 24 officers. He then voluntarily descended from the tree. It was clear that his purpose in doing the tree sit was to be a witness to the events occurring across the highway during the CHP blockade of the media preventing reporting on the extraction of the sitters. Herbert was a spokesperson for the effort to save the valley while the others were prevented from contact with the public. Had the CHP thought things through, the taxpayers could have saved thousands of dollars.”

The D.A. had almost a year to prepare and still was not ready to prosecute the case. A rally to support Herbert and fellow activist Will Parrish was held on the courthouse steps at noon. Parrish, who writes for the Anderson Valley Advertiser, stopped work on the Caltrans Bypass for more than eleven days last June and July by occupying a wick drain tower on the north end of the project, leading finally to his arrest and the arrests of several other activists trying to supply him with food and water denied him by CHP officers on site.

Parrish’s hearing on restitution demanded by Caltrans in the amount of $150,000 has been postponed to July 17. Assistant District Attorney Sequiera said the case has become confusing and he is insisting now that Caltrans supply their own lawyer to appear in court on the case, which will also be over a year old by the time of the hearing.

Rathlin Blitzkrieg About to Hit East Yorkshire

29th May 2014 Rathlin Energy caught activists napping today when lorries arrived at Crawberry Hill site in East Yorkshire.

29th May 2014 Rathlin Energy caught activists napping today when lorries arrived at Crawberry Hill site in East Yorkshire. The police had allowed Rathlin to ignore (no right turn) traffic signs to gain access without the knowledge of the activists waiting further down the road.
Activists aired their concerns about radio active hazard signs attached to lorries arriving to remove waste water at the West Newton site near Aldborough. The surface water had overflowed the man made ditches made specifically for the purpose due to heavy overnight rain. It seems this presents no present threat but fears are that when drilling begins again and the radioactive elements are brought to the surface any further overflow would contaminate the surrounding area. Residents of the USA and Canada have previously reported ‘dead zones’ of once thriving ecological areas. contaminated by fracking and radioactive chemicals, after overflowing into ponds and lakes.
Activists were also worried about ‘drill tips’ and accessories used in the drilling processes. These are according to the activists, tipped with depleted Uranium, to cut through the toughest rock. Although it cannot be confirmed that these practises are taking place in the East Riding area, the technique and equipment, have been available for quite some time.
The Environment Agency has already given permits to Rathlin to extract waste, including radioactive waste. Unconfirmed reports suggest Dermot Nesbit (Rathlin Energy director) had used his influence as an Ex Northern Ireland, Environment Minister to secure the permits, from the Environment Agency, the same department (within Northern Ireland) of which he was once chief.
Hull and East Yorkshire anti frack.

More Arrests of Anti Fracking Activists in East Yorkshire

24th May Following on from the arrests of two local residents last week, a further arrest has been made of an activist playing music in Beverley (near Hull.) A flotilla of Police, from the Humberside division, armed with tazers and dogs, swooped into Beverley, town centre, as the busker and anti fracking activist known as Daznez was playing and singing music in Beverley town centre. Local people who were watching and listening to the musician remarked at the heavy handedness of the arrest as at least six police personnel and their dogs took the musician into custody. The musician has been taken to Clough Road, Police Station in Hull but has not yet been charged with an offence.
Last week two residents of the Beverley area, were arrested whilst meditating, at an earmarked Frack site, at the Rathlin Energy, Crawberry Hill, drilling site. Husband and Wife, John and Valerie Majer, were charged with causing intimidation and annoyance contrary to section 241 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act.
Rathlin Energy has said it has no plans to frack in the area, although two permits have been granted to them for work to be carried out.
There have previously been charges of corruption, abuse of power and privledge, placed upon Rathlin Energy by activists. This follows after, ex Northern Ireland Environment Minister Dermot Nesbitt, who is now a director of Rathlin Energy succeeded in obtaining the permits from the very same government agency, who were once accountable to him, to drill and extract waste, including the extraction of radioactive waste, at the Crawberry Hill site and another, nearby site at West Newton near Aldborough. (Updates to follow.)
East Yorkshire Anti Frack