Scotland (Central & Southern) – Page 18

Mainshill Solidarity Camp needs you! Clear-felling and drilling ongoing

Want to support a community in it’s fight against corrupt councils and coal mining companies? Want to protect part of Scotland’s beautiful landscape and endangered wildlife? Want to take land and power away from a wealthy aristocrat and live communally on liberated land? Want to do something about the vast expansion of opencast coal mining and its contribution to climate chaos? Then get yerself down to Mainshill Solidarity Camp!

Over the past couple of weeks work has resumed at Mainshill Wood with large areas of plantation forest being felled and borehole drilling ongoing, in preparation for the opencast mine. Scottish Coal, with the protection of Strathclyde Police, have moved in another team of drillers, J B Site Investigations, and ‘forest managers’ Scottish Woodlands to carry out this work.

Last week drilling work was stopped when a camp resident scaled a drilling rig and held off attempts by police climbers to remove her for 6 hours. Other actions to stop work and prevent felling have been ongoing.

But the Solidarity Camp needs support – stopping this preparatory work and importantly the felling of more plantation forest is essential to winning this campaign. Even if just for a day, come along to the Solidarity Camp and help us put a stop to Scottish Coal and Lord Home’s plans to rip up the Douglas Valley and poison local communities.

Go to http://coalactionscotland.noflag.org.uk/?page_id=415#How%20to%20Get%20There for directions to the camp.

mainshill@riseup.net
http://mainshill.noflag.org.uk/

Anti-golf course group Trumps statues

24 September 2009
Campaigners against Donald Trump’s £1bn golf resort plans in Aberdeenshire have dressed up statues around Scotland as the American tycoon.

The Menie Liberation Front group said the masks and golf clubs had been added to about 20 statues in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling.

24 September 2009
Campaigners against Donald Trump’s £1bn golf resort plans in Aberdeenshire have dressed up statues around Scotland as the American tycoon.

The Menie Liberation Front group said the masks and golf clubs had been added to about 20 statues in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling.

The Trump Organisation condemned the “stunt”.

Grampian Police said the force was investigating the incidents in Aberdeen.

Mr Trump hopes to build what he has described as the “world’s greatest” golf resort at Menie.

A spokesman for the protest group said: “We are dressing up famous Scottish statues as the American tycoon to symbolise the way Trump thinks he can walk over Scotland.

“This development has gone too far. Throwing families from their homes for a private development is outrageous.”

The protest group – which has threatened further action – said no statues were damaged.

Sarah Malone, executive vice president of Trump International Golf Links Scotland, said: “This publicity stunt is perpetrated by a handful of individuals, and can only serve to tarnish our regional and national profile.

“Gimmicks such as this illustrate the lack of credibility of those involved and do a great disservice to local people.

“We are dealing with serious issues that need to be handled in a responsible and mature manner.”

Refusing to sell

Grampian Police are looking for a man in his 30s and one in his 50s in connection with the incident.

Officials from Aberdeen City Council have been removing the pictures, banners and sets of plastic golf clubs which were placed on the statues.

Martin Glegg, of the Tripping Up Trump group, said he was not aware of the protest and had never heard of the Menie Liberation Front.

He told BBC Scotland: “It shows lots of people are upset by the issue.”

The Trump Organisation has already won outline planning permission for two golf courses, a “residential village” and a hotel.

Mr Trump has said his vision comprises a world class golf course, a second 18-hole course, 950 holiday homes and 500 houses.

The proposal was originally rejected by a committee of the council before being called in by the Scottish government and approved.

The Trump Organisation has said the owners of four homes on land which forms part of the planned resort have rejected “incredibly generous” offers.

Mr Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jnr, told BBC Scotland they had been offered a 15% premium on market value.

He said they had also been given the chance to buy new homes at cost price, and the lifetime use of facilities.

A page of the Menie Liberation Front: taking action to protect the people and ecosystem of Menie

Tripping Up Trump, a fresh energised movement standing up for the people and environment threatened by Donald Trump’s development in Aberdeenshire.

Work stopped at Mainshill Wood – Crucial time at Mainshill Solidarity Camp

23rd September 2009

23rd September 2009
Yesterday people from Mainshill Solidarity Camp took action to stop work on the proposed site for Scottish Coal’s opencast mine. One person climbed up to the top of the drilling rig and stopped their work for five hours. The police arrived and the protester was told that she would be arrested…if only they could get her to come down. Eventually, after much head-scratching, specialist police climbers managed to remove her and she was arrested, appearing in Lanark Sheriff Court this morning.

Over the past week, drilling equipment has been moved onto the site as well as harvesting machines to log plantation trees to make way for the coal excavation. This work has been delayed by people from the camp and members of the local community approaching machinery and explaining the devastating effects that the coal mine will bring – ranging from impacts on local community health, to climate and ecological damage. The work that is being done now is all in preparation for the opencast and needs to be stopped.

This is a crucial time for this campaign to show Lord Home, the wealthy land owner and Scottish Coal that we will not allow this project to go ahead.

This morning, police escorted felling machines and Scottish Woodland workers onto the site, removing a barricade and cutting down a tree defence that had blocked the track. The police’s involvement in protecting the interests of aristocrat Lord Home and private company Scottish Coal over the interests of the local community is very disappointing.

Now is a great time for people to come and join us at the camp and to take action to continue our resistance.

For more information on the ongoing campaign and news from the Public Meeting on Community Health, which is taking place tonight in Douglas, see http://mainshill.noflag.org.uk.

Work restarts at Mainshill, resistance needed!

Forestry Commission workers this morning re-started clear-felling large areas of plantation in preparation for a new open cast coal mine. When the clear-felling started in June, Mainshill solidarity camp was set up to stop work on the site and occupy it, preventing any further felling and preventing any of the wood being removed from the site. Support is needed to prevent this destruction.

The area of plantation is well within the intended excavation area on the site. In addition, Scottish Coal have still not carried out the extensive ecological survey at Mainshill that was a condition of the planning approval. How can an accurate survey be conducted after all the woodland has been removed? Badger sets, bats and nests of birds of prey have all bee seen in the plantation at Mainshill.

The Solidarity Camp will stop any work from taking place on the site in preparation for the nine – there is no community consent for this project.

Come to the camp this week to resist more clear-felling – the longer preparatory work is delayed, the greater the cost to Scottish Coal and the stronger this campaign grows!

http://mainshill.noflag.org.uk/

Clear-felling to resume at Mainshill Wood

The Mainshill Solidarity Camp has learned from Forestry Commission workers that the land owner at Mainshill Wood in South Lanarkshire, Lord Home, intends to continuing clear-felling large areas of plantation in preparation for a new open cast coal

Two workers have been removing branches on a section of plantation next to the huge area that was felled three months ago, and told campers that the harvesting machines and a JCB would be on their way soon.

When the clear-felling started in June, campers took this as a sign that work was starting on the site and occupied it, preventing any further felling and preventing any of the wood being removed from the site.

The Solidarity Camp will stop any work from taking place on the site in preparation for the nine – there is no community consent for this project. An update will be sent out as soon as there is an attempt to enter the site with heavy machinery.

Come to the camp this week to resist more clear-felling – the longer preparatory work is delayed, the greater the cost to Scottish Coal and the stronger this campaign grows!

Mainshill Solidarity Camp website: http://mainshill.noflag.org.uk/

Mainshill Solidarity Camp Update: two and a half months on & 1st newsletter

Over two and a half months ago the Mainshill Solidarity Camp was set up on the site of a new open cast coal mine at Mainshill Wood, in support of the local communities efforts to oppose the project and Scottish Coal’s plans, and in defiance of planning approval granted by South Lanarkshire Council

A lot has happened during the past few months: Scottish Coal and Strathclyde Police busted through barricades with a JCB and removed machinery, the Camp for Climate Action in Scotland set up in the field next to the camp, actions have happened, and finally an issue has been made of coal expansion in Scotland. Amazing work and research has been done into the health impacts of open cast coal mining for surrounding communities (see http://coalhealthstudy.org/) – an issue that Scottish Coal, Lord Home (the land owner) and South Lanarkshire Council can no longer silence.

So why have a group of people decided to live on the site of a relatively small open cast coal mine, that is mostly plantation forest and surrounded by only a few small communities, and why is this so important? Because it is places such as Douglas that direct action, rooted in community struggle, can be at its most effective. At Mainshill, the fight is against feudal land ownership and a fat-cat Lord, a corrupt Council that has removed local democratic processes, a multi-million pound mining company that stops at nothing for profit and government policy that prioritises cheap coal over community health and the environment.

Now the campaign is firmly established and is winning a lot of ground, pressure and momentum must be kept up and the struggle must be brought to other communities facing similar injustices as Douglas.
The camp will defend this liberated space and stand in solidarity with communities until the Wood is saved!

How you can help:
– Visit and stay at the camp! Even if its just for a day we’d love to have you
– Donations – both financial and anything from our wishlist here are much appreciated
– Spread the word – help distribute flyers, send emails and tell people about the struggle
– Take action – central Scotland is littered with coal infrastructure, corporate HQs, open cast mines and power stations

http://mainshill.noflag.org.uk/
http://coalactionscotland.noflag.org.uk/

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Mainshill Solidarity Camp Newsletter no. 1 out now!

The story so far, uncovered health impacts from open casting, the Camp for Climate Action, assaulted by a councilor, and other coal struggles at Hunterston and Cousland – the Mainshill Solidarity Camp & Coal Action Newsletter is now out!

Download the pdf here: http://coalactionscotland.noflag.org.uk/?p=669

Please copy and distribute far and wide. We hope to make this a regular publication and welcome submissions – please email * mainshill@riseup.net * with any articles, stories or photos.

Five activists walk straight into Faslane nuclear weapons base – breaking news

Trident Ploughshares, Monday August 17, 2009 – 16:40pm – for immediate release

This afternoon five peace activists from nonviolent direct action group Trident Ploughshares walked unchallenged straight into Faslane naval base in Scotland, the home of Britain ’s nuclear-armed Trident submarines, making a mockery of security for Britain’s “strategic nuclear deterrent.” The five are currently still inside the base.

The activists, one man and four women, released the following statement:

“We invite others to follow us through this gate to restore humanitarian law.”

Further information to follow.

Notes to editor:

Trident Ploughshares is a campaign initiated in 1998 to disarm Britain ’s Trident nuclear weapons system in a non-violent, peaceful, safe, open and accountable manner

Website: http://www.tridentploughshares.org

Trident Ploughshares Media
tridentp.media [at] yahoo.co.uk

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Statements from the citizen inspectors; arrestee details

17.08.2009 17:25
The five Trident Ploughshares citizen inspectors, who are now in custody after the “bandit alarm” went off at Faslane for around half an hour, are as follows:

Brian Larkin 49 American , unemployed teacher living in Scotland

Sylvia Boyes 65 Peace Campaigner from Keighley

Mary Millington 61 Retired welsh language tutor – lived at Greenhan for 5 years

Angie Zelter 58 Human Being!

Penny Stone 25 Musician

They issued the following statement:

Dear Friends at Faslane,

A group of us from Trident Ploughshares have entered the base today to call for the process of disarmament of Trident nuclear weapons to begin. We are here to remind all concerned that the UK government, as signatory to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty undertook more than 40 years ago to complete the disarmament of its nuclear weapons. The continuing deployment of Trident seriously threatens global security and peace, encouraging further proliferation. In 2009 Judge Bedjaoui, President of the International Court of Justice, gave an opinion on “the legality of a nuclear weapons system that deploys over 100 nuclear warheads with an approximate yield of 100 kilotons per warhead.” He stated: “Bearing in mind that warheads of this size constitute around eight times the explosive power of the bomb that flattened Hiroshima … and killed over 100,000 civilians, it follows that the use of even a single such warhead in any circumstance, whether a first or second use and whether intended to be targeted against civilian populations or military objectives, would inevitably violate the prohibitions on the infliction of unnecessary suffering and indiscriminate harm as well as the rule of proportionality…. In my opinion, such a system deployed and ready for action would be unlawful.”

The Scottish government formed a working group for a future of a Scotland without nuclear weapons nearly two years ago but has failed to release a report let alone take any relevant action while the people of Scotland overwhelmingly oppose the presence of nuclear weapons in these waters. As long as the governments fail to begin a process of disarmament members of Trident Ploughshares are committed to whatever nonviolent action possible to begin that process. We invite others to join us or contact us to discuss your concerns.

The process of disarmament would not have to mean the loss of jobs in the area. We urge the government to redirect the resources currently allocated to Trident to meet real human needs. The skills of people working at this base could well be employed in the area building the infrastructure for renewable energy, alleviating the threat of climate change, among other possibilities. We invite you to contact us so that we can enter into planning for the future of a Scotland and world without nuclear weapons.

Rather than continue to threaten other nations and millions of innocent civilians with nuclear weapons Scotland and the UK could lead the world by scrapping Trident.
We entered the gate fully aware that we might be charged with violation of SOCPA. That laws was established ostensibly to deter “serious organized crime.” But it is the presence of Trident submarines each carrying 48 warheads ten times more destructive than the Hiroshima bomb which constitutes a serious organized crime. We invite others to follow us through this gate and restore humanitarian law.

In peace and hope,

Sylvia Boyes Contact:
Mary Millington 07768 312675
Penny Stone
Brian Larkin
Angie Zelter

Members of Trident Ploughshares 17 August 2009

Mary Millington additionally issued the following statement:

“Having recently moved to Glasgow, I am so proud that Scotland has decided we do not want Trident or any other nuclear weapon.

“I have entered Faslane Naval Base today to express my sense of urgency for this weapon of mass destruction to be gone, for just the very possession of it, let alone its potential use, is immoral, illegal and causing proliferation and danger across the planet.”

Trident Ploughshares Media
tridentp.media [at] yahoo.co.uk
http://www.tridentploughshares.org

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All five arrestees were released at around 9pm on Monday evening (17 August) and charged with criminal trespass under the Serious Organised Crime and Police (SOCraP) Act 2005 (also known as SOCPA) s.128 and under the Ministry of Defence byelaws (entry to the base without authority). A report is being sent to the Procurator Fiscal who will decide whether or not to prosecute.

The five were in Scotland to take part in the Trident Ploughshares disarmament camp at Coulport, near Faslane. The camp is a week long gathering during which peace activists share ideas, plan actions and enjoy themselves. The camp will run until the 23rd of August and everyone is invited to come and participate. Details can be found here: http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article983

EF! summer gathering – exact location, travel info & updated workshop programme announced; coal-blighted communities visit

Earth First! Summer Gathering, 18th-24th August 2009, Cumbria

Never has halting the destruction of our planet been so important… Learn how to make them stop!

The gathering this year will be held at Seathwaite in the beautiful Borrowdale. The site is right in the heart of the Lake District and surrounded by mountains, streams and tarns. The nearest train station is Penrith. More detailed directions, public transport, walks & cycle rides to the site

Workshop programme in a variety of formats

Earth First! Summer Gathering, 18th-24th August 2009, Cumbria

Never has halting the destruction of our planet been so important… Learn how to make them stop!

Workshop programme in a variety of formats

WHO
Earth First! is a network of people and campaigns who fight ecological destruction and the forces driving it. We believe in doing it ourselves rather than relying on governments or industry. Direct action is at the heart of what we do, whether we’re standing in front of a bulldozer, shutting down an opencast mine or ripping up a field of GM crops.

Join us for 5 days of workshops, networking and planning actions at a low impact eco-living camp organised non-hierarchically

WHAT
Planning actions and campaigns, meeting and sharing skills with others who care. Over 80 training workshops plus games and evening fun:
• Learn skills for direct action. Tree Climbing, Orienteering, Security for activists, Legal briefing, Escaping public order situations, street medics – first aid, self defence, Boat blockading using kayaks, radio procedures and rock abseiling.
• Network your campaign against ecological destruction. opencast mining, genetic engineering, agrofuels, dam-building, hunt-sabbing, climate actions, oil pipeline resistance, road stopping, anti-whaling, squatting, rainforest protection.
• Learn about ecology, ecocentric ethics and alternatives to the corporate world of exploitation.
• Practical skills for ecological restoration and sustainable living, field trips and hands-on work.

YOU
We are all crew! This is your gathering come prepared to help run the camp and contribute to the programme. Contact us in advance with ideas for workshops, help with organising the gathering, come early to help setup the site or stay on for a couple of days for takedown.
If you can help get in touch!

BRING
Bring tent and sleeping bag. You can either cook food for yourself or for £4 per day chip in with collective cooking of delicious vegan organic food. There’ll be quiet sleeping areas, toilets and running water, a children’s space and spaces for workshops and info stalls.
Veggies will provide vegan cake and snacks. Children and young adults welcome with subsidized meals.

Arrive Tues pm. Workshops from Wed am until Sun pm.

Loads of campaigns are taking to the water in defence of the planet, like at Rossport where Shell are trying to lay onshore pipelines and the Great Rebel Raft Regatta at last summers climate camp. This summer’s EF! gathering will be building on these tactics with training in water based actions.

An excursion to visit communities in the North East threatened by an expansion of coal mining on Monday 24th August. Visit beautiful valleys and strong spirited communities and make links for ongoing resistance.

We aim to make the site as accessible as we can please contact us in advance if you have special needs, questions or concerns.

WHERE
The site is near in the Lake District, Cumbria. The nearest train station is Penrith and there is a bus service to the site, there are car and living vehicle spaces outside the camp.

Dogs: We are fortunate this year to be able to accommodate well behaved owners with dogs on leads but think about whether your dog will feel comfortable in workshops. Please call beforehand so we know numbers.

Cost: £20 – £30 according to what you can afford. We are not for profit all extra cash goes to help fund next year. Under 14’s free.

For more info contact us at :
summergathering@earthfirst.org.uk
www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk

South Lanarkshire Locals And Climate Campers Confront Council

10.8.2009
Scotland’s first Camp for Climate Action culminated today by directly confronting South Lanarkshire Council whose members have approved new open cast coal extraction despite massive local opposition. They were protesting about the serious health impacts of this kind of ‘mining on the cheap’ and concerns about coal’s contribution to climate change.

A group held a ceremony outside the offices to give out awards such as ‘worst conflict of interest’ to people wearing masks of the individuals they accuse of putting Scottish Coal before the interests of their constituents. These include local Councillor Daniel Meikle, the Earl of Home, Karen Gillon MSP and Jim Hood MP.

Marty Sheal from Douglas said, “The council have consistently put the profit of Scottish Coal and the companies they work with before the health of the people of Douglasdale. Some councillors have apparent conflicts of interest, which some people believe may have been behind these decisions.”

The Camp for Climate Action Scotland has also released a dossier of the health impacts of open casting entitled Adverse Effects of Opencast Mining which paints an alarming picture of a whole host of effects from cancers, to asthma and depression caused not just by the coal dust, but by noise and increases in heavy goods traffic. Burning coal has also been responsible for most of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is pushing us towards runaway climate change, In climate terms it is also the dirtiest fuel by far.

Anna Craig of The Camp for Climate Action Scotland added, “Coal means misery and death, not just for the thousands of people seriously affected by mining in South Lanarkshire but also in other disadvantaged communities around the world who are being hit first and hardest by climate change – the death toll is already at 300,000 people every year.”

Campaigners are particularly angry at local Councillor Daniel Meikle, and are concerned about conflicts of interest presented by his family business, Meikle Construction, and his position in the council, which, for many years included being chair of the planning committee. Cllr Meikle represents the area where Scottish Coal and Lord Home’s plans to create a new opencast mine are being frustrated by a coalition of local people and the Mainshill Solidarity Camp.

Earlier today there was an unsuccessful attempt by media activists to confront him with question being asked by the local community with three people being detained.

http://www.climatecampscotland.org.uk

Update

Councillor Daniel Meikle of South Lanarkshire has arrived at the protest by anti-open cast campaigners where he abused and threatened the protesters. Police have now escorted him inside the Council Offices. In a separate development a load of coal has been dumped outside the front of the offices to highlight the strength of local opposition to a proposed new open cast mine at Mainshill near Douglas.

Camp for Climate Action Scotland

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News from Climate Camp Scotland

Thirty or so Scottish Climate Camp activists and residents of Douglas visited South Lanarkshire Council offices in Hamilton at 11am today to further highlight health risks associated with open cast mining and climate change in general. ‘Think globally, act locally’ one of them said. They held banners saying ‘coal kills’ and ‘community health not Lord Home’s wealth’. Police, however, prevented them from entering the building.

Environmentalists staged street theatre in several parts of Hamilton ‘awarding’ coal criminals for their involvement in letting Mainshhill Wood (South Lanarkshire) open cast mine go ahead. These shamed individuals were: Mr Danny Meikle Cllr, Ms Karen Gillon MSP, Mr Jim Hood MP and Mr David Alexander Cospatrick Douglas-Home.

Kirstie Stramler, Ph.D. atmospheric scientist and researcher called for an independent study to investigate the health effects of open cast mining on local residents. Ms Stramler has just written a preliminary report ‘Adverse effects of open cast coal mining. Health Stats.’ Publicly available NHS statistics indicate a higher rate of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) amongst people of Douglas village compared to the UK average or the coastal town of Prestwick, upwind from the mines.

Three independent journalists were detained by the police in a separate incident near Mr Meikle’s home. This councillor tried to enter his office building unnoticed and was heard saying ‘Stay away from my f****** house’ to the protesters.

Climate Camp in Mainshill Woods near Douglas is the first event of this kind in Scotland featuring a 320W solar panel, composting toilets and grey water systems. Activists received a warm welcome from local residents who hope to stop the extraction of 1.7 million tonnes of coal. Burning of fossil fuels adds more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

News from climate action camps in Scotland, Belgium/Netherlands and France

Scottish camp starts – Scottish coal conveyor supplying Drax sabotaged – targets list –
Belgian/Dutch camp starts – Belgian coal terminal occupied – French camp & Nantes airport action

…

Scottish camp starts – Scottish coal conveyor supplying Drax sabotaged – targets list –
Belgian/Dutch camp starts – Belgian coal terminal occupied – French camp & Nantes airport action

…

Local support for Climate Camp Scotland is made quite clear on the (longer than we expected) bus ride from Lanark through the winding country lanes to Mainshill solidarity camp that is also now Scotlands’ Climate Camp.

Spotting us with our tent and gear an older woman says she would’ve joined the camp if it wasn’t for her bad health and other women on the bus jeer and promise food donations. A bloke immediately struck up a conversation telling us he used to work on the opencast mine and that his brother still does. He said he couldn’t understand why they were so keen to reopen and restart work on the site. He’ll more than likely be visiting the camp this week too.

We arrived at the 6ft wooden fence fitted with a door that is the main gate of the camp about 2pm – the driver making an unscheduled stop to drop us off at the camp entrance so we didn’t have to walk back from the nearest stop – just as 2 local plod had managed to walk in wandering half way up the lane to the camp finding themselves quickly surrounded by climate campers convincing them to leave. Other than that, the lone cop with video cam at Lanark station and the chopper which hovered around for a few minutes a while ago, the authorities seem to be keeping a low profile. No FIT at the camp, in fact no police hanging around at all.

Although not very busy yet, the camp is looking solid: never mind the compost toilets, there’s a bike-powered cinema, big kitchen tent, and solar-powered (indy)media tent. And plenty of camping space, of course. From the other end of the field we can see the wind farms on hills to either side of the camp.

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Glentaggart Coalmine Sabotaged; Police leave cancelled across the region

The Camp for Climate Action Scotland has been informed that anonymous activists have successfully sabotaged the Glentaggart opencast coal mine in South Lanarkshire. The unknown individuals have disabled the conveyor belt that moves coal from the mine to Ravenstruther rail terminal where the coal is then sent to Drax power station in Yorkshire.

The sabotage has the potential to greatly disrupt the removal of coal. Insiders say that once it has been stopped it is difficult to restart the heavily laden conveyors which is several kilometers long and comes in quarter kilometer sections. Drax power station was the site of the first Camp for Climate Action 2006.

The Camp for Climate Action Scotland is taking place cross the valley from Glentaggart at the site of another proposed open cast mine at Mainshill woods near Douglas. A protest camp has already been in place for six weeks campaigning against the plans which have gone through despite strong local opposition. The area is already one of the most heavily mined areas in Europe with a number of other opencast mines already being worked.

Diarmaid Lynch, a spokesperson from the Camp said on hearing the news, “Fantastic. Congratulations to those who did this. Opencast mining is responsible for a spike in the number of lung related deaths in this small area. It is time that the likes of Scottish Coal and the planning authorities are held directly responsible for their role in these deaths. Climate change is a killer, both at home and in the Global South where those who have benefited the least from industrialisation are the first to pay the price.”

The World Health Organisation estimates that climate change kills 150,000 people a year and that figure is expected to grow as countries fail to take action. Cancer in the Douglas postcode area is 23% above the national average, and 28% above the regional average. In the four years that the existing three opencast mines have been operating in the area pulmonary issues have increased 60%.

In a separate development the Camp for Climate Action has also learned that police leave across the central belt of Scotland has been cancelled as the various forces move to a state of high alert. To date the policing at the Camp has been very low key, but campers remain alert.

Scotland’s Climate Criminals

The following is a list of the operations in Scotland which profit from the exploitation of fossil fuels. None of these operations are compatible with the vision for a zero-carbon Scotland as such they will be targetted with direct action in order to ensure we can make a just transition towards a sustainable future.

Longannet and Cockenzie Coal Power stations

Glasgow, Edinburgh, Preswick and Aberdeen Airports

Oil & Gas operations in Aberdeen-shire

Grangemouth Oil & Gas Refinery

Hunterston coal terminal

All open-cast coal mines

Coal distribution network including;
Ravenstruther coal terminal
Crowbandsgate Rail Facility
Glentaggart Conveyer belt

RBS HQ

Scottish Power HQ

Scottish and Southern Energy HQ

Motorway constructions such as M74

http://climatecampscotland.org.uk/

Video – http://www.envirospeak.tv/video/375

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Guide to dismantling the coal industry in Scotland, a 16-page information sheet released by Climate Camp Scotland and Coal Action Scotland [pdf 5.3M]

includes information on open cast coal mines and mine operators, coal-fired power stations, coal rail and port infrastructure, industry lobbyists, and a map of Scottish targets.

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Netherlands/Belgium camp – We’ve started – come join us!

More than 100 people entered and secured a field between Zandvliet and Berendrecht, in the heart of Antwerp’s industrial harbour, at 1am this morning. They have erected tripods, hung banners and are well underway in setting up camp.

Although the Climate Action Camp has been open about most aspects of the plan, the location of the camp had not been revealed until Saturday morning in order to prevent police from attempting to stop it from happening.

The official start date is Monday August 3rd! Take a look at the map below or google ‘Derdeweg Zandvliet Antwerp’ to see the exact location. You can also email info[at]klimaatactiekamp.org or contact the info line at+32 (0)485916863 (please text if possible).*

How to reach the camp site by bus from Antwerp:
From the Rooseveltplaats, close to Antwerp Central station, you can take buslines 770 or 771 direction ‘Zandvliet’. After appr. 40 min., you’ll get to the stop ‘Zoutestraat’ where you have to get off the bus. Follow the street in travel direction, after about 200 meter you will see a couple of tents on the left side. The street next to it is called ‘Derde Weg’, follow it and you’ll quickly reach the welcome tent!

http://www.climateactioncamp.org/

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Climate Action Camp occupies Belgian coal terminal

8.8.2009
The Climate Action Camp on the Belgian/Dutch border yesterday occupied the Antwerp Bulk Terminal (ABT) coal terminal in Antwerp Harbour, Belgium. This terminal; responsible where coal is imported to Europe from Africa and South America before distribution by train and boat to power stations around Europe was shut down for the day as activists blocked train lines and conveyor belts at the site.

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French camp

Camp Action Climat 2009 – Le teaser

climate action alert at Nantes airport, Saturday 8th August 2009 – people invade the terminal of the airport.