UK Police starve out climate camp protesters

by LotusFlower | August 5, 2008 at 04:02 am

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The 'Climate Camp' at Kingsnorth Power Station in the UK has had access to food supplies cut of by UK police as they attempt to starve out environmental protestors who are against plans to build a new coal fueled power station. Action was stepped up when the Drax train protesters who stopped a train in June and were arrested with orders placed on them not to go near any power station rang the police to tell them that they were going to join the camp at Kingsnorth.

Despite telling the police of their intentions 4 of them managed to sneak in and now the police decked out in riot gear against these peaceful protesters are attempting to starve the protest to a halt.

Drastic action it seems to quell this action. The UK government are uneasy about environmental protests given their own environmental push but such protests against coal might work in favour of the governmnets ultimate plans to reintroduce and expand its nuclear energy programme.

Hundreds of riot police pushed back protesters at the Kingsnorth coal power station "climate camp" in Kent yesterday, as officers raided the site and made eight arrests.

Kent Police seized four men aged between 24 and 45 for public order offences in dawn skirmishes. A 27-year-old man was also arrested for obstructing police and a 40-year-old man was held on suspicion of possessing a prohibited weapon.

Scuffles broke out as shield-carrying officers moved in to surround protesters in the afternoon after the high-profile arrival of five campaigners who are trying to breach a court order banning them from entering the site. Police also stopped food deliveries to the camp.

The five protesters – Paul Morozzo, Jonathan Stevenson, Ellen Potts, Mel Evans and Oli Rodker – were among 29 that were arrested in June for stopping a coal delivery train outside Drax power station in North Yorkshire. Their bail conditions ban them from going near any British power station and from attending the climate camp but they phoned ahead to warn the local police commander of their arrival aboard the 1.33pm train from London Victoria to Chatham, Kent.