Incinerator Stopped!
pheet | 04.09.2001 01:55
Local activists stop the building of the incinerator at Crymlyn Burrows, near Swansea, Wales. Entrance to the site was blockaded, including 2 activists up a tripod...
Monday September the 3rd 2001.
Over 20 local activists, including people from the Stop the Incinerator Campaign, today blockaded the entrance to the Crymlyn Burrows incinerator construction site. The action started at 6:30am before workers arrived: the main gate was chained shut, banners were raised and an activist sat up a 20-foot scaffold tripod. The construction workers were unable to enter; plant was sent back and deliveries of materials were prevented.
The incinerator, which is being built near Swansea, South Wales, intends to burn tons of waste spreading dioxins over a huge area that will have a catastrophic effect on the environment and people's health. Although the incinerator is under construction after being granted planning permission by Neath Port Talbot council, it has yet to (officially) obtain a licence to operate from the Environment Agency.
Nearly all of the 200 construction workers were supportive of the action, seeming quite happy to have an extra bank holiday. By way of solidarity, half a dozen sub-contractors were allowed to enter the site on foot after HLC said they wouldn't be paid unless they were on site (they weren't able to do any work without the plant and materials anyway).
After over 3 hours the first activists up the tripod had to come down - however as soon as they did another activist was put up! This is believed to be the first tripod action that has had a shift change! The 2nd activist remained up the tripod for the remainder of the day.
As an added bonus, it appeared that HLC were planning a site meeting today as the managers and site engineers arrived. They attempted to enter the site via a neighbouring factory, but were quickly blocked by fast acting activists. Instead of planning how to make fast money by poisoning people and the environment they spent the day sulking in their cars.
The police were incredibly well behaved for a change - after attempting to talk the activists down from the tripod they decided to act as unobtrusive observers. No arrests were made. People even managed to take the tripod home at the end of the action, for use on another day...
Media coverage was widespread throughout the day, and managed to report the issues fairly accurately. (Congratulations to the welsh-learners who did the interview with S4C).
Local people, who have predictably been failed by the council and the various authorities who are supposed to represent their interests, have empowered themselves to take direct action. This is a grassroots campaign organised by people themselves, despite some political parties (both left and right) trying to jump (and take over) the bandwagon. This isn't NIMBYism either - links have been made to anti-incinerator campaigns across Britain.
This is just the start of a direct action campaign - No Incinerator!
(Photos and video coverage to follow shortly)
Also see:
http://www.stic.org.uk/
Stop the Incinerator Campaign
http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact225.html
Dioxin information
http://www.htvwales.com/htvwales-cgi/news/show?template=newsreader-video.html&id=19
HTV news report
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/wales/newsid_1523000/1523577.stm
BBC report
* Disclaimer *
This article only represents the opinion of 1 person who was present at the action - it does not necessarily, nor does it claim to, represent the views of other people or groups.
Over 20 local activists, including people from the Stop the Incinerator Campaign, today blockaded the entrance to the Crymlyn Burrows incinerator construction site. The action started at 6:30am before workers arrived: the main gate was chained shut, banners were raised and an activist sat up a 20-foot scaffold tripod. The construction workers were unable to enter; plant was sent back and deliveries of materials were prevented.
The incinerator, which is being built near Swansea, South Wales, intends to burn tons of waste spreading dioxins over a huge area that will have a catastrophic effect on the environment and people's health. Although the incinerator is under construction after being granted planning permission by Neath Port Talbot council, it has yet to (officially) obtain a licence to operate from the Environment Agency.
Nearly all of the 200 construction workers were supportive of the action, seeming quite happy to have an extra bank holiday. By way of solidarity, half a dozen sub-contractors were allowed to enter the site on foot after HLC said they wouldn't be paid unless they were on site (they weren't able to do any work without the plant and materials anyway).
After over 3 hours the first activists up the tripod had to come down - however as soon as they did another activist was put up! This is believed to be the first tripod action that has had a shift change! The 2nd activist remained up the tripod for the remainder of the day.
As an added bonus, it appeared that HLC were planning a site meeting today as the managers and site engineers arrived. They attempted to enter the site via a neighbouring factory, but were quickly blocked by fast acting activists. Instead of planning how to make fast money by poisoning people and the environment they spent the day sulking in their cars.
The police were incredibly well behaved for a change - after attempting to talk the activists down from the tripod they decided to act as unobtrusive observers. No arrests were made. People even managed to take the tripod home at the end of the action, for use on another day...
Media coverage was widespread throughout the day, and managed to report the issues fairly accurately. (Congratulations to the welsh-learners who did the interview with S4C).
Local people, who have predictably been failed by the council and the various authorities who are supposed to represent their interests, have empowered themselves to take direct action. This is a grassroots campaign organised by people themselves, despite some political parties (both left and right) trying to jump (and take over) the bandwagon. This isn't NIMBYism either - links have been made to anti-incinerator campaigns across Britain.
This is just the start of a direct action campaign - No Incinerator!
(Photos and video coverage to follow shortly)
Also see:
http://www.stic.org.uk/ Stop the Incinerator Campaign
http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact225.html Dioxin information
http://www.htvwales.com/htvwales-cgi/news/show?template=newsreader-video.html&id=19 HTV news report
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/wales/newsid_1523000/1523577.stm BBC report
* Disclaimer *
This article only represents the opinion of 1 person who was present at the action - it does not necessarily, nor does it claim to, represent the views of other people or groups.
pheet