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40 arrests at peat protest

bbc | 26.03.2002 14:40

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Tuesday, 26 March, 2002, 13:53 GMT
Peat protest to continue


Police moved in to arrest sit-down protesters

Campaigners say a protest at a South Yorkshire peat extraction site is to continue despite almost 40 arrests.
Police took 38 people into custody on 25 March following a sit-down demonstration at Scotts Peat Works at Hatfield Moor near Doncaster.

Environmental group Peat Alert is against continued extraction at the site and says about 30 more demonstrators are expected during Tuesday.

United States-based Scotts is due to phase out work at Hatfield and neighbouring Thorne Moors over the next two years, after the government paid £17m to buy out their extraction rights.


Peat extraction at Hatfield will last for two years


But campaigners say extraction should stop immediately if the area is to have a chance to regenerate.

Police say all 38 people arrested were charged with public order offences.

One man was remanded in custody and will appear before Doncaster magistrates.

The others were released on bail to appear at court in April.

Nature reserves

Protesters say they are determined to continue the week-long campaign of action at Hatfield Moor despite the tense stand off with police.

It is hoped to turn the two sites into nature reserves but campaigners say continuing extraction at Hatfield could mean it will be too late to save the moor.

Environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth says it plans to join campaigners already at the site.




See also:


27 Feb 02 | Sci/Tech
Public millions to save peat bogs
05 Nov 01 | England
Peat industry 'needs' more ground
25 Aug 00 | UK
Protection for peat bogs
Internet links:


The Scotts Company
Peat Producers Association
DETR report on peatland issues

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Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

Sexy Peat Protest

26.03.2002 19:37

Good luck to you!
Because the beauty and value of peatbogs are more subtle and delicate than that of forests, it has been easy for the bad guys to keep on destroying, so I'm so happy that direct action has come to mabe stop the machines even if only for a little while.

Putting pressure on shops and garden centres that sell peat based products is also a very good way of protesting this environmental destruction - I cant make it to the site, but I nag the local stockists and refuse to buy peat based products when I shop. In fact, does anyone out there know if you can still get stickers to put on peat products to advertise their undesirability? I think one of the bigger environmental orgs used to make them.


Anyway, its great to know people are getting directly involved at one of the sites of destruction. Lets make peat SEXY!!!

gnasher

Monday's Action

26.03.2002 20:48

I was at the site on Monday and was shocked by the behaviour of the police towards protestors. On arriving at the site, police lines were already formed preventing demonstrators reaching the blockade, on a quick count we saw 18 stationary police vans, two helicopters, several mounted police and dog handlers. The majority of the action on Monday was a sit down protest and the arrests appeared to be in response to little or no provocation - especially since we had been advised that we could remain within the designated area for another two hours!

Those targeted were lifted or dragged into vans and wrestled away from friends, the intention as expressed to me when I tried to leave was to arrest everone who had remained on the site after our final warning (an inaudible announcement by an officer). Many people de-arrested themselves and a good number got away - but all were filmed constantly throughout the action.

I am suprised to hear that all those arrested were charged as this has never occured at a peat demo before and I find it hard to imagine what evidence the police have against them.

Whilst in Hatfield I was approached by a few local residents who were fully in support of what we were doing and I found it more than ironic that the police claimed that it was us that were intending to 'use force to stop someone doing what they had the right to do'.

I hope that these events don't put people who would prefer not to get arrested off going to Hatfield this week and would like to say good luck to all who are still there or joined today (and those who were unlucky enough to get arrested yesterday).

Z.Glitter

peat alert campaign

27.03.2002 12:17

just to clarify about the peat action on monday, no-one was remanded in custody, all arrestees were bailed with exclusion orders from the peat works. Not from the campaign site (sniker,sniker). The likelyhood is that most people will be charged with eithier obstruction of the highway, aggravated tresspass or some contravention of section 14 of public order act...we didn't play ball with the intended site for the street party but choose our own site (conviently blockading a key access road, shame!

Gnasher- if you want stickers for peat products contact the peatalert campaign at the website.

sharivari
mail e-mail: sharivari@gmx.co.uk
- Homepage: www.peatalert.org.uk