Bayer Noise Demo - Report
togg | 15.11.2003 10:44 | Bio-technology | Oxford
Around 100 anti-bayer campaigners gathered outside Bayer HQ in Newbury and made a horrible bloody racket.
Thursday 13th November
As part of a long term campaign to get the German Company Bayer out of GM crops,around 100 people gathered outside Bayer's Newbury Office.
Armed with pots and pans,drums, a couple of sounds systems and other noise making objects we made a horrible bloody noise for around 3 and a half hours. This was before a small group of the protesters tried to make their way around to the other side of the building, where the staff were leaving for lunch. The police quickly formed a line and gradually kettled around 50 of us in to a pen. This was not done without resistance - most people were pushed and several thrown (see film to be posted later) into the pen. Several managed to escape over a fence - and after either hiding in the garden for half an hour, or asking an old lady if she minded, they left through her house.
The rest of us were informed that under Section 14 we were only allowed to protest in this area - the pen - much more noise was made -(which was only about 30 yards from where we were originally protesting) until a solicitor confirmed what we already knew - that they only could hold us if we continued to demonstrate. So we all left and went down the pub.
As part of a long term campaign to get the German Company Bayer out of GM crops,around 100 people gathered outside Bayer's Newbury Office.
Armed with pots and pans,drums, a couple of sounds systems and other noise making objects we made a horrible bloody noise for around 3 and a half hours. This was before a small group of the protesters tried to make their way around to the other side of the building, where the staff were leaving for lunch. The police quickly formed a line and gradually kettled around 50 of us in to a pen. This was not done without resistance - most people were pushed and several thrown (see film to be posted later) into the pen. Several managed to escape over a fence - and after either hiding in the garden for half an hour, or asking an old lady if she minded, they left through her house.
The rest of us were informed that under Section 14 we were only allowed to protest in this area - the pen - much more noise was made -(which was only about 30 yards from where we were originally protesting) until a solicitor confirmed what we already knew - that they only could hold us if we continued to demonstrate. So we all left and went down the pub.
togg