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Urgent high court injunction

usual suspect | 10.02.2004 20:06

New Harry Potter ruling used by contractors Costain, and Caerphilly Borough Council against Blackwood roads protesters to secure a High Court “interim injunction” on protest camp.
Eviction could now be imminent. However protestors are currently seeking legal advice regarding the legality of the eviction procedure and the order arising from it.

Urgent high court injunction
Press release


On 9th February at the High Court in London Mr Justice Blackburn heard, and granted, an ex parte application on behalf of claimants Costain and Caerphilly County Council against a “wide category” of defendants at the Blackwood protest camp, South Wales, on the basis of a witness statement given by a Mr. Richard Randall.

Justice Blackburn granted the interim injunction which is based on a new ruling in the Harry Potter Bloomsbury case. The injunction means that persons entering or remaining in a specified area (the threatened woodland at Blackwood, in this case) can be immediately removed.

Veteran roads campaigner Holly said:
“this is an extremely spurious bit of legislation and has been rubber- stamped without protestors being given the option of seeking legal advice or even being informed in advance. The test case on the basis of which this injunction has been granted was a very different set of circumstances and Costain and Caerphilly council would be well advised to seek further legal advice. We are staying put- Voldermort’s mates can bugger off!”


To contact Blackwood protest camp direct please phone 07952 774525
For background general and legal information please phone 07949 284368


Editors notes
For background information on the Blackwood protest see  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/02/285042.html
Work has already started on part of the Blackwood site, an ancient woodland with a local campaign history going back ten years. The European Court has yet to reach a decision regarding an appeal. Protestors have set up camp and “section six”-ed off areas of woodland declaring them to be legal dwellings, a classic squatter’s rights law which has been used by all road protest camps such as Newbury.

usual suspect

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

Support now

10.02.2004 20:19

We need support now. Because of this injunction they may start the evictions at any time. The weekend could be too late. So if anyone can attend to support the camp it would be really appreciated.

B

bozavine
mail e-mail: bozavine@yahoo.co.uk


a pattern

10.02.2004 23:21

is this anything to do with the law firm lambert courth by any chance because they are the company that have facilitated the injunctions against both the Stop Bayer campaign and SHAC. If it is them, then a worrying pattern is emerging and lambert courth need to be discouraged from carring on with this attack on activists abilities to take action. they have drafted a model injunction that was used for both campaigns i have mentioned, and seem to be making activists their business.

any other info?

sprightly


Harry potter case

11.02.2004 01:14

The in the harry potter case, where books had gone missing and been offered to the press before publication, the court decided for the first time that persons described, rather than named, may be joined as defenedants to an injunction. This is a really bad develepment.

 http://www.lawreports.co.uk/chanmayc0.5.htm
Bloomsbury Publishing Group Ltd and another v News Group Newspapers Ltd and others [2003] EWHC 1205 (Ch) ICLR report.

 http://pamediapoint.press.net/services/media_law/updates/2003/harrypotter190603.htm
Harry Potter and the mystery injunction PA Media Point article.

Barney