Today ten protesters turned up to resist the removal of beautiful, mature London Plains trees behind the Westgate Shopping Centre in Oxford city centre.

These trees, along with sheltered housing, and - I was told by a group of young people - the Oxford and Cherwell Valley College students' pub are being cleared to make way for a gargantuan cathedral to capitalism plus multi-storey car park. As one student sarcastically put it, "Yeah, 'coz what we really need are more shops".

Most people spent all day observing the goings-on of council employees and tree 'surgeons' and managed - albeit temporarily - to remove one guy rope from one of the trees along the west side of the Westgate car park.

However, this did not deter the Leisure and Parks people from beginning to remove the trees on the north side.

Once they started on the trees emotions, which were already high, reached fever pitch. Councillor Deborah Glass Woodin was arrested for aggravated trespass (even though she didn't quite manage to get into the fenced off area) and then held for 5 hours at St Aldates Cop Shop.

One other protester is spending tonight in the trees, braving the gale force winds; I feel slightly guilty for being inside on my laptop writing this report. If you can get down to the site to join him and others please do. (See  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/2008/01/389029.html for location.)

I counted the rings of the one of the first-felled trees, which you can see in the picture. It was nearly thirty years old, as old as I am.