Camp Titnore birthday protest
SCIMC | 13.05.2008 18:45 | South Coast
To mark the occasion, a 'party' was held on the steps of Worthing Town Hall in Chapel Road.
Alongside the usual placards and banners were party hats and home-made birthday cakes, as supporters posed for press photos, gave three cheers to the eco-activists who have been protecting our countryside since May 2006 and gave a rendition of 'Happy Birthday to You', as between six and nine police watched on at a distance. There was even a spot of tree climbing.
One campaigner said: "The campaign has, of course, being going a lot more than two years, but the extraordinary achievement of those who have kept alive a continued presence in the woods since May 2006 just cannot be over-emphasised."
Less cheerful news was that Tesco's plans for its massive expansion on the West Durrington site have now been given outline planning permission by Worthing Borough Council.
Worthing Herald report The event was given added poignancy by scenes at the recent election count, when heavy-handed security and police threw out Save Titnore Woods! candidate Dawn Smith and her supporters.
The incident happened on Friday May 2, when Dawn, who was standing for the Stop Durrington's Overdevelopment - Save Titnore's Trees party, in the borough's Northbrook ward, was arrested after a row at Worthing's Assembly Hall, apparently for "disorderly behaviour".
She was thrown to the ground by police, held down with her hands behind her back, knelt on and handcuffed, then held for four hours at Durrington police station - all for objecting to her supporters being violently ejected from the count.
Dawn, who has not been charged, explained that there was confusion over the passes for her guests at the count, who included Titnore eco-campers. Names she had registered did not seem to have been recorded, in an official bungle.
Other people, considered of "respectable" appearance, were waved through by security but they demanded ID from her supporters.
While she went to try and sort the error, some of the campers wandered through into the hall and were attacked and physically thrown out by security staff in what she called a "complete over-reaction".
Dawn objected vocally. She said: "I shouted at them. The only reason they did this was because the guys had dreadlocks. I'm not going to stand by and see someone jumped on."
SCIMC