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Climate Camp Day One Summaries

camper | 03.08.2008 19:49 | Climate Camp 2008 | Climate Chaos | Free Spaces | Repression | London | South Coast

The day started and ended with rain but for the most part was sunny, dry but windy. Most of the neighborhoods have their infrastructure pretty sorted and kitchen serving food. The media 'village' now has it's full complement of structures and although some are literally held up with bits of string, it's looking good despite being two days behind schedule. Everything is running behind thanks to continuing vindictive obstruction by the police.

Police threatened to impound the vehicle of the last of the big renewable energy provider on the grounds that it contained batteries that might be used as weapons. When challenged, the police officer said that any two year old could tell you how a batteries could be used as a weapon. When pressed further he said that we'd use then to make electricity and that was dangerous. He wouldn't explain how these batteries were different from all the others that has already come onto site or indeed how they are different from the batteries fitted in vehicles all over the world. Basically he was just being a tosser.

Offered the choice of having the vehicle impounded for a week or turn around an fuck off home, the driver said he'd leave for the time being while we got legal bods on the case. The police responded by setting the traffic cops to work checking over the vehicle for defects and a lawful excuse to impound it. This was the second time that the traffic cops had checked this truck over in as many hours but exhaustive checks gave them nothing. This power represents 50% of the power for the media village, legal and nearby structures on camp. There has been no further news on progressing getting it into site.

Meanwhile, the mobile police station and associated vehicles have now withdraw from the entrance to the camp at some point during the afternoon so the camp now has full control of both vehicle access points into the field. However, the police say the road is now closed (although it's not closed if you are the local councilor phoning to find out why the road has been closed and it's not closed if you are a member of the golf club and don't want to be delayed). Basically, all campers with vehicles are being made to unload in the rain about 1/2 mile from the camp then ferry all the contents up to camp after being search (and researched each time they go back to fetch more stuff).

The climate caravan arrived and every person, bike and bag was search in the pouring rain before being allowed up to the site where they were meet by cheering campers.


camper

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

Numbers?

03.08.2008 20:26

Thanks for these reports, they`re very interesting to the many people that can`t get there for whatever reason! Any idea how many people are on site now? 500? 1,000? More?

Frustrated at home!


Sorry, uncountable

04.08.2008 00:35

It's really not possible to provide an answer. Mid afternoon people were saying 3 or 4 hundred but really it is impossible to give an answer. It is a huge site on which the whole site can not be seen from any one point. The central kitchens were best placed to give an estimate of numbers until tje neighborhood kitchens kicked it. Now it is completely unrealistic to try to gauge numbers. Lots.... but not enough.

n


estimate

04.08.2008 10:59

I would say that there is about 400 people on site. Not a great turnout in my opinion. I think far less than people expected.

badgerlove


Numbers?

04.08.2008 16:18

Hey, it's early days for number counts.
Don't get too depressed!

How many people can get out of work for a whole week anyway? See what happens!

@


Numbers will increase

04.08.2008 21:22

I know just as many people planning to come down during the week and I know people that are already on-site. I am coming down on thursday as I couldnt get the whole week off work.

Dont dispare.

Bod