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Police have sabotaged the largest green festival in UK

Undercurrents | 26.07.2009 22:53 | World

Rumours are flying that a new Chief inspector wanted revenge for activists showing up the Met police during the G20 protests in London and at Kingsnorth power station protests in Kent. Shutting down the Big Green Gathering was the perfect chance to foil activists.

I got this from the Big Green Gathering organisers today.
Dear Friends,
following threatened injunction proceedings in High Court by Mendip District Council supported by Somerset & Avon Police and having taken extensive advice from a prominent QC and other eminent lawyers, the directors of the Big Green Gathering have been left with no other option than to voluntarily surrender the license for the Big Green Gathering 2009. The event will now not take place and the directors’ advice and request is that no one intending to attend the event should attempt to do so, as the site is now closed and they are likely to be turned away by Somerset Police. It is our intention to avoid any form of confrontation or public disorder in regard to this and it is our earnest hope that all those involved will follow this advice. It is with great sadness that we have been forced into this position and we express our profound apologies to all those concerned.
The Directors of The Big Green Gathering

Undercurrents would have been showing our films at the festival but the Police said
Police are warning people planning to attend the 'Big Green Gathering' 2009, that the event has been cancelled due to a number of contributing factors that could not be overcome.Today (Sunday July 26) organisers of the 'Big Green Gathering' surrendered their licence to Mendip Council.
 http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/LocalPages/NewsDetails.aspx?nsid=17222&t=1&lid=4

Undercurrents
- Homepage: http://www.undercurrents.org

Comments

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boooooooooooo

26.07.2009 23:24

no fun for hippies this year..

Ratamahatta

A summer of fun

26.07.2009 23:31

Guess we'll have to have a surprise camp outside an E.ON owned establishment then.

Disgruntled camper

what were the "safety" excuses, I mean reasons they came up with?

27.07.2009 01:28

whilst BNPs RWB festival continues to spew hate & organises serious violence

Green syndicalist

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Correction

27.07.2009 04:37

It's not the RWB festival which spews hatred and violence, but the leftofascist "protestors" who invade the area.

Reality Check

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This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

Correction

27.07.2009 07:31

No, its definitly the BNP and their new found friends in the BFF.

Leftofascist? What? Bit of an oxymoron that, while you are merely a moron.

I Hate the Fash

Latest news is that it was because of the Green Stewards

27.07.2009 08:44

The word on the street is that the BGG had problems with the expense of hiring the Green Stewards company so they found a cheaper company. The Green Stewards kicked off thus giving Mendip council and Police the ammunition they needed to stop the festival.

If anyone can confirm or deny this- please post any info on this please

 http://www.greenstewards.com/

undercurrents
mail e-mail: info@undercurrents.org

Re excuses

27.07.2009 10:25

Safety excuses seemed to be signage to the event!! Stewards and legislation eh? PFI police forces!!!

mark

How about...

27.07.2009 11:01

... joining the protest camp at Highgate Farm, based in Lincolnshire who breed rabbits and ferrets for vivisection labs including HLS:  http://www.shac.net/news/2009/july/camp.html

Steve Discombe

but how green was it really, anyway?

27.07.2009 22:00

i went to the BGG once, as crew, think it was 2007 or thereabouts. was pretty shocked by how bad it was. chemical toilets everywhere, burger vans using plastic packaging, enormous car-park for all the (majority it seemed to me) punters who had driven there, and even a petrol powered generator for the "lost in vagueness" poseurs to party with.
certainly big, but not particularly green i didn't think...

cynic

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