Today was the first public day of the Camp for Climate Action just outside Heathrow. It also saw the early morning arival of some high winds and heavy rain. Undeterred more people have been arriving at the site throughout the day, with police stop and searches being at a much reduced level.
At lunchtime a press conference was held outside the main marquee at the camp, attended by a wide range of mainstream media both from the uk and other countries.
Several campers spoke at the press conference declaring the camp open for a week of learning about climate change, the science and politics behind it and possible solutions to it.
Time was also taken to denounce yesterday's Evening Standard article which claimed people from the camp were intending to send hoax suspicious packages to Heathrow as downright lies. They said the camp expects to have critical coverage and to be challenged in the media, especially as the camp has become such a large story, but they said that such blatant lies as featured in the Evening Standard are not acceptable. They also said that a complaint was being lodged with the Press Complaints Commission.
The press conference then went on to answer questions from the assemled media in front of the cameras.
Many of the questions centred on the day of action planned for Sunday / Monday and in particular reports that people from the camp were asking protestors to bring, or come wearing, suits or cabin crew uniforms. In response to this it was explained that there was indeed a group making cabin crew uniforms, but these were of a theatrical nature for use by a theatre group more akin to can can dancers who were planning on singing songs and dancing to make their protest!
Time and time again it was stressed that the protests and actions on sunday are not to target passengers, but the corporations and government who are the real climate criminals, and that any action would be safe and peaceful and not target the runways.
Later in the afternoon the main welcome meeting of the camp took place with over 250 people sat in a giant circle inside the main marquee. The meeting ran through all the introductory talks for the camp, including how the camp is split into neighbourhoods with their own kitchens, how decisions are made, how to use the compost toilets, how to get involved and all the plethora of info that's needed to navigate your way through the temporary eco-village for the coming week.
Following the welcome meeting the first set of workshops took place including "Two Degree Timebomb" by Mark Lynas and "Aviation: The Need to Stop Expansion" with people from Airportwatch and local group HACAN. There were also practical workshops aimed at making the camp run more smoothly with sessions on facilitation and consensus decision making as well as several other workshops.
There was also many day visitors to the camp including local councillors who this afternoon were treated to a guided tour that took in the compost toilets and an impromptu workshop on grey water recylcling systems (several of which are being built for the kitchens onsite).
Generally the camp is working well. Lots of people who have never been involved with this kind of campaigning have pitched in and started helping out with most of the major jobs that need doing to run the site getting done through people just volunteering to do whatever needs doing. And the food so far has been excellent.
Despite the spell of terrible weather and the police obstruction in the set up phase the camp is well and truly underway.
Later in the evening there was an incident with police coming onto the camp site in a tight phalanx of 25plus which resulted in a large crowd of campers obstructing their progress, holding their hands in the air chanting "Police Out!" - as people slowly pushed the police back they lashed out at those at the front.
They withdrew to just outside the rope barrier which marks the edge of the campsite in the field as people cheered. At the same time riot police in full gear with helmets arrived quickly at the western gate into the field that the camp is on, and a woman from the camp superglued her hands to the gate in an effort to prevent them entering the site - in her own words attempting to "de-escalate the situation". Mainstream media where no where to be seen, their outside broadcast trucks that have been present for several days having moved from the road outside the camp.
There was a short standoff as police blocked all access to the lane that leads to the camp, even preventing members of the press heading to the camp to cover the incident. Access was re-opened just as the woman was removed from the gate and senior police officers had entered the camp for an escorted tour around site where they reportedly said the incursion was not sanctioned by them.
Most people I spoke to said the incident was a blatant attempt by sections of the police to provoke a reaction, to incite some trouble. It didn't work.
Several campers spoke at the press conference declaring the camp open for a week of learning about climate change, the science and politics behind it and possible solutions to it.
Time was also taken to denounce yesterday's Evening Standard article which claimed people from the camp were intending to send hoax suspicious packages to Heathrow as downright lies. They said the camp expects to have critical coverage and to be challenged in the media, especially as the camp has become such a large story, but they said that such blatant lies as featured in the Evening Standard are not acceptable. They also said that a complaint was being lodged with the Press Complaints Commission.
The press conference then went on to answer questions from the assemled media in front of the cameras.
Many of the questions centred on the day of action planned for Sunday / Monday and in particular reports that people from the camp were asking protestors to bring, or come wearing, suits or cabin crew uniforms. In response to this it was explained that there was indeed a group making cabin crew uniforms, but these were of a theatrical nature for use by a theatre group more akin to can can dancers who were planning on singing songs and dancing to make their protest!
Time and time again it was stressed that the protests and actions on sunday are not to target passengers, but the corporations and government who are the real climate criminals, and that any action would be safe and peaceful and not target the runways.
Later in the afternoon the main welcome meeting of the camp took place with over 250 people sat in a giant circle inside the main marquee. The meeting ran through all the introductory talks for the camp, including how the camp is split into neighbourhoods with their own kitchens, how decisions are made, how to use the compost toilets, how to get involved and all the plethora of info that's needed to navigate your way through the temporary eco-village for the coming week.
Following the welcome meeting the first set of workshops took place including "Two Degree Timebomb" by Mark Lynas and "Aviation: The Need to Stop Expansion" with people from Airportwatch and local group HACAN. There were also practical workshops aimed at making the camp run more smoothly with sessions on facilitation and consensus decision making as well as several other workshops.
There was also many day visitors to the camp including local councillors who this afternoon were treated to a guided tour that took in the compost toilets and an impromptu workshop on grey water recylcling systems (several of which are being built for the kitchens onsite).
Generally the camp is working well. Lots of people who have never been involved with this kind of campaigning have pitched in and started helping out with most of the major jobs that need doing to run the site getting done through people just volunteering to do whatever needs doing. And the food so far has been excellent.
Despite the spell of terrible weather and the police obstruction in the set up phase the camp is well and truly underway.
Later in the evening there was an incident with police coming onto the camp site in a tight phalanx of 25plus which resulted in a large crowd of campers obstructing their progress, holding their hands in the air chanting "Police Out!" - as people slowly pushed the police back they lashed out at those at the front.
They withdrew to just outside the rope barrier which marks the edge of the campsite in the field as people cheered. At the same time riot police in full gear with helmets arrived quickly at the western gate into the field that the camp is on, and a woman from the camp superglued her hands to the gate in an effort to prevent them entering the site - in her own words attempting to "de-escalate the situation". Mainstream media where no where to be seen, their outside broadcast trucks that have been present for several days having moved from the road outside the camp.
There was a short standoff as police blocked all access to the lane that leads to the camp, even preventing members of the press heading to the camp to cover the incident. Access was re-opened just as the woman was removed from the gate and senior police officers had entered the camp for an escorted tour around site where they reportedly said the incursion was not sanctioned by them.
Most people I spoke to said the incident was a blatant attempt by sections of the police to provoke a reaction, to incite some trouble. It didn't work.
