[Diggers350] Criminalising peaceful protest: 22 arrested BEFORE forest-fired Drax 'Reclaim The Power' camp can set up

[Tony Gosling]

1. 22 held as police foil plot to bring compost 
toilets and wheelchair track to Drax climate camp

https://freedomnews.org.uk/2024/08/08/mass-pre-emptive-arrest-of-reclaim-the-power-activists-in-yorkshire/
UPDATE 13.30: the climate camp has now been 
<https://freedomnews.org.uk/2024/08/08/climate-camp-cancelled-after-police-raid-seizes-infrastructure-22-arrested/>cancelled
­ Officers from the Metropolitan police this 
morning led local forces in a raid on 
<https://freedomnews.org.uk/2020/02/14/dont-despair-organise-introduction-to-bentley-urban-farm/>Bentley 
Urban Farm in Doncaster, said eye witnesses. They 
arrested twenty two activists, who were preparing 
to transport infrastructure, sanitation and 
accessibility equipment to the upcoming climate camp at Drax power station.
Crashing sounds were heard from outside the site 
as vehicles and equipment were impounded. The 
detainees were taken to York police station, 
where they are being 
<https://freedomnews.org.uk/2024/07/19/roger-roger-public-nuisance/>held 
for conspiracy charges: in this case, to 
interfere with key national infrastructure at 
Drax Power Station in Selby between 8 and 13 
August. Media 
<https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/crime/drax-more-than-20-people-arrested-after-planned-climate-camp-set-up-near-yorkshire-power-station-4733833>repeated 
the police’s claim they are “not against protest but against crime”.
The raids follow on from the 
<https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crgkpvm3lgxo>draconian 
protest injunction granted to Drax ahead of the 
camp. In a press release, Reclaim the Power 
insisted that the planned event will still go ahead.

2. Power station gets court order to stop 
protesters   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crgkpvm3lgxo
3. Police arrest 22 peaceful climate protesters 
AT ONCE while racist riots spread across the UK 
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2024/08/08/drax-reclaim-the-power-police/
Emacs!

4. 22 arrested at Drax power station climate protest

    * Thursday 8 August 2024 at 1:34pm
    * 
https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2024-08-08/22-arrests-over-peaceful-power-station-climate-protest 

    * https://reclaimthepower.org.uk/actions/drax-camp-2024/camp-update/
    * https://www.facebook.com/ReclaimThePower/
    * https://twitter.com/reclaimthepower
[]
The protests have not affected operation of the plant. Credit: PA

Climate campaigners have cancelled a protest at a 
North Yorkshire power plant after police made 22 arrests and seized equipment.

Reclaim the Power initially said its members were 
setting up camp for six days at Drax Power 
Station, near Selby, over claims it is the UK’s 
largest single source of carbon emissions.

North Yorkshire Police said it had made arrests 
over public order offences, including conspiracy 
to interfere with key national infrastructure.

A number of items "associated with large scale protest" were seized.

The force, which said it would also use extra 
stop-and-search powers to prevent offences, was 
not "anti-protest [but] anti-crime".

However, Reclaim the Power said the arrests 
showed police priorities were wrong, following 
days of rioting in towns and cities across the country.

It said it had cancelled the camp following the police intervention.

A group spokesperson said: “Racist violence is 
happening nationwide. Black and brown communities 
are under attack with fire and bricks and the 
police have made the unfathomable decision to 
divert resources away from those communities to 
arrest 22 people taking equipment to make a 
peaceful climate protest safe and accessible.

“The police claim they are not against protest 
but against crime, but their actions show otherwise.

"In Yorkshire this morning, police prioritised 
locating and arresting people suspected of 
organising peaceful protest with tents, toilets 
and track for wheelchairs over locating and 
arresting people who are actually organising far right riots."

A former coal-fired power station, Drax is now 
the UK's largest biomass generator. Biomass 
involves burning wood or plants to create heat, transport fuel or electricity.
[]
Wooden pellets are used to create biomass fuel. Credit: PA

Biomass generators have become a key part of the 
government's drive to meet climate targets.

A Drax spokesperson said it respected the right 
to protest, but the camp was "completely misguided".

They said: "Drax has been at the forefront of 
efforts to help the UK to decarbonise at a faster 
rate than any other country and is the country’s 
biggest renewable power generator by output, 
keeping the lights on for four million homes and businesses across the UK.

"We thank North Yorkshire Police for their swift 
action this morning to protect our colleagues and the wider community."

Supt Ed Haywood-Noble, of North Yorkshire Police, 
said there police would remain at the camp for the coming days.

"It’s our responsibility to manage the protest in 
line with legal obligations. We also have a duty 
to ensure that people who work at Drax and 
members of the local community can go about their daily business as usual."

It added that any offences, including outbreaks 
of disorder, would be robustly dealt with.

The 22 individuals who were arrested remain in police custody.
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