Anti-pipeline campaign continues

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Anti-pipeline campaign continues on full flow As the corporations & authorities press on with their ridiculous & outrageous pipeline project, activists from both south wales & further afield continue the campaign to stop it. The proposed 150 mile pipeline pumping liquefied natural gas at a dangerously high pressure is intrinsically wrong on many levels: The jetty under construction at Milford Haven hasn’t had an adequate risk assessment by the harbour authority. Ex-pilots for the harbour have expressed severe concern for the positioning of the jetty, which is so far out into the channel to accommodate the enormous ships bringing in the gas tanks, that a serious risk is posed to other ships trying to navigate into dock. In the last 6 months there have been 1200 reports to the health & safety executive of leaks by tankers owned by a single operator. The risks involved with the construction of the pipeline & it’s associated

reprocessing stations has been called into question several times. In the USA a pipeline of this pressure isn’t allowed to be laid within 10 miles of houses, due to the risk of leaks & explosions. But here it runs through villages & past schools. The environmental impact is massive, as the pipeline slashes through ancient woodland including parts of the Brecon Beacons national park flattening everything as it goes. Despite government greenwash & public recognition of the very real threat of climate change £700,000,000 is being spent on a project which only serves to increase our dependence on fossil fuels. More & more people are realising that our governments aren’t to be trusted & that the only way to maintain a world for our children & grandchildren is to take matters into our own hands & take responsibility or our own future. This Is Terminal! On Wednesday 14th February Activists blockaded the

main entrance road to the South Hook LNG terminal construction site. 5 people locked onto heavy arm tubes in a circle, blocking the road, which is owned by Esso. The police arrived within a few minutes (basically, they were expecting us) & aggressively attempted to pull the people in arm tubes apart. The large police presence dragged away people supporting the protest & illegally holding them in a worker’s bus for hours, finally releasing them with a warning & a ban from the area. The blockade continued for 6 hours despite police threats to use pepper spray & to lift people locked-on, risking broken arms. Police played good cop/bad cop depending on whether their cameras were on. The blockade resulted in a tailback of over 50 lorries unable to enter & many vehicles unable to leave the construction site. This resulted in an estimated loss of £700,000 for Esso/South Hook LNG. The state were a little annoyed about this protest. 5

people were charged with aggravated trespass & 7 released on bail for conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass. Held for nearly 24 hours, they were let out separately in middle of the night. 3 vehicles were impounded & 3 houses unofficially raided with doors being kicked in, property trashed, computers & other personal items confiscated & no receipts or official documents left. Ridiculous bail conditions were imposed including ‘residing at home each night’ (basically being grounded) & not going within 200m of the pipeline – even though at 150 miles it’s hard to avoid in South & Mid Wales. People were photographed & monitored when attending court 2 weeks later. Police Oppression Circumstances around the terminal protest suggest Big Brother has been watching closely recently. As many as 300 Police gathered at Swansea police station at 6pm the day

before. The intelligence they had about the protest suggests meetings had been infiltrated or listened to, with evidence that activists were being being watched & followed. Although scary & uncomfortable at times for those involved, the reaction of the state proves that direct action is effective. If we are not a serious threat to governments & big business then they would not need to go to these extreme measures to try to intimidate us & stop us from fighting back. We will not stop! See you at the next action! GAGGED! SEIZED! In the raids following the blockade, police seized 100s of copies of Gagged! Is what we print so dangerous it has to be confiscated by the cops?! More of a worry is people having 100s of copies of Gagged! a month after it was printed! We’re trying to distribute faster, contact us for copies & to get involved. Trebanos footpath occupation The Trebanos protest

site (see #15) continued until early February with an empty nearby pub occupied to provide warm & dry rooms for those ‘off shift’. All work was stopped until National Grid applied for the closure of the footpath. However, evicting the camp without the full 7 days notice meant activists returned early the next morning. 4 days later with the notice time up & protesters returning, the site was suddenly swamped by over 40 old bill. People were given 5 minutes to leave the site, some, now known as the ‘Faffing Five’ took precisely 3.58 minutes to decide, & were promptly arrested. Though banned from Wales in their bail conditions, the charge of aggravated trespass is unlikely to stick in court due to the lack of 1.02 minutes captured on video. Brecon Tree Camp On Monday 22nd January a protest camp was set up in Penbont in the Brecon Beacons National park. Occupying woodland set for destruction to make way for the pipeline. The

camp has 5 treehouses, suspended nets, walkways & ground structures with burners. Residents of Brecon & lovers of the park have donated foods & supplies. Protesters are busy building defenses (more materials needed!) & visiting other sites to stop trees being felled. Pop down for a day, a few days or even longer! Help & visitors always welcome. The camp is at 4 miles west of Brecon town on the A40. Site phone: 07733190958 www.fightthepipe.co.uk www.safehavenpembs.co.uk risingtide.org.uk/bristol/pipelinePeter H

 

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