144 Organisations, including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have signed a statement condemning the arrest of over 25 people ahead of a planned peaceful protest aimed at raising awareness of the damage to human health and the environment caused by the tree burning power station Drax.
The statement also condemns the impounding of key camp equipment- preventing the camp from going ahead, and calls into question the use of police resources to prevent lawful protest, particularly at a time of far right violence Nationwide.
Areeba Hamid Co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, who signed the statement said: Areeeba Hamid said:
“These pre-emptive arrests are a worrying legacy of the previous government’s crusade to restrict peaceful protest. The protesters were only planning a peaceful protest camp against one of the UK’s worst polluters.
“The inspiring public response we’ve seen to racist rioting in the last few days is a powerful reminder of the vital role peaceful protest plays in our society. We must not give in to political attempts to demonise protestors, refugees and minority groups. We have the opportunity for a clean break and for this new government to change direction by rolling back some of the draconian laws and making space for all voices to be heard.”
Then full statement reads as follows:
Statement of Solidarity with Reclaim the Power
As organisations concerned with social justice, we are outraged at the treatment of Reclaim the Power. Reclaim the Power had planned a peaceful protest camp, to highlight the damage to human health and the environment caused by Drax’s tree burning power station. In the early hours of Thursday morning (8th August 2024), a large police operation preemptively and indiscriminately arrested over 25 people and impounded key camp equipment, preventing the camp from going ahead.
This comes in a week where far right groups have caused violent disorder across the UK, and communities have faced racist attacks. Now we know what the police have been doing with their resources: preventing citizens from criticising a profit-making company which receives huge amounts of public money.
Drax is the UK’s largest single source of carbon emissions, and burns the equivalent of 25 million trees a year. Yet because of outdated loopholes, this is classified as ‘renewable’ energy, allowing Drax to receive over £7 billion in public subsidies despite being a major polluter. Alongside the carbon emissions, Drax’s pellet production in the US and Canada creates dangerous dust and pollution, destroying the health of people in marginalised communities.
Drax’s subsidies will expire in 2027 and Drax is pushing the government to guarantee this year that they will get years’ worth of extra subsidies after that. The public has the right to express their views over how their money is spent. Gathering at a camp to express these views is not a crime. Police taking equipment to prevent this camp going ahead is an unreasonable restriction of free speech and is highly oppressive.
The UK has seen 15 years of falling living standards, a cost of living crisis, and decades of blaming migrants for the UK’s problems. But the real cause of our economic problems is the corrupt relationship between the state and corporations like Drax, who receive state support while profiting from sky-high energy bills, and who seem to be using the police as their own private security.
We strongly condemn the actions of Drax and the police.
Ends
For further information email: press@reclaimthepower.org
RTP
Reclaim the Power is a UK based direct action network fighting for social, environmental and economic justice. We aim to build a broad based movement, working in solidarity with frontline communities to effectively confront environmentally destructive industries and the social and economic forces driving climate change.
Drax
Drax Power Station, located near Selby in Yorkshire, is the world’s biggest woody biomass power station and the UK’s single largest carbon emitter. Drax sources from around the world, primarily the US, Canada, and the Baltic States. Drax’s wood pellet production sites, predominantly located in environmental justice communities, emit large amounts of pollutants, such as PM10, PM2.5 and VOCs which are linked to respiratory and pulmonary health impacts. Woody biomass is counted as carbon neutral by the UK Government, allowing Drax to receive renewable energy subsidies (CfDs and ROCs).
Organisations signed on:
| 350.org |
| BARAC UK |
| Biofuelwatch |
| Coal Action Network |
| Corporate Watch |
| Debt Justice |
| Dogwood Alliance |
| Ende Gelände International Working Group |
| PCS trade union |
| Energy Embargo for Palestine |
| Environmental Paper Network |
| Friends of the Earth (EWNI) |
| Global Justice Ecology Project |
| Greater Greener Gloster Project, Mississippi |
| Green New Deal Rising |
| Greenpeace UK |
| Medact |
| Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) |
| People & Planet |
| Plan B.Earth |
| Plan C |
| Southern Forests Conservation Coalition |
| Stand.earth |
| Stay Grounded |
| Stay Grounded UK Chapter |
| Stop Rosebank |
| The Lifescape Project |
| Tipping Point UK |
| Unite Grassroot Climate Justice Caucus |
| Uplift |
| War on Want |
| XR Youth UK |
| Landworkers’ Alliance (LWA) |
| 5 Rivers Rising |
| AbibiNsroma Foundation |
| Artists’ Union England |
| Australian Forests and Climate Alliance |
| Biodiversity Conservation Center |
| Blue Dalian |
| BP or not BP? |
| Brightbox Makerspace |
| Bristol Feminist Collective |
| Bristol Stop Rosebank |
| Calderdale Green New Deal |
| Campaign against Climate Change |
| Christian Climate Action |
| Climate Camp Cymru |
| Climate Camp Scotland |
| Climate Communications Coalition |
| Climate Craic |
| Climate Cymru |
| Climate Resistance |
| Climáximo (Portugal) |
| Comite Schone Lucht |
| Cowley Climate Collective |
| Daniel Balla |
| Dark Optimism |
| Defend Our Juries |
| Doctors in Unite |
| Earth Thrive |
| EarthFirst! UK |
| Eastbourne Solidarity |
| Ecojustice Ireland |
| Ei polteta tulevaisuutta |
| Environment East Gippsland inc |
| Environmental Protection Information Center |
| Equity for a Green New Deal |
| Estonian Fund for Nature |
| Extinction Rebellion Bristol |
| Extinction Rebellion Cymru |
| Extinction Rebellion Forres |
| Extinction Rebellion Leeds |
| Extinction Rebellion Merseyside |
| Extinction Rebellion North Lakes |
| Extinction Rebellion Scotland |
| Extinction Rebellion Trafford |
| Feminist Fightback |
| Fern |
| Geef Tegengas Action Camp Rotterdam |
| Greater Manchester Climate Justice Coalition |
| Greater Manchester Climate Justice Coalition |
| Green New Deal Rising North East |
| Green New Deal South Yorkshire |
| Green Squad (Croatia) |
| High Peak Green New Deal |
| India Labour Solidarity (UK) |
| John Muir Project |
| Lawyers Are Responsible |
| Leefmilieu |
| Liverpool City Region Climate Justice Coalition |
| London Action Resource Centre (LARC) |
| London Anti-Fascist Assembly |
| London Rising Tide UK |
| Machars and Cree Valley Climate Action Network |
| Medact Sheffield |
| Naturwald Akademie gGmbH |
| NC Climate Solutions |
| North East Climate Justice Coalition |
| Oil Change International |
| People & Planet Sheffield |
| Peoples Repiblic of Stokes Croft |
| Pivot Point |
| Positive Money UK |
| Re-alliance.org |
| Revolutionary Reparations |
| Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century (rs21) |
| Rhythms of Resistance London |
| Rising Tide UK |
| Save Lough Neagh |
| Save Rimrose Valley |
| Scientists For Extinction Rebellion |
| ScotE3 |
| Sheffield Stop Rosebank |
| Sheffield Transformed |
| SINE (Stop Incineration North East) |
| Slí Eile |
| Snow Alliance |
| Social centers of the North East (Italy) |
| South-West Essex Fight the Flights |
| Starter Culture |
| Stop Rosebank NE |
| Stop Shopping Choir UK |
| Stop the A38 Expansion Campaign group |
| Sustainable Thornton Heath |
| SYMAAG (South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group) |
| The Centre for Law & Social Change |
| The Working Class Climate Alliance |
| This Is Rigged |
| THORN (Trans Hookers Resistance Network) |
| Transition Liverpool |
| Transition Town Brixton |
| Trend Asia |
| University of York Quaker Society |
| WeSmellGas |
| West Cumbria & North Lakes Friends ofthe Earth |
| Wild Heritage |
| Wirral Green Party |
| XR Calderdale |
| XR Chesterfield and NE Derbyshire |
| XR Glasgow |
| XR North |
| Yorkshire and Humber Climate Justice Coalition |
| Youth Action for Climate Justice |
| Youth in Resistance |
| Extinction Rebellion York |
| 350PDX |
| ROBIN WOOD, Germany |
| UK Youth Climate Coalition |