Over a Hundred Organisations Sign Statement Condemning Preemptive Arrest of Peaceful Protesters

Aug 27, 2024 | Press Releases

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 Yet because of outdated loopholes, this is classified as ‘renewable’ energy, allowing Drax to receive over £7 billion in public subsidies despite being a major polluter.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