[Cc-webedit] Front page highlight proposal - week of coal

[Carl van Tonder]

The text of the blog post is attached — it would be great if there was
some feedback on this as a separate issue to the front page proposal as
well.

Carl.

On Thu, 2009-10-29 at 16:28 +0000, carl at supervacuo.com wrote:
> All,
> 
> Following a week of spectacular actions against coal (Mainshill, Didcot
> and Shipley), I propose that we occupy a highlight (or possibly the main
> section of the site for a short while) with a summary of these three
> actions. If people feel that a highlight is more appropriate, I would
> suggest replacing the Mainshill one as this proposal includes a
> description of the solidarity camp as well.
> 
> Suggested text:
> "Halting Coal"
> Didcot, Mainshill, Shipley: The movement against coal shows no sign of
> backing down in the run-up to Copenhagen.
> 
> Link to a blog article about all three actions together, which someone has
> offered to do for us.
> 
> In terms of a photo, I would suggest a triple-pane diagonal with images
> from each of the actions, which I am happy to put together myself.
> 
> What do people think of this idea, and especially of the proposal to
> occupy the main area with it?
> 
> Carl.
> 
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26/10/09: A day to remember in the fight against coal

We defeated E.On’s plans to build the first coal-fired power station in
over 30 years, which is definitely something to be proud of. But, as this
week’s actions have shown, the fight against coal is far from over and
concerned individuals are showing no sign in slowing down their
activities.

The first of three inspirational actions on Monday morning took place in
the early hours at RWE npower’s Didcot Power Station in Oxfordshire. 20
intrepid cyclists rode right past the gate to the faces of perplexed
security guards, with one team locking onto the coal conveyor belt for
over 13 hours, and a second team ascending the 200m chimney and occupying
it for two days and nights.

RWE npower were forced to admit that the action had stopped all coal fired
electricity generation. Furthermore, the ability to bypass RWE n-power’s
massively ramped up security and gain access to crucial machinery was
truly inspirational, and demonstrated that nothing can hold back committed
people determined to do something about climate change. Here’s what one
participant who made it to the chimney top had to say:

"I'm a qualified builder and will be 52 in a week's time. I never thought
in my life I would do anything like this. It's amazing how working with
committed people can empower you to confront these massive companies and
help force real change in the world."

With all recent attention focused on E.On’s now shelved Kingsnorth plans,
RWE npower has been able to hide in the shadows. Yet the company is not
only behind two possible new coal plants in the UK, at Tilbury and
Hunterston, but it also plans to build over 30 more across Europe. To use
the bad pun featured in the Daily Mail, this action has shown that
activists will go to great heights in order to halt RWE npower’s lethal
intentions.

Monday’s second action began a couple of hours later at Mainshill Wood,
South Lanarkshire. Mainshill Wood is currently being destroyed by Scottish
Coal to make way for a new coal mine. It is one of 20 new mines to be
given planning permission in Scotland, and is situated within one of the
most heavily mined areas in Europe.

Refusing to let the coal beneath the ground get anywhere near a furnace,
individuals blocked the site’s access road and this prevented destruction
taking place for several hours. The blockade formed part of a long term
battle at Mainshill Wood. A solidarity camp has been occupying part of the
site for over four months, from which relentless action has sprouted
including tunnelling, tree climbing and jumping on machinery.

With two actions already well underway, at 9.20am coal received its third
strike when 20 activists climbed on machinery at Shipley opencast coal
mine. Work was stopped at the site, with the participants having climbed
on six vehicles. The target was particularly poignant given that coal
mined from Shipley is supplied to Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station (the
second biggest in the UK) where The Great Climate Swoop saw 1000 people
collectively target the week before.

Those taking part in the protest highlighted that, in addition to climate
change, opencast mines bring a range of catastrophic local issues. As one
participant from the Shipley area stated, “the handful of jobs that
opencast coal mining provides hardly compensate for the noise, traffic and
pollution that we have to suffer. Local people fought long and hard
against the this mine, not just for our sakes but also for that of our
children.”

So, Monday the 26th of October will certainly go down as a day to remember
in the ongoing struggle against coal. It demonstrated the range of targets
that need to be hit, ranging from the operational mine, to the mine not
yet created, to the power station itself. But it also heralded a new stage
in stopping coal, with none of the three actions being a one day affair.
Resistance against new opencast mines will continue to rage. Work on
existing mines will be stopped with ever increasing vigour. New coal fired
power stations will not be built.

E.On may have F’d Off, but our job is far from done!
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