Climate Camp 2008
Camp Life
BAA supporter at Climate Camp
This year’s Climate Camp was held from Sunday 3rd August to Monday 11th August in Kent. The event is for anyone who wants to help tackle climate change and has four main themes: education, direct action, sustainable living, and building a movement to effectively tackle climate change both resisting climate crimes and developing sustainable solutions.
The camp was set up in a field near to the Kingsnorth power station on the Hoo Peninsular in Kent. Volunteers helped to set up and run the site. The site itself provided an excellent example of how to live sustainably; all power was provided by solar panels and wind turbines, grey water recycling facilities and compost toilets were also installed.
Throughout the week workshops, discussions and meetings took place covering a vast range of issues relating to climate change and what people can do to help.
Animal Rights
Issues of environment and animal rights are intrinsically linked, with more and more people becoming aware of the connection between eating a meat-based diet and climate change. All catering on the site was vegan and there was also an AR marquee containing a wide variety of literature on animal rights issues. Members of Bedford Animal Action and other animal rights campaigners joined hundreds of other activists from across the country to participate in this year’s event.
Kingsnorth
Kingsnorth power station
The location for this year’s Climate Camp was chosen due to its close proximity to Kingsnorth power station. Kingsnorth is due to be closed in the near future as it is coming to the end of its life. There are plans however to replace it with a new coal-fired power station, despite the fact that coal is the most polluting fossil fuel. At at time when many people feel that we should be investing in renewable energy, power companies with the backing of the government are not only planning to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth, but also potentially another six over the next few years.
For more information on the issues involved visit the Climate Camp 08 website Why Kingsnorth?
Mass Day of Action
The noisy and colourful protest at Kingsnorth
The camp culminated in a Mass Day of Action on Saturday 9th August. The focus of the protest was the nearby Kingsnorth power station and the aim was to shut the power station down for the day. Campaigners split into 4 groups, the largest being the orange group with over 1,000 protesters joining in a noisy and colourful march to the main gates of Kingsnorth. The blue group approached the power station by water paddling a variety of rafts and kayaks down the River Medway. Three people succeeded in occupying the ledge above the power station’s water inlet tunnel while a banner proclaiming ‘CO2AL: Starter Gun for Climate Chaos’ was hung from Darnet Fort on an island in the Medway directly opposite the power station. The silver group attempted to infiltrate the power station by air including the launch of a giant floating pig.
Protesters approaching the perimeter fence at Kingsnorth
The few hundred strong green group went cross country and several groups made it to the perimeter fence. Some used a section of fencing to make a ladder to breach both the outer and the inner electric fence. Others climbed a nearby pylon to hang a banner reading ‘Shut Down Kingsnorth’.
Oppresive Policing
From the very beginning Climate Camp was subject to oppressive policing methods. By the middle of the week anyone entering or leaving the site was subject to stop and search, with queueing times of over 2 hours on occasions. Police were seen to regularly abuse the extent of these stop and search powers and confiscations of items became increasing bizarre; a walking stick which could be used as an offensive weapon, children’s crayons, even soap! Police attempted to intimidate campers and frighten off others from attending with regular incursions onto the site in full riot gear, police helicopters hovering loudly over the site in the middle of the night, the threat and actual use of police batons and peeper spray, and various other unsavoury tactics. Despite this turnout was huge and the day of action was a great success.
For all the latest news, photos and videos from this year’s event visit the website Climate Camp 08