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 For
Peat's Sake
HATFIELD MOOR is an ecologically vital system for over 5,500
species and the subject of a campaign to save it from peat mining
since the 70's. A recent deal by English Nature, meant that
while the government paid Scotts £17.3 million to stop mining at
three sites throughout the country, Scotts have been given two more
years to dig at Hatfield Moor, which will irreversibly damage the
peat bog. Peat Alert had already called a four day blockade of the
peat works in the week leading up to the Easter Bank Holiday, the
peat industry's busiest time.
An action camp for the four day blockade was planned for nearby.
Before the site was taken, both night-time and daytime actions to
Hatfield Moor had been taking place. Filling in ditches and blocking
pipes to stop the peat being drained, plus other sabotage actions
on the moors and at the works had caused at least £30,000 worth
of damage. (Scott's estimate)
When people turned up to crack the prison training/RAF base site
on the Saturday morning, they found it had passed from the Ministry
of Defence's hands into a private landowner. The landowner turned
up and gave us permission to stay and keys to his hefty lock! The
police put pressure on both the landowner to evict us and the Green
Tree Pub where we were meeting for the street party, but all involved
supported us. The campsite was a fortress, complete with barbed
wire rimmed fences and barricades, our own four flags flew from
the old radar tower. An evidence gathering team was permanently
stationed across from the site. The Anarchist Teapot provided a
field kitchen and Generator X supplied us with wind and solar power.
Before the blockade begun, Scotts were ringing various other campaign
groups asking what could they do to stop the blockade - all responded
that they asked for it!
DAY ONE - 25th March: On the Monday morning the police were
out in force with a helicopter, horses, dogs, landrovers and vans
at the crossroads leading up to the peat works, and found some of
our essential equipment while searching ditches. They tried to get
a Section 60 (stop, search, demask) - at first denied but later
granted - and a section 14 (designated protest area only) was put
in place; between a post saying assembly start and point A. About
100 people left the 'Green Tree' pub at one o'clock. The Section
14 was read out, but a bicycle sound system played music and various
instruments and drums were played. Police formed lines to stop the
march. People continued on holding reinforced banners, padding,
hard hats and masks. We decided to take the path of least resistance,
running cross country and managed to seize the only exit road from
the works.
The road was blocked for two and a half hours, with lorries unable
to leave the works. 18 vans of cops in riot gear moved in, arresting
everyone who stayed in the road (and some who didn't), also targeting
specific individuals. An hour later there were thirty eight arrests,
and two that got away. All were released by 5AM (except one for
refusing bail conditions) The bail conditions were not to go within
two miles of the works. A police map-reading error meant that everyone
COULD go back to the site, and onto the south moors where most of
the peat extraction takes place. No lorries left the peat works
that night.
DAY TWO: On Tuesday some people went to a FoE demo. Others
went out in small groups to try and find a lorry to blockade or
went out on the moors ditch filling. The demo was meant to go to
the works, but stayed in the designated protest area. Lorries were
moved in convoy, with a heavy police escort. A large police presence
near the works meant a cross country ambush was not possible. Three
people on the south moors were arrested for breaking bail conditions,
although they weren't and were eventually released without charge
once we had shown the police how to map read.
DAY THREE: On Wednesday we planned to blockade and lock
on to the lorry convoy as they stopped at a roundabout on the A18
- the new exit route for the lorries. The normal exit route was
not being used as it passed too near to our campsite! Continued
police surveillance stopped play, but they once again held up the
lorries at the peat works, so that no convoys left while we were
at the roundabout.
DAY FOUR: On Thursday we tatted down due to diminished numbers.
Vehicles leaving site were pulled over and followed by motorcycle
cops. We left the camp in a convoy of five vehicles with a six police
car escort into Sheffield. Despite only being able to block the
road for three and half hours on the Monday, we seriously disrupted
Scotts operation throughout the week. A lorry normally leaves the
peat works every four minutes during that week. We slowed it to
about twenty every six hours. We received a lot of local support
for defending the peat moors and gave more people a chance to see
the ecological destruction that is peat mining.
Many more people will now be back for both advertised and impromptu
actions. Our next action will be a Mass Trespass on the moors on
Saturday 11th May. It will be a chance to disrupt work and protest
against the enclosure of common land that allows this ecological
destruction to happen, and is also in remembrance of Benny Rothman
from the 1932 Kinder Scout Mass Trespass who died recently. People
will be going out and filling ditches, disrupting work between now
and then and stickering and/or slashing the peat bags at Garden
Centres. Why not join in!
Ring: 0778 7782259 or email: info@peatalert.org.uk
and look at www.peatalert.org.uk,
Plus donations are very welcome! Please make cheques/P.O.s out
to "Peat Alert" and send to: Peat Alert, c/o CRC, 16 Sholebroke
Avenue, LEEDS LS7 3HB
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