WURZEL DAMAGE

Bristol eco-village (SchNEWS 719) was dramatically evicted today as bailiffs charged onto the site, toppling tripods and booting out the occupying community.

On Wednesday (5th) at 9am, the site project manager arrived flanked by workers from a construction company and 15 hired heavies from Constant & Co (notorious bastards – SchNEWS 669). A crowd of around 40 supporters quickly formed to join the nine villagers on site, two of whom had scaled tripods. Local residents were among the first to show, one even parking his car across the main site access while villagers were dragged out of the area.

A JCB and cherry picker arrived and 5 people instantly climbed on to the cherry picker, causing the owner to promptly agree to leave. Despite efforts to prevent the JCB getting on site by climbing on to it (the digger driver responded by simply driving at anyone who came near), it pushed a mound of earth up against a building occupied by the remaining villagers, allowing the thugs in attendance to climb up and forcibly remove them from the roof.

One occupant who was on a tripod on the roof received the heaviest-handed treatment. Bailiffs started to pull the poles down with him still on top, thus crushing his body between the metal. They then went on to sit on him while he was still trapped to prevent anyone filming or seeing what was going on. He was packed off in an ambulance before being released later that day with severe bruising, leg ligament damage, crutches and painkillers.

The local community now plan to hold talks with the council and the owners to negotiate the site becoming a green space rather than the proposed industrial units. The eco-village organisers have pledged to help the residents in any way they can to keep the space green.

The next Bristol eco-village is not far away with a site already picked out and a swoop planned for on Saturday (15th). Meet outside the Hippodrome at 11am to join the movement.

* See the Facebook group: Bristol Eco Village - the Urban Centre for Alternative Technology.