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Nine Ladies (UK) update rond ontruiming
vvGroenFront! - 07.02.2004 16:44
Het al vier jaar bestaande aktiekamp Nine Ladies in het Peak District
(midden Engeland) kan zeer binnenkort ontruimd worden. Vermoedelijk
wacht ontginningsbedrijf Marshalls tot het een nieuwe
ontginningsvergunning heeft voor de bezette groeven. Dat is
vermoedelijk rond 23 februari. Het kamp verzet zich tegen vernieling
van de prachtige natuur in het Peak district tegen afgravingen. Het
is alweer een tijdje terug dat er een grote kamp ontruiming is
geweest in de UK. In een persbericht kondigen de engelse eco warriors
aan dat dit de langste aktiekampontruiming ooit wordt door het
veraderlijke rotsheuvelachtige terrein en de jaren voorbereiding.
PRESS NOTICE
6th February 2004
Eco Warriors send profits warning to Marshalls Plc
Environmental activists who have taken possession of quarry sites at
Endcliffe and Lees Cross in Derbyshire have warned Marshalls Plc, and
their subsidiary Stancliffe Stone Ltd, that they will face
unprecedented and damaging costs if they attempt an eviction.
"We have been here for over four years" said one activist who did
not wish to be named " and we have been very busy. The people here
are not going to go quietly, and we have constructed some serious
defensive positions. Four years is a long time to prepare for an
eviction, and we learned a lot from the evictions of road protest
sites at Fairmile and Stanworth. Our technical expertise in
tunnelling, bunkers, lock-ons and logistical support to withstand a
siege is on a different level from previous sites, quite apart from
the length of time we have been digging in. This is a hard site -
the terrain is steep and dangerous, and the bailiffs will find it
very difficult to use cherry-picker machines to take out tree-houses
on the slopes. This time, if they attempt to get us out, it will
take a long time and a lot of money. It will be the longest and
most expensive eviction ever seen.
Marshalls shareholders should be warned that the final costs of
clearing the site are likely to top a record-breaking 20 million
pounds, and this is bound to have serious effects on the financial
performance of the operating company. We are not talking just a
little dip in profits here. We have the capability to bankrupt
Stancliffe Stone Ltd and even have an effect on Marshalls own balance
sheet. Shareholders who want to protect their investment should
contact the Directors and warn them, because I don't think that, so
far, they have any conception of what they are taking on. The
taxpayer will not be liable for these costs, it is a civil matter,
and although the Possession Order may be enforced by the
Under-Sheriff with Police support, it is likely that the Police
Authority will seek to recover costs from the contractors. At
Fairmile the Chief Constable claimed in excess of 2 million pounds
before the evictions had even begun. "
Background:
The activists took over the site in 1999, following the application
by Stancliffe Stone Ltd to re-open the dormant quarry and extract 3.2
million tons of rock from a 12.95 hectare site within 150 m of the
Nine Ladies Stone Circle. The resultant scar will be 100m deep,
devastating the environment of this treasured site for ever. This is
strongly opposed by the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA)
and the great majority of local residents. On 12 December 2003, the
company made a second submission to the PDNPA, and on 22nd January
2004 obtained an eviction order at Birmingham High Court to
re-possess the site . An appeal is pending, but the activists will
rely primarily on physically defending themselves against any
eviction attempt.
The worldwide co-ordinated actions against, for example, Huntington
Life Sciences and their suppliers demonstrated the power of sustained
disruption and targeting of financial interests, working alongside
legal challenges and physical occupation.
Zie ook
 http://www.roadalert.org.uk
 E-Mail: vrienden@groenfront.nl  Website: http://www.groenfront.nl/english
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