BAA get Punished for the most Devastating Climate Change
Sister Kerosene | 20.08.2007 13:40 | Climate Camp 2007 | Climate Chaos | Social Struggles | Oxford
Activists from Oxford are part of the - still ongoing - 100+ strong overnight blockade at BAA HQ opposite Heathrow Airport.
To Affinity and Beyond!
A strong group from the Oxford barrio formed several affinity groups and travelled to Sipson to mark out part of where the runway, if built, will trash (in our case Heathrow Primary, a small school on Harmondsworth Lane, ironically bearing a concorde as its logo). Although a few Oxonians were caught in a kettle, penned in by the police, on the kids' march, most managed to avoid being surrounded. Then onto a quick detour at a friendly local pub (thanks for the free tea!) before heading towards BAA.
Funky Monks
One affinity group - dubbed the monks and the mikes - split off, to meet later in the carpark at BAA. The Monks proceded to deliver a sermon worshipping BAA and 40 - 50 people joined in to prostrate themselves in front of the building. They sang a chant to depict the proposed airport expansion. And invited people to join in their only hymn:
"All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small.
All things wise and wonderful,
BAA kills them all."
Whilst the praying and conga'ing was taking place, activists from the Scottish barrio and a the clowns who arrived by bus were kettled in. Although it can be argued that this was a form of sublime masochism on the part of the riot cops who then had to put up with four hours of in-your-face clowning.
At 6pm, the sound systems and kids' march arrived. And then the police started getting heavy-handed.
Police fuck-wittery
The police began to cordon people in once the march had arrived and they threw their weight around. One Oxford activist felt the wrong arm of the law as she tried to get to her partner and was thrown violently to the floor. Fortunately, as Oxford is a strong group there were lots of witnesses - and hugs to be had.
Block the BAA
Once everyone arrived, there was a brief battle of sound-systems (oh no, blocked in with music, dancing and food - damn!), and then people decided to block the car park to BAA.
To fast-forward to where the author of this piece left, there was a tarpaulin city and singing going on at around midnight - and the activists are still there now. We're going back to join them.
A strong group from the Oxford barrio formed several affinity groups and travelled to Sipson to mark out part of where the runway, if built, will trash (in our case Heathrow Primary, a small school on Harmondsworth Lane, ironically bearing a concorde as its logo). Although a few Oxonians were caught in a kettle, penned in by the police, on the kids' march, most managed to avoid being surrounded. Then onto a quick detour at a friendly local pub (thanks for the free tea!) before heading towards BAA.
Funky Monks
One affinity group - dubbed the monks and the mikes - split off, to meet later in the carpark at BAA. The Monks proceded to deliver a sermon worshipping BAA and 40 - 50 people joined in to prostrate themselves in front of the building. They sang a chant to depict the proposed airport expansion. And invited people to join in their only hymn:
"All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small.
All things wise and wonderful,
BAA kills them all."
Whilst the praying and conga'ing was taking place, activists from the Scottish barrio and a the clowns who arrived by bus were kettled in. Although it can be argued that this was a form of sublime masochism on the part of the riot cops who then had to put up with four hours of in-your-face clowning.
At 6pm, the sound systems and kids' march arrived. And then the police started getting heavy-handed.
Police fuck-wittery
The police began to cordon people in once the march had arrived and they threw their weight around. One Oxford activist felt the wrong arm of the law as she tried to get to her partner and was thrown violently to the floor. Fortunately, as Oxford is a strong group there were lots of witnesses - and hugs to be had.
Block the BAA
Once everyone arrived, there was a brief battle of sound-systems (oh no, blocked in with music, dancing and food - damn!), and then people decided to block the car park to BAA.
To fast-forward to where the author of this piece left, there was a tarpaulin city and singing going on at around midnight - and the activists are still there now. We're going back to join them.
Sister Kerosene
Homepage:
http://climatecamp.org.uk
Additions
Not BAAd
23.08.2007 16:46
After a somewhat surreal night of dark rum, wet arses, singing and watching a white rabbit attempt to frighten off the rozzers (no, really) we learned that the bosses at BAA had sent everyone home for the day. I encourage all BAA workers to think about what fun staying at home and lazing about was and to phone in sick and/or sabotage their workplace at every opportunity ;-)
We left the car park feeling knackered but exhilarated, having survived "the blue fury of the Metropolitan Police" and shut down BAA for the day. BAA had tried to take five million people to court the previous week to stop any kind of protest or dissent from its profit-led corporate agenda. And we had just spent the night in their bloody car park!
One affinity group member arranged a whip round at the camp to make up for the money BAA had lost paying our legal costs and having to close for the day. Contributions included rather a lot of spit, a week's worth of old fag butts, a damp packet of rizla, a nappy and an out of date travelcard (which later had to be removed for use as roach material). Unfortunately overzealous recycling crew at the camp mistook the collection for rubbish. Which means that BAA will be getting from the camp the same amount as it has done for local people and for the environment; fuck all.
We left the car park feeling knackered but exhilarated, having survived "the blue fury of the Metropolitan Police" and shut down BAA for the day. BAA had tried to take five million people to court the previous week to stop any kind of protest or dissent from its profit-led corporate agenda. And we had just spent the night in their bloody car park!
One affinity group member arranged a whip round at the camp to make up for the money BAA had lost paying our legal costs and having to close for the day. Contributions included rather a lot of spit, a week's worth of old fag butts, a damp packet of rizla, a nappy and an out of date travelcard (which later had to be removed for use as roach material). Unfortunately overzealous recycling crew at the camp mistook the collection for rubbish. Which means that BAA will be getting from the camp the same amount as it has done for local people and for the environment; fuck all.
ciderpunx
