Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile Version | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support Us

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Carmel Agrexco blockaded again

Abu Assad | 06.11.2009 10:05 | Palestine

On Friday, 6th November, pro-Palestinian activists carried out a blockade at Carmel Agrexco’s depot in Hayes, Middlesex. The activists D-locked themselves to cages constructed with temporary fencing and positioned themselves to block the two access roads to the depot.

At about 6 o'clock this morning a group of London students and international activists, including members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), blocked the two gates leading to the depot. The activists seek to raise awareness of the UK’s continued role in the purchase of goods produced in Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank as well as Carmel Agrexco’s role in the sustenance of Israel’s illegal expansionist activities in Palestine.

The blockaders have urged companies dependent on Carmel Agrexco’s supplies, and therefore inconvenienced by this and previous blockades, to seek out new suppliers and, in so doing, show that Carmel Agrexco’s continued support for Israel’s aggression in Palestine will not be allowed to continue.

Abu Assad

Additions

Update at 12:30

06.11.2009 12:56

At 12.30 the blockade was still going strong, with both gates completely blocked, preventing vehicles from entering or leaving the premises.

Police have told protestors that they might be 'obstructing the highway' or committing trespass. When asked if they meant aggravated trespass, the police said no. This means that the offence would be civil, rather than criminal. At the original Agrexco trial in 2006, evidence established that there was no public highway at the positions where the blockades have been set up.

Campaigners maintain that Agrexco's trade in settlement produce is not lawful activity. Gaza continues to be subject to an inhumane blockade.

mole


Photographs

06.11.2009 18:08






Photographs of today's Carmel Agrexco Action

Photo-er


Up Date on the day

06.11.2009 20:44

The blockade finally ended having started at 6.15am it went on till 2:30pm for a total of 8 hours.

Part way through the demonstration, Carmel workers managed to find a space through which they could manoeuvre forklift trucks, they managed to load one waiting lorry with goods, despite activists attempting to blockade this by standing in front of them and Carmel workers being very keen to ram those present. Acknowledging this option, the blockaders managed a feat of ingenuity and re-positioned the fencing to blockade the whole of the access gate these preventing any further efforts by the workers to get produce through to waiting vehicles.

In response to the shift in positioning, Carmel closed the external gates trapping both blockaders and supporters inside Carmel property. Supporters were finally let out, however the blockaders were trapped inside. Despite the calmness in those present for all of the morning, Agrexco workers became aggressive both physically and verbally with both those blockading and those supporting. Police present did little to stem the aggression with Agrexco workers attempting to intimidate the blockaders and continued to verbally threaten supporters claiming they were going to "Fuck you over".

Pressure was mounting in a situation where activists were put at considerable risk of harm whereby those blockading were trapped inside the Agrexco gates and supporters were not able to directly access them.

After some time of tense standoff, blockaders were finally released at 2:30pm.
The blockade was a success with the site being closed for over eight hours. The police made no arrests however made several warnings that all those present would be arrested under Section 14 of the Public Order Act based upon the claim that the police officer believed that those present were intimidating people by preventing Carmel employees from conducting their business.

R


Comments

Display the following 2 comments

  1. brilliant — *
  2. not funny — sid
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
8th February, London: #OccupyOil
8th February, Bristol Census refusers in court. Vigil outside
9th February, London: Solidarity demo at 'Domestic Extremist' case against ACPO and The Met
24th-26th February, near Glasgow: Earth First! Winter Moot
10th-11th March, Somerset: Surround and blockade Hinkley Point nuclear power station
From May 1st, Brighton Smash EDO: Summer of Resistance
9th June for 30 days, Faslane: 30 Days of Action at Faslane Naval Base

Ongoing UK
Every Wednesday, Brighton: noise demos at EDO MBM
Ongoing, Lincs: RAF Waddington Peace Camp. Protesting against Drone Warfare. More info.
Ongoing, London: Occupy London Stock Exchange
Ongoing, London Occupy Finsbury Square
Ongoing, Sheffield Occupy Sheffield
Ongoing, Cardiff Occupy Cardiff
Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Climate Change: Climate Indymedia
United Kollectives
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern England
Nottingham
Scotland
Projects
Indymedia Projects
iMobile Page
Photo Page
Indymedia Cinema
Video Page
Radio Page
Offline Newsheet
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Unencrypted Page
We suggest you use an encrypted connection for browsing this site.
Please install the CAcert root certificate to verify the authenticity of the site, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv

Africa
ambazonia
canarias
estrecho / madiaq
kenya
south africa

Canada
london, ontario
maritimes
ottawa
quebec
victoria

East Asia
japan
qc
saint-petersburg

Europe
abruzzo
alacant
antwerpen
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
bristol
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
euskal herria
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
london
madrid
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
nice
northern england
norway
oost-vlaanderen
paris/île-de-france
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
ukraine
united kingdom

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
melbourne
qc
sydney

South Asia
india

United States
arizona
atlanta
austin
baltimore
big muddy
binghamton
boston
buffalo
charlottesville
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
la
madison
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new mexico
new orleans
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
seattle
united states
urbana-champaign
western mass

West Asia
beirut
palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech