After seven months of occupying woodlands in South Lanarkshire the Mainshill Solidarity Camp is preparing for an eviction on Monday the 25th. The camp called a pre-eviction gathering after receiving a tip-off.

They are calling for people to come to the site and prepare to resist the forced removal by the notorious National Eviction Team, who visited the site late last year. The land they are occupying belongs to the Earl of Home who plans to allow Scottish Coal to extract 1.7m tonnes of coal ear marked for Drax power station in Yorkshire.

In September clear felling and test drilling of the site restarted since the woods were first occupied and since then a relentless campaign has been launched by the camp to disrupt it, including lock-ons and sabotage (see a round-up of actions here).

Local opposition to the coal mine has solidified, especially since the release of a health study revealing the health impacts of the open cast already spread across South Lanarkshire. Practical support for the camp has continued since the site was taken and locals are currently bringing down supplies for those holding the site against eviction.

Numbers on site are growing as activists from across the UK to stand in solidarity with the residents of the camp and the communities in South Lanarkshire, but campers say more people are still needed.

Links:
Mainshill Solidarity Camp | Pre-Eviction Gathering Details | Coal Action Scotland | Directions to the camp | Indymedia Scotland