POLICE have released a statement declaring that the majority of arrests at the Barton Moss anti-fracking protest camp have been of individuals from outside the Greater Manchester area.
“We have seen offences of assaults, damage, harassment of residents and workers, a flare fired at the police helicopter and threats to kill."
Since the protests started peacefully in mid-November 2013, there have been 82 arrests at the site as protests have turned more heated. According to police 62 of the protesters arrested come from outside the Greater Manchester area, many from the 'South of England'.
A poster for the upcoming ‘Solidarity Sunday’ march set for Sunday 26 Jan at 1pm, advertises buses travelling from Glastonbury, Bristol, Lewes, London and Balcombe (protest-hit Balcombe has recently seen a victory with drilling company Cuadrilla ruling out fracking there), as well as bus loads expected from Blackpool, Preston, Middlesborough, Swansea, Leeds, Falkirk, Canonbie, Doncaster and Sheffield.
Barton Moss Poster
Chief Superintendent Mark Roberts said: “At the start of this protest the majority of protesters were peaceful and law abiding but over the past couple of weeks local residents and officers have seen a distinct change to this. It now seems that the majority of people who are arriving at the site are not there to protest against fracking but are there to disrupt and intimidate the local community and to antagonise police.
“We have seen offences of assaults, damage, harassment of residents and workers, a flare fired at the police helicopter and threats to kill. I attended a residents’ meeting last week and people there were close to tears and have had enough of this daily disruption to their lives.
“The police are there to do a job and that job is to facilitate peaceful protest and to balance the needs of all parties, the residents who live there, businesses who operate from there and the protesters themselves. It is not up to GMP who operates on this land and who has access to it – we are simply there to police it to ensure that everyone remains safe.”
Recently police have been accused of heavy-handed policing with the release of footage from a disabled Barton Moss protester, Sean O’Donnell, in which he appears to be forced to the ground. Cries of pain can be heard from the protester at minute 8.40. An image, thought to be O’Donnell, of a muddied and bloodied protester can be seen from 11.17 in the footage.
O’Donnell later claimed to have suffered multiple injuries including cuts, bruises and broken ribs. Police said on Tuesday that they have referred the matter to its professional standards branch.
Still image of a muddy and bloody protester
We were contacted by FrackOffUk on Friday 17 January following an article published on Confidential discussing the incident in which a flare was fired at a police helicopter on Saturday 4 January.
FrackOffUk said: ‘I would like to inform you of reality at Barton Moss Protection Camp. I have been given your address by a very concerned Protector who has pointed out the insulting & inaccurate nature of your recent article. We have no leaders!'
Confidential responded and requested an interview with the protest group. FrackOffUk have yet to respond. Maybe they don't have a spokesperson either.
