Log of Newbury Bypass Protest
file 1 of 3 20/2/1996 - 3/3/1996
file 2 of 3 4/3/1996 - 17/3/1996
This file 3 of 3 18/3/1996 - 3/4/1996
Monday 18/3/1996
No Snatch squads, no sneaky maneuvers, no early morning start, just straight
in at dawn. They went for Seaside 150 police and bailiffs, climbers, 700
security. Seaside, Babble brook and seven Oaks all wiped out, massive cordon,
2 cherry pickers.
Rang the UN and asked what to do with regard to all the refugees as many people have been evicted from their homes wondering around wrapped in blankets. They said if people were in need of accommodation they should goto the appropriate authorities. I did explain it was the same authorities who were carrying out the evictions. They said you can only be a refugee in another country.
Manic Sha under attack, a song went out for them over the radio, they only nibbled at the camp and most of it remains. Some very dangerous digger driving going on, they were digging at the routs of a tree that had people in it causing the tree to shake. Branches were also knocked of a tree by a digger that had people in it. 16 arrests.
Trying to find someone to appear on Kilroy no one wants to do it.
Music man is the geezer sampling our conversations and playing them back over the radio.
Tuesday 19/3/1996
20 -30 police vans, bailiffs, climbers, 700 security
Evictions carrying on where they left off yesterday
12pm Manic Sha evicted
12.40pm Heartbreak hotel under attack, Horseshoe still accessible
Someone got arrested for tampering with a porta loo.
Cherry picker seems to be leaking fluid, took them ages to evict the pill box on stilts in the Centre of Heartbreak.
1.34pm Horseshoe attacked, they only evicted a quarter of Horseshoe, Heartbreak virtually wiped out except a couple of trees. They had massive forces on the ground. A top walk way was cut whilst someone was on it, someone else was hospitalized after falling and dislocating their shoulder.
Channel 4 are looking for an older protester to interview, gonna do something on Sunday.
Wednesday 20/3/1996
Evictions at Readings copse, they've got a massive cherry picker. A climber
was seriously injured when, due to improper working practices a tree landed
on him. They cut the roots of a tree nearby and then pushed it over with
a digger the tree twisted landed on the cherry picker bounced off and landed
on the climber. His condition is described as stable and he has regained
consciousness. Trees being felled dangerously close to people is a continuing
activity even though Environmental health have told them to follow guide
lines on tree felling. The sheriff was eating a sandwich when the accident
happened but the fact that one of his men had been injured didn't distract
him from his lunch. Police accused protesters of putting sugar in the fuel
tank of the ambulance. No more work at Readings copse and the big pine remains.
The big cherry picker is smashed and in need of repair. It only went up once
to remove the flag from the top of the tree it came down and that's when
the accident happened. The protesters in the tree replaced the flag with
another one they had.
Sheep dip evicted.
A digger slid sideways down a bank and lost a track
Fluff central is very busy, left the station and went for a drink.
Thursday 21/3/1996
They went in at Tot hill and started to evict the rest of Horseshoe in Pen
wood, very busy.
Rizla ridge also under attack, sounds like their splitting the evicting forces, clearing as many as possible. Rizla ridge was not occupied so was taken out possibly an illegal eviction.
They tied a rope round someone's neck and tried to pull them out the tree they were in.
A new tactic they have is to tie onto a walkway then cut the walkway and belay it to the ground with people still on it.
11.15am Tot hill surrounded.
A security landrover, over turned on a bridge one geezer got spinal injuries.
2 security sacked for smoking cannabis.
Someone crashed into a tree and was taken to hospital.
4.13pm One tree left at Tot hill.
Friday 22/3/1996
Police at Bagnor and security at Enborn row. Evictions continuing in Pen
wood. Heartbreak hotel and Horseshoe still got trees with people in, their
were 13 people up trees on both camps.
Lots of people looking for lifts out. Am feeling totally knackered could do with a dose of normality myself. I feel like a Monday morning after a festival. Its raining, caught up on the newspapers.
Bagnor and Ehor evicted, sheriff spotted sizing up Rickety bridge and Camelot
The person who interfered with a porta loo has been charged with 'obstructing an officer in his motion', the person tied a rope round the porta loo and tried to pull it over.
Saturday 23/3/1996
Day of recovery and clearing up, got a sound system turning up. Nice vibe
went to bed early.
Sunday 24/3/1996
Spent all morning clearing up the site, got a massive pile of rubbish. Have
decided to goto Rickety Bridge.
Have moved into the field just in front of Rickety bridge, beautiful site,
windmill up, the big tent blew over in the wind, glad I came hear and didn't
go anywhere else. Loads of people frantic building going on. Missed the locals
lunch as I pulled off from Pen wood before it arrived.
Someone lost consciousness during the eviction of Horseshoe when they were trussed up tightly then lowered from the tree during the evictions yesterday.
Monday 25/3/1996
450 security clearance work around the Chase, 200 security clearance work
in front of Rickety bridge.
No eviction today. They were working over the road from Middle Oak then moved quickly down and began working on the trees on the outer perimeter of Rickety bridge, loads of people running round trying to get up trees before they got there.
Thursday 26/3/1996
5.00am Police, bailiffs, 2 big and 2 small cherry pickers used to evict 7
people from Readings Copse. Contact lost with the pine when they moved into
the top of the tree. The tree was felled around 12.10pm and fell with a thud.
7.30am Evictions started at Rickety bridge, they spent a lot of time waking around the camp sussing it out. Theirs a sound system in a tree pumping out music. Their not allowed to use cherry pickers because of the snails
12.30pm They were working at the top of the field then moved over the road and began evicting Seaview.
Camelot's court case has been adjourned till the morning.
Wednesday 27/3/1996
They arrived at dawn 12-13 landrovers with ladders and instant bridges on
top. loads of police. Evictions continuing at Rickety bridge. Their was plenty
of warning. The north ridge lasted till 10am. About 60 lock-ons on the ground.
They have cut the camp in half, the sound of sledgehammers, chainsaws and
generators fill the air, the sound system has been damaged but should be
fixed for tomorrow.
Thursday 28/3/1996
5am Police turned up in 3 vans and hung around doing nothing. 7am, 70 police,
450 security, 2 cherry pickers and 2 diggers started moving down the hill
toward the camp. The cherry pickers looked like large catapults like the
ones used for taking out castles. They were totally surrounded by lines of
police and security, with Rickety bridge camp on the left and the yellow
army approaching from the right it looked like a futuristic medieval battle.
lots of arrests and it sounds like the bailiffs are being very heavy handed.
Clearance work at Readings copse.
Tot hill have been getting attacks from hit squads trying to take out their only tree they've tried to get it virtually every day this week but have been forced to retreat as people have managed to get up the tree before they can chop it.
A couple of police had to abandon the bridge they were guarding when a couple of Swans reared up and bursted through the cordon.
Friday 29/3/1996
5am 3 vans of police. 7.15am 60 police, 400 security, 2 pickers, 2 diggers,
1 Tonker toy. It took a long time for them to get to Rickety bridge due to
digger diving, lots of locals joined in the fun. Someone fell from a tree
trying to jump to another branch, they fell 30 feet, bust ribs, Injured back,
cuts and bruises their condition is described as stable.
Maryhair has been surrounded by security.
The sheriff has said he wont cut the trees at Middle Oak and the Eastern side of Rickety bridge if people come down, he has prepared a document stating this and will sign it.
Have been chatting to climbers on the radio 'Earth rapist' is their handle, they reckon they have a weeks work left.
Tot hill still have their tree.
Police heavy on arrests
Everyone seem to be on one, JP pulled off site. The sound system was saved except the speakers that had been slashed by the bailiffs.
Someone who was evicted from Babblebrook was tortured out of a lock-on, the screams could be heard throughout Pen wood.
Saturday 30/3/1996
Idle chat with locals on the radio till dawn, spent all day in bed.
Sunday 31/3/1996
Apparently Maryhair's going to be hit tomorrow.
King Arthur wrote a letter to the Queen requesting help for Camelot and the Royal Swans.
Cake making has moved into full production.
Monday 1/4/1996
April fools day got caught, someone said the swans had chased the sheriff
into the river didn't realise until I had sent it over the radio.
8 police vans 100 security evictions at Camelot. Arthur was arrested
Clearance work around Gotan.
The sheriff has said if people come down from the trees at Mairyhair then he wont chop the trees, he has prepared a document to sign. He also reckoned it would be over by Wednesday.
Tuesday 2/4/1996
Double hit, Castle wood and the last tree at Tot hill, 8.39am 11 people up
the Tot hill tree and 4 at Castle wood. The tree at Tot hill was the last
tree to be evicted, when it was cut it refused to fall, they spent some time
with crowbars and pushing before it went. Their were about 7 attempts on
the tree over the weeks, In the end they had to bring in the full monty to
fell it.
Some of the climbers went to the pub to buy people drinks.
Though we were going to have a quirt day but 70 security and 40 police turned up and began clearing Camelot, in order to give snails access.
Wednesday 3/4/1996
Day of sorting, got water, baked bread and cake. Have been thinking about
the Art fair. The police came round to tell us to leave.
The sheriff arranged a press conference at Middle Oak to say it was all over but got chased out by loads of protesters. Most people moved to off rout camps. A lot of people gone to Winchester to watch the Eclipse and the Comet.
End...