The morning of Friday the 14th of January saw a few of us from London Rising Tide join the Big Society Trade Negotiators (aka UK Tar Sands Network) as they took over a coffee shop in Victoria station (to buy coffee), and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. We were there to voice our concerns about CETA (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) and try to get a meeting with Stephen Green, the new Minister for Trade. And we achieved both of these, which is way more than we expected from this early morning escapade.

We finally got our camera back from the police :)

Update: Restraining orders quashed
On Wednesday 1st December the Court of Appeal in London lifted restraining orders off 12 people who blockaded the Ffos y Fran coal mine in April 2010. Miller Argent have for years been operating the noisy, polluting mine, described by the Crown Prosecution Service as "a highly controversial project", despite the strong objection of the local community, some of who live within 40 metres of the mine and have to suffer black rain and noisy machinery at antisocial hours. The full court transcripts aren't available yet so we're not sure what this means for those with similar cases.

12 September 2010

Stop Hinkley

We joined a group of local campaigners in Bridgewater who blocked the Hinkley Point main gates for almost an hour this lunch-time as they demonstrated against the premature destruction of upto 435 acres of open land and wildlife habitats before major consents are approved for the two giant reactors proposed by EdF.

Image (c) 2010 D. Viesnik

Rising Tide disrupt Shell in Bristol
Fossil Fools Day 2010
1 April 2010

Activists from Bristol and Bath Rising Tide visited the Shell garage in Muller Road, Eastville at 8.30am this morning to highlight the repression experienced by communities in County Mayo, Ireland who are trying to stop Shell building an onshore high pressure pipeline and gas refinery.

Merthyr to Mayo Solidarity Bike Ride
Making links between communities resisting fossil fuel extraction
May - June 2010

Across the planet, in the places where fossil fuels are sourced, people are resisting new energy developments.

Communities are standing together to defend their homes, health, land and water, and our shared planet… This is localised resistance with huge global significance….

From the tar sands of Alberta, Canada to the woods of Mainshill, Scotland….

from the rivers and plains of the Niger Delta to the Amazon jungles of Peru….

and

from the valleys of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales to the Northwest coast of Mayo, Ireland…

Bristol CoMutiny: Homeless penguins invade Bristol airport
17 September 2009

Bristol CoMutiny: Debunking BT's Greenwash
18 September 2009

On Friday 18th September during the Co-Mutiny Repossess the Banks protest, Rising Tide took action against BT offices in Bristol to highlight the link between the BT Pensions Scheme and the giant Ffos y Fran opencast coal mine at Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. Fake coal was strewn on the floor of one office and walking lumps of coal attempted to enter another. A number of activists were arrested.

Santa visits BT and exposes coal investment
2 December 2009

This morning a team of Santa's arrived at the BT offices in Bristol Temple Quay to expose the truth behind the companies pension scheme. BT pensions are funding coal mining in South Wales, where Merthyr Tydfil hosts one of Europe's largest opencast coal mines.

Santa writes: BT Pension Scheme owns a company called Hermes who own Argent, of Miller-Argent fame - the company who operate the mine. Staff pension money is secretly being spent on coal mining.

Planning offices stormed to stop airport expansion
4 December 2006

Climate activists stormed North Somerset Environment and Planning Offices to protest against the planned expansion of Bristol International Airport. The planners were taken aback by the style of delivery when presented with a giant letter, but as the protesters explained, climate change is a giant issue.

They occupied the lobby and some climbed onto the roof, claiming they were trying to escape the rising sea levels that climate change will bring. A nearby soundsystem played recorded sounds of planes taking off in order to bring home to the planners the effects that their decisions could have upon people in the Southwest.

Avonmouth docks targeted for international day of climate action
12 October 2010

This morning activists from Bristol and Bath Rising Tide dropped a banner reading 'Import Coal: Export Poverty' from Avonmouth bridge near the docks, as part of a global week of action for climate and environmental justice.

The Royal Portbury Docks contains one of the largest coal import terminals in the UK. There are currently plans to build several new coal power stations in the UK, and 71% of coal used in Britain is imported.