A Rising Tide activist who climbed a drilling rig in a protest against fracking in December last year was today found guilty under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act at Preston Magistrates Court. She was ordered to pay a £250 fine and £750 costs.

Yesterday two other defendants were cleared of charges of aggravated trespass as part of the same court case. (1)

On 1 December 2011, protestors from Bristol Rising Tide occupied the test drilling rig, at Cuadrilla Resource’s Hesketh Bank site, Lancashire, shutting it down for 13 hours. (2) (3)

Yesterday, three people from Bristol Rising Tide were on trial for a second day at Preston Magistrates Court following their action (1) which shut down Cuadrilla Resources' hydraulic fracturing (2) site beside the Ribble Estuary in Lancashire in December 2011.

Two of the defendants went free when it became clear that the charges against them had been poorly framed. They had been charged with aggravated trespass.

Today, three environmental activists were in court at Preston Magistrates Court following their action (1) which shut down a Cuadrilla Resources fracking (2) site beside the Ribble Estuary in Lancashire in December 2011.

The prosecution needs to demonstrate that Cuadrilla were operating lawfully and the prosecution lawyers were scrabbling to find an expert witness to support this position. Last minute phone calls by the prosecution team delayed the commencement of the trial.

The safety of fracking will be challenged at Preston Magistrates Court today, as 3 people go on trial following a protest at Cuadrilla’s Hesketh Bank site, Lancashire, in December last year. (1) The trial is expected to last until Thursday.

On 1 December 2011, protestors from Bristol Rising Tide occupied the test drilling rig, shutting it down for 13 hours. (2) (3)

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On the 2nd November 2011 the Cuadrilla Resources test drilling site at Banks in Lancashire was occupied by five protesters from Frack Off in an attempt to stop the spread of this destructive method of energy extraction to the British Isles. Subsequently, three of the protesters were charged with aggravated trespass.

Rising Tide Finland passed on this message regarding the up and coming anti-nuclear camp and day of action in Western Finland. Please forward it to friends, any relevant lists, etc.

23.6.12 - Saturday, 30 June 2012, 15:05.

Hot on the heels of their appearance at the Shell vs. Bodo case at the High Court (http://bit.ly/LgLiw0) activists from London Rising Tide, along with friends from Shell to Sea and Art Not Oil, staged a protest inside and outside the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 23rd June, highlighting the greenwashing of Shell's tarnished image through cultural sponsorship in their 'Shell Classic International' festival at the Southbank Centre.

PRESS RELEASE

Shell will appear in the High Court in London today to be held accountable for its oil spills in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Over 11,000 Nigerians from Bodo town in the Ogoni region of the Delta are suing Shell over the environmental damage caused by two devastating oil spills in 2008 and 2009. Shell has admitted liability but refuses to provide adequate compensation to the many thousands of victims of the spills. The court hearing will deal with matters of civil procedure.

At today's Shell AGM link at the Barbican the suits on the Shell board were given a 3 hour grilling, with questioners focussing attention on its environmental and human rights crimes around the world. Spread throughout the auditorium, hooded London Rising Tide & friends' grim Shell reapers stood silently awaiting direction from the board toward their next appointment with Shell induced death and environmental destruction.