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Climate Camp: Breaking the Bank

imc-uk | 20.08.2010 05:55 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | Energy Crisis

The Camp for Climate Action is happening now on a site right next to the Gogarburn Headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland near Edinburgh. RBS is one of the world's largest investors in oil, gas and coal and recipient of a £50 billion bailout from public funds. Climate Campers secured the site on Wednesday night in advance of the announced 'swoop' and the camp is now well underway. Everyone is invited to join in four days of training and direct action from 21-24 August.

Reports on the newswire: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Photos: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Other camp links: | Website | Call-out | Twitter | Directions | Timeline |



WHY RBS?

Camp for Climate Action writes:

The Camp for Climate Action is a grassroots movement taking direct action against the root causes of climate change. We've already had major successes with Heathrow's third runway and E.ON's plans for a new coal fired power station at Kingsnorth. This year we're targeting the Royal Bank of Scotland, one of the world's largest investors in oil, gas and coal... From tar sands extraction in Canada to coal infrastructure here in the UK, we're paying to trash our future. These projects are not just causing catastrophic climate change but destroying the lives and livelihoods of people across the globe... Ecological destruction is built into the mechanics of the financial system, with communities disenfranchised from their own futures. This is why, in August, people from across the UK will be converging to take back the power and Break the Bank!

THE SITE

Taking the site appears to have gone smoothly apart from three arrests; all three arrestees were later released without charge. By Thursday afternoon much of the camp infrastructure was reported to be in place:

Mains water is being arranged with the co-operation of the Council. Marquees are being erected and kitchens taking shape. The entrance to the Camp provides a view over the back windows and lawn of RBS's global HQ, carved out of the green belt scant months before its hubristic collapse. There wasn't too much activity visible there in the afternoon. Police and security guards are posted at each entrance but there's a marked lack of tension compared with previous years. An article on policing at the camp can be found here.

TRAINING AND ACTION

Climate Camps are collectively organised, non-hierarchical, and everyone is able to participate in the decision-making process, both beforehand and at the camp. The camp invites participants to learn, train up, and meet like minded individuals.

Plans for the camp include:

Occupy and set up the basecamp: 19–20 August

Four days of training and direct action: 21–24 August

Day of action against RBS and the fossil fuel industry: 23 August

Return basecamp to nature: 25 August

GROWING RESISTANCE

There was a day out from Climate Camp to Cousland on 21 August to participate in Growing Resistance, an event organised by Coal Action Scotland in solidarity with Communities Against Airfield Open Cast.

Report from the Growing Resistance event.

SUNDAY STROLL TO RBS HQ

On Sunday, several hundred climate campers, including lots in 'greenwash guerilla' outfits took a stroll across the bridge from the camp and into the grounds of RBS Headquarters. Undeterred by police attempts to keep them on the climate camp side of the bridge, a large number of activists reached the RBS HQ, where it appears that balloons full of molasses (dirty oil) were catapaulted at the building, a couple of windows got broken and some activists may have got onto the roof (unconfirmed).

MONDAY DAY OF ACTION

Monday's Day of Action saw campers taking diverse actions against RBS and other connected climate criminals. Five activists were arrested following an occupation, lock-on and banner drop at the headquarters of Forth Energy in Leith, protesting against the company's plans for four biomass power stations. In Edinburgh, a giant pig delivered and spilt a large quantity of 'oil' at the entrance of oil prospectors Cairn Energy, with more sprayed onto the walls; several branches of RBS also received attention.

Follow the timeline and twitter for updates.

SUMMARY OF REPORTS

First reports from the camp: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Action Reports: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

Photos: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |

Other camp links: | Website | Call-out | Twitter | Directions | Timeline |

Coal resistance: | Coal Action Scotland |

OTHER CLIMATE CAMP NEWS

Climate Camp Cymru 2010: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Website | Press release | Fitwatch Report |

Climate Camp Ireland: | Website |

Previous coverage: | Climate Camp Round-up 2009 |

imc-uk

Comments

Hide the following 12 comments

growing resistance in the community

20.08.2010 23:22

growing resistance sounds like the most useful thing climate campers could get up to this weekend,
supporting a communities struggle against an open cast development. Thats the real front line.

we need a mass movement against climate change, and supporting community struggles is the way to go imo! :)

embra


A diversion from real environmentalism

22.08.2010 22:00

I wonder if any of the happy campers 'taking action' on 'climate change' are aware of the critics of the climate change establishment. Have any of them read Andrew Montford's 'The Hockey Stick Illusion', or do they just dismiss it as paid for by oil companies, which is a. false, and b. irrelevant? Did any of them attend the debate in London chaired by George Monbiot, in which the University of East Anglia's climate change promoters were unable to defend themselves? Do they believe that there is a scientific 'consensus' on global warming? Did they not hear about 'Climategate', in which emails were released from the UEA seemingly showing conspiracy to conceal evidence?

Save endangered species, bits of green belt, etc., but not by repeating the inaccuracies and diversions of a bunch of discredited academics.

Jay Knott
- Homepage: http://pacificaforum.org/


Its just about over now

23.08.2010 22:44

Everyone can go back to their warm houses with central heating.

summary of achievements:
1) met some new mates
2) satisfied my ego
3) smashed 5 windows
4) acted the hardman towards the police in front of disposable friends

taxi


Posh lefties

24.08.2010 11:02

Oh I do love the posh wing of the left/liberal army.

They get twatted by a policeman, spend a night in the cells and then Daddy (who is on the board of a multinational corperation) to bail them out.

Then they go to one of the far left newspapers, like the Socialist Worker, to winge how their rights to protest was infringed by a "fascist pig" and feel properly good about themselves.

Sensible debate about climate change, the rights and wrongs of Oil and the economic system in general gets lost admists a wave of slogans, shouting very loudly and stiring up the police so you can hit over the head and then winge about it.

Dan Fac


To the critics

24.08.2010 18:00

@Jay Knott
To answer your questions in turn ...
Yes, yes, no, yes, pretty much - not 100% consensus but as close to as almost any predictive branch of science gets, yes.
BTW interest article & discussion on the hockey stick here -  http://www.skepticalscience.com/broken-hockey-stick.htm
The East Anglia scientists were found to be acting improperly, but to date the actual science has not been found to be false. Unlike, for example, the unscientific rantings of Lord Monckton ( http://www.stthomas.edu/engineering/jpabraham/).

Even if the UEA science had been discredited (which it hasn't), they would just be a few scientists. Even excluding them, the vast majority of other scientists (numbering thousands) think climate change is happening, and will be catastrophic unless action is taken very quickly. If, by your argument that "inaccuracies and diversions of a bunch of discredited academics" holds true for disproving climate change, would you accept if I could show "inaccuracies and diversions" from those that say climate change is not happening (refer to Monckton link above), would you accept that it is? Thought not.

@taxi
I wasn't at CCfC this year, so can't comment on the achievements from this particular camp. And I would suggest it's too early to say. However, CCfC has been involved in many 'actions' in the past and it would be interesting to know if you have any reason for saying it hasn't contributed to any of the following:
a) Raising public & political awareness of climate change.
b) Delaying a new runway at Heathrow.
c) Delaying building a new coal fired power station at Kingsnorth
(Both of the 2 projects above currently on hold or cancelled.)

@Dan Fac
I'm guessing you have never been to climate camp. Yes, some people involved in the movement come from privileged backgrounds. Many others do not. Are you suggesting that people from privileged backgrounds should be excluded from the camp? If so, I think the Socialist Worker might be the place for you.

If you have been to a Climate Camp you would know that there is more "Sensible debate about climate change, the rights and wrongs of Oil and the economic system" than there is "a wave of slogans, shouting very loudly and stiring up the police." I think most people involved with Climate Camp think that there has been lots of sensible debate, especially in the scientific community, and this has come to the conclusion that climate change is almost definitely happening, is caused by human activity, and needs urgent action to avert catastrophe. Many of us hoped that this would lead to sensible debate leading to action at COP15 in Copenhagen, but our leaders seemed to be incapable of this.

Many come from an anarchist position, others from more mainstream (i.e. Labour, Conservative, and Liberal) positions. For most of these people, who almost certainly outnumber the Trotskyists, would consider going to the far left newspapers.

As for protesters trying to get themselves beaten up by the police, I would hope that these two stories might give an idea of why there is no love lost between climate campers and the police
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/14/police-compensation-kingsnorth-climate-protesters
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8163705.stm
And I wonder if you've heard of Ian Tomlinson - you don't have to stir up the police to get twatted. And if you have ever been twatted by the police, you would know that you would never put yourself it that position again. Unless if was for something extremely serious and urgent. Like climate change.

Sometime camper


sometime camper

24.08.2010 19:36

Excellent post - nice to see IM still has grown-ups on it!

phooty


to the critics 2

24.08.2010 23:52

^^ To those who just want to criticise despite the fact that they've clearly never set foot in any of the climate camps - grow up... Your jealous, classist, and conspiracy-rife posts are not just getting old but they also smell rather strongly of the uninformed bile that we get from most of the mainstream media these days. At least we are out there and taking action as opposed to wasting our time winging on an internet forum.

rabbit


@ sometime camper

27.08.2010 13:11

brilliant responses, excellent dialogue with 'that idiot' above...

im at work, trying to keep my head down and computer screen away from prying eyes, and everyone turned round when i laughed my ass off at your response to 'that idiot' above.

like the other comrade said, good to see 'grown ups' on here again.

as for my two pennies worth, people seemingly only against CC couz it actually works in raising awareness and confronting climate criminals, the likes of which RBS most certainly are.

well done all involved...solidarity to all involved in the struggles...

fran


With Local Campaigns

27.08.2010 23:47

Climate camp does best when it alligns itself with local campaigns as it did at Heathrow and Kingsnorth. Thinking they can take on a corporation like RBS where there is no local grassroots activity will produce no lasting results. You've wasted a precious year in the fight against Climate camp. Hubris hubris hubris.

Disappointed Camper


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