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NPower obtains High Court injunction to prevent press coverage of protests

Anonymous | 25.03.2007 15:03 | Culture | Ecology | Other Press | Oxford

Electricity giant Npower has obtained an injunction to stop protests and filming at the site of a proposed ash dump.

NPower have recently been working at Radley Lakes in Oxfordshire, cutting down trees and performing other acts of ecological vandalism. They are eventually going to fill the lakes with coal ash from the nearby Didcot power station.

Understandably, NPower's work has met with a great deal of peaceful protest from local people. NUJ-affiliated photographer Adrian Arbib, who has previously worked in Rwanda and Sudan for a number of national newspapers and magazines, visited Radley Lakes to cover the protests and the work NPower are doing.

NPower then obtained an injunction from the High Court, which prevents Adrian from photographing any "protected persons" - that is, NPower workers - at Radley Lakes. In effect, this means he has been prevented from covering the work NPower are doing. So much for the free press we are supposed to enjoy in this country.

Fortunately, Channel 4 News picked up on the NPower injunction. View the video of their report here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdOFRaDXd2g

This story went out on Tuesday 20th March. Interestingly, it was originally supposed to air on Friday 16th March, but apparantley NPower made it very clear to Channel 4 that this would not be acceptable. 16th March was Red Nose Day. As part of the corporate-celebrity back-slap-athon, NPower were giving £5 to Comic Relief for everyone who switched their electric supply to NPower. Probably cheaper than cold calling people, or knocking on their doors - and it generates a lot of good will. Unless, of course, another TV channel decides to show the true character of NPower on the same day.

Eventually the story didn't go out on Red Nose Day. To summarise: a corporation used the law to prevent the media from airing a story about a corporation using the law to prevent a freelance journalist from covering a story. Ain't it great to live in the free world?

Anonymous

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

channel 4

25.03.2007 16:53

i don't know about anyone else, but channel 4 tends to pick up (not often i might add) on attacks on democratic rights, ie, Smash EDO injunction, etc, as well as other polictic issuse with "contraversal" campaigns, ie campaign against caterpillar.

if a campaign is under attack, channel 4 MIGHT pick it up. a good tool for raising the attacks of protest and civil liberties. that will only last until the Governent [labour, tory, liberal democrates, etc] clamps down on them doing so)

keep us informed on what is happening.

remember, YOU CAN DEFEAT THIS INJUNCTION!

tipobarra


sounds like the injunction can be beaten

25.03.2007 18:24



judging by the channel four report Npower have even less evidence against protesters at radley lake than EDO MBM had against protesters in brighton.

You should fight this in court...especialy since you were not even served with papers regarding the interim injunction. Since the EDO case ( 2005-06) legal aid is available to fight harassment act injunctions so get a good lawyer and beat the bastards. You will not only help your self you will defend freedom of the press and the freedom to protest.

defy the injunction


The website for info

26.03.2007 04:02

 http://www.saveradleylakes.org.uk/

and dont forget to ditch npower if you get your electric from them!

Silent Bob


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