Getting ready for the Swoop in Oxford

Join us for an action skill share on Sunday 11 October. All welcome
 http://tvca.ox4.org/swoop.php

OXFORD ACTIVISTS PREPARE FOR POWER STATION TAKE-OVER

Activists from across Oxford are planning to take part in a huge national action at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. This Sunday they will take part in direct action training, culminating in a “mass action game”. The following weekend, Thames Valley Climate Action1 will join hundreds from across the UK in a dramatic invasion of the Nottinghamshire coal plant. “The Great Climate Swoop” is being organised by the Camp for Climate Action, Plane Stupid and Climate Rush2.

Eliza Brewer said, “Ratcliffe-on-Soar is one of the UK’s dirtiest power stations. Its owner E.ON is pushing hard for a new generation of coal power plants, despite this being the most polluting way to generate electricity3. In an age of looming climate catastrophe, it’s about time we shut down this fossil fuel dinosaur.”

This will not be the first time Ratcliffe has been targeted. In 2007, members of Eastside Climate Action brought the facility to a halt as they chained themselves to coal conveyors and work trucks. In April this year, 114 activists were preemptively arrested as they allegedly conspired to shut down the station.

This month’s action will be composed of four large groups, with some heading straight for the control room while others take over the coal pile or blockade the main gate. Detailed maps and satellite imagery are being circulated, while a group in Leeds last weekend attended briefings on techniques for pulling down fences and navigating the area.

Ben Walsh, from Headington, said, “More and more people across the UK are starting to take direct action to prevent climate disaster. Anybody is welcome to attend our training at 12 noon this Sunday at East Oxford Community Centre, or to join us for the Swoop itself4. Governments and corporations are intent on continuing business as usual, but at Ratcliffe this month and at the Copenhagen conference in December we will show them the future of our planet is more important than endless profits.5”

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. Thames Valley Climate Action can be found online at tvca.ox4.org
2. For more information, see climatecamp.org.uk/actions/climate-swoo...
3. E.ON have announced that the proposed new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth will be ‘delayed.’ Climate action groups are still calling for Kingsnorth to be cancelled, not merely delayed, and for existing coal plants to be closed.
4. For more information, and to book transport, see tvca.ox4.org/swoop.php
5. COP15 in Copenhagen will be the biggest ever climate conference. On 16th December thousands from across the world will join together and take over negotiations, demanding climate justice and real action.