114 arrested at power station

[bigred]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Nottinghamshire-Police-Arrest-114-People-At-Ratcliffe-On-Soar-Power-Station/Article/200904215260962?lpos=UK_News_Carousel_Region_2&lid=ARTICLE_15260962_Nottinghamshire%3A_Police_Arr est_114_People_At_Ratcliffe_On_Soar_Power_Station

Police Arrest 114 People At Power Station
Breaking News2:03pm UK, Monday April 13, 2009

Police have arrested 114 people who were allegedly planning to target a power station in Nottinghamshire.

Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station was the scene of protests in 2007



Officers made the arrests at just after midnight when they raided an independent school in Sneinton, Nottingham.

They said the protesters would have posed "a serious threat" to the safe running of the nearby Ratcliffe-On-Soar power station.

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said "specialist equipment" recovered during the raid led them to believe the coal-fired power station was the intended target.

He said: "Just after midnight, Nottinghamshire Police arrested 114 men and women from across the UK on suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass and criminal damage."

In April 2007, 11 environmental activists were arrested after they entered the power station to protest about its greenhouse gas emissions.



Residents Tell Of Police Operation


The Nottingham Evening Post claimed police had contacted power stations across the North and the Midlands to warn them of possible protests over the Bank Holiday weekend.

A spokesperson for E.on, which owns the power station, said: "We can confirm that Ratcliffe power station was the planned target of an organised protest in the early hours of this morning.

"While we understand that everyone has a right to protest peacefully and lawfully, this was clearly neither of those things.

"So we will be assisting police with their investigations into what could have been a very dangerous and irresponsible attempt to disrupt an operational power plant.

"It is not yet know why the protest was being organised.

"But it is believed it could be connected to E.on's plans to build a new coal-fired power station in Kingsnorth, Kent.

Nottingham City councillor David Mellen said the police raided the privately-run Iona School as the result of "an intelligence-led operation".

He said: "I don't know whether it was the school itself being used or the car park.

"Neighbours reported a lot of noise after midnight. It seems to have been used as a rendezvous for people from a wide area."

[void]

Yeah I've been watching this one today, and I'm curious how the police knew this was going ahead. Just overhearing or interviewing someone? Or tapping into emails or mobiles? It's a mystery at the moment. Fascinating.

[brossen99]

It would appear that the environmentally active eco-fascists need to be rounded up and placed into a mental institution. Disruption of our power supply could result in anarchy, just be thankful that none of them are bright enough work out how to do it with a single fit man using widely available technology ?

[rhydra]

It would appear that the mass arrest is just going to be a dress rehearsal for something in the future, a dummy run. All the police had to do was to step up security at the power station, they didn't. They want to show off how they can round up people when they want and where they want.
The public will just spectate at the moment, eco nutters being rounded up won't merit much opposition from the masses. By the time the round-ups start affecting their close circle of acquaintances, family and friends, they will find it's a bit too late to do anything about it.

[markomac]

How many eco-warriors does it take to change a light bulb?

We have this shite going on, the major protests in Thailand and now pirates popping up everywhere.

I just turn on the news and yawn now. I think we should all stop watching it. Remember to keep the reality tv show we believe in alive, they need what all shows need, actors (us) and RATINGS!

MM

[pinkgrapefruit]

It would appear that the mass arrest is just going to be a dress rehearsal for something in the future, a dummy run. All the police had to do was to step up security at the power station, they didn't. They want to show off how they can round up people when they want and where they want.
The public will just spectate at the moment, eco nutters being rounded up won't merit much opposition from the masses. By the time the round-ups start affecting their close circle of acquaintances, family and friends, they will find it's a bit too late to do anything about it.

Just as I was thinking, I mean why not just catch them at the Power Station?

But after watching the TV coverage it seems that apart from showing us the Police flexing their muscles and debating the rights and wrongs of that, there seems a message that Protesters equal Terrorists.

These Eco-Sheep have targeted what one could consider a major strategic site for "Terrorist Attacks" and therefore these 'hippies' should be treated in the same way as Terrorists. Implanting thoughts into the heads of the population that Protesters are potentially just as dangerous as the mythical Terrorists.