Capital's police ready for week of disorder

Published on Friday 13 August 2010 22:49

HUNDREDS of businesses have been placed on red alert over plans by eco-warriors to set up a week-long "climate camp" in Edinburgh at the height of its festival season.

The city is braced for a series of protests and police chiefs held talks with senior figures yesterday to urge firms to draw up contingency plans in case of major disruption on the scale seen when violence flared in the run-up to the G8 Summit in 2005.

Protesters are being urged to gather at four locations in the city centre at noon on Thursday – Edinburgh Castle, St Andrew Square, Bristo Square and Duddingston Loch – where they will be given details of a campsite location.

Mobile phone messages and social networking sites are expected to be used to spread word of the site within minutes of it being confirmed and it is also believed activists will try to put up tented villages and steel fencing to act as a base for several days of "direct action".

The Royal Bank of Scotland is to be the main target amid claims it is financing companies that harm the environment.

Senior police officers warned that the protests may also be aimed at coal and oil companies and other financial sector firms. It is thought police will try to break up any attempt to set up camp in "sensitive" sites such as Holyrood Park, the Meadows or Princes Street Gardens.

The Camp for Climate Action, the group organising the protests, claims it will be taking "mass action" against RBS on 23 August – the day before the climate camp is due to end – targeting its headquarters, offices, branches and projects funded by the bank.

It is promoting "an exciting public swoop to take the land" and is organising overnight accommodation for activists the day before.

Security bulletins issued by police to hundreds of businesses warned that the group had refused to discuss its plans in advance.

Assistant Chief Constable Iain Livingstone wrote that the Lothian and Borders force will "facilitate peaceful protest" but will seek to prosecute anyone involved in crime and disorder in the capital. He wrote: "Members of this force will take appropriate action against any disorder or unlawful actions."

Senior officers met business leaders yesterday to brief them on contingency planning for the protests, which are expected to focus on the RBS headquarters at Gogarburn. The west of the city is thought to be the most likely location for the climate camp because of the large number of green-field sites and the location of the airport there.

Sources said there were major fears that the city's transport networks could be gridlocked and that the protests could disrupt the city's festivals.

RBS sponsors the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the free entertainment areas that have been set up in and around the Royal Mile.

Graham Birse, deputy chief executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said: "The police are being extremely vigilant about this. This group would appear to have a track record of causing trouble and protesters being prepared to break the law, so we have no doubt the police will be keeping a very close eye on things.

"People are clearly entitled to their views and are entitled to protest peacefully, but if people are coming here to cause trouble out of sheer badness they should be dealt with appropriately."

One business insider said: "The police have been gathering intelligence about this protest for months and have warned that there could be significant disruption for businesses based on experience elsewhere.

"We could see co-ordinated protests at sites across the city centre, and there is huge potential for disruption if there is any trouble between the police and any of the groups that stage protests."

Environmental activists claim that RBS is the UK bank most heavily involved with financing fossil fuel companies around the world and is the UK bank most involved in investing in "tar sands", a particularly carbon-intensive form of oil extraction in Canada.

No-one from Camp for Climate Action was available for comment yesterday.

However a statement on the group's website said: "Destructive projects like open-cast coal mines in the UK are only made possible through finance from banks like RBS. The government bailed them out, and now they use their profits to destroy our communities and are causing catastrophic climate change. We face a double disregard to human well-being. With RBS having been bailed out with 45.5 billion of 'public' money, not only do we face decades of unjust public sector cuts, but this diverted cash is also being used to further trash our climate and communities."

In a message to activists planning on coming to Edinburgh, the protest group states: "Figure out your limits, aims, boundaries and strategies that work for you.

"Assess the amount of risk and style of action you feel most empowered to take. Consider the different roles needed, what kit to get and how you want to organise as a group. As a team you should support and empower each other to be as self efficient and strategic as possible."

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police confirmed officers do not know where the camp will be held.

"We have no information about the specific location for the camp, nor do we have details of intended demonstrations or direct action," he said.

"Along with the City of Edinburgh Council, we have asked representatives of the group to work with us and agree a suitable location for the campsite in order that basic utilities may be provided and disturbance to local residents be kept to a minimum.

"However, we are disappointed that organisers are unwilling to co-operate with us on this issue. Nevertheless, we are liaising with partner agencies and the business community to ensure that next week's events pass peacefully.

"The force has a number of contingencies in place, which will help us to strike a balance between facilitating peaceful protest and minimising disruption to the city."

There have been angry clashes between demonstrators and riot police at previous "climate camp" protests at Heathrow Airport, in London city centre, and at Kingsnorth power station, in Kent.

Edinburgh City Council leader Jenny Dawe said: "We have no problems with people who want to peacefully and responsibly exercise their right to protest.

"However, we want this to happen with minimum disruption to the public and minimum expense to the taxpayer. We are already in discussions with the organisers, RBS and partner organisations, to those ends. We will also aim to keep local organisations up-to-date as information becomes available.

"The council is very supportive of efforts to tackle climate change and is committed to working towards a zero carbon economy in Edinburgh by 2050. We are already making the city a cleaner, greener place for residents and visitors."

A spokesman for RBS said: "We respect the right to peaceful protest, and are committed to supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.

"However clearly our first priority in this instance is to minimise any disruption to our staff, customers and the general public, and we will continue to liaise with the police and local council to this end."

Where the protesters have struck already

ORGANISERS of Camp for Climate Action describe themselves as a fast-growing movent of action against climate change, describing it as "the biggest threat our world has known".

Its gatherings, which act as a base for direct action against companies and organisations, are run entirely by volunteer activists and on broadly anarchist principles.

Previous protests have been held at various sites in England, including Drax power station in Yorkshire in 2006 and a high-profile demonstration at Heathrow Airport in 2007. Other camps have been held in Belgium, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Heathrow, August 2007

More than 1000 protesters were involved in a week of action, which came to a head in a blockade of BAA's headquarters, against the aviation industry and the planned expansion of the airport. Around 1,800 police officers were involved in the operation and at least 68 people were arrested.

There were scuffles at the BAA building as campaigners tried to block employees as they arrived for work.

Kingsnorth Power Station, England, August 2008

Around 1,500 protesters converged on the site of the a new coal-powered plant. Around 1,400 police officers were involved and there were controversial claims that 70 officers had been injured during the protests.

A South Yorkshire Police review later admitted the use of stop and search tactics was "disproportionate".

Camp in the City, 1 April 2009, London (G20 Summit)

One of a number of events staged in London city centre to coincide with the G20 Summit, the camp set up outside the European Climate Exchange in Bishopsgate at noon. It had been due to last for 24 hours, but by 7pm police officers were refusing to let anyone enter or leave the protests, and there were angry scuffles between police and demonstrators.

Blackheath, near London, August 2009

The week-long protest camp was set up at the site of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt. Organisers had kept the exact location secret until the first day, when 1000 activists turned up. Police adopted a low-key approach and there was little sign of trouble.

Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, October 2009

Ten people were arrested before the protest even began on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage at the protest which attracted 1000 demonstrators, some of whom pulled down security fencing around the plant. Police made 58 arrests in the wake of violent scuffles.