'Repressive and disproportionate' policing at Kingsnorth
Friday, 13 March 2009 12:00 AM
By Laura Miller
Police deliberately intimidated protesters and obstructed legal observers during protests at Kingsnorth power station, a report has said.
Climate change protesters were subjected to sleep deprivation and psychological pressure tactics involving frequent dawn raids, low flying helicopters at night, and false alarm massing of police officers and vans.
The report, launched by the Liberal Democrats, also accused Kent police of using early morning wake up calls with loud music playing 'Flight of the Valkyries', 'Hi de Hi', duck and dog noises, and 'I fought the law and the law won', to intimidate activists at the site last August.
David Howarth, Liberal Democrat shadow justice secretary, said: "What happened at the Climate Camp was deeply disturbing and part of what seems to be a disturbing national trend. Political agendas have no place in policing.
"There must be a public inquiry so that everyone can make their submissions openly," he said.
The findings, based on two separate reports submitted by the authors to the Joint Committee on Human Rights, highlights no Climate Camp protester has ever been convicted of any violent offence.
Yet, it claims, "the Climate Camp continues to experience disproportionate and repressive policing".
It criticised police for their 'blanket' use of search powers under Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which resulted in property being seized 'on an "unheard of" scale as a means of undermining "the very existence of the camp and [to] intimidate attendees".
Some legal observers - allowed by law to observe and record police activity, and give advice on legal rights - were forcibly prevented from getting near enough to see or hear searches being conducted, or to speak to the person being searched, even when a request was made, the report claims.
Annual Climate Camps have been organised for the last three years - at Drax coal-fired power station in 2006, Heathrow in 2007, and at Kingsnorth in Kent in August 2008 - by unpaid, 'grassroots' environmental campaigners.
Labour's John McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington, and the Green Party's MEP Caroline Lucas attended the Kingsnorth protest. Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies sent a message of support.
The chief constable of Kent police Michael Fuller has described the report's findings as "allegations" which contradict the majority of the supportive comments about the police operation from the people of Kent.
"Kent Police's policy has always been to be open and transparent in everything we do and this will be no different," a spokesperson said.
"If we find officers have failed to meet the very high standards we expect then we will act."
Complaints about the treatment of climate change protesters last August have been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
Newsletter sign up