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Newbury bypass protests - mob rule or peaceful defence of our heritage?
10 May 1996
Claims that the protests against the Newbury Bypass have been based on the use of violent and other unacceptable tactics will be challenged at a press conference on Tuesday in the House of Commons chaired by Labour MP Tony Benn (Chesterfield). The press conference will be staged the day before the construction industry stage their "Cry Freedom" seminar to examine the costs of anti-roads protests.
Protesters against the Newbury Bypass will emphasise how opposition to the controversial road has been overwhelmingly peaceful and show how statements made by some MPs and Ministers, the police and the Highways Agency have seized on rumour, hearsay and unsubstantiated allegations to discredit the campaign.
The conference will also show how the vast majority of arrests (over 750 by April 1996) have been for alleged offences that do not involve violence. The massive commitment of police time and effort will be linked to the excessive use of provisions in the recent Criminal Justice Act.
First hand accounts of how detective agency personnel intimidated local people with the use of video cameras and other surveillance equipment will be heard. Speakers will also examine the implications of internal exile' that has arisen from the bail conditions linked to charges of aggravated trespass.
Speakers will include Lady Janine Barber, executive-search company director Adrian Foster-Fletcher, protesters from the Third Battle of Newbury group who have been based in the camps made on the route of the road,Tony Juniper from Friends of the Earth and Michael Schwarz from legal firm Bindmans and Partners.
Wider questions related to the right to protest' and role of peaceful demonstration in a modern democracy will be raised in the material presented.
If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.
Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Sep 2008
