Green MEP slams police behaviour at UK climate camp

A leading Green MEP has spoken out against action taken by police forces at a climate camp in the UK.

Caroline Lucas, principle speaker of the UK’s Green Party, said she was angry at the “increasingly aggressive” behaviour of the police towards protestors.

“The police have been using very heavy-handed tactics, and…are using a very discriminative approach so that people who are completely innocent of anything are being caught up in the same treatment as everybody else, which seems to be very counterproductive,” she told theparliament.com

“It’s about upholding one of the European fundamental human rights, the right to peaceful protest,” she added.

The climate camp is taking place at Kingsnorth, the proposed location for the first coal-fired power station in Britain for 30 years.

Protestors at the camp are rallying against the proposed power station, arguing that it goes against the UK’s commitments towards fighting climate change.

Lucas, who was present at the camp on Sunday, said that the police had also made a series of confiscations including toilet roll, board games, and the wood needed to build access ramps for wheelchairs and toilets.

Lucas said that she would be taking action at the European level as a result of police behaviour.

“To the extent that the police action can be interpreted as an attempt to stop the climate camp taking place, that is an infringement of people’s right to peaceful protest,” she said.

“That is why I am writing to the commission…about the right to peaceful protest and asking their views as to whether they agree that this is being prohibited in this instance,” she added.

Lucas said the climate camp was important as the Kingsnorth proposals will also hinder the UK’s chances of meeting the EU’s targets for the use of renewable energy.

In January this year, the EU adopted an ambitious climate package which set a target for each of it member states to increasing the share of renewable sources in energy use to 20% by 2020.

“It is so important because the decision as to whether Britain goes ahead with this first coal-fired power station will have a massive impact on the future of climate policy literally right across the world,” she said.

“If Britain is saying we need goal to deal with climate change, what’s to stop any other country doing exactly the same? We would lose any kind of moral authority in terms of trying to wean ourselves off fossil fuels,” she added.

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