Fylde Borough Councillor Roger Lloyd was taking part in a peaceful protest on Preston New Road when This incident occurred.
The councillor is believed to be ok – but that’s not the point. What did he do to deserve a shove? He hardly looks like he posed a threat.
The councillor looks shaken in the video but doesn’t seem to have sustained anything other than bumps and maybe bruises. But what was the justification for this action?
Peaceful protesters are being tarred and feathered as pseudo terrorists by the press. It just makes you wonder who is really reporting the truth.
The police reported on Saturday that around 150 protesters gained access to the site while the gazette reported that more than 100 were seen vaulting fences. Where as Radio wave reported only around 35 people going for a walk in a field.
The Telegraph have already been made to print a retraction relating to a false allegation that protesters had been arrested for making death threats. This particular article sparked great debate and had tempers flaring at the thought of jumped up protesters threatening workers lives. This simply wasn’t the case and was irresponsible journalism.
Since we Published…
Update – Since we published this article – Fylde Police have released a statement via their Facebook Page in a way retracting the exaggerated numbers of rogue field walking protesters.
Police response on the day given the small number of protesters posing a threat now seems extremely dis-proportionate. A tactic seen employed previously by other forces tackling peaceful protesters.
There are still mixed feelings toward the fracking industry on the Fylde coast. Many of the local protection groups believe that Lancashire’s people via their councillors have voted against it once and now the government has overturned that decision – they see it as a travesty of democracy.
Cuadrilla on the other hand would argue that it’s been decided – We’ve got our permissions – let us get on with it.
Is it that black and white?
Who is fracking on the Fylde
Cuadrilla is the company behind the site at Preston New Road and are set to benefit greatly from the rt hon. sajid javid mp’s decision to overturn Lancashire County Councils decision to NOT frack Lancashire due to road safety and other concerns.
Confusing right. Originally LCC voted and said that fracking on the Fylde wasn’t right just now. Then sajid javid said – nah, lets do it anyway and now it’s going ahead.
Cuadrilla is a Spanish word meaning Gang. It’s believed that the company was set up after a meeting in spain between some of the founding members.
Cuadrilla’s own website states it’s “putting Lancashire First” and is committed to being a good neighbour. A community liaison group was established in 2014 but no more meeting minutes have been published since 2015.
The only News the company has released on it’s corporate website has been: –
In October 2016 the Secretary of State for Department for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, responded to our appeal and granted planning consent for our applications to drill, hydraulically fracture and test the flow of gas from up to four exploration wells at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire. Work commenced to build the site in January 2017 and drilling is expected to commence in Q2 2017.
There were concerns raised initially at planning meetings that the proposed sites may have had historically significant ruins and that an archaeologist should be made available on site to accompany any digging work. There has been no confirmation of any Archaeologists on site during works so far.
Some people have claimed that fracking is a fantastic opportunity and will bring employment to the Fylde coast. Here is a link to the Cuadrilla Recruitment page where you can find all their current vacancies.
Protesters/Protectors
Councillor Lloyd was standing shoulder to shoulder with peaceful protesters in his local area. It’s unlikely that a local councillor would be there with any ill intent. In fact it’s reasonable to assume that he was there to officially bear witness to events taking place on the day in order to report his findings to Lancashire County Council. Videos have been published daily from the site and by simply looking through Facebook groups related to fracking you can see a catalogue of alleged breaches of protocol and safety regulations reported by protectors since the day the site opened.
It’s hard to ignore after a while.
Protests on this PNR site aren’t a new thing. This article from the Guardian is 2 years old!!
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Hours of raw/live video footage
It’s much harder to get away with underhand tactics when you are streaming live to the internet – it serves as an independent witness that is difficult to disprove, although you must accept that there could still be an element of panto going on somewhere. That said – there is still some pretty compelling footage floating about.
There are even videos which appear to show many dangerous/underhand practices such as:
Security guards being ran over and pulled along by a reversing LWB pick up truck –
Video from the Motorway junction showing Transport vehicles obviously headed to the fracking site – obscuring their license plates and vehicle livery with duct tape.
All the while they should have been parked at an agreed stop another junction down the motorway.
Multiple videos have been uploaded showing big trucks reversing on the site while security guards stand in the vehicles blind spot – a massive risk in the day time let alone at night. Local workers who live on the Fylde are being put in harms way and the evidence is there for all to see.
Intimidation?
This next video below shows a known local protector filming workers after the road was supposed to have been returned to 2 lanes before rush hour – but was still being worked on after the agreed time with no obvious end point to the work in sight. The chap taking the video appears to be assaulted by one worker while another grabs his phone from his hand – this all while the police watched from their van just yards away and across the road.
No named suspects have been found by the police so far despite there being footage of the alleged assault and the police constables sat just up the road. If they can miss this right under their noses – what else are they letting slip through the net.
Is this meant to intimidate the victim here into not returning?
Inadequate facilities for workers on-site who have to get changed by the side of the road. Not only is it unprofessional and dangerous but is also contra to modern health and safety law. Workers must be provided with somewhere suitable to change and eat meals, clean up after work etc.
Evidence that vehicles are not cleaning their wheels before driving onto the main road detailed in this picture below. It’s just one of many photos and videos of tyres you will enjoy looking at while researching an article like this.
There were supposed to be provisions in place to reduce the risk of traffic incidents, a road sweeper was not seen on site until day 5 and a wheel cleaning facility – part of site agreement to prevent spread of knot-weed in an adjacent field – is still yet to be installed. There have been many more observed breeches but there’s only so much space on the website…
Just looking through this sample of the mountains of publicly available media is enough to make you question whether this is a legitimate operation and if indeed the companies concerned actually know what they are doing. It wouldn’t appear so at first glance. You don’t have to be an expert in geology to see that the wheels aren’t clean.
Constant presence
There have been protesters/protectors standing by the side of the road every day since work began.
Some younger ones accompanied by guardians during the half term, many protectors believe they are doing what’s right for future generations given the reams of information about fracking coming from the U.S where it’s been done already.
The Group Residents Action on Fylde Fracking and Frack Free Lancashire have been peacefully opposing this industry along with many other groups from around Fylde and the country for many years now. There have been groups opposing fossil fuel infrastructure on the Fylde coast dating back to 2008/9 when the company CANATAXX announced they wished to store large amounts of gas in brine wells in Preesall.
(Not to be mitaken with Preese Hall May 2011 in Singleton near Blackpool – Cuadrilla’s first Test Well in the Uk which Cuadrilla Admitted caused a 2.3 and 1.5 tremor/Earthquake) Good job we didn’t have a load of gas stored underground during the earthquakes.
There have even been a group of Nanas who have worked alongside fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and actress Emma Thompson in actions aimed at stopping this industry. There really are people from all walks of life representing their own families and local communities just standing on the side of the road as their last stand as it were.
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Honk if you’re against fracking
Many people can be heard in the online videos beeping their horns in support of the protectors as they drive along the road. Some protectors take comfort in that little beep, the smallest gesture from a passing motorist helps to justify standing in the cold all day! Some people deliver flasks of warm drinks and food to the site in order to keep the spirits of the protectors up. In other parts of the country this kind of support for protesters has been banned directly relating to another fracking site. Even offering a warm shower to a protester at that site could land a local resident in hot water themselves. Thankfully that’s not the case in Lancashire.
PRO-testers
There are some protesters labelled by some as “professionals” who travel from site to site adding support where they feel it’s needed. Some get in the way directly by locking themselves to gates or vehicles. This isn’t a new phenomenon and the police deploy officers trained to observe, co-ordinate and facilitate peaceful protests.
But at a point the riot squad usually come in and the chains and locks get cut off and the people protesting – moved out of the way – usually arrested under section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 – Bailed later that day with a court date set for 6 later at which they will likely be found not guilty.
It’s becoming an obvious trend in tactics from the police now. Move the Man in favour of the Machine.
Glue-on
Some protesters in the past have taken to super-gluing their hands to each other in Salford’s council offices.
It’s all under the banner of non-violent action which these types of protesters will argue is often met by violence from the police.
This footage comes from Barton moss fracking site in Manchester and was filmed by a reliable source here at the BPL Bible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPFtx4Q0VNk
How’s Business?
Cuadrilla isn’t a publicly traded company so it’s harder to tell how they are doing on the financial side of things but they hold a stake in AJ Lucas – a drilling company. Their stock isn’t looking too healthy at the moment which could be for a number of reasons. Natural gas has recently dipped in price meaning that the fracking process might now not be as financially viable as 2 or 3 years ago.
Another company in the UK involved with fracking are Igas – They seem to be having similar fortunes.
Igas were test drilling a few sites including the one at Barton Moss near Manchester. The police were very heavy handed in their dealings with protesters at the Moss and for the amount of arrests made – very few convictions were served by the courts.
Lizar’s solicitors successfully represented many of the protesters from Barton moss and other protest sites.
One officer even tried to frame a motorist for drink driving at the Barton moss site. You can watch the video on the link.
So Igas don’t seem to be cooking on gas at the minute either. Who stands to make money on this industry and will any savings or benefits can be passed on to UK consumers.
Sinking in a Field?
This is what the Preston New Road site looks like from above… If Cuadrilla get their way – there will be many more “Pads” like this on the coast.
Each about the size of a Rugby Pitch.
Some of the protesters at Preston New Road shout that the workers are “sinking in a field” a play on terms referring to the share prices of the respective companies falling.
But are the rights of peaceful protesters being pushed aside for this industry? In the case of Councillor Lloyd it certainly seems so. Are the police upholding their Oaths of attestation or are we all slowly sinking together? If Barton Moss is anything to go by – The tactic will be that the police arrest everyone and deal with the complaints later.
It’s a tricky subject.
What do you think about it all? Leave us a comment in the box at the bottom of the page. Here is the video of Councillor Lloyd and the officer.
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