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Date: Wed, 02 Dec 1998 10:55:31 +0000
From: Cornerstone Resource Centre (cornerstone@gn.apc.org)
Subject: EF! Action Update no.54

BNRR UPDATE

On Wednesday 25th November 375 security guards, police and bailiffs surrounded the protest squats on the route of the Birmingham Northern Relief Road, Britain's first private toll motorway, announced to the world that the eviction had begun, then erected a new fenced enclosure next to the Moneymore squats.

Two days later the bailiffs disappeared, leaving only security guards. Activists are being allowed in and out of the buildings, but building materials and media are banned. For a while, over-zealous security tried to restrict supplies of food onto the site, but gave in on this when a group of sympathetic local people staged a cake-bringing protest!

Numbers on site have been swelled by the publicity, with activists from the Crystal Palace and Faslane camps turning up in support.

Also, the land which the nearby Greenwood camp is being built on is believed to have been recently compulsorily purchased by the Highways Agency. This may mean that it could be evicted without first being taken to court to secure a repossession order - see November issue of EF!AU.

Site mobiles - 07970 301978 / 932224

BNRR SOLIDARITY SABOTAGE

The EF!AU has received a communiqué from 'Yorkshire ELF' stating that early on the 28th November activists trashed an earth-mover and two diggers on the new A1 - M1 link road, between York & Wakefield. The DBFO road is being built by Kvaerner (who own Balfour Beatty & BICC). Kvaerner & Autostrada are the firms behind the Connect consortium, who are trying to build the 'New M6' north of Birmingham.

Crowbars were used to force locked engines and cabs open, cables cut, engines sabotaged and graffiti sprayed. Damage is estimated in the £1000’s and increased security and overtime have been caused. More importantly, solidarity has been shown, as the perpetrators explain: 'Although we cannot be at the BNRR protest site, we are still throwing spanners in the works. More people need to take solidarity direct action'.

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