Lone man shuts down British coal plant
Thread started by
JB at 12.11.08 - 11:15 pm
http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/12/11/lone-activist-disables-coal-plant-for-four-hours-escapes/
A man climbed over two 10-foot barb-wired electrified fences surrounding the Kingsnorth coal-fired power plant in England on November 28th and proceeded to enter the facility and shut down the plant’s smokestack. The entire ordeal was caught on security cameras, but no one—neither activists nor police—know who the man is or where to find him.
The action shut down the plant for four hours, causing the 500 megawatt facility to lose enough electricity to power a small town. Experts estimate that England’s carbon footprint decreased by a giant 2 percent while the plant was disabled.
“It was extremely odd indeed, quite creepy. We have never known anything like this at all, but it shows that if people want to do something badly enough they will find a way,” said Emily Highmore, a spokesperson for E.On, the company that owns the plant.
The man left a small banner reading nothing but “No New Coal.”
Kingsnorth has been target of many protests over the past year after E.On gained approval to build a new coal plant in the region. Greenpeace most recently occupied the plant for nearly a day and projected video evidence of global warming onto the plant.
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Alternative energy doesn't happen overnight.
The process to switch most areas over from coal to wind/solar/hydro power will require mass cooperation and creative-minds to work.
I'm sorry, but people like GreenPeace make me shake my head in disgust.
If you want to make change, then join up with the monster and defeat from the inside.
But, I will say that the security for this plant seemed relatively lax.
Here, the guy would've been either chased down and cuffed, or hit with something depending on the plant.
bentstrider12.11.08 - 11:28 pm
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I dunno Adam, joining up and working from the inside out rarely has that much effect. Most systems are built in such a way as to buffer themselves against change.
A power plant going out of business or being shut down for other legal reasons makes a hell of a lot less impact and a much smaller statement (business as usual) than someone actively shutting down the plant in an act of protest.
If Rosa Parks had petitioned the city government to sit at the front of the bus, you think it would have had much impact?
If the drag queens at Stonewall hadn't stood up and fought off the cops do you think the illegal raiding of homosexual clubs would have ended?
Do you think the Jews in WWII, if they had "asked politely" or whatever, you think it would have had any more chance of survival? Oh, wait, for the most part, they did ask politely, until they were ghettoized, then they had to fight for their very survival.
It takes a lot of guts to stand up against the system and say to it "this is wrong", but sometimes it is a necessary motion. People would rather ignore injustice and let things continue as usual, it's easier, it's routine, it's predictable. People, like most animals don't like the unexpected, even when the unexpected is needed.
FuzzBeast12.12.08 - 1:09 am
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Well, not to turn it into a full-blown argument, the guy did what he did and that was that.
Out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
As for the other things, I could see your point about that.
But, right now, I feel there are already enough people on the fore-front against certain injustices that I feel I don't have to go out and risk myself.
Other than that, POP WHEELIES AND RIDE BIKES!!!
bentstrider12.12.08 - 5:15 am
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This is great. That 2 percent is really a big deal. The "carbon footprint" amounts to several million tons of gases that are destroying the planet's ability to be a habitable place.
So, while you may think there's enough people out there fighting, the truth is that we need more of this. If we didn't, well...then renewable energy would be everywhere and society would be operating largely off of sustainable principles, which is currently not the case.
And Independent action is a very very powerful thing. This man is a great example of that.
kryxtanicole12.12.08 - 9:48 am
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The guy lives to strike another day............................ I like!
User112.12.08 - 10:59 am
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In the words of Ali G,"Respect."
Gav12.12.08 - 12:54 pm
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Poor bastard is probably in the eastern european equivalent of gitmo right now
ephemerae12.12.08 - 4:20 pm
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