UK's Busiest Oil Refinery Blockaded for Five Hours (ATS Citizen Journalist Reports)

UK's Busiest Oil Refinery Blockaded for Five Hours (Photo Story by ATS Citizen Journalist)

*All images compressed for easy web viewing



This is not a rally, a demo or a march but mass direct action aimed to disrupt the flow of oil into London, said the headline on the paper handout given to Crude Awakening protesters when they boarded a train destined for the Coryton oil refinery in Essex. The otherwise secret target was now clear and the atmosphere on the train was buoyant in emotion as three groups of protesters, making up 500 altogether, made final preparations to their war paint and battle clothes. The gloves were off and the UK's busiest refinery was to be blockaded and the distribution of oil halted for the next five hours.

We alighted from the train and now faced a 35-minute walk to the target. Demo leaders raised flags and ordered a quick march to keep the police on their toes. Winding through leafy Stanford-le-Hope roads, a snake of white-clad activists began to tune their protest voices as village onlookers twitched window curtains and stopped in their tracks to wonder who had decended on their town. We reach a junction and the groups split to follow two different routes to the refinery. I followed a group known as the building bloc whose responsibility was to blockade the refineries main entrance.

With organization to rival even the best army, we turned onto a field, where waiting for us were the necessary items to build blockades. A cross-country trek now ensued as we maintained course for destination Coryton. Refinery chimney stacks loomed on the horizon and all that stood in our way was a ditch or two, a gate and the first police line. Holding strong, the activists moved through the police barrier with ease and then it was a 100 metre straight line to the refineries main entrance. Successfully taking the second and last line of defence put up by Essex Police, 8-foot bamboo tripods were erected in succession across the road, quickly flanked by lines of activists locking on to each other so as to form an interlinked human barrier to all access routes in or out of the refinery.

Oils time is up, or at least it was for the next five hours as Crude Awakening activists held police back and turned the spotlight on the issue of oil and the damage its consumption is inflicting on mother earth and her people. The Crude Awakening movement wants people to reclaim the power over their lives and respective futures.

The day went by with good humour and without serious incidents. Crude Awakening was an overwhelming success that confronted important fossil fuel issues with organized and effective direct action. It’s power to the people and time to reclaim your voice.


Crude Awakening flyer. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


Refinery chimney stacks loom on the horizon as Crude Awakening activists march towards their destination. Stanford-le-Hope, UK.


Two policemen follow protesters. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


Police and protesters head towards the direct action target. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


Police and protesters clash at the refinery entrance. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


Crude Awakening activists erect 8-foot bamboo tripods to blockade the main road into the Coryton refinery. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


Activist checks one of many 8-foot bamboo tripods. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


Activist arrives at the Coryton refinery blockade on stilts. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


Crude Awakening activists make their way towards the main Coryton refinery entrance. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


8-foot tall bamboo tripods are erected and flanked by activists locking themselves onto each other to form a human blockade. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


Crude Awakening activists hold back police and maintain their defensive line. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


Two activists perched atop their makeshift bamboo tripods. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


One of many signs depicting the problems of the fossil fuel industry. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


An activist stands atop his bamboo tripod. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


The Coryton refinery was help up from distributing oil to London for five hours during the Crude Awakening direct action. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.


Activists sit proudly perched on their bamboo tripods after successfully disrupting the flow of oil from the Coryton refinery. Stanford-le-Hope, UK. 16/10/2010.

Absolutely brilliant!!

I am glad to see some Brits doing there duty!!!

especially after all this BS uncapped university fees nonsense, it seems like we are the only nation who no longer protests for what they believe in, but would rather stay at home , moan about things then have your brain rot due to watching X-factor and the such.

peace

Good job on that.. Looks like it was interesting there..

Always good to exercise your right to protest eh?

WOW
absolute genius
S&F

that's all I got to say about that
~Forrest Gump~

Originally posted by LarryLove

The day went by with good humour and without serious incidents.

Well good for them. I hope my day tomorrow goes with good humour and without a serious incident like my car conking out the side of the road because I couldn't get petrol.

But hey! That'll teach me for relying on fossil fuels to put bread on the table.

WOW! Those photos really capture the event, Again a stunning peice of work from you,
You have an amazing eye for detail.

Stunning

reply to post by asala


Thank you. It was quite a day and the most well organized group of activists I have ever been around. I'll chat a little about the experience on ATS Euro Live.

No riot police this time!

reply to post by LarryLove


Ohh cant wait! this will be a great topic for the Euro show! Will be very interested to hear about how it all went that day, Im sure alot of passionate people turned up,

reply to post by LarryLove


Probably didn't disrupt much, if any at all.

Coryton Refinery

Coryton Refinery is an oil refinery in Essex, England, situated on the estuary of the River Thames some 28 miles (45 km) from the centre of London.

The refinery is located between Shell Haven Creek and Hole Haven Creek, which separates Canvey Island from the mainland.

It is a part of the Port of London and is the last of the three major refineries on the Thames Estuary to remain in operation. Output is delivered via the UKOP pipeline, road and rail.

There is also a 753 MW gas-fired power station, opened in 2002 and run by Coryton Energy Co Ltd, part of Intergen.

That's probably why the police let you have your mental masturb@tions, and feel proud of yourselves.

You know, it's great to see our education system working oh-so efficiently and put to good use. If you can't gather, I'm being sarcastic.

But my sentiments exactly Ferris.Bueller.II. The protest achieved nothing but to let a few students make some pretty banners and chant some benign and empty slogans. Yet people are treating this like an ultimate form of valiancy, when in reality it's nothing but a gross act of self-indulgence on the students part.

Tell me, how did these protesters travel to this event? That's right, by train. A form of transport that heavily relies on fossil fuels. And what about all them placards, the face paint and the clothes they donned? Again, all by products of oil. I can agree with the gesture, but really, hypocrisy and empty gestures aren't something that impress me.

If I had my way, I would have driven a tanker straight through the crowd of infantile students. Lets see how "valiant" they are for their cause when they've got a 20 ton speeding lump of metal careering towards them. Talk about sorting the men from the boys.

As much as I hate big oil companies you have to laugh at the irony of the multitude of oil based products these people are using and wearing.

I bet you my last pound some of them drove to the trian station and its very likely the train was desil or electric.

It is total hypocrisy to shout for the end of oil whilst using oil based products during your protest and I assume during there daily lives. I will say it is nie on impossible to not use oil based products in day to day life but theres no point protesting about oil without even trying.

WOW larry
didn.t know that there is such a protest movement in the UK against oil.
but it is good to spread the word.

in germany we have now protests against the extending of atomic energy


btw. maybe not the subject
but your pictures are great, love some of the perspective they show, the atmosphere that is created
really great views on a serious subject!
but the pictures do they job, they are interesting, people look at them for that reason and bing involved in the topic

reply to post by Silver Star


Nothing like a myopic view of the world to justify supporting the status quo. Never mind the millions who are being killed to get us that oil - which would be totally un-necessary if the Greedy Pig Corporate wasn't suppressing all the patents for alternative, clean, free energy.

If we don't stand up to these monsters there will soon be no bread left to put on the table, with the exception of their genetically modified, rationed, poisonous, chemical pulp they call food.

Whilst I agree in principle of the demonstration I cannot help but notice that A: there was NO main stream media attention to this event, not that I saw anyway, and B it would have had more impact if not only blockading the refinery but if a larger contingent went and blockaded Parliament Square and the Oil companies headquarters around not only London but the world as whole.

But I give my applause for the people that went, well done. Oh and by the way, anyone not showing their face should either be asked to leave or be implicated in Agent Provocateuring (IMHO)..

Now before people say that the Government has abolished protests at the square , it would have been feasible to have a few hundred protesters marching around not only the square itself but also standing outside the Parliament buildings , there would have been more coverage if the protesters had not only made placards about Oil having its day but also to imform the people there are other alternatives ( ie Magnetic generators) being supressed by these Oil and fossil fuels companies and they are not allowed to be developed to their full potential as there isn't any money to be made from them for the Oil companies.

That would at least garnered a bit more attention than simply stopping traffic flow from a refinery and maybe people would've realised they are not only being ripped off by these corporations but also as a result of forbidden technology being denied that the Planet itself is in danger of being poisoned, and without the Planet we ourselves are doomed.

hmm so they took the train to get there? what makes the train go?
that rope holding the tripods ...looks like nylon ...
that one flyer shows a person with a spray can ..
is it just me or is there a bit of hypocrisy in some of this?

Originally posted by orange-light
WOW larry
didn.t know that there is such a protest movement in the UK against oil.
but it is good to spread the word.

in germany we have now protests against the extending of atomic energy

You do realize that nuclear energy is one of the cleanest types of energy known to man, don't you? It seems that Germany is protesting the exact opposite of what OP is protesting... unless, of course, both of you are willing to do without energy at all.

Originally posted by Iamonlyhuman
You do realize that nuclear energy is one of the cleanest types of energy known to man, don't you? It seems that Germany is protesting the exact opposite of what OP is protesting... unless, of course, both of you are willing to do without energy at all.

No, then they'll protest that.

I love oil. The fish in my aquarium love it, my kid eats it on just about anything, he really loves it on his ice cream, the dog drinks so much of it he pisses black then craps out tiny little oil rigs and tiny little oil rig workers and they gather up the piss, I mean God made oil before he made man, you can see what side hes on. Oil is fantastic.

For all of those who cry out hypocrisy. It's not their fault they are trapped in an oil based economy. It is impossible to avoid using oil products when every product or service available is made from or depends on oil at some point.

I applaud them for at least taking some kind of action no matter how small. The efficacy of events like these lie just as much in the spreading of awareness of said issue as they do in the disruption of the refinery itself. Let me ask what steps have you taken against issues you have apart from to criticise others attempts from behind a computer screen?

Thanks guys for protesting and stoping those greedy oil pigs. o wow you really did something there. cant wait to see my gas prices go up once you really stop them for good!