[attach id=273217 size="medium"]Environmental activists march through Balcombe, West Sussex, as anti-fracking demonstrations continue at the Cuadrilla exploratory drilling site. Photo: AP[/attach]
More than 1,000 protesters have staged a noisy march to the exploratory drilling site at the centre of anti-fracking protests in the heart of the West Sussex countryside.
Activists from across the country banged drums, chanted anti-fracking messages and held aloft banners on the outskirts of Balcombe, West Sussex.
A tense standoff existed between protesters and a battery of police from forces across the UK who had formed a ring of steel around the Cuadrilla drilling site entrance.
Men, women and children chanted “This is what democracy looks like” and “There are many, many more of us than you” as the convoy of campaigners marched along the road as a Sussex Police helicopter hovered overhead.
Cuadrilla, which has been conducting exploratory oil drilling near Balcombe, temporarily suspended its operation after taking advice from Sussex Police amid fears of unrest during the six-day Reclaim the Power camp, which began on Friday.
At last year’s Reclaim the Power camp, organised by No Dash for Gas, West Burton power station in Nottinghamshire was shut down and 21 people were arrested.
High pressure liquid is pumped deep underground to split shale rock and release oil or gas supplies
Although Cuadrilla is not conducting fracking near Balcombe, and would need to apply for permission, protesters fear the energy firm will go on to do so.
Balcombe resident Douglas Wragg said: “Because we have here a travesty of democracy and we’ve tried every democratic path to use, the only choice we have left is direct action. I’ve been living here for 20 years and I would never have imagined myself being involved in protest. But you either lie down and let Cuadrilla ride roughshod over you, or take direct action.”
Protester Emma Hughes said: “I’m here in solidarity with the community of Balcombe, and I’m here because we can’t afford to extract new fossil fuels when climate change is already killing hundreds of thousands of people.”
More than 45 arrests have so far been made since the protests first sprang up on the outskirts of Balcombe three weeks ago.
Of those, more than 30 have been charged with a range of offences, including Natalie Hynde, 30, the daughter of the Pretenders’ singer Chrissie Hynde.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves high pressure liquid being pumped deep underground to split shale rock and release oil or gas supplies.
Opponents of fracking have highlighted concerns about potential water contamination and environmental damage, as well as small-scale earthquakes.
Lord Browne, Cuadrilla’s chairman and the former chief executive of BP, said the controversial extraction method should be pursued if it can be done safely. He stressed that as much domestic resource should be explored as possible, saying it was more environmentally friendly than importing gas.