UK: Stop HS2 camps roundup 17-23 August

Tree protectors at Denham Country Park this week were greeted on Monday morning by the sights and sounds of beautiful trees being thrown into a wood chipper by HS2 workers. Trees are one of the best ways to combat the climate crisis and yet our Government is consistently viewing them as disposable inconveniences. To reach Johnson’s 2050 target to become net zero, the Woodland Trust states that we simply need more trees and to “increase the UK’s woodland cover from its pitiful 13% to at least 17%.” Cutting down one of our best defenses seems counter-productive in this fight against climate change.

HS2 Rebels also face problems instigated by HS2 workers and the police on a regular basis, for peacefully protesting and occupying these forests.This week down at Denham, HS2 workers and security began to prevent tree protectors from using their entrance and exit to the camp, stopping them from accessing water and only allowing them through once the police were called. No explanation was given. “Courage against corporations” is one of HS2 Rebellion’s mottos and it is clear to see that corporations are standing in the way between eco-activists and a greener planet. Let’s hope our protectors continue to be full of courage as they fight against HS2 in weeks to come, especially since felling is only set to increase throughout the Autumn months.
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UK: Tales from the Trees & Tracks

Hello, I am @mushrooni and I travelled down from West Yorkshire on the train to Crackley Protection Camp. Ironically I took the planned HS2 route from the north to Birmingham…
So I brought a tent and initially planned to stay for a couple days but it has nearly been a month now!

I joined this campaign to engage with others and take action against HS2. Obviously I’m here to protect and stand up for the trees, birds, bats and wildlife that are being ripped apart and killed, though it’s much bigger than this – it’s about the whole capitalistic project and the system that HS2 is part of and represents. Protectors have been mistreated, harmed and put in really serious situations – the National Eviction Team, HS2 security and police departments are getting away with their dirty work.
I have never felt so much kindness, generosity and openness from strangers as I have done being involved in these communities. I’ve realised how important it is to be around like minded people, working towards the same goal and how necessary it is to be able to stand up to what is wrong.
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Birmingham: Report back from Jellytot StopHS2 courtcase

There are currently several courtcases going on prosecuting Stop HS2 activists, whilst HS2 Limited recently announced that their chief executive earned £659,000 last year, making him the highest paid UK government official. The board of directors got £1.6m remuneration in total … and this was all paid for by our taxes!? Instead of this greed and corruption being investigated, at the end of July young tree protector Jellytot faced charges at Birmingham High Court for allegedly breaking an injunction seventeen times. Defending ancient woodland in Warwickshire is the alleged crime!
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UK: Stop HS2 Update

Despite a media blackout, lots is happening in the world of HS2 resistance. High speed 2 is a corrupt scheme now predicted to cost over £100 billion which will both devastate areas of natural beauty and enrich Tory cronies and construction companies. Whilst the idea to have a superfast railway line connecting the north of England to London has some merit, since the south-east is over-crowded and the UK desperately needs to reduce carbom emissions, the implementation of HS2 is completely stupid. It’s a slow ecological catastrophe. Instead of building better transport links in the north, HS2 construction has started in the south and the midlands. Ancient woodlands are being trashed by contractors who have ignored the nesting season for birds and used hawks illegally to clear zones. Just the other day in Denham, a beautiful alder tree was chopped down and a tree protector was hospitalised.

The HS2 railway project is a bloated white elephant which needs to be stopped. The Woodland Trust estimates more than 100 areas of ancient woodland will be trashed, over 30 sites of special scientific interest lost and more than twenty nature reserves destroyed. The most recent reserve under attack is Calvert Jubilee in Buckinghamshire, which has been compulsory purchased and will be cleared by HS2 beginning Tuesday 28 July. HS2 had previously entered the site in January pretending to be the owner and had chopped down trees. You know that something is going deeply wrong when the Tory leader of Buckinghamshire Council tweets: “Absolutely dreadful. Have visited this beautiful Reserve many times. This is a crime against nature”

So where is the resistance? Currently there are several protest camps dotted along the proposed route. It’s hard to find out exactly what’s going on without using facebook and twitter, so there’s clearly a need for anarchist and alternative media to do more on this important issue.

Onto a list of the camps:
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UK: Save Crackley Woods Camp

Crackley, Birches Roughknowles and Broadwells, all ancient woodlands outside Kenilworth, Warwickshire, are under threat from HS2. Recently, some work in ancient woodland was halted but some is still happening, and HS2 Ltd still plan to take down parts of the Queens Diamond Jubilee Wood during the current review.

The camp is not in the main bit of Crackley Woods, and is most easily found just behind the HS2 compound on Cryfield Grange Road, CV8 2JU (some satnavs may send you to where the university cycle path crosses the road, we are NOT there, we are at the Crackley Lane end, behind the HS2 compound). The camp is also accessible via the bridleway that starts at Crackley Farm and crosses the Greenway on a bridge.
Google maps or what3words
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