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 A tale of two hijacks
Originally published by TawNews11 April 2009
Just over a week now and I'm still trying to construct an accurate overview in my mind of the recent events inLondon. Arrived there last week (last Tuesday to be precise, 31st March) as part of the Radical Images[1] photographers' collective to document the series of events protesting London's hosting of the G20 summit. We were particularly interested in the plan to establish a "flash climate camp" on Bishopsgate, outside the EuropeanClimate Exchange, announced some weeks previously by thesame folk [2] that had set up Climate Camps at Drax in Yorkshire (2006), Heathrow (2007), and Kingsnorth in Kent last year.Setting up a full-fledged campsite on the streets in the heart of London? An entirely delightful notion, and one that Ireally didn't believe could possibly happen until I actually saw it taking shape with my own eyes. A masterpiece of planning and networking, totally magnificent and totally impressive.There were four of us representing our collective (with one "guest") and, split into two teams, we thought we'd be wellset up to get good coverage not just of the camp but also of some of the other events occurring... the G20 Meltdown[3] for example. Though our principal focus was always, and remained, the climate camp with its message that "Naturedoesn't do bailouts"...
Stopping carbon markets
 Because nature doesn't do bailouts
First the city traders speculated with our homes, jobs and money – with disastrous results. Now they are speculating with our climate and the very future of life on earth – and once again ourgovernments are cheering them on.By creating a brain-bending system of carbon pollution licenses, fossil fuel companies andtrading firms have found a way to keep on churning out global warming gases and to reap huge windfall profits at the same time. Meanwhile, the UK government is justifying a third runway atHeathrow and a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth by saying that these new “carbon trading”schemes will magically make all their emissions vanish.They are handing control of our climate over to the same people and systems that caused thefinancial collapse. All the workable and fair alternatives aren't getting a look-in. We need to stop this foolishness.On April 1st the G20 leaders arrive in London. At a time of climate crisis their response to themarket meltdown is emergency loans to car manufacturers, increased spending to encourageconsumption, and bailouts for the very people who got us into this mess - just the thing that willmake the climate crisis worse.Don’t let them get away with it: join our camp in the Square Mile!Bring a pop-up tent if you've got one, sleeping bag, wind turbine, mobile cinema, action plansand ideas...let’s imagine another world.
(from the Climate Camp website)
However, things didn't work out quite as smoothly as planned (on the other hand, when do they ever?). As mentioned, I arrived in London on Tuesday morning and, after having spent a large part of the day trying to hook up with the others in our collective, and then wandering around the city looking at various sites that were designatedas "locations for action" for the following day, we eventually ended up at the place we'd chosen as our "base" whilst inthe city.The really curious thing that struck me whilst wandering around London on Tuesday was the marked absence of police! I was expecting the place to be infested with them (particularly given that the G20 protests had actually started on Saturday of the previous week with the Put People First[4] march etc). I was expecting to be stopped, questioned, searched, numerous times. And it just didn't happen... not on the Tuesday anyway. No doubt the streets were being closely monitored by the ubiquitous CCTV though.Up with the lark Wednesday morning then, prompted by the notion of it being a good idea to have a wander aroundBishopsgate (location of the European Climate Exchange[5], professing itself to be "the leading marketplace for
 
trading carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Europe and internationally") to see what reception was being prepared forthe arrival of the campers, announced for half-past-noon exactly. Dwelling upon which, it occurred to me that gettinga whole bunch of people to "swoop in" on a particular location from all points of the compass at exactly the same time would be quite a miracle in its own right! And our first "stop & search"! Well, more of a "stop and talking to" really, once the van-full of City of London cops hadsatisfied themselves that we actually 
were
photojournalists, just as we represented ourselves. A few police and vans outside the Climate Exchange there, but nothing like the heavy presence I was expecting.Perhaps, like me, they were anticipating that the location of the campsite would be changed at the very last moment. And just as we were thinking that it all seemed pretty quiet along comes a whole bunch of Critical Mass type cyclists! Bit more of a mooch around then head for Liverpool Street Station where one of the Meltdown marches was supposedto assemble at 11.00am. Four Meltdown marches had been planned, each starting at a different location and intendedto converge on the Bank of England at midday.Each of the marches was to be led by one of the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (truly poetic imagery), the one we'd opted for being led by the Green Horse against Climate Chaos.Seemed the most appropriate for us (given our interest in the Climate Camp) plus its route would take us very nearthe Climate Exchange, putting us in the right place (albeit a bit early) to witness the "swoop".
 
  Which is pretty much how things worked out, with us finding ourselves milling fairly aimlessly around Bishopsgateagain waiting to see what would happen. And me still not entirely convinced that anything would happen there at all,repeatedly checking my mobile phone in anticipation of the SMS that would announce a last-minute change of venue. Although admittedly there
did 
seem to be a helluva lot more people
also
aimlessly wandering around there now. Very curious. When suddenly, plonk! And the first tent (at least, I
think
it was the first tent) goes down... fairly rapidly jumped upon by a nearby bunch of assembled cops. Bit of a scuffle, attempts to drag the tent (with accompanying campers) off tothe side, and a few more cops piling in.
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