This time last year clearance work started on the controversial A34 Newbury Bypass. Imaginative direct action successfully blocked the first week of work, and the resulting headlines drew many people to Newbury to challenge the government's road-building programme.
Over the next few months full-on evictions (with the help of scab climbers, now ostracised by the rest of the British climbing scene) cleared most of the camps which had spung up along the nine miles of route.
Repeated front-line trashing, and the notorious 'Newbury sausage' bail- conditions which came as standard with many of the hundreds of 'Aggravated Trespass' arrests, meant that once the trees were gone many protestors moved on to other places.
Daily (and nightly!) action continued throughout the summer, but January's 'Reunion Rampage' was the first time many people had returned to the town to see the full scale of the damage, and in large enough numbers to affect it. The nine miles is now covered by (razor-topped) fenced compounds, guarded by the badly-paid minions of Pinkertons security.
Approx. 150 turned up in time for the Friday morning compound invasions. Fences were cut, lighting destroyed and a crane at the Kennet site occupied for several hours.
On Saturday, hundreds gathered for a spot of 'fence-decorating' and a Friends of the Earth rally by Middle Oak. Once the speeches (including Tony Benn) were over a large crowd made their way back to the fence determined to reclaim Middle Oak. Despite the poice's attempts (dangerous charges by police-horses) to stop the crowd, the fence was rapidly cut and pulled down. There was soon a large mass inside the compound and the other 800 followed more easily.
The oak tree itself had formed the much-loved centre of a camp for months and became the focus for a spontaneous Hokey-Cokey. The police then tried to snatch various people from the crowd for criminally damaging the fence - all such arrests were strongly resisted, almost everyone had helped in some way to rip down those fences.
From there protestors of all ages and backgrounds went on to occupy machinery. Police worries for their safety forced the security guards to withdraw (minus their helmets, which were by this time being happily drummed against assorted girders!) as determined activists surged forwards to the crane.
From then on the police and security stood by and watched as the pixies got to work. The crane and other earth-moving machinery were blatently smashed up and along with a portacabin, were soon in flames. People then began to leave the site in groups, utterly exhilerated by one of the most beautiful sights to hit the now-devestated Newbury skyline in months.
There were relatively few arrests (20?) over the entire weekend, but the pretty constant intimidatory presence of police video evidence squads and teams of Brays detectives (a private Southampton-based firm used by the Highways Agency since Twyford Down) makes it likely that more cases will follow.
Somewhat predictably, various FoE spokespeople have appeared on TV since the event and denounced the fires as 'totally counter-productive'; for the thousand who rampaged that day the scale of the damage left behind (total estimates vary past the £1m mark) might have come as an unplanned surprise, but nonetheless a welcome one. It's very rare that the police are caught so unawares and so massively outnumbered that they admit defeat - by the time the fires started they had completely lost control and were planning to just pull out and leave people to it.
Wanna go road-protesting? (It's not all holding hands and singing songs, nor, unfortunately burning and pillaging either)
There are still camps at Newbury - Third Battle of Newbury, PO Box 5520, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 7YW. Tel: 01635 45544/ info-line: 01635 550 552.
Two of the long-running camps (Trollheim and Allercombe) on the route of the A30 in Exeter have just been evicted. The Fairmile camp is probably still waiting as you read this. More info from - A30 Action, PO Box 6, Ottery St. Mary, Devon EX111YL. Tel: 01404 815 729.
A new campaign is just starting to save Stringers Common in Guildford from a proposed A320 widening scheme. There is a camp and work is due to start soon. Tel: 01483 322167.
PS: Studies have shown that the combination of a black balaclava and a (swappable) stripey jumper could form an invaluable aid to confusing Brays and their constant attempts to identify individuals who turn up at anti- roads campaigns.
Another short:
On Wednesday 8th Jan, a small possee of protestors invaded the Cookham garden of the Transport Minister, Sir George Young. 'Newbury now - where next?' banners were hung from the roof and turf was removed from the lawn to create a new 'road' complete with spray-painted lane-markings.
Meanwhile some people had discovered an open window and wandered around inside the Minister's home long before the police showed up. At first pretty disinterested in making any arrests they waited till everyone was leaving to detain the last ten. These ten have been charged with conspiracy to cause criminal damage as well as the damage itself - yet another example of the state pulling time-consuming conspiracy charges on eco-activists. The ridiculous original bail conditions prohibited them from taking part in any protests anywhere in the country, and have hopefully now been overturned.