Greenpeace today held a demonstration about illegally imported non-renewable rainforest timber outside the offices of Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Shortly after 7.30am this morning, Greenpeace activists blockaded government offices in London in protest. The activists dumped over a tonne of plywood secured with large chains over the entrance to DEFRA, the UK Government's department responsible for the environment. Two activists chained themselves to the plywood to prevent it being removed, and climbers scaled the outside of the building and secured a banner reading 'Ban Illegal Timber'.
Both the Smith Square and Horesferry Road buildings belonging to Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
are within the Designated Area.
Did Greenpeace obtain prior written permission from the Metropolitan Police ? If they did, was the "one tonne of illegally imported timber" which blocked the entrance allowed under the Conditions which were imposed by the Police ?
According to the UK Greenpeace website report:
"The entrance to DEFRA - the Government department responsible for the environment, was blocked by volunteers using a crane to place over a tonne of plywood - secured with large chains - right outside the door. Two activists chained themselves to the timber to prevent it being removed, while climbers scaled the outside of the building, securing a massive banner reading 'BAN ILLEGAL TIMBER.' Volunteers handed out leaflets containing information on illegal timber to Defra staff and other Londoners on their way to work, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, and MP Mark Pritchard, member of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee.Around 11:30, police used boltcutters to remove the two activists chained to the plywood, and they were released without charge. At midday, our forest campaigners met Environment Minister Elliot Morley outside the QE2 centre in Westminster, where he was attending a conference on sustainable procurement for the public sector. They presented him with a copy of the Greenpeace Forest Crimefile. Mr Morley said he was happy to go on record calling for a ban on the import of illegally logged timber."
Presumably the two protestors (one named as Nathan Argent) who were chained to the one tonne pallet of plywood, who were removed by Police with boltcutters, were actually arrested.
Under which legislation were they arrested ? Why were they not charged , when 17 or so other demonstrators within the Designated Area have been charged ?
Is the law being enforced fairly and equally ?