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Ratcliffe Power Station protest: Police defend arrests Activists plotted to 'starve' Ratcliffe power station
(about 3 hours later)
Nottinghamshire detectives who arrested more than 100 climate change protesters in 2009 said they had no option but to strike early. Full details of a plot by climate change activists to shut down a Nottinghamshire power station have emerged.
The climate change protesters aimed to shut down Ratcliffe Power Station near Nottingham, but were arrested as they gathered at a Sneinton school. The protesters planned to disable Ratcliffe-on-Soar's plant for a week in 2009 by climbing the chimney and chaining themselves to conveyer belts.
A tip-off from undercover Metropolitan PC Mark Kennedy, who was also arrested in the raid, led to the operation. They said they intended to starve the coal-fired station of fuel.
Police defended their pre-emptive raid in an interview for BBC's Inside Out. A tip-off by undercover policeman Mark Kennedy, who infiltrated the group, led to the arrest of more than 100 people.
Undercover review But Kennedy later switched sides, leading to the quashing of convictions against 20 of the protesters.
Nottinghamshire Deputy Chief Constable Chris Eyre, who spoke to the BBC about the raids, said: "If we can't protect the critical national infrastructure... then there is a real risk to the country." In an interview for BBC's Inside Out, detectives and campaigners have spoken about the raid at Iona School in Sneinton - located about 10 miles from the power station - which led to the arrest of 114 people.
Supt Paul Anderson said the early strike had "minimised any risk of injury or harm to the protesters... and stopped any damage being caused and any of the staff at the power station or my officers being injured". 'Police spy'
Police raided Iona School, located about 10 miles from the power station, shortly after midnight on 13 April, 2009, arresting 114 people. The police seized thousands of items in the raid, including climbing ropes, metal grinders, chains, locks, pre-packed meals and a steel barrier.
Conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass convictions against 20 of the protesters were quashed by the Court of Appeal in July after Mr Kennedy earlier changed sides and offered to give evidence on their behalf. Protester Sarah Shoraka, 33, of Stoke Newington, north London, said their aim was to take direct action to stop carbon emissions.
They were originally given community orders or conditional discharges in December 2010. "I was going to climb up the chimney and… the idea was to starve the power station of fuel by occupying the conveyor belts," she said.
A national review of undercover policing was started as a result of the role of Mr Kennedy in the arrests, who worked for the Metropolitan Police but has since left the force.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating whether Nottinghamshire Police disclosed all relevant material to prosecutors in the case and the Crown Prosecution Service is examining whether evidence was kept from defence lawyers.
Mr Kennedy, who used the name Mark Stone in his covert work, spent seven years working undercover in the green movement across Europe.
'Climb the chimney'
The police seized thousands of items in the 2009 raid including climbing ropes, metal grinders, chains, locks, pre-packed meals and a steel barrier.
Protester Sarah Shoraka, 33, of Stoke Newington, north London, who said the aim was to take direct action to stop carbon emissions, said: "I was going to climb up the chimney and… the idea was to starve the power station of fuel by occupying the conveyor belts.
"I had no idea that this sort of thing could happen… and that there would be a police spy... it sounded like something from a novel or a film.""I had no idea that this sort of thing could happen… and that there would be a police spy... it sounded like something from a novel or a film."
Protester Dan Glass, 27, of Glasgow, said: "The idea was to shut the power station for up to a week and there was enough food and water to enable that.Protester Dan Glass, 27, of Glasgow, said: "The idea was to shut the power station for up to a week and there was enough food and water to enable that.
'Struck early'
"Some people would have been on top of the power station and some people would have been locked on to other places.""Some people would have been on top of the power station and some people would have been locked on to other places."
A programme on the arrests called Power Struggle will air as an Inside Out Special in the East Midlands region from 19:30 on 10 October on BBC1. Nottinghamshire Police said they had "struck early to protect the critical national infrastructure".
The action had "minimised any risk of injury or harm to the protesters... and stopped any damage being caused and any of the staff at the power station or my officers being injured", according to Supt Paul Anderson.
A national review of undercover policing was started as a result of the role in the arrests of Mr Kennedy, who worked for the Metropolitan Police but has since left the force
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating whether Nottinghamshire Police disclosed all relevant material to prosecutors in the case and the Crown Prosecution Service is examining whether evidence was kept from defence lawyers.
Mr Kennedy, who used the name Mark Stone in his covert work, spent seven years working undercover in the green movement across Europe.
"Power Struggle", an Inside Out Special, will air on BBC1 in the East Midlands region from 19:30 BST on 10 October.