Reports round-up: Victory in fracking campaign

Activists showed up in force outside the town hall on the day of the hearing

Campaigners celebrated a victory against fracking outside Scarborough Town Hall on Friday of last week.

North Yorkshire Council’s strategic planning committee resoundingly rejected the advice of council officials. It voted against an application by Europa Oil and Gas to frack on fragile coastline north of the town.

Over 1,600 people objected to the fracking plans. Activists marched to the proposed site, packed public meetings and showed up in force outside the town hall on the day of the hearing.

This was not a victory handed down from above.

It was won by ordinary people refusing to accept that a profit-hungry fossil fuel company had the right to gamble with their water, health and coastline.

John Atkinson of Frack Free Scarborough said, “This is what people power looks like. Hundreds of us stood outside Scarborough Town Hall and the planning committee heard us.”

Labour MP Alison Hume vowed to keep pressing until the loophole that allowed the application is closed for good.

Europa’s plans for “proppant squeeze” was fracking by another name.

It would have used volumes of fracking fluid greater than those that caused the 2.9 magnitude earthquake at Preston New Road in Lancashire in 2019.

The government has indicated that it will consult on a permanent ban on fracking. Until it does, companies can apply to use techniques such as the “proppant squeeze”.

Fracking remains a threat to communities across Britain and will deepen the climate crisis by locking us into more fossil fuel use.

But the message from Scarborough is clear—organise, resist, unite, and know that you can win.

Kim Hunter

Taking action on Earth Day

Trade unionists and climate campaigners gathered in central York last Wednesday to mark Earth Day.

This is the year of trade union action on climate. Climate breakdown will have a devastating impact on the poorest in society.

And a just transition away from fossil fuels means that workers must be an integral part of deciding and making the changes we need.

The stalls also highlighted the threat of the far right to trade unions and their attempts to suggest that climate was a middle class issue that was too expensive to address.

A speaker from the Unison union argued that the huge Together alliance demonstration last month illustrates the unity we need to both fight the far right and protect our planet.

Julie Forgan

Sudan solidarity demonstration stands against imperialism

Protesters gathered in central London last Saturday to demand an end to the ongoing civil war in Sudan.

The protest was organised by the London for Sudan campaign group.

The war in Sudan is a power struggle between two rival militias that want to suppress the 2019 revolution.

But the atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, have been enabled by foreign and regional imperialism.

We all need to stand against British imperialism and the racist policies that accompany it.

Rimaz Ahmed