from 10 march 2002
blue vol II, #24 edition
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REPORT FROM THE TOP OF AN INCINERATOR

by Zoe Broughton



IN THE early hours of February 25, 2002, Greenpeace protestors took over the SELCHP waste incinerator site in South London.



greenpeace at the top of the stacks Now feeling a bit more confident about working at heights, I headed to the top of the 100 metre incinerator tower to film three campaigners. Damien and Richard, experienced climbers and Mark, a Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner. Once inside the tower, it took about five hours to get to the top with all the equipment they had prepared to sit it out and keep the incinerator shut for as long as possible.

This incinerator is spewing out the European equivalent of the maximum level of dioxins for one million people per day. But don't worry, it's blown about by the wind up there and so luckily doesn't all land on the housing estates directly below. Despite the incinerator not actually working whilst we were up there I wore a mask with filters the entire time I wasn't eating.

Luckily for us, inside there were ladders with back bars right to the top. By the last stretch of ladder I was hot and tired and very thankful of being handed a hot cup of tea by Richard who'd started getting a camp together. Out on the roof, I beamed out the footage I'd got, using a microwave link set up, and it made it onto the local news.

In other parts of the site different groups of protestors were also busy. In the waste pits, protestors had stopped the conveyor belts that supplied the furnace, and off one side of the building climbers battled again the wind to hang a banner.

Over the next few days I filmed the campaigners barricading, capping one of the flues, and Mark did some great pieces to camera on the roof, shouting to get heard over the howling wind.

In the quiet moments we played backgammon - Richard beat me 16-0. We cooked up good meals and having a radio with us meant I was able to keep up with the Archers and we tuned in to hear Mark live on Drive Time on Monday and Tuesday.

greenpeace banner unfurls The weather was not kind to us. The wind howled around for three days. I never realised these concrete structures swayed quite so much making my hammock swing around as I slept. On the third evening the sheriff's bailiffs arrived, took one look at the barricade and announced they'd be back tomorrow.

The sit out lasted till Thursday morning. I filmed and beamed the footage out live as the bailiffs angle grinded their way through the top hatch and forced their way onto the roof. Again it made it onto the local news. As I was escorted down one climber told me how he now knew where his monthly Greenpeace subscription went. The police arrested me and took me to Lewisham Police Station, despite me showing them my press card and being clearly labelled as press both on my hat and jacket.

As they checked me in, a policeman asked: "As a journalist do you know what the law is on me keeping your films?" I pointed out that I thought it was completely illegal to arrest a journalist whilst they were doing their job. He looked puzzled, his colleagues laughed.

Six hours later and I was released with all my kit and I'm now on bail to return next month, but am hoping they again decide to stop wasting journalists time and deal with the real issues that affect their area.

- Zoe Broughton



Animation by Tim Barton © 2002

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Also Greenpeace have recently put up a SELCHP cutaway, similar in conception but with more detail, available [as of 10.03.02] at Greenpeace.org.uk [Multimedia Files].


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