On the 25th of April, Axe Drax and Reclaim the Power occupied the European headquarters of one of Drax’s biggest wood pellet suppliers, Enviva, and called on them to stop poisoning communities with their deadly business. Nothing was broken, damaged or taken, and yet we have since faced a staggering level of repression.
At 1am on Saturday 26th April, one of our supporters was arrested and had their house raided for burglary. They have been alleged to have written on some windows and whiteboard with dry wipe pen in a private office. Once again, the police have been used by Drax as private security to target whoever resists.
Their phone and laptop were seized, and they were denied a phone call for 13 hours. While they were inside, a supporter waiting outside the station for their release was arrested and then released.
The police then failed to reply to offers for voluntary interviews whilst simultaneously harassing housemates and neighbours of others accused of ‘burglary’. Following this, two people attended York Police Station to offer an interview. They were immediately arrested, their houses raided and their housemates threatened. In the same week, two others attempted to offer an interview and were told to go home by the officer in charge of the case, despite the obvious ongoing “search” for those allegedly involved.
All those arrested have been given bail conditions preventing them from speaking online about the targeting and harassment they have faced. This is a clear and direct attempt to silence people from speaking out against the repression of peaceful protest in direct violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Over the last month the police have continued their strategy of intimidation, doxing and targeting others they believed to be involved; alongside harassing peoples neighbours and attempting to spread fear amongst communities. Once again, North Yorkshire police are expending huge resources to target and intimidate those they believe are linked to anti-Drax protest. Whilst this behaviour, over the alleged use of a whiteboard pen, seems utterly farcical, the impacts it is having upon people’s lives is are huge.
For years, Enviva and Drax have been killing people by poisoning the air they breathe. We have seen human rights violation after violation. We have watched communities face the ongoing assaults on their lives from Drax and Enviva’s toxic pollution and psychologically torturous noise.
All the while, those deciding to suffocate communities for profit work in posh offices here, in North Yorkshire. For years, Drax and Enviva have operated with impunity, deliberately targeting low-income, rural Black communities with the least political power.
Let us be clear: these raids and attempts to crush organised resistance were at the orders of Drax. Why else would the bail conditions for an action that targeted Enviva focus on Drax? When has anyone ever seen the police react in such a way to a real burglary, let alone the use of a whiteboard pen?
Drax are running scared. At their AGM, Drax executives ran from frontline community members who had travelled thousands of miles to speak to Drax about the fact they are killing people in the Southern US.
We will not stop, this response shows we are more powerful than we think. It is up to all of us to step up.
We need funds to replace tech, support those impacted and the next actions against Drax and Enviva. Donate here.