Picture opportunity:
The five defendants will arrive at 9.30am, Wednesday 30th May at the main entrance of Wood Green Crown Court, Lordship Lane, N22
The jury trial of four Greenpeace volunteers and a photographer who shut down Edmonton waste incinerator for four days begins on Wednesday morning, 30th May, 2001. The occupation of Britain's biggest rubbish burner by Greenpeace took place in October 2000, and the defendants now face charges of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and criminal damage. A full briefing is given below.
The Greenpeace defendants are:
- Rob Gueterbock, 30, from London
- Frank Hewetson, 35, from London
- Richard Watson, 36, from Lancashire
- Janet Miller, 45, from Derbyshire
- Christian Aslund, 26, from Sweden
Notes to Editors:
The Trial of the Edmonton 5 - May 30th 2001, Wood Green Crown Court, London
Four Greenpeace volunteers and a photographer go on trial at Wood Green Crown Court on May 30th charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and criminal damage. The charges relate to the Greenpeace occupation of Edmonton municipal waste incinerator (North London) in October 2000 when the volunteers occupied the top of the chimney for a period of four days and temporarily prevented the incinerator from operating by blocking the flue. The occupation began on the morning of 9th October and finished in the early hours of 13th October. The volunteers braved appalling weather and cold to maintain their blockade and were ultimately forced down by a combination of exposure, hunger and thirst.
The Crown Prosecution Service maintains that during the blocking of the flue the Greenpeace volunteers caused damage to the structure of the chimney by banging in various spikes and pins used to hold ropes. The defendants deny this and are pleading not guilty to both charges. The seriousness of the charges means that the case is being heard before a jury in a crown court and could result in custodial sentences if the defendants are found guilty.
The defendants' principle defence is that they acted to prevent the law being broken. The incinerator at Edmonton has breached legal pollution limits on many occasions and the defendants had every reason to believe that the incinerator was breaking the law at the time of the action.
Edmonton incinerator, Britain's largest rubbish burner, is owned by London Waste Limited - a joint venture between seven North London boroughs and SITA, a private French company. The Government is currently considering a planning application to expand the capacity of Edmonton incinerator by 50%.
The most notorious by-products of burning rubbish are dioxins, which are formed when substances that contain chlorine, like PVC plastic, are burnt. Dioxins are highly toxic and accumulate in the food chain. The most dangerous dioxin is classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and has been described as the most toxic chemical known to science.
The burning of household rubbish also leads to the formation of many other new and toxic chemical compounds. The number of new substances released from incineration may run into thousands and these will be emitted both as toxic gases from chimneys and as contaminated ash. This leads to the contamination of air, soil and groundwater, as well as plants, animals and humans.
Greenpeace is currently campaigning for the closure of all municipal waste incinerators in the UK (and indeed globally) and for an end to the current expansion programme which could see up to 100 new incinerators being built across the country.
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on: 020 7865 8255
