Wednesday 8 January 2014

Barton Moss Anti-Fracking Protest

HUNDREDS of anti-fracking protestors from across the country, are expected to travel to Greater Manchester at the weekend, to take part in a mass solidarity event with the 'protector' camp at Barton Moss in Eccles on Sunday afternoon. The day's activities will start at 12.30pm with a march from Salford City Reds Stadium along the cycle path of the A57 Liverpool Road to Barton Moss. The event will be taking place as the campaign against fracking for shale gas and coal bed methane extraction looks set to intensify across the Greater Manchester area, with groups launching in Bolton and Tameside today, and others soon to be established in Wigan, Bury and Rochdale later in the month. A group covering the Chorlton area of Manchester also had a successful first meeting on Saturday, attended by thirty local residents. 
 
A spokesperson for the Frack Free Greater Manchester group who are organising the solidarity event said:
'We'd like to see as many Greater Manchester residents as possible taking part in Sunday's activities, which will also include a rally at the top of Barton Moss Road, and a show of opposition outside of the gates of the iGas drill site later in the afternoon. In addition to some live music, the rally will have an 'open mic' format, so that everyone who wants to, will be able to speak, time permitting.  By attending the solidarity event, we are wanting to help demonstrate that the fight against exploratory drilling at Barton Moss, which is a precursor to a potential double whammy of fracking for shale gas, and the extraction of coal bed methane by iGas, is strongly opposed not only by the permanent protectors at the Barton Moss camp supported by local Salford residents, environmental activists and others, but by a broad range of individuals and organisations representative of the Greater Manchester population as a whole.'
 
LATEST NEWS: Agreed last night at the Frack Free Greater Manchester meeting: Everyone who is able to, is now being encouraged to assemble at the Salford City Red's Stadium car park, Stadium Way, Eccles, M30 7EY at 12.30pm, and to march from there, with their banners and placards, up the wide cycle path of the A57 to the junction of Barton Moss Road/Liverpool Road, Barton, Eccles M30 7RL for the rally there at 1.30pm. After that to march to the camp and entrance to the drill site, and then back to the Stadium car park afterwards.

Apologies for the short notice and any inconvenience caused. People who are unable to get to the Stadium car park are obviously welcome to assemble at the lay by at the top of Barton Moss Road from 1.00pm onwards as previously advertised.

1 comment:

barry said...

I attended the anti-fracking protest at Barton Moss. Around 1,000 protesters marched to the I-Gas site to demonstrate their opposition to extraction both of coal bed methane and shale gas. Fracking has unacceptable environmental impacts and Governmental and company bribes to local communities will prove of no avail as community opposition intensifies.