Harriet Fletcher

Lancaster Environment Centre (Bailrigg) | Year 3 | Degree: Ecology and Conservation

Pain and Power: impacts of policing on HS2 activists

High-Speed Rail 2 (HS2) is a high-speed rail line intended to run from London to Crewe and Manchester; however, deforestation of ancient woodlands and a £108 billion state budget have encouraged strong opposition. Climate change urgency has increased environmental protest placing pressure on policing organisations (Button, John and Brearley, 2001). Four hundred incidents of police violence against fracking and HS2 protesters have been reported (Griffin, 2020). This research aims to understand the impacts of both uniformed and undercover policing on the anti-HS2 community. I interviewed 7 HS2 activists and secondary data – videos, blogs and social media posts were collected to explore the policing experience of HS2 activists. Findings showed HS2 activists were subject to brutality from police, private security and bailiffs. Results showed issues of accountability and ethics in private policing and security like Pont Valley, Durham in which private security and police prioritised private interests over protesters’ safety (Stephens- Griffin et al., 2021). The shared trauma of the anti-HS2 community built cohesion; however, activists did have suspicions of infiltration from corporate spies. Results supported patterns of environmentalism repression in the UK found in Stephens- Griffin et al. (2021); Gilmore et al. (2019) and Stephens- Griffin (2021).

Harriet Fletcher

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Harriet Fletcher

Lancaster Environment Centre (Bailrigg) | Year 3 | Degree: Ecology and Conservation

Pain and Power: impacts of policing on HS2 activists

HS2 Security at Euston Camp

The High Speed Railway 2 has ignited strong opposition, environmental damage to the ancient woodlands it passes through, and the £108 billion tax-funded budget being the main motivators.

What is HS2?

The High Speed Railway 2 is a rail line underconstruction which runs from London to Crewe then Manchester. HS2 has ignited strong opposition. Main motivations being: environmental damage to ancient woodlands and a £108 billion tax-funded budget. The police, crime, courts and sentencing bill proposed in March 2021 threatens to limit protesters freedoms and increase police powers. Environmental protest is an already threatened right - 400 incidents of police violence against anti-fracking and HS2 protesters. Consequently, research regarding protest policing is essential to monitor state repression of environmentalism.

How was my research conducted?

This research aims to understand the impacts of undercover and uniformed policing on the anti-HS2 community. 7 anti-HS2 activists were interviewed via video-call, regarding their experiences with police (undercover and uniformed), HS2 security and bailiffs (used for camp evictions). Thematic and narrative analysis was used to develop themes and subthemes. Due to the cencorship of information regarding this study was based on the contextual framework that understanding anti-HS2 activists' stories were central to understanding the impacts of policing on the anti-HS2 community.

HS2 route (Source: https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/18/hs2-rail-betrayal-as-route-to-leeds-set-to-be-scrapped-15622433/)

Findings

Three themes were found: intimidation, injustice and trauma were found. The absence of accountability, via legal immunity for the police and HS2 Ltd., was a central influence to the social injustice experienced by the anti-HS2 community and environmental damage comitted by HS2 Ltd.

Intimidation

Intimidation describes the spectrum of violence enforced against activists. Both verbal and physical abuse were tools used by police to intimidate activists. Participant 2 with a learning disability and mental health difficulties claimed members of Thames Valley Police and HS2 security ridiculed and humiliated him for this. Participant 1 claimed they were illegally strip searched by Thames Valley Police when they refused to answer questions regarding their mental health medication. Furthermore several enforcements of police violence were discussed:

A broken nose and hair loss from hair pulling during Poors' Piece eviction (participant 1)
A broken finger from a NET bailif stamping on participant 4's hand at Denham camp.
Attempted drowning of particiapnt 7 during the Denham eviction.

Injustice

5 participants reported their own and other activists experiences of police violence to the police and HS2 Ltd. None of the perpetrators were punished. Remaining interviewees were demotivated by fear of worsening violence against them if they reported and an absense of faith in the justice system due to prior experiences. Anonimity of police, due to them not wearing ID, and them turning off cameras when security were violent against activists further evaded accountability via an absence of evidence.

Trauma Unifying the anti-HS2 community

The violence inflicted against anti-HS2 activists and the loss of ancient woodlands after camp evictions bonded activists together via their shared trauma. 5 interviews felt police intimidation did not cause disengagement in eco-activism opposing the derailing effects found in Stephen-Giffin (2021) in which trauma, arrest and 'agent provocateurs' distracted activists from environmentalism. In contrast, 2 participants found psychological and physical trauma did effect their ability to engage in ecoactivism (participant 1 and 3). Despite this, all interviewees felt their shared experience of loss from camp evictions built stronger community cohesion. Community cohesion can buffer the effects of trauma, which suggests the "trauma bonds" (participant 1) formed between activists may mitigate some of the traumatic effects of their negative policing experiences.

Particpant demographics

Conclusion

The expression of police brutality is contingent - ignoring the violence against activists but disciplining any behaviour postpong HS2's construction, sometimes with great force. Activists' experiences of intimidation and injustice drew similitaries to the policing experiences of anti-fracking protesters in Barton Moss and at the Pont Valley coal mine in Durham. This suggests these instances of police violence are not isolated, but a symptom of a wider systemic issue.

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