#AxeDrax, October 22

(and October 19th in London)

Update:

See here for a report on these two demos, including photos and links to video footage, and here for notice of the next one in April 2017.

Demo and celebration at Drax Power Station (near South Gate), 22nd October 2016, 1 – 5 pm. (Facebook event)

(and on Wednesday 19 October, 12.30-2pm outside the department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), 1 Victoria St, SW1H 0ET,  Facebook event)

Watch and share the 1 minute trailer https://youtu.be/3JCjhDrMO3U

Join 137,000 people in telling the government to ‘End subsidies for Drax power station’ http://www.thepetitionsite.com/630/637/771

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Drax burns more wood than any other power station in the world, and more coal than any in the UK, causing climate change, forest destruction and human rights abuses.

In return for trashing forests and digging up communities, Drax is receiving massive subsidies when it should have been closed down years ago. It is cashing in on some £1.3 million  in subsidies every single day. Meanwhile, subsidies for genuinely renewable and low carbon onshore wind and solar power and for home insulation are being slashed across the UK.

In 2006, Drax was the site of the first Climate Camp, an important point in the global history of direct action targeting the root causes of climate change. We have joined up with climate and environmental justice activists from other groups to return to Drax to celebrate what has been achieved in the intervening decade and name the work we still have to do for climate justice.  This includes the urgent need to finally shut down Drax and replacing it with genuinely renewable power.  

Without biomass subsidies, Drax would be forced to shut down.  Stopping Drax’s biomass subsidies is vital for ending coal burning in the UK and for protecting forests in North America as well as the climate.

Bring your banners, costumes, placards and voices – and make it clear that Drax’s greenwashing of biomass has to stop. Veggies Catering Campaign will be attending and will provide vegan burgers and cakes, as well as tea. There will be a theatre performance (a performance of “Buried Sunshine”), and speakers. There will be a satirical singalong. Have a look the AxeDrax songsheet (which will be provided on the day) for the words and tunes to such hits as ‘Hit the Road, Drax’ and ‘Drax is a Lumberjack’

Together we can #AxeDrax.

For transport details and a form for offering and inquiring about lift shares and a minibus from London (and possibly elsewhere) please see here.

If you can’t make it to the demo, you can still take part. Take a photograph of yourself with an #AxeDrax banner or placard and upload it to our Facebook event page, or tweet it with #AxeDrax , @Draxnews , @beisgovuk .

For more information about Drax, see our detailed #AxeDrax campaign page.  For more information about the impacts of coal, see coalaction.org.uk.

More details to come – watch this space.

 

 

 

 

 

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