New report calls for review into policing of goldmine protests

A MAJOR new report has called for the NI Policing Board or the Police Ombudsman to consider carrying out a review into the policing of environmental protests in the Sperrins.

Human rights group, the Committee for the Administration of Justice (CAJ), this week published a 28-page document detailing a series of interactions between the PSNI and environmental activists campaigning against the proposed goldmine in Greencastle.

The report states that these campaigners prefer to be known as ‘protectors’.

Allegations raised in the document include that alleged offences reported by protectors had not been adequately investigated by the PSNI, that the police had unduly sought
to deter them from taking part in lawful protest activities and that there was ‘undue criminalisation’ of protectors over legitimate acts of protest.

Also contained in the report are concerns that the reports by protectors of various alleged incidents of harassment and intimidation that they experienced as a result of their opposition to goldmining have not been adequately investigated as criminal conduct.

lack of trust

This, they add, resulted in a lack of trust and confidence in policing.

The report concludes that the policing tactics alleged from the testimony of the protectors do give ‘cause for concern’, in particular, the proportionality and differential nature of the policing response.

The report urges the Policing Board and Police Ombudsman to give consideration to ‘thematically reviewing’ the policing of such environmental protests.

Eliza Browning, the CAJ’s Senior Policy Officer, who led the research, said, “The right to protest is a fundamental aspect of our democracy, and it is crucial that the policing of protest is human rights compliant.

“There are issues of concern in many parts of the world regarding how environmental protestors are policed. This report shows we are no different.”

Speraking on Tuesday, when the report was published, James Orr, director of Friends of the Earth NI, said, “Today is about opening up a very important conversation about the need to protect the protectors. We want to help those who stand up and exercise their rights to defend our water, our air and our landscapes. It is essential we rebalance environmental protection away from serving corporate interests towards the interests of communities and the earth itself.”