I’ve posted below some videos I took this morning at the Bell Pottinger offices in High Holborn. Reclaim the Power activists had superglued themselves to the front doors of Bell Pottinger in protest at Bell Pottinger’s fracking connections and sales pitches. And fair enough, too:

“Bell Pottinger has been retained by Cuadrilla to convince the public that fracking is safe and will bring down fuel bills. But in the secret recording the senior public relations officer admits that the effect of the technology on bills will be ‘basically insignificant’, and adds that Cuadrilla won’t be seeking permission from homeowners to drill under their properties (http://ind.pn/194TLyA).”

Interesting that Bell Pottinger’s behaviour and Cuadrilla’s and indeed the whole notion of blowing holes in the planet is/are not considered extremist by the mainstream, but protesting against those things is.

Well – glueing yourself to a building and/or blocking roads isn’t extremist. Refusing to take crap from this government is not extremist. As it happens, I’m sick of hearing rightwing twats describe protestors like these and people from groups like Disabled People Against Cuts as extremists. I don’t see how (I’ve never seen how) blocking roads and waving banners in protest at the vile, anti-society actions of a government that was never elected in the first place can be said to by synonymous with extremism. Opposing such a government is not extremism. Opposing such a government is an entirely rational response. Indeed, it is the only rational response. The fact is that this government and its galloping private sector mates are the extremists – they’re the ones who are trying to sell the line that fracking the arse out of the planet will somehow lead to a brighter future on it and that destroying social security for all will lead to greater social security for all. Or something. God knows what Cameron is really trying to say. Most days I think it is “Everybody Die.”

Anyway – the hell with him. Here is some video from this morning:

In this one, we have protestors singing with their hands glued to the front doors of Bell Pottinger’s digs:

And here we have the police dragging protestors away after a group of operatives unglued them.

In this one, protestors have their hands unglued from the doors before being dragged away by police.

Good on the protestors. And remember them and this day the next time some mainstream cock tries to say “why isn’t there any protest in Britain?” There is protest in Britain. There’s plenty of protest in Britain. The likes of DPAC and Black Triangle have been blocking roads and occupying the homes of the wealthy in protest at Cameron’s fracking of social security for some years now. It’s just that not many in the mainstream care to report that. The Daily Mail and the Telegraph were at today’s protest – doubtless to take advantage of the chance to put the boot into a few dreadlocked environmentalists and to get footage of the police rubbing said environmentalists’ noses into the tarmac. I haven’t seen the Mail or the Telegraph at too many DPAC protests over the years. “They want us to get some shots of them being carted off,” I heard one reporter instruct his cameraperson today. Said it all right there.

Next week: DPAC is holding a week of action against social security cuts, austerity and attacks on disabled people.