Re George Monbiot’s article about peaceful protests following the jailing of four Just Stop Oil activists (A record sentence for a Zoom call, arrests for those holding signs outside. This is a blight on British democracy, 19 July), I agree with peaceful protests that can make a difference in changing people’s minds and hearts, but not with actions that cause misery to ordinary people, as was the case with the M25 protest.
In May 2011, I was the organiser of the biggest peaceful protest outside the Senedd Cymru against proposals for swathes of windfarms and pylons to cover huge areas of mid-Wales. Initially, each village set up it own protest group, but quickly everyone realised that we needed one group to fight these imposed developments – result, all 25 groups came together.
Nearly 2,000 people of all ages and political persuasions convened for a one-hour sharp protest. All the coaches were parked up neatly on the A470 just outside Cardiff Bay, and not one person in Cardiff was affected by our protest. The demonstration was a great success, with massive TV and press coverage.
Cardiff’s chief constable thanked everyone after the event for their conduct, and not a scrap of litter was found. The result was that Powys county council had to determine the windfarm applications at Welshpool livestock market, as 2,000 people wished to hear the debate, which was relayed by speakers. All applications were refused and this led to one of Wales’s biggest public inquiries.
The alliance fought the inquiry over 15 months, achieving a massive victory with all refused bar one. But the proposed pylon route to get the power from the windfarm to the grid was refused.
Everyone should be able to express their views peacefully, without causing distress and misery to fellow citizens.
Richard Bonfield
Portishead, Bristol
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