Protest tunnelling in the United Kingdom
Protest tunnelling in the United Kingdom is a form of protest involving the construction of subterranean tunnels. It is typically used against the development of new road and transport infrastructure projects.[1]
Protest tunnelling has been utilised by protestors since the 1990s in the United Kingdom. Protests against the construction of the Newbury bypass and the extension of the A30 road in Fairmile, Devon used tunnels. The activist Swampy was the last to emerge from the tunnel built to protest the A30, having been underground for seven days.[1][2]
Tunnelling is an effective tactic against developments as the time and cost of removing protestors from them can be prohibitive; it is comparatively easy for
The construction of tunnels to protest was inspired by the
Notable protest tunnels
- 1996 — Newbury bypass in Berkshire[1]
- 1997 — Against a second runway at Manchester Airport[3]
- March 1999 — To protest a planned leisure complex development in Crystal Palace Park, London[1][4]
- 2013 — A tunnel was built to protest the Bexhill-to-Hastings Link Road[1]
- 2021 — A 100 ft tunnel was built under
- 2022 — A 40m long tunnel was built near Swynnerton as part of protests against High Speed 2.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Diane Taylor (27 January 2021). "On Swampy ground: a brief history of protest tunnelling in the UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-415-24246-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-137-29059-5.
- ^ Helen Carter (11 March 1999). "Eco-warriors join middle class". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ "HS2 protesters dig 100ft tunnel under London park". The Guardian. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ "Swynnerton HS2 protesters emerge after 47 days underground". BBC News. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.