Grangemouth reflects as climate activists hold five days of protests

The organisers, Climate Camp Scotland, said it was the biggest event of its kind in a decade but appeared not to attract the thousands of people predicted to attend.

Their camp was set up last Wednesday evening and ran until Monday with the main protest taking place at the Ineos plant owned by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe on Saturday.

Climate activists claim that combined emissions from the Ineos gas power station and the oil refinery it powers make it Scotland’s most polluting site, creating 2.4 million tonnes of annual emissions according to figures it analysed from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).

For weeks beforehand the organisers were teasing about the exact location of the camp with Grangemouth residents wondered if they were going to pitch up next to their homes. However, it eventually transpired that they chose to base their “squatters camp” in the grounds of Kinneil Estate in nearby Bo’ness.

Those taking part came from across Scotland and the organisers said there were also representatives from India, the Netherlands and Ukraine. But there were also local people showing their support, including Dylan Welsh who said: "It's fantastic that Grangemouth has been chosen as the location for this year's Climate Camp. It's an opportunity for residents and the wider Falkirk community to come together and push back on Ineos's polluting presence making it clear to Mr Ratcliffe that continuing to enrich himself at the expense of his workers and the planet is no longer an option. It's a chance for Grangemouth to begin looking to a cleaner and healthier future free from the oil and gas giant."

Resident Cath Dyer said: “From our home in Falkirk we can see and hear the flares from the industry in Grangemouth that is ruining the world for our grandchildren.”

Meanwhile, Jessica Gaitan Johannesson, of Climate Camp Scotland, said: “We’re here because while Ineos makes hundreds of millions in profit each year, the people of Grangemouth pay the price with their health; workers pay with their job security; and all of us with the collapse of our climate.

“We can build truly sustainable communities, but we must be led by those whose lives are most at risk, locally and globally. We do not accept sky high bills, polluted air and a collapsing climate.”

On Friday as the camp began to take shape and welcome more arrivals, the action was kicking off in the River Forth. Four activists kayaked into the water beneath the oil terminal at Hound Point and held banners aloft reading "Resist and Renew".

One person managed to enter the terminal itself and held a banner reading "Ineos: profiting from poverty and pollution". Climate Camp Scotland stated all four activists returned to land safely.

One of the activists – a website developer – who took part in occupation, said: “Hound Point Terminal is where Ineos exports oil out of the country making a fortune for its owner, Jim Ratcliffe. No-one else benefits from this.

"The workers at Ineos don’t benefit, the communities of Grangemouth don’t benefit and our lands and seas don’t benefit. The climate and energy crisis are already hitting us hard. We have to work together across all communities for a better future."

On Saturday around 200 people marched from the climate camp to the perimeter fence around the Ineos plant.

In the afternoon, despite a large police presence, four people managed to gain entry to the secure site before climbing onto the roof of the complex’s gas power station that powers the oil refinery and held up a banner which read “Climate Justice for Grangemouth”.

Police later confirmed that six arrests had been made but for offences such as breach of the peace and currently the four who breached the security fence have not been arrested.

Asked for an explanation as to why this had not occurred at a site where security is tight 365 days of the year, Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said: “Six people have been arrested and charged for offences under Section 12 Public Order Act, Breach of the Peace and section 13 Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 in relation to a protest in Grangemouth. A further two people will be reported for breaching Forth Ports Authority Byelaws.

“Enquiries are still ongoing into an incident where a small group of protesters climbed onto the roof at INEOS on Saturday 15 July. Officers engaged with the group and they were later safely removed.

“Decisions about how to police protests require us to balance complex and often competing rights and issues. We have a legal duty to protect the rights of people who wish to peacefully protest or counter-protest.

“Our priority is public safety and we worked closely with partners ahead of the planned event to ensure a comprehensive policing plan was in place to maintain people’s safety, enable peaceful protest and minimise disruption.”

In a statement ahead of the camp, an Ineos spokesperson said: “Ineos is one of the last remaining large-scale manufacturing companies in Scotland.

“We provide many of the basic raw materials that are essential to many of the products that we all use on a daily basis, from mobile phones, to water and gas pipes, to medical products, cars, buses and trains, tents, waterproofs and training shoes.

“Even wind turbines and solar cells need the products made here by thousands of skilled workers.

“We are committed to delivering these products safely and maintaining thousands of direct and indirect jobs, while working towards being a net-zero manufacturer by 2045.

“And we are making good progress, significantly reducing the emissions from our operations.

“Since buying the Grangemouth site, Ineos has already reduced emissions by nearly 40 per cent.

“Our next step, to use hydrogen and carbon capture via the Acorn project, will make our reduction greater than 65 per cent. Our road map beyond this will reduce this further to net zero by 2045.”