The pink boat was seen blocking the Ffos-y-Fran opencast coal mine near Merthyr Tydfil on Wednesday.
Extinction Rebellion took action against the operation of the mine, which has been happening without permission since 2022.
By Ka Long Tung. Cover image: The Pink Boat blocks the entrance to Ffos-Y-Fran mine
Extinction Rebellion have said that police have arrested activists at the site of an illegal mine operation in South Wales, on the second day of the blockade.
The iconic Extinction Rebellion pink boat has been used to block the access road to the mine since Wednesday, 5 July.
“We have today done what the Welsh government, the UK government and the local council have failed to do – shut down the operations of the UK’s largest coal mine which has been operating without a licence since September last year,” said activist Marcus Bailie, 68, of Caerphilly, who has been locked on to the boat.
“It would be crazy if the mine owner or the government instructed the police to move against us just so the mine owners can continue what is an illegal operation,” he said.
Half of a dozen activists locked themselves to the boat despite the fact that the tactic was recently criminalised in England and Wales under the Public Order Act 2023.
This is the first action using ‘lock ons’ since the act came into effect. Under the POA locking-on is now an offence which can result in 51 weeks in prison, but XR have said they are not clear on whose behalf the police are acting upon.
The XR Cymru activists say they aim to block the road for at least a week to force the authorities to take action against the extraction of fossil fuels.
https://twitter.com/XRebellionUK/status/1676895017246359553?s=20 EMBED
The planning permission for the mine at Ffos-y-Fran officially ended in September 2022, after 15 years of operation. Despite this, the mine has continued as normal. In April, Merthyr Tydfil Council rejected the request for an extension of the licence.
In May, an enforcement notice was issued requiring the end of the extraction of coal from Ffos-y-Fran. The enforcement notice came into effect on 27 June.
But the notice also allows the mine operator, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, a 28-day period to halt all coal extraction.
It is reported that Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd had appealed against the stop order. It means that the enforcement will be put on hold till there is an outcome, which could take up to 12 months.
Activists say that the local council and the Welsh government have powers to issue a “stop” notice to cease the mining right away, and are failing in their duty by allowing the operation to continue.
In an open letter, barristers for Coal Action Network, a campaign group, wrote that “it would be unlawful for the Council and/or Welsh Ministers to fail to serve a stop notice by 27 June 2023”.
They argue that the council and government’s inaction to cease the mine may also fail to prevent “future operators from acting in the same way”.
“The government and the legal system are prepared to lock up peaceful protestors for trying to stop fossil fuel companies and investors from profiting from the destruction of our planet, yet they are not prepared to stop illegal mining, so we are making a stand,” said Mel Price, a local resident who takes part in the protest.
“The law of aggravated trespass is quite clear in that it must be obstruction of a lawful activity and it is quite clear that this mine is operating illegally. So, the decision will have to be made by the authorities about ‘Who are the criminals here?’”
Marcus Bailie said there was “no room for coal in this climate emergency.”
“The authorities could and should have issued an immediate stop notice back in October. Ordinary people have to step in when the authorities are missing in action.”
One local resident, Mel Price, who is taking part in the action slammed the government and the legal system for locking up “peaceful protestors for trying to stop fossil fuel companies and investors from profiting from the destruction of our planet, yet they are not prepared to stop illegal mining, so we are making a stand.”
A family friendly march is set to take place on Saturday (8 July) starting in the park on Muriel Terrace, Merthyr Tydfil to protest against the coal mining.
