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MORE THAN 80 people have been arrested in Essex as climate change protesters continued to block oil terminals.
Activists from Just Stop Oil said on Saturday they had blocked access to the Titan Truck Park and revealed a secret underground network of tunnels at the Navigator and Grays oil terminals.
The protesters are demanding that the UK Government stops new oil and gas projects.
Essex Police said officers arrested a total of 83 people after protests in the Thurrock district.
The force said 63 were arrested on Friday following protests in Oliver Road, Grays, London Road, Purfleet, and Askew Farm Lane, Grays.
Another 20 people were arrested on Saturday in Oliver Road and Stoneness Road, Grays.
Police said they were arrested on suspicion of a variety of offences.
Officers are continuing to engage with protesters in Oliver Road, Stoneness Road and London Road.
Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Nolan said: “Our officers are continuing to work in exceptionally challenging circumstances with a view to bringing these protests to a safe and swift conclusion.
“I would like to thank businesses, local drivers and workers for their continued patience whilst we carry out our work.”
The Just Stop Oil activists said Saturday morning’s tunnel activity at Grays and Navigator meant the main and emergency access roads to the oil terminals were closed.
The activists said Titan Truck Park contains more than 100 oil tankers which service the three major oil terminals in the area.
It comes after activists from Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion obstructed 10 fuel sites in the Midlands and southern England in the early hours of Friday, to stand against “expanding UK oil and gas production”.
Protesters were glued on to roads, suspended on bamboo tripods, and locked on to oil drums and each other from around 4am.
ExxonMobil UK, one of the country’s largest privately owned underground oil pipeline distribution networks, said it shut down three of its terminals as a result, and police from at least five forces were deployed to tackle the demonstrations.
The Met arrested 14 activists who broke into a facility at Bedfont Road in Staines, Surrey, and West Midlands Police arrested six people at a terminal in Tyburn, Birmingham.
Police said arrests were made for offences including aggravated trespass, criminal damage and obstructing the highway.
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I think it is a disgrace that we can’t keep our vulnerable safe, that counts for both men and women. Either sex shouldn’t be turned away for being Brave enough to walk away from a physically and emotionally damaging relationship either with or without children. Lets hope things can improve soon for these poor people.
Women and children are in reality the more likely victims in domestic violence cases. That is the truth of the matter. They are not the ones with the problem that leads to them being in this situation. Typically it is violent men. Where are the refuges to deal with men who are abusers? Surely they are the ones who should be leaving their homes with their problem. Nuala O’Faolain wrote a great deal about this topic and she hit the nail on the head when she said society is intrinsically wrong to allow victims of domestic violence to be further victimised for a crime that is not their own.
I have male friend whose wife is a bag of crazy. She came at him with a knife during an argument, throws things at him and for a woman is extremely violent. He is trapped because she uses emotional black mail. I’ve known Seamus a long time now and it has a huage impact on him.
The level of women and children affected by domestic violence has risen dramatically. The severity of the abuse has also increased. This report outlines the lack of places available in refuges. Domestic violence cuts across all levels of society and class. It affects men and women. However at least 90% of these victims are women. The organisation such as AMEN caters for men. They have released their own research this year. The most important factor is to continue an open dialogue of the issue and strive for an end to violence in all relationships. There is a claustrophobic silence surrounding domestic violence. Let’s break the silence.
Anne, do you have a link to that AMEN report? I went looking for it but could only find one from 2011. http://www.amen.ie/reports.html Cosc quoted a 2005 study showing that rates of domestic violence were about equal for both male and female victims. The only differences are that women were more likely to suffer severe abuse (I think they usually put this down to male perpetrators hitting harder) and male victims are less likely to go to the Gardaí than female victims (partly because they feel they won’t be taken seriously, the support services, shelters etc. just aren’t there for them). http://www.cosc.ie/en/COSC/Pages/WP09000005
I think the problem is that groups like AMEN and Womens Aid can only record data from people who have contacted them so while a man might admit to having been abused unless he contacts an organisation or the Gardai it won’t count on “official” stats. More men need to come forward but there is a huge stigma and sadly most of that comes from other men.
Under reporting is a huge problem with issues like this. Similar situation with rape, where people feel they can’t come forward. There’s a pattern across many crimes of abuse and sexual violence where the victim is dis-empowered. It does effect male victims, but it’s a huge problem for women who suffer abuse too. According to those 2005 figures less than a third of women will report incidence of abuse to the Gardaí, so even if victims were turned away 2,537 times in 2011 from refuges there are probably even more women who felt trapped in their home and weren’t able to seek help.
This type of violence is not exclusive to women
Once again, women only
Now there’ll be feminists along to say that the number of abused men is statistically insignificant. Even if that were true, which its not, wouldn’t that mean it wouldn’t take a huge amount of resources to care for them?
This exclusion of male victims betrays the misandry at the heart of groups like this. Look at it this way, the overwhelming majority of the homeless are men. Should the Simon community therefore stop helping homeless women?
Missing the point much Chuck?
Chuck
The article is discussing women and children being turned away from refuges !
Do men go to refuges ?
Is there a need to set up refuges for men and children?
The refuge is as a place of immediate safety for women and children to go to when they are in physical
danger from their partner.
I am always amazed when some men immediately cry sexism when it comes to domestic violence .
Yes it `does happen, a lot more than previously admitted to, that men are physically and emotionally abused by their spouse/partner.
However this article is discussing refuges …
Homeless men are indeed in the majority , why is that ? Are any of them victims of Domestic violence ?
You raise a very valid question and maybe it shouild be examined why that is .
Susie, maybe men would go to refuges if there was a single bed anywhere in Ireland for a man
I don’t think domestic violence should be branded on male or female. Violence is violence. We should have strict laws when dealing with it. Just like some states in the US
I used to volunteer on the Womens Aid Helpline. Even during the boom years, women were being turned away from refuges or had to travel by taxi to refuges up north. The reason why men can’t use the refuge is because the women there are completely terrified of men by the time they find the courage to leave their abusers. And it’s not only men, unfortunately, teenage boys of a certain age or height are not allowed either which means some mothers can’t use a refuge even if there was space available. The system is flawed, there are men who are being abused and there are women with teenage sons who are being abused. The refuges have to cater for the majority which seems to be women with young children.
Well, the valid question of how under-reported and under-resourced male domestic abuse may be is sadly getting lost amid some pretty bitter mysoginistic comments. Is it really necessary to deny the extent of domestic abuse towards women in order to attract more attention on male victims?
At last, some logic.
There are 6 billion people on this planet half are women and o e third of these worn experience violence and abuse. A women will be abuse at least 35 times before she gets the courage to come forward. One in four women will experience domestic violence or abuse in their life time. One in 7 will experience severe violence. I can assure that domestic violence services are far from over funded. In fact they rely on fundraising and good will of the general public. The demand for the services are rising and the funding is falling.
This country has very powerful domestic violence orders. A victim can get an emergency order very quickly against their partner and shouldn’t need to be accommodated for very long in a refuge.
That’s true in theory Sean but in reality is a different case. Victims are not guaranteed an order, there are long delays in our courts and there have been cases of men and women going to court from hospital, bruised and in plaster and having their requests for orders turned down. Even if you are lucky enough to get one that doesn’t help when the abusive partner won’t respect it and still harasses his/her victim. Refuge is often the only place a person can be completely safe.
Wow talk about being overfunded. ’40 frontline domestic violence services in Ireland’. Another example how the female is valued more than the. The female is the most pampered and protected creature on the face of this planet.
The female life is valued more than the male life. I meant to say above.
“most pampered and protected creature on the face of this planet.”
That’s…no, just no. Stop writing >_<
When 2537 women and children are turned down in one year alone, you say they're being over funded? Can you stop and think about what you're saying? You want to leave all women trapped and to face violence and death just because male victims of domestic violence don't get as much help? How nice of you.
@eleen nope sorry love, can’t stop writing just because you dont like reading different opinions. Frankly that says more about you than me. It always intrigues me as to who is doing all this beating up and raping. You always hear about 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 so does that mean 1 in 3 men are rapists or domestic abusers? Or is it the same women reporting the crimes? Wimmins organisations need high numbers of female victims to keep getting funding and keep themselves in a job. Yes that is my opinion and you may have yours.
Oh no, all us domestic violence workers have been sprung!! If there is no dv, we’re out of a job! We won’t get paid all those amazing high wages, with extraordinary fringe benefits, while living it up in our cushy, fun jobs! Our game is up!!!
With regard to men’s refuges, there is a huge need for them. As a previous writer described, men experience dv in relationships too! When men get tired of taking in their mates and start to lobby government for funding, then men’s refuges might become a reality, same way women’s refuges came into being!
Great article amy on highlighting the need for more refuges to support the victims
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