Fighting between police and protesters at UK fuel refinery threatened with mass job cuts

BBC news:

Three people have been arrested after violence flared during a protest over plans to shut an oil refinery in Essex.

About 70 people gathered outside the Vopak terminal, in West Thurrock, in an attempt to disrupt tankers.

It followed the announcement of hundreds of job cuts at the nearby Coryton refinery after its Swiss-based parent company Petroplus collapsed.

Essex Police said "tensions" flared at about 14:00 BST as protesters clashed with officers.

Two 20-year-old men were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer and a 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence.

An Essex Police spokeswoman said: "This afternoon's tensions saw protesters seek to disrupt the business of the refinery and fail to comply with requests to move back to the area which had been agreed."

'Shame on you'
She said about 70 people were at the protest - a "significant" increase on the numbers who had attended previous demonstrations.

No arrests had been made at the previous protests.

People chanting "shame on you" became involved in clashes with police.

Russell Jackson, of the Unite union, said none of its members were involved in the trouble.

He said the Vopak terminal was targeted for the protest because it "appears to be the only way that we might have a chance of someone listening to us".

Similar protests took place at other refineries in Grangemouth, near Falkirk, and Lindsey in north Lincolnshire.

Administrators PwC said 180 jobs - out of a total of about 850 - would go this week at the Coryton plant.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change said it was not in the national interest to provide financial support for the plant in an industry with declining demand and overcapacity.

Photographs by Guy Smallman:
http://guy-smallman-photos.photoshelter.com/gallery-slideshow/G0000Caq5fwPS8OM/?start

A lot of trot papers are visible in those pics ...

It's hard to tell, but from those pictures it looks like the workers themselves were mostly bystanders watching outside protestors scuffle with the police.

Would that be an unfair comment?

I don't know if I'd call the workers there bystanders (cos they were doing their own thing, not just looking on at something else), but the people doing the pushing and shoving with the cops did seem to be the Trots. Obviously I've no problem with a bit of 'friendly contestation' with the constabulary, but this does look more than a little like agro-happy young SWPers clutching their rags going at it with the cops for the sake of it, disregarding the actual situation they are involved with.

Yeah, that's what I meant, doing their own separate thing. 'Bystanders' is a bad term for what I was trying to get across. You've said what I was looking to say far better than me, Ed.

Its pretty shit. 180 jobs to go this week and more to follow since the refinery is likley toclose down once they sell off the oil thats left in it/being already shipped to it.
The knock on effect of hundreds of reasonably well paid job lossess plus associated job losses in and around the area will be pretty heavy on thurrock, tilbury and canvey island.

I'm sorry but this is a pretty crap response, Instead of actually engaging with the issue itself, you just have a rather snidey pop at the SWP, (complete with the susual assumptions and cliches) because its easier.

I know you'se can probly all do better than that!

@Cantdo

I wasn't trying to have a pop at the SWP, I'm sorry if that's how it came across. I was trying to ask (in a horribly roundabout way) if it was the workers themselves contesting the police, or if it was mainly outside involvement.

I didn't mean any offense to anybody and big props to anyone who went down there to support the oil refinery workers. Sorry if it seemed as if I was belittling anyone's efforts.

Edit: This is obviously the most important thing, rather than who was scuffling with the police:

If people have had a go at the police and a number of arrests have already happened and more are potentially likely it probably isn't a very good idea to speculate about who was involved on a website the police read.

Good point JC.

I'm sorry but this is a pretty crap response, Instead of actually engaging with the issue itself, you just have a rather snidey pop at a comrade on libcom, (complete with the usual assumptions and cliches) because its easier.

I know youse can probably do better than that!

Errrr, No1, that isn't actually very accurate.

Sorry Fingers but Auto asked a valid question based on a well-respected critique of external activists - he wasn't 'taking a pop' or being snide. To be accused of doing so and then be patronised with 'I expected better' is really shitty.