SELBY, England - Thirty eight people were arrested on Thursday, many for possession of weapons or criminal damage, as some 600 environmental protesters staged a demonstration at Britain's biggest power station, police said.
The Camp for Climate Action group which organised the event was planning to disrupt operations at the Drax plant in Selby, North Yorkshire.
Drax Power, which generates about seven percent of the UK's electricity, has hired extra security staff and police from seven different forces have been drafted into the area.
"There have been some incidents of incursions into the power station itself and those people ... have all been arrested," a police spokesman told reporters.
He said eight people had been held for criminal damage and five for aggravated trespass.
A Reuters photographer said small scuffles had broken out between police and protesters. But he said many children were also present, mingling with demonstrators who had painted their faces and were carrying a banner reading "You Must Be Choking".
Other demonstrators cycled around the plant on bikes.
PLANET-TRASHING GROWTH
One protester, 28-year-old Michelle Bernstein, said they were determined to make a difference.
"Many of us are prepared to break the law, because the powers-that-be are addicted to planet-trashing economic growth," she said. "Shutting down a power station isn't enough to stop climate change but it's a start."
A spokeswoman for Drax said they had increased security for the day and expected business to operate as usual.
"If we had to shut down the plant, this could destabilise the grid and cause localised blackouts," she said.
Coal-fired Drax is the UK's biggest single industrial emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas linked to global warming and climate change.
Drax's carbon dioxide emissions in 2005, at 20.8 million tonnes, were higher for example than Sweden's 19.3 million tonnes.
Britain's energy regulator Ofgem said it was aware of events at Drax and was monitoring the situation.
David Porter, Chief Executive of the Association of Electricity Producers, condemned the group's actions, saying every electricity generating business in Britain was taking steps to address climate change.
"The protesters seem prepared to take chances with their safety and that of the people who work at Drax," he said in a statement. "They are also happy to put electricity supply at risk.
"That is daft, dangerous and misguided. "Closing down Drax would cause a lot of distress and inconvenience but it would do nothing to bring about change in the way that we make our electricity," he said. "That is already well under way, but it will be achieved over a period of years, not days."
Story by Nigel Roddis
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
