Bad forestry can be stopped. By a combination of political, legal and media campaigning and the good old non violent, civilly disobedient blockade.
Physical blockading.of a forest operation should:
Blockading CANNOT SAVE EVERY TREE. Don't waste your emotional energy.on.lamenting this failure! Blockading is ultimately about people getting in the way. Thanks to our liberal laws the police have to remove them without unnecessary harm. This takes time and care. Blockading devises are about making people difficult to remove. When people are removed they will generally be arrested. Watch yourself. You must be aware of the consequences of your actions before you do them - get advise and be aware of police procedures (it makes them much less scary) - make sure someone (not an arrestee} keeps track of you and organises any bail and a lift from the station on release. If you're giving your real name carry some I.D. to.smooth the way. If you're giving a false name DON'T carry straight I.D- stupid! Don't carry dope!! Carry the names and phone numbers of your organisations legal people and remember: Name, Rank and Serial number (Address and Date of Birth).
"I do not wish to make any statement until I have had legal advice, thank you, officer".
NOTE: I am not.a lawyer, just an enthusiastic amateur. The above advice is.probably about right but NOT to be relied upon or quoted!
All these offences may.attract bail conditions which put the arrestee (hereafter referred to as "The Bunny", sorry) out of action. All of these offences can cost money and inconvenience in court and not look good on your police record. All of these offences demonstrate the outrage of the intelligent public and allow you to say so in court. Who knows, you might even get off! For the bad guys: blockading is a cost, logging is a benefit. For the good guys: arrest is a cost, blockading is.a benefit. We've all heard about cost/benefit analysis. The.sums are what it's all about!
If you spend ten minutes standing in front of a log truck, screaming abuse, and then get in to a.scrap with the first cop that comes along, you might feel pretty flash! You'll also run up a string of convictions that won't glow on your C.V. and achieve fuck-all!
If you spend all day being tediously removed from some device by a team of fifteen police, watched by bored Jinker drivers, then you have had a WIN! Better yet if this is observed by associated journalists and camera operators who are impressed.with your novelty, civility, articulation and all round niceness - YEA H ! With ALL DEVICES remember: easy and cheap to assemble! Difficult and expensive to disassemble!
NB: All the following ideas are for
NON VIOLENT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE CAMPAIGNS!
Any fool can wreck dozers, burn mills and flatten truck tyres etc. By doing these things you will hurt people destroy hard earned property, and get yourself and the conservation movement in deep shit. If you insist on doing these things you are on your own!! So make sure everyone knows it, i.e. do it somewhere else!!
When you are on or near a blockade your personal actions and words are taken to be those of the group. e.g. if you give the cops-the shits, they'l1 have the shits with EVERYONE!! You owe it to the group to keep your head together, and keep your shirt on!!