Over A Barrel At Ashton Court

On 4th December 98, Ashton Court's 'Craggy Island' camp enjoyed its latest post-party protest. A magnificently constructed mobile lock-on (called Ian Trantor) and a huge tripod were unleashed onto sleepy security guards at Durnford Quarry at 7.00am.

Whilst otherwise occupied halting the erection of the tripod security allowed "Trantor" to be rolled in -an oil drum accommodating four traditional lock-on tubes in his reinforced concrete belly. Blocking the access road to the Pioneer Aggregates dusty lair, four activists thrust their hands into "Trantor's" icy bowels. A bonus protester D-locked herself to the quarry gates, performing folk-songs until freed two hours later. "Trantor proved to be unmoveable; Guards non-plussed, police flummoxed and fire services decided it would be dangerous to try.

Five hours of queuing lorries later quarry officials took down their own defences to build a new access road. Protestors unlocked, were arrested, giving the safety of the nearby tunnellers as reason for their actions. The arrestees have not been able to get full legal aid, so a benefit gig on the 30th January (see diary) will raise money towards court costs The newly named 'Altered State of Bulgaria' continues to push forward attempts to make pioneer aggregates and Bristol City Council acknowledge and act on the presence of the tunnel underneath their meadow. Spurred on by meadow translocation company Alaska driving dangerously close to their underground home on 6th January, camp members decided media tarting was the only way to get the message through and have opened up the previously secret tunnel to all interested media. 07970 423834