BNRR Activists Occupy Kvaerner...

The construction company Kvaerner established the company Midland Express way Limited (MEL) to build the Birmingham Northern Relief Road. The local campaign group, Alliance Against the BNRR, have already tried and failed to obtain a court ruling preventing work on the road. Since then however they have revealed that MEL were involved in a secret 'concession agreement' with the government which means that if the road was stopped then the government would have to fork out for cancellation charges. So, on the 22nd of Feb., the Alliance was back in the High Court contesting the go-ahead decision.

On the same day Kvaerner's offices were visited by 30 activists, spreading themselves around the 18 storey building causing general office chaos complete with banners and fire juggling. The workings of the office were disrupted for several hours. One employee, when asked if Kvaerner see the economy as more important than the environment, replied with a very firm 'Yes!'

The occupation was held in solidarity with the Alliance's court appearance, and with activists who had been imprisoned for resisting eviction from the proposed route of the road (now released.)