Swampy (environmentalist)

Last updated

Daniel Marc Hooper (born 1973), known by the nickname Swampy, is a British environmental activist. [1] He was involved in a number of environmental protests in the 1990s, becoming nationally famous after spending a week in a tunnel aiming to stop the expansion of the A30 in Fairmile, Devon, in 1996. In 2020, he was arrested attempting to stop the destruction of Jones Hill Wood for High Speed 2 (HS2) and then joined a Stop HS2 protest at Euston Square Gardens in London.

Contents

Activism

Swampy became a nationally known figure in 1996 after spending a week in a complex series of tunnels dug in the path of a new extension to the A30 in Fairmile, Devon, resisting attempts at eviction by police. Specialists were called in to safely remove Swampy and other protesters locked deep inside the network of artificial tunnels. [2] [3] Several people took part in the protest, but Swampy was the last one to be evicted. The magistrate passing sentence on him was David Cameron's mother. [4] The mainstream media became fascinated with Swampy, and his subsequent fame included an appearance on the BBC comedy current affairs quiz Have I Got News for You , as the show's youngest-ever panelist. [5] [6] A folk song was written about him, entitled "The Fairmile Road Protest Song (Digging Down)". [7] He also protested against the Newbury bypass, and in 1997, he entered tunnels intended to prevent the building of a second runway at Manchester Airport. [8] [9] [6] He then dropped out of sight and refused to talk to the media. [10]

In 2007, the Sunday Mirror newspaper reported that Swampy was taking part in the climate change protests at Heathrow Airport. [11] Hooper's presence on the protest site was dependent on his keeping a low profile, so his celebrity status would not detract from the event. [12] In September 2019, Swampy took part in an Extinction Rebellion protest, attaching himself to a concrete block at the entrance to the Valero Energy fuel refinery in Pembrokeshire. [13] [14] He admitted to a charge of wilful obstruction of the highway and was fined £40, plus £85 for costs and a £32 surcharge, commenting, "I am pleading guilty, I can't really afford to keep coming to court." [15]

Swampy was arrested at Jones Hill Wood in Buckinghamshire in October 2020, having occupied a tree house as part of a Stop HS2 protest to prevent trees being felled because they are on the route of High Speed 2. [16] In January 2021, he was involved in the construction and occupation of tunnels at Euston Square Gardens in London as part of the same protests. [17] [18] His 16 year-old son joined him in the tunnel protest. [19] Swampy left the tunnel on 25 February. [20] Hooper and others again built and occupied a tunnel on the site of HS2 work in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, emerging on 13 November 2021. They spent 35 days holding out against the national eviction team, 28 of those days completely underground. [21] [22] [23]

Personal life

Swampy was born in 1973 [1] in Luton, Bedfordshire. [24] In 2006, he was living with his girlfriend and their three children in a yurt, a dome-shaped tent, in Tipi Valley, a commune in west Wales. [25] As of 2013, he was still living in Wales with his family, working for the Forestry Commission and running marathons and half marathons. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euston railway station</span> Central London railway terminus

Euston railway station is a major central London railway terminus managed by Network Rail in the London Borough of Camden. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railway. Euston is the tenth-busiest station in Britain and the country's busiest inter-city passenger terminal, being the gateway from London to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossrail</span> Railway project in London, England

Crossrail is a completed railway project centred on London. It provides a high-frequency hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system, known as the Elizabeth line, that crosses the capital from suburbs on the west to east and connects two major railway lines terminating in London: the Great Western Main Line and the Great Eastern Main Line. The project was approved in 2007, and construction began in 2009 on the central section and connections to existing lines that became part of the route, which has been named the Elizabeth line in honour of Queen Elizabeth II who opened the line on 17 May 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee. The central section of the line between Paddington and Abbey Wood opened on 24 May 2022, with 12 trains per hour running in each direction through the core section in Central London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newbury bypass</span> Stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in England

The Newbury bypass, officially known as The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road (A34) , is a 9-mile (14 km) stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It is located to the west of the town and forms part of the A34 road. It opened in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental direct action in the United Kingdom</span>

The modern environmental direct action movement in the United Kingdom started in 1991 with the formation of the first UK "Earth First!" group for a protest at Dungeness nuclear power station. Within two years, there were fifty Earth First groups and activists linked with other parties in the road protest movement. There were large camps at Twyford Down and the M11 link road protest. By 1997, the Government had decided to reduce its road-building plans by two thirds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairmile, Devon</span> Hamlet in Devon, England

Fairmile is a hamlet in the English county of Devon. In the late 1990s, Fairmile became a focus of direct action protest activities, as squatters attempted to stop the construction of the A30 link road between Honiton and Exeter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Speed 2</span> British high-speed rail project

High Speed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway which is under construction in England. The route will be between Handsacre, in southern Staffordshire, and London, with a spur to Birmingham. HS2 is to be Britain's second purpose-built high-speed railway after High Speed 1, which connects London to the Channel Tunnel. The majority of the project is planned to be completed between 2029 and 2033.

Heathrow Hub railway station was a proposed interchange that would serve – mainly – a now disbanded potential alignment of High Speed 2 (HS2) services that would adjoin the expanded part of Heathrow Airport, England. It was a cornerstone part of an expansion plan put forward in 2008, by engineering firm Arup, to set up the UK's first high-speed rail network north-west of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colne Valley Regional Park</span>

The Colne Valley Regional Park is 43 square miles (110 km2) of parks, green spaces and reservoirs alongside the often multi-channel River Colne and parallel Grand Union Canal, mainly in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, with parts in the London Borough of Hillingdon, Berkshire and a small area in Surrey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of High Speed 2</span>

The history of High Speed 2 is the background to the planned construction of High Speed 2 (HS2), a new high-speed railway in Great Britain that would connect London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and other cities in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Bradbrook</span> British scientist and co-founder of Extinction Rebellion

Gail Marie Bradbrook is a British environmental activist and molecular biophysicist who co-founded the environmental social movement Extinction Rebellion.

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is an international "non-violent civil disobedience" movement carrying out demonstrations worldwide to highlight governments' inaction on climate change. Since 2018, Extinction Rebellion has taken a variety of actions in Europe, the US, and rapidly elsewhere in the world, to urge political and economic forces to take action amid the climate crisis. Although, their non-violent disobedience protests are an effort to generate attention around environmental issues, XR activists have become known for civil disobedience and disruptive tactics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stop HS2</span> Campaign against HS2 in UK

Stop HS2 is a campaign group which opposes the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway project in England. The group was set up in 2010 under the slogan "No business case. No environmental case. No money to pay for it." The following year it organised a conference and it has since challenged MPs, criticised HS2 plans and organised protests. In 2020, the group commented on the Oakervee report and supports illegal camps impeding construction in the Colne Valley Regional Park, Kenilworth and Wendover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colne Valley Viaduct</span> HS2 Railway Bridge in Harefield

The Colne Valley Viaduct is a bridge, under construction as of 2024, which will carry the High Speed 2 railway over the Colne Valley Regional Park and the Grand Union Canal, in Hillingdon, west London. When completed, its length of 3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi) and a weight of 116,000 tonnes will make it the largest railway bridge in the UK. It is one of the largest single civil engineering works of HS2 Phase 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jones' Hill Wood</span> Ancient woodland in Buckinghamshire, UK

Jones' Hill Wood is a 1.8-hectare (4.4-acre) piece of ancient woodland near Wendover in Buckinghamshire, south England. Formed mainly of beech trees, the wood is part of the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Almost half of the wood is planned to be chopped down to make way for the route of High Speed 2 (HS2) and the topsoil will be translocated. In October 2020, a protest camp was evicted.

Protest tunnelling in the United Kingdom is a form of protest involving the construction of subterranean tunnels. It is typically used against the development of new road and transport infrastructure projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euston Square Gardens</span>

Euston Square Gardens is a public garden on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden.

The Chiltern Tunnel is a high-speed railway tunnel currently under construction in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, England, and will upon completion carry the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway line under the Chiltern Hills. The twin-bore tunnels, which are 16.04 km long, will be the longest on the HS2 line. Each tunnel will also have additional 220 m (720 ft) entry and 135 m (443 ft) exit perforated concrete portals to reduce sudden changes in air pressure and subsequent noise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euston tunnel</span> Twin-bore tunnel for HS2 railway

Euston tunnel is a tunnel currently planned in London that will carry the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway between Euston railway station and Old Oak Common railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impossible Rebellion</span> 2021 climate change protests

Impossible Rebellion was a series of nonviolent climate change protests in the United Kingdom organised by Extinction Rebellion (XR), from 23 August 2021 to 4 September 2021. The protests particularly targeted the City of London to raise awareness of the role of the financial sector in climate change. Protesters during the Impossible Rebellion demanded that the UK government cease new investments in the fossil fuel industry. XR also demand that the government declare a climate emergency, reach net zero carbon emissions by 2025 and create a citizens' assembly on climate change.

References

  1. 1 2 "Who is Swampy?". www.telegraph.co.uk. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  2. ↑ Lazenby, Peter (21 June 2017). "Activists build fortress to resist eviction". Morning Star . Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2019.(subscription required)
  3. ↑ "Peter Faulding pictured with Swampy the eco warrior". Specialist Group International. 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  4. ↑ Wheeler, Brian (11 May 2010). "David Cameron: Life and times of new UK prime minister". BBC News . Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  5. ↑ Caufield, Catherine (1997). "Swampy fever sweeps England". Salon. Archived from the original on 5 January 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  6. 1 2 Vooght, Clare (10 October 2019). "Swampy returns for Extinction Rebellion's fight after quiet time in Tipi Valley". inews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  7. ↑ Jury, Louise (23 October 2011). "Protesters Plan next course of action". The Independent . Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  8. ↑ Markham, Jackie (25 February 2016). "Newbury bypass protests in 1996". Newbury Today. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "History of the Manchester Airport second runway". Airportwatch. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  10. ↑ Morris, Steven (9 July 2003). "Whatever happened to Swampy? He's gone underground". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Hodgson, Grant (19 August 2007). "SWAMPY JOINS AIRPORT CAMP; EXCLUSIVE (But he goes to sleep at his mum's)". Sunday Mirror . Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "The return of Swampy: Underground eco-hero joins the Heathrow protest". The Independent. 19 August 2007. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "Eco-warrior Swampy on Extinction Rebellion: 'It gives me hope'". The Guardian . 9 October 2019. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  14. ↑ "Swampy's back – but don't expect him to be the face of Extinction Rebellion". The Guardian. 9 October 2019. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  15. ↑ "Eco warrior Swampy fined for Valero oil refinery protest". BBC News. 8 October 2019. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  16. ↑ "HS2: Eco activist Swampy charged after tree protest". BBC News. 9 October 2020. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Taylor, Diane (29 January 2021). "Swampy is back, in the protest tunnels under Euston". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  18. ↑ Mackintosh, Thomas (29 January 2021). "Euston tunnel protest: The activist who celebrated her 17th birthday in jail". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  19. ↑ Taylor, Diane (1 February 2021). "'I couldn't be prouder': Swampy and 16-year-old son in HS2 tunnel protest". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  20. ↑ "HS2 protest: Swampy and two other activists leave Euston tunnel". BBC News. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  21. ↑ "HS2 protesters Swampy and Satchel leave Wendover tunnel after 35 days". The Guardian. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  22. ↑ "Swampy among final protesters evicted from HS2 camp in Buckinghamshire". BBC News. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  23. ↑ "HS2: Final two protesters evicted from underground WAR camp in Buckinghamshire after month-long demonstration". Sky News. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  24. ↑ "Index entry". FreeBMD . ONS. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  25. ↑ Bunker, Sarah; Coates, Chris; How, Jonathan (10 April 2008). Diggers and Dreamers 2008/09:The Guide to Communal Living . Diggers & Dreamers Publications. ISBN   978-0954575724.
  26. ↑ Carter, Claire (3 September 2013). "Swampy retires from protests to get a job picking acorns". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2021.(subscription required)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.