13 May 2019
The deputy leader of the Green Party, Amelia Womack, will be at Preston New Road anti-fracking camp today [Monday 13th of May] at 12.30pm, the first time any of the leadership team has visited the site since a climate emergency was officially declared in the UK.
She is attending the Green Monday event, at which members of the party’s leadership team, and other prominent Greens Party and other environmental campaigners, have been regular visitors.
Amelia said: “In the age of climate emergency, the argument against fracking should already have been won. I am proud to be in a party stating that we shouldn’t have fracking in the UK or EU and working transnationally to stop it. I have made six visits to Preston New Road and this absolutely should be the last time I have to be here.
“In these European elections, Greens are committed to stopping the fossil fuel industry by 2030 and securing investment for renewables. This means no fracking, no new coal and no oil extraction. Beyond that, we need to make all fossil fuel subsidy by governments illegal – both at home and within the EU.
“The people here in Lancaster have been dedicated in their battle against the fracking industry and now we owe it to them to recognise that they were right all along.
“Now that the Tories have officially recognised that we are in a climate emergency, Theresa May must see that an immediate end to fracking and fossil fuel industries is essential. The country has been distracted by Brexit but missed the point that European-wide collaboration is the best tool we have to tackle the climate emergency.”
Gina Dowding, top list party candidate for the Green Party in the North West, who has a great chance of becoming the region’s first Green MEP, adding to the current English tally of three, and who was arrested during a “lock-on” (1) at the site in 2017, said: “The people of Lancashire are tired of being at the front of the anti-fracking struggle – although determined to continue it until it is finally won, and the security of the ground under our feet, the quality of our air and the peace of our life, is no longer threatened by this unwanted fossil fuel industry.
“We said no to fracking – so this is also a struggle about democracy. I’m glad that so many people like Amelia have brought their support to this Lancashire fight from around the UK.
“It is time for the far-off Westminster Tories to stop trying to impose this industry for which there is no social consent. They should turn their attention instead to promoting the most affordable, and environmentally friend, renewables options, as well as supporting the farming and tourism industries that are so important to this area, to which fracking is a threat.”
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