The Covenant of the Women in White called for calm!

Wednesday’s Women in White

As work started on Cuadrilla Resources Limited's (Cuadrilla) controversial Preston New Road hydraulic fracturing (fracking) site so the campaign to oppose Cuadrilla's fracking ambitions changed from one of letter writing, petitions, leaflets, council and government appeals to one of direct action protests.

Activists descended on the village of Little Plumpton with the three anti-fracking camps set up to provide a place for them all to stay becoming hives of activity.

As peaceful, non-violent direct action to block the site entrance (bell-mouth) to the site commenced lock-on devices were deployed and truck-surfing (climbing onto lorries) and slow-walking became the order of the day in desperate attempts by anti-frackers, environmental activists and local residents to halt workers and equipment getting into the site.

A peaceful anti-fracker and long time campaigner carries out the first non-violent, direct action 'truck-

surf' at Preston New Road.

However, as the ever-increasing non-violent, direct action by activists and campaigners began to cause expensive delays for Cuadrilla, so the activities of the police began to become more forceful with many of those protesting outside the site complaining of an increase in police brutality towards them.

As a result of the escalating tension, founder member of the 'Nana's' Tina Louise Rothery organised an event she named a 'Call for Calm' but which later became colloquially termed 'Women in White' as the walk from Maple Farm to the bell-mouth, site entrance, became a weekly occurrence.

On the 28th March 2018 Frack Free Lancashire published information advertising the walk making it very clear the 'peaceful' event was for women only:

"Nana call out to ALL women… we need you to bring the power of our sisterhood to confront the violence being endured by the peaceful sons and daughters of other mothers… and to shame those who harm them.

We call on women to come and be representative of the mothers and grandmothers of those who are part of this violent scene – this action is to demand safety for our peaceful Protectors, for a calming of the aggression by authorities and to recognise our human rights to protest.

We will stand together in a period of silent protest to be the calm we wish to see and following this, have messages from other women who are facing the same challenges across the world, in their fight to protect the children from the dangers brought by industries like fracking."

An article written by Friends of the Earth promoting the by now weekly event and, in further condoning the discrimination, explained the Wednesday walk had become a regular feature of the Preston New Road campaign against Cuadrilla stating ..."Women’s Wednesdays have become a regular feature of the long-term protest against fracking in Lancashire. Local women calmly march to the gates of the Cuadrilla fracking site at Preston New Road. They dress in white and stand in silence – bearing witness to the threat to their communities and the environment."

Natalie Bennett, the former leader of the Green Party also threw her weight behind the Wednesday walk attending to speak at the bell-mouth to the gathered women when invited to do so.

From the outset however, the event was extremely controversial as many perceived it to be exclusive and unjust, feeling unable to participate due to the overt gender discrimination and ordered dress code. Others objected to the ruling made by Ms Rothery that no other form of direct action could take place on Wednesday mornings. When it became apparent, after many weeks of the continuing walk, that the event had been organised with the full cooperation of the police and, further down the line, condoned by the court when the injunction, prohibiting direct action but permitting the Women's March, was granted to Cuadrilla, many more felt outrage that the autonomy of protest had been removed from them.

"6 It shall not, however, be a breach of paragraph 5 of this Order for The Defendants, or any of them, to:

6.1 take part in a "Women in White"-styled walk or march from Maple Farm on the Preston New Road to the Site Entrance; and/ or

6.2 attend a meeting, gathering, vigil or similar assembly at the bell-mouth of the Site Entrance;

6.3 provided that: (i) the said events take place between the hours of 0930 and 1230 on a Wednesday; (ii) the said walk or march lasts for no more than 1 hour; and (iii) the said meeting, gathering or vigil or similar assembly lasts no more than 15 minutes."

Julie Daniels, sister of Ms Rothery, during an interview with Friends of the Earth about the event stated:

"We take the moral high ground. We will be here long after [fracking company] Cuadrilla have gone.

When we started the call for calm, it helped – many women joined us. They felt safer because we were in a group."

Anti-fracking campaigner & Nana Julie Daniels, centre of picture

The call for calm ethos of the walk is, however, not always as peaceful as those participating in it would attempt to have people believe.

On the 25th July 2018 residents and campaigners, excluded from the weekly walk, assembled at the entrance to Cuadrilla's well site for a peaceful vigil, a permissible act in accordance with the injunction. Unfortunately, for those gathered who were not part of the 'club', it became apparent they were just not wanted, not even to swell numbers or make their voices heard. What unfolded was nothing short of verbal abuse and harassment by the Women in White against those they did not want to be there. Tempers flared as Julie Daniels forcefully tried to make those either not dressed in white or female standing opposite the site entrance move away. Eventually the altercation led Ms Daniels to shoulder-barge one female and threaten her with a bottle.

Julie Daniels attempting to move peaceful residents and campaigners not dressed in white away the site entrance

Recently another integral weekly attendee of the walk, and one of Ms Rothery's ardent followers, 58 year old accountant Barbara Fish, was found guilty of assaulting Neil Hartley, a Cuadrilla contracted private security company employee.

The incident took place in September 2018 when some of those attending the alleged peaceful Women in White walk removed fencing along the boundary line with one of the females breaking the injunction and running onto Cuadrilla's land.

Senior security officer Mr Hartley informed the court he became involved in when he warned the protesters they would be removed if they did not vacate Cuadrilla's land. During the process of attempting to remove one of the Woman in White from the site Ms Fish grabbed Mr Hartley by his beard and forcibly pulled a large part out causing him pain.

Ms Fish  was given a 12 month conditional discharge  and ordered to pay  £570 costs.