HS2 Environmental Protesters put construction workers in Hospital.

[sun_tzu]

https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2021/03/29/hs2-construction-workers-attacked-by-30-strong-mob/

With all the changes the government wants to make to protests I think something like this so clearly falls within the bounds of what is already totally unacceptable - and the solution - get the companies to pay for more additional private security

There is no way this should be tolerated and the police should be there today clearing the camps and arresting people

Thames Valley Police are appealing for witnesses following an attack on HS2 construction site workers by a gang of 30 people.


Poilce said the “violent disorder and assault” in Small Dean, Wendover last Friday night left nine members of site security staff injured.
HS2 chiefs said the attack was the part of a recent campaign of intimidation and abuse by activists which has forced them to step up security on the job.
Main contractor on the job is the EKFB joint venture of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial and BAM Nutall.
An HS2 spokesperson said: “Over the last few weeks, our staff working near Wendover have been subject to a campaign of abuse, harassment and violent assault.
“On Friday night, this campaign escalated, with a gang of 30 masked activists attacking staff, punching and stamping on them in the dark in the middle of the A413, leaving eight people injured and one taken to hospital.
“This is totally unacceptable and we are cooperating with the police to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“In the meantime, extra security is being put in place including more lighting, fencing and dog patrols.”
Much of the incident occurred on the A413 with passing traffic narrowly missing people on the road.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: “This was an unacceptable outbreak of violent disorder where a number of people were attacked in what appears to have been a pre-meditated and orchestrated incident.

 

[Gehrman]

I don't even know what they were attacked for.

 

[sun_tzu]

I don't even know what they were attacked for.

For being workers on the project they dont like ... simple as that

I've had some of my staff spat at... a brick thrown through a van window when they were driving on an A road which luckily just missed the drivers head... and daily threats / abuse to them.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

HS2?

(too lazy to google - or click on link in OP)

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Ok. I googled. High speed railway. What’s the activists beef? Surely better/faster trains is better for the environment?

 

[sun_tzu]

HS2?

(too lazy to google - or click on link in OP)

yes - (as it appears you may also be too lazy to read the 1st word of the title )

 

[SilentWitness]

As someone working on these projects as an archaeologist, the protestors are particularly exceptional at twisting the truth of the matters at hand. Most of the people working in HS2 are honest people trying to make a living and shouldn’t be subject to intimidation and violence. Seen a few people saying how intimidating it is for security guards to have dogs and be in large numbers but the reason is because without them the employees will be getting harassed and abuse (verbal and physical).

 

[SilentWitness]

Ok. I googled. High speed railway. What’s the activists beef? Surely better/faster trains is better for the environment?

A lot of artificial shaping of the landscape. There are a number of ancient woodlands and scheduled monuments near the incident that took place in the OP and they have beef with these being destroyed for the train line to go through. As it happens these sites will be excavated by archaeologists prior to any construction work taking place and we can identify material/answer some of the questions we don’t have the answers to. Archaeology is a destructive process in itself but at least we are able to provide answers and document what we have destroyed in photos, drawings and reports so we have a catalogue of each individual site and it’s preserved in that sense forever.

 

[sun_tzu]

As someone working on these projects as an archaeologist, the protestors are particularly exceptional at twisting the truth of the matters at hand. Most of the people working in HS2 are honest people trying to make a living and shouldn’t be subject to intimidation and violence. Seen a few people saying how intimidating it is for security guards to have dogs and be in large numbers but the reason is because without them the employees will be getting harassed and abuse (verbal and physical).

Its unreported but I know 6 security guards were put in hospital last week by protesters as well and they are having to draft in new security companies (so yeah no wonder they want large numbers with dogs) ... I really dont know why the police dont get more involved as its gone so far beyond what a peaceful demonstration could be considered.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

This amount of violence seems to be radically different to environmental protests of the past (remember yer man who dug himself into a tunnel?!) Any ideas why it’s all got so much more nasty?

 

[11101]

This amount of violence seems to be radically different to environmental protests of the past (remember yer man who dug himself into a tunnel?!) Any ideas why it’s all got so much more nasty?

It's not an environmental protest, whatever they might try to say. It's the middle class Not-in-my-back-yarders, backed by a lot of wealthy land and homeowners who are pissed off it's cutting through their local areas. Many of my parents' friends have had million+ pound houses compulsory purchased (for a hefty uplift they never talk about) or rendered fairly worthless because it's near to the planned route. The various opposition groups have been banding together with the rent a mobs who will protest anything and it's resulting in a lot more violence and disruption, i get to hear all about it whenever i visit home

It's not just Swampy sitting in a tree this time.

 

[Forevergiggs1]

This amount of violence seems to be radically different to environmental protests of the past (remember yer man who dug himself into a tunnel?!) Any ideas why it’s all got so much more nasty?

Society in general is becoming much more exaggerated in its actions. Could be that political correctness is finally catching up with us. Maybe we've been too lenient in the past which means people will always push boundaries to see how far they can go. Our law makers are now more worried about offending people instead of doing their actual job. In cases like this violence should be met with violence but then the PC brigade would have a field day. So basically we're fecked.

 

[The Corinthian]

A lot of artificial shaping of the landscape. There are a number of ancient woodlands and scheduled monuments near the incident that took place in the OP and they have beef with these being destroyed for the train line to go through. As it happens these sites will be excavated by archaeologists prior to any construction work taking place and we can identify material/answer some of the questions we don’t have the answers to. Archaeology is a destructive process in itself but at least we are able to provide answers and document what we have destroyed in photos, drawings and reports so we have a catalogue of each individual site and it’s preserved in that sense forever.

Putting the violence to one side - where do you sit on this debate?

My team has done some of the cost modelling and commerciality of the HS2 project, and although it's great to be in these large infra projects, the other side is we're going to rip up some beautiful areas of England.

Not sure if you're a Londoner, but part of this project has also decimated business around Drummond Street (next door to Euston station). It's a street with Asian restaurants, some of them were the best around in the 90s. An area with some cultural charm and legacy.

A high speed rail network connecting London to the north is needed, but I'm uneasy if it should come at the expense of cultural heritage.

On a related note - Highways England is also building a new A road a stone's throw away from Stonehenge, which again, the protestors claim it will ruin the aesthetics of the area.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-55198970

 

[sun_tzu]

Putting the violence to one side - where do you sit on this debate?

My team has done some of the cost modelling and commerciality of the HS2 project, and although it's great to be in these large infra projects, the other side is we're going to rip up some beautiful areas of England.

Not sure if you're a Londoner, but part of this project has also decimated business around Drummond Street (next door to Euston station). It's a street with Asian restaurants, some of them were the best around in the 90s. An area with some cultural charm and legacy.

A high speed rail network connecting London to the north is needed, but I'm uneasy if it should come at the expense of cultural heritage.

On a related note - Highways England is also building a new A road a stone's throw away from Stonehenge, which again, the protestors claim it will ruin the aesthetics of the area.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-55198970

I'm fairly involved in the project - I'd be interested did you do the moddling taking into account the required maintenance and upgrades the existing newtwork with / without the HS2 capacity? (as well as the long term built off site maintenance model of HS2?)

It gets fairly technical fairly quick so feel free to dm me

im also involved with the second one as well and the additional cost of the tunnel (for asthetics) is not insignificant but I have no doubt that wont appease protesters
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...e-road-tunnel-given-go-ahead-despite-backlash

 

[The Corinthian]

I'm fairly involved in the project - I'd be interested did you do the moddling taking into account the required maintenance and upgrades the existing newtwork with / without the HS2 capacity? (as well as the long term built off site maintenance model of HS2?)

It gets fairly technical fairly quick so feel free to dm me

im also involved with the second one as well and the additional cost of the tunnel (for asthetics) is not insignificant but I have no doubt that wont appease protesters
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...e-road-tunnel-given-go-ahead-despite-backlash

It's not a project I was staffed on, but I can find out for sure.

 

[sun_tzu]

It's not a project I was staffed on, but I can find out for sure.

No worries - i know a few models were done

Most of the people I know in the industry say the same thing - which is it should never have been called HS2 as people just think high speed - it only saves so many minutes on a trip from london to birmingham

What they dont realize is just how much work is required to keep the essentially victorian infrastructure running - and because its so busy just how much working in super short possession windows adds to costs - take passenger capacity off to HS2 and divert freight for a few weeks and you can get literally years worth of works done at a much reduced cost... and the HS2 stuff is all designed so when things need maintaining its built off site and shipped with quick easy replacement at the heart of the design making ongoing running costs much less (though of course with an impact at the front end) - but when you look how much its cost to maintain the victorian railway over the last hundred or more years vs how much it cost to build it in the first place its ab obvious long term benefit ... they should have called it 21st century rail or rail 2.0 etc to get people out of the so many mins off a trip mindset - bad branding and I think its legacy will suffer because of that

Either way people should not be being jumped by groups of 30 folks and put in hospital