According to police, a total of 22 people were arrested in connection with a planned “climate camp” near a power station in North Yorkshire.
The arrests were made for public order offences, including conspiracy to disrupt vital national infrastructure at Drax Power Station in Selby between 8 and 13 August.
According to North Yorkshire Police, several items that could be linked to the mass protests were also seized.
Superintendent Ed Haywood-Noble said: “At a time when police resources are stretched across the country, it was vital that we acted quickly and decisively to reduce the risk of unlawful activity and disruption in the coming days.”
He added: “Policing is not against protests, we are against crime and we are here to protect the public.”
“The right to peaceful protest is part of British democracy. It is our responsibility to conduct protest in accordance with legal obligations.”
“We also have a duty to ensure that the people who work at Drax and members of the local community can carry on with their day-to-day business as usual.”
“No disturbances”
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said there would be a “highly visible” police presence in the area for the duration of the planned encampment to ensure “disruption to our communities is kept to a minimum”.
Officers from the West Yorkshire Police and the British Transport Police (BTP) also took part in the operation.
There were “no disruptions” in rail traffic to and from the power plant site, BTP said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Drax Group said the operation of the power plant had not been affected by the protesters.
“We thank North Yorkshire Police for their swift response this morning to protect our colleagues and the wider community,” they added.
“We respect the right of all people to protest peacefully. However, this climate protest is completely misguided.”
“Drax has led the effort to help the UK decarbonise faster than any other country and is the country’s largest producer of renewable energy by production, supplying electricity to four million homes and businesses across the UK.”
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