Extinction Rebellion (XR) plans a demonstration in Hereford this coming Monday (July 25) against what it says is a significant polluter of the river Wye.
The radical political group says Avara Foods, the largest chicken rearer and processor in the region, together with its joint parent company Cargill, are “killing the Wye” due to pollution from the birds’ manure.
The group plans to meet in front of the Avara plant on Red Barn Drive, Hereford from 9am, where there will be “speeches, samba, discobedience”.
At 11am the group will then march to the city centre, “to do some outreach”, followed by lunch at 1pm in Cathedral Close.
The action is part of a series of so-called Midlands Uprising events across the region between July 9 and 31.
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The group says it is “relying on drawing in rebels coming from across the region” to these, and is offering to help fund transport costs.
Its Facebook page describes these as “non-violent direct action” – although yesterday (July 19) XR supporters broke windows at the central London headquarters of News UK, publisher of the Sun and Times, over their “upbeat” coverage of the current heatwave.
Local XR organiser David Gillam said: “I don’t have any idea of likely numbers, but our protest will be peaceful.
“One of XR’s central principles is an adherence to non-violence. Of course, people have differing ideas of whether smashing a window is or isn’t non-violent depending on the situation.”
A spokesperson for Avara defended the company’s record, saying: “Pollution in the Wye is the result of many factors, and we’ve publicly accepted we are one, but permanent and lasting improvements will only come from looking at the problem as a whole and collaborating positively to effect change.
“We’ve made clear that we are committed to playing our part and are already supporting a number of projects that have the potential to divert all poultry litter from our supply chain away from land.”
The protest is the latest of several events around the county this month highlighting the harm being done to the river Wye.
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