Cop26: Security stepped up at potential targets as police and protesters fix their plans

Security at Grangemouth industrial complex has been stepped up as police map out potential targets for environmental protesters planning action to coincide with Cop26.

Police are joining security guards at entrances to the refinery and petrochemical plant and staff have been urged to work from home during the 12-day climate summit.

Last year, activists attempted to prevent access to the plant on the Firth of Forth, operated by Ineos, when the Bo’ness Road gate was blocked with a boat and another boat was left at the Ineos office on Inchyra Road.

One source said: “Security has been increased and there is a police presence at each entry point, alongside standard security. Anyone who can work from home has been ordered to do so.”

A number of protest groups, including Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain, will gather in Scotland for the summit to demand world leaders show far more urgency and agree rigorous emission targets to slow climate change.

Activists have been organising disruptive demos on encrypted messaging apps so that their plans are not made public. One group with more than 500 members includes messages from activists, who are asked if they are “arrestable,” meaning whether they are willing to be held by police for protesting.

One said they are organising demos at power plants and oil processing plants in Scotland. They said: “We have a relatively good plan but are lacking in funds to hire coaches to take folk to the site en masse. Please get in touch if you have ideas on how to support this project.”

© Andrew Cawley

One demonstrator offered transport, saying: “I have space for three rebels. I have a car that the police at G7 told me is already associated with protest, so happy to use that to help, although we’ll probably get pulled over so do bear that in mind.”

Another activist said: “I’ll be in Glasgow and looking to get involved with some groups. Interested in disruptive actions if anyone can point me in the right direction.”

One activist said they are a Cop26 delegate involved in negotiations during the first week but will join demos in the second week of the conference. Another said: “I am arrestable between 31st and 2nd. Experienced with lock-ons.”

Climate change protestors often use chains, locks and handcuffs to secure themselves together during protests. Police in London had to use cutting equipment to separate activists secured together on the M1, M4 and M25.

The activists are also using the encrypted messaging apps to organise wild camping for protestors without accommodation with some being advised to set up tents in Pollok Country Park in Glasgow’s southside. More than 100 are also expected to join Faslane Peace Camp next to HM Naval Base Clyde, which is home to the UK’s nuclear armed submarines.

Around 10,000 officers from Police Scotland and forces around Britain will be on duty for three weeks during the summit, with the £100m costs to be covered by the UK Government.

Iain Livingstone, the Chief Constable of Police Scotland, warned that dealing with some activists would involve physical engagement and may look “messy”. He also warned protestors not to attempt to prevent world leaders from arriving at talks.

He said: “There may well be attempts to disrupt or to prevent some of those movements. We are going to be doing everything we can to prevent that.

“We will take robust measures. It is absolutely crucial that world leaders can attend so that the conference actually takes place. I am confident that we will be able to deal with whatever arises but I am expecting challenges.”

Police say they have no intelligence to suggest a terror threat to the summit but expect to make up to 300 additional arrests per day.

However, a growing number of solicitors across Scotland are joining a boycott of weekend Cop26 duty courts in a dispute over Scottish Government funding of legal aid fees.

Julia McPartlin, president of the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association, said: “The Scottish Government is well aware that decades of underfunding have decimated the legal aid profession. We have repeatedly called on the government to take urgent action.”

Ineos said: “We constantly review our site security and as a precautionary measure have put additional resources in place.

“We welcome the spotlight on climate change that the Cop26 event will bring. As one of Scotland’s most important manufacturing sites we have stated our pledge to reduce our own emissions to Net Zero by 2045 including setting ambitious targets for 2030 and a track record of a 37% CO2 reduction since Ineos took over the site in 2005.”