By Climate change protesters blockade printing presses
The distribution of some national newspapers has been hit this morning after Extinction Rebellion climate change activists targeted printing presses owned by Rupert Murdoch.
Thirteen people have been arrested amid the protests that stopped delivery trucks for nine major UK newspapers.
More than 100 protesters used vehicles to block roads outside the Newsprinters printing works at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and Knowsley, near Liverpool last night.
Newsagents say some papers are not arriving and others are late.
The presses print the Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp titles including the Sun, the Times, the Sun on Sunday, the Sunday Times, and the Scottish Sun. They also print the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, and the London Evening Standard.
Newsprinters condemned the protests as an “attack on all of the free press”, while XR said: “We are using disruption to expose their failure to report on the climate and ecological emergency and their consistent manipulation of truth to suit their own agendas.”
They accused the “right wing media” of “failing to reflect the scale of the crisis and hold government to account”.
Hertfordshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Owen Weatherill said: “The rights to protest are well established in this country and we remain committed to facilitating peaceful protest and ensuring compliance, however at this time, the group are not engaging with us and the protest is causing major disruption to local businesses.
“At this time, 13 people have been arrested in connection with the incident, and we anticipate more arrests will be made. I’d like to reassure you that we are doing all we can to bring the incident to a peaceful conclusion, ensuring minimum disruption to the affected businesses.”
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