The occupation of a piece of forest in the Antwerp port area where chemical company Ineos wants to build a new factory, was ended by the police on Saturday evening. All activists present were arrested, according to action group Ineos Will Fall, a total of 80 to 100 people. ‘Nevertheless, we consider the action to be successful’, it sounds.
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Ineos Will Fall went to the site of Ineos on Saturday morning and cut a fence through it to get to the forest in question. There, several activists chained themselves, others took up positions in trees and unfurled slogans against the plans of ‘Project One’, an ethylene and propylene factory that Ineos wants to plant. At the same time, Ineos Will Fall also campaigned at the Antwerp Port House, but those protesters were soon arrested.
Action group Ineos Will Fall is protesting with the occupation against the project of Ineos, which according to them is ‘the example of the wrong choices being made about the future of Flemish industry’. The activists fear that the British chemical group will use controversial shale gas in the new ethylene and propylene plant, increase CO2 emissions and that production will serve to make disposable plastic. Moreover, they do not like the fact that 55 hectares of forest will be cleared for such a project.
The timing of the action is no coincidence, because the Project One file is currently on the table of the Flemish government, which will have to decide on the environmental permit. The Regional Environmental Permit Commission gave a positive advice last week. Because earlier notices of objection and small-scale actions apparently did not have the desired effect, the activists have now moved to occupy the site in question. They also want to stay there ‘for a longer period of time’.
‘Citizens are always being looked at to fly less or use less plastic,’ said Ineos Will Fall on Saturday. ‘Those are valuable efforts, but if the government continues to pamper the fossil industry and allow it to produce even more plastic, little will change.’ The activists also complain that the project can probably count on a lot of Flemish subsidies. They reject the argument of job creation. ‘If the government wants to invest in job security, it must do so in climate-neutral, circular companies and sectors,’ he says.
Penalties
Ineos confirms in a response that the activists have gained access to private land on the Scheldelaan by cutting fences. “The law enforcement agencies are on site to monitor the situation,” it sounds. ‘We are naturally concerned because of the nearby chemical installations. After all, these are Seveso companies. Ineos takes all possible measures to safeguard the safety of the chemical installations, the environment and the activists. We also informed the neighboring companies about this. ‘
The activists then state that they take all necessary safety measures and even carry gas meters. In order not to violate the corona measures, they would be in bubbles of five on the property. Dialogue between activists and the police was unsuccessful for the time being. Ineos obtained a unilateral petition during the day to identify and remove the activists.
Replant trees elsewhere
The chemical company further states that the arguments of the activists against Project One are incorrect. Ethylene and propylene are the building blocks of essential chemical products that are part of everyday life, such as in the automotive, construction, energy and medical sectors, it sounds, and are not just used for single-use plastics.
Ineos also states that the project will make the chemical industry in Europe more sustainable. “It has been 25 years since we brought another such investment – 5 billion euros – to the EU,” the company said. Project One will emit less than half of the CO2 of the current best performing comparable installations in Europe. This raises the bar for other, more polluting installations. ‘
The fact that trees have to be cut down for the factory is correct, according to Ineos. ‘The trees on this site originated on industrial land, in the port area’, it sounds. ‘If we don’t develop these sites, they will be used for another industrial project.’ Ineos promises to plant more trees elsewhere than is legally required to compensate.
‘We also handle the protected animal species present with the greatest care,’ says Ineos. ‘The colony of hairy forest ants found will find a new home in a protected nature reserve and we will create a new breeding place for the natterjack toad and look for a new habitat.
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