Sorry this is late but Ian and I had to work today so I have only just been able to sort my head and put down my feelings about last nights sailing. The night was dark and pouring with rain. At about 7.45pm we received information that the sailing, scheduled for between 11pm and 1am was being brought forward as the Joline was already heading towards Ramsgate at its top speed and would arrive at 9pm. PANIC, I immediately started to inform everyone and get ready myself in between phone calls. When we arrived at the port we were amazed just how many wonderful people had turned out on such a night to peacefully protest against this vile trade. Nearly 100 people were stood outside the port with umbrellas of every colour creating a sea before us. The police seemed as bemused as we did about the change of time and had no idea when the lorries were due so imagine our and their surprise when out of the murk we saw the two lorries approaching down the sea road. Both these lorries belong to Onderwater himself, the exporter and owner of the Joline, and he was driving the first vehicle, the boxed vehicle. People scrambled to form a blockade across the port entrance and plastic barriers were deployed. Over the last few weeks this has been the new peaceful protest which has turned the transporters away once and then the police have worked on everyone gradually getting them to move so on the second attempt the lorries have been able to access the port. This night Onderwater had different ideas. He drove the first vehicle straight at the massed protesters and they had to scramble to get out of the way. I thought someone was about to be killed. The police did nothing to stop him and, using his lorry as a battering ram, he drove straight at the barriers sending them flying. From then on it was chaos and a peaceful demonstration turned into anger and frustration with the police taking the brunt of peoples feelings.If they thought this would put people off they were wrong because the people who go to the port are the bravest of the brave and the old bull dog spirit was aroused. People who I have never see show anger were furious and more determined than ever to fight this trade and the police have now lost all the good relations we have had over the last few months. I blame the hierarchy not the ordinary police and liason officers at the port. But now people are asking why Onderwater can get away with kicking a protester in the face without arrest although we are being assured there will be court action against him!! We will wait and see! How he can get away with leaving the port in his cab on 2nd October, when their greed meant he could not get all the vehicles on the Joline so he had to take his cab on P&O Dover, at such a speed that he had to take the roundabout outside the Ramsgate port on the wrong side. This was witnessed by the police but as yet nothing has been done about it. And lastly how can they get away with non payment of the foreign vehicle levy introduced by the government, even though we report each vehicle when we spot non payment but nothing is done. No wonder we are getting angry this is definitely one law for them another for us as we are second class citizens because we DARE to protest!!!! The time between the two attempts of entering the port has been used by us to take photographs as the vehicles have been held just down the road by the police and we also have had a chance to check the animals for any problems secure in the knowledge that Animal Health would not do this essential job. This exercise has resulted in photographs of sheep with obvious scabbed eyes and mouths and discharge from noses being obtained by us on the 2nd October sailing which, we have been told by vets and sheep farmers, could be the sheep disease ORF, very infectious not only to sheep but to humans as well Of course the animals are now dead, probably at the EID festival, so there is no way of proving this, but people are taking a great deal of interest and we have high hopes this might cause Animal Health to do better inspections.By continuing to stop the transporters, even be it for a short time, OUR inspections can continue but last night we had no chance. We live to fight another day!!! Yvonne KAALE
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 10:20:35 +0000
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