Brightlingsea Animal Exports Protest Diary
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January 10 1995: first news of possible live exports from
Brightlingsea is met by outrage from residents.

16: Protesters claim victory as the first lorry is turned back.

18: Police in full riot gear are deployed. Local people claim
their actions are "totally over the top".

February 3: Carla Lane joins Brightlingsea protest.

11: First shipment of veal calves reaches the port successfully.

20: Children's demonstration leads to arrest of 13-year-old.

March 15: Local MP Bernard Jenkin introduces a bill aimed at
banning live exports, but it is blocked by the government.

16: 78-year-old protester is arrested for using abusive language.

22: Billy Bragg attends the demonstration and is nearly arrested.

April 18: Police invoke 1986 Public Order Act to restrict
demonstrations. BALE disbands to avoid possible imprisonment for
organizing the protests. This broadened the issue to include
civil as well as animal rights.

20: Paint-filled eggs thrown at police.

June 13: Mass demonstration marks 100th day of live exports from
Brightlingsea. 65 people are arrested.

August 23: Exporter Roger Mills begins proceedings against the
"Brightlingsea 14"

September 25: Police Complaints Authority report blames media 
for manipulating images etc rather than police actions for the 
hundreds of complaints about police received during the first week.

2 October: Police & PCA & police authority presented report at
community centre. Angry scenes. Derrick Day collapsed, later
died. (Monday). On Wednesday and Thursday evening, darkness
protests were violent because protesters were angry about Day
and report. Windows of lorries, Roger Mills's car and Trading
Standards officers' car smashed. Following week after violent
demo Wed & Thurs, on Thurs vandals broke into wharf through 6ft
wire fence smashed storage shed windows crane windows and cab of
other crane smashed electricity power supply cutting off
electricity to half the wharf & sprayed graffiti abusing Mills,
Ernest Oliver (wharf owner, 74 years old), Markham, Essex Police, & 
Oliver's Daughter. Oliver said since start of protests over 80-90000 
pounds worth of damage at wharf.

Early October: Mills in court on RSPCA charge of causing suffering to sheep.

November 4: The exports have stopped from Brightlingsea. The exporter
is moving his operations to Dover, claiming it's cheaper there. However,
the protesters claim that this is due to the fact that the lorry drivers
refuse to come to Brightlingsea any more.

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