PROTESTERS who disrupted deliveries at an Amazon warehouse in the region on Black Friday last year have spoken out after being acquitted at a trial.
10 activists were accused of aggravated trespass at the online retailer’s Darlington distribution centre and appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The court heard the protesters blocked two main entrance and exit points to the site by erecting bamboo structures, which some climbed up on, while others locked themselves to concrete blocks on the ground.
Protesters arrived at the site from around 6am and it wasn’t until after 9pm when the final activist was arrested in the snow.
But a judge found there was not enough evidence to suggest they had committed a criminal offence.
Read more: Extinction Rebellion activists cleared following Darlington Amazon protest
Speaking after the hearing James Skeet shared a statement on behalf of the 10 activists, explaining why they carried out the protest.
“We are pleased about our acquittal, however winning on the grounds of where land borders begin and end feels somewhat hollow,” it read.
“If our legal system were functioning correctly, it would have been Amazon on trial for their crimes against our community. This is a company with emissions higher than Hong Kong, Switzerland and Denmark, and in fact nine European countries have lower Carbon footprints.
“They exploit their workers with unfair pay and conditions, forcing their staff to urinate in bottles to meet their targets and utilising illegal union busting tactics and threats/intimidation if workers stand up for themselves. They do this while utilising tax loopholes to ensure they do not contribute to the countries they operate in, whilst depending on the infrastructure we all pay for.
Read more: What happened when Extinction Rebellion blocked Amazon in Darlington
“In 2020 Amazon didn’t pay a penny of corporation tax in Europe, despite making profits of 38 billion pounds. They have monopolised the entire retail sector and destroyed our high streets in the process.
“If we are to ensure a liveable future for all of us, we require workers and the environmental movement to join forces in resisting this corporate tyranny.”
But Amazon hit back at the protester's claims and insisted it did pay corporation tax when contacted by The Northern Echo.
A spokesman said: "At Amazon, we take our responsibilities very seriously. That includes our commitment to be net zero carbon by 2040 - 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement - providing excellent pay and benefits in a safe and modern work environment, and supporting the tens of thousands of British small businesses who sell on our store.
"We know there is always more to do, and we’ll continue to invent and invest on behalf of our employees, customers, small businesses and communities in the UK. We’re proud to have invested £32bn in the UK since 2010, creating 25,000 new permanent jobs across the country in 2021 alone, and generating a total UK tax contribution of £1.55bn in 2020”
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