Leading HS2 protester Larch Maxey set to face ‘criminal charges’
A leading activist at the center of protests against the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway project has been removed by force from a network of central London tunnels.
Dr Larch Maxey, who formerly lectured on geography at Swansea University (Wales), had reportedly spent nearly a month in the 30 meter long tunnels near Euston station in central London.
HS2 is a controversial high-speed railway project designed to connect London to the West Midlands and the north of England. The project has an estimated cost of £106 billion.
The protest against the project is spearheaded by HS2 Rebellion which argues the planned high-speed railway project will destroy large swathes of the English countryside.
HS2 Rebellion’s position is supported by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth who have urged the government to reconsider the whole project on the grounds that the Covid-19 pandemic has undermined the economic case for a high-speed rail line.
The tunnels, which were discovered in late January, were dug in secret by HS2 rebellion to prevent their eviction from their Euston Square Gardens camp.
Following his forced removal from the tunnels, Dr Maxey said in a video that his belongings were confiscated by bailiffs on Monday (February 22).
Dr Maxey said that despite feeling “fine”, medics had told him to go to hospital to “be on the safe side”.
For its part, HS2 said Dr Maxey was likely to face criminal charges “for aggravated trespass or other related offenses” in addition to penalties for breaching a High Court order issued on February 02.
High Court judge Mr Justice Robin Knowles ruled on February 02 that HS2 activists are in a “very dangerous” situation and “must stop tunneling”.
According to a HS2 spokesman, breaching the order is punishable by a fine, up to two years in prison, or both.
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