Protest tunnelling in the United Kingdom is a form of

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooper ...

involving the construction of subterranean

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

s. It is typically used against the development of new road and transport infrastructure projects. Protest tunnelling has been utilised by protestors since the 1990s in the United Kingdom. Protests against the construction of the

Newbury bypass The Newbury bypass, officially known as The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road (A34) (Newbury Bypass), is a stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It is located to the west of the town and forms p ...

and the extension of the

A30 road The A30 is a major road in England, running WSW from London to Land's End. The road has been a principal axis in Britain from the 17th century to early 19th century, as a major coaching route. It used to provide the fastest route from Lond ...

in Fairmile, Devon used tunnels. The activist Swampy was the last to emerge from the tunnel built to protest the A30, having been underground for seven days. Tunnelling is an effective tactic against developments as the time and cost of removing protestors from them can be prohibitive; it is comparatively easy for bailiffs to remove ground encampments and

tree houses A tree house, tree fort or treeshed is a platform or building constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, a han ...

built by protestors. Construction machinery cannot drive on ground that has been tunnelled without a risk to the protestors within. The construction of tunnels to protest was inspired by the

Củ Chi tunnels The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the Củ Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunne ...

built by the

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

's for the

Tết Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces ...

of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

in 1968.

Notable protest tunnels

*1996 —

in Berkshire *1997 — Against a second runway at Manchester Airport *March 1999 — To protest a planned leisure complex development in

Crystal Palace Park Crystal Palace Park is a Victorian pleasure ground In English gardening history, the pleasure ground or pleasure garden was the parts of a large garden designed for the use of the owners, as opposed to the kitchen garden and the wider park ...

, London *2013 — A tunnel was built to protest the Bexhill-to-Hastings Link Road *2021 — A 100ft tunnel was built under Euston Square Gardens by HS2 Rebellion to protest the construction of a

taxi rank A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

that would serve the expansion of Euston railway station for

High Speed 2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...

. *2022 — A 40m long tunnel was built near Swynnerton as part of protests against

References

{{Reflist

External links

Disco Dave's tunnelling guide
Protests in the United Kingdom Protest tactics Tunnel construction