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By Jon Moreno - Saturday, August 1, 2009
Sit-in protesters at Vestas show the bags of food they were allowed on Saturday. Picture by PETER BOAM
CAMPAIGNERS to save the Vestas wind turbine factory came out in force this afternoon (Saturday) to slam the company which owns it and support the workers who have been staging the sit in — now into its 12th day.
Amid reports the occupying protesters had been underfed, with one already taken to hospital suffering the effects of malnourishment, the police agreed to allow into the factory bags of groceries provided by the the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.
The food was received by the Vestas 11 to cheers from a rally of more than 200 people, who marched in appalling weather from Sts Thomas’s Square to the factory in Newport.
The peaceful rally was supported by workers, families, trade unions, green organisations and various other individuals and groups.
Michael Bradley, a former sit-in protester, urged those at the rally to protest at the legal case to throw staff out of the factory, when it is heard again at the IW County Court on Tuesday
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We are paying the price for someone else’s crisis. It is difficult to sum up how horrendous Vestas has been. We need everyone there to make a stand," said Mr Bradley, 41.
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