Trespass chaos
Mass trespass incident disrupts rail services as protesters storm the tracks at Manchester Piccadilly.
THE British Transport Police is appealing for information relating to a mass trespass incident that took place at Manchester Piccadilly on March 11.
Officers were called to the station at approximately 1300, after more than 100 campaigners stormed the tracks waving flags in protest at Turkey’s military offensive against Syrian Kurds.
The station was closed for nearly three hours while demonstrators were safely removed, causing significant disruption to train services.
Virgin West Coast said that a number of Manchester-bound trains were cancelled at London Euston before being reinstated around 90 minutes later. One service was terminated at Stokeon-Trent and two at Stockport, where agreement was put in place for passengers to complete journeys using local bus services.
In a statement broadcast on social media, the Friends of Kurdistan Manchester group said the protest was part of an international day of action to highlight Turkey’s attempts to clear Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) from Afrin in northern Syria.
YPG is considered a terrorist group by the Turkish government, but is a partner in the US-backed coalition’s fight against the so-called Islamic State.
Similar protests took place later the same day at Düsseldorf Airport
and outside King’s Cross station, which was closed temporarily to successfully prevent any incursion onto running lines.
In a statement issued by BTP in the immediate aftermath of the incident at Manchester Piccadilly, Superintendent Mark Cleland said that those involved in trespassing would be “subject to intense investigation with a view to arrest and prosecution” for compromising their own and public safety.
As this issue of RAIL went to press, the BTP said that no arrests had so far been made, but that it continues to analyse CCTV in order to identify the culprits.
Detective Chief Inspector Steve May confirmed that a risk-based operational decision had been made not to detain protestors at the time, in order to expedite their safe removal and to reopen the railway.
He told RAIL: “It is important to remember that this was a dynamic and extremely complex incident, and our absolute number one concern was the safety of those who trespassed onto the tracks. The railway is an extremely hazardous environment with trains moving at high speed, coupled with the risk of the overhead electrical lines. Moving the protestors off the tracks and out of harm’s way was vitally important.”
Station operator Network Rail added: “Trespass on the railway is a criminal offence and we are supporting the BTP with their investigations. Additionally, obstructing the railway is also a criminal offence and is punishable with life imprisonment.”
If you have any information which could help the investigation, you can contact the BTP by sending a text to 61016 or by calling 0800 405040. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.