The Battle of Barton Moss (web archive)

www.thebattleofbartonmoss.com

The outcomes of this action-research project were a mix of writing and photography that documented the anti-fracking campaign at Barton Moss in Salford between November 2013 and May 2014. SPEED’s research successfully challenged narratives of anti-fracking protesters. Until this project, perceptions of activists were as being a homogenous group without a nuanced understanding of the multiple identities, roles and values within the wider community. Research questions revolved around understanding the diverse lived experiences of activist, the criminalising of their peaceful protests and the innovative campaign strategies employed during the campaign and was evidenced through journalistic and photographic practices.

The significance of the project lay in the way the action-research was disseminated throughout the lifetime of the campaign, having an immediate and transformative impact on perceptions of the campaign. It used social sciences and practice based (journalism) methodologies, with a research subject area identifiable in social movement studies. It was conducted through spending 3 to 4 days a week at the protest camp for the duration of the campaign. Documenting it through interviews, official statistics, observations and documentary photography.

The project has reached in excess of 100,000 people. It has multiple outputs but all are brought together through a web-based archive (thebattleofbartonmoss.com). The project includes a chapter in The Violence of Austerity with endorsements such as 'An analytical masterpiece’, John McDonnell MP and 'Essential reading for our times', Lowkey. It has been published through news articles (Salford Star), academic chapters on social movements and photographs in the national media. It has been cited in reports on policing protests such as Keep Moving! Report on the Policing of the Barton Moss Community Protection Camp. SPEED was also invited to present at academic conferences at Liverpool University, Manchester University and Cambridge University, the People’s History Museum and Friends Meeting House (Liverpool).