Climate activist blocked farmer from entering farm? What is this recording?

In the last days of August, the X website was circulating half-minute recordingin which someone uses a forklift to remove a car parked in such a way that it blocks the entrance to a farm. According to the description in English, blocking the entrance was an action by climate activists, and the vehicle was removed by an angry farmer. “Is it justified? Yes or no?” asked the author of the post from August 30, which generated over 3 million views. A day later, the film and the message appeared on the Polish network – on Facebook shared the same recording, and the author of the post replied: “Climate activists blocked the entrance to the farm and found out that it's not worth doing…”.

However, the film does not show this at all and has nothing to do with the actions of climate activists.

What do we know about this footage and the circumstances of the car being removed from someone's property? Image search shows that the first mention of such an event dates back to June 2021. At that time, the Australian portal, among others, wrote about a farmer who removed a car from a field using a forklift. News.com.auBritish tabloid “The Sun” or Polish websites Fact and Onet. (Some British websites wrote that it was a forklift, others that it was a tractor). According to the information they provided, the incident occurred on June 5 on a road in Newbiggin-in-Teesdale in County Durham, UK. During this summer, the area, including the picturesque town of Barnard Castle, was visited by many people, including young people. And many visitors parked their cars outside the designated areas, which irritated the local community – including a farmer who noticed a Vauxhall (in Poland Opel – ed.) Corsa parked at the entrance to his farm.

The farmer, in a fit of emotion, decided to move the car using a forklift. And it was the recording of this event that made the headlines. It also shows a shirtless man who records the entire event and – at one point – kicks the tires of the cart (tractor). After moving the vehicle from the entrance to the property, the farmer hit the man with a forklift and knocked him over.

The media returned to the case in early February 2022, when the court ruling was issued. BBC News described both the verdict and more details about the incident in June 2021. The forklift driver, 57-year-old Robert Hooper, appeared at Durham Crown Court charged with dangerous driving and criminal damage. He pleaded not guilty. He told the court that Connor Burns, seen on video, punched him twice in the face, splitting his lip and making him feel threatened. He argued that “home is his castle” (referring to the Englishman's home is his castle). He admitted that he was aware of the influx of young people visiting the area, who were littering and vandalising the area. Hooper's defence lawyer argued that his client was not looking for trouble. In response to the argument that Hooper could have acted differently, he replied: “If you get punched in the face, there's not much you can do.”

According to BBC News, prosecutor David Ward said the defendant “acted in anger, flipped the vehicle on its side, pushed it over the fence and drove dangerously onto the road”. He added that “he did not protect himself or his family, he continued driving and – by spinning the vehicle – knocked Burns to the ground”. Ward did not claim that Hooper was a “people-attacking thug”, but said the farmer's behaviour was “completely irrational”.

The BBC also reported details of how the car ended up on Hooper’s property. Burns’ friend Elliot Johnson parked the car there after noticing two flat tyres. The group had driven to the area to see Low Force Falls. The court heard Burns had drunk seven beers that day. Ultimately, the court found that the farmer had been defending himself and his property – and cleared him of any wrongdoing.

The case – and the video now being circulated online – has nothing to do with climate activists or their protests.