In the trees with 90s ecowarriors: Olivia Laing on Janine Wiedel's protest photos

The photographer's new book documents a successful campaign to block a development at Crystal Palace Park. The bestselling author, who joined the protest, argues its spirit is more vital than everThe main thing I remember about the protest camp at Crystal Palace was its proximity to the transmitter tower, which gave everyone headaches and was believed to be responsible for a mildly dystopian atmosphere on site. I was only there for two days, travelling up with other activists from Brighton in response to an alert of a possible eviction. My friend Tom and I spent the night in a treehouse, wearing climbing harnesses inside our sleeping bags, throbbing with adrenaline. We were braced for the arrival of police vans and cherrypickers, used to drag protesters from the trees. I don't remember sleeping much, though by dawn it was obvious it had been a false alarm.The camp was established in 1998 to protect five hectares (12 acres) of parkland from destruction for a proposed ?56m leisure complex. Its enticements included a 20-screen cinema and parking for more than 1,000 cars, necessitating the elimination of 200 mature trees. Local people opposed to Bromley council's plans for their cherished park had raised ?35,000 for a judicial review to overturn the planning process. When the high court rejected their case, protesters stepped in to protect the site.Matthew Williams, known as General Survival, left school when he was nine to become an eco warrior and lived in the treetop house with his mother and older brother. Continue reading...