Sunday Times
   
   May 19, 2002
   
   Swampy resurfaces to fight GM crops
    
   SWAMPY, the eco-warrior who rose briefly to fame in a series of road 
protests six years ago, has emerged from obscurity to start fighting a new 
battle against genetically modified crops, writes Jonathan Leake. 
   Swampy, whose real name is Daniel Hooper, has moved into a pink makeshift 
“castle” built by GM protesters at Littlemoor, just outside Weymouth in 
Dorset. The structure is on a field approved by the government for planting 
GM maize. 
   
   Hooper, famed for previous protests against the Newbury bypass and a new 
runway at Manchester airport, was this weekend refusing to confirm his 
presence at the site. It is understood that he fears personal publicity would 
distract attention from the main issues. 
   
   However, a local photographer snapped him there — minus the dreadlocks 
that once helped to make him famous. 
   
   Last week the protesters fought with police and farmworkers as the latter 
used seven tractors to plant the field with GM maize. The crop is designed to 
resist Glufosinate — a broad spectrum herbicide — and so could allow farmers 
to apply the chemical in greater quantities than before. 
   
   The 25 protesters were supported by more than a dozen families from the 
adjacent Littlemoor estate who joined in as the protesters chained themselves 
to the tractors and battled with police. Four people were arrested and later 
released. 
   
   Swampy, 28, became a media celebrity for his protests at Newbury six years 
ago and was famous for burrowing into a tunnel from which he had to be 
forcibly removed. 
   
   The bypass cut a nine-mile swathe through pristine countryside and he was 
joined by hundreds of locals who backed his stance. The protests cost the 
taxpayer £26m — but forced a government rethink on its road-building policy.