UK Newswire Archive
EZLN communique on the death of Don Samuel Ruiz Garcia
30-01-2011 21:05
The EZLN breaks a long period of silence to express their sorrow at the death of Bishop Samuel Ruiz, who walked alongside the poor and oppressed people of Chiapas for over 50 years. He followed Liberation Theology, defined as 'the preferential option for the poor'.“You're in charge but don't touch the controls.”
30-01-2011 20:37
every time they left the Mir space station for a spacewalk, 1996
Indymedia UK, one of the oldest Indymedia websites worldwide, will fork in two projects by the 1st of May 2011 [1]. A contentious point was IP monitoring [2] by uk.indymedia.org which led to a fierce controversy [3] | [4] | [5] | [6]. Both the British Indymedia website and de.indymedia.org run on the content management system Mir [7] and de.indymedia.org logs IPs temporarily, too. But what exactly does that mean?
Protesters Back at Fur Seller Dixie's Clothes Stall
30-01-2011 19:54
Vintage fur perpetuates the fur industry, as fur is made 'acceptable' in the vintage scene, it finds it's way on to the catwalk in the form of new fur. Indeed new 'imperfect' fur is often passed off as vintage by manufactures and finds it's way into vintage retailers.Sherwood Forest is our Forest
30-01-2011 19:25
A brief report of the meeting held on January 27 2011 by Save Sherwood Forest
SHERWOOD FOREST IS OUR FOREST!
Last night over 70 people from all over the county packed into a meeting in Nottingham to express their concerns about the future of Sherwood Forest. They were clear that the ownership of Sherwood Forest matters. It is something that is too vital and deeply rooted in the people of Nottinghamshire to be simply sold off by the Government. The meeting was convened by Notts Save Our Services and the Climate Alliance.
Sherwood Forest is now a complex web of woodland and forest which has a global identity as part of the legends of Robin Hood. A large part of the forest is held and operated by the Forestry Commission on behalf of the people.
Large tracts of forest land have been developed and managed by the Forestry Commission since 1919 following the ravages of the U-boat attacks during the first world war when forests were decimated to sustain war production. These forests freely open to the public and in public ownership are what the Government wants to sell. They have recently been developed as important free public recreational spaces and to be seen as vital environmental resources all at minimal public cost – around 30p/year for tax payers!
It was agreed that we cannot allow the our forest to be sold in haste on global markets in response to the ravages of the banking crisis. Sherwood Forest is at the core of our heritage, a wonderful amenity for all and an essential part of who we are now and also of our common future.
Paddy Tipping speaking as Vice President of the Ramblers made clear the importance of the access to land, access that was hard won over many years of struggle and mass action. We need to be very wary of Government promises, he said, and to be aware of the prospect of future amendments. We should not let go of our hard fought rights to roam or the necessary supporting resources.
Kaye Brennan set out the position of the Woodland Trust who have been working with and lobbying Government intensively over the past three months. They are clear that there should be no disposal of any land until there is a binding commitment to complete the work to restore ancient woodlands. Like other charities, the Woodland Trust is not in a position to take over responsibility for managing large areas of forest she said.
People expressed concern at the reluctance of the Government to make any clear commitments so far and the majority were strongly against any sale of public land. The talk of the Big Society may be a smokescreen for selling off forests to the private sector.
Andrea Oates of the Nottinghamshire Save Our Services campaign placed the sale of Sherwood Forest in the context of the other Government cutbacks which are facing increasing resistance and also of the large number of jobs that are at risk in and around the forest. Andrea encouraged people to add their names to the campaign by 38 degrees which now has nearly 300,000 signatures, lobby their MPs about their opposition to the sell off and to demonstrate against these proposals (see below).
Peter Robinson of the Climate Alliance stressed the importance of maintaining the forest to respond to the threat of climate change and of the capacity of forests to absorb carbon dioxide without the need for expensive and elaborate technology.
The meeting was encouraged to hear that some job cuts threatened in Sherwood Forest as part of Government cutbacks have been postponed in response to the public reaction so far – a clear indication of the power of the public voice.
There was astonishment when we learned that the government is not going to bother to assess the health and environmental impacts of any disposal. We were reminded of the decimation of the Amazon rain forests that followed the collapse of confidence in the new fangled 'hedge funds' of 'Long Term Capital Management' in the 1990s which were unable to provide the promised financial security.
After a well-informed and passionate discussion it was agreed to organise a protest and rally in Sherwood Forest calling on people from all over the the county and neighbouring towns and cities to demonstrate to Government that we mean to fight to retain our forest. Similar actions are expected to take place across the country.
Many people at the meeting signed up to a 'Save Sherwood Forest' organising group which is hoping to launch the campaign in the near future. In the mean time for further information see:
www.38degrees.org.uk
london students 29th jan march - report and pics
30-01-2011 18:22
several thousand students took to the streets in london yesterday, and determined not to be "contained", they led sporadic protests to the egyptian embassy, and across shopping and transit areas of london.
as the march assembled in malet street, it at first seemed as though the turnout was poor, with probably as few as two thousand, including students, socialist worker newspaper vendors, and some workers' unions present too.
head of police operations, julia pendry, handed out leaflets similar to the ones at last week's EMA protest, but with the lovely addition of a little graphic placard bearing the words "right to protest". what an english sense of irony the police graphic designers have, having soundly attacked the right to protest in pre-christmas student demos, and demoralised many young people to the extent that yesterday's turn-out was so diminished.
however, as the march set off, a little early, accompanied by the combined SOAS/rhythms of resistance samba band, more and more people appeared, and soon the crowd was several thousand strong.
policing was conspicuous by its absence at the front of the march, but TSG groups were waiting around trafalgar square, and they joined alongside the marchers as they passed through and into whitehall.
whether because of the early start, or because of the pace of the march, police outside downing street were literally caught on the run, and had to make a sprint up whitehall to stop the march taking over both sides of whitehall where the central barriers began.
some protestors stopped outside downing street and flares were lit, but soon the march continued on through parliament square, almost without a pause, and towards millbank.
before they hit millbank tower, there was some communication between police and UCU stewards, the latter then holding the front of the march up. this then resulted in a short sit-down protest, but soon they were on their way again, and the tory headquarters was in sight.
of course there was a large police presence there, but with the march by now well ahead of time, not much sign of the organised rally and speakers. seeing boarded up windows, massed lines of police, and very little else of interest, and with the concern of being kettled in from behind, the front runners made a decision to keep walking, and pushing through an unprepared police line on the far side of millbank, they continued up through vauxhall, victoria, and into park lane, making a bee-line for a solidarity visit to the egyptian embassy.
as police re-inforcements moved swiftly towards the embassy, the protestors kept a close look-out for any attempts at containment, and with the layout of the streets outside the embassy not in their favour, quite a large group made a move once again, and headed up towards oxford street.
they took over the road, and chanted anti-cuts slogans, as well as simply "revolution" and a particular favourite "don't watch us, join us!", which occasionally worked as some people did tag along. there was of course a whole swathe of different public reactions to the unexpected protest, but apart from the occasional inevitable "get a job", i think the overall response was surprisingly favourable, and many bus-drivers hooted support, and many shoppers gave the thumbs up and smiled or cheered.
it's a shame that there were no leaflets available to tell people more about the connection between the students' struggle, the cuts struggle in general, and the anti tax avoidance campaign. i think many passers-by were confused when vodafone shops slammed their shutters down in fear of invasion, and the public was bemused by the sight of dozens of cops protecting the tax cheat phillip green by encircling his 'top shop' outlet.
oxford circus was of course the focus of a sit-down, but again, as police arrived, the group of several hundred people quickly marched off down regent street, through piccadilly and up shaftesbury avenue.
meanwhile, back near the egyptian embassy, police horses waited in hyde park, with fully-kitted riot police, but there was no kettle in force and some street fires were keeping protestors warmed. once again though, a group of a hundred or so demonstrators set off down park lane, taking over the thoroughfare, and holding back the police vans attempting to follow them. they were aiming back towards millbank, as perhaps some of them had to catch coaches, but they stopped for a while in parliament square and staged a sit-down protest, resisting first attempts to move them, and then the majority of them headed up whitehall and into leicester square.
also from the embassy, another group set off north and once again along oxford street. there weren't enough to hold oxford circus, but they carried on towards centrepoint, down charing cross road, through leicester square, and into piccadilly circus. by now, police TSG ran alongside on foot, and FIT teams (rather less fit physically), kept popping up in their oversized 4WDs and taking pics and film of people exercising their met-police-facilitated 'right to protest'.
in piccadilly, the boots shop became a target for the chant "pay your taxes" but again, this chant seemed to confuse passers-by, as the remaining placards were still mainly about EMA and cuts.
this public ignorance about tax evasion isn't helped by the bbc, who seem to have given up all journalistic integrity by never mentioning tax avoidance in the same story as students. i thought at journalism school, the professionals are taught they should always explain the who, what, why, where and when of any story. but the beeb has consistently described students as targetting or attacking shops in oxford street, without ever explaining which shops or why.
i understand that as well as the shop lock-downs caused by wandering spontaneous groups of protestors, there had also been a campaign of organised small autonomous actions throughout the afternoon, and several tax-avoiding businesses had been shut on repeated occasions as a result of these.
the bbc's omissions on the subject have been so glaring on so many occasions that it is hard to imagine any explanation other than a clear editorial directive. maybe one of the targets for direct action on march 26th might therefore be the bbc, as they appear not to be trusted to stick to even basic professional standards in covering the issues around the inevitable mass protests we will be seeing.
i left the students once again marching up regent street and yet again taking over oxford circus, all but briefly.
on 'sukey' i was receiving reports of other similar groups around london, with one lot walking along the euston road towards king's cross. 'sukey' itself seemed to have performed reasonably throughout the day, sending out accurate reports of movements which enabled groups to find each other and stay out of police containment.
while the police may have demoralised young protestors before christmas with the uber-kettles, violence and intimidation, they have also spawned a new breed of protestor, learning new skills, and using new technology, and yesterday was a good model for future larger scale protests.
4th Annual Anarchist Darts Tournament in Bratfud
30-01-2011 17:24
LET'S PLAY DARTS!!!
Saturday 29th January 2011 saw the 4th Annual "Darts to an end" tournament held at the 1in12 club in Bradford which drew competitors and spectators from across the North of England. The much revered silver cup was won in theatrical style amid a haze of buckfast and cocktail fuelled shenanigans, which more than made up for the slightly more low key nature of this years event.
(pictures to follow)
Shell's dangerous high pressure raw gas pipeline approved
30-01-2011 17:24
Action is needed against Shell's Corrib Gas Pipeline in Co Mayo, IrelandNO MORE INFILTRATION! (advertising feature)
30-01-2011 17:05
Oxford Education Campaign meeting!
30-01-2011 16:54
Weekly consensus based campaign meetings @ Ruskin College, Walton StOxford OX1 2HE - 8pm Monday
Police pepper spray #ukuncut protesters
30-01-2011 16:23
This afternoon after a series of fully peaceful actions in Oxford street the police have pepper sprayed ten people in the face - three have gone to hospital. UKuncut have issued a press release copied below.
Press Release: UK Uncut condemns political policing at peaceful protest
UK Uncut is issuing a statement condemning the use of pepper spray by police on a peaceful UK Uncut protest on Oxford Street this afternoon.
Before 15:00 outside Boots on Oxford Street a female activist tried to push a leaflet through the closed door of Boots explaining the details of Boots' tax avoidance to the staff.
A police officer then arrested the individual for "criminal damage". Around 20 people tried to help the female being arrested and 10 were subsequently pepper sprayed. Three people have been taken to hospital.
Anna Williams who saw the incident said "I condemn the violent behaviour of the police who have attacked a peaceful protest against tax avoidance, with three people being taken away in an ambulance."
she continued, "This is yet another example of political policing that is about protecting corporate interests and not those of ordinary people. We will not however be intimidated off the streets! We have a right to protest when the government are making unnecessary cuts that will hit the poorest in our society the hardest."
UKUNCUT
Tel: 07591 992825
www.ukuncut.org.uk
Twitter: @ukuncut
ENDS
Long live Egypt! End the siege of Gaza!
30-01-2011 16:12
The Egyptian revolution and the response of the British political classThe Manchester protest against Aaron Porter was not anti-Semitic!
30-01-2011 15:54
Many people reading the news coverage of the TUC, UCU and NUS-organised demonstration in Manchester on 29 January must have felt disgusted with the student movement in this country. First students desecrated the Cenotaph in London last December (sic), and now they have apparently shouted vile racist abuse at NUS president Aaron Porter. The ‘story’ seems to have begun with an article on Daily Mail online, which refers briefly to a photographer, who apparently overheard a chant of ‘Tory Jew’ directed at the student leader. From that they constructed a headline reading ‘student leader faces barrage of anti-Jewish abuse at rally’. Then a story on the Telegraph website mentions unnamed ‘witnesses’ who heard the same ‘anti-Semitic insults’, and they add that other protesters responded with ‘no to racism, no to racism’. From there it goes viral with several online media outlets ‘reporting’ chants of ‘Tory Jew scum’ and ‘vile racist abuse’.ALF/ELF Solidarity with Conspiracy Cells of Fire
30-01-2011 15:48
January from directaction.info:15th: ELF SET FIRE TO BULLDOZER, VEHICLES
22nd: BANK BOMBED - COMMUNIQUE TO FOLLOW
25th: ALF SOLIDARITY WITH GREEK PRISONERS
Pics: #ukuncut shut Ox st Boots in NHS cuts action
30-01-2011 15:26
Boots on Oxford street shut down by protestors
Boots: The Chemist vs The NHSBringing the Health Service Cuts to Boots
In June 2008, Boots moved their headquarters to Switzerland, making them considerably more "tax efficient". False Economy estimates that the tax they pay on their profits has fallen from around 33% to 3% - now that's what I call efficient!
This has allowed them to retain roughly £150m per year which would otherwise have gone to the treasury and could be used to fund the health service, which is currently in desperate need of support.
On January 30th, Big Society Revenue and Customs will double up as the Big Society Health Service, and will show Boots what their avoided tax could be being spent on by setting up our own hospitals in Boots stores.
We'll be educating the public on the issues of tax avoidance (legal but morally questionable), and the government's plans for the NHS (not put to the electorate, and widely criticised as being dangerous).
This is your opportunity to dress up as doctors, nurses, patients, and of course executives of pharmaceutical companies - you can get into this role by wearing a suit, and bringing bags of money. Medical props are to be encouraged - we do want our hospitals fully equipped, after all.
The target is Boots, 361 Oxford Street. It's virtually next door to Bond Street tube station, on the Central and Jubilee lines (both of which are scheduled to be running fine over the weekend), so easy to get to.
Aaron Porter no show in Manchester a fail for NUS
30-01-2011 15:10
NUS President fails to give speech at Manchester TUC demo due to pressurefrom student activists.
Egypt: Cue the dirty tricks, false flags to discredit pro-democracy movement
30-01-2011 14:55
‘Looters smash ancient treasures’, ‘Looters decapitate mummies’, ‘Looters rip off heads of artifacts’ etc., read a rash of headlines, following the apparent breaking into the country’s national museum, which is said to house the world’s biggest of Pharaonic antiquities.
However, it has since emerged, although with much less headline coverage, that some of the would-be looters apprehended by protesters outside the museum were identified as working for the state’s interior ministry.
The incident may be just a foretaste of a wider range of propaganda stunts or false flags, including atrocities and fatalities, that the Mubarak regime will enact in order to discredit the protest movement sweeping that nation.
Students face disciplinary action after protest
30-01-2011 13:46
Ten University of Birmingham students are facing disciplinary action that could lead to expulsion after a peaceful sit-in that ended with forceful eviction by university security and the police.The University has seemingly singled out students who they perceive to be politically active in an attempt to victimise them. Twenty-five students participated in the occupation; ten students are facing disciplinary procedures including one who was not even involved. The hearings will take place on Wednesday, 2nd February.
please sign our petition we need your help:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/defendbirminghamstudents/
Full article | 1 addition | 8 comments
Student Protest Returned to Normal: 5 points
30-01-2011 13:44
Afghanistan 29 Jan 2011 Protest against recent executions in Iran
30-01-2011 13:44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n78VXV1ZZ4 Full article | 1 addition | 10 comments
Vodafone closed down in Oxford for refusing to pay taxes.
30-01-2011 13:24
