UK Newswire Archive
Anti-racist Campaign
25-05-2011 21:58
The antinational and communst federation Ums Ganze has launched a campaign against socialchauvinism and racism in austria and germany. This is the call to the campaign.
http://top-berlin.net/?page_id=265
Report from the first “June 30 Strike” assembly
25-05-2011 20:55
Following on from the call for an open assembly to discuss, propose and organise for the first round of co-ordinated strike actions on June 30th, over 100 people turned up and squeezed into the Marchmont Centre in Bloomsbury on Monday 23rd May. Public sector workers, parents, carers, workers, unemployed, teachers, precarious workers were joined by spanish students who had been, since May 15th, holding self-organised assemblies as part of a new international movement that has seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets occupying main squares across Spain and beyond against crippling austerity and raising unemployment.
The purpose of the meeting was to focus on the June 30th public sectors strikes and how those of us “officially” on strike can connect with the rest of the population, to generalise the strike as a day of action for all those fighting against the cuts and the wider austerity measures. There was a implicit understanding that we should be calling for people not to go to work in solidarity ( taking day off work, calling in sick..etc ) to enable a bigger participation on the various pickets, actions and demonstrations.
Hundreds of thousands of workers could be involved in strike action, from as many as four or five different unions including NUT, PCS, UCU and ATL, possibly involving over 800,000 workers fighting against pension reforms, an integral part of the coalition governments austerity measures.
A brief overview was given by a teacher at an FE college about the effect the pension reforms will have ( pay more for less ), understandable a growing anger is being felt by many in the public sector who have worked all their lives in the hope that they can live in dignity when they retire. All this is being threatened, consequences of which would not be felt on younger generations until its too late.
School students from secondary to FE colleges were also spoken about and the need to encourage walk outs from schools in solidarity with their teachers, which could link into more vibrant localised demonstrations in the morning. Individuals from NCAFC and EAN which were instrumental in calling demonstrations during the student rebellion in November/December 2010 were keen to follow this up so that students continue to be a key feature of this movement.
This first assembly reached consensus on the following:
To mobilise and support early morning pickets of striking workers
To organise local initiatives to link up pickets with marches between different sites.
To promote diverse forms of actions to publicise and circulate the struggles
To take these decisions forward, those in the meeting who live or worked in the same boroughs will be put in contact with each other and were encouraged to meet up and work within local anti-cuts campaigns who have already started to publicise the 30th. Already there are meetings being organised ( email june30action@gmail.com if you would like to get in contact with others in your area ).
The items we couldn't reach consensus on were felt to be important to continue discussing including ideas to call to participate on the main trade union demo in Central London - tentatively being organised by the PCS. Several suggestions to organise various feeder marches and possibly a mass action later on in the day against a specific target were also discussed. There were also proposals to hold on public assemblies, in similar fashion to the recent events in Spain, that could further open up inclusivity and participation than perhaps less engaging forms of actions. These ideas could be included as suggestions for local initiatives. An idea of an all night camp was also talked about. There was no consensus on us organising public assemblies or a camp – and there were concerns that such ideas had failed in the past due to police repression - but it is an idea that will be revisited in future meetings. Economic blockades/disruption were also discussed and there was a general support for the idea throughout the meeting as a possible forms of actions, no doubt this too will be revisited at the next assemblies.
There were a wide ranging participation from radical left, anarchist, autonomist and socialist tendencies as well as people from no “political position” at the meeting but the meeting itself was one of the most respectful, dynamic and inspirational meetings for a long time. We hope to continue with this spirit in the lead up to June 30th with the sole intention to generalise the strikes in London and across the UK, radicalising many more people into taking action for their future.
Next Assembly - 7pm Monday June 6th ( Bloomsbury / University venue tbc )
The next assembly will be held at 7pm Monday June 6th ( University venue tbc ) in a bigger venue. We encourage everyone interested, engaged and up for it to come down and get involved. We especially like more workers who will potentially be on strike ( bearing in mind that at this stage strike ballots have yet to be taken ) to attend and help us organise towards June 30th.
Please contact us if we may be able to help with childcare, if there is enough interest we will try to arrange a creche.
General contact email is: june30action@gmail.com
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Shell Belmullet office shut down again -join the continuous protests!
25-05-2011 20:49
Media Lens: Bad News From The BBC - Part 1
25-05-2011 19:05
Latest Media Lens Alert - on corporate media distortion of reporting on Palestine.Report from Oxford Radical Forum 2011
25-05-2011 16:47
Palestine Today 05 25 2011
25-05-2011 15:24
Banks sabotaged in Cambridge
25-05-2011 14:18
Claim posted on 325 website from attack on banks on Cherry Hinton Rd, Cambridge....Green Festival 20th yr. Arboretum Park. Nottingham
25-05-2011 13:55
Sunday 22 May 2011
The 20th Green Festival, Arboretum Park. Nottingham
Exhibits, Info, Stalls, Bands etc
UKCMRI to be named after supporter of eugenics
25-05-2011 13:38
According to the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI) it is to be re-named The 'Francis Crick Institute' in honour of one of the United Kingdom's greatest scientists.Demands from the movement of the Unemployed
25-05-2011 13:26
A statement of demands to the local state from the Unemployed People's Movement in South Africa.Libya: Heaviest blitz yet brings terror to Tripoli
25-05-2011 11:30
The international community has stepped up raids and diplomatic efforts against the regime in a bid to break a virtual stalemate, with the rebels in the east and Col Gaddafi maintaining his hold on most of the west. The Nato attacks came in rapid succession within a half-hour time span, setting off more than 20 explosions and sending up plumes of acrid-smelling smoke from an area around Col Gaddafi's sprawling Bab al-Aziziya compound in central Tripoli.
Cambridge Debating Union Besieged as Eric Pickles Visits.
25-05-2011 11:03
This is the same man who in 2009 went on the record as claiming expenses for his parent's home, which is just eight miles from his own (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Pickles)!
Andrew and Obama: A cringe worthy scene of sniveling appeasement
25-05-2011 01:21
A short(ish) summary of the failings of Andrew Marr's interview with Barack Obama.it is spreading in Greece
24-05-2011 21:27
Tommorow Syntagma square is giving a message to the worldObama genuflects to AIPAC
24-05-2011 20:57
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is "the most powerful and feared lobby in Washington." For years, it's "drawn on a well-organized, well-connected, highly visible, successful, and wealthy Jewish population," subverting potential opposition.
Obama's May 22 AIPAC speech affirmed rock solid support for a "strong and secure Israel," leaving Palestinians entirely out of his equation, despite paying disingenuous lip service to their interests.
An official AIPAC statement expressed gratitude for his assurance that Washington doesn't expect Israel to withdraw to June 1967 borders, besides explicitly calling Hamas a terrorist organization, ignoring its January 2006 electoral victory as Palestine's legitimate government.
The appeal of climate activists
24-05-2011 18:07
Ray Davies wins damages against Met re Gaza demo
24-05-2011 17:24
Caerphilly councillor and peace activist Ray Davies has at last received damages for the injuries he sustained in the march to protest the bombing of Gaza in 2009.Video footage obtained from the Met enabled the police who carried out the attack to be identified, and Ray has now received compensation
Demo against Santander, Brighton - in Solidarity with the Arab Uprisings
24-05-2011 16:51
Friday 27th May - 4pm-6pm