London Social Struggles Newswire Archive

01-12-2012 12:23

Unfairness committed by Tower Hamlets Council

A trendy sounding outfit has been set up by Tower Hamlets Council with an even trendier Anglican Clergyman Giles Fraser put at the top. The plug for the Commission, one of a number by local Councils, claims the object to be "looking at how to improve equality outcomes in their areas."
So is that another hype or is that part of a sinister agenda like making the Rightwing attacks on Society acceptable?
Read more >>

30-11-2012 19:44

Critical Mass Defence: Urgent Callout

Nine people are being prosecuted after the police crackdown on London Critical Mass in July. You could be a crucial witness for their defence or help us find one! Their trial is in February, but we need to gather evidence by December 10th. That’s really soon!

30-11-2012 02:11

News from the Library Street Social Centre

The Library Street Social Centre, is a fairly new autonomous community centre situated on in the Large Colorama Building on Library Street in Elephant and Castle (SE1 0RY) we regularly hold talks, film screenings, and social events. Anyone is welcome to approach us and put something on. Below is a report of the Peoples Kitchen and Film Night we had yesterday (29/11/12) for more infor see our website librarystreetlondon(dot)wordpress(dot)com. Read more >>

29-11-2012 15:45

Veggies of Notts land in London

Veggies to feed London! Read more >>

29-11-2012 01:49

“This is it then, this is the end.”- A view of the NUS Demo 21/11/12

A a reflexive view from the streets during the NUS demo last week and some thoughts about the student movement as a whole. Read more >>

28-11-2012 14:13

Wake -Up Call To Stop Damaging Legislation

The government is proposing to allow large scale mineral planning applications to by pass the normal, local democratic process. This press release give some background info on this and how anyone can participate in a consultation exercise on this proposal and say NO! Read more >>

28-11-2012 13:36

Growth and Infrastructure Bill: Proposed 100 Hectare Threshold

The Government is intending, by means of legislation which forms part of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill (Clause 21), to introduce a 100 hectare threshold on all future mining and quarrying planning applications in England. It has issued a consultation document ‘Nationally significant infrastructure planning: extending the regime to business and commercial projects: consultation’ [1] to assess reaction to their proposals. This Briefing Note outlines the impact that this proposal would have on current English opencast mine proposals. Read more >>

28-11-2012 12:21

Union branch votes for one-state solution for Palestine

Lambeth’s Local Government Branch of UNISON last week voted to endorse a one-state solution for Palestine based on equality and justice for all citizens, and supporting the right of return to millions of Palestinian refugees. A motion was tabled in response to Israel’s ongoing attacks and siege on Gaza. Read more >>

22-11-2012 03:38

A.C.A.B not A2B- a few (slightly late) thoughts on Oct 20th

An article about the importance of black block and the failings of the T.U.C. see more and similar at

http://thesituationlondon.wordpress.com/ Read more >>

21-10-2012 22:27

Starving disabled blockade London traffic

We’re digging through dumpsters just to stay alive, disabled demonstrators said this weekend in a dramatic blockade of London traffic.

Dozens of activists with Disabled People Against Cuts shut down mid-afternoon traffic in Marble Arch on Saturday, handcuffing themselves and their wheelchairs together to protest “deadly” attacks on state benefits. Read more >>

15-10-2012 21:33

global noise occupyLSX anniversary - report and pics

to mark the anniversary of the occupation outside london stock exchange and to show solidarity with the global noise event, a few hundred people met again at the steps of st paul's, and during the afternoon they took to the streets for a walk around the city.

Read more >>

06-10-2012 12:16

For a Future Without Work: Radical Workers' Bloc on South London feeder to TUC

On Saturday 20th October, the Trades Union Congress has called for its second march against the cuts and 'for a future that works'. South London Solidarity Federation has announced that it will join the feeder march starting at Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park (opposite the Imperial War Museum), in support of direct action, self-organisation and solidarity towards a future without work, or at least without work for bosses who get rich off of our backs. Read more >>

11-09-2012 18:47

Next london abc meeting

next meeting of london abc is this thursday 13th of september Read more >>

21-07-2012 13:32

Round up of London ABC Actions! (June & July)

Round up of London ABC Actions! (June & July) Read more >>

16-05-2012 09:23

Occupy London - Finsbury Square

Photos from 15th May, Camp and action. Read more >>

09-04-2012 16:10

London Mayday 2012 - Against Workfare

On Mayday we are calling on all those fighting back against the government's austerity plans to join us in taking direct action against companies participating in the workfare schemes. Instead of standing around and listening to speeches at the end of the TUC march we will be heading straight into the West end to regroup and start taking action. Read more >>

28-03-2012 19:22

London No-TAV Solidarity Action (UK)

solidarity banner drop with No TAV struggle in London, March 3 Read more >>

15-03-2012 10:55

Blood, Sweat, Gear: the human cost of the Olympics

International and local speakers will discuss whether the Olympics legacy will be exploited garment workers and the marginalisation of east London communities. The leader of sweatshop workers in Bangladesh and community representatives in east London will speak out this month on the human cost of the Olympics. They will address a major conference staged by War on Want, after the anti-poverty charity accused top sportswear brands of exploiting Bangladeshi staff.

04-03-2012 08:46

March against “slave labour” targets big employers still backing ‘workfare’ after government U-turn

Protesters gathered outside businesses on Lewisham High Street on Saturday as part of a national demonstration against the government’s mandatory work experience schemes.

The march targeted shops said to be involved in ‘workfare’, including McDonalds, Boots, Greggs, BHS and Primark, in an attempt to pressurise them to pull out of the schemes. Read more >>

02-07-2011 17:55

report and pics from j30 events in london

from the use of 150 officers to remove a small peaceful occupation camp from trafalgar square early in the morning, through the use of tsg officers to conduct targetted snatches, searches and dodgy arrests throughout the day, to the use of lines upon lines of police to clear the whitehall area later in the afternoon, the j30 protests were characterised by repressive, stupidly expensive, and unnecessary shows of force from the authorities.

from the eviction of trafalgar square onwards, it was clear the met believed their own hype, trumpeted in the evening standard the previous evening, that j30 would turn into riots, however despite continual provocation, it turned out a very relaxed and english affair, and of the 30 arrests reported, many were of children, some clearly unlawful, and most pointless.

an NUJ journo told me he'd watched a 14 year old boy being arrested for arguing with the police when his friend was pulled out of the crowd for wearing a hoodie. i spoke to another young man who had a bandana round his neck. it was stolen from him by police under the guise of section 60, even though he had at no point used it to cover his face. he was given no receipt or paperwork. because he was wearing black, a smart pair of jeans and a t-shirt, he had been stopped and searched on three occasions by mid-afternoon, and on one of those, taken down a side street and roughed up in the process.

as the march passed charing cross station on the strand, a team of tsg were pulling people from the crowd, mainly black and asian along with some white teenagers. a muslim girl was told to remove her religious face covering, and a 12 year old boy, on the protest with his mother, a teacher, was handcuffed and hauled away when a search found a small paint canister in his bag. as he was taken into the station, a crowd of concerned protestors (made up of a real cross-section of ordinary people) surrounded and shouted at the police. although this crowd was angry, their anger was vocal not physical, but it gave the excuse for some of the tsg thugs to become violent. i watched one in particular, constable webb, U3543, assault several people in succession, coming up from behind and without warning pushing people out of the way. when i tried to report the assaults to other police, i was of course met with stony silence, despite the fact that his actions were not dissimilar to those of pc simon harwood, now finally facing a manslaughter charge years after iain tomlinson died.

aside from the anti-cuts protest, a small group from avaaz.org were staging a protest outside the department of culture media and sport on the day the vulture secretary, jeremy cunt, was due to announce in favour of rupert murdoch's controversial bskyb monopoly bid.

meanwhile, down in parliament square, a squad of riot police in their silly blue baseball caps were busy conducting searches on passers-by, including a journalist with a press card, while a forward intelligence photographer took close up face shots of some of those searched, even though nothing incriminating was found.

outside the queen elizabeth conference centre, a spanish-style 'people's assembly' formed, and an open mike was made available to speakers, while uk uncut organised football and other games.

a group of black-clad anarchists marched past the centre and acted as pied pipers to some of the crowd who followed them up whitehall, where they pulled over the central line of metal barriers in a token act of defiance. dozens of police trotted along behind them, and inevitably at the trafalgar square end of the road they were met by a large police presence, and became cordoned in by the officers behind them.

there were a few scuffles at this point, and several overly-violent arrests. it really seemed as though the police were hyped-up for violent confrontation, and every attempt was made to inflame the situation, including tsg officers striking out at press photographers as they dragged their arrestees out of sight behind police lines across side streets.

i also saw a man snatched by plainclothes police who looked much like your average football hooligans. they used plastic wires to tightly restrain his wrists behind his back even though he appeared calm and offered no resistance.

in protest at all this violence, a small group of people, some of whom i recognised as part of an explicitly peaceful campaign group, staged a sit-down protest at the north end of whitehall. more people joined them, until around 30 were sitting in the road, despite a short wet rain shower. police numbers built up, tsg officers also moved in, and among the ensuing confrontations i again saw card-carrying press being pushed around and refused access, as the sitters were picked up and moved to the pavement.

then lines of police, sometimes 5 or 6 thick, began pushing people down whitehall, and then left down horseguards avenue to the embankment, leaving the upper end of whitehall clear of all except police.

as most of the protestors had left the area, i joined a small group, including several colourful clowns, who decided to stage a good-natured anti-cuts protest outside 'boots' and 'tesco' opposite westminster. their singing and banners managed to close the 'boots' store ten minutes early, and their boisterous song outside 'tesco' amused and interested many passers-by, several of whom agreed not to shop there after speaking to the protestors.

small shops across the nation, killed by tesco's monopolisation
small shops across the nation, killed by tesco's corporation