West Country Feature Archive

During the last six weeks, unknown to most people, there have been a series of public debates up and down the country about whether the government should allow the commericalisation of GM crops in the UK. The deadline for public input is now over - did you have your say?

In an exclusive film made for Indymedia, people from all over the country reveal that the public consultation was a poorly advertised, ill concieved and miss-managed farce that failed to engage ordinary people. The film also demonstrates that much of the public believe that the decision has already been made to push ahead with GM (regardless of the will of the people) and that the government is an undemocratic tool of U.S. interests and big business.

Watch the video,

Read more | 2 comments >>

Arundel in West Sussex already had a bypass built in the 1970's, now they plan to build another one over the old one. A 5.2 kilometre area of ancient woodland is threatened with the chop at Binstead Wood and Tittington Common, and a protest camp is now up and running at Tittington.

Bypassing the existing bypass, it would cross the important River Arun wetlands south of Arundel on concrete stilts or a huge embankment, and then plough through a mile of precious Sussex woodland. Thousands, probably tens of thousands, of trees would be lost, including some fine 100 foot oak trees, yews, and one particular 100 foot beech tree, thought to be the oldest tree in the woods.

Protestors are meeting on Sunday 29th June for a walk along the proposed bypass route. Meet at 2pm outside the 'Red Lion' Pub, High Street Arundel. Read more | 2 comments >>

IMC UK has changed to a new codebase (Mir). Welcome to the brand new site!
Users and moderators alike need to get used to the new code - please bear with us during this transition.
Click "Read more" for info on various browsers and instructions for publishing.
We had lots of feedback and hope you'll continue speaking up and getting involved by posting to the imc-uk list or the thread on Urban 75 [thread 1] [thread 2] Check our Documentation of the migration to Mir, the archives of the tech and features lists, and a summary of our working practices.
If you find any bugs please mail to the tech list - thanks!

we'll keep u posted
IMC United Kollektives
Read more | 4 comments >>

On Thursday 25th April, British anti-GM activists disrupted Bayer's AGM in Köln, Germany. Simultaneously, Bayer Crop Science's UK HQ was blockaded to cause economic damage to their business as a protest against their moves in to GM crops last year with the purchase of Aventis Cropscience. The blockade held for five hours and there were eight arrests.

UK action - video, photos & report
German Bayer AGM action
Background - Bayerhazard, CBG

Read more >>

On the eve of the invasion of Iraq, Sir Ray Tindle (owner of over 100 local newspapers) ordered the editors of his papers to censor any dissenting views about the invasion of Iraq.
In Totnes, Devon, the Editor of the Totnes Times, Gina Coles, wrote a front page article (20th march) in which she refered to Tindles demands as a 'brave move' and said she was proud to back him.

Residents of Totnes were not amused and as well as boycotting the censored papers, they produced a one-off independent paper to provide a forum for the issues being censored by the editors of newspapers owned by Tindle. On Wed 23rd, a group visited the offices of the Totnes Times.
[Press Release | Full Report | PDF of Paper | Video ] Read more >>

Wednesday 19th saw a National Student Day of Action Against War. Across the country students walked out of classes, held meetings, protested and engaged in civil disobedience. There were several reports of clashes with police. Thousands took to the streets blocking traffic in Birmingham, Edinburgh,[ audio1|2| 3], Sheffield, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester (12 arrests), and Whitehall in London (video: heavy handed police). There were also demonstrations in Leicester, Swansea and other towns and cities across the country including Presteigne and Worcester.

On Monday, 700 students took to the streets in in Totnes, South Devon, with over 200 blockading a petrol station. Students at Atlantic College in South Wales joined in a Global Peace Vigil as part of a worldwide show of opposition to War on Sunday. Members of University College London stop the war coalition dropped a banner reading 'No war for oil' and 'End the occupation' in Oxford Street during the Friday lunch hour, while others blocked traffic outside Parliament (die-in pics).

Six pupils from Hove who walked out of school last week to take part in an anti-war demonstration were suspended for two months and not be allowed back till their GCSE examinations. Eighteen students at another School in Herts, have been also been excluded for participating in an anti-war rally. Police refused to monitor an anti-war demonstration by more than 500 children in Oxford last week and blamed their schools and parents for allowing it to happen. The pupils brought chaos to the city centre after storming out of schools at lunchtime. In Sheffield on March the 5th, angry pupils stormed into 4 different colleges after having made their point in a noisy protest at the City Hall [Pictures and report].

This follows the thousands of children that have walked out of their schools across Britain and globally. Many student anti-war demonstrations since the beginning of March co-insided with the 'Books not bombs' campaign. Read more >>

Seven Midlands peace campaigners were arrested this morning after successfully closing the Rolls Royce site at Derby for 1 hour. The company was targeted for its crucial role in the manufacturing of fuel components for nuclear submarines. The activists from Trident Ploughshares, the direct action campaign to peacefully disarm the British Trident nuclear weapons system, closed the Raynesway site just before 7am. They locked themselves to the entrance gates with a variety of chains, padlocks and thumb locks, closing the factory just as employees were arriving for work. A traffic jam ensued and some employees were sent away. All 7 were charged with breach of the peace, taken to St Mary's Wharf police station in Derby and later released without charge. Read report and photos
Read more >>

On Friday 29th Nov, otherwise known as International Buy Nothing Day, shoppers in Plymouth were exposed to a barage of street theatre and alternative 'commerical radio'. Giant credit cards ran around the shops encouraging consumers to "buy more sparkly things" while their 'owners' complained that their spending was getting out of control...
Also fed up with all of this homogeneous global monoculture, serving up the same bland "frapachapachocawhatevers" the fine chaps at NOT CRICKET decided to host another of their tea & cucumber sandwiches soirees.

Various Indymedias featured BND 2002, including this audio and video from Ireland IMC. Germany, Houston, Italy, Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, Seattle, Twin Cities, Victoria, and Washington D.C..

Read more >>

Indymedia has an exclusive interview with the two peace protesters who entered HMS Vanguard undetected last week. They were released on bail having been held over the weekend and appearing in court Monday morning. The sub is one of the UKs four Trident nuclear submarines and is currently undergoing a refit at Devonport docks in Plymouth. The two broke into the base and wandered around for sub for almost half a hour before setting of a fire alarm in order to draw attention to their presence.
"I can't see the logic of a situation where Tony Blair is threatening Iraq with war if they don't grant access to weapons inspectors, when at the same time we were arrested for a peaceful inspection of Britain's illegal weapons of mass destruction."
The action took place at the start of an International Disarmament Camp based at a squatted MOD complex near the docks. Other actions included street leafleting, a multi-faith service and blockades at Albert gate and Cammels Head Gate (video). Locals have pledged to keep up the pressure. [ Further info | Personal Account | Photos | Corporate Press | Trident Ploughshares ]

See IMC-UK World page for international reports on Civilian Weapons Inspections. Read more >>

18/10/02 - Actions update:
-Media Circus outside Daily Mail in London, report
-Guerrilla Screening at London's South Bank, report and photos
-MDD in Lancaster, report.
-MDD Radio Broadcast 5pm-6.45pm Resonance FM 104.4 Webstream here

International Media Democracy Day, October 18th, sees events occurring in over 25 cities across the world. Creative actions, protests, film screenings, discussions, lobbying, print publications, subvertising and spoofs are all playing their part in the beginnings of a new global movement around media issues.

Held for the first time last year in Canada and involving groups like Adbusters and FAIR, this year the day has gone global, supported by high profile groups like The Media Channel, alternative news networks like Indymedia, and smaller grass roots community media groups.

Focusing on the key themes of "Education, Promotion, Protest and Change" it provide an opportunity both to unite and publicise the work of independent, alternative and community media projects, and to protest against the failings of an exclusive corporate media system enslaved by advertising and profit.

In the UK events include a guerrilla film screening of the European NewsReal on Friday 18th October in London, as well as other events, screenings and discussions. Planning for 2003 is already underway with one eye on the UN World Summit on Information Society in Geneva, December 2003.

Reclaim The Media!
Global MediaDDay Site / UK MediaDDay Site
Media Detox Plan
Italy IMC Media Map pdf
Mediachannel: October Media Action Month
Media Mogul Ate My Hamster PDF
Read more >>

Over five hundred people supported the CND national Scrap Trident demonstration in Plymouth. They came from as far afield as Southampton and Birmingham with local support from Plymouth and the surrounding areas to march, chant and show solidarity in the campaign against nuclear weapons.
They called for the UK government to comply with International Law and scrap the Trident nuclear weapons program. They also rejected Tony Blair's hypocritical pro-war stance in relation to weapons of mass destruction. Read more >>

Two British freighters "lightly armed" loaded with enough plutonium to make 50 nuclear bombs, have now compleated the home straight of an 18,000 mile transport of terror. As the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal end their journey from Japan via Australia's Tasmanian Sea, past South Africa,to the Irish Sea and home to Sellafield.Protest has followed the pair on every leg of the journy.
A flotilla of sailboats from Ireland and the British Isles and the Rainbow Warrior were waiting in the Irish Sea to peacefully protest and to highlight the madness of the shipment.The freighters were first spotted off the coast of Portugal and entered the Irish Sea on their way to Barrow.
The main concerns are that the ships are vulnerable to catastrophic accident or terrorist attack, which could lead to large-scale contamination of the marine environment and coastal communities.
The Irish Government, backed by all opposition parties has condemned the imminent arrival of the plutonium shipment,who this summer issued Iodine kits to households to protect against nuclear contamination , agreed to deploy naval vessels and aircraft to track the shipment and to ensure that it did not enter Irish waters.
The Nuclear Free Flotlla, which the Rainbow Warrior supported, comprises individuals whose love of the sea and communities that it supports, has united them to take action to protect it.
BNFL and the British Government should take note of the strength of commitment of some of the people whose lives they risk with their deadly shipments and radioactive discharges from the Sellafield nuclear plant.

Read more >>

DEFRA will allow the planting of the genetically modified winter oilseed rape trials following the results of seed testing for GM contaminants. Last week, Dorset Police Press Department were forced to correct their original media statement which claimed that protestors had targeted the wrong field during an action at Hilton in Dorest. Fourteen were arrested for 'criminal damage' and aggravated trespass when they attempted to decontaminate the illegal GM trial site. The protest was in reaction to the news that an unauthorised release of antibiotic-resistant GM oilseed rape has occured in over twenty five GM trials since 1999. [ contamination report | action report | photos | video ] Read more >>

Risks to Plymouth residents from nuclear facilities at Devonport dockyard are being deliberately downplayed for commercial reasons according to anti-nuclear campaigners and experts. Devonport Management Ltd. (DML) are hiding behind official secrets legislation, they say, to play down the danger the dockyard poses to the public. Read more >>

UPDATE: At 1.45 pm, today, over 150 people, including families with children, held a colourful and peaceful demonstration at the DEFRA offices in Smiths Square, London. They left large bags of GM crops from trial sites around Britain at the entrance. They were calling for no commercial growing of GM crops and an end to GM crop trials. People left at about 2.40 p.m See report and movie of action.

A convoy of people from Devon will arrive in London on Wedensday July 24, joined on route by other concerned citizens from all over the country. They will converge at Westminster, to voice a strong message of public resistance to the commercialisation of Genetically Modified (GM) crops. The current GM crop trials, which are almost complete, have been contaminating the environment for over three years and are widely recognised as fraudulent. Read more >>

After seven weeks, a GM crop squat in Dorset is over. The field had been occupied by protesters with a 20ft tall pink castle since April 25th. The GM maize crop has now been completely destroyed and the trial written off. Protesters celebrated over the weekend then packed up and left the site. Read more. Read more >>

STOP PRESS:wed.13th The Plymouth hunger strike is now over.
A group of 4 Kurdish men went on hunger strike in Plymouth on Thursday 6th June because they are still waiting to hear from the Home Office after nearly two years. They want to be treated as asylum seekers. Their applications are in, but have not been processed.The men protesting outside the local immigration offices in Plymouth, they say they have reached breaking point and will continue their protest until someone listens to them. They are prepared to stay there until they die because that is their only hope. They have not heard from their wives or children and say; "we were going to die in our own country anyway".
They were joined by a fifth man on Friday evening.
The protesters have secured use of VW Camper van (donated by local activists) for night shelter - will park outside IND offices from 5.00pm - 8.00am daily, providing protection from the elements (and some of the racist abuse). The Haringey Campaign to Defend Asylum Seekers have sent their support and solidarity to the men on hunger strike.
Amass picket will take place on Sunday, outside Ballard House, West Hoe, Plymouth. Messages of support should be sent to ncrmsouthwest@aol.com
Kurdish Human Rights Project Read more >>

On May 7th, in broad daylight and in front of the gathered media, protesters dressed as chickens dug up GM maize from one of the farmscale trials in Dorset. They also hoped to draw attention to the findings of a study in which chickens feed the GM maize had a higher mortality rate than those feed on conventional varieties. About a dozen people took part in the action in Littlemoor near Weymouth. There were no arrests and the free ranging chickens had a quick organic picnic in the field before heading home. Read more >>

HMS Vanguard – a trident class nuclear submarine arrived in Plymouth, in a blaze of media glory for a long overdue refit, circled by an impregnable ring of police boats. Hundreds of anti-nuclear protesters had travelled from across the country to demonstrate at her arrival. The demo marched around the dockyards, then sat down at the dockyard's gates and observed a moment of silence. The march then finished peacefully and dispersed, but seven Trident Ploughshares protestors who stayed behind to block one of the gates were arrested for obstruction.

Numerous times before we have seen that when people feel strongly enough about something, they can make a difference. Those people may have gone away having made connections that will change their own lives and help to create a better future. The protest came just a week before the planned Big Blockade at the Trident submaring base is Faslane. Read more >>

Activists from the Nestle resistance group disrupted a lecture on Biodiversity, sponsored by the mining company, Rio Tinto, at the heavily-subsidised @t Bristol centre. Presenter Johnathan Dimbleby was to be on the panel but pulled out after recieving a letter from the concerned group, explaining the ethical and environmental record of the sponsors. Those attending were given leaflets outside, whilst inside an impromptu lecture took place. Read more >>