UK UK Feature Archive
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Dalkeith Park Tree-Sit Under Eviction Threat!
23-11-2005 19:40
Update 25.11.2005: The judge granted an immediate eviction order in the court case "Occupiers of Dalkeith Country Park vs. Scottish Ministers" in Edinburgh's Sheriff Court on Friday.
Eviction is anticipated to take place anytime from now on. Campaigners pledge for more people to come now to help them. .
Report, 23.11.2005 Nearly three weeks ago, protesters set-up a tree-sit in Dalkeith County Park near Edinburgh to protest the creation of a new A68 bypass through the park, an important wildlife habitat and tourist attraction.
Yesterday, authorities cut five trees down before being stopped by protesters.
For more information:
[ Original Call for Support | Press Release and Directions to Treesit | Pictures of Tree-sit in Dalkeith | october feature | Save Dalkeith Park! website | Bilston Woods Protest Camp]
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20-11-2005 16:47
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Nuclear Waste Transport In Germany
18-11-2005 18:27
Since November 19, yet another transport with twelve containers of radioactive waste (called 'Castor') from the plutonium plant La Hague (France) is on its way to the so called interim storage in Gorleben in the Wendland region, an area ( Map ) well known for 20 years of resistance to nuclear power. The transport is scheduled to arrive in Gorleben monday evening. The police announced that they will send at least 11,000 local and federal cops into the region.
After the death of the French activist Sébastien Briat during the protests in 2004, both police and activists expect a more heated atmosphere for this transport.
Update Tuesday November 22, 06.30: Between 4:00 and 5:00 in the morning, thousands of police have finally managed to clear a small corridor for the transport ("north route"). At 6:00 the transport reaches the interim storage at Gorleben, moving not faster than 15km/h on the last 20km. See the timeline for updated infos and pictures of the protest.
Monday November 21: at 8.15am the transport reaches Lüneburg while thousands of protestors in the area are on the roads to welcome it on the last 70km. All over the day, blockades and other actions prevented the transport from reaching its destination. See the timeline for details.
Sunday November 20: Hundreds of people spread into the woods along the railway tracks, setting up barricades [pictures 1 | 2] on roads to sabotage police logistics for tonight when the transport is expected in the region. Tractors are being used to block the special police forces. Farmers blocked the tranport route close to Gorleben with 120 tractors ( picture ), later in the night they were cleared by police forces. On its way through Southern Germany, the train was stopped several times by blockades. An unknown number of people are arrested.
Saturday, November 19: 4000 people demonstrate in Hitzacker, where the transport will pass on Monday. [Pictures 1 | 2 ] Meanwhile, at 17.30, the transport has left the plutonium plant in France. [video] In the evening, 350 people blockaded the main road from Lüneburg to Dannenberg at the village Metzingen, setting barricades on fire [ pictures].
Friday November 18: 600 pupils demonstrated (en) in Lüchow throwing a "rain of eggs" at the police. Police forces tried to clear the demonstration later and injured several pupils.
Indymedia (en): one | two | three | Videos at KanalB | French News Ticker | Chronology of the Resistance(en)1977-1999 | Village of Resistance Metzingen (de)Full article | 1 addition | 6 comments
Peaceful Land Occupations Violently Attacked by Colombian State Forces
15-11-2005 19:57
Project "Freedom for Mother Earth" was started this year on October 12th, when indigenous communities occupied idle farms in Cauca, southwest Colombia, accusing the far-right government of breaking promises to provide them with land. The State responded by refusing to negotiate until they leave and for over a week now have been attacking the occupied El Japio farm with hundreds of troops and at least ten tanks. 16 year-old Belisario Camallo Guetoto was killed on November 10th and many more have been wounded and arrested. Solidarity emails have been called for to help prevent further violent attacks.
12th October is traditionally celebrated in Colombia as "Columbus Day," but has been renamed "Day of Indigenous Resistance" by social movements across the continent. This year there were massive mobilisations across the country against President Uribe and his proposed "Free Trade" agreements, and solidarity actions also happened internationally, including a picket in London. Naomi Klein recently wrote about the Cauca indigenous communities (who reject both sides of Colombia's long-running civil war), describing the land occupations and how they are protected by the Indigenous Guard, who "patrol their territory armed only with sticks."
World Summit On Information Society - Part II
15-11-2005 17:24
The choice of place for the second part of WSIS - Tunis - is more than hypocritical for a summit on information society: While Tunisia is catching up economically with the capitalist North, it is far from any information society if you are talking about the freedom of information (report). Furthermore - and different to 2003 - it seems almost impossible to express protest against this summit. Nevertheless some initiatives and organisations called for alternative meetings. Some Human Rights Groups take part in the "Citizens Summit on the Information Society (CSIS)". Others try to bring in their ideas within the WSIS itself.
Free access to knowledge for everybody is not the goal of WSIS, and the summit organizers' plan is to concentrate on governmental and corporate use of information and communication technologies. This approach fits the choice of place. Yet, the summit does not only give legitimacy to a repressive regime, its focus also ignores the social and technological situation in the Magrebh region. The majority of people in this part of the world do not have access to communication tools and the authoritarian regimes in the region are reliable allies to the european governments in supressing freedom of movement.
Update 16 November:It is reported that Tunesia is blocking unofficial websites related to the WSIS. People said that they could not access Websites as wsisblogs.org or the CSIS Website from hotels or other places outside the official media centre. ( study on Tunesian internet filtering ). Furthermore there were reports of repressiv actions by Tunesian authorities against groups claiming freedom of speech in the days before the conference started.
2005:'Tunisia and WSIS' dedicated page of the WSIS CS Human Rights Caucus| CSIS Website | IP Justice | from the region(fr):tunezine |nawaat | reveiltunisien | Wikipedia On WSIS | IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group | Some Blogs: one | two | three | four | five (de) |
2003: Feature on the WSIS 2003 at Indymedia UK | World Forum on Communication Rights in Geneva 2003 | Some IMC UK articles on 2003:one | two | three | four | five
France: Racism and Repression Explode in Weeks of Uprisings
14-11-2005 20:00
“Those who do not understand today the causes of the riots are amnesiacs, blind or both. It has in fact been 30 years that the suburbs have struggled for justice. 25 years that the revolts, the riots, the demonstrations, the marches the public meetings, the cries of anger with precise demands have been formulated." (MIB, Mouvement de l’immigration et des banlieues)
Paris. On Thursday 27 October 2005 two teenagers allegedly ran and hid when police officers arrived to conduct immigration-ID checks. Bouna Traore, a 15-year-old of Malian background, and Zyed Benna, a 17-year-old of Tunisian origin died from electrocution in the electrical relay substation where they tried to hide.
Riots began in Clichy-sous-Bois on 27 October, and spread throughout Seine-Saint-Denis and beyond to other parts of the Île-de-France region during the following five days. On 31 October provocation turned into outrage as the women's prayer room at de Bousquets mosque was teargassed by police. As people stumbled out gasping for air, the policemen called the women "whores", "bitches" and other insults. On 3 November, first arson attacks were reported from beyond the Île-de-France, in Dijon and Rouen.
On 11 November the French government declared "state of emergency" for the first time since 1968, using an anti-colonial law from 1955, last used during the Algerian uprising. Since the riots began, more than 8,500 cars have burned and police have arrested more than 2650 people. The French government announced that they are going to deport all foreigners involved in the riots, whatever immigration status they have (fr) [1] | [2].
Links: Reports from Paris IMC (fr) [1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | Timeline and Overview (en) on Wikipedia | Eyewitness accounts (en) [1] | [2] | Video evidence of police brutality: rubber bullets | explanation | beating | Demonstration in Calais (en) | Incidents in other cities around Europe
Indymedia Groups in France: Nantes | Nice | Marseille | Grenoble | Toulouse | Paris | Lille
Statements: from MIB [en] | [fr] | Anarchist Federation [en] | [fr] | FSE | RAS
This November: Remember Fallujah
07-11-2005 12:10
A month of events in November 2005 to remember what happened in Fallujah and other cities in Iraq and to demand justice for those attacked.
One year ago this month the US, with the support of the British, began its second major assault on the Iraqi city of Fallujah. This massive and unprecedented offensive killed many hundreds of civilians, destroyed much of the city's housing and created tens of thousands of refugees. An earlier attack in April 2004 had killed at least 600 civilians. See Jo Wilding’s report of riding an ambulance inside the city during the siege. Report
US forces committed major war crimes during the assaults including: bombing residential areas and killing many civilians; imposing a 'shoot-to-kill curfew' and using snipers to fire on unarmed civilians; targetting and shutting health facilities; and, using phosphorus weapons. See the Italian documentary showing use of phosphorus weapons, background to film.
Over twenty UK Remember Fallujah events are taking place including: non-profit film screenings; a national speaking tour with US author and activist Rahul Mahajan (in Fallujah during the April 2004 siege Report); an international teach-in, Voices from Occupied Iraq organised by Iraq Occupation Focus; vigils to mark the attacks on Fallujah last year; a screening in Manchester of 'Caught in the Crossfire' about the second seige of Falluja 'Jo Wilding's Diary from Iraq' by Manchester Indymedia.
See www.rememberfallujah.org for more information on all the events, on what happened in Fallujah and the ongoing attacks on Iraqi cities.
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Massive Critical Mass Defies SOCPA Exclusion Zone
28-10-2005 18:26
"...it's a friday night, it's like a fucking party, it's like an RTS on bikes!"
Cyclist from Birmingham
Friday, Oct 28. Almost 1000 cyclists soon growing to a critical mass of an estimated minimum of 2000 cycled around central London. The meeting point was nearby the restricted SOCPA zone in front of the National Film Theatre. The CM moved on to Parliament Square and Downing Street. The samba band was on wheels for the occasion and many were in Halloween attire.
Pics [1 | 2 | 3] Pic-reports [1 | 2 | 3] Reports [1] Video reports [1 | 2]
This is the first London Critical Mass ride after participants were informed about possible arrests at future Critical Mass rides. The Metropolitan Police demanded that the 'organisers' give notice of the route in advance [report].
Solidarity rides are taking place simultaneously in Bristol [more] and Brighton, Nottingham, Leeds and Gothenburg. We are collecting updates from the London streets in a timeline.
Successful Anarchist Bookfair Marred by Police Attack
24-10-2005 16:02
Thousands of people crammed into the London Voluntary Resource Center in Holloway Road for the 22nd annual Anarchist Bookfair on Saturday 22 October. As usual people came together to buy and trade books, films, t-shirts, stickers, gossip, and new directions for the anarchist movement in Britain and beyond. About three dozen meetings and seminars took place throughout the day, on subjects such as precarious labour conditions, no-borders and migration issues, anarchism in film, housing co-operatives, and the proposed National ID card scheme.
After the bookfair had ended, a small incident took place in a pub nearby. As a result, large numbers of police arrived at the scene pushing and kicking anyone that was in the street, thus escalating the situation. Additional riot police quickly moved in, closing off to southbound traffic for more than 40 minutes, which caused huge disruption in the area. During the fray, an Indymedia photographer taking pictures was knocked to the ground, handcuffed, and arrested. He and the other 6 detainees were finally released on bail on Sunday evening after spending around 24 hours in police cells. [Call for eyewitness statements, video and photographic evidence]
Derbyshire police go over the top again
23-10-2005 08:32
It would appear that Derbyshire police is going to use the usual tactic of over policing a peaceful event and hamper anyone who tries to have a lawful protest. Despite the organisers liaising with the local police authority over the anti-Trident work being carried out at Rolls Royce factory, this Monday, Derbyshire Police have applied and got a Section 14 order from the local council. See police statement.
Previously Derbyshire police used Section 14 to control protests at the G8 ministerial meeting in March. According to the local rag there were "A thousand officers from 23 forces" and "policing the event was expected to cost between £1m and £2m", since there were perhaps 100 protestors it cost around £20,000 per protestor...
More Photos: [Protests at Nottingham University careersfair [inc Rolls-Royce, CAT etc]]
Links: East Midlands CND | Invitation to join blockade | Previous blockades at Rolls Royce: January 2003 - February 2003 - June 2003 | Rolls Royce Blockaders Found Guilty | Previous protests in Derby: M17 Section 13 and 14 Notices - G8 Clampdown in Derby - Abuse of police powers in Derby
Oct 1st: Migrants and Supporters Protest Against Deportations
07-10-2005 16:00
In Bolton, Manchester a demonstration took place against Section 9 and in support of the Sukula family, who were forced to flee from Kinshasa in the Congo after being beaten and victimised. See Sheffield Feature | Sukula family call | Manchester NoBorder
At the same time 800 took part in a march and rally in Glasgow [pic], which came just days after the deportation of the Kosovan Vucaj family who were snatched in a dawn raid by immigration officials. Robina Qureshi, director of PAIH, said: "These are messages from ordinary Scottish people. And our message is clear - no more dawn raids in this city". [ Background: 1 | 2 | 3 | Photoblog ]
In London a protest was held at Communication House [pics] - the "reporting and enforcement centre" of the Immigration and Nationality Department - where refugees have to 'sign on' and where many have been detained before deportation.
Meanwhile police killed five migrants during a mass breach of the Moroccan / Spanish Border -See reports 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Indymedia Estrecho
More: Indymedia Migration Section | No One Is Illegal | NCADC | Make Borders History
Letter from Yarl's wood detention centre
London Critical Mass under threat
04-10-2005 00:15
Read Letter to Met Police Commissioner from Jenny Jones; Green Party Member of the London Assembly, The Mayor’s Road Safety Ambassador and Member of the Metropolitan Police Authority.
NEW: Audio interview with Jenny Jones (12th Oct)
A callout has been issued to make October's London Critical Mass the biggest one yet.
Get radio active
28-09-2005 16:10
- Phone interview with George Fox defendant during trial
- Suspected terrorist David Mery speaks to rampART radio
- Interviews from Hyde Park anti war rally includes Hizb ut-Tahrir
- Sounds from the Peace Rally, in Jeremy Corbyn, Iraqi Docotor, Rinki Dink and Rhythms
- John Pilger speach at Hyde Park [video]
- Interview with ex MI5 agent, David Shayler [video]
There are a variety of groups and individuals working within the IMC UK framework to produce radio programs. Indymedia Radio London produce an hour long show broadcast in London by Resonance FM every Wednesday between 1pm and 2pm. In the past they have mobilised to provide streaming coverage from the IMC set up for DSEi2003. Another regular show available online and broadcast on Resonance FM is Slow Small Peasants with audio landscapes on social and ecological justice every Friday 2-3pm. The show evolved out of Diversity Radio which disseminated the diverse views of participants and others during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg 2002. They also covered the (COP6) Convention on Biological Diversity.
rampART radio was born when a studio was created at the rampART social centre in September 2004 as part of media production facilities aimed at providing independent media coverage during the London European Social Forum held in October. When the ESF finished the station continued, adding a variety of regular live programs, and putting out daily news and events listings. rampART radio will shortly celebrate it's first birthday but has been considering proposals to de-brand the station and concentrate on building up and strengthening a wider radio network collaboration.
Terror profiling nets innocents
28-09-2005 12:00
Davids 'crime'? - wearing a rucksack along with an 'unseasonal' jacket and checking his phone messages while waiting for his train. Luckly for David the police refrained from following the shoot-to-kill policy that had resulted in the tragic death of Jean Charles De Menezes less than a week earlier. Instead, they closed Southwark tube station and cordoned off the whole area while the bomb squad checked his bag. Eventually, finding nothing but a laptop in his bag, the orginal officers appologised then arrested anyway. His home was searched and his computers confiscated. You could be next.
[ exclusive interview | Davids account 1,2 | profiling | bloggers unite ]
Simultaneous Anti-War Protests in UK and US
26-09-2005 13:04
London Multimedia Reports: [March Pictures 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ] [Rally Pictures 1 | 2 ] [Placards and Banner Pictures 1 | 2 | 3 ] [Audio Interviews + Rally Speeches 1 | 2 | 3 ] [Video Reports 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ]
See also Cambridge Peace Procession and USAF Croughton Peace Picnic
America Protest Reports: Meanwhile in the US hundreds of thousands marched against the iraq war and US military spending priorities in what activists say was a important illustration of the changing mood in America. Organisers said over 300,000 people joined the march on Washington, though again there was disagreement over the numbers [report]. Up to 50,000 people marched in San Francisco, and 15,000 in Los Angeles, while smaller protests were held in many other towns and cities across the US. See United for Peace and Justice | September Action
George Fox 6: Campus Activism at the Crossroads
21-09-2005 23:00
On Monday 26th September, the trial of the George Fox 6 commences at Lancaster Magistrates Court. Six student activists face charges in a three day trial arising out of an action that took place at Lancaster University in September 2004 where protestors had gone into the George Fox building at the university to hand out leaflets and talk to people at the "Corporate Venturing" Conference - a networking meeting for multinational corporations. Speakers at the conference were drawn from controversial arms manufacturer BAE Systems, Shell and other companies the six say have 'long histories of human rights abuses and environmental destruction'. Police attended and told the protestors they were doing nothing wrong, but some months later they received summonses through the post. The defendants are seeking support at the trial.
[ GF6 Support Group | Action at corporate conference | Call for support | Interview with defendant during trial lunch break - 1.2Mb ]
Massive support nationwide for sacked Gate Gourmet workers
20-09-2005 22:33
UPDATE - Sacked workers are still on the picket line outside Gate Gourmet after the Transport and General Workers Union struck a deal with the management on 27th September. According to the deal, 144 strikers were forcibly made redundant and 7 were to remain sacked with no compensation. At the same time 3 baggage handlers at Heathrow Airport who had taken part in a 1000-strong one-day sympathy strike are still suspended. According to the Gate Gourmet workers 'it is not over yet!'
Solidarity meetings this week:
Sacked Gate Gourmet Workers Website including:
Latest news | Events | Donate to the Hardship Fund
On Indymedia: Liverpool Blue Arrow demo | Manchester Blue Arrow demo | The secret casualisation plan | GG no stranger to industrial dispute | Angry Gate Gourmet workers lobby TUC
Also:Schnews report | Corporate Watch: A view from inside the Gate Gourmet dispute
Yarlswood: Another Death in Detention
19-09-2005 11:10
Manuel Bravo from Angola, who lived in Leeds, was 'snatched' by immigration officials, along with his son, on the morning of September 14. In the early hours of September 15, Manuel was found hanging in a stairwell at Yarl's Wood Removal Centre. He was due to be deported the next day. Sady Campaign held a vigil in front of Yarl's Wood detention center on Saturday.
See reports from NCADC and on Imc UK: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
An activist reports: "The people detained with him got very upset. Most of them are women, many with children. Everybody was crying. I phoned them at the detention centre and I could hear it; a woman was so upset she could not even talk, just kept sobbing."
Several women from Uganda remain on hunger strike in Yarl's Wood, protesting against their deportation and the conditions in detention (see Legal Action For Women). Custody staff have tried to move hungerstrikers into solitary confinement and many women speak of the ongoing harassment.
Previous reports: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9. For more info see the full article
DSEi Quick Links
16-09-2005 23:00
DSEi 2005: There have been 57 arrests in relation to the DSEI policing operation to date +++ Convergence Centre +++ For full list of anti-DSEi actions, protests and events see: [ Disarm DSEi - CAAT Listing ] +++ Legal Advice Card (pdf) | Legal Briefing (pdf)
Full Timelines of DSEi Events: Sat 10th | Tues 13th | Wed 14th | Thurs 15th
Disarm DSEi | Campaign Against Arms Trade | Beat the Bombers - Party for Peace
DSEi Protests Continue - Thursday 15th September
15-09-2005 23:58
Reports and Pictures 1 | 2 | 3 | Security breached at gala dinner
Video | Audio coverage
See [Full Timeline of Events]
More News and Comments: Banned stun guns and leg irons were advertised at DSEi arms fair | Why cops failed to prevent disruption to DSEi | Anarchists ‘passed off’ Advertiser, claims editor | Greatreporter.com article
Earlier in the day anti-arms fair protestors protested outside Reed Elsevier's offices in london, the DSEI organisers, while others staged a humorous action on the Docklands Light Railway - armed with numerous sex toys they embarassed the mostly male arms fair delegates over their liking of 'boys toys' and big rockets, as well as handing out anti-arms fair leaflets to other passengers [Photos and Report]