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You Must Be Choking! - Day of Action Against Drax Power Station

31-08-2006 23:00

Actions against Drax Power Station started early on Thursday morning (31st of August) and continued all day, with the Drax perimeter being breached several times. Up to 600 campaigners against climate change participated in the Reclaim Power mass action. Four main blocs gathered at the centre of the Climate Camp before splitting off into different groups, with some heading towards Drax across fields to avoid police road blocks [Early report | Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Videos 1 | 2 | Protestors Audio Interview]

Meanwhile, other smaller actions had already begun - just after 4.30am seven activists occupied a Drax lighting tower. Later nearby roads were blocked by different affinity groups and another Drax lighting tower was also occupied with a banner reading "No Future For You". More perimeter penetrations occured as more groups arrived at the fence to be met with police in riot gear, horses and dogs. The total number of arrests on the day's actions was 38 people, some of whom were violently attacked by police.

In the early hours of Friday 1st of September the actions around Drax continued. Reports came in of people attempting to breach the perimeter of the fence overnight. On the other hand, the Legal Team informed that all of the 38 people arested in yesterday's mass action were released throughout the day, some of which having spent about 28 hours in police custody. There was also one confirmed arrest that took place on Friday morning. Two more arrests took place on Saturday 2nd September near the field were the Climate Camp was taking place.

For full details, see the full timeline of events and individual reports that have been posted to IMC-UK Climate Camp page.

Reports: First reports | Police Prevent Essential Supplies From Reaching Activists | Police quotes | Searching for 'weapons' | Farmer attacks Drax Protesters with Tractor (including photos) | Kids Block at Climate Camp | Fireworks from inside Drax | On the Ground: Suicide farmers found in Yorkshire | Photographer arrested over 'weapon' near Drax | Police Obstruction of Media around Climate Camp and Drax | Police hipocrisy at Drax | 3 hour lock on shuts down machine inside Drax | Climate Camp site restored to how it was found | Personal Experience of the Camp | Operation HASH report back | Wellbeing@Climate Camp | Indymedia at the Camp for Climate Action 2006: Report & Personal View.
Mainstream press: List of articles | Radio 4 coverage [ 1 | 2 ] | Reuters inaccurancies on climate camp reporting.


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Climate Camp News, Wed 30th August: "If not Tomorrow, then When?"

30-08-2006 19:06

The Camp for Climate Action has been hailed as a success, with an impressive collective commitment to organising the camp in an environmentally-friendly way, and with hundreds of people just over half way through a packed programme of workshops. One statement said:

"What has really struck me is the way in which everyone who has come to the camp is getting involved. People from all walks of life and with all sorts of previous experiences are here, and everyone is doing their bit to make the camp tick. From action planning to compost toilet building, everyone is getting involved..." [read more]
See also Life at the Camp - a personal perspective | todays pics from inside the camp.

Thursday sees the Reclaim Power mass day of action against Drax Power Station, and preparations are underway with people making banners, puppets and other props.

Meanwhile throughout the day the police have been using Section 60 powers to stop and search all people entering or leaving the Climate Camp [report and pictures 1 | 2] Undeterred, people continue coming and going, some taking tours around the increasingly guarded perimeter of Drax power station [pics]. Later in the afternoon at around 2.30pm the police were denied entry to the camp [report and pictures] in a peaceful but strong reaction by camp residents, with similar scenes repeated again at around 5.30pm [report].

Seel also: Drax Shares Take A Slide | Drax to Stop Smoking | Power Line Pole Allegedly Cut | Oldbury Nuclear Power Reactors to Close | Feminism and Climate Change [more] | Green Spirituality workshop | Greenwashing Climate Change | City Harvest workshop | (Some) Workshops at the Camp for Climate Action | Feedback from Green Spirituality Workshop.

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Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station Blockaded For Ten Hours

29-08-2006 07:48

Front gate blockade


Climate Action News: Tues 29th August:
From 8am a group of nine climate change campaigners blockaded the front and back gates of Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station, sending out the message that nuclear power is not the solution to climate change. The blockade was in place for ten hours until the last person was cut out of the arm tubes they had locked themselves into to form the blockade. Police arrested a total of twenty people including non-blockading supporters and a freelance journalist.
[see Blockade Reports + Updates | Reclaim Power Press Release | Mobile Photos | More Photos + Report]

Climate Camp News:
The comprehensive programme of workshops continues at the camp, with sessions on practical steps individuals can make to reduce their impact upon the environment, across to debates about biofuels and carbon trading schemes. See Workshop Audio Interviews [1 | 2]

A Bicycology cycle caravan left en masse from the Climate Camp to establish a presence in nearby Selby town centre, holding bicycle maintenance workshops and promoting sustainable energy [Report and Pics | video].

During the day the police were allowed onto the site for a walking tour around the camp, as well as the fire brigade [see Reports + Pics]. Meanwhile in the evening people at the camp continued preparing for the day of mass action on thursday.

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Camp For Climate Action

28-08-2006 22:32

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In the shadow of Drax power station, hundreds of activists have gathered at the Camp for Climate Action [see report and location | first pictures and call out | video]. The camp, which started officially on Saturday, August 26th, is based on squatted land and will have over 160 workshops over the course of the week. For more information and background, see the climate camp special reports section. Click the Full Article link for updates.

Sunday, 27 Aug - reports: 1 | 2 - photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Monday, 28 Aug - reports: Police Refuse Offer to Tour Climate Camp Site [2] | Kids Walk to Drax Power Station | Audio of Faslane Workshop

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Student fingerprinting - not so VeriCool

28-08-2006 21:42

While the national ID card scheme has been watered down a little, moves continue to increase tracking of us by using biometrics. One unexpected front where this dystopia is already rearing its ugly head is in our schools. Several companies, with VeriCool the current front runner, are aggressively marketing fingerprinting solutions – solutions to what is not exactly clear as we'll see – to primary and secondary schools, as well as libraries. Let us start by looking at one particular case, Impington Village College (IVC) on the outskirts of Cambridge.

Read on for the full story.

Links: LeaveThemKidsAlone | VeriCool | Indymedia article | BBC news article | BBC action network article | TES online article | Gummy finger article

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War Over? Ongoing Crisis in Lebanon

16-08-2006 12:42

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While the recently agreed-on 'ceasefire' between Isael and Hizbullah is being portrayed in most of the mainstream media coverage as an end to the 'crisis', the catastrophic cosequences of the hostilities, which lasted for over a month, go underreported. And while fighting on a much smaller scale conitnues, hundreds of thousands of displaced Lebanese are making their way back, many to find their homes destroyed by Israeli bombs.

In a flagrant breach of the ceasefire, Israeli warplanes and helicopters launched fresh raids in eastern Lebanon on 19th August.

According to official figures, some 1,130 people have been slaughtered (30% of them children), 3,600 injured (40% of them children) and about a million displaced. Omar Nachabe has reported 1,700 confirmed dead so far, over 3,000 injured. Israeli strikes on Lebanon have destroyed much of the country's infrastructure, including Beirut airport, ports, bridges and roads, residential buildings, factories, mobile telephone and television stations, fuel containers and service stations and even medical and relief trucks.

Meanwhile, Israel is still denying NGOs like Medecins sans Frontieres and the Red Cross a safe passage. On 15 August, an activist aid convoy was stopped by the Lebanese National Security Guards while trying to reach the South, as the area is still declared unsafe.

Ongoing coverage: Lebanon War 2006 - topic page

Upcoming: Sack Parliament, Stop their wars | 9th of October, Houses of Parliament

Protest reports: Blockade the Foreign Office, London 21st August | quick report | personal accounts and pics | video.

Previous features: The realm of the real - photography from Lebanon | Mass Demo Against Israeli Attacks | Worldwide Protests Against Israeli Aggression | War in the Middle East While the World is Watching

Links: IMC Beirut | IMC Israel | IMC Cyprus | International Middle East Media Centre | Palestine News Network | Electronic Intifada | Electronic Lebanon | Palestine Blogs | Lebanon Updates | Civilian Resistance in Lebanon | Tadamon | Wikipedia: the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

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The Cottage Occupied Social Centre

13-08-2006 16:31

Boards off!

A community and youth centre in Sparkbrook, closed by Birmingham City Council last year, has been occupied by a group of activists, who, along with local people, aim to put the building back into community use. The Cottage of Content had been boarded up in May 2005 and scheduled for auction, allegedly for the old occupiers' failure to pay the rent and bills, 22 years after the Council stopped its funding.

Contrary to popular stereotypes about squatters and squats, the occupation was enthusiastically received by local people. A lot of 'neighbours', especially the youth, have been dropping in and attending meetings and workshops.

Whilst building up a campaign to compel the Council to re-instate the community's youth and community centre, the space is being used, as a social centre, for a wide range of activities, from DIY and educational workshops, screenings and socials, to a meeting place for various grassroots groups. Regular, open meetings are held every Monday at 7:30pm.

Read more: The Cottage of Content reclaimed | What lead to the closure of The Cottage | Disused buildings have no shortage of occupants | Social Centre occupation seeks to bring abandoned building back to community use | The Nursery Social Centre | Indymedia UK's Freespaces topic page

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Camping Against G8 And For Something Completely Different.

13-08-2006 11:41

the camp kitchen

“Camp Inski”, the preparation and information camp for the forthcoming G8 summit in Germany, took place from August 4th-14th in North East Germany. Somewhat less than one year before the G8-summit, autonomously organized resistance meets and plots for several days(en) in close proximity to the future summit location in the nearby town of Heiligendamm. Numbers are difficult to guess – several reports speak of more than 500 while others say many more came during the week. The workshops ranged from meetings about mobilisation, blockades and bike caravans to general questions of resistance and social movements.

While discussing and organizing next year's protest, various actions took place showing the wide range of activities started by the camp, including going from door to door in nearby villages and towns to inform residents of the future protests. A villa was occupied in opposition to the commercialisation of the increasingly posh seaside resort. An anti-racist demonstration (Video: 1 | 2 ) was held in the nearby city of Rostock. On friday hundreds of activists gathered at the beach outside summit venue(en), on saturday protest closed down an exhibition of the nazi artist Arno Breker while activists protested at a GMO field nearby the camp.

Video (de): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Pictures and Reports (de): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (en) | 6 (en) | 7 | 8 (en)
Camp Website: http://camp06.org

Websites about G8 2007: dissentnetwork.org (de) | g8-2007.de | gipfelsoli.org

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The realm of the real - photography from Lebanon

12-08-2006 11:46

In the last few weeks, an increasing number of horrible, very upsetting photos of the massacres committed by Israel have been coming out of Lebanon. The alternative media are doing everything possible to break the censorship of images that was enforced by the Corporate and authoritarian State media which only show a sanitized war, disinfected images of material destruction. The smuggling and widespread dissemination of images from 'the realm of the real' that are coming out of Lebanon and Gaza now make all of us uncomfortable. For those of us who do editing and publishing work, they bring up the awful worry of "is this appropriate?" (source: Cyprus Indymedia)

Photographer Guy Smallman has been reporting from Lebanon since early this week. His photo reports show the harsh reality of war and a growing refugee crisis. New York Indymedia photographer Andrew Stern published photos taken after the bombing of two residential buildings in the town of Chiah, near Beirut on August 8th. The Cyprus Indymedia has been reporting constantly on the conflict since it started mid-July. Their website contains numerous (photo) reports on conflict, struggle and solidarity.

Photo reports by Guy Smallman:

Other photo reports: Photo Essay from Lebanon | Photo Essay from Lebanon - 2 | Indymedia Photography from Lebanon | Civil Defense members removing corpses from Marwahin, Lebanon | Lebanon: Day 8 ~ While the world is turning its back and closing its eyes | Bomb Number Five, Salaam | Lebanon: Full Color Pictures of the Atrocities

Links: Cyprus Indymedia | Andrew Stern website | Impressive photos on Flickr | Photos from pro-resistance demo by Issandr El Amrani | Wikipedia on war photography

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Camp for Climate Action Approaches

11-08-2006 15:06

This summer, the Camp for Climate Action will be held in ‘Megawatt Valley’ near Leeds, one of the most industrialised areas of the UK and home to the Drax, Eggborough and Ferrybridge coal-fired power stations.

From 26th August - 4th September, the camp promises education about climate change and sustainable living, with around 150 workshops scheduled, ranging from practical building and permaculture activities to the advanced science behind climate change. Workshops include analysis of the problems and causes of climate change and strategies on how to confront it - both practically on a grassroots level and politically. Those holding the workshops range from grassroots community activists to internationally-known academics, and from MPs to representatives of environmental NGOs.

During the time of the camp there will also be a Reclaim Power mass direct action against Drax power station (the UK's largest single emitter of CO2 emissions) on August 31st, as well as opportunitites to discuss resistance to nuclear power, the aviation industry, mining and road building schemes and corporate sponsored damage to the environment. The camp will be held on a legally occupied site, and aims to demonstrate practical solutions in action. Power usage will be minimised and the site will be powered by alternative energy sources.

Recently on 18th July climate change activists occupied a lighting tower at Didcot power station in Oxfordshire. Three climbers scaled the tower and unfurled a 50-foot orange and black banner with the words 'Climate Crime' [see pics]. Just prior to that, July 15th was an 'International Day of Direct Action for Climate Justice, against Climate Change and the G8' [see action roundups 1 | 2 | 3 | 4] which coincided with the G8 Summit in Russia. In London, Tulchan Communications, a public relations firm that works for Drax power station, was forced to deny it had been sacked by Drax for failing to make it look good, after a spoof press release was circulated [report]. See also: Climate Action News Sheet: June 06 | July 06 | Social Centers meeting at the climate camp

Mass callout to help build the climate camp

Links: Camp for Climate Action website | IMC Climate | Download programme PDF

Also Upcoming:
- Call for Action against G8 + 5 Climate Summit: Oct 3-4, Mexico [background]
- UK Climate Change Bill - 'Big Ask' Lobby (12 Sept - 11 Oct)
- International Climate Change Demonstrations: 4 Nov, prior to UN Climate Talks (COP 12/ MOP 2) in Nairobi (6-17 Nov). See National Climate March, London (4th Nov) | "I-Count"

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The 61st Hiroshima Day

06-08-2006 17:17

61 years ago on 6th August 1945 the first nuclear bomb, "Little Boy", a uranium bomb, was dropped on a civilian target, the city of Hiroshima in Japan, 3 days later on 9th August "Fat Man", a plutonium bomb, was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. These Americian acts of genocide, which killed as many as 210,000 people, were unnecessary and were designed "to kick-start the Cold War rather than end the Second World War".

CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) in the UK have shown that 59% opposes the replacement of Trident, Britian's submarine-launched nuclear ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missiles) system. On Friday 5th August protestors handed in 53,000 signatures on a petition to 10 Downing Street calling on the government not to replace Trident or develop any new nuclear weapons system. On Tuesday 2nd August two peace activists were arrested after painting "Trident is Terrorism" outside Faslane naval base. In October Faslane 365 begins — a year-long continuous peaceful blockade at Britain’s Trident nuclear weapons submarine base.

Protests against nuclear weapons are expected to take place around the world, 80 protests have been organised across the USA: To mark the 61st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, rallies, vigils, teach-ins, and nonviolent protests will be held in more than 60 cities in 24 states across the country to demand an end to nuclear weapons and wars. Antiwar, nuclear abolition and indigenous rights groups are focusing on facilities run by the Bechtel Corporation, one of the world's leading nuclear weapons contractors, war profiteers, and violators of indigenous rights. Activities will take place under the banner: From Hiroshima to Yucca Mountain to the Middle East: No Nukes! No Wars! End War Profiteering! Support Indigenous Rights!

Protests are also expected in Perth and across Europe.

Links: CND | Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space | Nuking Iran is not off the table | Calculating the risk of war in Iran | The Hiroshima Myth | Wikipedia: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Hiroshima / Nagasaki Memorials: Swindon 2006 | Cambridge 2006 | Cambridge 2005 | Nottingham 2005 ( 1 ) ( 2 ) | Oxford 2005 | Sheffield 2003

Read on for analysis on the danger that the USA might nuke Iran [ indymedia.org version with translations ].

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Mass Demo Against Israeli Attacks

05-08-2006 11:34

a line of thugs right across the road

Thousands marched in London on 5th August, 2006, to protest against Israel's attacks on Lebanon. Starting at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park, the march went via the US Embassy and Downing Street to Parliament Square. The demands of the march were for an unconditional ceasefire, to stop Israel's attacks on Lebanon and Gaza and to end Tony Blair's support for Bush's wars. The demonstration follows 30,000 people demonstrating in London two weeks ago and many smaller protests around the country.

In front of the US Embassy: "territorial support group police suddenly flooded the road and formed an arbritary barrier in the middle of the crowd. They then began pushing forward, shoving and occasionally hitting people in a pointless show of thuggery. There were several arrests and then they were suddenly recalled and the march returned to peace."

Outside Downing Street: "Hundreds of empty tiny children's shoes symbolising the outrageous number of child casualties were piled up there which made a very poignant display."

The Rhythms of Resistance samba band staged a die-in opposite Downing Street: "Others gradually joined the sit-down, although stop the war coalition stewards were urging the passing crowd to not join in, and police quickly surrounded the sitting protestors. After some twenty minutes, the samba band moved on, but some activists tried to use pipes to lock on on the ground, and were viciously arrested by police before they managed". 7 Anti war activists were arrested outside Downing St

At Parliament Square there were speaches including one from Bruce Kent, "The other day, I was in Downing Street, handing in a petition against replacing Trident, and I thought how wonderful it had been if I had taken in a warrant from the International Criminal Court, and I was offering it to Mr Blair and a policeman would arrest him. That’s a dream that will come one day. This is a war crime.”

The policing of the demonstration was heavy handed and reflects the slide towards fascism.

Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 Videos: 1 | 2

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Worldwide Protests Against Israeli Aggression

24-07-2006 14:42

police line near american embassy

Tens of thousands throughout the world took to the street on Saturday, July 22nd, to protest against the ongoing Israeli war on Lebanon and Palestine. For the past 12 days and nights, Israeli air forces have destroyed countless civilian buildings and means of transportation in operations that have killed more 400 people, mostly civilians, and wrecked havoc on Lebanese cities, harbours, airports and other infrastructure, leading to the displacement of more than half a million people. The International Day of Action had been called by various anti-war and solidarity campaigns.

In London, up to 30,000 marched from Whitehall, through central London to Hyde Park, where they held a rally [reports and photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Another Wasted Opportunity].

On Tuesday, an emergency assembly in London called for direct action against the Israeli invasion at 1pm on Thursday, 3d of August (meet at Gilbert Street by Bond Street tube).

Similar, but smaller, demonstrations took place in other cities up and down the country, including Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle, York, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Links: IMC Beirut | IMC Israel | International Middle East Media Centre | Palestine News Network | Electronic Intifada | Electronic Lebanon | Palestine Blogs | Tadamon

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War in the Middle East While the World is Watching

20-07-2006 12:38

Collective punishment: Trademark of Israel

For the 12th day in a row, Israeli forces have been bombarding Lebanon, while more Israeli troops are moving into southern parts of the country. So far more than 400 Lebanese civilians have been killed, over 1,000 wounded and some 500,000 displaced, compared with 36 Israeli deaths (17 civilians) caused by Hizbullah's Katyusha rockets fired at northern Israeli cities and towns. Reports from Beirut talk of a deserted, devastated city, with residential buildings, roads and bridges being hit by Israeli air strikes [click the Full Article link for details].

Meanwhile in Palestine, Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip continue. Tens of Palestinian civilians have been killed and many more injured, not to mention the periodic shortages of food, fuel, electricity, water and medicine. Many of those killed were Palestinian civilians, including children, who died during Israeli air force "targeted killings". As well as actual bombing raids, Israeli military airplanes have conducted nightly sonic booming raids over Gaza, with the aim of making the civilian population fearful that actual bombing is under way. In retaliation, Palestinian groups also continue to fire Qassam rockets at Israeli towns [see Human Rights Watch's statement].

Apart from the mass destruction of civilian infrastructure, there are reports that Israeli forces have been using internationally banned weapons, such as phosphorus incendiary bombs and vacuum bombs, both in Gaza and in Lebanon.

Although still small in scale, there have been a few protests against the continuing Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza throughout the world. On 18 June, several hundred people demonstrated in Parliament Square in London. National-wide demonstrations have been called for July 22nd by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition and various Muslim organisations. July 22nd is also going to be an International Day of Action Against Israeli Aggression. Earlier this month, protesters blockaded EDO MBM in Brighton, which makes electrical weapons components for the Israeli military. [see also "Boycott Israeli Goods" National Day of Action].

Read more: Global Indymedia feature | Word from Lebanon | Cyprus Indymedia features 1 | 2 | Appeal for Solidarity with Lebanese Civil Society | The racist subtext of the evacuation story | The Israeli Censor | The Gaza Sea Weeps Blood | Background to the Israel-Palestine crisis | Arab-Israeli wars | Photos: cmaq gallery

Links: IMC Beirut | IMC Israel | International Middle East Media Centre | Palestine News Network | Electronic Intifada | Electronic Lebanon | Palestine Blogs | Tadamon

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Belgrade remembers Srebrenica - 11 years on...

19-07-2006 16:03

The Srebrenica massacre was the July 1995 killing of up to an estimated 8,106 Bosniak males, ranging in age from teenagers to the elderly, in the region of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina by a Serb Army of Republika Srpska under general Ratko Mladić including Serbian state special forces "Scorpions". The Srebrenica massacre is the largest mass murder in Europe since World War II and considered by many as one of the most horrific events in recent European history. It is also the first legally established case of genocide in Europe after the Holocaust. (source: Wikipedia).

11 years on, a large crowd gathered in the city centre of Belgrade to remember the victims killed in the Srebrenica massacre. Last year the same vigil was attacked by nationalist groups, some of who trew teargas in the crowd. The police guarded the protest heavily this time. We took some photos...

Links: Wikipedia on the Srebrenica massacre | Preliminary list of 8106 Bosniaks killed in Srebrenica - (PDF version) - Issued by Federal Commission for Missing Persons on June 5, 2005 | The Association Women of Srebrenica - Official Website | Srebrenica Genocide Blog - Independent Blog Regarding Srebrenica Massacre | "Cry from the Grave" documentary film detailing the account of the massacre | Chemical Warfare in Bosnia? The Strange Experiences of the Srebrenica Survivors (a Human Rights Watch report) | BOSFAM - Non-Governmental group supporting displaced women in Bosnia

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G8 Summit 2006. St. Petersburg, Russia

10-07-2006 14:24

Anti G8 Protestor in St Petersburg, 2006

From July 15th to 17th the G8 met in Strelna, a suburb of St.Petersburg, Russia.

While the situation for protest in Russia is very different (Interview) from what it was in the UK during the G8 in Gleneagles, the Russian "Network against the G8" called for protests against the summit and invited people from around the world to come to Russia. A cycle caravan that departed from Berlin arrived at St.Petersburg well ahead of the protests [reports and photos] A Libertarian Forum also took place in Moscow from the 8 to the 12 of July as a build up event for the protests in St. Petersburg. [Reports: first and second days]

On the 14th of July there was a call for a Global Day of Action, when protests against the neo-liberal politics of the G8 took place worldwide [Summary of global protests] These included planned actions in Washington, Manchester, Berlin, Hamburg, and Manila. Environmental groups also called for an International Day of Direct Action on July 15th for climate justice, against climate change and the G8. See the protest calendar for further details.

At the same time as the G8 summit took place, protesters gathered around the Social Forum in St. Petersburg, and in a convergence centre in the Kirov stadium (with an autonomous space within it). A counter summit called Forum des Peuples was also held in Mali from 15th-17th July.

For the latest reports and updates click at the "Full article" link above, and check out IMC-Russia (multilingual)

Other Indymedia Coverage: IMC-Russia (russian) | IMC-Russia Video Gallery | IMC-UK G8 2006 Page.
Practical Info: Info Bulletin #2 | Travel Info | Moscow Survival Guide | G8 2006 Info and Press Group.
Related websites: spb8.net | g8-2006.plentyfact.net | nog8.ru | Reclaim The Commons | Welsh Anarchists Blog and international mailing list.

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Independence From America

07-07-2006 17:56

Independence From America

On 4th July 2006, American Independence Day, the annual Independence from America demonstration was held at NSA Menwith Hill [ Photos: 1 | 2 ]. It was a hot and sunny Tuesday and the 100 or so protestors were outnumbered by the massive police presence, after drumming, songs from Tom Neilson and some speeches there was a circumnavigation of the expanding spy base. One woman was arrested and later released after a 'caution', see the report from Lindis and Anni for the full story.

The National Security Agency (NSA) base at Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, is the biggest US spy base outside America and it plays a key role in the interception of electronic communications — it is a part of ECHELON (Euskera article | the hardware behind Echelon), missile defence and star wars. The Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (CAAB), the organisers of the demonstration, evolved out of the long campaign of protest at Menwith Hill, which have been going on since the 1950s, read on for links to reports of events held there over the last few years.

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An Alternative Refugee Week

04-07-2006 21:38

In an attempt to rejuvenate the watered-down offical Refugee Week, with the more serious issues regarding asylum and immigration often being muffled or overlooked, many grassrooots groups throughout the country organised alternative events and actions during and around the Week (19-25 June) to bring these issues to the fore.

Links: NoBorders UK communication channels | National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns |

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Indymedia July Film Festivals

03-07-2006 08:58

Not been invited to the G8 Summit this year?

Never mind, Indymedia London is hosting an eight day film festival in London venues with no obligation to buy a gallon of Coke or a bucket of popcorn. And up in Sheffield there is a Summer of Truth film festival with screenings every Sunday in July.

For the full programmes and venues click at the 'full article' link above.