UK UK Feature Archive
Heathrow 3rd Runway: Flying in the face of public opinion
25-07-2007 08:34
Few informed people doubt the link between carbon emissions and global warming. Even Blair, commenting on "the world's greatest environmental challenge", admitted our effect on the environment to be "large and growing". And since the fastest growing contributor to that effect is air travel, it seems beyond belief that the government would be pressing to expand airports.
Chief amongst these is Heathrow, where a history of lies and broken promises continues as BAA, in league with the state, tries to force through a third runway and a sixth terminal. But it's ceased to be an easy ride. Public appreciation of climate change is awarding legitimacy to direct action groups and the battle over Heathrow's third runway looks set to be one to remember.
Related: Heathrow's Third Runway challenged by villagers | Air expansion fatcats shamed by Tower Bridge protest | Time for BAA to fasten its seatbelts | Heathrow Residents Take Direct Action with Plane Stupid | West London residents halt traffic outside DfT Headquarters
Links: NoTRAG | HACAN | Plane Stupid | Climate Camp
Full article | 15 additions | 4 comments
Activist Killed As Nazis Attack Anti-Nuclear Camp In Siberia
24-07-2007 22:00
In the early morning of 21st July, neo-nazi skinheads launched a vicious and unprovoked attack on an anti-nuclear protest camp in Angarsk, Siberia, Russia (see map). The nazis violently attacked activists in their sleeping bags and tents with iron rods, knives and air pressure guns. 21 year old Ilya Borodaenko from Nachodka suffered a head-fracture during the attack and later died in hospital from his injuries. At least nine others have been reported to be seriously injured, one of which has had both their legs broken. Tents were set on fire and several belongings were stolen.
Financial help and other forms of solidarity are urgently needed. See contact details in additions to this article.
Reports from solidarity vigils: Moskou | Angarsk | The Hague [1] [2] | London
Photos: The Camp before the attack | And after... | Articles in English: [1] | [2] | [3] | Articles in Russian: [1] | [2] | [3] | Translation-tool
Links: Indymedia Siberia | Russia Indymedia | Ecological Wave of Baikal | Announcement of the Camp
Britain is GMO free again
22-07-2007 16:30
On the night of Friday the 6th of July, a group of activists converged on Britain's only GM trial site just outside Cambridge. They scaled the security fences and destroyed the crop of genetically modified potatoes.
This was the only crop of GM potatoes being grown in the UK, after the chemicals giant BASF abandoned plans for a GM potato trial in Yorkshire this year. There have been multiple protests at the Cambridge site [video] and at the Yorkshire site (where organic potatoes were planted [video]).
However BASF have permission lasting until 2011, so this may not be the end of the story ...
Background : GM back on agenda | sabotage promised | detailed talk report | audio interview re victory and protest 1st july
Campaign links : Mutatoes | Hedon Against GM | Cambridge GM Concern
Up with the Posties!
20-07-2007 23:10
Postal workers have walked out twice within two weeks this month, with picket lines mounted at all major sorting and delivery offices across the country. The continuing industrial actions aim to stop the Royal Mail's 'modernisation plans', which the Communication Workers Union (CWU) says would only mean cuts in members' pay and pensions, job cuts and more post office closures. Crown Post Office workers have also gone on strike twice this week over Post Office Ltd plans to close further Crown Post Office branches and transfer services into WH Smith stores.
Reports and pics: Birmingham: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | video | Coventry: 1 | 2 | Solihull | London | Sheffield | Liverpool
United against (the real) terrorism
20-07-2007 23:05
On 7 July, 2007, following the failed attack on Glasgow Airport, some 2,000 people gathered in Glasgow to protest against the war of terror at a Scotland United Against Terror rally, which was called by a few young folks from the the Muslim community and was quickly backed by the city's mosques and Islamic organisations. Speakers ranged from religious and union leaders, Stop the War Coalition, to police and government representatives [report].
Meanwhile, four men convicted of the 21/7 bomb plot in London have been jailed for life, while four other were sentenced each to 6 years in prison for 'inciting terrorism' following the Muhammad cartoons protest in London last year. At the same time, a second jury in the trial of two BNP 'non-terrorists' accused of plotting explosions has 'failed to reach a verdict'. The police, meanwhile, continue to use a considerable chunk of their resources to monitor activists.
Related posts on the newswire: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Latuff Cartoons: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Riots and Repression in Oaxaca
18-07-2007 22:00
Since Monday night, riots and violent police repression have been taking place in Oaxaca, Mexico. At least 65 people have been arrested, while one is dead and four heavily injured in hospital. A teacher, who had been arrested unharmed, was beaten into a coma by police [pic proof]. More info on www.indymedia.org
Pics 1 , 2 | alternative Guelaguetza pics 1 , 2 | Indy Scotland report | Narco News | Indymedia Oaxaca | Indymedia Chiapas | APPO
Palestinian Flag Hoisted at Agrexco Carmel
18-07-2007 21:37
A Palestinian flag fluttered over the Agrexco Carmel depot in Hayes, Middlesex, for a few hours on the afternoon of Sunday 15th July. Activists entered the Israeli, 50% state-owned fresh produce importer's premises shortly after 1pm. The action formed part of an ongoing campaign against the company which is the major distributor for settlement produce. After replacing the Israeli and British flags, the activists entered the warehouse and conducted a brief inspection before some of the group D-locked themselves to a storage trailer.After disrupting business for about 3.5 hours, the group left voluntarily without any arrests.
Links:
Pride in London and Beyond
07-07-2007 23:00
This years London Gay Pride saw one of the biggest turnouts ever despite two factors that would have all but destroyed other events. Firstly unknown persons planted two 'devices’ on the route of the march two days before. This could have led the Police to cancel the procession or a least reroute it through a less glamorous part of town. Then there was the rain that tipped down by the bucket full from beginning to end and the pathetic little protests by the National Front and their brethren from the Christian Right. Fortunately the LGBT community and their supporters are not so easily put off and beer and broll'ies were the order of the day, with the pink pound ensuring plenty of both flowed through the damp streets of London.
However, marchers carrying banners with the word 'queer' displayed on them were forbidden from displaying them at yesterday's Gay Pride event in London. Blundering cops decided that the word was 'offensive', and someone wearing a t-shirt which read 'anarchists make better lovers' was also ordered to cover it up as this was also deemed 'offensive' by those arbiters of good taste the London Met. Politics is not allowed at Pride it seems, leaving more room for corporate back-slapping about how right on companies like Lloyds Bank and British Airways are.
Reports and Photos: Pride 2007. Pitiful counter demos. | Pride 2007 photos and report. | Queers Banned at Pride! | British Airways Shame London Pride | Anarchists join Gay Pride march
Pride 2007 Reports Elsewhere: Dublin Gay Pride 2007 | Gay Pride in Riga, Latvia 2007 | Chicago's Biggest Pride Parade Ever! Gives Warm Welcome to Progressive Contingent | 2007 Pride Weekend in San Francisco | Israel - we are all queers
Full article | 1 addition | 2 comments
Two arrested at the annual 'Independence From America' protest
07-07-2007 17:35
The Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases' (CAAB) annual Independence From America demonstration at NSA Menwith Hill was the first where protestors were not allowed to circumnavigate the base due to a Section 12 order. There were two arrests, one for wearing a shirt with the word "fuck" on it and the second for arguing against the arrest. The rally at the start was addressed by Alan Bennett and Mark Steel and the marchers from Footprints for Peace [ 1 | 2 ]. A Declaration of Independence was read out, "we... do solemnly demand the return of the land, once within the boundaries of the ancient townships of Birstwith, Felliscliffe, Norwood and Menwith, now occupied by the United States National Security Agency and their military forces.". There was a heavy police presence, food was provided by Veggies and Yorkshire CND had a stall.
Report | Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Audio: 1 | 2 | 3 | 2006 Feature
A Taste Of Things To Come
07-07-2007 00:01
Over three weeks ago, the government's chief scientist warned that for the UK, flash floods were likely to be the biggest immediate problem caused by global warming. David King told a committee of MPs that the country would have to prepare for extreme weather such as heatwaves and "torrential downpours". Two weeks later, large areas are counting the cost of the worst flooding this country has seen for over 50 years. The floods have left seven people dead and over 40,000 homes damaged. The army was mobilised to help with emergency efforts as two more rivers broke their banks and water continued to rise. Experts agree that the severe storms and flooding will become more frequent as temperatures rise.
Photos: Did Climate Change Cause Floods around Nottinghamshire? Pictures 1 | Pictures 2 | 25th June 2007: Sheffield Floods
Other Articles: Wet and wild, a taste of things to come | Floods hit York | Climate Chaos - read (and weep) all about it | Sheffield: 'Cut the Carbon' Cyclecade | A new weather Front
Links: Sheffield Indymedia | Notts Indymedia | Climate Indymedia | UK Indymedia Climate Chaos page | June 2007 United Kingdom floods on Wikipedia | Notts Indymedia Weather Page | Slideshow of Floods in Nottingham in 2000 | Climate change and flood (Environment Agency) | Cool Kids For a Cool Climate
Two Arrested at Cambridge GM potato picnic
03-07-2007 18:19
7/7/07 Update: The field has been decontaminated!
Sunday July 1st. Fifty anti-GM campaigners take their protest directly to the test site in Girton near Cambridge. One protester is arrested scaling the fence erected to protect the GM potato crop and another is arrested later on for alleged criminal damage (they will be in court on Tuesday morning[ 1 | 2 ]). The crop are GM potatoes developed by BASF, who have already dropped their one other potato trial in the UK [ 1 | 2 ].
Detailed write up - video - Pictures [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ] Local media coverage - Criticism of tactics.
Background : GM back on agenda | sabotage promised | detailed talk report | audio interview re victory and protest 1st july
Campaign links : Mutatoes | Hedon Against GM | Cambridge GM Concern
Anti-war greeting for Tweedle Brown
27-06-2007 12:12
Gordon Brown is facing an anti-war welcome during his first week in power, with little sign that he will break with Blair's disastrous foreign policy. A War Is Still the Issue camp was set up in Parliament Square from Saturday 23rd [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Video ] (the fact that it was allowed may be a sign that SOCPA will be repealed? ... well, in fact probably not!). There was a demonstration outside Brown's Labour leadership coronation in Manchester on Saturday [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] and a Military Families Against War demonstration took place on his first day as Prime Minister on Wednesday [ Pics ] Later in the evening, a small group of activists braved the rain outside Blair's new Connaught Square home and made neighbours aware of their new resident [ Pics ].
Links: War is Still the issue | Voices in the Wilderness | Justice Not Vengeance | Stop the War Coalition | Military Families Against the War
Full article | 1 addition | 1 comment
Anti-GM Victory : One down, One to Go!
25-06-2007 17:18
It seems there are not often victories to celebrate so it's strange when they occur seemingly unnoticed. That's exactly what's happened regarding the news that the chemicals giant, BASF have abandoned plans for a GM potato trial in Yorkshire this year, despite government consent.
Back in April there was an action in Hedon near Hull [1 | 2 ] to demonstrate public opposition to the first GM trials in the UK proposed in three years. Taking action before the trial began, the protesters planted their own organic spuds in what they thought was the field earmarked for the GM variety [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6]. The aim was to invalidate the experiment before it was even started and while it turned out that they had picked the wrong field they did successful demonstrate that public opposition to GM crops is as strong and militant as ever [audio | video].
The planting of the other trial, located in Cambridge [1 | 2], went ahead despite local opposition and protests but campaigners say that it's not too late to drive home the message that "there is still no future for GM in the UK".
There is a national call out for a 'potato picnic' announced for Sunday 1st July near the site of the Cambridge trial. [flyer | directions]
Background : GM back on agenda | sabotage promised | detailed talk report | audio interview re victory and protest 1st july
Campaign links : Mutatoes | Hedon Against GM | Cambridge GM Concern
Full article | 1 addition | 2 comments
Camp with No Borders
22-06-2007 23:21
2007 is witnessing a resurgence of No Border Camps, which were instrumental to the No Border movement from the late 1990's onwards. Three No Border camps for 2007 have recently been announced. The first will be in the Ukraine at the intersection of five countries and at the border of Fortress Europe. In September, it is the turn of our very own Gatwick airport, where the government is planning to build yet another prison for migrants. Finally, in November, there will be another No Border camp at the Mexico/US border, where every year hundreds of migrants die trying to cross the desert or at the hands of the vigilante 'border police', the Minutemen.
Links: No Borders UK | No Borders London | Global No Border | map of European migrant camps
Four decades of occupation - Enough!
20-06-2007 22:07
Over 20,000 demonstrators showed their support for the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in a march and rally held in London on 9 June, 2007, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War and the ongoing military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The rally, which took place in Trafalgar Square, was organised by Enough!, a coalition of over 50 charities, trade unions, faith and other campaign groups.
Reports and pics: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | MP3s of all speeches | Enough! report | Innovative Minds report | Call for action
All around the world, thousands marked the anniversary with a week of actions against the Israeli occupation (see this round-up). In Germany, G8 protesters responded with a mass demo at a Caterpillar plant in Rostock [Video]. An unconfirmed report claimed that the plant was fire-bombed that night, destroying Caterpillar machinery.
Related: This Week In Palestine – Week 23 2007 | Taking Aim: The Destruction of Palestine | Co-op Radio: Palestine - 40 years of occupation | The Six Day War Deceptions | Israel's Attack on the USS Liberty Revisited | John Pilger: Resisting the Empire
Full article | 17 additions | 6 comments
G8 Protest: Summit Blockaded From All Sides
08-06-2007 09:35
Friday 8th June:
On Friday the blockades ended and a few thousand people assembled at Rostock train station for a march down to the harbour. Many were returning from spending the night camped out around Heiligendam. It was unbelievably hot and the occasion had a party atmosphere. Following the demo a few hundred people headed down to the prison to show solidarity with those still being held. The Police stopped them from getting up close to the prison so a main road was occupied nearby for a few of hours.
To see the full picture of what happened see: Breaking News (en)
Read more for previous daily summaries, overview about mobilisations, infopoints, protest agenda etc ...
Follow the continuous flow of latest updates in english at IMC Breaking News (also available in 5 other languages: de, it, fr, es, gr) and check Indymedia Germany in English for latest reports.
Information Resources: Listen Live! - 4 radio streams | G8 TV - daily video stream | Flashradio - daily podcast (en) | G8 Global Infopoint Network | IMC UK Topic G8 2007
Websites: dissentnetwork | Dissent! UK | Interventionist Left | all for all | antig8.tk | Gipfelsoli | people global action | heiligendamm2007.de | Alternative Summit | Camps
John Bowden: Prisoner Support is not Terrorism
05-06-2007 09:00
On Saturday May 25th, activists held a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament, as part of the growing Hands off John Bowden campaign. The demo was called by a group of Friends of John Bowden as an International Day of Solidarity. John Bowden is a long-term prison resister, who has spent more than a quarter of a century fighting for prisoners’ rights, and is now being kept in jail because of his politics rather than because of his original conviction. Brighton Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) has called for another demo outside the London Parole Board HQ on Friday 8th June at noon.
Articles by John Bowden: Uprising at Shotts prison | Brutality at Full Sutton | When is a Prison Reformer Not a Prison Reformer? | David Blunket Sanctioned The Machine Gunning Of Rioting Prisoners | "Riff-raff" prisoners? | Investigation into racist abuse at Whitemoor Prison
Full article | 3 additions | 1 comment
Parliament Square Peace Campers in Court
29-05-2007 14:25
At least 12 activists have now been charged under SOCPA in connection with the No More Fallujahs Peace Camp and Naming the Dead actions in Parliament Square and Whitehall on 29-30 October 2006. Reports from the actions here.
In a planned act of civil disobedience against the occupation of Iraq, campaigners set up an unauthorised camp in Parliament Square for 24 hours last October. In all, over 100 people took part in workshops and discussions and held 'Naming the Dead' remembrance ceremonies in Parliament Square and Whitehall during the action.
Most of the defendants have been in court over the past two weeks, with the judgements to date illustrating the arbitrary nature of British "justice".
Read on...
Full article | 6 additions | 14 comments
Imperial Disinformation: The Guardian's Iran/Iraq Coverage
28-05-2007 09:20
On 22nd May, 2007, the front page of The Guardian was taken up by pro-war propaganda, designed to prepare public opinion to accept that war with Iran is an inevitable next step in the Anglo-American 'war on terror'. Simon Tisdall's high-profile piece claimed that Iran has secret plans to do nothing less than wage war on, and defeat, American and British forces in Iraq by August.
Last February, Indymedia UK published a feature on MI6 Iran disinformation being run by The Telegraph and the BBC [ 1 | 2 ], "the British mainstream media are now reflexively boosting the US claim that Iran presents a threat to the West". The feature also contains more details about the looming war and what it's really about.
Guardian Disinfo Newswire Articles: Guardian promotes Bush administration war propaganda against Iran | Pentagon Propaganda Occupies the Guardian's Front Page | Guardian at the Gates: Surging Toward War With Iran | The Grauniad: An Unlimited Conduit for US-UK's War Propaganda | CASMII Strongly Criticises the Guardian for Anti-Iranian Article
B52 Two: Not Guilty
27-05-2007 11:20
On 22th May 2007, the trial of two Oxford peace activists Philip Pritchard and Toby Olditch (known as the 'B52 Two') concluded with the jury returning a unanimous verdict of not-guilty in less than three hours [1] | [2]. The two were charged with 'conspiring to cause criminal damage' at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on 18 March 2003 when they tried to safely disable US B52 bombers to prevent them from bombing Iraq. The court heard the two men acted to prevent damage to life and property in Iraq, and war crimes by the aggressors. During the trial the prosecution accepted that even delaying the bombers would have prevented civilian casualties, as it would have allowed those fleeing cities more time to escape.
Links: B52 Two website | B52 Two trial blog | Wikipedia on B52 bombers
On the newswire: the B52 TWO - Bristol Crown Court | B52 two in Bristol Crown Court | US War Crimes in Iraq on Trial in Bristol Crown Court | B52 two face retrial after jury fails to reach verdict | B52 disarmers on trial this week | Now It's The Turn Of The 'B52 Two' To Face Trial | Trial of the 'B52 Two' Peace Activists begins in Bristol Crown Court, 2 October | Video - B52 Two Vigil at Gloucester Prison
Further coverage: Bristol Indymedia | Schnews on the B52 two victory