UK UK Newswire Archive
Combating the Cuts agenda is now available
10-01-2011 18:23
The Notts SOS Combating the Cuts: Planning for Action event will take place in Nottingham as planned, on Saturday, 15th. January 2011 in the Dunkirk and Old Lenton Community Centre.
An agenda has been put together to help structure the day which can be found by following the link above. Full venue details can also be found there.
Across the UK, groups have sprung up in opposition to the cuts being imposed by the Coalition Government - with students, protesting against the trebling of fees, taking the lead. Locally Notts Save Our Services (Notts SOS) has organised a public meeting, a demonstration attracting more than 1,000 people and a number of smaller actions. Students have rallied at both local universities and occupied the Great Hall at University of Nottingham.
But it is not enough to simply protest against the cuts, even in vast numbers. This is one of the key lessons from the movement against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If we want to win, we need a strategy. Notts SOS have some ideas about what this might involve, but we don't pretend to have all the answers. It is with this in mind that we are organising the Combating the Cuts event on Saturday, 15th. January 2011.
We hope to bring together as many people as possible to come up with ideas for campaigning around the different lines of attack on our communities and then try and build these into a coherent strategy. For this to work, we need participation to be as wide as possible: activists, service users, public sector workers, trade unionists, the unemployed and others. We need your ideas to carry the fight-back forward.
So get in touch with us to let us know that you will be participating. Also tell people you know about this important event.
Contact us via Notts SOS website conference page.
Ratcliffe: 2nd Court Case of 6 activist Collapses
10-01-2011 18:23
Today was to have been the beginning of a trial of a further 6 people arrested during the police Operation Aeroscope
Ratcliffe: 2nd Court Case of 6 activist Collapses
Over the last few weeks, 20 protestors had been appearing in Nottingham crown Court, accused of conspiring to shut down the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station. They were found guilty and were sentenced on the 5th January.
Today was to have been the beginning of a trial of a further 6 people arrested during the police Operation Aeroscope in which 114 people had been arrested by Nottinghamshire Police to prevent the action going ahead.
Integral to this case is the revelations of the work of the undercover Metropolitan Police Officer Mark Kennedy.
Mark 'Stone/Kennedy' exposed as undercover police officer? - Indymedia UK 21 October 2010
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/10/466477.html
Mike Schwarz,a solicitor at the Bindmans law firm who represented the activists, said last night:
"I have no doubt that our attempts to get disclosure about Kennedy's role has led to the collapse of the trial. It is no coincidence that just 48 hours after we told the CPS our clients could not receive a fair trial unless they disclosed material about Kennedy, they halted the prosecution. Given that Kennedy was, until recently, willing to assist the defence, one has to ask if the police were facing up to the possibility their undercover agent had turned native."
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer was spotted in Nottingham Crown Court this morning. A few of us were wondering if that his presence had anything to do with the trial collapse? A couple of journalist asked court staff if this was so. But, no!! Apparently he was on a routine visit to the court. We looked at each other and said: "yea right" at the same time :-)
Sitting in Court 3 the defendant initially seated in the dock [glass tank!] were invited to seating within the court. Before His Honour Judge Milmo QC, Miss Felicity Gerry for the prosecution said that on last Wednesday [5th January], the Crown Prosecution Service undertook a review of the case and that as a result, the crown had decided to offer no evidence. The judge therefore declares all six defendants not guilty. The defendant were represented by six individual barristers each of which then applied to the court for an assortment of legal and travel costs all being agreed by the judge.
He then rose.
The whole gig done and dusted in under ten minutes!
Of course the defendants had had this case hanging over their lives since Easter 2009. Obviously being in possession of more of the facts than they had let on. It would of course have been nice if the prosecution might have alleviated their distress by pulling the plug earlier. But no!
Outside, speaking on the court steps, solicitor Mick Schwartz said that the reason for the collapse of the trial was that:
"Previously unavailable material that significantly undermines the prosecution's case came to light on Wednesday 5 January'. The discovery of this material came at the time when the prosecution were informed that we planned to pursue disclosure of the evidence relating to PC Kennedy with the judge. Unsurprisingly, they have declined to confirm whether the new material relates to PC Kennedy. In my opinion the two are obviously connected. The timing speaks for itself. These events also beg wider, serious questions. Would this evidence have been uncovered had the defence not become aware of it through other avenues?"
The primary difference in the defence operated in these two trials was that the first 20 said in court, that they were going to carry out the action that they were accused of, but claimed that it was 'necessary'. A lawful excuse for action. This latest trial of the six, would have said that yes, they were there, but had not decided whether to have taken part in any action, or not. PC Kennedy being present there, might have been able to help the court with that!!
It seems obvious to me that with the scale of the climate emergency in front of us, these [and similar] cases are only just the beginning. As time progresses [runs out], many other concerned citizens will be taking direct actions on these issues. The law will of course be 47 steps behind, uncertain if action is necessary or not, or, if democracy and political process can save us. Having heard all the evidence from the last trial ..... I think not. Personally, I hope one day, the law might progress that we can eventually take action against companies / government for the new offence of ecocide, rather than defending individual peoples actions to be 'necessary'.
Why we need a law on ecocide - Polly Higgins barrister, international environmental lawyer Guardian 5 January 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2011/jan/05/ecocide-law-ratcliffe
This Is Ecocide | Making the destruction of our planet a crime
http://www.thisisecocide.com
I wish everyone with concerns about our future, the very best in any action they can take to help us protect it. For all future generations and species on the planet. My thanks.
+++
Mike Schwarz's of Bindmans Solicitors statement on undercover policeman Mark Kennedy and the Ratcliffe trial
On Easter Monday 2009 over 400 police officers were involved in a raid at Iona school in Nottingham, which led to 114 arrests. I represented 113 of those arrested. The 114th we now know was PC Kennedy, an undercover police officer. Six of my clients were due to face a long trial starting today. However, the prosecution told the defence on Friday 7th January 2011, just before the trial was due to begin, and almost 20 months after the investigation began, that 'Previously unavailable material that significantly undermines the prosecution's case came to light on Wednesday 5 January'. The discovery of this material came at the time when the prosecution were informed that we planned to pursue disclosure of the evidence relating to PC Kennedy with the judge. Unsurprisingly, they have declined to confirm whether the new material relates to PC Kennedy. In my opinion the two are obviously connected. The timing speaks for itself. These events also beg wider, serious questions. Would this evidence have been uncovered had the defence not become aware of it through other avenues? And is it appropriate that access to, and decisions about, disclosure of key evidence should exclusively be in the hands of a prosecution whose primary function is to secure convictions? Let me be clear about this. My clients were not guilty. They did not agree to join in any plan to occupy the power station. The evidence of PC Kennedy presumably confirmed this. Yet that evidence, had it been kept secret, could have led to a miscarriage of justice. Serious questions must be asked relating to the policing of protest, from the use of undercover officers, to the use of expensive and legally questionable mass pre-emptive arrest of protesters, to extremely restrictive pre-charge bail condition, to the seemingly arbitrary nature by which the 114 initially arrested were reduced to the final 26 who were eventually charged. The police need to answer some serious questions about their conduct relating to protesters generally.
Undercover officer spied on green activists - Rob Evans and Paul Lewis Guardian 9 January 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/09/undercover-office-green-activists
Mark Kennedy: A journey from undercover cop to 'bona fide' activist - Rob Evans and Paul Lewis Guardian 10 January 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/10/mark-kennedy-undercover-cop-activist
http://ratcliffeontrial.org
____________________________________________
ALAN LODGE
Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham. UK
Email: tash@indymedia.org
Web: http://digitaljournalist.eu
Member of the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]
____________________________________________
"It is not enough to curse the darkness.
It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"
___________________________________________
<ends>
Carfree Bristol New Year Meeting
10-01-2011 18:22
Golden Guinea Pub from 7.30pmCarfree Bristol is the organisation for people who live without cars in Bristol. We are partly social, and partly campaigning. This is our regular monthly meeting, which will also put the final touches to a couple of bids we have been working on to Bristol's Green Capital Challenge Fund.
Carfree Bristol is the organisation for people who live without cars in Bristol. We are partly social, and partly campaigning. This is our regular monthly meeting, which will also put the final touches to a couple of bids we have been working on to Bristol's Green Capital Challenge Fund.
This month we will be changing venues, to check out the newly refurbished Golden Guinea pub on Guinea Street (BS1 6SX), near to Bristol General Hospital and St Mary Redcliffe
http://www.thegoldenguinea.co.uk/content/discover
Our dates for the rest of the year (3rd Weds of the month at 7.30pm) will be:
16th Feb, 16th March, 20th April, 18th May, 15th June, 20th July, 17th Aug, 21st Sept, 19th Oct, 16th Nov, 21st Dec
Drop Fees Not Bombs
10-01-2011 18:22
Rage against the machine“UK high street banks have come under fire
for their role in causing the economic meltdown.
But the lack of regulation which led to the current
crisis is also behind an even deadlier scandal.”
A new report by War on Want, Banking on Bloodshed:Highlights UK high street banks’ complicity in the arms trade, and has exposed, for the first time, the extent to which the five main British high street banks are funding this violent trade. By directly financing their production, these banks are complicit in the havoc and destruction caused by the deadliest weaponry the world has ever seen.
Most high street banks are violating their own corporate social responsibility (CSR) statements.
See BAAT wordpress for full summary
US government demands Twitter account information of WikiLeaks and followers
10-01-2011 17:40
“Ms. Jonsdottir denounced the subpoena in a telephone interview with the WSWS on Sunday. “There is no criminal case against me because I have done nothing in violation of any law,” she stated.“The US government is trying to criminalize whistleblowing and publication of whistleblowing,” Jonsdottir added. “They want to make it tantamount to spying, and if they succeed in doing that, journalists could be prosecuted just for doing their jobs.”
Jonsdottir and Gonggrijp, together with Julian Assange, are listed as the producers of the Collateral Murder video released in April, which shows the slaughter of unarmed people, including two Reuters journalists, by a US helicopter gunship in 2007.
In addition to the information on WikiLeaks and its collaborators, the subpoena also demands “non-content information associated with the contents of any communications … stored by or for the accounts(s), such as destination email addresses.” If Twitter posts are interpreted as messages, that means that Twitter will be obliged to turn over the names of all of WikiLeaks’ followers.”
“The subpoena ordered Twitter not to disclose that it had been served with the subpoena.”
Cut The War Not The Poor - picket of banks
10-01-2011 17:22
Rolling Picket of High Street BanksSaturday 22nd January – Rolling Picket of High Street Investors In the Arms Trade
Meeting Point 1pm. The Band Stand, Castle Park, Bristol, BS1
“UK high street banks have come under fire
for their role in causing the economic meltdown.
But the lack of regulation which led to the current
crisis is also behind an even deadlier scandal.”
A new report by War on Want, Banking on Bloodshed:Highlights UK high street banks’ complicity in the arms trade, and has exposed, for the first time, the extent to which the five main British high street banks are funding this violent trade. By directly financing their production, these banks are complicit in the havoc and destruction caused by the deadliest weaponry the world has ever seen.
Most high street banks are violating their own corporate social responsibility (CSR) statements.
See BAAT wordpress for full summary
20 years ago: Memorial vigil to remember start of Iraq war
10-01-2011 17:22
Join global vigil to remember start of Iraq war 20 years ago.Meet at 11.15pm on 15th Jan at Kebele 14 Robertson Rd Easton for lift ( 2 spaces) confirm before please. Use bristolagainstarmstrade@gmail.com
Bring candle or placard.
Or meet at BAE entrance on Southmead Rd at 12 midnight.
Other vigils which are happening :
White House, Washington D.C.
U.S. embassies in London, Dublin and Wellington (NZ)
Menwith Hill
White House DC
Gallipoli Barracks Brisbane Australia
Palestine Today 01 10 2011
10-01-2011 17:01
Mass demo, 29th January central London against education cuts and fees.
10-01-2011 16:52
There will be a mass demonstration in central London on Saturday the 29th of January against the imposition of education cuts and fees by the Conservative/Liberal coalition government. They may have passed the legislation but the fight back is far from over.Venezuela: Shock Therapy to “nationalise” and discipline the daily lives of the
10-01-2011 16:37
With the excuse of bringing about greater efficiency in order to reverse the consequences of the great flooding at the end of 2010 which left over one hundred thousand victims, president Chavez has put a new law the National Assembly that would give him special administrative powers for a period of 12 months. At the same time, he wants the National Assembly to approve, in an extraordinary manner, another set of laws, without wide national debate limiting various political and social rights enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.Queer Cafe Reading Group and Film Screenings
10-01-2011 16:22
Islamophobia - The price of gay rights?Interrogating Queer Modes of Belonging
A Bristol Queer Cafe Reading Group Series in collaboration with Race Revolt ‘zine
Reading Group - 7pm
24th Jan: Kebele, 14 Robertson Road, Easton, BS5 6JY
7th Feb: Cafe Kino, 108 Stokes Croft, BS1 3RU
21st Feb: Cafe Kino, 108 Stoke Croft, BS1 3RU
Film Screenings - 7pm @ Kebele
31st Jan: “Unveiled”
14th Feb: “A Jihad for Love”
Culminating in an all-day workshop and discussions
12-7pm, Friday February 25th 2011, Manchester
Check http://racerevolt.org.uk/events/home.html for updates
This reading series considers texts that address the ways in which gay rights are being used in nationalist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric by racist organisations such as the English Defence League, politicians like Geert Wilders and even increasingly by gay activists.
Is it possible to show solidarity without patronising LGBTQI struggles elsewhere? How do we resist justifications for war on the basis of appeals to women’s and queer rights? Is secularism compulsory for LGBTQI people, and what does this mean for those who profess a faith? Does the focus on legal rights such as joining the army or gay marriage represent your idea of liberation?
All welcome and free to participate. For access to readings send an email to: bristolreading(at)racerevolt(dot)org(dot)uk
Bristol Against Arms Trade meeting
10-01-2011 16:22
BAAT meet at Smiling Chair 6pmBAAT welcomes anybody with an interest in campaigning against militarism in our society and the arms trade.
Arrive at 5pm to go banner making elsewhere until 6pm return to Smiling Chair
If you would like to learn more or contribute in any way come along.
Our activities so far include
stalls at regular intervals, non violent direct action such as a 'die-in', vigil with outside films in the town centre, fund raising gigs,
anti-war film night.
Meet at Smiling Chair next to Sprinters the Printers on Stokes Croft. 6pm ( 5pm for banner making}
Agenda: Preparation for 'Cut the War not the poor' picket.
Discuss Draft principles for BAAT, see below
BAAT is a non-hierarchical group of activists who share a belief in the necessity of direct action to oppose militarism and the arms industry.
BAAT aims: to challenge the military/ industrial complex in all its forms( see notes on this) and provide:
* A variety of media/mediums to educate and inform ourselves and others about militarism.
*campaign to raise awareness of the arms industry in Bristol
* solidarity and mutual aid
* training and workshops in direct action, trauma support, media, etc
* a forum for discussion and analysis
BAAT has the following principles:
* Organise using the principles of autonomy and non-heirarchy
* We embrace a diversity of tactics
* We have a respect for life
Police who kill should be prosecuted
10-01-2011 14:22
Ian tomlinson InquestFollowing a pre-inquest hearing on 21 December, the date for the inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests in 2009 has now been set. It will commence on Monday 28 March 2011 and is expected to last for of 5-6 weeks.
The inquest will be conducted by the Chief Coroner, Judge Peter Thornton QC, who replaces the City of London Coroner Paul Matthews. Hearings will take place at the International Dispute Resolution Centre at 70 Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 1EU.
Further information on the inquest is available on the City of London Corporation's website:
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Service...s.htm
Regular updates from the Family Campaign will be posted on the 'Inquest' section of
http://www.iantomlinsonfamilycampaign.org.uk/
Smash EDO benefit Friday 14th of January
10-01-2011 11:34
14th January, 7pm at The Cowley Club, London Rd. Featuring Kiyomori, Sak-Less Jack, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ollie Barron and 7 Day Conspiracy. Live bands till midnight followed by DJs till close.New South Lanarkshire COALcil website reveals why they are "public enemy number 1"
10-01-2011 11:22
A new website has been launched that aims to document the lies, deceit and conflict of interest inherent in South Lanarkshire Council’s relationship with Clydesdale communities, and the degree to which they support Scottish Coal above th
Second Ratcliffe trial collapses
10-01-2011 10:23
The second Ratcliffe conspiracy trial, due to start today, has collapsed after defence lawyers demanded information on undercover police officer Mark Kennedy.
There's more in the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/09/undercover-office-green-activists) and there will be a Newsnight special tonight.
Dark Nights #10 – Anarchist & Anti-Prison Newsletter January 2011
10-01-2011 10:18
Dark Nights is an anarchist & anti-prison PDF freesheet of resistance reports and repression news to download and print out. 8 pages / A3 size. Distribute and discuss.The Machines Change, the Work Remains the Same
10-01-2011 09:52
When I first got involved in left/radical political organizing in the 1990s, I don’t recall any of us referring to our efforts as “phone activism” or calling ourselves “fax activists.” A friend who started organizing in the early 1960s assured me that he never heard the term “mimeograph activism” in those days. We used telephones, fax machines, and mimeographs in our organizing work, but the machines didn’t define our work and we didn’t spend a lot of time arguing about the implications of using them.Disappearing filth leads to dropped charges
10-01-2011 09:23
The stumbling progress of extreme porn case law continues with Newcastle magistrates dropping a charge of possessing a single image of extreme porn – because local police and prosecution appear to have lost the evidence.