UK UK Newswire Archive
David Cameron trading with Saudi sponsors of terrorism
14-01-2012 02:55
Scottish Labour MP Katy Clark on David Cameron's Saudi Arabia visit (YouTube)
Peter Dow adds evidence of Saudi Arabia sponsoring terrorism and concludes that David Cameron is trading with sponsors of the enemy who is killing our soldiers in Afghanistan.
Building Local Groups
14-01-2012 00:55
To get involved / help set up groups...
OPEN MEETING, SAT 14th JANUARY
4pm-6pm, London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate St, E1 6ES
Followed by social.
Radical London
www.radicallondon.net
A network of community-based anarchist, solidarity and pro-working class resistance groups
Are you fed up with the current system where profit takes place over people
- a system corrupt to the core, where the rich prosper while the rest of us scrape by just to survive?
Do you want to get involved in working alongside your neighbours, building a sense of community and self-empowerment
- where you can actually make a difference to you, your family, friends and workmates on a day-to-day basis?
Don't panic, we have a plan!
Radical London is a network of community-based anarchist, solidarity and pro-working class resistance groups. We want to collectively take back control over our lives, and the resources and decision-making where we live and work.
If you live in London and agree, sign up now!
There are a number of active groups we can refer you to. If there's no group in your area and you'd like to set one up, please tell us! We want to see an active local group in every local area throughout London.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AN APPEAL TO ALL RADICALS AND ANTI-AUTHORITARIANS
Why we should all help form radical local community-based groups
Our goal should be the creation of a society free from the exploitation of capitalism and the oppression of the state - a society which is non-hierarchical and in which everyone is free, yet works together collectively. This will be achieved when the mass of the working class share these goals; in other words, we need to help build mass grassroots movements in which radical and anarchist ideas and ways of doing things can flourish in our communities.
Radicals are involved in a wide range of activities. The media tend to stress the more visible and physical roles such as the direct action at demos, arrests etc. But to overcome isolation and not just be a mere pinprick in the side of capitalism and the state, we must also reach out to the mass of the working class.
So what can we do?
The groups that are linked into the Radical London network believe that setting up local radical/anarchist/solidarity groups and networks, with the aim of engaging in local community actions as well as supporting local workplace struggles, is a key way of spreading ideas, solidarity and resistance amongst the wider working class. In addition, we are strengthened by our connection to others and we are in a better situation to actually participate in and win struggles.
For example...
Campaigns against cuts, to save a local market or a green space, or challenging the impact of the Olympics;
Supporting community groups and activities such as tenants and residents associations;
Local industrial disputes and supporting local workers involved in national strikes;
Practical solidarity work with claimants, people fighting eviction etc;
Fighting oppression, working with others to challenge racism and other forms of oppression;
Putting on activities such as film-shows, public meetings or radical history walks;
Producing leaflets and news-sheets with alternative ways of thinking about current issues & organising.
The groups in Radical London (and around the UK) are doing all of these things. If there were groups throughout London and the UK doing similar things and sharing our experiences and learning from each other, it would be a crucial step in making anarchist & radical ideas influential in a range of grass roots struggles - and a serious alternative to the current establishment / status quo.
info@radicallondon.net
SchNEWS: Not In My Frack Yard
13-01-2012 20:40
Caudrilla execs left quaking in their boots after angry fracking meeing
The week saw two large public meetings on the fracking – the process of hydraulic fracturing for shale gas, one on either side of the Pond. The first took place in the old steel town of Youngstown, Ohio- held on Tuesday in the wake of a magnitude 4.0 earthquake, the latest in a series of 11 over the last 12 months. The earthquakes are linked to an injection well disposing of fracking fluid (a mix of groundwater and industrial chemicals). The second took place in the sleepy, extremely affluent commuter belt village of Balcombe, in Sussex, just north of the Ouse Valley Viaduct on the London to Brighton railway line. Cuadrilla Resources, made infamous by their earthquake producing facilities in Lancashire, have planning permission to drill a test well south of the village. The process has been compared to setting off a small nuclear bomb underground. Needless to say there are some ruffled feathers in well manicured lawns of this community.
We Remember: Tom Hurndall
13-01-2012 20:19
On the day of his shooting, Tom was with other ISM activists walking through Rafah when Israeli sniper fire started. Almost everyone ran for safety, but Tom noticed that three children, aged between four and seven, had remained motionless, paralysed with fear. Tom went back for them. He got the little boy to safety, and then went back for the two girls. He was wearing a fluorescent vest, and was clearly unarmed. An Israeli sniper shot him in the head.
There was a two hour delay at the border of the Gaza Strip before an ambulance was able to take him to a hospital in Be’er Sheva. In a coma, he was transferred to a hospital in the UK, where he died the following year.
We are leaving College Green
13-01-2012 19:25
One of the key concerns for us at this stage is to minimise any expense to the taxpayer. We hoped that the above route would mean that the Council would not need to spend unnecessary money on a legal battle. Occupy Bristol therefore decided not to legally contest the proceedings today.
We demand the truth about British involvement in torture
13-01-2012 17:30
The announcement by the CPS and Scotland Yard regarding the decision not to pursue certain individuals from British intelligence in relation to allegations of complicity in torture may, on the face of it, seem to have brought the matter to a close. That, however, is not quite it.
Protest against Atos & police repression
13-01-2012 16:55
Now more than ever!
In September 2011, two Nottingham residents, a retired paediatric nurse and a wheelchair user were arrested following a peaceful protest at the local offices of Atos ‘Healthcare’. Faced with an impressive solidarity campaign and having a pathetically weak case, the CPS and Atos backed down and the charges of aggravated trespass were dropped.
However, this case of political policing, an attempt to intimidate protesters and deter further acts of direct action, is not an isolated one: just before X-Mas three arbitrary arrests were made in relation to a Notts Uncut protest. Aside from coppers manhandling one arrestee these events are particularly disturbing as the third arrest took place as supporters were simply waiting for the others to be released.
In recent years Notts Police had been better known for their frequent blunders and blatant incompetence rather than a particular urge to repress peaceful protests. However, recent arrests and charges, along with other attempts of harassment and intimidation (e.g. confiscating tapes from a photography student who had filmed an arrest) indicate a change in policy. This was summed up by one copper’s comment who said with regards to the ‘Atos Two’ that “There has been too much of this sort of thing going on and we've been told to crack down on it.”
Atos remains however one of the many examples of why we need much more of “this sort of thing”. The company, who administers the Work Capability Assessments for the Department of Work and Pensions, has been the subject of national protests.
Being paid £100m a year, Atos is happy to do their very best to support the government’s attack on disabled people. The company quickly became infamous for its atrocious conduct towards claimants, driven by a fierce determination to force as many people as possible off disability benefits – regardless of their physical and/or psychological abilities.
Atos has helped the government to worsen the living conditions of thousands of people. Many have been denied vital benefits and forced into a job market offering no jobs, which leads to further harassment by Job Center Plus and assorted poverty pimps like A4E, Working Links, etc.
ORGANISE AND FIGHT BACK!
DON’T LET THEM INTIMIDATE YOU!
JOIN US ON FRIDAY 3rd FEBRUARY!
‘Atos Two’ case “discontinued”
13-01-2012 14:55
We are glad to announce that the case against the ‘Atos Two' is being ‘discontinued', i.e. dropped.
However, it is now more than ever necessary to continue the protests against Atos, to defy any attempts of police repression and to stand with those whose actions are being criminalised.
In September 2011, two Nottingham residents, a retired paediatric nurse and a wheelchair user were arrested following a peaceful protest at the local offices of Atos ‘Healthcare’. Faced with an impressive solidarity campaign and having a pathetically weak case, the CPS and Atos backed down and the charges of aggravated trespass were dropped.
The prosecution stated that they would “discontinue” the case, the reason given was that the “complainant no longer supports the prosecution”. It is unknown whether this change of mind was due to Atos’ concerns of further bad publicity or whether coppers and/or CPS advised the “complainant” to back off before their case would have been dismantled in court (or maybe both).
In any case it is without question that the remarkable acts of solidarity by hundreds of people did make a significant impact. The public pressure mounting up even before the trial had started will have made an impression, demonstrating the importance of such practical acts of solidarity and the potential of mutual aid and support.
The ‘Atos Two’ have asked us to express their gratitude to everyone who has supported them over the last few months and let you know that you’re all fantastic!
However, it mustn’t be forgotten that this case of political policing, an attempt to intimidate protesters and deter further acts of direct action, is not an isolated one. The arrests of Notts Uncut activists just before X-Mas and the confiscation of a photography student’s tapes after he filmed an arrest indicate that the local force is changing their attitude towards peaceful protest. This seems to have been confirmed by a police officers’ remark who commented on the arrest of the ‘Atos Two’ by stating that there “had been too much of this sort of thing and we were told to crack down on it”.
Furthermore Atos is still committed to make people’s lives a misery and the company remains one of the many examples why we need much more of “this sort of thing”.
Therefore we must continue to protest against Atos and to defy any attempts of intimidation by direct action. We must also engage in acts of practical solidarity with those who find themselves subject to police repression and/or caught up in the justice system.
Whether someone is being harassed or assaulted by law enforcers in the streets, put through a WCA, dragged through the courts or locked away in prisons or detention centres, an injury to one is an injury to all!
Join us for a protest against Atos ‘Healthcare’ and police repression on Friday 3rd February 2012 at 12.30pm.
Largest ever Gitmo protest demands Gitmo be closed
13-01-2012 13:17
Video: The march to the Supreme Court and the speakers there -
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=080_1326337321
37 anti-Guantanamo activists arrested outside White House
13-01-2012 12:22
Eire: Guantanamo Protest at US Embassy In Ballsbridge on 10th Anniversary
13-01-2012 12:15
Blood & Iron
13-01-2012 10:11
This is a message to the punks on Aceh island from inside the social conditions that have hit you like a toxic tsunami. Scattered and from far away, we are watching you in solidarity. In your undomitable will, that led you on the path walked by so many intimate witnesses of the banality of evil, we recognise ourselves, and in the iconic scenario of your entrapment we perceive echoes from our own hunts. Deep inside the ancient caverns of our tortured souls, we love you for what you are, because that is all we can do, love and fight, until we have permanently taken back our heads from the oppressors of humanity. In this age of discord and denial, we happened to experience what must end for everyone so that it can finally end for ourselves. Therefore, we are trying to stay alive and grasping for language to penetrate the flood of lies that were made from stolen truths. In seeing you face the very same challenges, we are humbly being reminded that everything we have not said we meant just like that.
Phase three of the 'war on terror'
13-01-2012 01:38
Phase three in the "war on terror" now looks closer than ever. An attack on Iran.Occupy Sheffield: Press Statement
13-01-2012 00:45
Occupy Sheffield started 2012 in determined fashion; unlike banks, parliament and many corporations we did not suspend activity or trading over Christmas and New Year. Instead we continued working for the many, expanding our Occupation and opening Sheffield’s Citadel of Hope.Jock Palfreeman Solidarity Demo in London
13-01-2012 00:29
Jock Palfreeman Solidarity Demo. Thursday 15th March 2012. 11am – 2pm. London.Full article | 1 addition | 1 comment
Census Refuser Trials Liverpool 17 & 18 Jan. Solidarity and support needed
12-01-2012 23:55
Sarah, Derek and Andy (possibly with others) are in Liverpool Magistrates Court on Tuesday and Wednesday 17 and 18 January for their trials. All are being prosecuted for refusing to complete the 2011 census and all have cited weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin's involvement in the census data processing among their reasons for refusal. Their initial hearings were on 8 December [see report and photos plus background].
Join us inside and outside the court to offer solidarity and support to all the defendants. Vigil and demo outside the court from 9.30am both days. Continue the vigil or watch the proceedings in court from 10am.
Military refers all charges against Bradley Manning to court martial
12-01-2012 22:33
http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/military-refers-all-charges-against-bradley-manning-to-court-martial