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Mayday Madness: Anarchists target 60 firms

Evening Standard | 29.04.2003 13:57

Character attack on two 'anarchist leaders' by the usual suspects.

Anarchists target 60 firms
By Nigel Rosser, Evening Standard
29 April 2003
Anarchists have published a hitlist of more than 60 of the biggest firms in London to be targeted by demonstrators on May Day.


Look here too!

• Is your company a target?


Scotland Yard is braced for a major confrontation with thousands of protesters after agitators used the internet to target the BBC, an international PR consultancy and companies they accuse of profiteering in the Iraq war, along with government departments and oil multinationals.

Today the Evening Standard can reveal that two of the most notorious anarchists in Europe are at the forefront of a plot to cause chaos on Thursday.



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Mark Brown, who uses an inherited multi-million-pound fortune to fund his extreme political campaigns, and Alessio Lunghi, a university dropout who has been prominent in protests that have resulted in widespread rioting, have been meeting to help orchestrate this year's demonstrations.

But it is the publication of the list that is worrying police the most. One officer said: "They have put all this information in the public domain and clearly they have only one intent: to cause as much trouble as possible."

The list includes comments from the organisers encouraging protesters to target firms as part of the anti-war campaign. Of Wimbledon-based Brown & Root Limited, it says: "Subsidiary of Haliburton (Dick Cheney's mob) who have been granted the contracts to rebuild Iraq including all US military bases they're gonna need!"

It comments of the British Nuclear Industry Forum in Whitehall: "Represents everyone in the nuclear cycle (except the victims!) including those involved in producing uranium and plutonium for military use."

All the information in the list is a matter of public record and readily available from other sources. Police say they have drawn attention to it in order to allow the companies named to take the necessary precautions.

Brown, a member of the Vestey meat dynasty who lives off the proceeds of a £2.7 million trust fund, has rarely been seen in public since being acquitted on charges related to the J18 (June 18) City protest in 1999 which led to riots and £2million damage.


Ringleader: Mark Brown is known to wear disguises



Now Brown and Lunghi - a leader of anarchist group The Wombles, who wear padded white uniforms to break police lines at demonstrations - are believed to be helping plan Thursday's anticapitalist protests. They were secretly photographed last Thursday at a demonstration outside the annual general meeting of BP at the Royal Festival Hall.

As fellow protesters scanned the crowd for police and press photographers the two men had an animated conversation, although they arrived and left separately.

Brown, 39, is the leader of anti-oil group London Rising Tide, which helped orchestrate and promote the BP protest in which stinkbombs were thrown and protesters forcibly ejected from the building. Police believe he may have helped draw up the list of oil industry premises among those circulated to anarchists. Among them are BP, oil-well drillers British American Offshore and Exxon.

Police sources told the Evening Standard: "We believe the organisation of the BP protest and the oil-related targets on May Day could be linked. We are looking at the people at the protest to see what the links between the two are."

Brown came to prominence when he was arrested for allegedly organising the J18 protest. Although he admitted in court to playing a part in setting it up, he was cleared when magistrates accepted he had not organised it.

The court accepted Brown contributed to the event by paying for and providing a stereo system. Police claimed he directed crowds while wearing a suit to blend in with City workers.

Brown, who wore a multicoloured clown wig and a mask during last Thursday's protest, has rarely been seen at demonstrations since that arrest. He is said to have since become "paranoid" about his links with protest groups and is known to wear disguises.

The case led to several City firms investigating the possibility of civil action against him to recoup the cost of damage during the rioting that followed the demonstration. One anarchist source said: "Mark is untrusting, paranoid and very secretive. He tries not to be seen as prominent now while before he was quite overt about it. The whole trial and threat of legal action was quite a shock to him."

A senior City of London policeman said: "He kept his head down for months after we arrested him. It is interesting that he appears to be active again. He laid low for a long time."

Brown's links with Lunghi, 25, have not previously been revealed. The two are believed to have met through anti-capitalist groups in London although Brown regularly travels overseas to attend antiglobalisation conferences.

Lunghi was identified by the Standard last year as a key organiser of the May Day demonstrations which culminated in running battles through the streets of Soho. Five policemen were injured in the violence. In 2001 he helped set up and paid for the May Day "Monopoly" website that listed targets for the protesters

Evening Standard
- Homepage: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/4573723?source=Evening%20Standard

Comments

Hide the following 16 comments

well...

29.04.2003 14:30

I certainly think the article deliberately tries to categorise any may day protestor as some sort of sabotarger and a danger to the public. To be honest George Bush and his gang of globalising thugs are far more dangerous.

So what if one mcdonalds, a starbucks or some other corporate giant gets a little hurt on MayDay, does this journalist have any idea on how much damage to millions this capitalist exploitation is doing to this planet.

think for a momement we live in a world of 6 billion people

4billion on less than $2 a day.
these multinationals seeking profit set up in their countries kicking thousands in indigenous community's such as in the amazon off their land to exploit natural resources.
Then they stuff them all into some factory, give them a few pennies and then sell their products for hundreds.

Capitalist consumerism will destroy the world's resources within 30years if something is not changed, the world and its nature simply cannot carry on this way, there is no effort by any of these companies or first world governments to even consider sustainable options.

These companies especially the oil giants are right now taking over the iraqi people's only valuable natural resources and stealing them to pump their industries. People have died, families destroyed, wiped off the face of the planet forever for more dollar bills in the fat cats pocket.

Worse still are the pharmaceutical industries who let AIDS suffers in Africa rot and die while all the time they have so much profit that medicines could be given for free.

I don't know if i would consider myself an anarchist, a socialist or a communist but there is no logic whatsoever in the continuation of this constant inequality, this constant divide, this constant imperial war after war.

Furthermore the U$A for example has military bases all over Europe, after they 'liberated' countries they know have forever set up shop there and refuse to leave, I remember when once a left wing group started a campaign for a meditarranean military base to go home and they responded with a letter saying 'we won this land, its ours'. Thats unbelievable! So now if i pick up a pebble and throw it at one of those bases which house armies and killing machines, where bombs will be dropped and potentially kill some innocent iraqi family i'll be arrested and be classed legally as a terrorist.

Who are the real terrorists Bush?Who are the real exploiters and dictators Mr Evening Standard?

4billion in complete poverty not to mention the millions of them on our own streets in our so called and percieved first world, and you expect people to support that.

there needs to be complete change.
complete action and complete results.

but trashing a mcdonalds won't help much, they'll just use that against us, i could imagine the headlines in the Daily Mail tomorrow 'LEFT WING TERRORISTS CAUSE £££ DAMAGE TO OUR CITIES'.

At the end of the day everybody does what they want, they throw petrol bombs anyway but i really don't think that'll help us or be much productive, they'll just arrest us and tighten their policed state laws.

What we need is action not against some business but action against the political system, the houses of parliament should be completely encircled by thousands of protestors, that would be better to see on the TV than a burnt mcdonalds and then some mcdonalds worker saying 'they've ruined my job this lot'.

The movement is growing all the time but its not big enough yet, we don't have the support to sabotage yet, or take violent action.

the best action would be toward the american military bases in Europe, and a campaign to get them out and push back their empire, that if developed would gain mass support in many european countries.

anyway i might see you's on thursday;.

tauru


Hit them where there weekist

29.04.2003 16:03

When you said that we should encircle the houses of parlement you are exactly right, we must look at the state as a two teir object.

The first teir the instatutions and the burocrats are very strong, they have the millatary and the police to protect them, there is no way short of a revolution that we can overthrow them by attacking millatry bases, or attacking millionares.

But the second teir the polictical sturucture of the western capatilist states is very week, look what a couple of months of anti war protest did to the government in the UK, from nothing a mass movment challanged to overthrow the govenment.

Why is this, because we took to the streats, and attacked them where they are weekest, on the streets. By takeing to the streets in mass numbers we sent shock waves through the capatilist state, because they claim democracy all the time, a mass movement can overthrow the govenment. The instutions will fall then, but attaking the instutions won't work, it won't stop the govenments, but smashing the govenments will bring their instatuions down.

ed
- Homepage: http://www.wid.eu.org


Daily Blackshirt

29.04.2003 16:19



Have a look at some of the "comments" in the ES newsboard over the mayday stuff.

Plastic Bullets, Urination and photocopied banknotes all feature.

It's enough to make any peacfull protester mad.

Redroof


Who provided the stereo?

29.04.2003 16:52

Er, excuse me. The sound system was the world-famous La-Di-Da tricycle sound system, and we've never met or received any money from Mark Brown.

La-Di-Da


Cluster bomb/ Stink bomb

29.04.2003 20:28


What happened to our demcracy, these guys are depicted
as , WHAT???, having an animated conversation, who the fuck does this journalist think he is. Defamation of character
is what I would call it, scretly filmed at apeaceful demo, oh no of course the stink bombs, well nigel Rosser, a stink bomb may offend some, but burning skin and dead bodies
smell much worse.
For anyone who didn't know about these companies
printed in todays standard (why not just inform them
if that was your worry) , and as he said earlier, all the
information in the list is a matter of public record and readily available, remember where you read it. The attrocities happening because of greed power and control
under the words of liberation and freedom, do not stand together.
But individuals will stand together on May day, regardless
of the liars, terrorists and murderers.
Its there usual "beware af the anarchist/rioters" tactics.
People who have recently come together, stop the war,
and have been put off by bombardment of this group and that, come together with your own knowledge of the wrongs,
and demonstrate in your own way.

antijen


andy trotsky

29.04.2003 21:37

I suggest the Evening Standard ask Andy Trotter who he's going to do after one of his commanders labelled the Met as still being 'institutionally racist' ten years after the death of Stephen Lawrence. Much more use to the average londoner than misinformation spread by the political wing of the Daily Mail. Anyway, wasn't it 'anti-capitalist sword-wielding monsters' two years ago?!!

apex


TO THE MAY DAY RUCKUS RAISERS...

29.04.2003 22:28

here's a bit of encouragement from across the fuckin' atlantic...wish I could be there, but here's hoping churchill and that fucker bomber harris get what's coming to them. ropes and a lorry, anyone?

maks


bravo for capatalism!

29.04.2003 23:06

So you want to victimise corps that give working class people a job and a way to pay for their kids to eat?

What do you want exactly? A communist state where people are made to work just as hard and just as long but where they have nothing in return bar bread lines and a state funded lada car?

you communists make me sick.

I earn more in a week then most of you earn in a year!
FUCKING AMUSED.

city whore!


realist

29.04.2003 23:11

I think we should nuke the earth... big deal. biosphere will recover.

nuke the earth


Dear city whore...

30.04.2003 10:41

Not everyone in the global justice movement is argueing for "Communism" or whatever you seem to think we are. Many would settle for environmentally and socially responsible behaviour from the corporations.

Although you don't seem to realise it, this is actually in your interests - just imagine a London where you can breathe the air without feeling sick, where you can walk around for a day without having to clean the fumes out of your designer suits.

A world where you can travel anywhere without being threatened by terrorism or witnessing the sickening sight of human misery caused by war and exploitation.

A world that will survive into your old age and allow your children and grandchildren to live long and healthy lives, rather than scraping by in the pollution and poverty infested hell that this planet is rapidly becoming.

Your outlook on life is becoming an increasingly unpopular position, as more and more people are realising the benefits of abandonning their antiquated, childish, selfish attitudes and trying to make the world a little better. Rather than raping it then complaining about the acid-rain wrecking the paint on their BMW.

For your own sake mate. Evolove, so we can get off this crowded rock and explore the cosmos.

Dannyboy


Analysis of 2001 Mayday Media Coverage

30.04.2003 10:43

The SchNEWS website has an excellent analysis of the media hype surrounding Mayday a couple of years ago, it charts all the usual bullshit that the corporate media come out with.

Miss Point
- Homepage: http://www.schnews.org.uk/sotw/mayday-madness.htm


laughable...

30.04.2003 16:52

mark b rarely seen outside?!?!? oh come off it!

Secretly filmed at the BP carnival protest - dunno what their idea of secret filming is but police in uniform with fucking huge cameras following people around and snapping them is hardly secret is it!

i had an animated discussion - well fuck me - i had many an animated coversations that day - guess i'm a ringleader then - oh yeah and i arrived alone and left with one other person and not all of the people i talked to - yikes!

blah blah bullshit blah...

it really makes you wonder about the media when they print this utter drivel!

ES is PANTS


where?

30.04.2003 18:26

running battles in soho last year?

i must have missed that just like i missed all that widespread rioting in 2000.

must have been looking the wrong way or something

j


Leader of an anarchist group

01.05.2003 13:58

I think my favourite parts were about Wombles 'breaking through police lines' and 'leader of the anarchist group'. Anyone who can take an article seriously after that has obviously been smoking more than us 'university dropouts'!

Nhoj


nonenseee

02.05.2003 05:58

utter drivel

amoco cadiz


The Truth

02.06.2006 16:34

I know mark brown very well and i know that the writer of this article is definaley exagerating facts, mark brown is merely a man who wishes to make a change he is not a beast. He is a caring father and a socialy aware human being who is a pround citerzen of the earth. And anybody who declares him otherwise knows very little! and would the writer in future however much he is being paid care not to pass judgement before he/she has done the proper research, i can count on the idea, that you were quite literally improvising while writing that article, to have the nerve to say he is in any way a threat to civilised society is outragous. Lease in future be more careful about what write and take the courtest to plan and researh your article topic, the article quite honestly sounf like a propaganda bill from the cold war (american).

b