The first meeting of newly (re)formed London Earth First! was held on 3 November.

London EF! meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month in the Autonomy Club (Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High Street, London E1).

Meetings are open and all decisions will be made by consensus.
[b]ALL WELCOME[/b]
For more information contact London EF! on 07751 432 240 or email:  eflondon@ziplip.com

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Note from Meeting – 3 November 2003.

The first meeting was called to decide what campaigns/goals we would focus on in London. Rather than spreading ourselves too thin we agreed that a strong focus on a smaller number of campaigns was important.

The following campaigns were agreed:

GM Bayer Cropscience
At the last Earth First Summer Gathering there was general agreement that the EF network would focus on GM foods as a major campaign. London EF! therefore agreed to join the EF! network in making this a prime focus.

Air Travel – New Runways
The current push to add an extra runway in London is an issue that has drastic environmental consequences not only for the immediate area in which it might be located but for all of us. Air travel is one of the most polluting forms of transport and an extra runway would mean more planes, more noise pollution, more fossil fuel consumption and more damage to the planet.

Community Gardening project:
In many ways this is a project that links up with the GM issue. We are beholden to agri-business, especially living in the city but there is no reason that we can’t reclaim these skills. A community garden is both a positive ‘action’ and a really good way for us to work and develop together as a group. It was also hoped that this would be another way for people to get involved.

Debate and discussion.
Once a month we plan on turning over part of the meeting to a discussion on a specific topic or skill. In the coming weeks we are planning on having discussions about GM and Bayer Cropscience and will also be inviting people involved with the Heathrow campaign. Ideas for video showings, presentations etc are welcome.

Prison Solidarity.
London EF! have agreed to spend the last part of each meeting writing letters to prisoners (anarchist, asylum seekers or just someone that we know of). Each letter writing session will be dedicated to a different prisoner.

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The general principles behind Earth First! is non-hierarchical organisation and the use of direct action to confront, stop and eventually reverse the forces that are responsible for the destruction of the Earth and its inhabitants.