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Scotland after the G8

ab | 23.01.2006 01:58 | G8 2005

Activism in Scotland experienced a boost in the months following the G8.
Two social centres – Saorsa (gaelic for “freedom”) and Chalkboard opened in Glasgow, and the Indymedia Scotland Infoseed Hacklab in Edinburgh.
The legal support group observe the court cases relating to the G8 [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ] and provides support for the defendants.
The Campaign to Save the Cameo was successful and the privatisation of council housing could be prevented [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ].
The Glasgow based initiative Make Borders History continued after the G8 in Glasgow as Open Borders Glasgow with direct actions to prevent deportations and morning raids [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ].
The Zapatista Solidarity groups raise publicity and prepare enthusiastically for their big solidarity party on the 16th of february for their twinned community in Chiapas [ Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group | 1 | 2 | 3 ].

In an effort to Stop Climate Change and prevent further roadbuilding for individual transport, JAM74 and Friends of the Earth Scotland stopped the building of the M74 Extension, south of Glasgow, which would also be leading through the Cre8 Community Garden, with a legal challenge.
The main action momentarily is the resistance against building the Dalkeith Bypass through a big park acting as a wildlife resort, recreational facility, part of Edinburgh's Green Belt and fields for animals. The campaign includes an unlikely liason of a citizen campaign “Save Dalkeith Park”, ecowarriers occupying the trees, and resistance in the Scottish Parliament and beyond. Last Monday, however, a specialist team started evicting the four protest camps. Despite three protesters slowing down the eviction by nearly a week with refusing to give up their hiding place in a tunnel, the eviction of the last and main protest site is anticipated to start today. [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 ]

protest against building of the Dalkeith Bypass through a park
protest against building of the Dalkeith Bypass through a park


ab

Comments

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Activity strengthened after coming togeather in response to G8 2005

23.01.2006 16:26

Existing projects or one that would have developed anyway have been strengthened by new contacts and working relationships made between people during the G8.
I have heard directly from someone that said they with others that camped together at Stirling 'eco-village' were galvanized in coming together with others to campaign heavily against stock transfer of housing in Edinburgh.
Also I networks of people in north east of Scotland continue to come together.
It is informal networking that has been strengthen
in aftermath to a greater degree than continuing formal structures that formed to organise in response to the G8.
But those organisations existed before G8 and got involved with mobilisation have benefited. After the closing down for a day of Faslane nuclear sub base, Trident Ploughshares are consider where next and ambitiously calling for groups to sign up for a day each of a continuous blockade to begin when 100 sign up.

bunny
- Homepage: http://j12.org/sb/


New Book About Resistance to the G8 - Out Now!

24.01.2006 14:33

'Shut Them Down! The G8, Gleneagles 2005 and the Movement of Movements' is a collection of reflections on the movement against the 2005 G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. As well as action stories from the frontlines of resistance to the summit, there are detailed accounts of how various aspects of the mobilisation were organised, and analysis of the lessons to be learned. But 'Shut Them Down!''s relevance extends far beyond the Gleneagles experience. It addresses fundamental issues such as the nature of openness and 'horizontality', and the limitations of the 'activist' identity. Most important of all, 'Shut Them Down!' poses the question: how can we take those worlds we glimpse in such moments and generalise them so that they make sense in the rest of our lives?

Copies cost £4.95/7.50Euro/9.95US$ per copy (contact the editors for wholesale and bulk-buying discounts).

Order copies online at: www.shutthemdown.org (where the full text of the book is also available online), or buy one from your nearest Dissent! group or radical/independent bookstore.

Shut Them Down! is published by Dissent! and Autonomedia

www.dissent.org.uk
www.autonomedia.org

Shut Them Down!
mail e-mail: editors@shutthemdown.org
- Homepage: http://www.shutthemdown.org


friends of the earth and cre8

24.01.2006 21:36

the feature makes it sounds like friends of the earth had anything to do with cre8, which they didn't. also, the jam74 campaign is a coalition of groups and individuals, many involved in grassroots action, and it is jam74 who is talking the m74 extension to court. not foe, who discouraged direct action ( having a pretty clueless idea of the wide meaning of the term ) from talking place around the campaign. they also put ground between cre8, and dissent! ( direct action ) and themselves, not wanting to risk the political capital that they hope to reep with the whole m74 thing.
ok, we understand that the g8 did open the doors to or strengthend radikal thinking and acting in some people in the institutional green scotland, some so much as to get involved with indymedia scotland and beyond. which is great, but an independat media centre and collective is not a place for propaganda for a verticle, institutional, multinational, NGO with very close links to political parties, ( the greens ). please have another look at the indy statement.

GO resistance in 'SCOTLAND'

( watch out for nacionalisms )

do


Interview with Friends of the Earth

25.01.2006 11:13

According to the Interview with Friedns of the Earth, they carry the legal challenge and mostly the costs for the court case.
In the Interview with Duncan McLaren, Chief Executive from Friends of the Earth Scotland, he also acknowledges Friends of the Earth Scotland committment to Direct Action as long as this action is peacefull.


Whilst it would be nice if JAM74 takes on the legal challenge, I doubt they are able to fork out the estimated £25000 necessary. And that is why I posted the link here, too, so that people, who are able to, can make a financial contribution against the court case. Of course JAM74 is the major campaign and FoE are just helping out a bit, but that is how it works in Scotland - often a broad crossover of campaigns, which is issue-based, not based on ideology.
And that's how I personally like it, because it is less sectarian.
As we are still quite few here, politics based on idelogy would probably just produce splintergroups with one person each!

Anyways, here are the quotes:

 http://scotland.indymedia.org/newswire/display/2375/index.php

Quote Direct Action:
Q: There are some treesitters in the Park, and I am hoping you could give some nice words of support for them, too. Are you happy with people sitting in the trees?

A: It is always appropriate to defend fractions of the environment with direct action, as long as that direct action is peacefull. So that is why Friends of the Earth has been given support to the protesters at Dalkeith Park.


Quote Legal Court Case:
Q: What are your further projects and plans? Are you, for example, going to court against the building of the Dalkeith Bypass or anything like that?

A: We are taking the Scottish Executive to Court over the decision to extend the M74 through southside Glasgow.

That's putting our organisation's financial security on the line for the sake of that community, because that is the biggest and most foolish decision.

A public enquiry was held, the planning enquirer reporter recommended against building the road, and the Executive decided to go ahead anyway, so in that respect, we have the authority and the opportunity to challenge that decision in the court which we have done, and that will be resolved in the spring.

Q: How good are the chances you win?

A: I can not comment on legal cases in progress, I am afraid.

ab


added more obvious link to JAM74

25.01.2006 11:21

well, JAM74 also has a paypal account so people can make financial contributions to the legal challenge there as well - I added a more obvious link and did a slight correction.

yes, probably worth donating directly to JAM74 as it is volunteerbased and donations might make it more direclty into the fund for the court case.

well, whatever, I am sure everybody works well together on this.
yours eternal optimist!

ab


random protest (Edinburgh)

19.03.2006 02:44

Every one who care about peace meet at parlament square in edinburgh on friday 31st martch at 2pm this is not suported by police or any other groups this a one off will give thanks to every one who turns up. the more people the more impact tell you freinds. tell your familay tell anyone and every one, we come before the blood of the inoccent will have update if anything changes. peace

my msn is:  darkisthelight@hotmail.com

Micheal
mail e-mail: Darkisthelight@hotmail.com