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WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!! IT'S YER FIFTEEN-ALL...

SchNEWS, Issue 700, Friday 20th November 2009

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GOOD COP BAD COP

INFORMATION FOR ACTION FOR THE COPENHAGEN COP 15 CLIMATE CONFERENCE

The climate summit at Copenhagen is drawing closer and closer, and
various factions are mobilising across the world, some to push global
elites into waking up and smelling the carbon and others to shout that
capitalism cannot be reformed - it must be destroyed. Based on our
leaders’ last sorry effort don’t expect too much from COP
15. Kyoto amounted to not much more than a system of carbon bribing
offsetting (and even that the US pulled out of). Politicians are
already baulking at the idea of actually limiting growth and are
announcing that COP 15 will not produce a binding agreement.

The talk is of carbon trading i.e more capital speculation to undo
the damage caused by capital speculation. So once again the
responsibility falls to us to push the pressing and essential need for
a dramatic rethink in environmental policy on a global scale. With
this in mind thousands of activists and concerned environmentalists
will be attending the talks held on 7th - 18th December. Here’s
just a quick round-up of the actions and groups who will be converging
on Denmark.

KLIMAFORUM

Running from 7th - 18th December alongside the COP15 is Klimaforum,
the climate counter-summit run for and by grass roots activist
movements, the scientific community and individuals to ‘create
an open space where people, movements and organisations can develop
constructive solutions to the climate crisis. It’s taking place
in DGI-byen, (a conference complex in Copenhagen’s centre). Free
and open to all. www.klimaforum09.org

OPERATION BIKE BLOC

Climate Camp and Bristol-based artists the Laboratory of
Insurrectionary Imagination is constructing the ultimate
‘resistance machine’- a pedal-powered, art-bike carnival.
Sounds good huh? On 16th December the Bike Bloc will take to the
streets as part of the Reclaim Power! event. To get involved go along
to the Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol 24th and 29th November, or at
Copenhagen at the Candyfactory to help put together the final design.
www.climatecamp.org.uk/actions/copenhagen-2009/bike-bloc

CLIMATE CARAVAN

As well as COP 15, the WTO Summit in Geneva from 30th November - 2nd
December is another target for action. 60 activists from the global
South, plus local affinity groups, will be travelling across Europe
from Geneva to Copenhagen. The 12 day caravan kicks off with 5 days of
action based in Geneva, then leaves on 3rd December to protest their
way to COP 15, arriving on the 9th. www.climatecaravan.org

Now your appetite for action is truly whetted, what can you expect to
be going on during the event?

* 11th December: Our Climate! Not Your Business! Day of direct action
targeting participating corporations. See ‘Don’t Buy The
Lie’ on Facebook.

* 12th December: Flood for Climate Justice - People power on the
streets organised by Friend of the Earth. www.foei.org

Never Trust a COP - March to conference centre through Copenhagen see
 http://nevertrustacop.org/Main/GetHeardNotHerded

Global Day of Action - If you can’t make it all the way to
Denmark, plan your own day of action wherever you are.
www.globalclimatecampaign.org

* 13th December: Hit the Production! Mass blockade targeting the
harbour of Copenhagen and industry.  http://htp.noblogs.org

Farmer’s Action - Direct actions against the agro-industry
organised by La Via Campesina www.viacampesina.org

14th December: No Borders, No Climate Refugees! Day of action in
support of freedom of movement and international no borders groups.
See  http://info.interactivist.net/node/13135

15th December: Resistance is Ripe! Agriculture Action Day -
Collective action in support of changing the global food production
system. See
www.climate-justice-action.org/mobilization/agriculture-action-day

16th December: Reclaim Power! Pushing for Climate Justice - This is
the biggie. Co-ordinated mass action on the streets of Copenhagen,
drawing together for a people’s summit for climate justice in
the middle of the lion’s den.
www.climatecamp.org.uk/actions/copenhagen-2009

These are just the published events. More actions will be taking
place throughout the conference by affinity groups and individuals, so
where do you go to find out about them once you’re there?

CONVERGENCE CENTRES / INFO POINTS

Four spaces will be the hub of action planning and accommodation: The
“main” convergence, Støberiet on
Blågårds Plads on Nørrebro, which will feature
medics, trauma support, legal aid, meeting and social spaces and info
point; Bolsjefabrikken, The Candy Factory social center (Copenhagen
near Nørrebro) will host a kitchen and workshop areas (both
kinds - tools and discussions/hand waggling).

A smaller convergence, Råhuset by KlimaForum09 on Vesterbro
will feature a social space and info point along with the main
communal kitchen;

The House of Solidarity on Nørrebro – near the main
centre - will feature a be-the-media activist centre open for
everyone.

There will also be an info point at the Central Train Station, to
redirect you onto these centres.

For loads more info and advice
www.climate-justice-action.org/practical-info/copenhagen-info

So now you know who will be there, when they will be doing, and how
you can get involved with it. All that remains is getting there...

TRANSPORT

* Ryanair flights are a bargain at £29.99 plus airport tax -
YEAH RIGHT. Don’t fly there, like the team of writers for The
Guardian will be.

* Two coaches are leaving from London and Leeds, organised by Camp
for Climate Action. For times and booking info see
www.climatecamp.org.uk/actions/copenhagen-2009/coaches

* Or get in touch with your local branch of Climate Campers, most
groups are sorting their own transport. See
www.climatecamp.org.uk/get-involved/local-groups

* For ferries and sleeper trains see www.seat61.com/Denmark.htm or
coach www.eurolines.com

* Once you’re in Denmark, use Danish Railways to get about the
city. For KlimaForum09 you need to get off at Hovedbanegården,
the main station in Copenhagen; and for the convergence centres in
Nørrebro, get off at Nørreport St. For times and
booking see www.dsb.dk (Right corner to switch to English)

Stand up, fight for your voice, and make it heard. See you there!


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TAMIL TORTURE

Six months after the end of the Sri Lankan army’s assault on
Tamil Tiger-controlled territory in northern Sri Lanka (See SchNEWS
676), over a quarter of a million Tamils remain incarcerated in
internment camps.

Conditions in the camps are appalling, with no basic sanitation and
chronic shortages of food, drinking water and medical supplies.
Although the Sri Lankan government has barred journalists from the
camps, reports have leaked out of hundreds dying every day, with the
dead often left where they fall. There have also been reports of
torture, rape, extortion, extra-judicial murders and child recruitment
by government backed paramilitary groups operating in the camps and
during ‘screening’ processes.

The government insists it needs more time to root out insurgents
amongst the Tamil population through its ‘screening’ of
the incarcerated Tamils. Military aged men are frequently taken from
the camps and around 13,000 people suspected of links with the Tamil
Tigers have disappeared, many sent for ‘rehabilitation’ at
secret camps around the country. Hundreds more are being held without
charge in prisons.

While thousands have been released from the camps, there have been
reports of police taking people from their homes days after release,
with no indication of where they have gone. With many returning to
homes destroyed in the conflict, official reconstruction efforts have
been focusing on the militarisation of the region with the
construction of police and army facilities taking precedence over
civilian infrastructure.

In Britain, campaign group Act Now are calling for a boycott of Sri
Lankan goods, tourism and cricket. On November 8th they staged a
London ‘Day of Action’ with pickets focusing on Marks and
Spencer due to their heavy investment in Sri Lanka. This Sunday (22nd)
the campaign will be rolled out nationwide, with groups already
established in Totnes, Bristol and Coventry. The campaign is also set
to expand its targets to other stores including Tesco, Top Shop and
Next.

* To get involved and for more info see www.act-now.info


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NOT A LEG TO STAND ON

Photojournalist Guy Smallman may finally see some measure of justice
after a police stun grenade left him badly injured six and a half
years ago at the G8 summit in Geneva (See SchNEWS 410).

A video of the incident clearly shows police firing stun grenades
continually at a fleeing crowd. Guy is towards the back of the group
and as the fire zeroes in on him he is eventually hit.

Guy won the first court case despite police lies saying that he was
injured by protesters. However the police appealed successfully (the
guidelines on use of the stun grenades were changed retrospectively to
avoid paying him any damages). This is the final appeal and
Guy’s last chance for justice.

If the court decision falls on the state side, Guy will end up owing
massive costs. In other words, he will end up paying the Swiss
authorities for blowing off the back back of his leg.

Guy told SchNEWS, “I’m just looking forward to getting
the fucking thing over and done with to be honest with you - the
injury has left me only able to run flat-footed, I’ve got nerve
damage and only got half the strength in my leg - but I try not to let
it interfere with my work.”

* View Guy’s work at www.guysmallman.com


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WALLS OF STEEL

“...the fall of the Berlin Wall serves for us all today as a
call to fight oppression and to tear down all the walls that still
separate the world, that divide cities, regions and nations. This is
the message that a unified Europe proudly embodies and delivers to the
world. We are brothers, we are Berliners...” - Nicolas Sarkozy
9/11/09.

Well SchNEWS ain’t gonna argue that the fall of the Berlin Wall
was a bad thing - the collapse of East Germany and the triumph
(however short-lived) of people power in Eastern Europe back in
’89-’91 are things to be celebrated. But in the middle of
last week’s hype you’d be forgiven for thinking that the
Wall was the last barrier between humanity.

In fact the Berlin Wall now looks embarrassingly lo-tech, a Soviet
neo-brutalist construction in concrete and barbed wire, compared to
the futuristic barriers being constructed around the whole of Europe
to keep out the world’s poor. Checkpoint Charlie just went
biometric.

Just days before Europe’s heads of state gathered in Berlin to
gush about the passing of tyranny, they were in Brussels at the summit
of the EU Council voting for expanded funding for a crackdown on
migration. Against a background of continual brutalization, isolation
and forced return of migrants they collectively announced “A
determined European response based on firmness, solidarity and shared
responsibility remains essential, in line with the European Pact on
Asylum and Migration,” and called for “the enhancement of
the operational capacities of FRONTEX”.

The European Union’s frontline force against migration is
FRONTEX - a transnational border agency. The force employs over a
thousand people directly and has an annual budget of 22.2 million
Euros. It’s growing too - personnel increases and a budget
doubled since last year. It aims to co-ordinate all EU border agencies
and, through the use of cutting edge biometric technology, ensure that
the division of the world into haves and have-nots remains
impenetrable.

The EU’s borders now extend for many more miles than the Iron
Curtain ever did, there’s plenty of barbed wire of course but
the maritime boundaries are now on the other side of the Med and even
off the coast of Africa (see map).

But don’t worry we’re not the only ones at it - the
US-Mexico border is similarly militarised, the Apartheid Wall stealing
Palestinian land is virtually complete and don’t even think
about trying to get in or out of China. The barrier is to the 21st
century what the railroad was to the nineteenth century and the
motorway to the twentieth. We are all still ‘Berliners’
– only now divided into North and South.


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NAE TO NATO

There was nearly a week of actions and events in Edinburgh this week
in protest against the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Here’s a
round-up:

Friday: A group of around 30-40 gathered at the meeting place for a
demo, and after a preliminary visit from some plain-clothes cops, were
quickly surrounded by three van loads. They avoided a kettle and
within an hour had mostly found their way to the conference centre. A
group of around 40-50, with reinforced banners, tried to blockade the
road outside, but were forced back by police, who attempted another
kettle. The crowd managed to get away and marched towards the centre
of Edinburgh along Princess St, finally ending up at the Forest Cafe,
where a FIT team started filming them.

Saturday: During the day there was a No To NATO rally of about 5,000
led by Stop The War Scotland and CND. (While other protesters spent
the day in Glasgow demonstrating against the far-right SDL - see
‘Out Of Their League’ in this issue). Later that evening,
as the NATO delegates met for post-meeting drinks at a posh hotel, a
group of six protesters gathered with a banner to make some noise, but
were met with heavy police aggression, and were pushed back from the
hotel, and filmed again by FIT. They remained to cause problems for
police for two hours.

Tuesday: On the final day of the meeting, early in the morning
Trident Ploughshares blocked the entrance to the conference centre.
Protesters recited the names of the Afghani dead, and had pictures of
wounded Afghanis on their shirts. Six were arrested for attempting
illegal entry into a secured building.

* See  http://natowc.noflag.org.uk, www.indymediascotland.org


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BLACKBOARD RUMBLE

A school in Leeds has been returned to the community recently after
over five years standing empty, neglected by Leeds County Council.
Local residents formed a collective to squat the building last Monday
(9th) and have been using the space to hold a range of community-led
activities, with huge support from the local area.
The school was initially shut down in 2004 during a spate of closures
and educational budget cuts by Leeds County Council. Their next step
was to turn down bids for the space from community groups in favour of
plans put forward by a large conglomerate development company to turn
the site into flats for elderly people. This company pulled out of the
deal in 2008 and since then the building has remained derelict.

Despite a £15,000 a year security budget paid by the council
the school has been repeatedly targeted by vandals and the lead
stripped from the roof (which the council is currently refusing to
give back, ignoring the desperate need for repairs).

The Royal Park Community Consortium is putting together a business
plan to present to the council, and is calling out for locals and
interested parties alike to contact the local councillors in support
of the project, as well as encouraging anyone to pop in for a visit or
join in with one of the many community events being held. The group
were served with eviction papers this week and are due in court on
Monday 23rd, so get yerself down to the Leeds Magistrates Court by
10am to show your support.

* For more search ‘Save the Royal Park Primary School for
community use!’ on Facebook

ALSO, with educational occupations taking place in the UK, mass
strikes and occupations of university buildings are also happening in
the rest of Europe. Student protests have been kicking off in support
of the continent-wide week of action (9th - 18th November) dubbed
‘Education Is Not For Sale’, covering issues like the
commercialisation of education; the shift in a focus from a
public-serving education system to a privately-owned employee factory,
churning out the perfect white-collar worker; and the continuing
homogenisation of degree programmes due to 1999’s Bologna
agreement.

In Germany 85,000 students took to the streets in over 50 cities and
16 university lecture halls were stormed and occupied all over the
country, Switzerland saw three universities being temporarily
squatted, all of this following similar large scale action in Austria
at the beginning of this month.

* To find out more about the Education Is Not For Sale movement see
www.emancipating-education-for-all.org



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CRASBO SELECTA

“What they’re trying to do is bring in control orders for
‘domestic extremist’ via the back door” –
Animal Rights campaigner.

The repression of AR activists by fair means and foul continues
unabated. Following two dawn raids in Evesham and Gosport on November
10th, four activists were arrested and charged with conspiracy to
criminal damage. NDET and NETCU officers orchestrated the raids.

The four were released after over eighteen hours in custody but with
wide-ranging police bail conditions. Those conditions were designed to
prevent them from engaging in any form of animal rights activism. They
were forbidden to “participate in, assist travel
arrangements, facilitate or organise in any way any animal rights
related activity, stall, website, protest or demonstration”.
Although the bail conditions were overturned at the first opportunity
in court, being replaced with far less stringent residency conditions
they represent yet another development in police attempts to stifle
dissent.

The raids, which involved over thirty cops, some sporting balaclavas
and carrying fire extinguishers, followed on from earlier raids on the
same property back in October 2008 (See SchNEWS 652). In that case,
where a banner-drop was transformed into ‘conspiracy to
blackmail’ the raids were justified because spray paint had been
used to make the banner, and similar spray paint had been used to do
graffiti elsewhere - all charges were dropped. The recent raids
were carried out on similarly flimsy grounds

In fact the same property had been raided three times previously that
year - (perhaps they should just give up and install a revolving
door). No convictions resulted from those raids. Incredibly this time
round police attempted to get the arrestees remanded!
It has now become standard for animal rights activists to receive
CRASBOs - (anti social behaviour orders imposed following
convictions), which forbid participation in otherwise legal activities
on pain of re-imprisonment.

Two men, Bob Griffiths and Robert Lewis were recently sentenced to 18
months each for breaching the SOCPA laws that specifically make
campaigning against ‘animal research’ establishments
illegal. They were also issued with ten year CRASBOS that will prevent
them from taking part in any form of animal advocacy. CRASBOS were
also imposed on all those convicted of the SHAC blackmail offences
(See SchNEWS 663) - in some cases these ASBOS which prohibit all forms
of campaigning legal or otherwise are set to last a lifetime.

* For more see  http://netcu.wordpress.com



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SCHNEWS IN BRIEF

* In a case of ‘our gun is bigger than yours’,
campaigners against small arms manufacturer Heckler and Koch marched a
25ft rifle through the streets of Nottingham and up to H&K HQ at
Lenton industrial estate last Friday (13th). Having failed to end
militarism with big small arms, activists are now planning to turn to
the even bigger death machines and have decided to march a 15ft tank
to (ironically-named) Chilwell army barracks in protest against
Britain’s war mongering. See www.shutdownhk.org.uk

* Newhaven Stop Incineration Now! the campaign against the planned
incinerator at Newhaven, near Brighton, is staging three days of
workshops, forums, music, film and free food and wine on November
27th-29th. Venues to be announced around Newhaven, six miles east of
Brighton. For more information call 07505016362, write
 mkechnge7@wildmail.com, or see  http://stopincineration.webs.com

* What a bunch of twats - SchNEWS is now on Twitter (not that any of
us know how to use it) see www.twitter.com/schnews. Also - did you
know that the SchNEWS website now takes comments on articles (but we
remove nutcase postings so don’t bother.)

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TRUCK OR TREAT

Early next month a giant convoy, organised by Viva Palestina and The
Palestine Solidarity Campaign, will embark from the the UK on an
overland journey of over 2000 miles to bring humanitarian aid to the
long suffering citizens of Palestine.

Following in the wake of the hugely successful convoy which left last
February hundreds-strong (See SchNEWS 668), solidarity activists are
once again stock-piling medical equipment and humanitarian aid for the
vehicles which will leave London on 5th December. Altogether more than
200 vehicles are expected to converge in the capital including
ambulances, fire engines, refrigerated trucks and vans all laden with
desperately sought supplies.

A spokesperson from the Swansea Palestine Community Link (SPCL) who
are currently fund-raising for the Palestine Trauma Centre which
mainly treats traumatised children said “The people of Gaza are
lacking most of the basic necessities so the vehicles will be carrying
critical medical, maternity and post-natal supplies, as well as much
needed supplies for the schools – paper, exercise books, pens
and crayons.”

After most media networks have packed up and gone home, the convoy is
a sign of the growing support from the international community to
raise awareness for the Palestinian struggle to survive in the face of
the continuing Israeli onslaught. Check out the following links for
more info and ways to join in with fund-raising efforts.

* See www.vivapalestina.org, also  http://bglink.ning.com

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TAKING THE CISSBURY

The campaign against a land sell-off around Worthing’s Cissbury
Ring hill fort got off to a blustery start last Saturday (14th) when
over 300 people staged a rally at the site. Organised by campaign
group Stop the Cissbury Sell-Off (SCSO), demonstrators brandished
banners and placards and set off distress flares before braving gale
force winds and lashing rain during a four mile guided walk around
Cissbury Ring.

Campaigners have already got the council wobbling with local
planners promising to “review” the proposals. SCSO are are
not relaxing yet though. After the demo, Spokesman Trevor Hodgson
said, “There was a very strong feeling amongst everyone there
that we cannot assume the council will do the right thing, despite the
massive turnout today.

“They clearly hoped to sneak through the sale of the land
without anyone noticing and we are suspicious that this so-called
review may turn out to be just a delaying tactic.”

The land in question surrounds Cissbury Ring, which according to one
campaigner is “a first rate wildlife habitat, but really
only a pimple in an agribusiness desert. We want the council, instead
of flogging the land off for £3-4 million, to use some of the
grants available to re-integrate the land with the downs in a landmark
land restoration.”

Campaigners stressed that Saturday’s action was just the start.
Trevor said, “There are now a huge number of people actively
involved in this campaign and the council can be assured that we are
not going away.

“We will fight on until we are completely satisfied that this
crucial piece of Worthing’s environmental and historical
heritage is fully protected and secure for generations to
come.”

* See www.eco-action.org/porkbolter

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OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE

After their disastrous attempt at rallying Welsh racists (See SchNEWS
696, 697), the EDL scrambled over Hadrian’s Wall last
Saturday (14th) to try their hand at instigating racial hatred in
Scotland. The Scottish Defence League assembled in a Glasgow pub and
were quickly surrounded by police. Hundreds of Antifascists gathered
outside waiting for police to release the racists on an unsuspecting
Scottish public.

However, before that could happen, the UAF contingent of the crowd
broke away and marched off to a nearby Glasgow Green to have a natter
about how important it is keep fascists off the streets. With only
around 50 people left to actually try and keep fascists off the
streets, the afternoon lock-in came to an end and the SDL and were let
out. Tightly kettled by the police, they marched about 200 metres up
the road then stood around singing popular Scottish nationalist
ditties Rule Britannia and God Save the Queen.

After 20 minutes, the SDL marched back down the road and were put
onto buses taking them away. After they had departed a demonstration
of over a thousand people returned from Glasgow Green, ready to
confront the spectre of fascism only to have completely missed the
fash themselves.

Later some right wing nutters were arrested after doing Nazi salutes
near the train station, and an Asian guy was also arrested at the
scene for breach of the peace.

* The EDL are set to rear their ugly heads in Nottingham on December
5th. On the same day soldiers from the Second Battalion Mercian
regiment will be marching through town to receive a salute in
Nottingham’s central Market Square. There are concerns the EDL
will try and hijack the event to garner support. While the EDL have
yet to announce their meeting point, Notts Stop the BNP will be
gathering outside the Royal Centre at 10am, while UAF have stated that
they will be holding a rally at 10am in the Market Square. Autonomous
antifascists are being urged to act independently and stay mobile to
try and avoid being kettled in and reducing the antifascist presence
to confined chanting.

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FRENCH LETTER

Attacks on migrants in Calais continue with police raiding Egyptian,
Palestinian, Sudanese, Afghan and Ethiopian squats and camps in the
last two weeks. Following the now all too familiar pattern, police
have been arresting those that can’t escape before destroying or
confiscating the migrants’ personal belongings, including tents
and blankets.

With the level of police repression in Calais showing no sign of
abating, many migrants have moved on to other towns along the coast.
Unfortunately, they have found little respite. On Wednesday (18th)
French border police raided a camp of Afghans and Iraqis in Dunkerque.
They arrested around 30 migrants before razing the camp with
bulldozers.

No Borders and other migrant rights groups remain active but are
desperately short of people. Without more people they are struggling
to actively intervene to prevent arrests and violence. Instead they
can do little more than record police brutality.

To get involved call UK 07534 008380, the Calais office from
outside France on 00 33 634 810 710 or from France on 0634
810 710. For more information see
 http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com

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ATOMIC ACQUITTEN

Four Aldermaston blockaders were acquitted last week at Reading
magistrates of ‘obstructing the highway’. The trial
related to an action that took place last October. In uncanny echoes
of a previous case at Sizewell (See SchNEWS 693), the four were
acquitted on the grounds that the access road to the facility is not a
public highway.

The Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire is in the
process of spending billions of pounds of UK taxpayers’ money
building the facilities for a new generation of nuclear warheads.
Britain’s submarine-launched Trident nuclear missile system
already endangers us all, encourages global proliferation and
undermines international law and disarmament negotiations.

Trident Ploughshares are organising another day of mass action,
saying “Come and join the blockade at Aldermaston on Monday 15
February, 2010 and help us make it BIG. The action will begin at 7am
and continue for as long as possible. You can sit, lie down, lock-on,
perch atop a tripod, or just support and entertain
blockaders.”

* See www.tridentploughshares.org

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R . I . P IVAN KHUTORSKOY

Ivan Khutorskoy, a renowned Russian anti-fascist, was gunned down by
the far-right outside his home in Moscow on Monday 16th. Ivan’s
life and death show the perils of fighting the increasingly
state-assisted far-right movement in Russia and the bravery of those
who do so.

A well-known anti-fascist his address had been publicised on neo-nazi
websites. This was the fourth attempt on his life. A keen sambo
fighter and mixed martial artist, nick-named the
‘Bonecrusher’, the only way they could get him in the end
was with a bullet. In the words of his friends “He lived for the
streets and the punk rock.”

The next evening anarchists and anti-fascists gathered for a
commemoration at a metro station. After being attacked by riot police
they dispersed and re-grouped outside the offices of a pro-Kremlin
youth organisation “Young Russia”, that openly co-operates
with “Russian Way” - a group behind the assassination of
lawyer Stanislav Markelov and anarchist journalist Anastasia Baburova.
The office came under bombardment with rocks, fireworks and
road-signs. A fitting memorial then..

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...AND FINALLY... MILESTONE OR MILLSTONE?

So happy 15th birthday SchNEWS! - and issue 700 falls on the same
week. A big thank you to everyone who has been involved in SchNEWS,
past and present. And a big thanks to all our readers, many who have
helped by contributing information and donating money. Their continued
support has kept us going through the leanest times and justified our
existence.

In 1994, when the Justice? campaign were campaigning against the
Criminal Justice Act in Brighton and squatting the old Courthouse,
they were urged by a visiting group of women who were part of
‘Women Against Pit Closures’ - whose legacy went back to
the 80s miners’ strikes - to start a news letter. Justice?
responded to this and began producing something called SchNEWS on a
weekly basis. Most newsletters come and go but the resourceful crew
who started SchNEWS (none still on the writing staff), moved on from
covering the CJA and quickly found a niche as an info-hub for the UKs
direct action movement.

The road protest movement was just starting to gain momentum then,
with the urban M11 campaign at full throttle. Schnews was a cruder,
more direct beast in those days with headlines such as
“You’re Nicked” and “Mother-Fucked”.
(although dedicated SchNEWSologists have found early proto-puns such
as ‘Silence is Olden’ within the first fifty issues).
Although there were other independent media around, SchNEWS’
frequency and focus on current events made it a must-read. Remember
(if you still can) that this was all before the internet or even
mobile phones were in general use.

The nineties is now talked about like a golden era for ecological
direct action and D.I.Y culture (alright, mostly by the likes of us).
Obviously the summers were longer and the drugs were better (remember
purple ohms?) but in retrospect it looks like quite a politically
fluffy decade for us in the West. The major class battles of the
eighties were over. The attacks on travellers, ravers and squatters
were a by-product of Thatcher’s victory over the organised
elements of the British working class. The CJA seemed hideously
draconian at the time and sparked major resistance but most of its
clauses would pass without mention in any of the more recent
Crime/Police/Justice Acts.

For many of that generation, particularly the ones who eventually
grew up, cut their dreads off and got a proper job, the nineties is
looked back on as the baby boomers look back at the 1960s - a radical
time, which ended (and ended roughly the same time they went
straight). A window of craziness and change that opened, but then
closed.

But the need for direct action and grass-roots community mobilisation
never went away. Despite notable successes – road protests,
reclaim the streets , anti-GM struggles, animal rights, summit hopping
etc etc we’ve still never made the breakthroughs we need to.
Yes, meanwhile we’ve championed issues that are now mainstream
media fodder (witness the recent outpouring of liberal ire around
police behaviour at protests, something regular SchNEWS readers
wouldn’t have found much of a surprise) but, despite the
anti-Iraq war march of a million-plus, there hasn’t been a real
popular uprising since the anti-poll tax movement.

Even last year’s economic collapse seems to have caused nothing
more than increased ratings for X-factor and Strictly Come Dancing.
Global elites have gambled by mortgaging a huge slice of government
tax income for decades, and given it to themselves to continue with
business as usual. Maybe the shock of the sheer audacity of
what’s taken place has hit home yet and will need the effects of
the recession to really bite before the penny drops.

And if the bailout doesn’t hold then we’ll really be in
uncharted waters. With some kind of new crises, economic or
environmental, almost inevitable sooner or later, there will be less
and less room to manoeuvre for those in power – and a dangerous
likelihood of totalitarian tendencies coming to the fore.

It’s in precisely these times that we need to be pushing for
real democratic social change and rejecting the narrow nationalist
non-solutions that are inevitably gonna arise.

Here’s to the next fifteen years...

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Disclaimer

SchNEWS advises all readers - don't start an anarchist newsletter -
you'll only be stuck in an office still doing it fifteen years
later. Honest.

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