UK Feature Archive
Public trial for war criminal
27-04-2002 03:29
Report and background here
Pictures: 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : GR pics
Links here
Video here
GM Crop Destroyed in Highlands
24-04-2002 08:50
About five acres of a field of genetically modified crops in the Highlands has been destroyed. The Northern Constabulary report that the GM oilseed rape was destroyed on Saturday night at Roskill Farm, Munlochy, on the Black Isle in Easter Ross. The site has been the focus of campaigners’ protests since it was earmarked for GM crop trials by the Agri-business company Aventis two years ago. 4,000 protesters based on the Black Isle handed a petition to the transport and environment committee expressing their opposition to the crop trial. A few days ago a Scottish parliamentary committee called for the crop trial, beginning to flower, to be ploughed up. read moreThousands Protest in London
16-04-2002 05:16
Reports: 1 : 2 : 3
Pictures 1 : 2 : 3 : 4
For updates, reports and timeline of events from the War on Palestine see:
IMC Palestine | IMC Israel | IMC UK updates
NUJ Journalists Strike Over Low Pay
16-04-2002 05:12
NUJ members at the Guardian Media-owned Greater Manchester Weekly Newspapers are to strike Tuesday and Wednesday over low pay and union recognition. In a secret ballot 100 percent of NUJ members who took part voted for a strike. On the day the result was declared the management of Greater Manchester Weekly Newspapers (North) announced that they were de-recognising the NUJ - refusing to negotiate on pay and conditions. read more Update 30/04: The strike is over and there has been a settlementMore Snowball Acquittals
16-04-2002 04:43
April 10 2002. "GenetiX Snowball" campaigners Jo Hamilton and Martin Shaw won their appeal in Cambridge Crown Court and were acquitted. They had been convicted of Aggravated Trespass for pulling up genetically modified crops in August 1999 with Rowan Tilly. Ms Tilly appealed her conviction in the High Court in October 2001. She was acquitted, setting a precedent. full storyPolice Harassment as Mayday Approaches
09-04-2002 08:42
A recent press release details how police have been intimidating several web hosts from hosting a Mayday website. The police threatened them with raids and having their servers seized if they hosted the website ourmayday.org.uk The website contains details of the "Mayday Festival of Alternatives" running from 26th April to May 6th which includes film screenings, workshops and benefits. Police have also been photographing and filming people attending public meetings and social events at places like the Radical Dairy.
Also recently the Legal Defence and Monitoring Group (LDMG) revealed secret documents telling judges to come down hard on people arrested in connection with Mayday protests. The document titled "Mayhem" first came to the attention of LDMG in June 2001 when a defence barrister was refused access to it on the grounds that it was secret! Sentencing in England is supposedly based on individual circumstances and the seriousness of the offence, but clearly this doesn't apply to Mayday protesters.
The first corporate media articles about Mayday have appeared recently, with the Observer claiming that anarchist groups were planning "running battles with police" and the Independent predicting this year's Mayday "could be the most violent for a decade". By this time last year the corporate media was in a Mayday frenzy egged on by Police and Government statements with almost 50 articles printed claiming protestors were set to use samuri swords against police, tube ventilation shafts to travel, and children as human sheilds. This year the police have changed tactic and have yet to make any public announcements about the protests, after many media commentators last year criticised them and the mainstream media for a propaganda campaign hyping the issue of violence.
On Mayday itself (wed 1st May) protests in London include a critical mass bicycle protest starting at 7.30am from north and south London and meeting at the US embassy in Grosvenor Square; a breakfast solidarity protest outside Horseferry Magistrates Court to show support for the 7 'Wombles' who were arrested on Halloween last year; a mass action in the area of Mayfair in the afternoon at around 1pm with different themes; and a Soho Carnival Parade called by Sexworkers Pride which starts at 5pm. The normal TUC trade union event will start at Clerkenwell Green and march to Trafalger Square for a rally at 3pm and this year will be joined by the groups Globalise Resistance and the Stop The War Coalition. While most events are based in london, other cities are planning mayday events as well.
As usual Indymedia will be providing coverage of the events from participants themselves, and an Internet radio webstream is planned - details coming soon.
Don't hate the media - Be the media!
Mock War Funeral In Northhampton
09-04-2002 01:53
The Northampton Stop the War Coalition held a 'mock funeral' on Saturday afternoon in Abington Street and then asked members of the public to sign a petition. The coalition claims that over 600,000 children under five have died in Iraq as a direct result of sanctions against the country. read more07-04-2002 13:12
A parallel protest called by DAAWN (direct action against war now!) saw its meeting point of Grosvenor Square.Report | Photos
Bristol Residents Reclaim their Community
29-03-2002 11:05
"We’re sick of waiting for inaction," said Easton resident Claudette Thompson, who had brought her five year old son, Liam, along to block the road. "The city council and police have shown they have no interest in sorting out this kind of anti-social behaviour or the crack and heroin dealing that generates it. Well Easton people have had enough. The community is reclaiming the spaces and the streets... We refuse to continue being scared."
Report here
Photos: 1 : 2 : 3 : 4
OKasional Cafe still open for Easter!
29-03-2002 10:54
"Now it's just a case of negociating with the owners, baliffs, etc. saying that if the occupants try to resist then it'll cost them a lot of money as far as eviction costs go. So it'd be better to wait a bit. This has been the case with all previous cafes - and works well. It has already been effective - We've heard that the cafe is definitely going to be open over Easter!"
Hatfield Moor blockaded for 3 hours
29-03-2002 01:20
"A bunch of people running across a lumpy muddy field with kids, a wheelchair and a bike plus sound system while the police had a smaller distance to cover on tarmac – but somehow we made it across to the single track that provides the only access to the peat works. We occupied the track, celebrating our surprising achievement with drum and dance. The police moved up to our position and spent a long time figuring out what to do. In the meantime, people played football and a crèche was set up for the kids." [Quote from report]
Whilst others actions continued the over the following days, resistance has been increasing to the companies extraction of millions of tons of peat to sell to garden centres and farmers around the country on Thorne and Hatfield Moors throughout 2001. [Report 2] [Report 3]
Corporates in footsteps of RTS spoofs
20-03-2002 08:01
Protests against EU-summit 9-16 March
15-03-2002 02:23
SEE IMC UK Breaking News Sat 16th.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 - Videos: 1 | 2 | 3
The previous day up to 20,000 people took part in decentralised actions all over the city. Many were attacked by riot police with what one Reuters correspondent called "the considerable force that is a trademark of the Spanish riot police". The legal team confirmed a total of 109 arrests over the two days.
SEE IMC UK Breaking News Fri 15th.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
The week of protests started with 3000 people holding a reclaim the streets party on Sat 9th (report | video), and included a 100,000 trade unions demonstration on the 14th. 400,000 people also protested on the 10th against further privatisation of the water supply (report), and the National Hydrological Plan, which would re-route the biggest river in the Spanish State.
While much of the planning for the week of events had sought to minimise confrontation, the denial of basic rights that is now becoming commonplace in Europe was widespread - although not wholly unexpected - in Spain. Statewatch had previously reported on the Spanish State's latest criminalisation strategies to quell dissent.
See evidence of police agent provocateurs in Barcelona: Video . Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Breaking News Archive (multilingual)
- IMC Barcelona Protest Archive
- IMC UK Barcelona Special Feature
| ROME: RECLAIM YOUR MEDIA! Mar 16 2002 |
Reclaim your Media!
Also on March 16th, a 20,000-strong Street Party took place in Rome to support Radio Onda Rossa and Italy IMC for free and independent information.
The street party was called after four Italian social centres, allegedly housing Indymedia centres, were raided by the police on Feb 20th. During this operation the police seized audio and video material referring to the anti-G8 actions in Genova last summer, and confiscated computers, archives, and equipment needed by hundreds of Italian activists for daily cultural and political activities.
In Italy the attack on independent information has also concerned Radio Onda Rossa - an independent radio station in Rome. On January 22nd, the ministry of communications officially notified that its broadcasting license will be revoked.
Anarchists turn up at Police protest
14-03-2002 13:34
The police brass band complete with plastic 'bobbie' helmets drafted in for the day were drowned out when an assortment of Globalisation, enviromental and social justice campaigners turned up with a Samba band. As the media descended upon the activists, d signs were displayed with "Remember the Miners" slogans and others highlighing oppressive policing of protests. Full report.
Meanwhile another police demonstration took place in Barcelona.
'Last Chance' GM Rally In Stratford
10-03-2002 12:58
Campaigners have damaged a crop of Genetically Modified oilseed rape at Forest Farm, Long Marston, after a rally in Stratford-upon-Avon attended by up to 300 people. 2002 is the final year of the farm scale GM trials in Britain.
Last year a survey carried out in the village showed that the majority of residents do not want GM crops. Letters have been written to MPs, local authorities, and the farmer himself asking for the trial to be stopped.
Local people attended a public meeting at the time of sowing in October to demand action from the Government and Aventis - the biotech company who manufacture the GM crops. The trial has even been reported to the police for the criminal damage that could be caused through contamination of neighbouring crops rendering them unsaleable. GM Info
International Women's Day 8th March
08-03-2002 00:07
In London the Global Women's Strike campaign held a 'Whistle-Stop Tour and Cacerolazo" to "Sweep Out the Global Killers". Around 160 people, the majority women, with puppets, banners, drummers, pots 'n' pans and brooms, marched danced and sang their way from the Shell Centre, via the Ministry of Defence and the Institute of Directors, to the World Bank Office at Haymarket. At each location there were speeches highlighting the issues, with a strong emphasis on anti-war and anti-globalisation.
Pictures: 1 : montage a : montage b
Audio (.wav): summary : singing
At the same time around 40 women held a noise protest outside Holloway Women's Prison, highlighting the conditions women are held in and the fact that increasing numbers of women are being jailed for poverty related 'crimes'. Report and pics: here.
Later in the early evening people gathered for a No Sweat 'Tour of Shame' along Oxford Street. Highlighting sweatshop conditions and the exploitation of women workers, the main GAP store was shut down while speeches were made and leaflets handed out, before people moved off to also visit the main Nike store. Report here.
A 24hr web stream celebrating International Women's Day was also broadcast on Friday 8th March by Pirate TV and included video footage shot earlier in the day.
Also see Indymedia.org: International Women's Day Feature.
Pies and Pints at Big Brother Awards
07-03-2002 06:03
Five "Winston" awards were also given to individuals and organisations which have made an outstanding contribution to the protection of privacy, as well as to those who have been victims of privacy invasion, but the proceedings were disrupted by people who objected to the winners. The assistant editor of The Daily Telegraph had a pint thrown over him and hit back, while ex-MI5 agent David Shayler was pied in the face.
Reports: Award Winners : Shayler Pie : Telegraph Pint
Emissions Trading Conference Disrupted
06-03-2002 00:12
Rochelle Jackson from Rising Tide UK explained the situation. "The new market in the trading of carbon emissions is pie in the sky. It pretends to be a solution to the oncoming climate change crisis, but is in fact the privatisation of the atmosphere, the same atmosphere that protects the earth and all its people. We need 60% cuts in carbon emissions now, and hand-in-hand with that, we need climate justice, which could start with an admission that it is the rich in the west who are causing the problem and who are now attempting to profit from it, and the poorest people of the south who are bearing the brunt of the crisis".
Thousands March For Peace
04-03-2002 08:12
Reports: Overview : Sit down protest : Call for direct action : Stop The War report
Pictures: montages : stills
Video: Tariq Ali : Tony Benn
The plant that burns Blair's rubbish is putting Britain's children at risk
27-02-2002 08:17
