UK Newswire Archive
The art of resistance in Palestine, photography exhibition, by William Parry
26-09-2010 00:29
William Parry has constructed a beautiful photographic document of the brutal Israel/West Bank seperation wallThis exhibition features the stunning photography from Will Parry’s recent book of photographs capturing the graffiti and art that have transformed Israel’s wall into a living canvas of resistance and solidarity. Featuring the work of artists Banksy, Ron English, Blu and others, as well as Palestinian artists and activists, these photographs express outrage, compassion and touching humour. They illustrate the wall’s toll on lives and livelihoods, showing the hardship it has brought to tens of thousands of people, preventing their access to work, education and vital medical care. Mixed with the images are portraits and vignettes, offering a heartfelt and inspiring account of a people determined to uphold their dignity in the face of profound injustice.
‘The wall stands as a dreadful symbol of oppression. The spirit of resistance may be strong but Palestinians need international support. I hope this book makes that more likely.’
Ken Loach, filmmaker
‘This book will help eventually pull down the wall.’
Damon Albarn, musician
‘A singular achievement–both a stunning photographic essay of how Israel’s concrete wall has cut into Palestinian land and strangled whole communities and a powerful visual record of how local and international graffiti artists have battered it with their only weapons, paint and spray cans.’
Joe Sacco, author of Palestine and Footnotes in Gaza
‘A remarkable book documenting a vast and ultimately self-defeating act of injustice. It records a growing series of creative and flexible responses to that injustice. ... It is an angry, funny, determined reminder that nothing lasts forever.’
A.L. Kennedy, writer and comedian
The exhibition takes place at:
The Emporium
37 Stokes Croft
Bristol
BS1 3PY
October 26th – 30th (featuring a talk by Will Parry on the 30th 18.00)
Opening daily 13h – 19h
Excellent interview with American SHAC prisoner, Josh Harper
25-09-2010 23:59
A wonderful interview with SHAC 7 defendant and former prisoner Josh Harper is now available at
http://vimeo.com/15241911
Stop the Aldermaston Expansion - before 29 Sept 2010.
25-09-2010 22:54
Despite cuts in out public services, ranging from housing to care for the elderly and from libraries to road safety, it seems that there is one growth industry - nuclear weapons. We cannot afford this.RED ED IN COMMIE PLOT HORROR
25-09-2010 22:48
As we all know, the Labour Party has decided, as an organisation, to elect a fresh face who will put the New Labour years behind them, and take the party in a more social-democratic direction. Which mean mean only one thing: Yes folks, it's smear time!!(In other words: The following is a work of satire)
Anti-deportation protest: Help keep the Okpara family safe in Sheffield!
25-09-2010 21:14
Call out to Democracy Rally - Oct 9th Trafalgar Square
25-09-2010 21:13
LONDON - the passion for freedom knows no borders
25-09-2010 20:19
Friday, 24 September 2010
LONDON - the passion for freedom knows no borders, the same for solidarity
TODAY, Friday 24 September, around 2pm. a number of anarchists and sympathizers from various parts of the metropolis converged on the shopping centre in the middle of the busy intersection Elephant and Castle, chosen because of the thousands of people from Latin American countries living in the area. After dropping banners over the main entrance in solidarity with the Mapuche hunger strikers and the 14 anarchists arrested in Chile, they dispersed into and around the shopping centre and local market giving out hundreds of leaflets in English and Spanish.
Unnoticed by the State and private security who were too intent on defending the bosses' wares, the banners stayed in place for hours in full view of hundreds of bus passengers from almost every country on the planet on their way to and from their places of exploitation.
Today's outing, chosen to coincide with the international solidarity date for our Chilean comrades, rather than being a fait accompli is a call to action everywhere, without delay.
THE PASSION FOR FREEDOM KNOWS NO BORDERS
THE SAME FOR SOLIDARITY
random anarchists in london
Chile: behind the media circus..
On 14th of September 2010, 14 anarchists were arrested in Santiago de Chile and accused of being involved in a series of bombing campaigns in the country over the past year. Statements have since been released by several groups claiming responsibility for the attacks while the arrestees themselves have denied any responsibility since the very beginning of this charade. The evidence presented against them by the prosecution could not be more ridiculous; from magazines and newspapers to common household items apparently intended for the manufacturing of “explosive devices”, anything is welcome to bolster paranoia. A few months earlier, on July12th, 34 prisoners on remand of the Mapuche indigenous group went (and still remain, after 74 days) on hunger strike in the Chilean prisons of Temuco, Valdivia, Angol and Concepcion. They are demanding the abolition of the Anti-terrorist law as well as an end to the military occupation of their lands located in the South of the country and subjected for years to an ongoing plundering by western corporations. The Mapuche people are characterised by a strong bond with their surrounding natural environment. Their ancestral relation with their land as well as the destruction of the latter by national and international capital’s eternal quest to extract more and more profit from it has motivated the Mapuche to develop an increasingly militant line of action.
While these issues have been subjected to a total information blackout by the mainstream media, both Chilean and international, the mining ‘accident’ that happened on August 6 at the San José copper mine in Copiapo, Chile resulting in 33 miners remaining trapped over 2,300 feet underground, has on the contrary enjoyed a great deal of media attention. Piñera, the recently elected Chilean president, is using the incident to clean the poor image of his government after a series of highly unpopular moves. His sluggish and elitist reaction to what happened following lasts summer’s earthquake along with his extreme conservative policies badly hitting the poorest social classes, had made his level of popularity drop dramatically. Hence the deployment of this “Big Brother” operation aimed at creating a false image of national unity. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid by the mass media to facts such as the workers not receiving their wages, their appalling working conditions and their message of support to the Mapuche cause. Instead, the journalists have focused on unimportant details such as how many bibles the miners got or the number of wives claiming benefits for each one of their trapped husbands.
For the average respectable and law-abiding British citizen, commonly ignorant of facts such as the UK’s involvement as one of the chief arms providers to Pinochet’s dictatorship back in the 80s, this subject might seem to fall into the category “none of my business”. However, silly as it might sound, he or she might be wiping their ass every day with paper manufactured from trees taken straight from the deforestation of Mapuche lands. Every penny we have in our pockets is made from copper, involving us directly in the condition of these miners in Chile and quite sure many other countries. The same goes for the chips in our laptops, our mobile phone... the list could go on for a while. London is a major economic centre, meaning that many triggers are pulled, a lot of blood is spilled so that capital can keep flowing into the city. It is the ‘counterterrorism law’ enacted in 1984 by Pinochet, which still allows Mapuche activists to be charged as ‘terrorist suspects’ and tried in military courts today.Chile passes for a democratic country now. So maybe in your opinion everything is all right and no reasons should be left for protest or radical change. In the same line of thinking, all those Chilean anarchists might actually deserve whatever befalls them. The mistake is to think that any democratic country guarantees freedom, welfare and a fair life for everybody. Look around, look at yourself, can you really see that democratic paradise existing anywhere?
Even the most affluent democratic states like the UK keep their share of homeless, poor and beggars. A life devoted to the pursuit of a professional career soon reveals itself as an unsatisfactory senseless rat race driven by nothing but money and kept going in many cases by tonnes of anti-depressants. More and more families are struggling to make ends meet, while the vast majority of the population are granted the “freedom” of wasting their life tied to the chains of wage slavery. The same old story of exploitation and authoritarian abuse comes to the surface again and we find that under the auspices of our beloved democracy political power is exerted by a bunch of thieves known as professional politicians. They say we have the “power” and the “freedom” to elect them but this is starting to sound for an increasing amount of people like a bloody joke. What this fundamental lie hides is that we remain stripped of any power, whether personal or collective, to make decisions concerning our own lives.
On top of all this the “crisis” comes and as usual it is the poorest, whether the working or unemployed part of the population, who have to pay for the mess. At all times we are reminded how lazy we are and how little we do to increase productivity due to our lack of a “competitive” and market/business-oriented mind. Of course, it is always our fault; we are not perfect slaves yet, we still need a bit of a reminder so it’s time to cut this and that, it’s time to make things more and more difficult. Everything will be all right - unless of course, someone does not swallow these lies and tries to do something about it that does not follow the legally permitted (and therefore useless) ways of protest. Such is the case of the Chilean anarchists. Such is the case of the Mapuche people. Such would our case be if we were to confront the rules of our own democracy.
Immediate freedom to the arrested anarchists!
Stop the plunder of Mapuche land now!
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY!!
AGAINST THE TERRORISM OF THE STATE AND CAPITAL!
http://paismapuche.org/
http://actforfreedomnow.blogspot.com/
http://culmine.noblogs.org/
Moscow Antifa Benefit - Taunton 06/10: BrainDead / Comply or Die / The Vexed / 51st State / Po-lice
25-09-2010 20:18
BrainDead / Comply or Die / The Vexed / 51st State / Po-lice @ The Winchester Arms, Taunton - 6th OctoberBENEFIT GIG FOR MOSCOW ANTIFA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNDHe1NLcc4
WEDNESDAY 6TH OCTOBER @ THE WINCHESTER ARMS, TAUNTON
£3 ENTRY
BRAINDEAD (Pumpkin Records) ---- 3-piece skacore from Hamburg, Germany
http://www.myspace.com/braindeadshit
COMPLY OR DIE ---- York based ska punk
http://www.myspace.com/complyordiemusic
THE VEXED ---- Hardcore punk from York
http://www.myspace.com/vexedpunx
51ST STATE ---- Somerset based 2-piece psycho-punk
http://www.myspace.com/51ststate1
PO-LICE ---- Fast and furious south-west skacore
http://www.myspace.com/police1234567
A share of the door takings will go to Russian antifascists.
Free & tasty vegan food as per usual!
breaking news - shell garage closed near elephant
25-09-2010 18:15
protestors in solidarity with rossport have just layed siege to a shell garage near elephant and castle in south london (sat evening 17:00)
if anyone is in the area and wants to come and take pics or join them, please do!
the protestors, members of the 'petrosiege crew' have climbed on to the roof of the garage to force its closure on a busy saturday evening as part of ongoing solidarity actions over the oil refinery and local people's struggle in county mayo in the north west of ireland (rossport)
exact location:
Shell Walworth South
122-156 Walworth Road, Camberwell, London SE17 1, United Kingdom
Callout: Anarchists Against The Cuts
25-09-2010 18:14
It's Not Business, It's PersonalThis is a call-out to the Anarchist community in the UK to get involved with the building anti-cuts movement. We call for anarchists and other more militant/radical members of the left to start a campaign of direct action, demonstrations, outreach and civil disobedience against the cuts and the state as a whole.
The foundations of a major anti-cuts movement are already in place with campaigns, groups and alliances forming across the country with particular activity in the south west and north east of England.
In Bristol and Bath the unions and the mainstream left have formed anti-cuts alliances. As stated in previous articles on this site we should not seek to create a separate parallel campaign to these groups, on the contrary we encourage the Anarchist and radical community to have a visible (and vocal) presence at all their meetings and demos.
We must work together towards our shared goals while at the same time brining with us our own politics, tactics and ideas.
If we do not act not to establish ourselves as a viable part of a movement which has all the hallmarks of something not seen in the UK since the Poll Tax, then we risk being smothered by union bureaucracy and those who seek to use this opportunity to seize power for their own means.
A large proportion of Anarchist activities are based around single issue campaigns. We see Anarchists Against The Cuts as a banner these groups and individuals can unite under to form a visible and uncompromising part of the fight against the cuts. We do not have a membership, we do not have a fancy logo, we do not have formal meetings, we do not have newspapers to sell or a Facebook group to like. We are simply a campaign with one aim "No Cuts, No Compromise, By All Means Necessary!"
We should not waste energy to duplicate efforts already made by other groups. It you want to know what is going on and what you can do please attend the meetings of your local anti-cuts alliance or IWW branch meeting. (If there is not a group near you, form one). We are encouraging as many groups as possible to post their events and meetings on Indymedia.
Anarchists against the cuts are looking however to produce some straightforward jargon free literature.
We encourage Anarchists to attend the arranged meetings and demos, get involved with the campaign, distribute your own (or other groups) literature and take autonomous actions against the cuts.
See you on the front line & see you in the meeting room.
Anarchists Against The Cuts.
Full article | 2 additions | 5 comments
Wrexham: Young people tell the BNP where to go
25-09-2010 17:36
bt protest short clip
25-09-2010 16:14
short unedited clip panning across protest to give some idea of the noise and vibe outside the grosvenor hotel last night at the olympic ball
pro-palestine protest at BT-sponsored olympic ball
25-09-2010 16:13
last night, a star-studded BT-sponsored 'british olympic ball" was targeted for protest by pro-palestinian activists to highlight BT's partnership with israeli telecommunications firm "bezeq international" who provide military telecommunication infrastructure throughout the occupied west bank and golan heights. here are some pics and a very short film of the night.
the british olympic ball took place last night at the grosvenor house hotel in park lane, with a full red carpet champagne reception, amanda holden hosting the evening, and dj mark ronson and the sugababes among the lavish entertainment.
olympic champions, future medal contenders, celebrated stars from sport and entertainment, and a few very fat rich people were among the exclusive guests, each paying at least £500 for the night, or up to £12000 per table.
for BT it was a premier publicity event to show off their partnership with the 2012 olympics. every detail was in place, even down to paying cab drivers to sit outside the venue in specially olympic logo-ed cabs.
as guests arrived at the gates of the hotel on park street, they were ushered along a red carpet past a throng of media photographers, and a backdrop of BT and olympic logos.
then a long pink stretch limo arrived at the gates, and out stepped a couple of men in suits and shades, but these weren't any ordinary celebrities or sportsmen - no, they were 'space hijackers', and they were followed out of the huge pink car by a small but perfectly formed 'rhythms of resistance' samba band, along with various banners and placards.
as it dawned on the besuited security guards what was going on, some of them radically exceeded their powers and started pushing people around, even attempting to snatch banners. one particularly nasty 'usher', named 'andrew raymond' violently marched an activist across the road. once the guards realised their actions were being photographed and filmed the word went out to calm down, and they also began hiding their name badges and their SIA license IDs.
the guards then formed a line, and guests had to squeeze behind them to enter the hotel. lots of guests took fliers explaining what the action was about. the noise was chaotic and joyously loud, with the samba augmented by some quite funky operatic singing from a young woman in fine voice wandering around with a megaphone!
the police arrived and at first took over what the security guards had been doing, forming a line so that the protestors could stay in front of the gates but guests could walk through unobstructed behind them, but after a few minutes they decided to facilitate the publicity of a major company directly partnered with war crimes rather than facilitate lawful protest, and started forcefully pushing the protestors away and to the side of the gate, trampling on banners, and knocking over drummers while doing so.
special mention must go out to constable andrew scott, who really should get some anger management classes, and who looked like he was about to seriously lose his rag and attack people until sergeant brookes intervened. there were no arrests.
at 7pm the main hotel gate was locked shut, and the police swiftly disappeared into the night, hopefully to do something less damaging to society than uphold war crimes.
the samba band carried on playing loudly outside the venue, and someone inside tweeted that the protest was the most exciting bit of the evening so far.
then the monthly (last friday of every month) 'critical mass' cycling crowd arrived, with probably a couple of hundred cyclists shouting and belling and horning in the street for a few minutes.
the whole protest was designed to unofficially kick-off a campaign of 'boycott, divestment and sanctions' (BDS) against israel. a forthcoming part of the campaign is due to be announced against british telecom (BT) because of its "alliance programme" which in january announced 'israeli telecom firm 'bezeq international' a "gold partner". the 'alliance programme' partners other companies globally to support 'BT global services' in selling, distribution and support of BT products and services.
'bezeq' provides telecom services to all the illegal israeli settlements, army bases and checkpoints. meanwhile the UN, our government, and the international court of justice all agree that the israeli settlements are illegal and that their establishment is a war crime. the settlements are built on palestinian land and this means that the israeli military confines palestinians to several densely populated built up areas. this is very effectively a form of unlawful imprisonment and apartheid.
BT's partnership with 'bezeq' even goes against its own code of 'corporate social responsibility', and the soon to be announced activist campaign, well organised, led by a number of british charities, and including extensive letter writing, lobbying and media work, is asking BT to honour the BDS ideal and to divest its partnership with 'bezeq'.
more info on the BDS movement can be found at BDSmovement.org
images and film ©2010 rikkiindymedia - all rights reserved, except free to copy for non-commercial credited usage
LONDON - the passion for freedom knows no borders, the same for solidarity
25-09-2010 14:06
LONDON - the passion for freedom knows no borders, the same for solidarity
TODAY, Friday 24 September, around 2pm. a number of anarchists and sympathizers from various parts of the metropolis converged on the shopping centre in the middle of the busy intersection Elephant and Castle, chosen because of the thousands of people from Latin American countries living in the area. After dropping banners over the main entrance in solidarity with the Mapuche hunger strikers and the 14 anarchists arrested in Chile, they dispersed into and around the shopping centre and local market giving out hundreds of leaflets in English and Spanish.
Unnoticed by the State and private security who were too intent on defending the bosses' wares, the banners stayed in place for hours in full view of hundreds of bus passengers from almost every country on the planet on their way to and from their places of exploitation.
Today's outing, chosen to coincide with the international solidarity date for our Chilean comrades, rather than being a fait accompli is a call to action everywhere, without delay.
THE PASSION FOR FREEDOM KNOWS NO BORDERS
THE SAME FOR SOLIDARITY
random anarchists in london
Cancer and birth deformities in Iraq worse than Hiroshima...
25-09-2010 12:09
How do we demand an inquiry?Cancer and birth deformities in Iraq worse than Hiroshima...discussion could weapons made in this country be causing this radioactive fallout? How do we demand an inquiry?
The film "Deadly Legacy Iraq" being shown on Sept 27 (see calender) shows what Modern Warfare really means.
Cancer and birth deformities are now common in Iraq
Depleted Uranium and Uranium weapons were used on the Attack on Fallujah . It is estimated there are 41 sites in Iraq that are contaminated.....
Everything possible is being done to hide the evidence that is coming to light, doctors and scientists in Iraq need to know what weapons were used they are pleading to the international community to do something so that they can access all the medical and scientific help to alleviate the suffering.
Do not turn your face away from this reality, if you find this film difficult to watch, imagine being in that reality....
Our Arms Industry and our government have committed terrible War crimes OUR SILENCE IS COMPLICIT to this slow genocide
World Leaders, Generals Who Question US Govt Version of 911
25-09-2010 11:30
the Sept 11 Truth Movement reaches critical mass.“Iran is not what you think it is”
25-09-2010 11:03
He proclaims views on Iran that are contrary to commonly held misconceptions—although he is a strong critic against Iran’s human rights record. In my interview with him, he shared with me a history of Iranian-American relations.
Pro-Palestine demonstrators crash start-studded ball to protest BT’s settlement
25-09-2010 10:23
Protestors last night disrupted the British Olympic Ball to send a message to its sponsor, BT, to cut its ties with Bezeq, supplier of telecommunications services to Israeli checkpoints, military bases and illegal settlements in occupied Palestine.The Crude Awakening - more info and new video
25-09-2010 10:11
One month to go!
Check out this awesome new video to get inspired: www.crudeawakening.org.uk/node/9
Please copy and paste this and email it to lists and people you think would be interested.
Crude Awakening are sending out weekly newsletters that will also be posted on indymedia - please help to spread the word.
Newsletter 2
1. Meet-up time
We'll be meeting at 10 AM in central London - so book your coach and train tickets to London now! If you are in the North you can contact manchester@climatecamp.org.uk if you want a ticket for a space on a coach. If you need to stay over in London on Friday night, plan to stay with a friend if you can; if you can't email london@climatecamp.org.uk and we will be happy to help out. This is an all-day event, so if you're traveling from out of town, you should also plan to stay over on Saturday night.
Blocs and meeting points will be announced in next week's newsletter, along with details for how to sign up to the text alert system that will be used to communicate vital information on the day. So watch this space...
2. What to expect on the day
People will gather at several meeting points in central London. We'll leave these initial meeting points immediately, so being on time is important. Messages will be passed on by text message and from person to person. We'll be on the move - indoors and out - throughout the day, and you should be prepared with warm and waterproof clothes, food and water. You will spend the day with a thousand others - some your closest friends, many you've never met before - who all believe that oil's time is up, and it's our job to give it the boot.
Although there are ten possible targets, at some point during the day we will all wind up together in one place to switch off oil. Get ready to occupy, blockade, build, reclaim...
This is a mass action to disrupt the oil industry. To do that successfully, we're trying something new, and keeping the target under wraps - which aims to allow us to beat the police to our final destination, and create a space where people can take effective action.
With the mystery target, there are some things that can be made clear in advance, and others that can't. We know where we're meeting, but not where we'll end up. We know what we need to bring, but not exactly what it will be used for. Expect the unexpected, and be prepared for it: sun, wind and rain; sitting-in and out-running; occupying and pushing; holding space and breaking boundaries.
3. Upcoming events
Email us your event and we'll include it in next week's newsletter!
LONDON
- 23 September. Climate Action Film Night, London Action Resource Centre, Whitechapel, 7.30PM. Two short films of recent actions against BP and Shell, plus Petropolis. Followed by a brainstorming session on taking direct action against the oil industry in London - including all the latest info on the Crude Awakening. Details: www.londonrisingtide.org.uk/node/451
- 29 September, 7PM. London planning meeting to coordinate London organising and outreach. Venue TBC.
- 1 October. Catapult Party. Benefit gig and warm-up for the Crude Awakening. 9PM till late. Secret party venue, sign-up here to get details by text nearer the time: http://tiny.cc/thenightbefore. More info: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=151003711600590&ref=mf
- 2-3 October. London planning extravaganza, open to all. Organised by London Climate Camp. Two days of workshops, prop-making, affinity group forming, plotting and planning. More info: London@climatecamp.org.uk. Plus the London Rabble Rouser - a mass outdoor team game, warming us up for the big day - time and venue TBC.
- 2-3 October. Stilt making workshop for the stilt block. 10 AM - 6 PM. A skill share weekend to build stilts and learn how to walk on them. It's free and lunch is included. More info and RSVP: stilt.bloc@gmail.com
MANCHESTER
27 September - 4 October. Workshops Week at Manchester Student Union. Direct action and legal observer training, know your rights, running a campaign group, dealing with the media and more.
30 September. Cool Runnings. Catch up on what happened at this year's awesome Climate Camp before skilling up for action in the run up to The Crude Awakening. Learn how to run in between, through and round police lines. And finished off with a top reggaeu night at Manchester Metropolitan University.
9 October. Public ‘dis'order training. 12 noon - 6PM. Manchester Students Union. Prepare for the Crude Awakening by doing your own action! Learn why and how to do mass direct action with workshops and affinity group building.
More info on Manchester events:
http://manchestercampaignscollective.wordpress.com/calender/
4. Make it Happen!
This is a mass action and we need masses of people to make it work. The most important way to get involved now and help make this action a success is to spread the word, and get together with others to start planning for the day.
- Tell your mates about the Crude Awakening and book your travel to London if necessary
- Email the call-out far and wide: crudeawakening.org.uk/node/14
- Join the Facebook page and invite your friends to it:http://bit.ly/c6S0kg
- Follow the Crude Awakening on Twitter: twitter.com/crudeawake
- Come to one of the build-up events. Want to do more? Get in touch with the organisers and help publicise the event crudeawakening.org.uk/node/5
- Raise and discuss the action at your local group meeting - we can send a speaker if you like, email a request to crudeawakening2010@gmail.com
- Form an affinity group if you're not already part of one, or start plotting with them if you are! Info on affinity groups:
5. Website revamp
Check out our newly designed website, with new info going up every day, and a fast-growing collection of videos to get you all fired up for the big day.
Sign-up for text and email alerts coming soon.
That's all for this week!
What is the real meaning of Cameron's "Big Society" idea?
25-09-2010 10:10
Public meeting7.30pm Wednesday 29th September
@ Easton Community Centre, Kilburn Street.
Speaker: Martin Upchurch (Professor of International Employment Relations, Middlesex University)
David Cameron has talked much about his desire to introduce a Big Society and to attack Big Government. This open meeting will discuss and analyse the ideology behind Cameron and what he really means by the Big Society.
The attack on public services has been dressed up by both Cameron and Clegg as necessary to reduce deficit spending. Yet hidden behind this blatant attempt at class war on the poor, the newly unemployed, and the
vulnerable is a set of ideas aimed to privatise whole sections of services that are vital for a decent society. In its place the Coalition seeks to isolate working class communities by stripping them of support services and relying solely on privately provided and voluntary services reminiscient.