UK Newswire Archive
art or protest? - mass moon outside parliament
08-10-2010 17:22
yesterday afternoon, artist karen barnes and nine other art activists bared their bottoms in front of parliament. the event was part of a ten day festival entitled 'E.R my arse... enough is enough' which comprises an extravaganza of music, art, photography, cabaret, obscurity, and frivolity.
karen began her 'ER my arse' project after continually coming across royal mail bags discarded around london and the countryside. this litter bore the queen's crown symbol, and karen wondered how it could be that the queen gets away with littering on a grand scale, while her citizens get fined for small scale offences.
as an artist, karen saw the parallels in society generally, where big corporations, big government, and big military all get away with crimes on a huge scale that are unlawful and punished when performed on a small scale.
she decided to show her disdain for a criminal government by organising yesterday's 'mass moon' right in front of parliament.
she let police know ahead of time of her intentions, and found the events team surprisingly co-operative. while officials in westminster raised concerns and tried to have the event stopped, police resisted interference and told karen to go ahead. indeed they claim that when an official said that someone looking out of westminster might be offended, they replied that perhaps parliamentarians should be told not to look out of the window that lunchtime.
and so, yesterday, shortly after one o clock, ten people, some men, some women, some older, some younger, stood infront of the george V statue opposite westminster, and dropped their pants and wiggled and slapped their arses.
no-one appeared to be offended. tourists took photos. people laughed, whistled and cheered, and no-one was arrested.
the ten day project finishes tomorrow night. for info on tonight's events and the closing day, see
HGA condemns Nobel award to supporter of eugenics
08-10-2010 16:37
Reacting to today's (4th October 2010) news of the award of the Nobel prize for medicine to Robert Edwards, Dr David King, Director of Human Genetics Alert (1) said, "I find it shocking that the Nobel Foundation should honour a man who has been a lifelong supporter of eugenics. That is immensely hurtful to millions of disabled people, like myself."Sustainable Revolution!
08-10-2010 16:26
Prince of Wales owns 135,000 acres in the South-West."This is a call to revolution" - Perhaps Charles needs some help with this whole revolution thingy.
Perhaps Charles needs some help with this whole revolution thingy.
The revolution IS coming! - Prince of Wales calls for revolution – albeit a 'sustaiTnable' one, so thats alright then!
The Prince of Wales is a major land-holder in the South-west of England, with thousands of tenants and farmers living and working on 'his' land.
The value of the Prince of Wales's Duchy of Cornwall estate, which stretches over 135,000 acres of mostly rural land across 23 counties mainly in the south-west of England, was last year estimated at £647 million.
A 10 per cent rise in the value of the rural land in recent years, which dominates the Duchy portfolio, will have added tens of millions more to the estate which was created by Edward III in 1337 to provide a private income for the heir to the throne.
In 2009-10, The Prince’s income from the Duchy was £17.1 million.
The call to revolution turns out, disappointingly, to be a demand for greater sustainability.
In Prince Charles's new book, Harmony, he advocates a 'whole-istic' approach......
"I don't want my grandchildren – or yours – to come along and say, 'Why the hell didn't you do something about this? You knew what the problem was.' That's what motivates me," says the Prince of Wales in an accompanying television documentary, sitting in an elegant cream suit in the garden of his country home at Highgrove. "I can only, somehow, imagine that I find myself being born into this position for a purpose."
"In those early years I was described as old-fashioned, out of touch and anti-science; a dreamer in the modern world that clearly thought itself too sophisticated for 'obsolete' ideas and techniques, but I could see the stakes were already far too high ... Even back at the end of the 'swinging 60s' the damage was showing through and I felt it was my duty to warn of the consequences of ignoring nature's intrinsic tendency towards harmony and balance before it was all too late."
Charles needs some help with this whole 'sustainable revolution' thingy he's prattling on about..
Sheffield Free School - 8th - 10th October
08-10-2010 16:12
EDL in Leicester tomorrow -- More details
08-10-2010 15:17
The EDL are planning to stir-up hatred in Leicester. They claim that they have "pull[ed] all police liaison", "remove[d] all stewarding" and "will still march in one way or another".Capita, Umbrella Companies and NI evasion
08-10-2010 13:37
Capita Education, part of the massive Capita the 'UK's leading outsourcing company' is evading making NI employers contributions by the use of 'Umbrella Company' Key Portfolio.Afghanistan 9 years, Reading Names of the Dead, London - Pictures
08-10-2010 12:52
Oi! No Borders benefit in Wales
08-10-2010 12:26
Europe's Carfree Neighbourhoods - Could we Do it in Bristol
08-10-2010 11:27
Illustrated Talk October 20th 7.30pm, Cornubia pubOn October 20th at 7.30pm in the Cornubia pub, Carfree Bristol are hosting a presentation by Dr Steve Melia about the carfree neighbourhoods he visited on his cycle journeys around Europe between 2006 and 2008. The presentation will lead into a discussion about the potential for carfree neighbourhoods in Bristol.
On October 20th at 7.30pm in the Cornubia pub, Carfree Bristol are hosting a presentation by Dr Steve Melia about the carfree neighbourhoods he visited on his cycle journeys around Europe between 2006 and 2008. The presentation will lead into a discussion about the potential for carfree neighbourhoods in Bristol.
The larger neighbourhoods and smaller developments were mainly in Germany (Freiburg, Cologne, Hamburg) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Groningen). The largest, Vauban in Freiburg, is home to over 5,000 people. They typically have a small amount of peripheral parking, but traffic is banned in the areas where people live. Some small examples exist in Britain (Edinburgh and London). Although they are limited in scale compared to the European examples, two blocks on Bristol’s waterfront (Waverley and Balmoral House) were successfully developed and sold with no parking (and a small carfree area around them).
Steve, who is a Senior Lecturer at University of the West of England said:
“This will be a photographic presentation about my journeys and what I found. Several European countries, with higher car ownership than Britain, have shown how carfree neighbourhoods can be made to work. Wherever they have been built, they have become extremely popular places to live. Some of the residents were already carfree, others, particularly families with young children, gave up their cars to gain a better quality of urban life.
I was very lucky to spend the three summers of my PhD cycling across 7 countries, visiting these neighbourhoods, and several other cities which have tamed the scourge of traffic and pollution. We believe these ideas can be applied to Bristol, and we will be organising feasibility studies to see how this could be done.”
This will be the second meeting of Carfree Bristol, a social and campaigning group for people without cars. See: www.carfreebristol.org.uk.
ENDS
Several Photographs of the Carfree Areas are on: www.stevemelia.co.uk/carfreeareas.htm
Contacts: Steve Melia 07913 079314
Anja Dalton 07963 831882
Notts anti-cuts events/meetings in next fortnight
08-10-2010 10:26
Here are confirmed local anti-cuts meetings and events coming up. There are other events planned with details still to be announced - take a look at the Notts SOS website or Indymedia group and events listings for updates. Also a Notts SOS Facebook Group has been set up.
Monday 11th October - the second meeting of Notts SOS will be at 7.30pm on Mon at the ICC (International Community Centre), YMCA, 61b Mansfield Road, Nottingham NG1 3FN. Please just turn up.
Tuesday 12th October - Anarchists against the cuts?
A discussion meeting at the Sumac Centre, Forest Fields, about how anarchists can - and should - engage with the burgeoning local anti-cuts movement. Starts 7.30pm.
Monday 18th October - Unison protest: SAY NO TO PAY CUTS FOR SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF. 4.00pm (onwards). OLD MARKET SQUARE IN FRONT OF COUNCIL HOUSE. Download schools protest flyer 18 October 2010.
Thursday 21st October - Anti-cuts event at Nottinghamshire County Council. Lobby of County Hall, West Bridgford from 12.30pm when the County Council is due to publicise massive proposed cuts and privatising most of its services. If you want coach seats for the protest at Notts County Council on Thurs 21st Oct please contact Pete Watson pete.watson1@ntlworld.com; or the Notts CC Unison website www.nottsunison.org.uk
Coaches are coming from Worksop, Mansfield, Newark & Beeston. See also: Notts County Council lobby October 21st - coach details, flyer and summary of ‘clearance sale'.
Subvert 2010 [1]
08-10-2010 10:22
cafes, films, discussions, benefit gig, picnic, fun!SUBVERT 2010 a festival of resistance - October 8 to 10th, Bristol, south-west U.K, brought to you by the Bastard Squad Collective
Check http://bastardsquadcollective.wordpress.com for a map of the venues, any further updates, and other Bastard Squad Collective projects. Full details below.
Please forward widely! See you there!!!
South-West Punks for Social Change
Check http://bastardsquadcollective.wordpress.com for a map of the venues, any further updates, and other Bastard Squad Collective projects. Full details below.
Please forward widely! See you there!!!
South-West Punks for Social Change
Full Article | Subvert 2010 Opening Night | Subvert 2010 Saturday | Bastard Squad Collective Blog
How To Contribute Articles A Brief Guide | Donate |Publish an Article/Event | Help Guide | Calendar | Indycycle | Bristol Just Living Positive Guide to Bristol | Get Involved with Bristol Indymedia
Friday 8th:
Film showing, with vegan cafe, from 8pm @ 28 Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol BS2 8RU (ring bell at green side door)
"Behind the Screams" - a documentary by Martin Sorrondeguy (of hardcore bands LOS CRUDOS and LIMP WRIST) about the U.S Latino/Chicago punk scene, politicized by racism and poverty, their relationship with South American bands, the D.I.Y ethic and the social issues tying them in with broader communities. Leads into an open discussion;
“More Than Music? - subculture and movement”, a discussion where we hope to share perspectives on how we can best use subversive currents to participate in social struggles.
Saturday 9th:
Infoshop open, with vegan breakfast cafe, 11am-2pm @ Kebele Social Centre, 14 Robertson Road, Easton, Bristol BS5 6JY
Punx Picnic 2-5pm, with sound system, location to be announced Friday night and posted in Kebele window Saturday morning.
GIG @ The White Hart, Whitehall Road, Easton, Bristol BS5 9BJ. Doors from 5pm, first band on 6pm, bands finish midnight. £8 on the door.
A benefit for a direct action bust fund.
HELLKRUSHER (yup that's right, back to show you how it's done)
RUIDOSA INMUNDICIA (heralding the return of incredible super-fast Latino h/c, from Austria)
WAR ALL THE TIME (rare gig by U.K hardcore veterans!)
THE WANKYS (fuzzed-out Japan/Bristol worship from Leicester)
THE EXINGUISHERS (scorching ska-core, Bournemouth)
AGNOSY (stirring London metallic d-beaters you might recognise...)
BULLETRIDDEN (the West Country's newest gnarly crust-metal beast awakes)
plus info & record stalls, d-beat disco...
Sunday 10th:
Movie night, with vegan cafe, from 6pm @ Kebele social centre, 14 Robertson Rd, Bristol BS5 6JY
Showing 2 films from 8pm. The first film is a DIY doc entitled 'Actions versus Repressions', by the anarcho-art group Children of Bakunin & Moscow ABC. Made in 2009, with English subtitles, it focuses on the struggles of Russian anarchists & anti-fascists in the face of ongoing repression.
The second is Alix Lambert's 'The Mark of Cain' a documentary about the forbidden culture of prisoner tattoos in Russia. Much more than tattoo culture though, this doc lays bare the true horror of the Russian prison system, and you wonder how on earth Lambert gained access to some of Russia's most brutal prisons.
Cafe proceeds benefit a Moscow anti-fascist on the run after an attempt on their life.
Hosted by Bristol Anarchist Black Cross – supporting anarchist and class struggle prisoners first and foremost, but also of the position that every prisoner is a political prisoner - http://bristolabc.wordpress.com
Crude Awakening - 10 targets (that just missed our short list)
08-10-2010 08:20
Pre-meeting for Free Vegan Food Fair Volunteers
08-10-2010 07:23
With vegan cake and a cuppaDo you fancy volunteering at the free vegan food fair on Saturday 30th October?
Come along to a pre-meeting at Kebele, 14 Robertson Road at 7.30pm on Monday 25th October.
The food fair is a great event to be involved in, and a brilliant way to promote veganism. People can save around 12 animals a month by being vegan.
If you cannot make the pre-meeting, but would still like to volunteer, or help promote the event, please get in touch:freeveganfoodfair@gmail.com
http://www.bristolanimalrights.org.uk
BBC reports Nato contractors 'attacking own vehicles' – What is War on Terror?
08-10-2010 03:01
Top Secret: There may be times when host country governments show passivity or indecision in the face of [Taliban/AlQaeeda] subversion ... US Army Intelligence must have the means of launching special operations which will convince host country governments and public opinion of the reality of the insurgent danger ... US Army Intelligence should seek to penetrate the insurgency by means of agents of special assignments, with the task of forming special action groups among the most radical elements of the insurgency.
5 years on - naming the dead outside downing st
08-10-2010 00:25
on 25th october 2005, maya evans and milan rai stood opposite downing street, rang a bell, and read from a list of names of civilian and military casualties of the iraq wars. because of the new (at the time) SOCPA law, they were both arrested. the case eventually became the first one to go to court under the new act, and made front page news. today, the law still stands. it is used sporadically and unevenly by police, and in this case, they allowed the protestors to mark the ninth anniversary of the invasion of afghanistan. the protest was timely because today too, chiefs of staff were visiting the MOD and the cabinet office to fight for their budgets, and so had to pass the protest and hear the names of some of the people they had murdered while carrying out this pointless war.
at 9am this morning, peace activist maya evans began ringing a bell opposite downing street, while others used a megaphone to read names of dead, both british soldiers and afghan civilians, killed in the nine years of war in afghansitan. maya was supported by members of 'justice not vengeance', the 'catholic worker', a buddhist sect, and other activists.
back in 2005, i filmed a similar protest being cut short by the arrest of maya and her fellow activist, milan rai. they became the first people to receive criminal records under the then new SOCPA act.
nowadays, the police use the act unpredictably, and today was no exception. the protestors were soon threatened with arrest if they didn't move into the special 'free speech zone', a pen of metal fences hidden away at the back of the pavement opposite downing street. the protestors refused, despite being berated by seriously armed police at one point.
the police also warned that the use of the megaphone was illegal under SOCPA, and maya received a warning that if she didn't move in twenty minutes she would be arrested.
however, when the deadline came, police told her that if she gave her name and address, they would leave the group alone. they did not make clear this was for the purpose of a summons, so if there is any further action against maya it may well turn out to be unlawful.
the rest of the day passed uneventfully, and apart from a short break for refreshments, the protestors kept up a steady stream of names for eight hours - a depressing roll-call of wasted lives and murdered civilians.
today, by chance, all the military chiefs of staff were in town, with meetings at the ministry of defence and the cabinet office. they passed the protest in all their military regalia, hearing the names of just a few of the civilians killed by their sordid campaigns in afghanistan. while they argued against budget cuts in the cabinet office, eventually doing a deal over aircraft carriers, the list of names resounded on and on across the road.
today's mainstream news hints at power-sharing deals with the taliban, making the last nine years a pointless waste of lives, time, and resources.
it's time the killing stopped.
justice not vengeance website
Crown at Whitebrook in Wales selling foie gras 'delicacy of despair'
07-10-2010 23:38
Anti-Meat/dairy/badger cull demo Worcester Oct 10th
07-10-2010 22:59
Anti-Meat/dairy/badger cull demo at the Harvest service which is being held at Worcester cathedral.Wurzels demo at the Zoo!
07-10-2010 22:22
The Wurzels are playing at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm to help zoo owner Anthony Bush celebrate his 50th Anniversary of Farming at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, yes, really!!As well as our usual Saturday morning demo, we shall be returning for a couple of hours in the evening to protest against the Wurzels support of this animal abusing place. Please join us and bring all your friends.
Subvert 2010
07-10-2010 22:22
cafes, films, discussions, benefit gig, picnic, fun!SUBVERT 2010 a festival of resistance - October 8 to 10th, Bristol, south-west U.K, brought to you by the Bastard Squad Collective
Check http://bastardsquadcollective.wordpress.com for a map of the venues, any further updates, and other Bastard Squad Collective projects. Full details below.
Please forward widely! See you there!!!
South-West Punks for Social Change
Friday 8th:
Film showing, with vegan cafe, from 8pm @ 28 Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol BS2 8RU (ring bell at green side door)
"Behind the Screams" - a documentary by Martin Sorrondeguy (of hardcore bands LOS CRUDOS and LIMP WRIST) about the U.S Latino/Chicago punk scene, politicized by racism and poverty, their relationship with South American bands, the D.I.Y ethic and the social issues tying them in with broader communities. Leads into an open discussion;
“More Than Music? - subculture and movement”, a discussion where we hope to share perspectives on how we can best use subversive currents to participate in social struggles.
Saturday 9th:
Infoshop open, with vegan breakfast cafe, 11am-2pm @ Kebele Social Centre, 14 Robertson Road, Easton, Bristol BS5 6JY
Punx Picnic 2-5pm, with sound system, location to be announced Friday night and posted in Kebele window Saturday morning.
GIG @ The White Hart, Whitehall Road, Easton, Bristol BS5 9BJ. Doors from 5pm, first band on 6pm, bands finish midnight. £8 on the door.
A benefit for a direct action bust fund.
HELLKRUSHER (yup that's right, back to show you how it's done)
RUIDOSA INMUNDICIA (heralding the return of incredible super-fast Latino h/c, from Austria)
WAR ALL THE TIME (rare gig by U.K hardcore veterans!)
THE WANKYS (fuzzed-out Japan/Bristol worship from Leicester)
THE EXINGUISHERS (scorching ska-core, Bournemouth)
AGNOSY (stirring London metallic d-beaters you might recognise...)
BULLETRIDDEN (the West Country's newest gnarly crust-metal beast awakes)
plus info & record stalls, d-beat disco...
Sunday 10th:
Movie night, with vegan cafe, from 6pm @ Kebele social centre, 14 Robertson Rd, Bristol BS5 6JY
Showing 2 films from 8pm. The first film is a DIY doc entitled 'Actions versus Repressions', by the anarcho-art group Children of Bakunin & Moscow ABC. Made in 2009, with English subtitles, it focuses on the struggles of Russian anarchists & anti-fascists in the face of ongoing repression.
The second is Alix Lambert's 'The Mark of Cain' a documentary about the forbidden culture of prisoner tattoos in Russia. Much more than tattoo culture though, this doc lays bare the true horror of the Russian prison system, and you wonder how on earth Lambert gained access to some of Russia's most brutal prisons.
Cafe proceeds benefit a Moscow anti-fascist on the run after an attempt on their life.
Hosted by Bristol Anarchist Black Cross – supporting anarchist and class struggle prisoners first and foremost, but also of the position that every prisoner is a political prisoner - http://bristolabc.wordpress.com