UK Newswire Archive
EDINBURGH: flahsmob shuts down Princes Street Vodafone and Topshop
19-12-2010 14:22
On Saturday 18th, Vodaphone and Topshop on Princes Street were shut down by a flashmob of thirty protesters responding to the UKuncut mass day of action against tax dodging big businesses.
Using aktivix vpn
19-12-2010 14:22
Instructional Video on how to avoid some internet surveillance by using a VPN service on Microsoft Windows
4 min to freedom
Gaza Monologues Screening at the Pegasus Theatre on Friday January 21th 7pm
19-12-2010 13:57
The event will feature a 30 minute screening of a performance of the Gaza Monologues by Pegasus Youth Companies, Some of the young actors will be on hand to discuss this performance as well as the International performance that they participated in at the United Nations in November. The ticket price, £10 also includes middle eastern food.Urgent Appeal From David Icke: Will You Please Help Brian Haw?
19-12-2010 13:10
TopShop Oxford Street London payday protest
19-12-2010 12:22
UKuncut TopShop Oxford Street London payday protest against tax avoidence 18 December 2010
UKuncut are a campaign group focused on highlighting corporate tax avoiders. On Saturday the 18th December 2010 UK Uncut organised a UK wide set of protests targeting companies they believe have used tax avoidance to siphon off huge sums of money out of the United kingdom.
One target corporation is Arcadia which include such high street names as BHS, Burtons, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit and Topshop. This video shows part of what happened at Topshop's flagship London Oxford Street store on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Philip Green is a multi-billionaire who runs the Arcadia Group which is owned by his tax exile wife Tina. In 2005 Arcadia paid a dividend of £1.2 billion -- the biggest payout in British corporate history -- to Green's wife. As a resident of Monaco, she pays no income tax, meaning that massive payday was entirely tax-free. The coalition UK Government then made Green a government adviser on cuts.
For more information on UK Uncut please visit:http://ukuncut.org.uk
Call out for Direct Action against Shell
19-12-2010 11:58
Please organise actions within your communities that will target Shell economically. The decision is expected to be annouced sometime between late December or early January, so be ready!Bradley Manning is being tortured..
19-12-2010 11:56
Allegations are flying around on Twitter that Bradley Manning, the incarcerated whistleblower accused of leaking material showing the USA's wrongdoings in the Middle East, is being tortured.Hope Against Hope: A necessary betrayal
19-12-2010 11:29
critical thoughts on going beyond the student struggleUG#530 - Exploiting Human Resources (20th Century Control Hierarchies)
19-12-2010 11:25
UKCMRI Lab plans approved in Camden Town Hall
19-12-2010 01:22
Plans for the controversial massive UKCMRI laboratory for central London were approved by a majority of the councillors on the voting panel, at Camden Town Hall on December 16th. However, the plans still have to be referred to the Mayor of London and the Department for Communities and Local Government for consideration and also a planned Parliamentary Committee Inquiry into the project has been announced. More below.....
After a lengthy Council Meeting in Camden Town Hall, on the evening of 16th December, plans for the highly controversial massive UKCMRI laboratory for alongside St Pancras International Station were approved by eight councillors who voted in favour of the proposal - one councillor abstained and four voted against. As well as short statements allowed by two councillors opposed and not on the voting panel (Development Control Committee), objectors were given only ten minutes to verbally put their views across. A recommendation was made in the Planning Report, produced beforehand: "GRANT PLANNING PERMISSION SUBJECT TO A SECTION 106 LEGAL AGREEMENT BEING COMPLETED AND SUBJECT TO ANY DIRECTION FROM THE MAYOR OF LONDON STATING THE CONTRARY." The proposal now needs to be referred to the Mayor of London and CLG for consideration.
NEW PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE INQUIRY: The Science and Technology Committee has announced an inquiry into the UKCMRI project. This is separate from the planning application made to Camden Council. Written submissions are accepted until 12th January, 2011. Link here to more information and guide to writing submissions - http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/science-and-technology-committee/news/111118---new-inquiry-announced/
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The gigantic UKCMRI bioresearch laboratory centre project is planned to handle extremely dangerous pathogens in 79,000 square metres of building in central London. Estimated to cost £600 million and a further £100 million per year to operate, the government have offered £220 million towards this at a time of brutal cutbacks. Link here to more information re original planning application. The Evening Standard has found out about a high security "management plan" for it - link to report here.
Cancun Climate Activist Report
19-12-2010 01:02
Public Support for Mook Vintage Fur Protesters
19-12-2010 00:22
VIDEO: Police arrest peaceful protesters
18-12-2010 22:36
"We are peaceful, what are you?!"URGENT ACTION NEEDED to support arrested anti-cuts protesters
18-12-2010 21:43
Stop Political Policing! Fight The Cuts!Tax dodging shops feel the pressure
18-12-2010 20:22
Bristol city centre tax dodgers feel the pressure after the Uk uncut inspired protests come to Bristol on the busiest shopping day of the year. Shops are shut down, protesters infiltrate Topshop, shoppers faint as they find out the scale of tax dodging carried out by Bristol’s shop owners, Police support protest. Forget the next shopping revolution, the new word on the streets is shutting the shops down, hitting them where it hurts the bottom line.Bristol contains a huge and varied range of shops, oops sorry I mean tax dodging corporations sucking the life out of our economy on a daily basis. It seems that Philip Green has infiltrated the shopping consciousness with his bastions of consumerism Top Shop, Dorothy Perkins (does this women even exist), Burton, Evan etc. This repulsive man propagates our high streets with his goods, yet feels it is okay to siphon any profit to tax havens (Monaco) and his wife (1.2 billion pay off). It seems that this tax dodger shops shares Bristol City Centre with Vodaphone and their tax avoidance skills and Barclays who are on hand to help your corporation offshore your tax. So as these organisations and their owners wallow in your own wealth, we see public services cut and people’s lives destroyed. Not only this but Philip Green has been appointed by the ConDem government to oversee the swingeing austerity measures whilst he effectively stealing from the economy. This is a man if you don’t hate already is also best friends with Simon Cowell and Michael Winner.
But today the Bristol Anti-cuts Resistance came to town, coming out in solidarity with Protesters across the country taking a stand against this evil tax avoidance, which costs the government fifteen times more than benefit fraud in lost revenue (and amounts to approximately £14bn a year), and tax avoidance which amounts to over £25bn a year.
This faction consists of a range of concerned citizens from Bristol's best coming together to fight the good fight to save our treasured public services. This non-hierarchal bunch of freedom fighters decided to take on this axis of evil based in the Centre of Boadmead. First to shut was vodaphone who seem to designed new tactics with the shutters coming down almost instantly as the faction approached. Next in a three pronged attack Barclays locked its doors instantly and through windows the manager was seen hanging his head is shame, obviously saddened at his implication in such atrocious tax avoidance (hope your bonus is worth it). Then opposite the next target was British Home Stores, funny name for a shop whose owner actively takes money off the British People, making it more expensive to live in their home, I suppose the store bit is accurate. So after holding the ground in the axis of evil for several hours, the resistance moved to combat the big cheese Top Shop. Brave comrades entered the shop incognito and resisted the consumerist machine, they bought nothing even though gloves were on offer and it was cold. This crack group of protesters resembling the A-Team managed to raise awareness of Top Shop customers and staff from the inside. Rather than being glad of this and thanking the protesters for showing them the light, security guards and police were on hand to stop the staff from rebelling and giving away clothes for free out of disgust of their bosses tax dodging skills. Next was Dorothy Perkins, despite continued calls to speak to her, old Dorothy failed to show, problem sunning herself in Monaco with Phils wife and mates Michael Winner, Simon Cowell. It was at this point the shoppers could not take any more and frail members of the public began to faint after the scale of the tax dodging was becoming more and more clear.
So all in all a good day for the Bristol Anti-cuts Resistance, several shops shut for several hours, masses of the general public supported the cause, shop owners see the error of their ways and a great day was had by all. Protestors sent a big shout out to the Police for their continued support of the demonstration, making sure they were with demonstrators at all time to showing their solidarity to resistance, you have got to give it to them they are always there come rain or shine helping to bring forth the new shopping revolution and fighting the cuts.
See you on the streets, next year the resistance and police have even bigger demo's planned.
Film Screening of a selection of anti war films
18-12-2010 20:22
We will be starting at 2pm at the Smiling Chair next to Sprinters the printers on Stokes Croft.Join us for an afternoon and evening of anti war films.
You will find satire, sadness, humour, drama and documentary amongst them.
Some are claimed to be the best ever!
FREE
Donations to Smiling Chair for soup if we can transport it to S.C.
Order of play
Fail safe 1963 with Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau - bomber heading for Russia and can't be stopped classic
Hearts and Minds- Definitive Vietnam documentary.
Grave of Fireflies - Japanese animation, moving story of brother and sister in bombed Japan during WW2. 'achingly beautiful'
Mic Macs- Very funny French movie with Wallace and Gromit type characters the theme is the arms trade.
Lord of War-Nicholas Cage plays the arms trader who gets his comeuppance ? Not seen it myself!
Merry Crimbo from BAAT
Nottingham Animal Rights Campaigns before xmas
18-12-2010 19:23
Not quite so much happening over the next fortnight, but everyone can think of the animals for whom this time of the year is certainly no holiday.
Download Animal Aid's Compassionate Christmas guide to festive animal-friendly, fashion, food and fun (pdf) from http://www.animalaid.org.uk/images/pdf/booklets/xmas.pdf.
Monday 20th : Wilmot Dixon demo (contractors for new Leicester animal lab).
Transport 2pm at Sumac (or elsewhere by arrangement.
Space available for more - call 07870 861837 to confirm.
____________________________
Fur Campaign News
Paul Smith to stop using fur by 2012, subject to a confirmation statement, which was promised last week and is now overdue.
Their previous statement: "We acknowledge the recent posts regarding the use of fur in our collections. There is an existing commitment not to use fur from 2012 and we plan to make a statement next week on the use of fur in our current collections - Paul Smith Ltd."
Meanwhile Fur demos continue at Paul Smith, 20 Low Pavement Nottingham NG1 7EA on Tuesday 21st @ 12noon and on Thursday 23rd at 4.30pm.
Contact: 07703 031667
____________________________
BBC documentary on factory pig farming (mainly Foston) including footage from derby animal rights.
Goes out next Tuesday evening, 21 Dec, as a one hour special on BBC1.
____________________________________
Fur demo @ paul smith
Thursday 23rd at 4:30pm
Contact: 07703 031667
_____________________________________
Brinsley Animal Rescue rehoming.
Transport 7pm from Broxtowe
http://www.veggies.org.uk/event.php?ref=1562
____________________________________
Hunt Sabbing Wednesday 29th
____________________________________
No meeting on 30th December 2010
Cardiff's 1st Unemployed Disco
18-12-2010 17:28
UNEMPLOYED DISCO COMING SOON --- fed up of looking for that non existent job, come and dance your recession blues away at Cardiff's first ever daytime disco for the unemployed!!!Security Guards Hate Leaflets
18-12-2010 17:22
Protests against companies accused of dodging taxes took place across the UK today, with protestors in Kendal, Cumbria targeting Topshop and Vodafone. The group were met with swift action by shopping centre security guards, furious that anyone would dare to hand out leaflets to shoppers. Violent removal followed.