UK Newswire Archive
Dayx4 Student Protests in London - UCL Occupied
25-02-2011 09:22
Hundreds took part in the latest Dayx4 student protests, with feeder marches from several different universities, meeting to protest outside the Universities UK Vice Chancellors meeting. From there, refusing to be stopped by police, they took Euston Road and marched down Oxford Street protesting against UKUncut targets. Deciding against occupying ULU, they demonstrated in solidarity with the people of Libya in Grosvenor Square, before protesting at a meeting at UCL where BP reps were speaking. After holding a meeting at UCL, they decided to stay and are now in occupation at the Old Refectory in the Wilson building. They have called a general meeting at 6pm Friday inviting all campaigning against the cuts to link up.
See: UCLOccupation [Twitter] | LSE Occupation | Royal Holloway Occupation [2] | Previous Student Coverage
More pics from MaeveMckeown Jono_Warren julesmattsson GuyAitchison
See also utube videos: Blocking Oxford Circus | Students Kettle Police | Libya Solidarity Demo
There were also student protests across the country. Other occupations currently include Aberystwyth, Glasgow, and Manchester.
U.S. Army Ordered Psy-Ops to Sway Lawmakers on Backing Afghan War
25-02-2011 02:13
The U.S. military is facing allegations of illegally ordering a "psychological operations" campaign to convince Senate members to increase support for the war in Afghanistan.haringey council chambers occupied tonight
25-02-2011 01:29
several hundred people protested outside the budget meeting at wood green civic centre tonight. the building was occupied, and more than twenty people managed to break through a small police line and enter the council chamber, where they delayed the council meeting by nearly two hours. two were arrested after 3 van loads of TSG officers were called in to clear the building. a solidarity vigil was quickly organised outside hornsey police station where they were taken.
clicking on pics brings up bigger version. all pics "some rights reserved" - free for non-commercial grassroots use (credited 'rikki indymedia'). no commercial usage without permission.
a crowd of several hundred people gathered tonight outside the wood green civic centre, where haringey councillors were due to pass cuts of £87 million over three years, with more than a thousand jobs to go and three quarters of the youth service being destroyed. the cuts will also hit the elderly with care homes and drop-in centres being targetted.
the closure of youth services will have knock-on effects after years of good work. i spoke to staff from a youth project 'the base' which is already a volunteer run 'big society' service, but the cuts have already taken their toll and the project is losing its building next month. the project worked with local police and helped steer young people away from crime and gangs.
after some speeches from local activist organisations and an open mic, the crowd moved into the building, and at first queued politely for the public gallery, but soon decided to attempt an occupation of the council chamber.
a handful of police failed to stop people from mounting the stairs, and half a dozen police tried to preven access to the council chamber, but the weight of numbers provided the power to push through and despite some police violence, more than 20 people managed to invade the chamber with banners.
the public gallery then filled up, and in the chamber, with no councillors attending the meeting, a budget of no cuts was passed by the newly formed people's assembly.
however, elsewhere in the building, the greedy, careerist, self-serving councillors had found another space. suddenly the fire alarms went off, and (useful to remember in similar buildings) the doors operated by a swipe-card system all opened to allow evacuation. a group of a dozen or so protestors managed to push past a couple of police and headed down a corridor to where the councillors were skulking.
as more police pushed the protestors back, and the councillors made a hasty retreat through a fire exit, three vanloads of TSG turned up and flooded the corridor. people were pushed back and down some stairs, where some fell, and two people were arrested.
meanwhile, in the chamber, the activists were told by a councillor that they must leave the building or that he would ask the police to arrest them. after some discussion, a concensus was reached, and while people on the ground floor were being forcibly removed from the building by TSG officers, the occupiers and the people in the public gallery walked out together as a group. after some more noisy protesting outside the chamber, a group headed down to hornsey police station for a solidarity protest over the two who were arrested.
almost immediately, the councillors, who it seems had been waiting outside the back of the building, then poured in through the back door and up to the council chamber. there, starting their meeting two hours later than scheduled, they proceeded to vote through the devastating cuts.
last year haringey's director of children and young people's service received a salary and pension contribution of £282,670. tonight, he voted to pass a 75% cut to haringey's youth service.
In a time of war - the strange case of racism and politics in Barnsley
25-02-2011 01:21
Does the selection of 'war hero' Dan Jarvis to fight the Barnsley seat signal a shift in Labour tactics?Israel investing $1.6 million in "new media warriors"
25-02-2011 01:08
The Israeli military establishment is once again on the offensive, but instead of high-tech weaponry and missiles, it is using computer screens, keyboards and rapid wireless connections to fight what Israeli military representatives are dubbing a "new media war."Support Community Advice Centre Glasgow
25-02-2011 01:01
West Glasgow Against Poverty (WestGAP) is an anti poverty charity and community advice centre based in the West of Glasgow.They gave a talk on Monday 21st February at the Glasgow Uni occupation presented by two of their experienced volunteers. They are in need of financial support. More information including bank details can be found here:
http://www.westgap.co.uk If you would like to make a regular donation send them an email:
contact@westgap.co.uk
Food not Bombs launch regular streetmeals in Oxford
25-02-2011 00:02
A quick report from a friendly food squirrel...
Screening of Salud y Solidaridad, Thursday 17th March, Glasgow
24-02-2011 23:38
A Film about the twinning of the Zapatista community 16th February with Chiapas Solidarity groups in ScotlandHosted by Digital Desperados
http://digitaldesperados.org/screenings2010/ Thursday 17th, 7 – 10pm, CCA cinema space , 350 Sauciehall St (nearest tubes – cowcaddens & st georges cross)
Notts County Council strike: March
24-02-2011 23:23
On February 24th Nottinghamshire County Council met to set its budget. Unison members at the council were on strike and the union also organised a march and rally.
Unison had originally wanted to march from Bridge Field in West Bridgford, but Tory-run Rushcliffe Borough Council refused permission for the union to use the land, claiming that do otherwise might be seen as "supporting a political initiative". Unison condemned the decision, but relocated the start point to Victoria Embankment.
Unison had organised coaches from around the county and union members were joined by campaigners from Notts SOS, members of the CWU and FBU, the Labour Party (keen to get a dig at the Tory county council) and others. Based on discussions with people there and union officials there were probably around 650 people in attendance. Not a awful turnout, but certainly disappointing.
The march was to make its way across Trent Bridge to County Hall, but protesters were only allowed to use one lane of the bridge, in an area marked off by cones, with three van-loads of police to make sure people didn't accidentally wander into oncoming traffic. The effect of this was to trap people between the fence overlooking the river and a line of coppers as if they were in the world's thinnest kettle.
From Trent Bridge, demonstrators followed Loughborough Road, again only allowed on one lane of the road and then into County Hall via the car entrance for a rally (separate report to follow).
Notts County Council strike: rally
24-02-2011 23:23
On February 24th Nottinghamshire County Council met to set its budget. Unison members at the council were on strike, to coincide with this the union organised a march across Trent Bridge and a rally in front of County Hall.
This is the fourth such lobby of County Hall since the Tories took control of the council, but the first to be preceded by a march.
There were a range of speakers, but there was a clear orientation towards trade unionists. Among them Unison's head of local government Heather Wakefield, Jean Thorpe from Nottingham City Unison and somebody from the FBU. Other speakers included the head of the Labour Group on the council Alan Rhodes and at least one service user.
Unfortunately (or possibly fortunately), the PA wasn't very good so I couldn't actually hear much of what was being said. At one point, the speakers system packed up completely (blamed, jokingly on council leader Kay Cutts) and speakers had to make do with a megaphone.
The crowd was initially quote noisy and chanted enthusiastically. Unfortunately, as inevitably happens, people drifted off. The event was just about to be drawn to a conclusion when it was discovered that the BBC would be going out live at 1.30pm, so the chanting was started up again and kept up fairly impressivley throughout the broadcast.
It was notable that while the previous such rally in October had filled the area in front of County Hall, this one didn't do so. Whether this was because it is currently half term or for some other reason isn't clear.
While not as large as might have been hoped, the turnout was still impressive and the rally was a central part of the action on the day. With further strike action likely this probably won't be the last time workers rally outisde County Hall.
Royal Holloway Occupied
24-02-2011 22:28
Royal Holloway have OCCUPIED the Arts BuildingThis is how 'Big Society' looks like ...
24-02-2011 22:28
This is how 'Big Society' looks like, Lambeth Town Hall Occupation.
We arrived to last night's second demonstration against the Lambeth Council cuts budget meeting slightly late, and as we were approaching the Town Hall the first thing that surprised us was the loud noise coming out from the demo, a cacophony of car horns responding to the 'Honk Against The Cuts' placards, mixed with the chants of 'No ifs, no Buts, No Public Services Cuts' that the 250 strong crowd kept chanting. It seemed obvious to us straight away that this was not going to be the usual 'picket' trying to 'lobby' some politicians (aspiring politicians in this case!) but a determined rejection to the £32 million worth of cuts Lambeth Council was due to vote on.
The crowd stood for an hour or so at the doorsteps of the Council building, listening to several speeches, dancing to a small mobile sound system, and leafleting passers-by whilst getting the support from passing cars.
Eventually, and quite spontaneously too, at around 7pm most of the crowd started to enter the building amidst the confusion of the security staff that immediately tried to stop people from making it to the chamber were the councillors meeting was taking place. Security staff repeatedly tried to shut doors, to pen people in corridors, and some even got quite violent pushing and heckling protestors whilst trying to prevent them from reaching the chamber's public gallery. But the determined crowd took none of it and the first wave of 100 or so protestors managed to take over the chamber's balcony.
What happened next it is already very well explained in this and this reports, so there's no need to get into details once again here, but if anything, last night's protest clearly proved, once more, that when people take action collectively and decisively there are no barriers that can prevent them from achieving their aims.
Council leader Steve Reed is quoted in the BBC stating that "You can't have people just storming through town hall" ... well Steve it's really not that surprising that people, the very same people that the Council are supposed to 'serve', are strongly reacting to this set of unnecessary, unjust and deeply damaging cuts. That's what happens when people start to be concerned about their futures as a consequence of the massive rip-off most of society is being subjected to. We see it happening all over the world, don't we?!
Here there a few pics of the protest:
.
solidarity demo now at hornsey police station
24-02-2011 22:16
two people were arrested after being pushed down stairs by police at wood green civic centre where councillors were met with angry protests at their meeting to pass huge budget cuts. protestors, who were eventually evacuated from the building after occupying the council chambers for nearly two hours, have now gone to hornsey police station where the arrested pair were taken.
the protestors are calling for anyone nearby to join them outside hornsey police station, as they hold a noise demo in protest at the violence used against peaceful protestors by around 30 TSG officers who were called to the haringey council meeting.
more on the occupation of the chambers and some pics soon.
Fit for What ?
24-02-2011 21:52
Under the previous Labour Government FIT Notes replaced Sick Notes in April 2010. The Coalition has continued to target “the sick”, leading to a huge backload of Appeals.Local Newsletter Hit By Sinister Cyber Sabotage
24-02-2011 21:02
Rough Music is under attack! For five years RM has been on the streets of Brighton, fearlessly spitting in the eye of the powerful, kicking the corrupt in the knackers and pummelling the kidneys of profiteers. Well, apparently our efforts have not gone unnoticed.Protest at the 'Secret' London Conservative Conference
24-02-2011 20:30
EVENT TIME/DATES: Saturday 26 February 9.30am-2pm
LOCATION: Hammersmith Town Hall
The Secret London Conservative Conference is planned to launch Boris Johnson’s mayoral re-election bid, and has been largely hidden from the public, but the Save EMA campaign hopes to let the cat out of the bag. Boris Johnson is due to give a key note speech and also Secretary of State for Transports Phillip Hammond MP will also give a speech.
Bradford anti-Gaddafi protests continue
24-02-2011 20:22
Protests in solidarity with those being massacred in the anti-government uprising in Libya are continuing outside the Alhambra theatre in Bradford city centre.
Democracy promotion: America’s new regime change formula
24-02-2011 19:48
"By the 1980s, the reign of terror that blazed across Latin America was too much for most people to stomach. From death squads to torture chambers and various massacres, the Latin American generals who trained in the US to spread democracy around the world quickly gained reputations for major human rights abuses.To replace the overt support for dictatorships, a new concept for regime change was born; one that sounds and looks better – democracy promotion."