UK Newswire Archive
Leeds PSC at Leeds Mayday Demo 2011
01-05-2011 01:24
MAYDAY LEEDS MARCH FOR THE ALTERNATIVE was called by the TUC on Saturday the 30th April 2011.
trafalgar square occupation 48 hours going strong
01-05-2011 01:24
the 'occupation against the cuts', which took up its usual weekly position yesterday evening, looks set to stay for its full proposed 48 hours this weekend, despite trafalgar square being the final destination of the annual mayday workers' march this afternoon.
the weekly trafalgar square cuts protest had no problem setting up camp yesterday at 18.30, with at least a dozen tents pitched for the night. this afternoon, as thousands entered the square to listen to speakers at the end of the annual mayday march, there was a lot of networking and mutual support.
once again they had laid out papers in the shape of the words 'no cuts' and invited passers-by to write their own stories of how the cuts had affected them.
as the mayday folk began to drift from the square, the police, both uniformed and undercover had to try to find something to do, and some spotters pointed out a young guy who was quickly surrounded and hustled away in handcuffs. he was apparently arrested for criminal damage to the olympic clock, but one witness said that the small graffiti tag in question had been there for two hours before the arrest. maybe the police just had to arrest at least one person after deploying so many officers and undercovers for the wholly peaceful march.
in compensation for the arrest, we witnessed a fine speech about 'facilitating protest' from chief inspector switzer, who handed out his mobile number to occupation folk, and said he had no intention to remove them, but they could call him if they wanted any clarification or any help. i'm not sure they'll be calling him any time soon.
however, the fact remains that despite last week's night of threats it seems that the occupation is being tolerated for the full 48 hours this week.
they'll be there all day tomorrow until 18.30, and welcome peaceful respectful support from all, so go visit on bank holiday monday and find out what they're up to - maybe take some food to share, or just spend a little time chatting and building the resistance to cuts.
Zombie royal wedding arrests 1
01-05-2011 01:24
3 zombies arrested yesterday after the wedding explain what happened at the zombie wedding on 29 April 2011. ( see https://london.indymedia.org/events/8777 )
The Road to Haymarket, May Day, and its Relevance Today
01-05-2011 01:24
Monday 2 May 2011 at 7.30pm for 8.00pm start
Cube Microplex, Dove St South, Bristol BS2 8JD
£4/3/no one turned away through lack of funds
On the 125th anniversary of the Haymarket Affair Bristol Indymedia and the Anarchist Bookfair Collective present an evening of films and discussion looking at the origins of International Workers Day and the relevance of labour movement struggles and trade unions today.
The struggle for a 40 hour week and the murder by cops of striking workers in Chicago in May 1886 led directly to the events of 4 May in Haymarket, of more deaths and the conviction of 8 mainly anarchist workers who became known as the Haymarket Martyrs. May Day became International Workers Day in 1889 in commemoration of the murder of 4 of them by the state, and of the struggles of workers internationally.
Tonights first film is a US Labor Beat 1986 documentary 'The Road to Haymarket' (28mins). It traces the varied struggles of American and migrant workers in the years before 1886, includes archive images, and re-enacts key moments and speeches from the Haymarket events.
The second film is a cut-up of 'Trainwreck of the Ideologies 1 & 2' (20mins approx), also by Labor Beat. This looks at the conflicts which arose at the unveiling of 2 memorials in 1998 and 2004 to the Haymarket Affair. Whilst no anarchists were allowed to speak at these events, speakers included a catholic priest, government reps, and a police spokesman, as once again our radical past was airbrushed away.
An open discussion will follow on the importance of our histories of struggle, and the relevance of May Day and trade unions to struggles today. All welcome.
Some background reading on May Day, with further links at this article: A mayday for May Day?
Monday 2 May 2011 at 7.30pm for 8.00pm start
Cube Microplex, Dove St South, Bristol BS2 8JD
£4/3/no one turned away through lack of funds
On the 125th anniversary of the Haymarket Affair Bristol Indymedia and the Anarchist Bookfair Collective present an evening of films and discussion looking at the origins of International Workers Day and the relevance of labour movement struggles and trade unions today.
The struggle for a 40 hour week and the murder by cops of striking workers in Chicago in May 1886 led directly to the events of 4 May in Haymarket, of more deaths and the conviction of 8 mainly anarchist workers who became known as the Haymarket Martyrs. May Day became International Workers Day in 1889 in commemoration of the murder of 4 of them by the state, and of the struggles of workers internationally.
Tonights first film is a US Labor Beat 1986 documentary 'The Road to Haymarket' (28mins). It traces the varied struggles of American and migrant workers in the years before 1886, includes archive images, and re-enacts key moments and speeches from the Haymarket events.
The second film is a cut-up of 'Trainwreck of the Ideologies 1 & 2' (20mins approx), also by Labor Beat. This looks at the conflicts which arose at the unveiling of 2 memorials in 1998 and 2004 to the Haymarket Affair. Whilst no anarchists were allowed to speak at these events, speakers included a catholic priest, government reps, and a police spokesman, as once again our radical past was airbrushed away.
An open discussion will follow on the importance of our histories of struggle, and the relevance of May Day and trade unions to struggles today. All welcome.
Some background reading on May Day, with further links at this article: A mayday for May Day?
Queer resistance...zombies protest
01-05-2011 01:24
zombie protest at the royal wedding. ( 29.April 2011 ) , originally published by allessandracalaita ( http://www.youtube.com/user/alessandralacaita )
Anarchist Bloc on Newcastle May Day March
01-05-2011 01:24
There was a highly visible and lively Anarchist Bloc on the Tyne and Wear TUC May Day March in Newcastle on Saturday 30th April. Elsewhere on the march, interesting banners and placards were present from a wide range of groups.
Bollox to the Royal Wedding! BBQ
30-04-2011 20:54
https://thefargatespeaker.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/you-are-cordially-invited/ on 29th April 2011 and around 90 people turned out, there was lots of nice food, some theatre and some football and some great converstations and meetings of old friends and new ones, and no police to be seen.
Spies and Infiltrators
30-04-2011 20:20
Covert Human Intelligence Sources
no dissent tolerated at royal wedding
30-04-2011 19:22
assistant commissioner lynne owens admitted she would be using terrorist powers to police protest at the royal wedding, and told the home affairs committee that "the application of the human rights act might be different for the royal wedding". police acted true to her word, human rights were suspended, we were all very clearly subjects and not citizens, and no doubt loads of taxpayers money will be found to pay the inevitable compensation payments to those unlawfully detained.
click on image for larger version. all images are 'some rights reserved' - free for credited non-commercial use, otherwise contact author for permission
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after the pre-emptive arrests the previous morning of chris knight and others, the 'zombie wedding' gathering in soho square yesterday was a sorry affair. as the planned 10 foot high mock guillotine had been nicked by the police, there were just a dozen or so 'vanguards of the revolution' singing songs, chanting, and handing out vegan chocolate cake to the massed press and police.
with the press having interviewed everybody, and photographers looking bored, a game of 'spot the undercover cop' ensued, and it actually turned into quite a long game, given the number of hoodies and workmen sitting around the square and standing next to a van on the street.
there is an urban myth that if you ask an undercover if they are a cop, they have to tell you the truth. an anarchist dressed as king george with a colander on his head asked one of the hooded cops (with lovely white trainers) whether they were a cop and he replied 'no'. unfortunately his cover was blown by the police notebook sticking out of his back pocket, and by the fact that when one of the undercovers, a balding man with a large tattoo on his arm, shouted 'bubble', they all sprang into action, surrounded an anarchist who was singing 'we all live in a fascist regime' and bundled him away.
there were actually more undercover cops than anarchists in the square that morning, so when four zombies wandered up to oxford street, they stood no chance, sparking a mass of police sirens as riot police vans dashed to the scene and about thirty police surrounded them, later arresting them "to prevent a breach of the peace".
so, it seems, lynne owens was right, and on the day of a royal wedding, 'street theatre' and 'dressing up in costumes and make-up' are not protected by the human rights act, let alone actually protesting about anything.
in response to the squat arrests, a solidarity protest had been called outside paddington green police station, and i went up there at the appointed time to find four forlorn anarchists wondering where everyone else was. after wandering around with their banner for a bit, they gave up and left, although i heard that some more people turned up later.
back at soho square, the planned 'queer resistance' demo had been stymied by police, who arrested several of them, and warned the others that if they entered the square again they would also be arrested "in order to prevent a breach of the peace". four of them did manage to do a little walk about round soho with their lovely pink banner.
down whitehall, there was no sign of any democracy, just lines and lines of white-gloved police checking the crowds of loyal subjects (mostly tourists actually) as they milled around after the great event.
losing no time to restore normal service, the GLA fences were already being re-erected around parliament square, due, according to the blatantly disingenuous notices, 'to urgent health, safety and maintenance works'. these 'works' have been going on for 9 months now, spoiling the public's enjoyment of the square far more effectively than last year's democracy village ever did. however, there is one raised area, behind the churchill statue, that is now unfenced - dare i say a perfect spot for a people's assembly or a peaceful occupation?
finally, i visited the 'republic' picnic in red lion square, where apart from the occasional revolutionary conversation, and the lack of nationalist bunting, it was hard to discern much difference between this and all the other street parties throught the kingdom.
with the sun going down, there was still no news, after 36 hours of detention, of when the nation's 'public nuisance' makers would finally be released from detention. fat compensation cheques all round methinks. now lillibet, can we have our human rights back please?
Birmingham Mayday Protest, Aggressive removal of UKuncut protest 30/04/11
30-04-2011 17:47
Fortnum and Mason Solidarity Bloc off Birmingham Mayday demo organised by Birmingham against the cuts http://birminghamagainstthecuts.wordpress.com/ after the demo the bloc went to topshop in the bullring to raise awareness about the £300 million pound tax dodge by Philip Green. Join us on FB to get more updates about upcoming actions like this http://www.facebook.com/pages/Birmingham-Uncut-UK/140146949390691 watch the action here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSsNMXa8zrk&feature=channel_video_title
Unity in the Community – Media Report of Hulme St
30-04-2011 17:23
Unity in the Community – Radio Report of Hulme St Anti Royal Wedding Partyhttps://network23.org/redbricksradio/2011/04/30/unity-in-the-community-radio-report-of-hulme-st-anti-royal-wedding-party/
10 mins report of the Forget the Royal Wedding party on Hulme St on the
Redbricks Estate. Some of the music and a lot of the people. What did
people think of the music? What is the smell of Hulme Spirit?
Vox Pops and some more stuff from ‘local characters’ – Billy, Cathy,
Jenny, Mikey, Daisy, Dr Dave, Hema, Spanna, Scotty and lots more
besides! I’m sorry but I lost interviews with Cae and Craig for
technical reasons that I don’t understand!
Video - External link
Even the CCTV is turning a Blind Eye – Autonomads encore
https://network23.org/redbricksradio/2011/04/30/even-the-cctv-is-turning-a-blind-eye-autonomads-encore/
And You are invited to the Radio Redbricks Launch Party too!!!
Redbricks Radio Launch Night – Sat 14th May at the Sally
https://network23.org/redbricksradio/2011/04/30/redbricks-radio-launch-night-sat-14th-may-at-the-sally/
Statement from Queer Resistance re: Events on 29th
30-04-2011 17:22
On 29th April Queer Resistance the LGBTQI anti-cuts collective planned a Royal Zombie Wedding Celebration in Soho incorporating a picnic breakfast, performances, a zombie blessing and marriage ceremony by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence followed by a zombie flash mob through Soho.
This action, neither pro nor anti royal, was to highlight the impact of the cuts on the LGBTQI community, most notably;
· HIV care & prevention services
· Domestic violence services
· Treatment referrals for transgender people
· Hate crime prevention & victim support
· Youth homelessness prevention
· Anti-homophobic bullying work in schools
· Support to under 18s at risk of sexual exploitation
· Rape crisis services
· Disability living allowance and housing benefit
· Pride funding
The morning saw several arrests of early arrivals to the action; all were placed in cells, de-arrested and released after several hours. There was some particularly bad treatment by the police which included an alleged assault of one of the arrestees.
The group decided to persevere with the action and met in Soho Square at 12 o'clock, planning to picnic at 1pm after seeking confirmation from police that no arrests would be made for picnicing. Shortly after people had gathered at 1pm and before the performances were to take place individuals from the group spoke with police to once again confirm that no arrests would be made, the full video of this conversation is here: http://bambuser.com/channel/ronanshaun/broadcast/1615419
Approximately half an hour after this conversation the police evicted the group from Soho Square under threat of arrest, the full video of this can be seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zt98ys08vo&NR=1
Individuals from Queer Resistance are now in touch with legal advisers who are seeking statements from witnesses to the arrests; these should be emailed to gbclegal@riseup.net. Those arrested are also asked to get in touch with Queer Resistance as we are planning a full debrief session to give support to those affected, discuss further action and to learn as a group from what happened.
Queer Resistance is a collective of queers and allies from across the UK coming together to fight the cuts - including lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer folk. We come from all communities, backgrounds and walks of life and we share this common objective. As a group we strongly defend the right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression both of which were denied to us yesterday.
In Solidarity,
Queer Resistance
https://www.facebook.com/qresistance
http://queerresistance.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/queerresistance
http://www.flickr.com/groups/queerresistance/
Statement from Queer Resistance re: Events on 29th April in Soho Square London
30-04-2011 16:25
On 29th April Queer Resistance the LGBTQI anti-cuts collective planned a Royal Zombie Wedding Celebration in Soho incorporating a picnic breakfast, performances, a zombie blessing and marriage ceremony by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence followed by a zombie flash mob through Soho.Robert Fisk’s anti-Syria propaganda
30-04-2011 14:16
Another Week - Another Bristol Riot
30-04-2011 11:40
Bristol again erupted into Riot on Thursday eve and Friday morning. The Police drafted in Police from around the U.K, while continuing to try and maintain the lie that the Riots are the work of a handful of yobs. They deal with yobs every weekend, and manage to maintain order within their normal budget.Lets go to Gaza
30-04-2011 11:23
On the 21st April, a meeting regarding the discussions and reflections on the murder of Vittorio Arrigoni was held in Rome amongst different activists. From the gathering, the need to organize a convoy to Gaza through Egypt was decided. Let's go to Gaza.World Week for the Abolition of Meat - May 2011 Campaign
30-04-2011 10:50
Location of Brighton Mayday party and protest
30-04-2011 10:38
Party and protest by the seaNevermind the Royal Wedding street party
30-04-2011 10:31
I went to the anti-royal wedding street party held on Manzil Way, Cowley on the 'big day'.