UK Indymedia - UK Newswire Archive

Photos from Parliament Sq, Peace Strike seizure.

04-05-2012 12:55

Yesterday, Thursday 3rd May, the high court lifted the injunction against westminster council preventing them from removing the last tent and the large 'peace strike' box from parliament square. The police arrived in parliament square to enforce the controversial new PASRA law and clear the square before the state opening of parliament next week.

After Peacestrike's HQ: The Peace Box, and tent were seized, veteran peace campaigner: Maria Gallestegui bedded down for the night on the pavement in peaceful defiance of the law.

For more info visit: www.peacestrike.org.uk https://london.indymedia.org/articles/12178

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A Prisoner With HIV Left To Die In His Cell

04-05-2012 12:02

Willi was born 45 years ago – he died on 10th April 2012.

In 1996, Willi was infected with the HIV-virus through needle sharing in the use of drugs in prison. Later he escaped, and to get money for drugs and to finance his life on the road, he carried out some robberies. Although no-one was ever physically injured.

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Nottingham witholds its vote

04-05-2012 10:55

According to the Nottingham Post and Nottingham City Council, the big news is that Nottingham has voted 'No' to having an elected Mayor. However, only 23.9% of people voted overall, a figure that sank to as low as 8.5% in the Arboretum ward. Isn't the real story here that the political system is disconnected from 76.1% of people in Nottingham?

After a desperate campaign by Jon Collins to cling onto power, including scare leaflets being handed out in ethnic minority neighbourhoods, Labour anti-Mayor leaflets being sent out to everyone in the city, and local Labour MPs having last minute conversions to the anti-Mayor cause, they have got what they wanted. We will continue to be ruled by Jon Collins, a leader selected by the local Labour party, not the electorate. Technically speaking, they're off the hook.

But there is a real crisis bubbling away under the surface. The campaigning around the issue of the Mayor brought the bubbling resentments of Nottingham people to the fore. In a totally Labour dominated city (50 Labour councillors with an opposition of just 5 Tories), the Labour candidate nearly always wins. In mmost areas, whoever the local party select as their candidate is guaranteed to be selected. Elections are just a formality. And even if you do manage to elect someone else, they will have no ability to change policy within the Council at large, given the enormous Labour majority. This has inevitably contributed to the enormous sense of disenchantment with the political process that results in such high abstention rates.

But it's not just the Nottingham political landscape that is a problem. Over the past few decades the politics of the big parties have become increasingly homogeneous, dictated more by the needs of neoliberal global capitalism than by any engagement with the interests of their supporters. Whoever you vote for, the capitalist system wins. Given that this system has far more impact on our lives than any of the window dressing with policies parties engage in, it's unsurprising increasing numbers of people are choosing not to engage with the charade of democracy.

So, Jon Collins continues to have a disproportionate say in how our lives work, not because we want him to, but simply because more of the minority who are still engaged in the political process (13.7% of people in the city) don't want change than those who do.

Whether we have a Leader of the Council or a Mayor, we still have almost no say in most important decisions about how the city works and still less in how the country and the world works. I think it's time we started stripping power away from these unrepresentative politicians and involving everyone in the decision-making process.

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Close Newcastle Animal Lab National March

04-05-2012 02:59

On May 26th UK activists will converge in Newcastle to march against Animal murderers at Newcastle university.

22 thousand animals are tested upon every year and Newcastle university is one of the last remaining universities to perform testing on primates.

Its time to say NO to animal testing.

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Taylor wins Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Election Nov 2012

03-05-2012 20:08

Matt Taylor wins Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner election
SOS Party independent candidate takes the first ever PCC Sussex seat with landslide majority, claiming 'the most sensational victory in Sussex political history'

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Exposing Police Corruption

03-05-2012 20:03

A press statement which exposes the corruption of Sussex Police by awarding a police officer for a bravery award, when in truth, the officer lied.

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Brazil: great President, Congress bad.

03-05-2012 18:53

While Dilma Roussef hits each day more, "pulling" the leveling of interest of the Brazilian public debt to international levels and begins to devise an industrial policy firmly grounded in a serious exchange rate policy and in science and technology, in addition to important tax cuts, Congress is the scene of successive corruption scandals, all them originated in the corporate funding of campaigns and in "not very corporate" funding of campaigns, and approves, with a rapporteur funded by the agro-business, apocalyptic Forest Code: A million square KM to the devastation.

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Hot on the Wire: Smash EDO Summer of Resistance Day 3

03-05-2012 17:38

Smash EDO have called for three months of direct action to close down EDO MBM - From 1st May to 1st August 2012.

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Big 6 Bash Roundup

03-05-2012 16:55

A roundup of the Big 6 Bash mass action at the UK Energy Summit, targetting the big corporations and government who are pulling in profits while people suffer from fuel poverty, climate change and cuts.

Hundreds vote with their feet by disrupting UK Energy Summit

On local election day several hundred people were kettled by police as they attempted to gain access to the closed door meeting between government and big business, the UK Energy Summit. [1] Eight arrests have been confirmed.

The protest at the conference being held at The Grange Hotel near St Paul’s Cathedral was called by Climate Justice Collective and supported by groups including UK Uncut, Occupy London, Disabled People Against the Cuts and Fuel Poverty Action. [2]

Preethi Jenkins, who was at the protest, said: “People have lost faith in government and politicians - who today have been conspiring with big business to line corporate pockets rather than do what’s best for ordinary people. That’s why we’ve taken to the streets on election day - voting won’t change corporate control of energy.”

The protest had started at 11:00am with colourful banners and costumes including giant model dinosaurs as a reference to the outdated “dinosaur technology” of fossil fuels. When protesters swarmed the main entrances of the UK Energy Summit venue, lines of police deploying batons prevented entry to the building.

Several arrests were made around midday, and injuries reported. The police kettled a large group at 2:00pm, and further injuries were treated by action medics, as well as more arrests. Meanwhile workshops were held close to the Occupy London site at St Paul’s Cathedral, looking at fuel poverty, community controlled renewables and how to challenge corporate energy monopoly. A Section 60, which allows police blanket stop and search powers, was invoked and remains in place.

PHOTOS A full selection of press ready photos can be found at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cj_collective/

[1] Details of the UK Energy Summit can be found at

http://www.economistconferences.co.uk/event/uk-energy-summit-2012/5964

[2] Full list of groups supporting the Climate Justice Collective Big Six Energy Bash are: UK Uncut, Occupy London, Disabled People Against the Cuts, Global Women’s Strike, Kick Nuclear, UK Tar Sands Network, Campaign Against Climate Change, Biofuelwatch, Bristol Energy Cooperative, Stop Nuclear Power Network, London Rising Tide and Fuel Poverty Action.

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Visions for Change - Post event Press Release

03-05-2012 16:55

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Hundreds vote with their feet by disrupting UK Energy Summit

03-05-2012 15:45

Today hundreds of people took part in the Big 6 Bash, an action targeting the UK Energy Summit.

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Mayoral choices, and more cops.

03-05-2012 14:55

The mayoral candidates

Mr Edd succulently explains the difference between all the London mayoral candidates. Whoever wins, we all lose.

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Big 6 Bash - shutting down the UK Energy Summit

03-05-2012 12:55

Today is the Big 6 Energy Bash- an action against the Big 6 energy companies and the government raking in billions of pounds while people suffer from fuel poverty, climate change and the cuts. Over 300 people are trying to shut down the UK Energy Summit.

Today hundreds of protesters from climate and anti-cuts groups across the country have teamed up to block the UK Energy Summit in the City of London. [1] They descended on the conference venue at 11.45 am this morning, and intend say they intend to remain there to disrupt the UK Energy Summit. At least 300 protesters targeted all of the main entrances to the Summit venue, attempting to push past police to enter the conference.

The UK Energy Summit [2] involves CEOs of the Big Six energy companies, who have recently come under widespread criticism for drawing in record profits whilst one quarter of UK households have been pushed into fuel poverty. [3] The event is taking place place at The Grange Hotel, near St Paul's Cathedral.

The protest congregated at four locations before descending on the summit: Tate Modern, St Paul’s, City Thameslink and Canon St. En route to the summit venue, protesters used “any means necessary” to get their message out by using stickers, chalk and noise to draw attention to the protest. Once they arrived at The Grange Hotel, they attempted to enter the hotel building with banners and giant model dinosaurs as a reference to the outdated “dinosaur technology” of fossil fuels. Reports have been of police violence when at least two people were arrested, with one protester possibly knocked unconscious by police.

The Climate Justice Collective (CJC) is a national network – which says it tackles corporate control, fuel poverty and climate change – is behind the protest titled 'The Big Six Energy Bash'. Stemming from the colourful and confrontational Climate Camp [4], CJC says it is also close to the Occupy movement.

Other groups supporting the Big Six Energy Bash are: UK Uncut, Occupy London, Disabled People Against the Cuts, Global Women’s Strike, Kick Nuclear, UK Tar Sands Network, Campaign Against Climate Change, Biofuelwatch, Bristol Energy Cooperative, Stop NuclearPower Network, London Rising Tide and Fuel Poverty Action.

Billie Blackwood, CJC said: “The UK Energy Summit is a classic 1% stitch up. It is corporate elites, including the government, conspiring to keep the status quo of high energy prices, soaring profits, growing climate instability and disaster capitalism. This conference is the wrong people asking the wrong questions and proposing the wrong solutions.”

Katharine Jones, an anti-cuts protester from Manchester said: "The UK Energy summit gives the Big Six an opportunity to push the government further into their pockets. The government are putting more people into fuel poverty through brutal welfare cuts; it's great that groups like UK Uncut and Disabled People Against the Cuts are teaming up with climate activists to oppose the corporate control that is driving poverty, austerity and climate crisis."

The protest has been organised around themed ‘blocs’. Each bloc reflects a different aspect of climate injustice and has played a different strategic role in disrupting the conference.[5]

• The Robin Hood Bloc focuses on the energy monopoly of the Big Six energy providers which control 99% of domestic energy in the UK. Using Robin Hood imagery it calls for 'Taking the power back' and putting 'People before profit'.
• The Dirty Energy Bloc promises 'Dirty energy, dirty bass-lines and dirty business.’ It represents destructive fossil fuel energy sources such as fracking, tar sands, deep sea oil drilling and open cast coal, that are costing the earth and driving up the cost of ourfuel bills.
• The Fossil Free Futures Bloc is family-friendly and aims to drive the Big Six Energy Dinosaurs into extinction. This bloc demonstrates the colour and creativity of the democratic, fair and clean alternatives to the prehistoric energy companies’ fuels and thinking.
• The Housing Bloc will speak out for warm homes and community control. The bloc exposes the role of Big Six profiteering alongside government degradation and privatisation of housing as the main factors driving fuel poverty.

[1] Details of the protest can be found athttp://climatejusticecollective.org/bigsixenergybash, on Twitter(@CJ_Collective) and on Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/events/116076668516532/)
[2] Details of the UK Energy Summit can be found athttp://www.economistconferences.co.uk/event/uk-energy-summit-2012/5964
[3] See http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/four-million-homes-in-debt-to-energy-giants-7619404.html;http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/city-news/a-quarter-of-brits-are-living-in-fuel-poverty-139644;http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/big-firms-15bn-bonanza-as-cold-and-fuel-poverty-bite-6720013.html.
[4] See www.climatecamp.org.uk
[5] Protestors have signed up to join a bloc online at climatejusticecollective.org/bigsixbash and receive SMS text alerts about the meeting place and action plan for their bloc.

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Callout to UK anarchists to come to Belfast for the 12th of July

03-05-2012 12:25

This is a callout to all UK anarchists and leftists to come to Belfast to stop the annual Orange Order parades through Republican areas of our city. Please come to Belfast on the 12th of July prepared to use force to stop this march of hate!

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Arrests as climate activists and anti-cuts protesters disrupt UK Energy Summit

03-05-2012 11:42

Today is the Big 6 Energy Bash- an action against the Big 6 energy companies and the government raking in billions of pounds while people suffer from fuel poverty, climate change and the cuts.

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If Grow Heathrow faces eviction I will be there to defend it

03-05-2012 10:21

On the 18th & 19th June when most people will be thinking about their upcoming summer holidays – members of Transition Heathrow and the local community down by Heathrow Airport are headed for Central London County Court for a two day hearing.

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Remembering the Falklands

03-05-2012 10:18

Thirty years ago today the Argentine war ship General Belgrano was sunk on Thatcher’s orders killing 321 young argentine sailors (and two civilians) – the single biggest loss of life during the Falklands war. This was despite the ship being 36 miles outside the imposed Total Exclusion Zone and heading away from the war zone.

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Spirit of May Day Flickers Back to Life

03-05-2012 10:07

Anti-workfare protesters brought chaos to London’s West End yesterday after the annual Trade Union May Day march and demonstration. A roving mob of around 350 people successfully shut down countless shops and businesses who use forced labour under the Government’s workfare schemes.

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Open letter to Rothamsted from Take the Flour Back

03-05-2012 08:57

A response to

http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/Content/AphidWheat/RothamstedAppealLetter.pdf

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Solidarity action at USAF Fairford during Bradley Manning's court hearing

03-05-2012 08:40

Siobhan Winter-Smith stood in solidarity with Bradley Manning outside the military base at Fairford, Gloucestershire on the first day of Bradley Manning's pre-trial 'motions' hearing last week.

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