UK Newswire Archive
Making Welfare Work - One Day Conference July 10th
27-06-2012 18:35
As the Tories continue their attack on our welfare, Boycott Workfare and welfare activists in Birmingham have come together for a one day conference, called as a counter to the Welfare to Work conference happening just down the road at the ICC.Tuesday 10th July, 9:30am – 5:30pm
Unite the Union Building, Transport House, Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 2AY
Media Lens: Incinerating Assange - The Liberal Media Go To Work
27-06-2012 14:23
The persecution of Julian Assange through the eyes of Media Lens - 'correcting the distorted vision of the corporate media'.Dirty Coal Plans Defeated: CONCH have won!
27-06-2012 14:10
Yesterday evening Ayrshire Power withdrew their plans for a new coal-fired power station at Hunterston on Scotland’s west coast – a great victory against new coal. They are also withdrawing from the current CCS demonstration project funding competitions, and the Public Local Inquiry set to take place this Autumn for the plans will also not be going ahead. Ayrshire Power says it took the decision because of uncertainties around securing the necessary financial investment to build the power station in the current economic climate – but we say its down to all the hard and tireless work of campaigners who have fought the plans for three years. Well done Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston!
Groups urge world leaders to reject “Green Economy” in Rio+20 summit
27-06-2012 13:11
UNITY Gathering Glasgow Saturday 30th June
27-06-2012 12:09
Over the last few years Unity has been getting bigger and bigger, doing more to help asylum seekers in Glasgow and more people are volunteering for it.So Unity is changing – We want more people to be involved in helping run Unity!
Stalls at the 2012 Sheffield Anarchist Bookfair
27-06-2012 11:55
http://www.sheffieldbookfair.org.uk/ which was held on 23rd June at Bank Street Arts http://bankstreetarts.com/.
Anarchism & Antisemitism: new publication now out
27-06-2012 11:01
Dysophia have released their latest pamphlet, titled Antisemitism: what it is, why it matters and how Anarchists can learn from confronting it."No to Torture" Rally, London, 26 June
27-06-2012 10:55
Londoners marked International Day in Support of Victims of Torture and the 25th anniversary of the UN Convention Against Torture with a vigil outside the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, on 26 June. A simple and effective message was put across in many languages: "No to Torture"!
Always one step ahead, weeks before the Olympic Games kick off, the London Guantánamo Campaign (LGC) brought a display of international spirit to the heart of the capital with a multilingual "No to Torture" vigil in Trafalgar Square to mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture and the twenty fifth anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Torture becoming law on 26 June 1987. Around 50 people joined in, holding up banners in over 30 different languages with one simple message, "NO TO TORTURE". We were joined by anti-war campaigners from the Stop The War Coalition, human rights activists from Amnesty International, the Free Mumia Campaign, Free Bradley Manning, Hands off Somalia and Baloch activists.
With its display of one simple message in over 30 languages, including Arabic, Persian, Indonesian, Swahili, Finnish, Greek, Russian, Hebrew and others, the action was a hit with tourists and passers-by who engaged with its simple message and stopped to check if their own language was included and to see how many they read and/or identify. Lots of people stopped to talk to the activists and expressed their support. That torture is always wrong and illegal is quite obvious to ordinary people; unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the politicians who sign the very instruments that ban it.
The purpose of this quiet and dignified vigil was to mark this date and this anniversary and show solidarity with victims of torture the world over, most of who suffer in silence and terribly, long after the immediate physical and psychological terror has ended.
London politicians Sarah Ludford MEP and Jeremy Corbyn MP gave their apologies for not being able to attend. Green MEP Jean Lambert made the following statement on the twenty-fifth anniversary about the work of the European parliament on torture investigation:
"The claims that British intelligence services have not been complicit in torture or rendition are continuing to crumble. Indeed, the recent scrapping of the Gibson Inquiry is further proof that successive UK governments are attempting to sweep the ugly matter under the carpet in the vain hope that it will magically disappear.
"In the European Parliament, we will often criticise third-country regimes for subjecting citizens to physical and mental acts of torture; where authorities that should protect individuals are complicit in crimes against them. Yet, those regimes use the behaviour of governments such as our own and the US to combat that criticism.
"The Parliament inquiry into alleged complicity in torture, led by Greens/EFA MEP Helene Flautre, is beginning to shine a light on the role played by Member States in exposing terrorism suspects to illegal treatment. Poland must also be given credit for breaking its silence over claims that a ‘secret' CIA prison camp was operating within its borders. There is no doubt that this process of self-examination will be painful, but we must be clear - only be adopting a zero tolerance approach both at home and abroad can we put an end to torture for good."
Joy Hurcombe, the chair of the Save Shaker Aamer, made the following statement on this anniversary:
"June 26th, is the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture to remind the world that torture is a crime against humanity in international law. For over ten years, British resident Shaker Aamer has been imprisoned without charge or trial in Guantanamo, where he is routinely tortured. A recent shocking report from his US lawyer has been forwarded to David Cameron. This states that Shaker Aamer remains in solitary confinement, suffering daily beatings and abuse. He is deprived of sleep, medication and basic necessities including toilet paper, cup and comb. The UK and US Government could also mark the day by ending the ordeal of our victim of torture. By doing nothing, both countries are guilty of state-sponsored torture."
Please join us at our next action - a lunchtime demo (12-2pm) outside the US Embassy in Mayfair - on US Independence Day, Wednesday 4th July, where we revert to our more usual orange and black attire (not mandatory).
Media on this event:
http://www.demotix.com/news/1301071/no-torture-vigil-london
http://www.demotix.com/news/1301327/international-day-support-victims-torture-marked-london
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.428885783818930.96880.114010671973111
Aisha Maniar from the London Guantánamo Campaign wrote the following article about the anniversary:
http://onesmallwindow.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/no-torture-porn-in-court-please-were-british/
Andy Worthington wrote the following article:
Report by Aisha Maniar, all images © London Guantánamo Campaign
Transforming Our Food System
27-06-2012 10:00
Prisoners Still Working For The War
27-06-2012 09:40
Inmates in German prisons have to work (prison labour) if their health status is good enough, because article 12 of the German Constitution allows “forced labour” in prisons.Faslane Peace Camp banner drop in Helensburgh
26-06-2012 23:07
London 2012 Olympics Parents Blockade
26-06-2012 22:50
We as parents who has lost our kids to child stealing by the stateuk social services hundreds of legally kidapped children will bring the uk road system to a complete standstill we want david cameron to speak to us
we will stop the country moving with help of caravan owners vans lorrys and buses.
You Can Run But You Can't Hide - Droning On!
26-06-2012 18:58
Following a raucous protest in Bristol, and a packed out public meeting in Bath, the Clarion Events UAV conference had to be moved to deepest darkest Wiltshire.
The Defence Acadamy near Shrivenham is managed by Clanfield University and the MOD. Safely protected by barbed wire and a police presence the conference commenced whilst members of BAAT unfurled their banners and made, what has become a trade mark of theirs, lots of noise.
Anti-war activist Ciaron O'Reilly interview on the Persecution of Julian Assange
26-06-2012 17:46
J26 AUDIO ABC RADIO BrisbaneSteve Austin interviews Ciaron O'Reilly on the Persecution of Julian Assange
http://blogs.abc.net.au/files/260612-sa-ciaron-oreilly.mp3 Garden day @ Brum Social Centre – This Saturday 12pm onwards
26-06-2012 11:20
Brum FnB at the Birmingham Social Centre
26-06-2012 11:06
Kangaroo courts to be introduced in time for the Olympics
26-06-2012 09:23
The government are introducing kangaroo courts in time for the OlympicsUG#592 - The Technology of Reunion (The Coming War on General Computation)
26-06-2012 05:12
We look at the possible future interactions between society and computing technologies. We start with Gary Webb's story of how he used the WWW to circumvent censorship of his revelations of CIA drug dealing. Then we hear Cory Doctorow on corporations increasing interest in limiting the ways in which users use computing devices. In our second hour, Eben Moglen describes his work on 'freedom boxes', to create securely encrypted connections between individuals.