UK Indymedia - UK Promoted Newswire Archive

vedanta protest in london today - reports and pics

11-01-2013 22:46

vedanta is a huge mining conglomerate with a long history of abuses around the world. the indian supreme court is nearing a final decision on whether vedanta can mine for bauxite in an area precious to indigenous people in india, and recent london protests, called by 'foil vedanta', are in solidarity with them.

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SchNEWS: Bexhill Street Blues

07-01-2013 22:16

Full article with links

http://www.schnews.org.uk/stories/BEXHILL-STREET-BLUES/

As predicted, contractors were back at work today on the Bexhill-Hastings Link Rd being built smack through the middle of tranquil Combe Haven. Despite the fact that the funding for the road isn't yet in place East Sussex County Council seem determined to fell all the trees along the route. But now activists are better prepared and this morning (Monday 7th) issued forth from their makeshift tree camps and managed to significantly disrupt work.

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Morton Hall in revolt again

03-01-2013 16:55

The situation in Morton Hall immigration detention centre is at boiling point again after a series of incidents around Christmas. The trigger for events was another serious breach of their responsibilities by the detention centre management who failed to deal swiftly with disruptions to the water supply. A large number of detainees refused to return to their cells in protest. A serious disturbance on Christmas Eve resulted in a detainee ending up in hospital with a serious head injury and injuries to a number of prison officers. There was also a thwarted escape attempt on Christmas Day.

According to No Deportations the situation that sparked the incident was grim:

there was a serious water supply failure, before the incident, all toilets blocked, no running water whatsoever, no cooked meals, detainees given sandwiches and cold drinks

Libcom has more detail:

Several prison officers are reported to have been injured during a serious disturbance at the Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre on Christmas Eve. One prisoner is said to be in a serious condition in hospital with a head injury. Between 30 and 40 Prisoners are believed to have started a peaceful protest against conditions within the facility, and refused to return to their cells when instructed to.

Despite the UK border agency playing down the incident, the POA (Prison Officer Association) claim that around 50 individuals were involved in serious violence that included the use of home-made knives, pool-cues, and snooker balls. They also claim that there was a serious escape attempt thwarted on Christmas day.

A POA spokesperson stated that:

“We feel one of our people is going to get killed as staffing levels have been reduced. We will get a member of staff killed on duty”.
Local activists with contacts inside the prison had been told of detainees being locked in their cells without access to toilet facilities for most of the day in another disgraceful abuse of power by the authorities. Other reports suggest that detainees have been subjected to a long-running campaign of sleep deprivation by guards deliberately banging doors when doing night time checks.

When people are forced into intolerable conditions for the "crime" of crossing borders without asking permission it is no surprise that they resist. We need to demonstrate our active solidarity when they do.

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SchNEWS: Bexhill Camp Needs You!

31-12-2012 15:41

Full article with links

http://www.schnews.org.uk/stories/BEXHILL-CAMP-NEEDS-YOU!/

The protest camp against the Bexhill Hastings Link Road is now up and running

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SchNEWS - Above the Law?

30-12-2012 11:40

Murky goings on as Sussex fox-hunt fronted by ex-policeman attacks monitors and flouts the law.

Full article with links

http://www.schnews.org.uk/stories/ABOVE-THE-LAW/

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Communities won't take the closure of nurseries and childrens centres.

25-12-2012 19:00

Around 100 parents and children under 5 arrived from Tinsley Green children's centre. Another 50 joined the protest from Darnall Community Nursery.

In total at least 250 protested outside Sheffield Town Hall against the Labour council's planned slashing of Sure Start children's centres and nurseries.

The council is aiming to cut £3.5m from these centres. Currently there are 36 centres, all Ofsted registered and providing childcare, health, education and family support. All would be downgraded.

Instead the aim is to have 17 children's centre 'areas', with each area having only one nursery. The council calls its proposals a 'redesign' and incredibly has claimed that the service will improve, reaching more children.

Yet, at the same time, it blames the government for forcing the cuts on it - thereby implying that the service will suffer.

19 of the 36 centres have been earmarked for closure. Five of the seven centres that received an 'outstanding' grade from Ofsted last year are amongst those under threat.

Many nursery workers and parents have been told that their centres will be closed by March 2013 at the latest.

Yet the council is saying that there will be no closures. What it means is that it will use all the sites for something - it's just that 19 of them won't have childcare services!

sharon milson

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SchNEWS - Battle of Bexhill update

17-12-2012 17:15

Update! - Four days of direct action against Bexhill link road

.Anti-road protestors in Bexhill were ambushed by an early start to the tree-felling on the controversial Bexhill-Hastings link road this week, but they rallied and over foursuccessive days of direct action have put a spanner in the works.

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Battle of Bexhill Begins

16-12-2012 21:47

For full article with links - head here

http://www.schnews.org.uk/stories/Battle-of-Bexhill/

Anti-road protestors in Bexhill were ambushed by an early start to the tree-felling on the controversial Bexhill-Hastings link road this week, but they rallied and over three successive days of direct action have put a spanner in the works.

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Boycott Workfare Video

11-12-2012 13:47

Video of the day of action on Saturday 8th December. After handing leaflets outside Poundland the demonstration moves onto Argos where protesters occupy the store and handout over a thousand leaflets and only leave once the busy Christmas queues have completely disappeared. This is followed by a brief visit to Superdrug before finishing the demonstration outside McDonalds where Food not Bombs gave away free vegan burgers

http://vimeo.com/55231456

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Anti-Workfare Pickets Glasgow Report

10-12-2012 20:31

On Saturday 8th December as part of the Boycott Workfare Week Of Action a couple of dozen people from Clydeside Industrial Workers Of The World, the Crutch Collective, Glasgow Anarchist Federation, Glasgow Solidarity Federation, the Right To Work Campaign and other individuals leafleted a branch of Superdrug in one of the city centre's busiest streets.

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Boycott Workfare day of action

10-12-2012 18:28

Saturday 8th December was the start of a week of action against Workfare, in Birmingham protesters from Boycott Workfare, Birmingham Against the Cuts, Disabled People Against the Cuts, Anonymous Birmingham and Birmingham Food not Bombs gathered outside Poundland, a local company using Workfare. The groups we’re also joined by protesters coming from the nearby UK Uncut Starbucks action where Starbucks were targeted for not paying tax.[1]

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Santa stops dawn raid !

10-12-2012 09:08

Santa Claus, with the help of some of his elves, has erected an 18 foot tall tripod outside the main entrance of the UKBA offices in Glasgow to prevent immigration officials carrying out controversial dawn raids on the families of asylum seekers.

Santa is currently refusing to come down from the tripod, which is decorated with tinsel and Christmas decorations, until the UKBA can promise that no more children will be terrorised by immigration officials breaking into their homes to arrest them.

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islington starbucks ukuncut actions yesterday - report & pics 2 of 2

09-12-2012 13:53

two starbucks branches were closed down by ukuncut activists in islington yesterday afternoon as part of nationwide tax-avoidance protests against the company. this is a report on the second action.

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islington starbucks ukuncut actions yesterday - report & pics 1 of 2

09-12-2012 12:57

two starbucks branches were closed down by ukuncut activists in islington yesterday afternoon as part of nationwide tax-avoidance protests against the company. this is a report on the first action.

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small determined workfare demo in holloway, london yesterday

09-12-2012 12:17

london activists targeted businesses in holloway yesterday, handing out employment rights and solidarity information leaflets to workers exploited under the government 'workfare' scheme.

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Anti-Austerity Protest, Manchester Report and Pics

09-12-2012 00:02

Over 350 demonstrators marched through Manchester city centre today,
Sat 8th Dec, in opposition to the continuing Government Austerity measures.

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UK Uncut protest against tax dodgers Starbucks

08-12-2012 23:39

Today, on the 8th of December 2012, UK Uncut protesters successfully occupied and shut down two Starbucks branches in Birmingham city centre.

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100 people at #Sheffield @ukuncut #Starbucks Action

08-12-2012 22:41

Thanks to everyone who joined our Refuge for The Cuts. At one point, including those people who joined to talk and listen from the amazing parade of humanity that is Fargate, we had between 80 and 100 people. What struck us as most significant about this action was the amazing interaction with our fellow public in Sheffield; people seem genuinely interested to find out what they can do fight companies like Starbucks in their tax dodging. We had well over 1000 leaflets and flyers that all went to eager eyes. Thanks to all you amazing musicians that entertained and the people who made the coffee stall what may possibly have been the busiest coffee joint in town. And the only free one... There's no way we would have expected such an action to happen even a year ago; our message is making more and minds yield to and understand the anti-austerity message.

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Workfare’s Christmas Bonus For The Bosses

08-12-2012 21:55

Saturday 8th December marks the start of a week of action against workfare [1] and shops that profit from the free labour supplied by the taxpayer. The national day of action is focusing on charities, however as there aren't many charity shops in the city centre and since a protest last month outside British Heart Foundation who announced they were stepping back from workfare[2] it was decided to take action over companies that profit from free Christmas temps at our expense. In Birmingham anti-workfare protesters gathered outside Poundland, a local company using workfare. As the protest began to grow with people joining after coming from the nearby Starbucks tax dodging action the group decided to move off in search of other shops using workfare. They didn't have to walk far when round the corner they arrived at Argos, a particularly unpopular shop amongst Birmingham Workfare activists. In Birmingham last year, Boycott Workfare was told by someone who applied for a temp job at Argos, but didn’t get it and then subsequently got sent there on workfare that they had more people on workfare than paid temps. In light of this the group made the decision to occupy the shop. The occupation was more successful than expected, security - the same people who a week earlier had assaulted a protester by punching them in the face at the occupation of the Adidas shop[3] – had obviously been told to back off and not go round punching people, let the occupation carry on as long as the occupiers wanted. After the queues at Argos had become visibly shorter the group decided that there were other shops who needed to be targeted and so ended the occupation. The next stop on the Workfare tour was Superdrug where flyers were handed out before moving on to the last stop on the tour McDonald’s. Here the protesters were joined by Birmingham Food not Bombs activists who set up a stall outside McDonald’s and began handing out free vegan burgers.

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small but loud protest and direct action at india house - report & pics

06-12-2012 18:39

london activists, 'foil vedanta', helped organise the protest this afternoon outside the indian high commission in aldwych, london. they were there in solidarity with thousands of indians protesting outside their supreme court while waiting to hear a decision on a controversial mining application in eastern india.