Leeds Bradford Ecology
Veggie Pride UK
11-04-2009 13:28
Veggie Pride UK will be a fantastic fun-filled festival and carnival procession, celebrating and promoting compassionate, healthy, eco-friendly vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. Taking place in Birmingham City Centre on Saturday 16 May 2009. It`s the first event of it`s kind in the UK!
Transport is being arranged from the Leeds/Bradford area as well as from other locations from around the country.There`s only 5 weeks to go, so get your coach seats booked soon! See also their Urgent Appeal for Funds.
Read more | 1 comment >>New Coal Digs In
02-03-2009 12:46
Climate Rush tackled more climate criminals last week when the UK coal industry got together for their annual 'coal awards'. In a protest timed to coincide with the UK Coal hosted awards, around 15 climate activists paid a visit to their Doncaster headquarters, dressed in Edwardian style complete with red sashes with the words 'No New Coal' written across them. A banner reading 'Leave it in the Ground' was suspended across the entrance.
In London, the dirty coal pushers shied away from confrontation with the modern day climate suffregette movement, abandoning their booking at the plush Landmark Hotel and scuttling off to Lords cricket grounds instead. At the hotel, around a hundred activists rushed inside through a fire exit and began an alternative awards ceremony to highlight the ecological damage that the coal industry is inflicting on the environment. After being ejected from the hotel, a couple more attempts were made to gain entry and one arrest was made before the alternate awards continued outside. The Landmark hotel management were less than happy about the righteous fury brought down on them by the climate criminals promised not to accept bookings from such damaging industries again.
Coal represent 50% of the electricity production in the UK and its greatest contribution to CO2 emissions so the coal industry has seen increasing attention from activists in the UK (and beyond). Last month activists and local resident disrupted work at the Rosewell open-cast coal mine in Midlothian, operated by Scottish Coal , and another protest stopped work at UK Coal owned Shipley open cast coal mine in Derbyshire. In the US capitol on Monday, 2,500 protesters blockaded the gates of a coal fired power plant for almost five hours.
Campaigns : Climate Rush | Coal Action Edinburgh | No New Coal | Capitol Climate Action | Coal Caravan
Newswire reports : Coal Rush 1 | 2 | 3 | Doncaster 1 2 | Rosewell | Shipley | USA 1 2
Previous Climate Rush actions : 'climate suffragettes' smash gov windows | chained to parliament | Heathrow 1 2 | Manchester 1 2 | Parliament 1 2
Northern Climate Rush
13-01-2009 13:59
at terminal three of Manchester International Airport. A protest was held by Climate Rush in a designated zone away from all passengers and prying eyes with a cordon for the press and some police horses.
Approximately one hundred protesters descended decorously to make their
views on airport expansion known. Edwardian dress was the order of the day,and we didn't disappoint. Top hats and tails, corsets, shawls and a street urchin all made an appearance. Read more >>
Resistance escalates with Airport 'Green' Light
12-01-2009 13:13
Both Heathrow and Manchester airports were targeted Monday with the domestic departure lounges of both airports simultaneously occupied by protesters. In London over 500 people defied airport bylaws by staging a sit-down dinner forcing airport operator BAA to close 18 check-in desks. In Manchester police used powers under Section 14 of the Public Order Act to contain up to 100 protesters on the ground floor of Terminal 3 and there was one arrest.
The Climate Rush actions were timed to coincide with MPs return to the house of commons with the government expected to announce the decision on the Heathrows airport expansion during week. Meanwhile, Greenpeace revealed that a plot of land within the proposed expansion site had been purchased in an attempt to delay the construction.
Despite media speculation that the announcement would be delayed, by Wednesday nght the media were reporting that the expanision plans have been given the green light. After the official announcement on Thursday, 'climate suffragettes' smashed the windows of the Department of Transport and on Saturday 500 flash mobbed at Heathrows terminal 5.
Newswire Reports : Climate Rush Heathrow images, 12.01.09 | Heathrow Terminal One Climate Rush Picnic a success! | Northern Climate Rush at Manchester Airport | Northern Climate Rush Photos (video) | Protests against airport extension in Frankfurt | Why I renounce my vote | Suffra-jets smash windows
Campaign Links: Plane Stupid | Airport Watch | Climate Rush | T5Flashmob"> | HACAN ClearSkies | No Third Runway Action Group | Stop Heathrow Expansion | Campaign for Better Transport | Airport Pledge | Stop Bristol Airport Expansion
Read more | 4 additions | 5 comments >>Anti-GM Victory : One down, One to Go!
25-06-2007 17:18
It seems there are not often victories to celebrate so it's strange when they occur seemingly unnoticed. That's exactly what's happened regarding the news that the chemicals giant, BASF have abandoned plans for a GM potato trial in Yorkshire this year, despite government consent.
Back in April there was an action in Hedon near Hull [1 | 2 ] to demonstrate public opposition to the first GM trials in the UK proposed in three years. Taking action before the trial began, the protesters planted their own organic spuds in what they thought was the field earmarked for the GM variety [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6]. The aim was to invalidate the experiment before it was even started and while it turned out that they had picked the wrong field they did successful demonstrate that public opposition to GM crops is as strong and militant as ever [audio | video].
The planting of the other trial, located in Cambridge [1 | 2], went ahead despite local opposition and protests but campaigners say that it's not too late to drive home the message that "there is still no future for GM in the UK".
There is a national call out for a 'potato picnic' announced for Sunday 1st July near the site of the Cambridge trial. [flyer | directions]
Background : GM back on agenda | sabotage promised | detailed talk report | audio interview re victory and protest 1st july
Campaign links : Mutatoes | Hedon Against GM | Cambridge GM Concern
Read more | 1 addition | 1 comment >>Ready to remove a blight on our landscape?
16-04-2007 09:01
This month a controversial experimental genetically modified potato crop is due to be planted in the UK by the German chemical giant BASF (offshoot of the infamous AG Farben). DEFRA initially gave approval in December for BASF to undertake trials at two sites, one in Cambridgeshire (at the National Institute of Agriculture and Botany) and the other initially in Derbyshire - until the farmer pulled out.
The trials are the first GM crops to enter British soil in nearly 3 years, after public opposition forced a u-turn in government and corporate plans for patented crops. Although presented as an R&D trial into the effectiveness of an anti blight gene, they are widely considered to be trial of public opinion.
On 14th April in Cambridge a protest walk took place [photos 1, 2]. This was followed on the 21st by a rally in Hull. This event ended with the proposed trial being effectively sabotaged even before it had began when over a hundred people entered the site and planted several varieties of seed potatoes in the field making it impossible for a scientifically valid trial to take place there.
LINKS:
Cambridge 1 | 2 | 3 | grid reference
Hull 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | pics
Background GM - Back on the agenda? | Sabotage promised | New GM crop trials | London info night (Tues 17th)
Campaign sites mutatoes.org | hedonagainstgm.org.uk | Cambridge GM concern | myspace.com/gmfreepotatoes
Read more | 1 addition | 6 comments >>You Must Be Choking! - Day of Action Against Drax Power Station
31-08-2006 23:00
Actions against Drax Power Station started early on Thursday morning (31st of August) and continued all day, with the Drax perimeter being breached several times. Up to 600 campaigners against climate change participated in the Reclaim Power mass action. Four main blocs gathered at the centre of the Climate Camp before splitting off into different groups, with some heading towards Drax across fields to avoid police road blocks [Early report | Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Videos 1 | 2 | Protestors Audio Interview]
Meanwhile, other smaller actions had already begun - just after 4.30am seven activists occupied a Drax lighting tower. Later nearby roads were blocked by different affinity groups and another Drax lighting tower was also occupied with a banner reading "No Future For You". More perimeter penetrations occured as more groups arrived at the fence to be met with police in riot gear, horses and dogs. The total number of arrests on the day's actions was 38 people, some of whom were violently attacked by police.
In the early hours of Friday 1st of September the actions around Drax continued. Reports came in of people attempting to breach the perimeter of the fence overnight. On the other hand, the Legal Team informed that all of the 38 people arested in yesterday's mass action were released throughout the day, some of which having spent about 28 hours in police custody. There was also one confirmed arrest that took place on Friday morning. Two more arrests took place on Saturday 2nd September near the field were the Climate Camp was taking place.
For full details, see the full timeline of events and individual reports that have been posted to IMC-UK Climate Camp page.
Reports: First reports | Police Prevent Essential Supplies From Reaching Activists | Police quotes | Searching for 'weapons' | Farmer attacks Drax Protesters with Tractor (including photos) | Kids Block at Climate Camp | Fireworks from inside Drax | On the Ground: Suicide farmers found in Yorkshire | Photographer arrested over 'weapon' near Drax | Police Obstruction of Media around Climate Camp and Drax | Police hipocrisy at Drax | 3 hour lock on shuts down machine inside Drax | Climate Camp site restored to how it was found | Personal Experience of the Camp | Operation HASH report back | Wellbeing@Climate Camp | Indymedia at the Camp for Climate Action 2006: Report & Personal View.
Mainstream press: List of articles | Radio 4 coverage [ 1 | 2 ] | Reuters inaccurancies on climate camp reporting.
Read more | 1 addition | 23 comments >>
Climate Camp News, Wed 30th August: "If not Tomorrow, then When?"
30-08-2006 19:06
"What has really struck me is the way in which everyone who has come to the camp is getting involved. People from all walks of life and with all sorts of previous experiences are here, and everyone is doing their bit to make the camp tick. From action planning to compost toilet building, everyone is getting involved..." [read more]
See also Life at the Camp - a personal perspective | todays pics from inside the camp.
Thursday sees the Reclaim Power mass day of action against Drax Power Station, and preparations are underway with people making banners, puppets and other props.
Meanwhile throughout the day the police have been using Section 60 powers to stop and search all people entering or leaving the Climate Camp [report and pictures 1 | 2] Undeterred, people continue coming and going, some taking tours around the increasingly guarded perimeter of Drax power station [pics]. Later in the afternoon at around 2.30pm the police were denied entry to the camp [report and pictures] in a peaceful but strong reaction by camp residents, with similar scenes repeated again at around 5.30pm [report].
Seel also: Drax Shares Take A Slide | Drax to Stop Smoking | Power Line Pole Allegedly Cut | Oldbury Nuclear Power Reactors to Close | Feminism and Climate Change [more] | Green Spirituality workshop | Greenwashing Climate Change | City Harvest workshop | (Some) Workshops at the Camp for Climate Action | Feedback from Green Spirituality Workshop.
Read more | 1 addition | 2 comments >>
Marshalls, Hands off 9 Ladies!
26-03-2004 19:13
An office occupation of a Marshalls PLC building took place on Thursday 25th March in Elland, West Yorkshire, as a group of up to 25 activists from Yorkshire, Manchester, Derbyshire and Lancashire decided to ram home the message that corporate exploitation and destruction of our woodlands will not go unchallenged (see photos). The following day people also blockaded and occupied a Marshalls depot in Mansfield Woodhouse.
Marshalls is a huge multinational company specialising in landscape and construction materials, especially stone. Marshalls is a particularly 'hot' target at the moment as its subsidiary Stancliffe Stone is behind the plan to quarry the hillside below Stanton Moor, right next to the Nine Ladies Stone Circle. This insidious plan to quarry a place of rare natural beauty in the middle of the Peak District National Park has been up to now unsuccessful due to the fight put up by the people at the Nine Ladies protest camp. Marshalls however has recently stepped up the pressure to evict the camp and go ahead with the quarrying despite objections from a whole range of actors. Read Latest Camp Update including photos (27/03/04)
Related News:
Sherwood Tree Camp: Possible Eviction Alert (week beginning 29/03/04), despite a 30 day "safe period", during which an independant survey is being conducted - read campaign report update.
A new tree occupation started on Thursday 25th March against the proposed F5 road scheme, planned for the A1159 Priory Crescent north, Southend on Sea, Essex. Meanwhile Bilston Glen Protest Site has a Free Cafe on Saturday 4th April
Older 9 Ladies feature | Nine Ladies Anti Quarry Campiagn | Marshalls PLC website
Read more | 1 comment >>Mar 28: Solidarity South Pacific Films and Talks
23-03-2004 13:45
Against the Death Culture, Rebellion Grows!
An afternoon of films, talks and discussion on the struggles taking place in West Papua, Bouganville and other areas in the Pacific.
Sunday 28th March at the Wrangthorne Community Hall, St Augustine's Church, Leeds- 4.30 pm onwards. Accesible venue, kids welcome.
Films:
- Hell in the Pacific
- The Coconut Revolution
- Freedom for West Papua
Solidarity South Pacific website | e-mail
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