The appeal by Democracy Village after last week's High Court ruling will be heard at 10.30am this Friday (9th July) at the appeals court. In the meantime the camp is still going on strong, having started 'Operation Rolling Thunder', more – an ongoing programme of non-violent direct action. The village is calling out for people to come down and help on multiple fronts: to come and do actions, to help with the site, keep it tidy and maintain the gardens. There is a particular call-out for those with direct action skills and experience.

Previous newswire postings: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Photos: 1 2

The whole world is watching while Gaza burns and implodes under the might of Israel's military machine. On all major news outlets the charred remains and scattered bodies are a graphic reality TV horror show, right down to the shrouded bundles of what was once 5 little girls who sought safety in a mosque only to be incinerated in a direct hit.

The collective punishment of civilians is a war crime; the whole world is watching gruesome war crimes taking place.

Stop! Look! And listen! Then lobby, campaign and fight for human rights enshrined in international law to be upheld and enforced in this case against the Israeli state war machine.

Newswire: Israeli navy fires on free Gaza ship on human mission to the besieged strip International witnesses speak from Gaza Free Gaza Movement, 27 Dec 2008 | On-the-spot report from Gaza City Ewa Jasiewicz, 28 Dec 2008 | Christmas In Gaza : No More Room In The Morgue Amira Hass, Haaretz correspondent, 28 Dec 2008 | Protest against Gaza massacre in Edinburgh, Scotland 28 Dec 2008 | Nottingham UK, Gaza Emergency Protest 30 Dec: Pictures [1] [2] | Police launch massive attack on Palestinian solidarity demonstration in London 28 Dec 2008 | General strike called by Palestinians in Israel 28 Dec 2008 | Over 50,000 rally as pro-Gaza demos sweep Egypt's cities 28 Dec 2008 | Tales to tell (from Gaza) 28 Dec 2008, 5.30am, Jabalia | Ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza; 225 killed over 700 wounded Saed Banora, | IMEMC, 27 Dec 2008

News links: freegaza.org | IMEMC.org Independent Middle East Media Centre | Ma’an News Agency | english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast

Video links: Israeli shelling of Gaza continues Video from International Solidarity Movement on the ground, 28 Dec 2008 | Eye witness video post bombings 27 Dec 2008 | More video links

Pictures: This is what a massacre looks like 28 Dec 2008 Protest at Israeli embassy, London, England 28 Dec 2008 More pix from Protest at Israeli embassy, London, England 28 Dec 2008 More from Israeli embasy protest 28 Dec 2008 | Demonstration in solidarity with Gaza in Nablus, Palestine 27 Dec 2008 | Hundreds Protest in Sheffield Against Gaza Massacre 29 Dec 2008 | Nottingham UK, Gaza Emergency Protest 30 Dec: Pictures [1] [2]

Comment: Bombs over Gaza cartoon by Latuff, 27 Dec 2008 | Israeli Air Strikes in Gaza Kill as Many as 200 people cartoon by Latuff, 27 Dec 2008 | The Gaza blockade Cincinnati Jewish Community Relations Council | Statement on Zionist attacks on Gaza Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, 28 Dec 2008 | Massive attack on Gaza planned many months ago Barak Ravid, Haaretz, 27 Dec 2008

Protesters gathered outside Downing Street on Thursday, 24th July, to hold a 'Birthday Party' for Britain's last Guantamo Detainee, Binyam Mohamed [Reports and pics 1 | 2 | 3]. The event was the culmination of a week long vigil which took place outside the US Embassy.

Previous reports: Binyam faces death penalty | Brown urged to act | Binyam sues British Govt. | New report details torture | Reprieve: 'Bring Binyam back' | Guantanamo's last Londoner
Previous actions: London: 1 | 2 | 3 | Sheffield | Nottingham

Other links: Cageprisoners | The National Guantanamo Coalition | Reprieve | Andy Worthington

On Sunday 15th of June, as George W. Bush was making his way to Downing Street for his last state visit to the UK, thousands of people were gathering in Parliament Square following a call from the Stop the War Coalition.

Although the turn out to Sunday's protest was much smaller than in 2003 when Bush last visited the UK in the high of the Anti-War protest movement, by mid afternoon a crowd of around 2500 determined people were already making clear what they thought of the legacy of George Bush's wars in the Middle East and the US driven War on Terror [Demo video report] A powerful sound system had been set on the square from where several people, including Brian How, made speeches. Meanwhile the crowd kept demanding the arrest of George Bush for his "terrorist activities and war crimes" in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

The protest had already been banned by the Metropolitan Police from marching through Whitehall, therefore crash barriers and police lines had been set at the southern end of Whitehall to prevent the demonstration from moving forward. At some point, the crowd approached the barriers and police lines to demand their right to demonstrate, but they were faced by a line of baton wielding police that started hitting those at the front. As a result a series of scuffles followed, resulting with some head injuries and bruises to some protesters, and the first wave of arrests.

Eventually, a large number of police with riot gear took positions to protect the entrance to Whitehall, whilst at the same time groups of TSG and FIT police forces started to carry a series of snatch arrests around the Parliament Square area [Video of arrests]. By the end of the evening 25 people had been arrested, some of which are now facing charges.

Photos: 1 | 2 | 3

Called by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, in conjunction with Stop the War Coalition and the British Muslim Initiative, tens of thousands marched in London on 24 February, 2007, to protest against the Trident and against the imperial wars in the Middle East, including Iraq and the looming one on Iran. People were there to express their opposition to militarism, the 'war on terror' and demand justice for Palestine. Scotland for Peace's "Bin the Bomb Roadshow" also ran between 16 and 24 February, culminating in a march and rally on 24 February in Glasgow.

There was a small autonomous block on the demo [photos], but was apparently the focus of most of the policing and 'intelligence gathering' (see this Met leaflet).

Reports: 1 | 2 Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 Audio: 1 | 2 | video

Links: Trident Vote Day | CND | Stop the War Coalition | Block the Builders | Greenpeace | Trident Ploughshares | Faslane 365 | Background: BASIC | Acronym | Indymedia UK's Faslane topic page

To mark the 5th anniversary of the transportation of the first prisoners to the US concentration camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a series of demonstrations took place around the world.

In London, over 300 people followed a call by Amnesty International to protest [Photos 1 and 2 | Videos 1 and 2 | Slide show] and to stage a vigil outside the US embassy. A break away group of protestors later targeted the arms manufacturers company Lockheed-Martin for profiteering from Guantanamo Bay [Video]. Another vigil [Photos] by London and Oxford Catholic Worker communities took place in solidarity with 90 anti-Guantanamo US activists that were arrested in an occupation of the U.S. Federal Court House in Washington DC [Report | Photos] A further candle-lit vigil was set outside Downing Street [Video]

In Birmingham around 80 people gathered in front of Hiatt, a UK company that makes shackles and other torture equipment used by the US military in Guantanamo Bay over the last five years [Report and Photos]. In Edinburgh there was a protest outside the US Consulate, and a meeting in the Scottish Parliament [Report and Photos]

To read more about facts and the mistreatment of prisoners in Guantanamo click at the Full Article link above.

Links: National Guantanamo Coalition | AI's Close Guntanamo campaign | Cage Prisoners

A crowd of several hundred demonstrators, mainly Muslim, gathered outside New Scotland Yard on Sunday afternoon 11 June to voice their disquiet at the June 2 raid in Forest Gate. The police raid which involved some 250 officers, was one of the largest single 'anti-terrorist' raids in Britain. Two houses were targeted based on intelligence that they were the location for a chemical bomb factory run by two brothers, Mohammed Abdul Kahar and Abdul Koyair.

The raid was brutal and Koyair was shot in the shoulder in circumstances that remain a mystery. The two brothers were eventually released without charge late on Friday June 9.

A demonstration was called for the 18th of June to show support for the families of the Forest Gate raid. More than 2000 people marched in East London to show the community’s anger and frustration at the raids. Demonstrators carried placards with statements such as “The War on Terror is a War on Us” [Report]

Davids 'crime'? - wearing a rucksack along with an 'unseasonal' jacket and checking his phone messages while waiting for his train. Luckly for David the police refrained from following the shoot-to-kill policy that had resulted in the tragic death of Jean Charles De Menezes less than a week earlier. Instead, they closed Southwark tube station and cordoned off the whole area while the bomb squad checked his bag. Eventually, finding nothing but a laptop in his bag, the orginal officers appologised then arrested anyway. His home was searched and his computers confiscated. You could be next.

[ exclusive interview | Davids account 1,2 | profiling | bloggers unite ]

At around 10am (Friday 22/7), police shot dead an unarmed man on a train in south London. They had trailed him from a block of flats which they had under surveillance, allowing him to board a bus and then enter Stockwell underground Station, despite apparently believing that he was a suicide bomber.
first reports | more on shooting | train driver threatened

News of the 'shoot to kill' policy raised urgent concerns from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, especially since the man (now named as Jean Charles de Menezes) turned out to be completely unconnected with the bombers. After police admitted the man was innocent on Saturday a hastily organised vigil was held at Stockwell Station on Sunday 24 morning. [reports and photos - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | audio | video ] A second much larger vigil took place on Monday 25 evening. [Pics and report | Spontaneous march | Photos of vigil and demo] On the following Wednesday 27 another protest took place outside the Metropolitan police headquarters at Scotland Yard. [Photos and Reports 1 | 2] [Audio interviews]

• The Jean Charles de Menezes Family Campaign has called for another vigil and a memorial service on Friday 29 at 5.30pm, Parliament Sq. [Flyer (pdf)]

[ reports 1 | 2 ] [ photos Oval | Warren Street | Route 26 bus video + stills ]

A statement posted on an Islamic website in the name of, Abu Hafs al Masri Brigade, an al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for both sets of London attacks. The group has threatened "a bloody war" on the capitals of European countries that do not remove their troops from Iraq within a month.

The following day was extremely tense with many people expecting a follow up attack because the bombers had left too much evidence behind for them to believe they would not soon be captured. Security around the capital was increased with so-called 'random' stop and searches introduced on London Transport but many people stayed away from the city.

At around 10am (Friday 22/7), police shot dead an unarmed man on a train in south London. They had trailed him from a block of flats which they had under surveillance, allowing him to board a bus and then enter Stockwell Station, despite apparently believing that he was a sucide bomber. [first reports | more on shooting | train driver threatend ]

Transport remained in chaos all Friday and into the weekend with many security alerts, one of which involved armed police at the East London Mosque. Police has since raided several addresses and made at least three arrests. The dragnet extended to Birmingham where one man was arrested under terror laws but later released uncharged.

News of the 'shoot to kill' policy raised urgent concerned from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, especially since the man (now named as Jean Charles de Menezes) turned out to be completely unconnected with the bombers. After police admitted the man was innocent on Saturday a hastely organised vigil was held at Stockwell Station on Sunday 24 morning. [reports and photos - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | audio | video ] A second much larger vigil took place on Monday 25 evening. [Pics and report | Impromptu march | Photos vigil and demo] On the following Wednesday 27 another protest took place outside the Metropolitan police headquarters at Scotland Yard. [Photos and Reports 1 | 2] [Audio interviews]

• The Jean Charles de Menezes Family Campaign has called for another vigil and a memorial service on Friday 29 at 5.30pm, Prliament Sq. [Flyer (pdf)]

It appears that there were 3 explosions on the London Underground along with another bomb that exploded on a London Bus blowing its roof. There was no warning and although an unknown group linking themselves to Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility on a known Jihadist web site [offline - see screenshot instead | translation ], this has not yet been confirmed. The mainstream media are reporting that the death toll now stands at 52, with 700 or so injured. Reports that the Israeli embassy had been tipped off are circulating although a Scotland Yard spokesperson denied this. Transport within the capital is gradually returning to normal with bus routes reopening, although commuters and tourists will still rely on river boats, taxis, private transport and of course feet for many journeys.

More indymedia commentry : [ Indymedia UK Statement | Poor use of Indymedia | London bombing to the eyes of the third world | Its' not enough to blame Al Qaeda | London: Explosion Updates | Anarchist response to attacks (includes West Midlands Anarchists) | Photos from Edinburgh vigil in response to London bombings

Official statements: [ Number 10 | London Metropolitan Police | Transport For London ]
Other media: [ The Guardian | Wikipedia | Al-Jazeera ]
Travel news: [ National Rail ]
Statements of solidarity: [ Muslim Council of Britain and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland | Various religious leaders | The E.U. | The U.N. | Personal messages from across the globe (BBC) | Personal messages from across the globe (Al-Jazeera) ]

Britain continues to hold 14 foreign nationals who have never been charged with any offence. The supposed evidence against them remains secret. They were never questioned by the police. They have not been put on trial.

These men are detained under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, which allows the Home Secretary to detain indefinitely any foreign nationals if he has 'reasonable suspicion' that they have links with 'international terrorism'. At hearings last year, the government acknowledged that some of the 'evidence' could have been obtained by torturing detainees elsewhere, e.g. Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.

On Sunday 3 October, around 100 people gathered outside Belmarsh Prison in south east London to protest against the indefinite internment of the 14 prisoners, and to demand the repeal of the UK's anti-terrorism laws. A wide range of people were present, from Muslim leaders to grass roots activists, incluiding Lawyers and anti-racism campaigners. A number of speeches were made, and an open microphone included poetry and music. Photos 1 | 2.

Urgent Appeal: Write Letters to Internees in Belmarsh Prison
Read article Guantánamo in our back yard
Photos of earlier protest on Sunday 4th April
Campaign Against Criminalising Communities