Nottinghamshire Feature Archive

According to local rag the Evening Post, Nottingham City Council has "Nottingham City Council has banned large-scale graffiti art to take place at youth clubs. Those affected will reportedly be The Arches, Russell Youth Club and St Ann's Adventure Playground. It is not specified in the article what law or procedure has been used to do this.

The alleged ground for this ban is that legal graffiti encourages illegal graffiti or gives an appearance of neglect. This is based on the so-called "broken window theory."

While the ban appears to be restricted to council-run youth clubs, this is not clear and there is some concern that the ban might extend further, possibly to private graffiti displays (like that on the side of OhMyGosh records on Mansfield Road). Even if it's scope is tightly restricted, the removal of a legal space for young people to express themselves has been strongly criticised.

On the newswire: Graffiti art with consent banned in Nottingham | Is the writing on the wall for Cllr.Collins?

Nottingham grafitti showcase: OhMyGosh Graffiti / Spray Art Session Finished | OhMyGosh Charity Live Graffiti Art Session Street Party: Pix 1 | OhMyGosh Charity Live Graffiti Art Session Street Party: Pix 2 | Spray Art at the ASBO - Pictures | City Arts, Graffiti Art :: Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham | Forest Fields Youth Club: Artwork and Graffiti 1 | Forest Fields Youth Club: Artwork and Graffiti 2 | Graffiti Artists in the Arboretum, Nottingham

Links: Questionmarc | Tash: Graffiti and wall arts (Flickr page)

On Saturday February 6th, the Save Victoria Baths campaign held a demo in protest at the council's plans to shut Victoria Leisure Centre on April 1st. The event was well attended and attracted a fair amount of media attention. Although the council seems to have made its decision, campaigners believe the fight is far from over. They will hand over a petition against the closure on Monday February 8th.

The campaign has also announced on its website that users of the Victoria Leisure Centre have formally threatened legal action against the council over its sudden announcement that the centre will be closing on April 1st. The legal action asks the council to withdraw the decision and keep the centre open whilst the planning process is undertaken, echoing the appeals of the campaign. London public law firm, Pierce Glynn are acting on behalf of the users, seeking a judicial review, accusing the council of failing to take into account the fact that no planning application has been submitted, that this process will take at least several months, and failing to take into account the impact this will have on users, especially disabled ones.

On the newswire: Report from Save Victoria Baths demo 7/2/10 | Save Victoria Baths: Interview | Council does the dirty on the Save Victoria Bath Campaign

Previous features: Victoria Baths axed early in city budget | Credit crunch hits Notttingham | Nottingham City Council: Mired in Corruption | Council Under Fire From Campaign To Save Leisure Centre

Links: Save Victoria Baths | Petition | Nottingham City Council LOLs

Concerned about underperformance by Nottinghamshire Police Force, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) have taken the unusual step of sending in an "elite squad" to review the force's practices. Zoe Billingham, the Inspector for the eastern region, explained: "We're concerned about the enduring issue of Nottinghamshire Police's under-performance. There has been improvement in the city, but crime is not falling as fast as in other areas of the county. People in Nottinghamshire don't feel safe in some areas."

The team's work will reportedly cost £75,000. The six person team includes two serving chief constables and, bizarrely, Tony Wilkinson, former chairman of discount store Wilkinsons Ltd.

This move comes at the end of what diplomatically might be described as a "difficult" year for Nottinghamshire Police.

On the newswire: Christmas Appeal - Spare some coppers for a Copper | Another shoplifting copper caught with their trousers down | Police dog handler on trial | Demo against Notts Police & £700,000 bill for arresting 114 enviro activists | Taser Frenzy in Nottingham | Another young, black man dies in a police cell | Police spent £700.000 on climate action bust operation | Heroes of law and order

Previous features: Notts Police Face Scrutiny | Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid | Tasers in Nottingham

Related links: Inquest | Nottscops: Unofficial Nottinghamshire Police Photo Archive | United Campaign Against Police Violence | Notts Indymedia Repression topic page

Campaigners are mobilising to make a final attempt to stop the deportation of Brian, Chelsea and their mother Selina Adda to Ghana

Selina Adda a national of Ghana and her two children aged five and nine years, residents of Nottingham for the last five years; are currently detained in Yarl's Wood IRC and due to be forcibly removed from the UK on Wednesday 27th January 2010 @ 14:50 on British Airways flight BA0081 to Accra.

Their asylum claim and all further legal avenues have been rejected.

Update (27/01/10): Selina and family have not been deported! See article for info.

Previous features Anti-deportation campaign for Notts family

Newswire: Selina Adda did not fly yesterday | Sanctuary for the Adda Family | Sanctuary for Brian, Chelsea & Selina

Action: Petition | BA Customer relations

Links: Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum | National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigners

An estimated 1,500 English Defence League (EDL) supporters gathered in the pubs of Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday. Their stated aim was to rally against Islamic extremism, although the crowd heckled the EDL's own non-white speakers, fought with police and rampaged through a predominantly Asian area samshing windows and damaging cars. There was also a fight between rival football firms in the Wetherspoon's pub in which the EDL had gathered.

Once again, racist chants and Nazi salutes were witnessed indicating the presence of a significant contingent of racists and fascists. The EDL were opposed by a rally of around 300 anti-fascists, including some from Nottingham, on the other side of the city centre. Seventeen EDL were arrested and they injured four police officers.

Many supporters were disappointed by the behaviour of the EDL. One forum poster wrote "Stoke today was a disaster. We rioted. We throw bottles. We attacked police. Some people were racist." The EDL's next rally in England will be in Dudley on 4th April.

Previous feature: Fascists rally in Nottingham

Newswire: The Anarchist / Indymedia reaction to the EDL is not working | EDL Riot In Stoke by ‘Malatesta’ | EDL Stoke | Hardcore Nazis of the EDL | The EDL In Stoke | “F*** the p***s” – meet the EDL’s anti-racist poster boy | Stop the EDL in Stoke - 23rd January

Links: Pits n Pots | Antifa England | Unite Against Fascism | Notts Indymedia anti-racism newswire

After a long period of silence from the council the Save Victoria Baths campaign have learnt that the authority intend to close Victoria Leisure Centre on 31 March 2010, despite having no approved plans for development and no planning permission to demolish what is already there. The campaign allege that the council intends to relocate staff in February, making it more likely that it will close earlier than then.

Council plans to close Victoria Leisure Centre first emerged in 2008 and generated considerable public opposition. Although campaigners were unable to prevent the closure, they did manage to get the council to promise to keep it open until 2011 and agree to build a (very expensive) new leisure facility on the site. Campaigners are concerned that the council may now go back on both promises leaving the community without a leisure centre.

On the newswire: Council does the dirty on the Save Victoria Bath Campaign | 2008: Victoria Leisure Centre Public Meeting to Oppose Closure | Save Victoria Baths from closure, Demo at the Council House | Council propose to shut Victoria Baths, Sneinton | City Council intends to Close popular leisure facility

Previous features: Credit crunch hits Notttingham | Nottingham City Council: Mired in Corruption | Council Under Fire From Campaign To Save Leisure Centre

Links: Save Victoria Baths | Petition | City council: Budget consultation

2009 was a busy year for Nottingham hunt saboteurs who were sabbing from September to December in collaboration with sabs from Sheffield and Leeds. They successfully sabotaged a number of hunts in the region including the South Notts, the Burton and Blankney hunts in Lincolnshire and the Meynall & South Staffs and High Peak hunts in Derbyshire. The saboteurs also held a successful fundraising event in Nottingham.

In spite of the legal ban on hunting with hounds coming into force in 2005, most hunts continue as they did before. The police, used to protecting hunts and repressing saboteurs, have changed little in their approach. Hunt saboteurs use direct action to save the lives of hunted animals.

Newswire: Nottingham Animal Rights into the Teenies | Sheffield, Nottingham & Leeds Saboteurs End Of Year Report | Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs | Nottingham Animal Rights Events

Links: Hunt Saboteurs Association | Derby Hunt Sabs | Nottingham Animal Rights | Notts Indymedia Animal Liberation topic

According to reports, Nottingham City Council are considering using green space at Stonebridge City Farm in St Ann's for a car park. A consultation of 31 local residents found that just under 50% of them were in favour of a scheme that would use up 10% of the farm's land for a car park. People involved in the farm have set up a petition to protest the move.

Stonebridge City Farm is an urban farm in the heart of St Ann's that has gardens open to the community. The farm actively involves people with disabilities and mental health problems in volunteer roles and grows food that local people can buy. The farm is the result of many years work of committed individuals. According to one supporter, the Council's attitude shows that they are unreliable partners and are not genuinely concerned with environmental issues. "[A]fter the effort has been put in over many years they will think nothing of putting people's work under tarmac."

Newswire: Hands off Stonebridge City Farm | Transition Market Launch Saturday 12th December 11-3 Sneinton Market

Links: Stonebridge City Farm | Hands Off the Land at Stonebridge City Farm (petition) | Transition Nottingham

The past year has been a a busy one for activists in Nottingham, a city which continues to find itself on the frontline between movements for social change and the forces of the state. This was rarely more obvious than around the arrest of the Ratcliffe 114. In a different sense the student occupation in solidarity with Gaza, one of a wave across the country, was notable for the particularly violent manner in which university authorities brought it to a conclusion, particularly compared with the successes which had been achieved elsewhere.

Nottingham City Council has made the unprecedented step of threatening a critical local blogger via its solicitors. In a letter sent to the author of the Nottingham City Council LOLs (NCCLOLs) blog, solicitor Jon Ludford-Thomas states that the blog "contains personal, derogatory comments regarding a number of [the City Council's] councillors and employees that could cause distress to those individuals." It requests that the author "remove these personal, derogatory comments from ncclols and refrain from posting similar such comments on ncclols or elsewhere on the internet."

The NCCLOLs blog describes itself as a resource for those who "want to know what [their] favourite local council ... gets up to?" and uses minutes of meetings and Freedom of Information requests to scrutinise what goes on in the Council chamber and beyond. In the past it has exposed some of the serious failings of Nottingham City Homes and the Council's housing benefit service.

Andy, author of NCCLOLs, said "It's not quite clear what legal basis NCC has for telling the blog not to write such things."

Previous features: Council house evictions rise 42% in Nottingham | Nottingham City Council Silences Welfare Advice Row

Newswire: Nottingham City Council Makes Vague Legal at Blogger | 3 Million Quid Spent on Housing Benefit Consultants | Nottingham Loses Out again | Housing Benefit Decision Notices Inadequate and Illegal | Big Underspend on Payments to help Poor Tenants | BNP member on NCH Disabled Person's panel

Links: Nottingham City Council LOLs | Nottingham City Council

In an industrial estate in Nottingham, an anonymous warehouse serves as an international sales office and distribution depot for Heckler & Koch, a major small arms company, whose assault rifles and submachine guns are sold around the world. Next door to H&K is an evangelical church called Trent Vineyard, whose support local anti-arms activists are seeking in their campaign to close down the arms company. Shut Down H&K’s messages to the church leadership have gone unanswered, so campaign supporters decided to take their message to the regular churchgoers...

The English Defence League (EDL) are a small fascist organisation which has been demonstrating against "Islamic extremism" in towns across the UK in recent months. Anti-fascist organisations say the group is anti-Muslim and fascist.

On Saturday 300-400 EDL members descended on Nottingham where most were held in a police pen near the castle all day. Their presence was opposed by a number of organisations including Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP and Unite Against Fascism (UAF) who rallied in Market Square and then marched down Friar Lane. A large number of autonomous anti-fascists and local youths managed to avoid being kettled by the police.

The EDL demonstration repeatedly attacked police lines on Castle Boulevard but failed to escape their escorts. Fighting also broke out several times outside pubs in which EDL members were drinking, and photographs have been published showing EDL demonstrators urinating against the walls of Nottingham Castle.

On the newswire: Running Rings Round the EDL | Piss-Poor EDL Defending England's Heritage | Saturday and the EDL: Whose Streets? Our Streets! | The EDL & The Far Right | EDL Violence In Nottingham | Can Police or BBC Count? | EDL: soldiers of the state? | EDL Nottingham - Photos | report from anarchists in nottingham who fought fash today.... | Wetherspoons (and the Police) Allow Drunken Nazis Onto Roof | Confronting the EDL - our historic duty! | Weatherspoons warned not to host EDL | Why do the police accept the EDL/CU line? | Weatherspoons Advised dont hold EDL demo in Notts! | We WILL be in Market Square! | Police tell UAF to change anti EDL demo | Saturday's Events and The Stop the War Coalition | Join us and stop the EDL in Nottingham, Sat 5th Dec | Nottingham Stop the EDL march: Useful info and tactics | EDL in Nottingham: Information for Action

Links: Antifa England | Nottingham Stop the BNP | Unite Against Fascism

The annual remembrance celebrations in Nottingham are traditionally associated with some manufactured controversy or another. This year was no different with the subvertising of a poster featuring Mansfield serviceman by anti-war campaigners.

In Nottingham, campaigners held a march from the city centre to the grounds of the castle where they laid a wreath in memory of the uncounted Afghanis who have died in the present conflict at a memorial to British soldiers killed in an abortive attack on Afghanistan in the 1870s.

The county council meanwhile, has taken time out from laying off staff long enough to rearrange the Spanish Civil War memorial so as to hide its political content.

On the newswire: Remembering Afghani Dead - Pictures | Remembering the Afghani Dead | Notts County Council rewriting history?

National feature: Remembrance conflict

Links: Nottingham Stop the War Coalition | White Poppies

Around one thousand climate activists have been attempting to shut down Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal power station in Nottinghamshire, taking direct action with repeated breaches of the security fencing. [Pics 1 | 2 ][ Video ]. The action comes only weeks before the UN COP15 Climate Conference in Copenhagen, and follows the arrest of 114 activists allegedly planning to infiltrate the power station in April.

More info: Notts IMC timeline | Swoop Live Coverage | 2 | #Swoop Twitter | Climate Camp Twitter | Swoop Flickr Pics | CC Galleries | Swoop Videos| Mainstream TV Reports

Previous coverage: Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid | No case to answer after Notts E.On protest | Fossil Fools Take On E.On In Nottingham | Convictions For Activists - Climate Criminals Walk Free | 'Clean' Coal On Trial | Climate Activists Bring Powerstation Operations To A Halt | Spring Into Action Now!

Links: The Great Climate Swoop | Climate Camp

On Saturday 26th September, 350 people demonstrated outside Highgate Rabbit Farm in Lincolnshire, a supplier of rabbits and ferrets to the vivisection industry, including Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), Europe's largest and most exposed lab. The Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) protest titled 'Operation Liberation' was part of the campaign to close down the farm and hailed as a success, bringing the attention of local people to the farms immoral practices.

Several short speeches were made by campaigners as protesters stood 750 metres from the farm which lies in Normanby-on-Spital. They were not allowed to stand any closer to the farm as police had placed a Section 14 Notice on the premises which forbids members of the public from passing the 750 metre perimeter. As demonstrators arrived police used a 12 by 6 foot banner to announce the implementation of the legislation.

Videos: 1 | 2 | 3 | Newswire: Report | Pictures | Open letter and pics of cops! | Message Left For Geoff Douglas | Phone Calls At All Hours For Perverts

Previous features: Operation Liberation: Highgate Rabbit Farm | Highgate Farm Protest Camp

Indymedia SHAC topic pages: UK | Northern

OPERATION LIBERATION REPORTING:

IMC Northern England will be providing coverage of the SHAC UK national Demonstration at Highgate Rabbit Farm, Lincolnshire on Saturday 26th September.

Those at the demo can phone in their news of the days events to:

07513783376

Alternatively, you can publish pictures/video/text direct from your phone to the Northern Indymedia "Tumblewire" from an internet enabled phone to mob.northern-indymedia.org

During the midnight hours of 6th January 2008, Animal Liberation Front (ALF) volunteers gained entry to Highgate Rabbit Farm, in Lincolnshire, who imprison animals waiting to suffer and die in the miserable vivisection industry (Pictures | Video). 129 rabbits were liberated with £70,000 worth of damage caused to the farm and its vehicles.

Following the raid, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) reported the farm subsequently stopped supplying rabbits for animal testing, in a plan to close down the business. However, after instruction from the police, the farm reluctantly resumed supplying rabbits to laboratories, one of which is Europe's biggest and most exposed lab Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS).

Therefore as part of a global week of action against vivisection breeders, SHAC have called a UK national demonstration for Saturday 26th September, directly outside the farm, in an attempt to save the rest of the animals and close down the lab supplier. Just days later ALF activists claimed they painted slogans against those who own and run the farm, such as 'Douglas Family Bunny Butchers' and 'Douglas Animal Abusers' in the Market Rasen area.

Links: About Highgate | Demo/Transport Details | Resources | Action

Newswire: Butane bomb left at Novartis | ALF Welcome Andrew Baker To Town | Letters Sent To HLS-Loving Scum | Vivisection Animal Breeder Global Week of Action | Fire At Homes Of HLS Lenders | Veganarchist Dean Cain Remanded Again | Launch of SHAC North America | Pain doubles at HLS, animal use drops 34% | Unilever Products Sabotaged | Novartis Products Ruined | Latest on HLS financials | Novartis under attack | Novartis Stinks | SHAC newsletter 52 - out now! | New Largest Investor Morgan Stanley Dumps HLS | Huntingdon Life Sciences doomed financial status | Warning Sent To Novartis Offices | Dan Amos has moved prisons | MFAH destroy Novartis CEO's hunting lodge, ALF paint subsidiary | More articles

See also: Highgate Farm Protest Camp

Last weekend saw the British National Party (BNP) return to the village of Denby, Derbyshire. For the third year in a row, the fascist party were holding their annual Red, White and Blue "festival" in the village, on land owned by party member and former Tory councillor Alan Warner. Anti-fascists protested outside the site. The BNP's recent successes in the European Elections appear to have strengthened the demonstrators' resolve with reports indicating that 1,000-1,500 anti-fascists mobilised against the event.

Last year the event was protested by several hundred activists in the nearby village of Codnor, while a smaller group of antifascists attempted to block access to the site. The campaign against the festival has continued throughout the year with Warner (1 and 2) and event organiser, David Shapcott, having been "visited" by anti-fascists. Warner appears to have decided that enough is enough and told the Derbyshire Evening Telegraph earlier this year that he was looking to move.

Photos: Demonstration against the BNP Event in Codnor 1 | Demonstration against the BNP Event in Codnor 2 | Protest against the BNP Event in Codnor, Derbyshire : Police Action | Demonstration against the BNP Event in Derbyshire: Surveillance Operations | AirRobots Drone deployed at Demo against the BNP Event in Derbyshire | The 'welcoming Gate Crew' BNP Event at Codnor, Derbyshire | Report of anti BNP protest in Codnor with 20 photos | BNP 'Red, White and Blue' festival hit by direct action | Photos from Protest against the BNP's Red White and Blue Festival 2009

On the newswire: Angel-faced BNP racist aged 12 | Radio Derby's friendly chat with the BNP | Report from the protest against the BNP's RWB festival 2009 | First report back from RWB demo | BNP nazi guest barred from UK | Nazi farmer Warner gets another visit | Stop the BNP's 'Festival' of Hate | BNP confirm RWB will be held in Derbyshire for a third year | Fascist farmer targetted again | The BNP's 'RWB' Organizer Gets An Early Call

Previous Features: Protests greet BNP "festival" | Anti-fascists Prepare to Stop BNP "Festival" | BNP Withdraw Festival Licence Application in the Face of Protests | East Mids Campaigners Up The Anti as BNP Make Electoral Gains | Midlands and Yorkshire organise against the BNP

Links: Antifa England | Hope Not Hate | Stop the BNP's RWB Festival | Unite Against Fascism | Indymedia UK Stop RWB topic page

Nottingham's 7th Gay Pride took place on Saturday 25th July. In the past, the event has been restricted to the Arboretum, but this year, for the first time, there was a march from the Forest Recreation Ground. The route down Mansfield Road is one familiar to local activists, but rarely are the marches so colourful and enjoyable. The marchers, many of them dressed up for the occasion in an array of costumes and outfits, were accompanied by both a samba band and a marching band. From Mansfield Road, they turned right onto Shakespeare Street and then right again, up North Sherwood Street before entering the Arboretum where they joined the component of the event.

On the newswire: Nottingham Pride 2009 | Arrest before Nottingham Pride 2009

Previous Coverage: 'My Big Gay' LGBT Nottingham photo | Pride 2008: 1 | 2 | Nottingham Gay Rainbow Heritage Exhibition | Pride 2007: 2 | Pride 2006: 1 | 2 | Pride 2005: 1 | 2 | Pride 2004

Links: Nottingham Pride | Nottinghamshire's Rainbow Heritage

Update: Protest camp set up near the entrance of Highgate Rabbit Farm (see timelines for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday).

During the midnight hours of 6th January 2008, Animal Liberation Front (ALF) volunteers gained entry to Highgate Rabbit Farm, in Lincolnshire, who imprison animals waiting to suffer and die in the miserable vivisection industry (Pictures | Video). 129 rabbits were liberated with £70,000 worth of damage caused to the farm and its vehicles.

Following the raid, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) reported the farm subsequently stopped supplying rabbits for animal testing, in a plan to close down the business. However, after instruction from the police, the farm reluctantly resumed supplying rabbits to laboratories, one of which is Europe's biggest and most exposed lab Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS).

Therefore as part of a global week of action against vivisection breeders, SHAC have called a UK national demonstration for Saturday 26th September, directly outside the farm, in an attempt to save the rest of the animals and close down the lab supplier.

Links: About Highgate | Demo Details | Resources | Action

Related newswire: SHAC Diary Dates | Heather Nicholson moved prison | SHAC Latin American Day of Action against HLS customer Bayer | Home visit for Pfizer executive | Crackdown On Anti-Corporate Dissent: Animal Rights Movement | "Break with HLS" painted at Novartis | Cars destoyed at home of Novartis Executive | SHAC Mad Science Week: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Payback time for the animals inside HLS | Suprise for Schering Plough Director | More articles

Squatters have once again returned to the JB Spray Factory in Radford. The occupiers, a loosely formed collective currently going under the name “Squat Lobster,” have been occupying the old lace factory since late May, and have been working on the building ever since.Residents of the squat are keen to encourage more people's projects and ideas within the space and are welcoming people who want to pop round, stay round or set something up and use the space!

Audio: Riseup! Radio 17: Struggle in Our Cities

On the newswire: Grot Vs Squat? continued Nottingham Council inaction on empty properties | Beyond Borders weekend | Discussion on Public Services | radical discussion: education - weds 24 June, JB Spray | Squatters in the JB Spray Building, prevent water company from cutting them off | J.B. Spray: Squat Lobster's First Event

Previous features: Nottingham's Old County Hall Occupied | End of the Road for ASBO | Spring Into Action Now! | J B Spray Building Occupied / Evicted / Reoccupied | YES, we're open ! | Abandoned for over 7 years... | New Squatting Project in Nottingham

Links: Squat Lobster | Advisory Service for Squatters | Notts Indymedia Freee Spaces topic page