IMC UK - Repression - Nottinghamshire

JB Spray squat under threat

27-05-2010 17:37 | Free Spaces | Repression | Nottinghamshire

The JB Spray squat in Radford, Nottingham is under threat of eviction. The occupiers, who have been in the building since May 2009, have been served with notice of a court date for 3rd June. The landlord is intending to gain a possession order and make homeless the many people who have been living in the building for over a year. The occupiers have stated that they intend to resist any attempts to evict them and are asking people to support them.

The former lace factory, which was empty and unused for many years, has been occupied and used for social and community purposes a number of times in the past. On previous occasions squatters were evicted quickly. This is the first time that people have been able to settle and make a proper home in the building.

Those wanting to help with resistance to the closure of this free space should call 07817493824 or email jbspray[at]hotmail.co.uk.

Newswire: JB SPRAY Squat, Nottingham Under Threat of Eviction | Squatters in the JB Spray Building, prevent water company from cutting them off | J.B. Spray: Squat Lobster's First Event

Previous features: Squatters Retake Nottingham's JB Spray Factory | Spring Into Action Now! | J B Spray Building Occupied / Evicted / Reoccupied

Links: Advisory Service for Squatters

Scapegoats, Serco and Solidarity

07-05-2010 12:17 | Migration | Repression | Nottinghamshire

Another week of the election, another week of scapegoating migrants equals another week in which the deportation machine strides on; imprisoning men, women and children before deporting them to wherever is most expedient. The mainstream political parties' rhetoric surrounding immigration has become less and less distinguishable from that of the BNP. They point their fingers at migrants, positioning one group of oppressed and marginalised people as the cause of the dispossession of other groups.

This anti-migrant discourse is further developed by the mainstream press - including the Nottingham Evening Post - who seek to flog their rags with sensational headlines which blame migrants for all of society’s ills, unwilling or unable to develop a broader analysis.

Meanwhile, resistance continues in the form of migrant protests within the detention estate and solidarity attacks on the companies profiting from running migrant prisons, such as Serco.

Newswire: Serco goverment buildings attacked | Bristol: Serco van tourched | Serco goverment service office attacked in London | London protest at Serco over Yarlswood assaults | Hunger Strike @ Yarlswood | Women in Yarlswood vow to stay on hunger strike | Call for a European Week of Action against the deportation machine | NSPM Peace Conference Politics of Migration

Previous features: Un-policing the borders | Calais: Repression and Resistance | Urgent Action for Notts Family facing deportation | Fortress Europe, struggles continue

Links: Stop Deportations Network | No Borders Network | Nottingham Student Peace Movement | Brussels No Borders Camp

Whose streets? Our streets?

27-04-2010 12:42 | Repression | Workers' Movements | Nottinghamshire

Mayday, 1st May, is a day of anti-capitalist workers' struggle. Traditionally, Nottingham's contribution has been a march through the town centre and a rally of anti-capitalist campaigns and agitators. For the past few years, this gathering has taken place in Brewhouse Yard near Nottingham castle. However, this year the City Council have been putting all manner of obstacles in the organisers' way.

Permission for a rally in Brewhouse Yard was refused because "there were going to be Robin Hood activities in other places"! Permission was finally granted for the rally in Victoria Park on the St Ann's end of town but only subject to restrictive conditions such as displaying the Council logo on all publicity, displaying Council banners and was subject to a charge... all for using a 'public' park. In addition, organisers are having to pay to get roads closed for the march.

All of this has led one of the organisers to question whether the streets and public spaces of Nottingham really do belong to the people or are just an extension of the City Council's private fiefdom. These restrictions have very serious impacts on people's freedom to protest and assemble, as demonstrated by recent police crackdowns on festivals, such as the Strawberry Fair in Cambridge.

MayDay rally and march from 11am, Victoria Park, Bath Street.

Newswire: The Future Of Protest In Nottingham : Whose streets? Our streets! | May Day Discussion | MayDay 2010 in Nottingham : Fight Back | Strawberry Fayre Fight Back! | Police Stop Strawberry Fair

Previous features: Mayday! In The East Midlands | Our Square Isn't It?

Nottingham City Council to end legal graffiti

12-02-2010 19:03 | Repression | Social Struggles | Nottinghamshire

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)

What's up with Notts Police?

05-02-2010 20:36 | Analysis | Repression | Nottinghamshire

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

Urgent action for Notts family facing deportation

25-01-2010 18:42 | Migration | Repression | Nottinghamshire

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

Nottingham City Council Attacks Free Speech

19-12-2009 18:13 | Repression | Social Struggles | Nottinghamshire

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

Notts Police Face Scrutiny

23-06-2009 10:50 | Repression | Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire Police attracted national media attention when a video was released onto the internet showing officers from the force assaulting a member of the public in Nottingham City Centre. In the video the four officers can be seen shooting the man with a Taser stun gun and punching him repeatedly.

The release of this video comes at a time when Nottinghamshire Police are already having to answer questions about their recent decision to arrest without charge 114 people who were allegedly intending to disrupt Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. The action which involved officers from four forces is estimated to have cost more than £70,000, despite no crime having been committed. Meanwhile, questions have also been raised about Reece Staples, 19, who died in police custody at Oxclose Lane station on 7th June.

On the newswire: Demo against Notts Police & £700,000 bill for arresting 114 enviro activists (photos) | Taser Frenzy in Nottingham | Another young, black man dies a police cell | Demand Police Accountability: End the harassment of public protests | Police spent £700.000 on climate action bust operation

Previous features: Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid | Tasers in Nottingham

Campaign against CCTV in Forest Fields continues to grow

28-04-2009 15:40 | Repression | Social Struggles | Technology | Nottinghamshire

The Nottingham City Council scheme to impose CCTV on Forest Fields is facing increasingly organised opposition. Much of the affected area has been leafletted with anti-CCTV material and campaigners against the scheme attended a consultation meeting last Thursday to make their views known. Many are worried about the intrusive and controlling nature of CCTV and think it would contribute to suspicion rather than strengthening the local community.

Whilst the police and the Council's Area 4 Management claim to be engaging in consultation their language regarding CCTV has always framed it as a necessary development. Ironically, these same people objected to a journalist taking their photos at the meeting, indicating that residents are not the only ones who are concerned about surveillance! The plans have already been scaled down from 5 camera masts in Forest Fields to masts at 3 locations but campaigners vow to continue until it is scrapped.

Newswire: CCTV proposed scheme for Forest Fields : public meeting report | CCTV in Forest Fields - public meeting on April 23rd | Forest Fields Latest: CCTV | Forest Fields CCTV Update | CCTV coming to Forest Fields unless we act NOW! | Surveillance of Nottingham city centre | Surveillance of Nottingham City Centre [Update]

Previous feature: Watching the watchers in Nottingham

Links: ForestFields.org.uk | No CCTV | Area 4 management

Zimbabwe ‘Death of Democracy’ Gathering in Hyson Green

22-04-2009 22:38 | Migration | Repression | Social Struggles | Nottinghamshire

On Saturday 18th April, the ex-patriate Zimbabwe Community from around the UK, came together to discuss the ‘Death of Democracy’ in their country. The gathering was held in Nottingham at the Hyson Green Youth Centre.

The NZCN (Nottingham Zimbabwe Community Network) organized and hosted the event. Most attendees dressed in black to remember and honour the hundreds of Zimbabweans who have been murdered during the MDC’s struggle for democracy. Guest speakers included MDC activists still working and striving towards a new, free and safe Zimbabwe.

Event Photos: ‘Death of Democracy’ Gathering

Previous articles: NZCN mourns the death of democracy in Zimbabwe | Zimbabwean Community Show The Film Flame at Sumac Centre | Zimbabwean Asylum Rights Demo @ Speakers Corner, Nottingham

Links: No Borders Nottingham | Nottingham Zimbabwean Community Network | Zimbabwe Civic Action Support Group | Association of Zimbabwean Journalists in the UK (AZJ-UK) | Zimbabwe Association Ltd | Operation Mavhoterapapi (how did you vote) - Post-election violence [pdf 5.2M]

Audio: Zimbabwe - [Speeches and Interviews] - mp3 16M [64kbps]

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