Protest against secret Nato summit on Afghanistan
About thirty committed activists protested against the NATO meeting at the Craigiehall Army Barracks near South Queensferry in Edinburgh. The demonstrators blocked the main road to the meeting, which is attended by defence ministers from eight NATO countries, and other senior political and military officials who discuss the current situation in Afghanistan.
Protest:
[ report of early morning actions | report and pics | leaflets in NATO hotel | Indymedia Scotland feature | details of protest | announcing article ]
Background links:
[ The Senlis Council | RAWA on US worsening human rights situation | Taliban control more than half of Afghanistan: IMC Germany | Womankind: Taking Stock | Canadian Peace Alliance | Imc Germany: There is no end to Afghanistan | Le Monde Diplomatique french/german/english | icasualties | Why are we in Afghanistan? | Just Foreign Policy]
Full Story | 6 additions | 6 comments >>
United against (the real) terrorism
On 7 July, 2007, following the failed attack on Glasgow Airport, some 2,000 people gathered in Glasgow to protest against the war of terror at a Scotland United Against Terror rally, which was called by a few young folks from the the Muslim community and was quickly backed by the city's mosques and Islamic organisations. Speakers ranged from religious and union leaders, Stop the War Coalition, to police and government representatives [report].
Meanwhile, four men convicted of the 21/7 bomb plot in London have been jailed for life, while four other were sentenced each to 6 years in prison for 'inciting terrorism' following the Muhammad cartoons protest in London last year. At the same time, a second jury in the trial of two BNP 'non-terrorists' accused of plotting explosions has 'failed to reach a verdict'. The police, meanwhile, continue to use a considerable chunk of their resources to monitor activists.
Related posts on the newswire: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Latuff Cartoons: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
John Bowden: Prisoner Support is not Terrorism
On Saturday May 25th, activists held a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament, as part of the growing Hands off John Bowden campaign. The demo was called by a group of Friends of John Bowden as an International Day of Solidarity. John Bowden is a long-term prison resister, who has spent more than a quarter of a century fighting for prisoners’ rights, and is now being kept in jail because of his politics rather than because of his original conviction. Brighton Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) has called for another demo outside the London Parole Board HQ on Friday 8th June at noon.
Articles by John Bowden: Uprising at Shotts prison | Brutality at Full Sutton | When is a Prison Reformer Not a Prison Reformer? | David Blunket Sanctioned The Machine Gunning Of Rioting Prisoners | "Riff-raff" prisoners? | Investigation into racist abuse at Whitemoor Prison
Protest over multi million pound redevelopment of Edinburgh
Demonstrations have taken place throughout the city on redevelopment plans which may mean the demolition of some of Edinburgh's most historic and listed buildings. Protesters from 'Save Our Old Town' (SOOT) demonstrated on the Royal Mile outside the City Chambers as the Council discussed the £300 million development plans of both the Canongate and Market Street. With these, and many more 'redevelopment' plans for around the city, Edinburgh is changing quickly, and the Old Town is being destroyed quicker than you can say 'Listed Buildings'.
Links: Canongate Community Forum (SOOT) | Save Glenogle Baths Campaign | Save Meadowbanks Campaign | 600 protest against Meadowbank Stadium destruction
Two Days of Action Target Climate Criminals
Over the weekend of 3-4 Feb 2007, actions up and down the country and beyond targeted dangerous 'greenwash' being desperately pushed by corporations and politicians. The actions came in the wake of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released on Friday, which warned of world temperature rises of over 6C by the end of the century. The report indicated that a 4 degree rise would mean a 10% loss in global food production due to draught, flooding, water shortages. While the world slowly wakes up to the magnitude of climate chaos, Shell and Exxon Mobil last week announced record breaking profits. With the figures laid out so clearly, the nauseating hypocrisy spouted by corporations and politicians has spurred action from Paris to Aberdeen.
Links Press release for oil spill action | action report, photos & video | another video | Shell sponsorship background
Other actions Glasgow | Edinburgh | Plane Stupid | Greenpeace
Coming up Protest against ESSO, 9th Feb | Spring into Action
Climate Camp 2006 indymedia page | website | 2007 Camp 14-21st August | next organising meeting 17-18th Feb
'i' the film - screening tour
Touring the UK this week, 'i' the film expands on the explosive prequel, "Eye of the Storm" and examines the relationship between media and power as manifest by the worlds largest all volunteer network of media activists - Indymedia. - Tue Oct 10 - London - RampART - 15-17 Rampart St (starts 8pm)
- Wed Oct 11 - Brighton - The Cowley Club - 12 London Road
- Thu Oct 12 - Nottingham - The Sumac Centre - 245 Gladstone Street, 7.30pm (read article | report and audio from screening)
- Sat Oct 14 - Glasgow - Document 4 Intl. Human Rights Film Festival
- Sun Oct 15 - Edinburgh - Quaker Meeting House, Victoria Terrace, 7pm
- Mon Oct 16 - Edinburgh - Forest Café, 3 Bristo Place, 7.30 pm
Scotland after the G8
Activism in Scotland experienced a boost in the months following the G8.
Two social centres – Saorsa (gaelic for “freedom”) and Chalkboard opened in Glasgow, and the Indymedia Scotland Infoseed Hacklab in Edinburgh.
The legal support group observe the court cases relating to the G8 [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ] and provides support for the defendants.
The Campaign to Save the Cameo was successful and the privatisation of council housing could be prevented [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ].
The Glasgow based initiative Make Borders History continued after the G8 in Glasgow as Open Borders Glasgow with direct actions to prevent deportations and morning raids [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ].
The Zapatista Solidarity groups raise publicity and prepare enthusiastically for their big solidarity party on the 16th of february for their twinned community in Chiapas [ Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group | 1 | 2 | 3 ].
In an effort to Stop Climate Change and prevent further roadbuilding for individual transport, JAM74 and Friends of the Earth Scotland stopped the building of the M74 Extension, south of Glasgow, which would also be leading through the Cre8 Community Garden, with a legal challenge.
The main action momentarily is the resistance against building the Dalkeith Bypass through a big park acting as a wildlife resort, recreational facility, part of Edinburgh's Green Belt and fields for animals. The campaign includes an unlikely liason of a citizen campaign “Save Dalkeith Park”, ecowarriers occupying the trees, and resistance in the Scottish Parliament and beyond. Last Monday, however, a specialist team started evicting the four protest camps. Despite three protesters slowing down the eviction by nearly a week with refusing to give up their hiding place in a tunnel, the eviction of the last and main protest site is anticipated to start today. [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 ]
Eviction started at Dalkeith tree sits
Monday 16th January at around 4.30 am, eviction of the protest sites in Dalkeith Country Park began. Protestors are still in the trees and continuing to resist. The protest sites are opposing the building of the A68 bypass through the Park, just south of Edinburgh.
Early this morning Police bailiffs raided one of the sites ('top site') and have established a security cordon around it. Protestors remain in the trees determined to resist eviction and the cutting of the trees in this part of the River Esk wildlife corridor in Midlothian.
[call for more people | High Alert | Press Release: Eviction started | pictures ]
Dalkeith Park Tree-Sit Under Eviction Threat!
Update 25.11.2005: The judge granted an immediate eviction order in the court case "Occupiers of Dalkeith Country Park vs. Scottish Ministers" in Edinburgh's Sheriff Court on Friday.
Eviction is anticipated to take place anytime from now on. Campaigners pledge for more people to come now to help them. .
Report, 23.11.2005 Nearly three weeks ago, protesters set-up a tree-sit in Dalkeith County Park near Edinburgh to protest the creation of a new A68 bypass through the park, an important wildlife habitat and tourist attraction.
Yesterday, authorities cut five trees down before being stopped by protesters.
For more information:
[ Original Call for Support | Press Release and Directions to Treesit | Pictures of Tree-sit in Dalkeith | october feature | Save Dalkeith Park! website | Bilston Woods Protest Camp]
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G8 2005, Gleneagles: Repression, Resistance and Clowns
All over Scotland, (dis)organisations as varied as the grassroots network dissent! and the largely conservative coalition "make poverty history" protested against the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles. The reasons were as varied as the forms to express disagreement, from marching to blockading, from clowning to filming, from talking to direct action. Although police from all over the UK were busy containing protesters in pens, arresting, searching and holding them under section 60 [Legal Support Group statement], discontent with the G8 agenda was voiced in many significant places and eventually supported by international solidarity.
Read the Full Article for summaries on issues, actions, timelines, repression and resistance in Scotland from Saturday 2 July to Friday 8 July. And check G8 Info for quick links and resources.
[ G8 video coverage | G8 Audio | G8 Photo Archive ]
[ IMC Scotland | IMC UK G8 topic pages | Worldwide IMC Reports + 2 ]
[ Red Pepper Blog | Live 8: Corporate Media Bonanza ]
[ Legal Support | Medical Support | Activist Trauma Support: +44-796 240 6940 | Missing Persons/Prison support: +44-131-208 0767 ]
G8 - Day 3 Update
To celebrate the end of the G8 summit and to highlight opposition to the extension of the M74 there has been a street party called in Glasgow. [Detailed timeline | Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9] [Videos]
With hundreds of arrests, many still in prison, and bail conditions telling people to leave within near impossible speeds, there were some prisoner solidarity protests today. A demonstration outside Saughton prison in Edinburgh this afternoon was restriced by police using section-14. [Detailed timeline] [Unprecedented police harrassment against Wombles]
Section 14 was also in place in Edinburgh, to hinder a group of people at Waverly train station from protesting against the ongoing 'war on terror'. The police said they would only be allowed to hand out leaflets for half an hour. Some were stopped, filmed and searched [Report and Photos] In an earlier action, two climate ativists climbed onto the bridge that traverses Leith Street, connecting the St James Mall to the car park in Central Edinburgh, and hunged a banner that read "Coming soon, millions of ecological refugees, to a city near you"[Report | Photos]
In the eco-village in Stirling [Report], the situation is calm, but the police are still checking people going in and out. 3 arrests were made, apparently based on information from the Forward Intellegence Teams (FIT). The local police confirmed that (despite rumours) no private homes had their windows smashed and that the report of children being injured was false.
Anti-G8 actions have been taking place all over the world. [List of links]
[ Glasgow Timeline | Edinburgh & Prisoner Solidarity Timeline | Stirling Eco-village timeline ]
Glasgow street party photosEco-village photos: 1 | 2 | 3
G8 Day1: G8 Blockades, Mass Arrests and Fence Breaches
Movement against the G8 started very early this morning: while the beacons of dissent were still burning in the dark in the Ochil Hills, hundreds of people were making their way out of the Stirling convergence eco-camp 'Hori-Zone' to head for Gleneagles. Initial clashes with riot police forced many back, but other went on to occupy roads. In Edinburgh there was an attempt to blockade G8 delegates in the Sheraton Grand hotel and people obstructed delegate coaches as they passed through the streets. The M9 motorway was also blocked by a several hundred people.
Throughout the morning multiple blockades were set up on the approach roads to Gleneagles, from people locking themselves together to the late afternoon Kids Tea Party blockade. All this activity resulted in many G8 delegates having to delay their trip to Gleneagles. Later in the afternoon, and despite sporadic torrential rain and long traffic jams, people continued to converge aound Gleneagles Hotel. Just before midday, the police announced that the G8Alternatives march and rally at the town of Auchterader had been cancelled, but despite this announcemnt thousands of people continued to stream towards the G8 Summit location. Coach loads of protestors were also delayed for hours by police roadblocks, but the majority were allowed through in the end.
Meanwhile a spontaneous demonstration was taking place in Edinburgh. This was mainly made up of some 700 people whose buses had been prevented from reaching Auchterader. The demonstration started in Princes Street and was quickly penned in by police, with some people arrested violently. Local people watching the police actions shouted "outrage" and "disgrace".
In Auchterader at around 1pm, up to 10,000 people started to move towads the perimeter of the fence. The demonstration included many national and international groups and networks, as well as a large battalion of the clowns, Seattle’s Infernal Noise Brigade and an International Samba Band. This mixture of people, groups and nationalities gave a cheerful and colourful athmosphere to the demonstration.
When the march reached a fence blocking the road to Gleneagles Hotel many people paused bringing the entire march to a standstill. Later a determined group of people dismantled the fence in front of police lines, whilst another group of about 700 people moved into a nearby field towards another fence that actually formed the enclosure of the Glenegales Hotel. This was also partialy dimantled by this crowd, and a watch tower attacked. At this point police presence was masive, with hundreds of riot police, police on horses, police with dogs, and even military helicopters that kept dramaticaly flying in more riot police. The crowd maintained their ground for over an hour resisting police charges, whilst a group of about 100 people staged a sit down protest in front of the gap caused by the earlier breach of the fence. Eventually a big police charge managed to push people back down the hill and out of the fields. While Auchterarder itself was full of protestors, many local residents were friendly and there were no clashes or property destruction.
The Legal Support Team reported "hundreds of arrests" throughout the days actions and blockades, whilst a later update spoke of "over 400 arrests" confirmed, several of which are the result of London's FIT teams.
[Complete Timeline Reports: Stirling/Gleneagles Timeline | March on Gleneagles | Edinburgh Timeline | Glasgow Timeline]
Edinburgh Reports: 1 | 2 | 3] [Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5] [Video]
Stirling: Report | 2
Blockades: Reports (various): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 + 10a | 11 | 12 | 13
Blockades Photos (various): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15
Blockades Videos (various): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Autcherarder/Gleneagles: [Reports: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8] [Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 14 | 15 | 16] [Audio: 1] [Videos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5]
International Solidarity: Collected Reports | Bern, Hannover, Heidelberg, Lugano | Kansas City | Sidney [pic] | San Francisco | Barcelona
G8 Reports: Tuesday 5th July
This morning a banner was hung from a tall crane near Edinburgh central train station saying "No More Brown Wash" [full report]. The campaigning group WDM have been critical of both Make Poverty History and the Governments G8 spin [audio: mp3 from crane].
Later in the morning an Anti-Shell demonstration took place outside the Irish Consulate, with people protesting against Shell's plans to turn an area of outstanding natural beauty into an onshore oil refinery. The protest them moved by the streets with yet another over the top police escort [see report | pics]
Meanwhile a small prisonners solidarity demonstration took place outside the Court. On the other hand, police FIT teams have been active in central Edinburgh all day stopping and searching people at random.
Update 20:00: The Legal Support team informs that the Section 60 has now been imposed at the Hori-Zone rural ecovillage. Reports of police helicopters activity in the camp. On a more positive note, an IMC access point is now opperating inside the camp. Also the new Trespass Law has been brought into a effect around Gleneagles suspending open access in the area around the hotel.
Dungavel Protests
Around 1000 people are demonstrating at a rally at Dungavel Detention Centre. Earlier some of the coaches were searched by police who took people's names and addresses - some demonstrators were also temporarily surrounded by police. All is calm, but marches are not allowed around the detention centre and there are thousands of police there. Instead the protestors are listening to some moving and powerful speeches from ex-detainees from the centre. The detainees however have been moved out of Dungavel for the period of the G8. [Photos 1 | 2 | 3]
[see Dungavel Detainee Interview (audio mp3) | Borders at the G8 Feature | IMC Migration Section Amnesty Report on Detention Centres (june)]
Timeline of Events | Legal Update
Unconfirmed reports have also come in of people arriving back in London being questioned under anti-terrorism legislation and filmed.
Carnival of Full Enjoyment, Edinburgh
The Carnival for Full Enjoyment travelled around the streets of Edinburgh on Monday 4th, involving a cast of G8 Summit protesters, clowns, police and local people. The Carnival called upon 'workers, migrants, students, benefit claimers, New Dealers, work refusers, pensioners, dreamers, duckers & divers' to resist the 'daily grind of the institutions that plunge us into overwork, poverty and debt.'
The day started with police and groups of protestors playing cat and mouse through the streets, as police quickly started to stop and search people under the Section 60 imposed all over Edinburgh. At 12pm groups of people began to gather in and around Princes St. From that time on, and throughout the day, police tried to heavily repress any demonstration using scores of riot police, horses, dogs, and endless batton charges whilst attempting to pen in groups of people. As a result several clashes occurred in the Princes St and Canning St areas that resulted in more than 100 people arrested, including teams of street medics that were spcificaly targeted for harassment and arrest. Around 60 protesters were also treated for injuries caused by the heavy handed policing. Despite this many streets in central Edinburgh were taken over by protestors throughout the afternoon.
Click here for a full appraisal of the day and here for the Timeline of Events Account of the Day.
Newswire Reports: Medics interview and reports 1 | 2 :: Police [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] :: Princes Street [ 1 | 2 ] :: Carnival for full policing :: Debunking the Myths :: Day report on IMC Scotland
Reports and Pictures: Princes Street [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 ] :: Financial District 1 | 2 | 3 ] :: Clowns [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ] :: Bristo Place [ 1 | 2 ] :: Soundsystem Seized :: IMC IE on the day
Video: Clowns | Police | Local retaliation 1 and 2 | Arrest outside IMC centre
Other Indymedia reporting: IMC-Nantes | IMC-Germany | IMC-Holland | IMC-Switzerland(It)
Faslane Blockaded - All Gates Closed Down
Faslane, a Royal Navy submarine base on the Clyde, is the largest and deadliest military base in Scotland and home port for all four British Trident nuclear armed submarines. Nuclear weapons are the ultimate expression of militarism - only about 60 miles (90 km) away from Gleneagles.
Among those blockading Faslane is a broad spectrum of protestors, from Parliamentarians and Church leaders to anti-capitalists involved with the Dissent! network.
Updates :
12.55pm : All gates remain blockaded - people in high spirits. Clowns army has a presence there as well as many other groups. 10.30am : All gates remain blockaded
09.30am : Faslane is fully blocked - all entrance gates are blockaded with people locking-on. Numbers estimated at up to 2000. One person scaled the perimiter fence gaining entry to the base, and has been arrested.
09.00am : See Early report
[ Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 ] [ Video ]
See full time line
[Faslane G8 Blockade | Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament | Trident Ploughshares | Antimilitarism and the G8 Feature</8> | full time line | Maps: area, base]
G8 Info
Background info : Why Are People Protesting? [more] | Groups and Websites | Protests and EventsRead latest G8 coverage : Indymedia Scotland and IMC UK G8 topic pages [ RSS feeds: Newswire | Features ]
Video : Collected G8 Video Coverage - list of links | Upload your videos
Radio : See G8 Radical Radio Collective website or Global Radio Indymedia Newswire for streams or archive material.
Photo: IMC Photo Library and Search website
- G8 Legal Support + Advice | Legal Support Statement
- G8 Medical Support
- Activist Trauma Support
- Submit your G8 story
- G8 debriefs: London, Oxford, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester
G8 Sunday 3rd July
The Make Borders History tour of Glasgow. The make border tour-ists split up in 6 groups of 50 to 100 people to explore the border regime as it manifests itself in the Scottish city. The tour guides were from: no one is illegal, noborder network, noborder manchester group, brides without border, and someone from the glasgow committee to welcome refugees [see Report | Pictures 1 | Pictures 2 | Borders at the G8 Feature] [Audio and more pics]| related video of Dallas court reporting Centre
In Edinburgh a Stop the War march led by Heidi Guiliani (mother of Carlo, murdered by the cops in Genoa) and Rose Gentle took place ending with a 'naming the dead' ceremony on Calton Hill [see report and pics]
Sunday also saw Edinburgh as the focus of many G8 counter-conference events [see Corporate Dream ... Global Nightmare | Dissent! Programme (running through til thurs 7th) | G8Alternatives Events + pics]
See Red Pepper G8 Blog for reports of today's main events.
Also check out the latest G8 Audio uploads at Radio.Indymedia, and G8 Video uploads at Video.Indymedia
G8 Reports - 2 July
For full collected reports see IMC G8 Newsblast
At least 200,000 demonstrators from very different backgrounds, ranging from religous organisations to samba bands and the Infernal Noise Brigade to the Clown Brigade, joined today's Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh. The organisers had called for people to wear white clothes. The march was set up with staggered starting times, but because of the number of people and small funnelled start gate many were unable to join the actual march. Report
Photos: [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 ]
Video: [ Interviews
Audio: [ interviews | speeches ]
Before the start of the official march, residents of Craigmillar, the most deprived area of Edinburgh, joined with anti-G8 protestors camping on a park in their estate. They marched through the estate to show their opposition to poverty here and abroad.
An anti-capitalist block broke away from the main march and was cordoned off by riot cops. People are being released in small groups, others appear to be held and photographed under a Section 60 order (which police later confirmed was applied to whole city centre). There are two possible arrests. [ timeline | report]
Photos: [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 ]
Other events happened during or after the official march (and we're not talking about Live 8). Faeries moved about the march, as did detatchments of the Clown Army (Photos: 1 | 2). Break Dancers gathered in Bristo Square in an attempt to 'Break Poverty' (photos). Capitalists marched in support of the G8 [1]. An impromptu street party (photos) on one of the roads closed for the march, with samba and music from the Infernal Noise Brigade, lasted until midnight. At that point, police moved the party to the nearby Meadows in order to re-open the road, resulting in one arrest.
G8 Mobilisation Reports - Friday 1st July
The Clown army, had a press conference today morning, displaying some ridicilus tactics and reading a (not so) silly statement (report | photos | video). Police payed a visit to the Dissent! Info point, but left quickly. Finally the GR organised train arrived in Edinburgh without any problem, and the Dissent! train arrived just before ten pm. There was a small amount of hassle from the police at King's Cross [video/audio]. Photos: [ 1 | 2 | 3 ]
Preparations for the Make Poverty History march are also under way: the anti-capitalist block meeting point has been anounced, and some happy chalking actions is to be expected.
More spaces are now open: In Edinburgh the Dissent! Infospace, featuring talks and workshops, and the Independant Media Centre, as well as the rural eco-village convergence campsite in Stirling. An Edinburgh Council spokesman agreed to remove CCTV at the official G8 camp site [photos] after 150 people set up a camping site at Pilrig Park (report). On the other hand a theatre play called Black Sun Over Genoa [pic] has opened in Edinburgh and will be playing for three nights before it moves to Glasgow. This is a production that looks at the events that took place during the mobilisations against the G8 Summit 2001 in Genoa, Italy.
