Wales Newswire Archive

On Wednesday, July 9th, the otherwise successful Day of Action against Nato in Merthyr Tydfil was marred by an intrusive police presence, the attempted intimidation of Stop Nato Cymru activists and the harassment of a public meeting that afternoon.

The second Gaza solidarity action in Wrexham this week was held outside Barclays Bank today to protest Barclays' investments in the arms trade and in Israel. See also this Indymedia report and photos from last Thursday. Barclays is the single largest global investor in the arms trade and the only high street bank with significant direct investments in Israeli companies. Based on the breadth of Barclays arms investments, it seems safe to assume that Barclays makes a financial profit for every death in Gaza. On that basis, we stood at the entrance to the bank and read out the entire list of names published by Al Jazeera of those killed by Israel in the Gaza strip since July 7th, adding after each one: "Barclays Bank profited from this death."

As Israel continues to shower death and destruction on the oppressed Palestinians in occupied Gaza, it's hard to know what to do, how to resist. My inbox is full of forwarded Stop the War Coalition emails advertising their disingenuously entitled Gaza Emergency Appeal, highlighted in red 'emergency' lettering at the top of their website. Clicking through reveals that the emergency in the StWC camp is funding their own activities and keeping their London office staffed.

Protesting at the Israeli Embassy is a great idea if you live within striking distance or feel motivated to make the journey, with or without the help of Stop the War's 'Gaza Emergency' fund. If not, how about something closer to home? Every High Street has a Barclays...

National Convergence Weekend:

Saturday 19th July 11am -5pm in Newport, South Wales at the Community Space Partnership, 128 Lower Dock Street, Newport, NP20 1EG.

Sunday 20th July 11am- 5pm in Cardiff, South Wales at the Owain Glyndwr Pub, (Tair Pluen function Room) Cardiff, 10 St John's Street, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 1G

All welcome except cops & journos.

Friends of the Earth Cymru called a national day of action against fracking and other extreme energy extraction methods for Saturday 5th July. Here in Wrexham, where the local council threw out an application for test drilling at Commonwood, Borras back in March, the company (GP Energy/Dart Energy/IGas) has now appealed against the decision (grounds for appeal attached as pdf) and the file is with the Planning Inspectorate in Cardiff, where they are apparently trying to decide whether an Environmental Impact Assessment is required (should be - it's essential!) before setting the timetable for the appeal.

To mark the day, members of Frack Free Wrexham and FoE members from Wrexham, Chester and Llangollen held a stall in the centre of town from 10am-2pm, also joined from midday by Wrexham Greens.

Gerard (Gerry) Conlon, framed for the Guildford pub bombings in 1974, illegally rendered from Ireland and tortured by the British state and who served nearly 15 years in English jails, died in his native Belfast at the weekend, aged 60.

"On the 29 November 2013, an event was held in Trinity College Dublin to mark the visit of the family of Chelsea Manning to Dublin. During the evening Gerard Conlon gave a speech that nobody who was there is ever likely to forget. It was Gerard Conlon at his best: fiery, courageous and compassionate. May he rest in peace." Dave Donnellan.

Watch Dave's video of the speech by following this link to full article or on Vimeo.

Interview with author and wanderer Lloyd Jones on his book about future of Wales under climate change. With Alex Smith of Radio Ecoshock

After a fortnight of fruitless communication with Wrexham County Borough Council over its support for and promotion of an event that we knew would be used by military recruiters to target young children, a small group gathered on Llwyn Isaf on Saturday with a 'Peace Presence' at Armed Forces Day.

Announcing the NATIONAL WEEKEND CONVERGENCE in LONDON of the ANARCHIST ACTION NETWORK and STOP NATO CYMRU. To be held on the weekend on 28-29th June 2014 at The London Action Resource Centre (LARC), 62 Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, London, E1 1ES.

Welsh drone protesters enter new drone test centre, Llanbedr airfield, to protest use of armed drones

North Wales Armed Forces Day is this year being held in Wrexham. We are being asked to 'celebrate' and 'thank' our Armed Forces without any critical analysis of the recent conflicts they have been involved in. The event will be used by the military as a recruitment exercise, and much of this will be aimed at children.

Over 100 people have signed an open letter to Wrexham County Borough Council protesting its promotion, sponsorship and funding of this event and the use of a picture of a toddler in military gear to advertise it. The council has yet to respond.

Bristol - Chepstow - Newport - Cardiff.

29 May - 2 June.

"Walking together to end the injustices of the UK asylum system."

The march arrived at St. Michael's Church in Pill, Newport at around 8.15 this evening after a 17 mile stretch from Chepstow. Tomorrow the march continues to Cardiff, with a demonstration at the Home Office on Monday.

As part of Newport Rising, there was a banner drop today off the footbridge and at the top of the Kingsway car park against warmongering Newport company EADS.

From the 26th May to the 1st June 2014 Anarchist Action Network is holding a week of Anarchist events dubbed the Anarchist Travelling Circus in Newport, South Wales. The week will include, workshops, discussions and skillshares and more. We hope that these events will address some of the issues which most people are facing right now from problems with housing, to welfare cuts and the government austerity agenda, as well as increased poverty, environmental destruction, police repression, racism and the racist border system.

Conscientious Objectors Day, 15 May

World War I Centenary, 2014

15th May is Conscientious Objectors Day and this year it's 100 years since the start of WWI. Mindful of these two anniversaries, I spent this afternoon visiting my friend the great anti-war campaigner Lib Rowlands-Hughes, who was born right at the end of the First World War and is now 95 years old, and learning a little of her family's history. This includes four uncles lost in the war, a military man turned pacifist and a conscientious objector imprisoned for resisting war.

Three Welsh language are arrested in Aberystwyth this morning in a Welsh language rights protest. / Tri ymgyrchydd wedi eu haresstio heddiw am weithredu dros yr iaith.

On Saturday 3rd May, a group of 25 anarchists and other anti-militarists closed Barclays' Cardiff city centre branch in protest of the bank's investment in the arms trade.

No Pasaran

Ideas will ignite change - Spark it up time!
The Bristol Anarchist Bookfair returns for it's 6th bash-back on Saturday 26 April, with enough ideas, debates and books to spark a conflagration. So come on down and add your fuel to the fire.

Welsh translation of the Anarchist Travelling Circus call out.