UK Indymedia - UK Ecology Newswire Archive

Plane Stupid Scotland Scale Parliament To Challenge Backdoor Airport Expansion

14-04-2008 15:16

Plane Stupid Scotland scaled the Scottish Parliament building today, in an early morning protest at Scottish Government plans to impose massive airport expansion by the back door. At 2pm the protestors voluntary walked off the building, were arrested and taken to St.Leonards police station.

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Scottish Parliament Banner Drop

14-04-2008 12:53

Now

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Lumber and Murder: Following The Paper Trail

13-04-2008 23:30

CIPO-RFM in Oaxaca have documented to date 517 detentions and tortured people, 103 police and paramilitary incursions into their communities, 81 prison orders, 229 penal, civil and commercial processes, 263 people assaulted, 37 death threats and 27 murders.

This article follows the money trail of those profiting from the lumber extraction in Oaxaca State.

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May 2005 Peak Oil Production Topped in Jan 2008

12-04-2008 19:27

The following graphs are from theoildrum.com, where they are introduced with the following text:

"The EIA’s newest International Petroleum Monthly (

http://www.eia.doe.gov/ipm/ ) shows World C+C (Crude Oil plus Condensate) production for January was 74,466,000 barrels per day, eclipsing the heretofore peak of May 2005 by 168,000 barrels per day. (thanks to Ron Patterson for the heads up and to Khebab for the quick graphics)."

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3835

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East Midlands Friends of the Earth urge Prime Minister Gordon Brown to stop ignoring aviation emissions

12-04-2008 18:37

Dozens of East Midlanders dressed as Gordon Brown cover their eyes while aeroplanes fly overhead - hoping aviation emissions will go away.

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Images from San Isidro Aloapam + appeal for solidarity.

12-04-2008 15:34

The village of San Isidro Aloapam is situated high in the mountains about 3-4 hours drive from Oaxaca city. The journey used to be shorter, but a quicker access road through the mountains has been blocked by villagers, fearful that it could be used for hit and run missions by armed paramilitaries. Like many indigenous communities the village is largely ignored by the political mainstream outside of election campaigns. Mexico’s indigenous population is discriminated against in every aspect of life including jobs, education and healthcare. The village is represented politically by indigenous umbrella organisation CIPO-RFM. The main language spoken by the people is an ancient language called Zapatec; many of the older people in the community do not speak Spanish. The village has a few shops but no bar. Alcohol is frowned upon in communities represented by CIPO-RFM as it has caused huge problems in the indigenous population including murder and domestic violence. The village has its own radio station, which is a vital tool of communication for people living in the more remote areas. Many of the programmes are in Zapatec with traditional music also a regular feature. The radio station also enables communication with the outside world, which offers some protection against paramilitary attacks from the PRIistas.

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The ENCUENTRO held at San Isidro Aloapam.

12-04-2008 15:20

To raise awareness of the plight of the people of San Isidro Aloapam CIPO-RFM organised an international Encuetro or gathering attended by representatives of many different organisations including:

UK Indymedia, Earth First (USA), Earth First Roadblock (Canada), Ya Basta, Jóvenes en Resistencia Alternativa, UNIOS-COPAI, Movimiento por la Paz con justicia y dignidad, Colectivo Anarquista Acción Libertaria, Comité Popular Ciudadano-la otra campaña, la otra tabasco, Guaytalpa Nacajuca, pueblo Chontal, tabasco, Colectivo solidaridad con la Rebelión Zapatista, Barcelona, La olla móvil de Barcelona, kolectivo tod@s somos pres@s, Independientes; Mael Vizcarra Magallanes, Maria Elena Martínez, Gavioes Dafiel, TAIFA, REDMYCZ, Coordinadora Toscano de apoyo a la lucha zapatista, Florencia, Italia, C.C .AREA.(Italia), Periódico Apatía, ENHA D.F colectivo de la otra campaña, Individu@s (Oaxaca), Rafael Moreno González Madrid España, Colectivo de Resistencia Expresión Artística CREA (Oaxaca), Tlacoyos si hamburguesas no, Olga Durante Gómez de Barcelona, Brujula Roja, Red Zapatista, Colectivo de Resistencia Artística CREA, No Mas Muertes, Andres Contreras (compositor de música de protesta) and Askapena, País Vasco.

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Interview with Pedro Bautista Rojas of CIPO-RFM.

12-04-2008 15:11

Cipo-RFM activist Pedro Bautista-Rojas explains the history of the indigenous struggle in Oaxaca and also the implications of the forest dispute for both the people of San Isidro Aloapam and their children.

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Demetrio explains how the loggers manipulate the law.

12-04-2008 15:04

Demetrio takes us to a spot in the forest where the repression began. The ‘plague’ he refers to is a uncommon disease that afflicts trees in the forest and can destroy large areas if left unchecked. For this reason it is quite legal to cut down diseased trees in the protected areas to stop the spread of the disease. However the wood from such trees has little values compared to that of a healthy one. The loggers from San Miguel have clearly been using a small outbreak of the disease as an excuse to cut down healthy trees for profit. The first thing that struck us was how many clearly diseased trees were still standing while the stumps left behind by the lumberjacks showed no sign of any infection.

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Alcohol fuelled repression and torture committed by the paramilitaries in 2007

12-04-2008 14:52

One thing that struck us about the accounts given to us by the villagers of the repression in 2007 was that there were no inconsistencies. Every interview and statement given by the villagers backed up what we had previously heard. It is very clear that the authorities who have imprisoned five of the villagers have not bothered to hear their side of the story. In a region where money can buy anything including the law this is hardly surprising. The accounts of torture that took place in the Police station in the town of San Miguel are truly horrifying.

Another thing we noticed in this part of the forest was that all the ‘diseased’(this is an excuse to get round the law) trees that had been cut down by the loggers of San Miguel had three things in common. Firstly they were all very large. Secondly they were all placed right by the track thus minimising the time and cost of transporting them out of the forest. Thirdly the stumps displayed no signs of disease at all.

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The legality of illegal logging.

12-04-2008 14:43

The companero pictured below talks not only of the legal battle to secure the future of the forest but also about the corruption they are fighting at the highest level. It seems more than probable that someone in the local municipal environmental offices is being paid a backhander by the loggers to break the laws that he or she is paid to uphold. Another fear the villagers have which seems well founded is that the tree disease (which the loggers use as an excuse for their activity) was deliberately introduced into the forest. It certainly seems convenient for the loggers that a previously healthy area of woodland has suddenly suffered an unexpected blight, which has given a green light to their activities.

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Interview with Miguel Cruz Moreno

12-04-2008 14:35

Miguel is an organiser for CIPO-RFM. In this interview he explains the history of the forest dispute and the possible implications for the village of San Isidro Aloapam if the logging is allowed to continue.

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A compañera gives her eyewitness account of what happened.

12-04-2008 14:29

Another woman who was beaten by the paramilitaries explains why their struggle to save the forest is so important.

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Christina an eyewitness to the repression.

12-04-2008 14:14

An eye witness account of what happened during one of the fatal confrontations between the people of San Isidro Aloapam and the paramilitaries. Christina Peres Alavas explains what happened that day and also testifies that the two dead paramilitaries from San Miguel were killed by their own people not the people of San Isidro Aloapam who are committed to peaceful action. The murder of people from San Miguel by their own paramilitaries is entirely possible as the town (which is under the control of the PRI) has many deep running internal disputes. The confrontation with the people of San Isidro Aloapam could have been used to settle a couple of scores while getting someone else blamed.

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Press Conference by CIPO-RFM at the their Oaxaca headquarters.

12-04-2008 14:07

Before we travelled up into the mountains to the threatened forest, CIPO-RFM gave a press conference to explain the nature of the dispute and also to highlight the serious repression that they have been experiencing for a number of years. It took place at their headquarters in Oaxaca city. Many representatives from the Mexican corporate media were present but nothing that the CIPO people had to say was reported in the mainstream press. The local Indymedia did give the event a good write up and also attended the Encuentro (gathering) in the mountain village of San Isidro Aloapam.

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Direct action targeting fur & hunting

12-04-2008 01:08

"PAINT PANTHERS" VISIT DONNA KARAN (USA)
COMMUNIQUE RELEASED FROM FUR FARM RAID (Spain)
RABBIT FARMER ATTACKED (Italy)
HUNT SCUM MAKE IT EASY (UK)

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London to Geneva anti-nuclear walk starts Chernobyl Day, Sat 26 April

10-04-2008 14:37

Ceremony to mark Chernobyl Day will kick off London to Geneva anti-nuclear walk

You are warmly invited to join Footprints for Peace on Saturday 26 April for the start of their three-month, 1500km International Peace Walk towards a Nuclear-Free Future, from London to Geneva through France, in conjunction with the main French anti-nuclear coalition Sortir du Nucleaire.

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Stop Grouse Shooting on Ilkley Moor - Before it starts

09-04-2008 18:35

Ilkley Moor has been free of guns and shooting for the past decade, but Bradford Council are set to change this and are considering re-issuing licenses for local shoots to use the public-moorland for their disgusting 'sport'.

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Oxfam scandal

09-04-2008 13:08

Oxfam are trashing perfectly good books that people have donated to them in good faith.

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Resilient Communities: A Guide to Disaster Management

09-04-2008 12:43

Resilience: The ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune; buoyancy; the ability to absorb shocks.

The following is a proposal to help make communities better able to respond to the coming economic shocks from resource depletion, beginning with Peak Oil, and perhaps also to shocks from other causes (such as the ongoing subprime mortgage and credit collapse). In searching for a name for the strategy, I have settled on the phrase "Resilient Communities," which comes with considerable baggage—useful baggage in this instance. Once I have described and discussed the proposal, I will offer some background materials regarding the terms resilience and resilient communities, mentioning some other projects that have used the same title or that pursue similar goals.