UK Repression Newswire Archive
UK Screenings of 'The Pipe'
03-06-2011 19:57
Sat: Boycott-protest 2nd Cricket Test between Sri Lanka and England at Lords
03-06-2011 19:25
BOYCOTT PROTEST against the Sri Lankan government outside 2nd Cricket Test between Sri Lanka & England AT LORDS Cricket Ground Saturday 4th June - 10am!Demonstrators are to meet outside the Cricket Ground at St John's Wood, London NW8 8QN at 10.00 am on the 4th June. The nearest tube station is a few minutes away at St. Johns Wood (Jubilee Line). BRING YOUR PLACARDS AND BANNERS!
Demo in support of Syrian protestors - Old Steine War Memorial in Brighton
02-06-2011 09:45
Old Steine War Memorial between 4-6pm on Friday June 3Saleem Shahzad: your birth is mistake
02-06-2011 09:32
American journalists Chuck Palahniuk said “Your birth is a mistake you'll spend your whole life trying to correct.” It just came to my mind when I was going trough the news of a Pakistani investigative journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad.Private/Public Space and Too Many Rules
01-06-2011 20:55
Following on from our previous Private/Public space projects which have focussed on the gentrification of London and the erosion of civil liberties that that entails, the Space Hijackers headed out to the Truman Brewery complex on Brick Lane to enforce the rules that are implicit, and perhaps not so implicit in such places. Stopping people from drinking, smoking, talking, loitering, laughing and even reading our sign!
East London is a massive building site with regeneration projects, the olympics, the encroachment of the city and more changing the face of our city. As Anna Minton pointed out in her fantastic book Ground Control, these redevelopment projects, often look positive on the face, but the net result is private corporations wrestling control of our cities from the people. The poor and disadvantaged are pushed out and regeneration often means moving in a new class of people. Public land is reduced and private shopping/living/working spaces are built withprivate police (link to canary wharf security) ensuring that only certain 'welcome' people are allowed to pass through without hassle. This, as you can probably imagine, is something we oppose.
The Truman Brewery Complex just off Brick Lane is a haven for cool and alternative east-end hipsters. With record shops, fixed wheel bicycle shops, galleries, eco & small designer fashion retail and bars it buzzes with creative energy. Walking in from brick lane market you can barely tell where one starts and the other finishes, the beautiful youth litter the streets in both areas drinking from cans and checking each other out.
As they say themselves "The Old Truman Brewery, East London's revolutionary arts and media quarter, is home to a hive of creative businesses as well as exclusively independent shops, galleries, markets, bars and restaurants. For fifteen years the Old Truman Brewery has been regenerating its ten acres of vacant and derelict buildings into spectacular office, retail, leisure and event spaces. The finely tuned mix of business and leisure has created an environment unique in London, making the Old Truman Brewery ;
a destination in its own right."
Alas it also borders one of London's poorest areas, so to keep the relaxed guilt free atmosphere, 24 hour security vigilantly patrol the entrances and spaces. The homeless, poor and troublemakers are kept out, bags are searched, people sitting on the wrong part of the pavement are moved on, only food and drink bought at high price on the premises is allowed to be consumed, and the hipster haven is preserved.
We thought it was high time that the exclusivity and hypocrisy of this 'revolutionary arts and media quarter" was a little more revealed. So with our new easily portable signs (unlike the beast we used to wheel around) in hand we set off to help the security keep the area safe and secure for everyone...
Dressed in black we set up first at the entrance facing Spitalfields Market. We popped up our banners and immediately started keeping the space safer.
"Oi you, no photography!"
"No Running, Slow down"
"Did you buy that drink on the premesis? You'll have to finish it here"
"I'm sorry, no phonecalls in this area, please hang up"
"No cycling! walk that machine"
"Do you have a job? can you afford to shop here?"
"No questions please"
"Move along please, nothing to see"
"No reading our sign sir!"
Before long we were joined by the regular security, obviously eager to help us out.
"Who do you work for? What are you doing, this is private property, you can't do this here".
"We're just making the area safe and secure, we're here to help"
"Do you work for the council?"
"We're just concerned that the wrong types might get through, and intend to keep this area safe"
"I'm calling my boss"
'The boss' arrived, and to be fair to him was a clever chap. I think he realised we were looking for a rise, so he simply turned around and said that if we moved 1m away, so we weren't in front of the door he was more than happy for us to continue.
"I've been asking my boss for ages to make me some signs, like these. I can see it's very tongue in cheek, personally I really like what you're up to, I'm not sure about the No OAPs though, my gran wouldn't like that"
As always our issue is usually with the people who design, build and own such spaces rather than the people who are paid to work there. However we soon realised that there was a greater audience to be had at the main Brick Lane entrance.
Moving around we set up camp again to a much more receptive audience. The guard at the entrance had obviously been briefed to leave us alone, and so we were free to harass and berate the public for walking too slowly, running, smoking, drinking, holding hands, kissing, loitering, not shopping, asking questions, taking our photograph and more. Even the pretent police who turned up enjoyed the rigid law obiding.
Lots of people 'got' what we were up to, and started deliberately dancing, singing, smoking and taking pictures to break the rules. We had people join us in telling off the passers by, and lots of discussion about private/public space and regeneration. Some people took a little longer than others to realise the game, and so cigarettes we're put out, drinks put down and conversations stopped before they read to the bottom of our sign and smiled.
Next stops The Westfield Centre, The Olympic Village, One New Change, St Martin's Court_Yard and Cardinal Place
Essex Tesco bin raid food woman admits charge
01-06-2011 17:42
"'This is a far more serious matter than I first thought" said Judge Rodger Hayward Smith.Store managers had been forced to throw away about £10,000 worth of spoilt food after a power cut.
Atos 'quacks' homophobic rant at lesbian
01-06-2011 14:54
A Lesbian, with mental health problems, attending one of the Atos medicals claims the so-called doctor indulged in a homophobic rant during the assessment.Coal Action Scotland Support for a possible CIA front organisation
31-05-2011 20:55
Migrants and supporters demonstrate in Calais
30-05-2011 22:48
Justice for All - Sheffield says No Cuts to Free Advice
30-05-2011 21:27
Plain clothes FIT at #ukuncut protests. Cops use 'Breach of the Peace' strategy
30-05-2011 16:56
The police have a good track record in abusing breach of the peace powers. The situation in Scotland is very different, but in England and Wales the arrest is preventative, so doesn’t result in charges or convictions. But it does give police a handy tool to get people out of the way, and in the process, get their names and addresses.
Kroll and Police spend £1m to Gag plumber Ian Puddick
30-05-2011 12:18
Abuse of Power - Kroll and City of London Counter Terrorism Directorate spent £1m of tax payers money to gag whistle blower Ian Puddick who exposed corruption and cronyism.Facebook Twitter on Trial 15 June Westminster Magistrates Court
30-05-2011 11:33
Trouble at Brook House IRC
29-05-2011 10:55
Continuing harsh relation between staff and detainees, has once again lead to protestSolidarity with prisoners in Greece!
28-05-2011 09:17
FILAKI – documentary film about prisoners revolt in greek prisons (2007)
http://vimeo.com/11082111 Crackdown begins - Police attacking Real Democracy Ya gathering in Barcelona
27-05-2011 08:41
Its difficult to get clear information at this point but according to catalan radio the police started trying to clear the plaza de catalunya in Barcelona this morning.Urgent Appeal From Libya
26-05-2011 20:23
http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=626909 NATO: Cluster Bombing of Misrata
26-05-2011 13:53
Poltical repression Italian style: students placed under house curfew
26-05-2011 10:44
Starve the working unemployed Memo for DWP Robert Devereux
26-05-2011 09:59
Robvert Devereux is the top man at the United Kingdom Department called DWP. His apponytment was hgailed by the ever so adjustable Gus O'Donnel with a gushing tribiute to Robert's acheievemnts. Robert hisme;lf played the Reform card well and dediucatred the key soundbytes on his arrival to the concept of reform. So wehat has Robert been presidnering over for the first six monthsw followinmg his suiccession to Leigh Lewis at the Depratment for Want and Povertry?
