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UK Social Struggles Newswire Archive

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Cold-hearted cops arrest grandfather for writing in the snow

18-02-2009 18:18

A retired oil refinery worker turned airport campaigner thought he'd take advantage of the recent snowfall to send a seasonal message to passengers departing Aberdeen airport. The local constabulary had other ideas and promptly arrested the 65-year-old and his 25-year-old accomplice for writing "Plane Stupid - you fly, they die" in diluted red ink on a snowy hilltop one-and-a-half miles from the airport.

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Biocair & Barclays Demos in Cambridge

18-02-2009 18:14

Tuesday, 17th February

Today activists headed to HLS supplier Biocair, The Business Centre, Church End, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 3LB. Armed with two megaphones campaigners let employees and neighbouring companies know all about Huntingdon Life Sciences who test things such as sweeteners, GMOs and weed killers on animals.

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More Barclays Demos in Barclays

18-02-2009 18:11

Tuesday 17th February

What better way could one of us spend our birthday than standing up for the animals and naming and shaming animal abusers? We were feeling so generous we thought we'd even give Barclays a few presents of our own - so we headed there with our placards, leaflets, banner and megaphone we made sure they wouldn't feel left out as we know from previous demos they truly appreciate being exposed of their unethical investments in HLS.

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Why I’m hardline on environmental issues

18-02-2009 17:51


A lot of the time, I quote other people simply because they’ve said what I wanted to but never got around to it. I frequently get criticised on here for taking a hardline stance on environmental issues, especially on supporting groups like Plane Stupid, because they’re seen as too alienating. Because Middle England won’t agree, the argument goes, these people are a danger to the cause. I always disagree.

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'Salt of the Earth' Sends Aid Convoy to Gaza

18-02-2009 17:45

Unable to attend the Viva Palestina convoy send-off in London, I watched video footage of the occasion with tears in my eyes.

Here at last were people of courage and moral backbone... a dying breed in Britain, I had thought. How easily they put our leaders to shame.

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the Confidential Intelligence Unit is Ten Years Old

18-02-2009 16:12

The Confidential Intelligence Unit was formally set up by ACPO in 1999, as part of the National Public Order Intelligence Unit, it existed informally as part of Special Branch long before that, as detailed below.

Note for admins: yes this comes from mainstream newspaper, but it's not all available online.

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Why Judges should NEVER be allowed control of the Bill of Rights

18-02-2009 10:50

Draft Notice of Constitutional Matter: Why Judges should NEVER be allowed control of the Bill of Rights
You will note an International Criminal Court no. OTP-CR-415_09
The court documents are itemised so are easy to read, and self-explanatory

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Occupied London #4 out now! Launch party Saturday 21.2, 6.30 at Freedom

18-02-2009 01:18

Occupied London #4 is finally out. You can order a hard copy (64pp, 16 pages full colour) from the menu to the right.

All of the issue's contents will be available here on 20.2, please check back then!

Come celebrate the launch of #4 with us this Saturday 21.2, at Freedom Bookshop from 6.30 onward. Tons of copies of the new issue, a screening of a brand new documentary on the revolt and the latest news from Greece.

Freedom is in Angel Alley, 84b Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX

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Class Solidarity with the General Strike of the Caribbean Workers!

17-02-2009 22:30

Demonstration in Guadeloupe
After a 4 weeks long general strike in Guadeloupe which has also extended for 10 days in Martinique, the struggle of the workers of these two Caribbean islands enters a difficult phase. The French government has just refused its support for the draft agreement on a wage increase which took shape between the trade unions and the employers organization.

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Jack Straw set to gag chidren from complaining from abuse when in care

17-02-2009 21:24

Jack Straw is proposing to open The Family Court to media & press but at the same time gag all those who pass through the doors.

The likes of Mark & Nicky Webster would not be able to speak of their injustice. Baby P would have passed unknowingly. Sally Clarke would not have been able to tell her story ..........



You can also view our facebook group here Stop Jack Straws Gag Order
Openness of The Family Court - A New Approach (effectively gagging children from conmplaining of abuse, and parents too- removing ALL freedom of speech -

The Ministry of Justice has released a publication regarding the opening of the Family Court. dated 20 June 2007
 http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/consult-family-courts.pdf

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Direct action in solidarity with SHAC/SPEAK prisoners

17-02-2009 18:29

Dog rescued from abuse in Spain
Communiques in solidarity with Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) prisoners and Mel Broughton (SPEAK Campaigns) reported in; Spain, UK, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Uruguay and California, to Bite Back Magazine  http://directaction.info.

20th Jan - 16th Feb: Animal Liberation Front (ALF) volunteers rescued a dog from abuse in Spain, ALF North Yorkshire liberated hens and sabotaged thousands of eggs and ALF Poland pained HLS customers buildings in the Netherlands. Anonymous activists rescued 16 hens in the Czech Republic, painted HLS customer Bayer in Uruguay and sealed off Andover town center, in Hampshire, following a report of a suspicious package at HLS shareholder Barclays. Furthermore, Berkeley Students for Animal Liberation followed UC Berkeley's Gregory Timmel, the veterinarian in the universities vivisection labs, vandalising his shiny new Audi.

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International Media Censorship Against Venezuela

17-02-2009 17:55

carracas, feb. 12th
Chavez: Third phase of the Bolivarian Revolution will be a huge revolutionary step forward.

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New documentary about the December 2008 insurrection in Greece

17-02-2009 10:41

New documentary about the December 2008 insurrection in Greece (in english)

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"God Hates Fags!" picket in Basingstoke

17-02-2009 08:50

A group from the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas plans to travel to the Central Studio Theatre in Basingstoke to picket a production of The Laramie Project by local youth group Freedom Youth.

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Sheffield Green New Deal Conference - From Global Challenges to Local Solutions

16-02-2009 19:17

Saturday February 28 2009, 9.00 – 5.30

St Mary’s Conference Centre, Bramall Lane, Sheffield S2 4QZ

Organised by Sheffield Campaign Against Climate Change

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Big Issue support for SHAC

16-02-2009 19:03

The Big Issue has printed an advert for SHAC. It's good to see support in a magazine bouth by ordinary, good people all the UK and that is sold in a good cause. Please support the Big Issue and buy one. Please also write to the Big Issue and say thanks....AND write letters pointing out that Big Pharma is contributing to homelessness in Camden with plans for a deadly lab in Camden.

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Direct Action; Spain, Italy & Mexico

16-02-2009 19:01

DOG RESCUED FROM ABUSE, IN HONOR OF IMPRISONED ACTIVIST (Spain)
14th-16th February

DOG RESCUED FROM ABUSE, IN HONOR OF IMPRISONED ACTIVIST (Spain)
THOUSANDS OF MINK FREED FROM CAGES (Italy)
MESSAGE LEFT FOR OWNER OF LEATHER COMPANY (Mexico)
FLAMING BARRICADE BLOCKS HIGHWAY (Mexico)

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Around the Campaigns Monday 16th February 2009

16-02-2009 09:05

Yahya al Faifi Must Stay in the UK

Lobby of the Home Secretary
Thursday 19th February 2:00pm
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
(Tubes: St James Park, Millbank and Westminster)

Yahya al Faifi, a very brave and self-sacrificing trade unionist - and a deeply committed socialist - is facing deportation back to a tyranny in Saudi Arabia that regularly tortures and "disappears" dissidents. On 12 February, he received a rejection letter for his appeal against the refusal of his asylum claim appeal. Now, he and his family are in imminent danger of deportation from Britain.

This will be a labour and trade union movement event with banners, large numbers and as wide representation as possible.

Inquiries/further information:
Mariam Kamish
 http://www.ncadc.org.uk/Newszine103/Yahya.html

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Students ‘Die’ in protest against University’s investment in Arms

15-02-2009 23:16

Students 'die' to symbolise the result of the University's investments
Students at the University of Birmingham are continuing their campaign against the university's investments in the arms trade, on Wednesday afternoon a group of students staged a 'die in' to represent the University's actions with the aim to maintain pressure on the University to change its irresponsible investments.

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Bailouts for Bunglers

15-02-2009 22:25

"When I read recent remarks ... by top Obama administration officials, I feel as if I’ve entered a time warp — as if it’s still 2005, Alan Greenspan is still the Maestro, and bankers are still heroes of capitalism.

“We have a financial system that is run by private shareholders, managed by private institutions, and we’d like to do our best to preserve that system,” says Timothy Geithner ... as he prepares to put taxpayers on the hook for that system’s immense losses.

Meanwhile,... Mr. Geithner and Lawrence Summers ... “think governments make poor bank managers” — as opposed, presumably, to the private-sector geniuses who managed to lose more than a trillion dollars in the space of a few years."