UK UK Newswire Archive
Solidarity Call For Gerze Community-Turkey
13-09-2011 20:59
National Gallery shamed whilst hosting arms dealers’ reception
13-09-2011 20:51
Bailiff’s dirty tricks at Dale Farm
13-09-2011 17:55
Last night (11/12th Sept) a man who claimed to be working for Altek Security with bailiffs Constant & Co on the operation to clear the site at Dale Farm, contacted Richard Sheridan President of the Gypsy Council, ostensibly to leak information about the eviction. He claimed the eviction would proceed at 8am on Monday morning and that Basildon Council had lied about the date the eviction would start.
Last night a man who claimed to be working for Altek Security with bailiffs Constant & Co on the operation to clear the site at Dale Farm, contacted Richard Sheridan President of the Gypsy Council, ostensibly to leak information about the eviction. He claimed the eviction would proceed at 8am on Monday morning and that Basildon Council had lied about the date the eviction would start. The man was recognised from Traveller evictions at Hovefields last year, confirming that he had previously worked with Constant & Co. He encouraged Travellers to use violence and protesters to climb barricades and to act as if they might throw themselves from these structures. He suggested urgently calling national media outlets. Dale Farm residents recorded the meeting.
Residents, already on high alert and deeply stressed, ran in panic to raise the alarm. Terrified children were unable to sleep wanting to know whether or not they would be forcibly removed from their homes and school. Many women were crying.
Supporters and residents rallied together, locked down the hatches, and tried to stay calm while they unpacked the man’s story. By 8:30am no bailiffs had turned up, but nevertheless residents suffered a night of harassment and fear.
It appears the operation to remove residents from Dale Farm has reached a new level of duplicity. Elderly and sick residents as well as children again suffered greatly.
Already there are reports of equipment arriving to build a press compound adjacent to Dale Farm. Concerns that press access to the site will be controlled by police have intensified. Residents fear lack of media access will increase the likelihood that past incidences of bailiff and police brutality will be repeated without public witness.
Palestine Today 09 13 2011
13-09-2011 15:58
Nov 9 National Demonstration for Education
13-09-2011 12:55
National demonstration and walkout against cuts to educationAfter a period of political lull, students are mobilizing again for their first big action this year – a national demonstration-cum-walkout in London on November 9. The march is focused against cuts to the education sector, and is meant to involve not just students but education sector workers as well.
The NUS is not supporting this demonstration officially, which means the responsibility of organizing this demonstration is pretty much open to all concerned. Student activists themselves have expressed willingness to work with a broad cross-section of students, student representatives, activist groups and radicals to make this march a success and hopefully rejuvenate the student/anti-cuts movement.
As anarchists and radicals the struggle for non-privatized, not-for-profit education available to all is something we should be an active part of . We can do so by contributing our collective presence, in whatever way we see fit, to this event. This call-out, therefore, is for anarchists/anti-authoritarians in London to meet to decide how we can organize politically – collectively – not only for Nov 9, but also for the build up in the interim.
A venue is being booked for a meeting early next week, in the meantime, ideas and proposals for the agenda on how best we can organize can be sent to this email address: n9mobilization@gmail.com. A Facebook page will be set up once the date and venue are confirmed.
Anarchist/radical student groups who might be planning actions for the day are especially welcome, so that we can link up and co-ordinate our actions.
Please forward this to your groups and networks.
‘Rain & Fire’ – Statement from a UK FAI sector
13-09-2011 12:46
statement by a UK sector of international informal anarchist federation"Fuck tha police" and mineral water
13-09-2011 12:17
article on the "riots" in the bulletin "Résistons ensemble"
original end English translation
hi,
You will find the English translation of the last editoral of the 100th issue of "Résistons ensemble contre les violences policières et sécuritaires". It is about the last revolt in GB. Resistons is an independent network based in France trying to help the defense and self organsation against the police's and justice's violence.
http://resistons.lautre.net/
12 September 2011
English translation by VM of
'Fuck tha police and mineral water'
editorial.
Original French see below.
From 100th issue of "Résistons ensemble contre les
violences policières et sécuritaires"
site : http://resistons.lautre.net/
Someone took a bottle of mineral water,
another took a packet of crisps and a smartphone,
yet another tagged 'fuck tha police',
others protested against the drug-dealers who had
benefited from their revolt... It was dodgy,
impure. This wasn't a 10 point programme, not
parties nor committees, nor leaders, not even
coordination. This was a tsunami of young people,
unpredictable, powerful. It swept through the
United Kingdom [NB actually England, not the UK] during the days which
followed the 4 August 2011 assassination of Mark Duggan,
29 years old, of West Indian origin, by the London
police. Over several days the crowds
stood up to the politicians, the State, the police...
One of them said: 'I will at last be able to tell
something to my grandchildren', 'We didn't do
anything special, just acted for ourselves,' another
added. Obviously, in this they have succeeded: 'scum', 'feral',
'criminal underclass', 'consumerists',
'confused', 'splitters', 'not clearly anticapitalist'
...The media, the government, political parties
drooled over them: Transfixed and shaking.
Oh, how these same could rave on ecstatically
about the beauty of the Arab revolutions, those 'brave
peaceful people' who overthrew tyrants who were
too compromised ...on condition that they knew
when to stop and were content to establish a Western democracy,
a cosmetic 'l'Oréal' dictatorship. But when in Tunisia and
Egypt it began to affect the police, the army, property,
that drew a 'no', if you please, no excess! So then, in the UK,
in the heart of the system, absent a dictator, one part of the
people -- the most oppressed, the most exploited,
victims of racism, in short, the salt of the earth --
dared to touch the pillars of 'democratic' capitalism
ie, the police and private property, the response was class hatred.
British justice has well understood that it was not the theft
of mp3 players or plasma television screens but the fact of
having dared to rebel together, spontaneously,
to have infringed on the symbols of the system that counted.
Such as in the case of the young man who received a six month
custodial sentence(!) for having stolen a pack of water.
And back home in France? It wasn't something that was liked here either.
The level of solidarity almost zero. As was the case
in 2005. What is in fashion, when it isn't elections, is
'l'indignation'. Last July 14th, during the march of the Parisian 'indignés', the banner carried by young people from the working class
quarters read: 'Working class quarters - police crimes, discrimination,
unemployment, (ya basta!) we have had enough!' In vain they were asked
to move out of the front line. This was allegedly 'a distortion',
the indignation was 'too political'.
What is it -- politics?
http://resistons.lautre.net/
informations pratiques juridiques sur le délit d'outrage,
l'aide juridictionnelle, les contrôles d'identité, réflexions,
témoignages, mobilisations...
« Fuck tha Police » et eau minérale
======================================================
Il y a celui qui a pris une bouteille d'eau minérale,
l'autre un paquet de chips ou un smartphone,
l'autre encore qui a taggé «fuck tha police»,
d'autres qui ont gueulé contre les dealers ayant
profité de leur révolte... Ce n'était pas net, pas
pur; pas de programme en 10 points, pas de
partis ni de comités, de dirigeants même pas
une coordination. C'était un tsunami de jeunes,
imprévisible, puissant qui a déferlé sur le
Royaume-Uni pendant les journées qui ont
suivi l'assassinat, le 4 août, de Mark Duggan,
29 ans, d'origine antillaise par la police de
Londres. Pendant quelques jours des foules
ont tenu tête aux politiciens, à l'État, à la police...
Il y en a un qui disait: «Je pourrais enfin raconter
quelque chose à mes petits enfants», l'autre
rajoutait «Nous n'avons rien fait de spécial,
juste on a pu agir nous mêmes». Évidement,
ça n'a pas raté, «racailles», «sauvages»,
«sous-classe criminelle», «consuméristes»,
«confus», «diviseurs»,«pas clairement anticapitalistes
»... Médias, pouvoirs, partis ont
bavé sur eux. Médusés et tremblants.
Oh, que les mêmes pouvaient s'extasier sur
la beauté des révolutions arabes, ces «braves
gens pacifiques» qui renversent les tyrans
trop compromis... à condition qu'ils sachent
s'arrêter à temps et qu'ils se contentent d'établir
une démocratie occidentale, une dictature
maquillée L'Oréal. Mais quand en Tunisie, en
Égypte on commence à toucher à la police, à
l'armée, aux biens alors ça non, s'il vous plaît,
pas d'excès ! Alors quand, au Royaume-Uni,
au coeur du système, faute de dictateur, une
partie du peuple, les plus opprimés, exploités,
victimes du racisme, bref le sel de la terre
ose toucher aux deux piliers du capitalisme
« démocratique », à savoir la police et la
propriété privée, c'est la haine de classe. La
justice britannique a bien compris que l'essentiel
n'était pas les vols de mp3 ou d'écrans
plats, mais le fait d'avoir osé se révolter
ensemble, spontanément, d'avoir touché aux
symboles du système. Comme l'avait fait ce
jeune homme qui, pour avoir volé un pack
d'eau, a pris 6 mois ferme (!).
Et chez nous, en France? Ça n'a pas plu non
plus. Solidarité niveau presque zéro. Comme
en 2005. Ce qui est à la mode, quand ce n'est
pas les élections, c'est «l'indignation». Le
14 juillet dernier, lors de la marche des «indignés
» parisiens, la banderole portée par des
jeunes des quartiers: «Quartiers populaires
- crimes policiers, discrimination, chômage -
ya basta!» a vainement été priée de quitter le
premier rang. Elle aurait «dénaturé» l'indignation,
elle était «trop politique». C'est quoi
la politique?
http://resistons.lautre.net/
informations pratiques juridiques sur le délit d'outrage,
l'aide juridictionnelle, les contrôles d'identité, réflexions,
témoignages, mobilisations...
« Fuck tha Police » et eau minérale
Lib Dem Conference - Convergence and Crash Spaces
13-09-2011 11:55
The national campaign against fees and cuts is organising convergence (and crash) space for anti-Lib Dem conference action which has already been reclaimed. The Birmingham Social Centre is ready to be a base for the start of another autumn of anti-austerity direct action by students and workers.
Remembering Attica 9-13 September 1971
13-09-2011 11:08
Disrupting DSEi - Day One. Full Timeline
13-09-2011 09:42
Full timeline of actions on Tuesday 13th September 2011 against the DSEi Arms Fair.People of Gerze, Turkey resist plans for coal-fired power station
13-09-2011 09:15
Statement from the ECOLOGY COLLECTIVE in solidarity with the people of Gerze province in city of Sinop, Turkey who have come up against police violence in defending their land against plans for the building of a coal-fired thermal power plant.
Press release: Banner Drop at London Arms Fair
13-09-2011 07:42
Wave of actions planned for opening day of London arms fair
Blanket ban on protests lifted following threat of High Court action
13-09-2011 00:39
[Press release from Christian Khan Solicitors]The Metropolitan Police today applied to the Home Secretary for consent to lift a blanket ban on protest marches in four East London boroughs to allow a march against the world’s largest arms fair to go ahead
on Wednesday 14 September 2011, following a threat to bring legal proceedings challenging the lawfulness of the ban.
No Borders - from Calais to Bulgaria
13-09-2011 00:37
No Borders activists protested non-violently against EU border restrictions and the poor treatment of migrants at a recent camp near the Bulgarian borders with Turkey and Greece.
Demonstrators from around the globe marched on both borders, through the town of Svilengrad and at Liubimetz detention centre during the 5-day camp from 25-29 August 2011.
Many workshops were held as well as some very animated plenums where all learnt about communication skills and the art of compromise at a sun-drenched field in Siva Reka who all begged us to stay a little longer.
Kris, one of the many Germans at the camp, said it had been a good experience: "We learnt a lot about the No Border scene in Bulgaria, the terrible treatment of the migrants by Frontex, and the incredible spirit of the migrants who gave all they had to thank our solidarity."
If the march around the centre protected by dozens of riot police with a four-metre tall water cannon was the most emotive moment, the frontier die-ins turned out to be the most confrontational. Bulgarian police units in full body armour found the civil disobedience hard to deal with and struggled to contain the non'violent crowd at times. The die-ins across the border crossing were meant to force frontier-users to think how much we take for granted the concept of freedom of movement contrasting with how many migrants die in the river separating Turkey with Bulgaria every week. Afterwards, activists carried out autonomous actions trying to cross the frontier themselves but were illegally blocked by the customs officers from crossing into the 1km no-man's land with Greece.
Greece is in the process of building a barrier with Turkey which some rightwing politicians want to be extended along the perimeter of Bulgaria.
Bulgaria's imminent entry into the Frontex regime means that migrants and refugees will face an even greater struggle to enter the EU. Many of them emanate from countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, where wars have been originated, waged or backed by Western imperial interests.
The No Borders group set about destroying the myth about migrants being the source of their problems and trying to attract more empathy from local residents about their cause.
"In Europe we have all migrated from one place to another throughout history," said one German with a migrant background. "But now they are punishing us all for a situation caused by their own errors of judgement. The West's imperialist ransacking of resources from our native lands in return for poisoned IMF loans means that the only ones who suffer are the most poor and those who stand against this repression."
Migrant populations across Europe were welcomed in the boom of the 1960s and 70s as cheap labour. Now the property bubble has finally burst they are being imprisoned in detention centres and deported across the EU.
There are many activities organised by No Borders in the UK but one of the most fulfilling has to be the No Borders project in Calais, France. Here the migrants are abused and mishandled by the French CRS and PAF police who make their life a nightmare with regular beatings and arrests.
The No Borders team who work there are a committed bunch of anarchistic activists who work to warn migrants of police raids and create working ties with the local population to help the visitors on their way to England. It is a rewarding and challenging experience to have face-to-face contact with the migrants who suffer so much running from persecution and war in their own countries. Their harrowing stories of swimming from sinking boats in the Mediterranean or scampering across the Sahara tell so much about the human spirit in the quest of their dreams, which we may have forgotten about two hours up the road in London. For more information on either the Bulgarian camp or the ongoing Calais project check the two links below.
