Monday 13th — Airbus wing
Tuesday 14th — Meltdown Chauffeur Agency
Wednesday 15th — hoax demo
Thursday 16th — Farnborough and Biggin Hill airports, Bristol airport, clown walkabout
Friday 17th — travel agents closed, Department for Transport blockade, XL Airways occupation
Saturday 18th — kids’ freight blockade, Carmel Agrexco warehouse, Nippon strike solidarity
For the 24 hours of mass action, see separate report.
Tuesday 21st — Harmondsworth detention centre
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Monday 13th August 2007
A group of activists set up a climate camp on the wing of an Airbus A380 on its way to be assembled in France, pledging to stay until government ministers come up with a ‘safe’ aviation policy.
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Tuesday 14th August 2007
Four horsemen arrive at Terminal 4 to coincide with Climate Camp
Four drivers from the Meltdown Chauffeur Agency went to Heathrow Terminal 4 as requested by their clients and waited patiently for them at the Arrival gate.
Video Four Horsemen arrive at Terminal 4 — video/mp4 3.3M
On 14th August 07 (“official” start of Climate camp), Four drivers from the went to Heathrow as requested by their clients and waited patiently for them at the Arrival gate.
The clients didn’t turn up — I guess they were delayed, but their arrival is inevitable.
Mrs D. Eath,
Mr. F. A. Mine,
Mr. P. E. Stilence,
and of course:
Mrs. War
Must be very angry by now and fed up of overpriced Starbucks coffee, because their Chauffeurs were asked to leave the airport by the police… I guess the Four Horsemen are still waithing in arrivals…
Check out the hidden camera footage…
(Possibly) better quality footage on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU7D_3DBFGQ
Sorry folks, no soundtrack, so don’t fiddle with yer slider!
It’s about 4 drivers from a company called “Meltdown Chauffeurs”. Coincicing with the first day of the Climate Camp, they have a job to pick up four clients at Heathrow: Death, Famine, Pestilence and War: The four horsemen of the apocalypse.
The drivers wait at the arrival gate in Heathrow Terminal 4, holding up signs with the names of their clients, as drivers do. But the Four Horsemen are delayed. They don’t arrive at the station of Gatwick Express either.
Apocalypse didn’t arrive this time. But unless we are changing fast, “it will really be the end of the world”.
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Wednesday 15th August 2007
Police force climate camp march to Heathrow airport and block A4…
Just a quick report to say that today a small march of around 80 people left from the climate camp to support a local demonstration against heathrow expansion. They were very quickly surrounded by over one hundred police — having just left the camp this happened in what could be called a side street — then quite inexplicably the police forced the group down several streets towards the airport. Still penned in on all side by police, they were then forced across the main A4 road (which police closed for some time before forcing the people across it) and then right up to the security fence of Heathrow where they were held for over one hour.
Several eye witnesses have described how police were very heavy handed from the outset, throwing people who said they did not want to join the march into their cordon. Parents were seperated from children as police officers literally threw people into the crowd who were surrounded. Five people I’ve spoken to said that they would not engage in any discussion and were screaming at people and even making jibes such as ‘you have no rights here’ before roughly shoving people into the penned in crowd.
Many people pointed out that the mainstream media were there filming, but they suspect that the whole incident may be portreyed as ‘the protestors disrupting air travellers’ or ‘police foil attempt to block heathrow’ or ‘protestors cause traffic chaos’.
Let’s see…
As to the protest by local campaigners, no one ever found it…
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Police cause holiday havoc — and blame protesters
“Local residents will stage a protest against airport expansion at Hatton Cross this afternoon” read the Climate Camp noticeboard. “Main Gate — 3.30”
Nobody can say who wrote it. Spokespersons for the two local protests organisations deny all knowledge and NoTRAG were even concerned that people might wear their stickers.
But it did result in 60 or 70 people leaving the camp to give support.
Local cops seemed surprised. Five ran from the main gate as they saw the procession moving south, and sleepy pair on the south gate were alarmed to see they might have to do a bit of work.
So it came as a shock to find two police vehicles ready to form a roadblock a couple of hundred yards down a suburban street. And odd that there seemed to be quite a few media folks already on the spot.
Ten minutes later, with the group (now down by ten who’d legged it down an alley) halted in their progress, half a dozen Tactical Support Group vehicles turned up, parking on and therefore blocking Harlington High Street. They were to be there for a half hour, so there was soon quite a tailback.
The 50 campers were now surrounded by more than a hundred police officers.
Kids cruised around on bikes, residents came out of their houses to watch. “Get burgled round here you can wait a week for a copper, bring fifty protesters you get a hundred” one told me.
The kettle now turned into a procession. Police seemed to know where the campers were going, which quite frankly was more than many of them did.
Turning right onto the High Street the airport became visible in the distance. Fearing what might be to come some asked to leave. “There’s no way I want to protest at the airport” said one, but he was pushed back into the group. Legal observers attest to this, there are also photographs of the incident.
Meanwhile motorcycle police had been busy blocking the busy A4 Bath Road that adjoins the airport. As the procession was brought to halt some hundred yards short of the junction for ten minutes, the traffic had plenty of time to build.
And now, whether they liked it or not — and surrounded and pushed around by more than a hundred police they had no say in the matter — they were taken across the A4 and on to the airport perimeter road — the very thing that BAA and the police claimed was the worst scenario, and one which they were determined to stop.
(I asked one of the TSG about taking them into “the injunction zone” — he said “…we’d wondered about that…”)
So the court injunction attempt, the claims that it enabled terrorism and all the other BAA bluster was exposed for the sham that it was.
And no doubt some family — “a hard working family that has saved all year to give the kids a holiday” — can be found to have been delayed — not by the actions of protesters — but the by the Metropolitan Police Force acting — no doubt — on the instructions of BAA and their servants the State.
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Thursday 16th August 2007
Business flights blockaded by climate activists
Two independent groups of campaigners from the Camp for Climate Action have this morning stopped carbon-intensive private jets from operating at two airports in the south east.
Executive flights at Biggin Hill and Farnborough airports have been brought to a standstill by climate activists concerned at the huge growth in the use of private jets by business people. The activists D‑locked themselves to the gates of the airports.
At a time of growing public concern at the climate impact of the aviation industry, business jets have escaped public scrutiny. The actions are intended to raise awareness of the true cost of this hidden aspect of air
travel.
Richard George, currently at Biggin Hill said, “The aviation industry would like us to think that all flights are being taken by hard-working families on their once-a-year holiday. We are here today to shine a light on the dark secret of aviation, namely the enormous growth in private jet use by the super-rich.”
The protesters added that the actions are focused only on the carbon-intensive nature of private business jets. George added, “While ordinary people are trying to reduce their carbon emissions, many business leaders insist on flying in the most carbon-intensive way possible: a jet all of their own.”
Another protester pointed out, “In the 21st century we have instant communications. Video-conferencing has been successfully used by the media, corporations and univerisities, yet fat-cats insist on being flown around the world in their own personal jets. The time for such wasteful use of energy is simply over.”
The blockades began at 6.30 AM and are ongoing.
ENDS
Media contacts at the action locations
Biggin Hill: 07879 416694
Farnborough: 07909 651093
Media contacts for the Camp for Climate Action
0777 286 1099 or 07858 177 178
Notes to Editor
1) According to The Economist, the average number of passengers on executive jets in Europe is two.
2) Farnborough is the only airport in Europe for the exclusive use of business aircraft. They recently attempted to double the number of flights despite massive local opposition, although these plans were rejected last year.
The bbc says in a report posted at 9.33am that a group of about 10 people “chained themselves to Biggin Hill Airport’s entrance gates” to voice “their opposition against the growth in the number of people using private jets.”
According to the bbc, the spokesperson stressed “that the group had no plans to prevent passengers flying out of Heathrow at the weekend.” And it reports that “a spokesman for Hampshire police said climate change demonstrators were also staging a protest at Farnborough Airport but the airport remained open.” According to the bbc, about 18 peaceful protesters are present at Farnborough Airport at the main entrance to the airport.
11 arrested at biggin hill after being cut out of lockons
one group had locked themselves together lying across the main passenger entrance while others had locked themselves to the main gate.
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Interview about the blockade of Biggin Hill airport which took place on Thursday 16th August 2007.
mp3 96kbps mono
5 mins 15 secs
—
During the Climate Camp I spoke with someone from Plane Stupid, a group who has been campaigning on issues surrounding the aviation industry and its disasterous effects on Climate Change. Here is a short interview with explains why we should campaign on the aviation-climate change link.
ogg 3.7M
mp3 6.7MB
Video of blockade at Farnborough Airport
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Video interview with blockaders — video/mp4 6.8M
24 people took part in a blockade at Farnborough Airport this morning with 9 people locked onto gates with lock-on devices. After an hour the aiport staff opened up an emergancy crash exit to allow the gathered business people in. Meanwhile protesters handed out leaflets to staff, passengers and locals. Jets were delayed and after 2 hours a second emergency exit was opened. By this point the police warned people they would be arrested and it was decided to return to the camp. Although no one was arrested, the police did seize lock-on devices. Some local media were present.
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Climate chaos action at Bristol airport today
Climate chaos action at Bristol airport today: Endangered gorilla in last stand shock!
An endangered gorilla has been sighted outside Bristol airport this afternoon on top of the towering monument to progress on the roundabout. The clearly agitated creature is reportedly attempting to swat planes out of the sky as some sort of protest against climate chaos. Photo opportunity from 3:30pm. More details to follow…
Climate chaos action at Bristol airport today:
Endangered gorilla in last stand shock!
An endangered gorilla has been sighted outside Bristol airport this afternoon on top of the towering monument to progress on the roundabout. The clearly agitated creature is reportedly attempting to swat planes out of the sky as some sort of protest against climate chaos. Photo opportunity from 3:30pm. More details to follow…
What we do know is this:
Aviation is the fastest growing source of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions, one of the primary causes of climate change.
Despite a lot of hot air about tackling climate chaos, the government continues to promote air travel through tax breaks, subsidies and a huge airport expansion programme.
In the face of overwhelming public opposition, Bristol International Airport (BIA) is planning to massively expand in the coming years.
BIA currently spews out more CO2 than the whole of Bristol’s traffic.
By 2019 it’s CO2 emissions are predicted to be around 730000 tonnes, up from 430000 tonnes in 2005.
Airport expansion represents tunnel vision economic progress at all costs. All the evidence is there to show it results in the destruction of the local environment and communities as well as bringing more noise, pollution and climate chaos.
One of the friends of the rogue gorilla had this to say;
“The freak weather conditions we are seeing around the world and now closer to home are just the tip of the iceberg. Climate chaos means deadly heat waves, extreme floods, mass homelessness and refugee crises, ecosystem collapse, severe water shortages, resource conflicts and wars, mass extinction… the list goes on. This is no longer a distant threat to be quickly forgotten or dismissed in the rush for cheap flights or the latest consumer item. Unless we take responsible, serious action now to put an absolute cap on CO2 emissions and drastically alter our way of life, this planet will become an uninhabitable nightmare world where human existence itself will be in question. Have a nice day.”
This action is in solidarity with the climate camp currently set up near Heathrow airport. Despite police harassment and attempts by British Airport Authorities to stifle protest and opposition with it’s now infamous injunction, hundreds of people are there demonstrating their resistance to airport expansion and alternatives for a better world based on ecologocial sustainability and equality. More and more people recognise that real solutions to climate chaos will not come from politicians or big business, but from ordinary people working collectively for far reaching, lasting change.
For further information contact: kebelesocialcentre@riseup.net
As well as the very visible gorilla action at the airport’s front door a load of climate chaos flyers were quietly dished out to unsuspecting travellers in need of reading material at the check ins. When finally clocked by security, after half an hour, the alternative travel agents were shown the way out and so joined in the monkey business outside.
This action was simple and effective. It showed what can be done with a few mates, not much preparation, about £20 and a little bit of humour and creativity…
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on thursday at the climate camp, a small group of clowns decided to do walkabout with a wheelie bin. when the police stopped them under anti-terrorism powers, they were in for a big surprise.
Video send in the clowns — mp4 format — video/mp4 4.0M
Video send in the clowns — wmv format — video/x‑ms-wmv 4.4M
vid in wmv format and mp4 format
mp4 can be viewed using the free videolan vlc player available for free download from the videolan website for all platforms. this player handles lots of different vid codec formats and is worth checking out.
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Friday 17th August 2007
Travel centres shut up shop for climate camp
Travel agents were the target of an action involving chaining the doors of various travel centres in central London. Signs were placed on the doors of each shop (see attached).
To highlight the guilt of the climate criminals that are the travel industry, a group of climate activists chained the doors of 6 travel centres in central London, leaving a notice stating shops would be closed for the duration of the camp. This action took place on the night of Friday 17th August; the six targets included STA travel who are responsible for encouraging young people to buy ‘around the world tickets’ which comprise of taking several long haul flights over a short period of time, leading to reckless co2 emissions. Thomas Cook and ‘The Flight Centre’ were also targeted.
This action was taken by an independent affinity group keen to highlight the need for the travel industry to wake up to the effects aviation has on the planet.
——————–
Climate Activists Blockade Department For Transport To Stop Airport Expansion
Official press release follows .…
PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
Photo opportunity
CLIMATE ACTIVISTS BLOCKADE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT TO STOP AIRPORT EXPANSION
9 activists have blockaded the Department of Transport in a bid to demand that the government reverse their plans to more than double the UK’s airport capacity by 2030 Dressed in smart attire, the activists began their action at 8.15am and remain superglued to the doors. Holding a banner which reads “no airport expansion” the activists aim to highlight the impossible contradiction between the government’s rhetoric on stopping climate change and its plans to expand airports.
Leila Harris, one of the activists, said: “The camp has made clear that expanding airports cannot be reconciled with stopping climate change. Aviation is the fastest growing cause of climate change, already accounting for 13 per cent of UK emissions. The government has said nothing about how it plans to deal with this contradiction”1
“The Department of Transport must tear up all plans to expand UK airports, and start talking about how we reduce the flights coming in and out of this country. If they don’t, this sort of action against them is only the beginning”
This is the fourth direct action that has been held across the country in support of the Camp for Climate Action.2 On Wednesday three airports, housing private jets owned by the super rich and the prime minister, were closed by groups of activists.
1 The government’s own figures show that flights currently account for 13 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions (Gillian Merrion, written answer to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, Environmental Audit Third Report). This is not currently included in the government’s figures on UK emissions, nor is it included in the draft climate change bill currently processing through parliament.
2 The Camp for Climate Action has been open since Tuesday 14th and is in the process of planning a day of mass action on Sunday 19th which will target the corporations making profit at the expense of stopping climate change.
For more information and comment contact: Leo at the camp 07847 204 469 / Leila Harris 07766 175 641
———–
Campers Glue on to DfT
9 became 10 today as a passing pedestrian joined Climate Camp supporters in a Department for Transport lock on.
Smartly dressed campers arrived at the DfT just after 8am as workaholic transport fans were scurrying to their desks.
Five superglued themselves to he doors and two to each other, jamming the revolving doors shut whilst two more occupied the roof of the doorway with a sign reading “No Airport Expansion”.
The passing pedestrian, who declined to give his name and requested no photos asked for a bike chain and locked himself to a glass side door.
Community police showed up shortly and called in the real police who arrived in dribs and drabs over the next half hour. Ambulances showed up and just to complete the triangle, police called in the Fire Brigade for good measure.
Full marks to the medics who did a sensitive job with the soapy water keeping up and encouraging banter throughout.
There were 10 arrests including, of course, our passing hero.
In what turned out to be a very successful demonstration against the third runway at Heathrow and airport expansion in general activists locked and glued on to the Department for Transport in central London. All have been arrested. Some suffered minor injuries to their hands caused by the glue. The police were generally clam, although some officers (AB 922) became aggressive when they were photographed. The action succeeded in blocking the main and corner entrances of the building for nearly 3 hours. Workers in the building seemed generally amused by the spectacle although some seemed annoyed that they were being made to stand out in the sun and away from their desks. No pleasing some people I guess.…
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Cheap flights… Cheap Lives?!! — a report
This Friday a group of people occupied the headquarters of XL Airways in Crawley, Gatwick airport. The direct action was taken in solidarity with Congolese refugees and asylum seekers in this country. The group entered the offices leafleting staff throughout the building with banner outside (see above) and one person D‑locked themselves to a post in reception demanding to speak to the manager of XL Airways Magnus Thosstierstonn.
On the 26th February 40 Congolese asylum seekers were deported on an XL chartered plane to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This included 19 children. Since their return to DRC they have been subjected to human rights abuses including rape and torture. These abuses have been catalogued by a Kinshasa lawyer currently in London. Now another group of Congolese asylum seekers have received deportation papers scheduled for the 30th of August. It is believed that an XL charter plane will again be used as part of a Home Office contract.
Several vans of police were called to the scene. People leafleting inside offices were eventually removed, although the person locked on remained. The group outside were subjected to stop and search by police — keys were eventually found and the locked on person was removed and arrested. All staff at XL offices were made aware of the protest and the company’s involvement in deporting vulnerable people who have come to this country to seek refuge.
The van of protesters was followed all the way home, stop and searched 4 times, once for every force that it passed through. The person arrested for D‑locking in reception was held in custody for 16 hours — bail was refused due to the “political history” of that activist. Freedom to protest?! Eventually the arrested person was taken to Crawley magistrates courts this Saturday morning charged with Aggravated Trespass under the Criminal Justice Act (1994) — an act that was brought in to criminalise a previously civil offence and so deter exactly this sort of protest. Not deterred! It seems that due to an error by police this is an incorrect charge an d a lesser charge of Trespass will be brought. The case was adjourned until 31st August, partly so that the defence can consider whether a case under Article 3 of the Human Rights act can be brought in terms of this direct action being taken to prevent an unlawful act of act, the deportation of Congolese asylum seekers.
The Home Office/Border and Immigration Agency are holding a tribunal in September to review its policy on deporting asylum seekers to the Congo, a tribunal that has constantly been pushed back, increasing the fear and uncertainty of Congolese asylum seeking safety in this country. The Congo is subject to resource wars, fuelled by corporate interests, that kill 1,200 per week according to the UN. XL Airways profits from cheap flights that contribute to climate chaos increasing the number of environmental refugees in the world. XL also profit from deportation charter flights of people who have fled resource wars in the Congo. Cheap flights… cheap lives?!!
This action can be seen as a bridge between the Camp for Climate Action currently at Heathrow (and various other airports) and the No Borders camp happening near Gatwick in September.
While in XL offices their managers defended their business rights to profit from deportation flights and refused to ruled out their involvement in such inhumane activities “if we didn’t do it someone else would” was their attitude. Obviously for XL profits come before both people and planet.
// SEE ABOVE POSTINGS FOR XL CONTACT IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS TO THEM AND KEEP COMING BACK TO THIS POSTING FOR UPDATES //
n.b. The bail conditions of the person appearing in court on the 31st of August are to reside at their home in Yorkshire and go no closer than 500metres to any XL offices or UK airport, unless a bona fide air passenger. This person can no longer can be at the Camp for Climate Action, can you??
Next deportation flight
Congolese refugees are receiving deportation orders for the 30th August. All indications are that XL will again be the company flying them back. Please telephone, fax or email the company. Please be non-aggressive and non-offensive otherwise it could be detrimental to trying to stop people getting sent back.
Tel: 0870 320 7777
Fax: +44 (o)1883 627 564
Email: go to the website, www.XL.com, go to contact us, go to media enquiry. Happy emailing.
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Saturday 18th August 2007
Children Blockade At World Freight Centre
At around 3pm this afternoon children and their parents from around the UK gathered at Heathrow’s World Freight Centre to blockade its access road. Around 15 people took part in the blockade which was taken over by others from the Camp For Climate Action after 45 minutes. No one has been arrested so far and police, FIT team as well as BAA security are present at the scene. The blockaders unrolled a banner reading ‘Enjoy Local Food’ to highlight the effects to climate change that flying food around the world causes.
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Activists Target Carmel Agrexco in Conjuction with Climate Camp
At 1pm, approximately 20 activists from London, Brighton, Reading and the nearby Climate Camp entered the Carmel Agrexco site in Hayes Middlesex where some activists have D‑locked the gates shut. They are being entertained by Samba. Four police arrived on the scene almost immediately.
PRESS RELEASE
State of Emergency — direct action against war, from the root to the fruit
18 August 2007
For immediate release
This afternoon a group of protesters from anarchist group State Of Emergency have blockaded the main UK warehouse of Israeli company Carmel Agrexco in Hayes, Middlesex. Their action coincides with the nearby Camp for Climate Action and is part of the growing movement to boycott Israeli apartheid, which aims to end Israel’s breach of International law and abuse of human rights in the occupied territories of Palestine.
The action has been taken to coincide with the Camp for Climate Action because all of Carmel Agrexco’s produce is air-freighted into Heathrow and also to highlight the consequences of the resource wars which are inevitable as the climate changes.
According to the UK government’s own figures air freighting of food is the fastest growing mode of food transport, having increased by over 220% since 1992, and although it only accounts for 1% of food miles overall it produces 13% of the CO2 emissions from food transport.
The Israeli water authority, Macarot, drills wells to irrigate Carmel’s crops close to existing Palestinian wells but at a greater depth to dry up the Palestinian wells. The Israeli wells are fortified and guarded by the Israeli army, and many Palestinians are in Israeli prisons for the ‘crime’ of trying to obtain fresh water from wells in the settlements.
Israel has complete control over water resources in the West Bank and uses 82 percent of the underground water. The Palestinian daily consumption of water is 35 to 50 litres per capita, while the daily consumption of the Jewish settlers is 280 to 350 litres per capita.
Much of Carmel Agrexco’s fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs and other produce is grown and packed on illegal Israeli settlements. Carmel Agrexco is thus complicit in war crimes under the International Criminal Court Act 2001 (ICC Act).
Carmel Agrexco is Israel’s largest importer of agricultural produce into the European Union and is 50% Israeli state owned. The warehouse is in Swallowfield Way, Hayes, Middlesex, and is their main depot in the UK.
Many of the protesters have visited Palestine and witnessed at first hand the suffering of Palestinians under Israeli military occupation. They have seen land that has been claimed by illegal Israeli settlements, but was stolen from Palestinian families. They have visited villages where the whole community have been issued with demolition orders by the Israeli Army to make way for more illegal settlements.
The action today is part of three years of action against the company. Palestine solidarity protesters have taken part in five blockades of the premises, the first in November 2004.
Before the protest a legal warning letter was sent to Carmel Agrexco stating clearly why they are in breach of the law.
Today’s action aims to draw attention to this company’s complicity, in murder, theft and damage of occupied land, collective punishment, apartheid and ethnic cleansing, and other breaches of International Law.
Contact info@stateofemergency.org.uk / tel. 07948 173982 for interviews/pictures
Links:
Photos from inside Carmel Agrexco
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/07/376036.html
Photos of the last blockade of Carmel Agrexco
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/11/357149.html?c=on
Photos of the second blockade
Text of letter sent to Carmel Agrexco by Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Report on Carmel’s Involvement in the Jordan Valley
Press release from previous trial (with links)
War on Want’s Report -“Profiting from the Occupation”
Notes to Editors:
1. For comments please call 07948 173982
2. On 9th June 2005 a coalition of Palestinian Civil Society Organisations issued a ‘Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel until it complies with International Law’. See http://www.stopthewall.org/downloads/pdf/BDSEnglish.pdf for the full statement and signatories.
3. Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights in 1967 in contravention of international law.
Since then Israel has moved over 380,000 settlers into these occupied territories in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention (article 49), the Hague Regulations and United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
Israel continues to build an illegal apartheid wall inside the West Bank despite the Advisory Ruling of the International Court of Justice in 2005 that the wall is illegal. Fifty five illegal Israeli settlements will be on the Israeli side of the wall separated from the West Bank.
Since 2000 Israel has demolished 664 Palestinian houses, in acts of collective punishment. These demolitions constitute a war crime. They have demolished a further 12,953 Palestinian homes for ‘military reasons’ (often to expand Israeli settlements) and 1,214 because they were built ‘without a permit’
4,000 Palestinians have been killed as a direct result of Israeli military actions during the current uprising which began in September 2000.
(Above statistics confirmed by Israeli Information Centre Btselem see www.btselem.org )
Contact info@stateofemergency.org.uk/tel. 07948 173982 for interviews/pictures
http://www.stateofemergency.org.uk/
—-
The action is now over.
There were 6 arrests in total, two of them legal observers.
4 have been arrested on suspicion of burglary for being inside the premises.
There were over 60 activists present in total and everyone was stopped and searched by the police before they were allowed to leave.
The action meant that the depot was shut and unable to operate for 3 hours.
.….….….….
Two arrested, Carmel Argexco up date at 13.30
Two arrests from inside the depo, as yet charges of those arrested unknown.
Two of the activists locked on were arrested at around 13.10.
One person remains locked to the front gate of Carmel Agrexco at 13.40.
A large group of police officers (the specialist entry team apparently) have entered the depo by the back gate wearing purple latex gloves.
Activists inside have been cordoned away from the back gate where the police have broken and entered.
Around 30 people observing the occupation outside of Carmel Agrexco, have been forced into a police ‘bubble’ and are being pushed around.
Everyone has been photographed by the Forward Intelligence team. ( FIT )
.….….……
5 Arrests and Carmel Agrexco Offices Trashed
Update at 14.54
The Carmel Agrexco action is now being wound up. 5 activists arrested and the offices of Carmel Agrexco the arch exporter of illegal Israeli settlement goods, have been trashed.
Update at 14.54
The Carmel Agrexco action is now being wound up.
5 activists have been arrested and the offices of Carmel Agrexco the arch exporter of illegal Israeli settlement goods, have been trashed.
The police responded to the action with helicopter, and long slow searchers of anyone outside the premises of Carmel Agrexco under section 1 of PACE.
People are now leaving the area.
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Where Have All the Flowers Come From?
A film of the action vs Carmel Agrexco in Hayes, Middlesex during the Camp for Climate Action 2007.
To download video: http://www.undercurrents.org/visionontv/dl/2/464489afe0dab9c1cedce634efa04a021186f223.torrent
(Please note that this is a torrent file, and a bittorrent server such as azureus will be necessary to download it — http://azureus.sourceforge.net/)
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Climate Camper Arrested Under Terrorism Act
17.08.2007
Early this morning, 4 people made their way to Heathrow Airport to support a picket of drivers and warehouse workers at the cargo handler Nippon Express. The staff at the company walked out two days ago after the company once again refused to settle a pay and shifts dispute.
When walking towards terminal 2, where the picket was taking place, a couple of police officers stopped the group and told them they were being ‘detained’ and searched under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. According to the police this was because the people were ‘on BAA property’. The grounds for initially stopping the group were that they ‘matched the profiles of protesters at the climate camp’ who were to ’cause possible disorder on BAA property’.
Another 9 officers and one of the FIT team joined shortly. A student journalist who identified himself and was taking photos was told that ‘under the terrorism act you have to give us your camera’. Reluctant to hand over the camera, the photographer was then grabbed by 4 officers and forced to hand it over.
The police proceeded to delete images off the camera, before handing it back. They later denied all knowledge of this. Another one of the group refused to give his details while being searched under Section 44 and was arrested. He has been taken to West Draton police station.
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Solidarity with NIPPON workers // mass picket in support of strike [11.30am Sat]
As the climate camp continues near heathrow, down the road a group of workers at NIPPON EXPRESS have been striking against a new work regime which will effectively mean a £1265 pay cut for many of them.
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SOLIDARITY WITH NIPPON WORKERS — MASS PICKET 11.30am SATURDAY 19th AUGUST
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Nippon workers are expecting us down there and we are more than welcomed!
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[When?]
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11.30am at the gate of NIPPON EXPRESS — look out for the picket
Check the map out:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=508906&y=178196&z=1&sv=508906,178196&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf
For Londoners: trains from Paddington, first great western to heathow or Oxford — 14 mins to
Hayes and Harlington (tickets inspects are down there) . Then get bus from outside station 90 — H98, 140 towards heathrow. about 2 ‑3 stops down look on your right for the picket.
It is very easy to get down there so no excuses!
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[What?]
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NIPPON are also placing these demands on the workers:
1) 44 Days a year more work
2) Overtime rate on Sunday to be reduced to 25%
3) Holiday pay is reduced by 60 — 75 hours
4) Shift pay reduced by £326 (Day shift) and £512 (Night shift)
5) Loss of £1265 a year pay for some workers
6) A 1.7% below inflation pay rise
7) Stop of shift pay on overtime
8) 9hrs pay loss on bank holidays.
With these ridiculous demands from the company bosses, the NIPPON EXPRESS workers decided that striking and a show of solidarity against this offensive is what is needed. NIPPON EXPRESS is located a few stops from Hayes & Harlington Railway station (heading south) and a few stops from the Camp for Climate Action.
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[Why?]
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Building working class militancy in all industries is a prerequisite to challenging the domination of capitalism across our world. Climate change has been caused by the capitalists and their servants in government through its own inescapable logic of exploitation, growth and profit. The struggle against climate change is the struggle against capitalism, The struggle against capitalism is a struggle against the world of work imposition and wage slavery. We can not solve the worlds problems under capitalism. We can not escape capitalism. We must destroy it.
Climate Class Strugglers
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[SOME MORE LINKS]
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some additional backgound:
1] http://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/08/378309.html
2] http://www.tgwu.org.uk/Templates/News.asp?NodeID=93614&int1stParentNodeID=42438&int2ndParentNodeID=42438&Action=Display
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Cargo-Striker and Climate-Camper Solidarity
Cargo workers at Nippon Express Heathrow depot are out on strike against changes that would see them working 25% longer hours for no extra pay. Climate campers have been keen to show their support and have visited the picket line throughout the current 48-hour stoppage, which ends at 6am Sunday. This morning about 30 campers brought a banner (and about 20 police!) and chatted to strikers for a couple of hours.
The obvious link between the two struggles is the common enemy: capitalist profit, for which the planet is being destroyed and for which workers pay and conditions are forever under attack. “Only a democratically planned economy can end the exploitation of workers and environmental chaos,” said one camper.
Cargo workers don’t need the aviation industry — if cargo went by sea, their jobs would still exist — in fact workers told the campers that the Heathrow depot already handles some sea-freight.
Several strikers have been down to the camp on previous nights and shared a few beers and the sociable atmosphere; today they shared their picket-line barbecue with the campers as everyone chilled out (except the cops who stood in a line sweating in the August sunshine).
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For the 24 hours of mass action, see separate report.
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Tuesday 21st August 2007
Political Policing outside Harmondsworth Detention Centre.
A group of around 30 from the Climate Camp, including many from No Borders, made their way (with an un-necessary police escort) to Harmondsworth Immigration Detention Centre at midday on Tuesday, only to be forcibly penned by police into a car park invisible to the road. The action was to highlight the link between detention centres and climate change, and to show solidarity to those inside, detained for committing no crime.
It was a cruel and demoralising irony: here we were in a pen made from those steel fences used in crowd control, our protest – about wrongful detention – itself detained. The police outnumbered us, surrounding the pen. It took much spirit to get our chants going, but with the welcome arrival of a mic and speaker from Bicycology, we had a good go at “NO BORDERS! NO NATIONS! NO DEPORTATIONS!!”.
A woman from No Borders managed to get one of the detainees on the phone, so that even though they may not have been able to hear us (we were quite far from the buildings), people inside knew we were there. A few people spoke, recited poems and sang songs. Most memorable was a heart-wrenching Bengali song, which – the singer explained as she translated into English for us, would be understood by environmental refugees from Bangladesh inside.
The link between the Climate Camp and detention centres is in no way convoluted. Climate change is already producing millions of environmental refugees. These millions will become hundreds of millions in a business as usual scenario. Many of those refugees managing to flee to this country, along with many fleeing torture and war, are met not with compassion and asylum, but brutal repression and detention. The policies of UK plc with regard to climate change are hurting these people, but instead of helping them, UK plc locks them up.
When we arrived at the detention centre we stopped to have a meeting characteristic of the direct democracy in action back at the camp. Just as the first proposals were being made, the police stepped in quoting the much abused Highways Act of 1859. We were of course blocking the highway, but mainly on account of being surrounded by a number of police greater than our own. A man asked a senior officer whether two people were allowed to remain on the pavement holding a banner. He was completely ignored, likewise was a woman who stepped up and asked the same. Then within seconds we were being pushed by the police into the pre-prepared pen they had made for us. Claiming that they were allowing us to protest, several policeman then made absolutely sure that we could not get our message across to anyone driving past by standing in front of our banners.
We left the detention centre before the start of visiting hours at 2pm to make sure that our protest wasn’t used by the police and security force at the detention centre as an excuse to withhold visits. Walking back, a few of us managed to give the now-obligatory-for-climate-campers police escort the slip. It was with an unease about the future that I felt joy at being allowed to walk down the road without being accompanied by the police.