Hit the Production – No to business as usual

13 December 2009

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline
Call for witnesses: If you have been pepper sprayed whilst detained get in touch! +45 528 792 04

Hit the Production - No to business as usual13 December 2009

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline
Call for witnesses: If you have been pepper sprayed whilst detained get in touch! +45 528 792 04

The main actions around the COP15 for the 13th December are Hit the Production at the Harbour, and a Farmers action called by Via Campesina. The farmers actions starts at 12:30 with an attendance of about 300 people, doing street theatre about Farmers and big business. At 12:40 hundreds of people march towards the harbour, with banners reading “Our planet not your business”, and giving interviews about the mass arrests yesterday. Riot police walk alongside them and less than an hour later the police blocks the demonstration by surrounding it, taking the music truck away [Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Videos 1 | 2] Mass arrests start, and at about 14:45 coaches arrive to take people away. Read our eyewitness report and report of first release. By the evening, DRL TV station reports a total of 257 pre-emptive arrests today.

At the same time the Via Campesina march has progressed more peacefully, but demonstrators found that police lines have their blocked access to the Klimaforum.  Live video feed of Via Campesina Farmers action. It arrived in its final destination, near the Råhuset infopoint, despite the police attempts to disrupt it. (Report and press release).

The CJA has issued a condemnation of the unprovoked police actions while other groups are planning on launching an official complaint regarding the inhuman treatement of prisoners yesterday (press conference). First reports from those released point to similar detention condition: “They offered us no food and water. I am a diabetic and when I spoke to the police and recovered my stuff to take insulin I could not find it. After I was told by the doctor there that they did not keep insulin there, the released me.” At 17:00 a solidarity demo started outside the Vålby detention centre, that has been kettled within an hour.

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline | Listen to Climate Radio show for Dec 13.

See Modkraft Timeline [eng] | Motkraft.net Timeline [eng] | Nocop Imc Italy | icop15 aggregation

Yesterday’s Feature: 100,000 Protest at COP15, Police Make Mass Arrests

Meanwhile the official Summit seems to be falling into further disaray as the days go by. The Guardian newspaper reports today that “the Copenhagen climate talks hit trouble tonight as a number of African countries indicated their leaders would refuse to take part in the final summit unless significant progress was made in the next three days.” The main sticking points seem to still be about emission cuts, long-term finance, and when poor countries should start to reduce emissions. Read full article here.

Newbury Bypass Walk, 11am Sunday 10th January 2010

The annual Newbury Bypass Walk commemorating the fight to stop the Newbury Bypass will take place on Sunday 10 January 2010 at 11am. Anyone who was involved in the campaign are welcome to attend.

The annual Newbury Bypass Walk commemorating the fight to stop the Newbury Bypass will take place on Sunday 10 January 2010 at 11am. Anyone who was involved in the campaign are welcome to attend.

The 2010 walk to commemorate the campaign to stop the Newbury bypass will take place at 11am on 10 January. Supporters are asked to meet in the car park opposite the Northcroft Leisure Centre, Northcroft Lane, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 1RS. The walk will then go via Speen and Middle Oak to Donnington Castle where there will be a picnic and then a trip to a local pub!

Copenhagen: mass arrest on demo, timeline, how to get in to DK, COP15 radical news aggregator, climate radio

CJA press release:
Copenhagen Police Accused of Violating Human Rights at UN Summit

Sat 12 Dec

mass arrests Denmark-styleCJA press release:
Copenhagen Police Accused of Violating Human Rights at UN Summit

Sat 12 Dec

Danish police have indiscriminately arrested hundreds of climate justice activists during a climate change protest made up of 100,000 people that took place today in Copenhagen. Questions have been raised about the fact that the arrests occurred in a different time and place to where some trouble had momentarily flared earlier in the day. Journalists have been restricted from reporting at the site of the arrests since 1800hrs.

It’s estimated that 100 people are still being held on the road in extremely cold weather, cuffed and forced into seated positions in lines (1). They have expressed severe physical discomfort and have no access to water, medical attention or toilet facilities since 1530hrs. Many activists are reported to have urinated themselves while detained on the ground.

An estimated 200 have been removed from the site and taken away in coaches. Several people are reported to have fainted around 1945hrs.

Helga Matthiassen, who was detained for an hour before being released due to an injury she had recently sustained, said, “Of course we’re angry – people all over the world are angry about being lied to by governments who are making a corporate deal at the climate talks, and now when we try to protest against this on the streets we are randomly held by police.

“Not only have we been denied the right to protest, but our basic human rights have also been ignored in this ludicrous, staged police exercise. It seems Danish Police have a new motto: why just criminalise protesters, when you can dehumanise them too?” (2)

ENDS

Contact: 0045 5066 9028 (International)
0045 4129 4994 (Danish)
media@climate-justice-action.org

_______________________________________

NOTES TO EDITORS
(1) http://twitpic.com/t7dts
(2) See Helga interviewed on TV2 News, 2015 broadcast http://news.tv2.dk/?channel

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Video

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At the demo in Copenhagen on the 12.12.09, some demonstrators smashed in the windows of the Stock Market, also the ministry of foreign affairs had its windows broken.

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Timeline

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COP15 EASIER access to Denmark and COPENHAGEN

The Danish and German police forces and the intelligence services (PET, FE, BND) of both countries, and probably also some other countries, “violence services” has made it more difficult to enter Denmark in order to avoid political activist to enter the country and join the demos at COP15 etc.

BUT, there are more, perhaps, less controlled borders to Denmark, they follow below, and also warnings against the more controlled border crossings.

DONT TRAVEL THROUGH:

Copenhagen Airport or Billund Airport

and;

The land border crossing at PADBORG, KRUSÅ, in other words AVOID any land border crossings in Jylland!

TRAVEL BETTER THROUGH THESE CROSSINGS
(so far):

RED ROUTE ONE;
Travel to Rostock in Germany (old DDR), best by train/bus/car, then jump on the ferry (SCANDLINES) to GEDSER port in Denmark, less heavy controlled, at the moment.

Then jump on the train/bus to Copenhagen, takes two hours.

RED ROUTE TWO;
Travel to Helsingborg in Sweden, best by train/bus/car, then jump on the ferry (SCANDLINES or HH-ferries) to HELSINGØR port in Denmark, less heavy controlled, at the moment.

Then jump on the train to Copenhagen, takes one hour.

Or take the local train to Hillerød (half an hour) and then the S-train to Copenhagen, 40 mint. travel time.

RED ROUTE THREE;
Travel to Oslo in Norway, take the ferry direct to Copenhagen (DFDS).

RED ROUTE FOUR;
Travel to Bornholm, then by ferry to Køge, then S-train to Copenhagen (half hour).

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aggregating radical news about Copenhagen

iCOP15

Report your news from the streets of Copenhagen on http://indymedia.dk.
Report from actions worldwide at http://climateimc.org and/or at you local IMC.
Any feed missing? Check on http://icop15.org/feeds.

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Climate Radio is filing daily audio bulletins from inside the Bella Centre where the most important talks in human history are happening. During the second week we’ll also have reports from the street actions and parallel People’s Summit aka Klimaforum. Copenhagen Daily has a running time of 60 minutes

EF! Rome – action @ Ara Pacis, Rome, Italy / National newspaper press

Earth First! Rome press:

EF! Rome - action @ Ara Pacis, Rome, Italy / bannerEarth First! Rome press:

All’alba di sabato 12 dicembre un gruppo di attivisti di Earth First! Roma hanno scelto l’Ara Pacis Augustae come cornice per il proprio appello ai leader presenti al vertice Copenhagen. Abbiamo infatti colorato la fontana dell’Ara Pacis di verde e affisso uno striscione sul muro di fronte a via Tomacelli che recitava “Earth First! Act Now”. Riteniamo non più derogabile un vero impegno sul fronte ambientale che evidentemente non può limitarsi alla tassazione delle emissioni di co2 ma che deve risolvere tutti i nodi della crisi ambientale mondiale e nazionale: rifiuti, consumo del territorio, OGM, viabilità.
“Prima la Terra, Agisci ora!”

At sunset of Saturday 12th December a group of Earth First! Rome’s activists had choosen the Ara Pacis Augustae as the right place for their call to the leaders at G20 of Copenhagen. We had coloured the Ara Pacis’s fountain with green and put a banner on the wall in front of Via Tomacelli where it was written “Earth First! Act Now”. We believe that a truly engagement on the ambient front can’t be derogated much longer and can’t concern only on the taxation of co2 emission but also has to resolve the problema of global and national crisis of ambient: garbage, the waste of territory, OGM, road network.
“Earth First! Act Now!”

AGENZIE RIPORTATE DAI GIORNALI/NEWS FROM ALL NATIONAL NEWSPAPER: (ITA)

CLIMA: ROMA, ECOLOGISTI TINGONO DI VERDE ACQUA FONTANA ARA PACIS

Roma, 12 dic. (Adnkronos) – Dopo il Colosseo anche l’Ara Pacis e’ stata fatta oggetto di un’azione dimostrativa da parte di una non meglio precisata organizzazione ecologista. Intorno alle 6.00 del mattino, infatti, ignoti hanno incollato un manifesto di circa 2 metri di lunghezza al muro esterno dell’edificio Meier, sotto la scritta ”Ara Pacis Augustae”, e tinto di verde l’acqua della fontana antistante il piazzale.

Il manifesto recava in inglese la scritta ”La Terra prima di tutto. Agisci ora” (”Earth first. Action now”), che lascia pochi dubbi sulla matrice e lo scopo del gesto, che cade in coincidenza con il vertice mondiale di Copenhagen sul clima. I funzionari e gli addetti al Museo, immediatamente intervenuti, hanno rimosso in pochi minuti la scritta e svuotato la fontana, per evitare danni permanenti alla struttura.

In relazione a quanto accaduto, il Sovraintendente ai Beni Culturali del Comune di Roma, Umberto Broccoli, ”invita chi manifesta in questo modo le proprie, pure condivisibili, preoccupazioni per le sorti del clima del pianeta a farlo con maggiore senso civico e nel rispetto dei monumenti di Roma e di quanti lavorano per la loro tutela e valorizzazione”. Ulteriori indagini, grazie all’esame delle registrazioni filmate del circuito di videosorveglianza, potranno dare maggiori informazioni sugli autori e le modalità del gesto.

ARA PACIS, COMUNE: BLITZ ECOLOGISTI, TINTA VERDE ACQUA FONTANA
“Dopo il Colosseo anche l’Ara Pacis è stata fatta oggetto di un’azione dimostrativa da parte di una non meglio precisata organizzazione ecologista. Intorno alle 6 del mattino di sabato 12 dicembre, infatti, ignoti hanno incollato un manifesto di circa 2 metri di lunghezza al muro esterno dell’edificio Meier, sotto la scritta ‘Ara Pacis Augustae’, e tinta di verde l’acqua della fontana antistante il piazzale”. Lo rende noto il Campidoglio. (omniroma.it)
(12 dicembre 2009 ore 16:11)

IL MATTINO, 12/12/09:
Manifestazione all’Ara Pacis. Un manifesto di circa 2 metri con la scritta in lingua inglese «La Terra prima di tutto. Agisci ora» è stato incollato stamani al muro esterno dell’Ara Pacis, e l’acqua della fontana del monumento augusteo è stata colorata di verde. I manifestanti fanno parte del movimento ecologico ‘Earth First’. I funzionari e gli addetti al museo hanno rimosso in pochi minuti – spiega una nota del Campidoglio – la scritta e svuotato la fontana, per evitare danni permanenti alla struttura.

Our Climate, Not Your Business Demo +Medic Arrests

11 December 2009

11 December 2009
This morning at 10am climate activists gathered at Nytorv to take part in the Don’t Buy the Lie march to take direct action in protest against corporations taking part in Cop15 [report].  Leading police a merry dance, protestors moved en masse up Rosenørns Allé to the Copenhagen ‘Forum’ venue, which is hosting the cynical green-washing Green Business expo during Cop15. The message to the corporations was to stop turning the saving of our environment into yet another business opportunity in which carbon credit trading, tar sands and CCS are the order of the day.

People were blocked several times by police but also managed push through and around several attempts by police to block their path. In total there is reported to be over 60 arrests, although it is unclear how many are just preventitative arrests where the people will be released after up to 12 hours. What is clear is that police targeted the Street Medics, arresting 11 of them before the demonstration, and threatening them that they would be deported if they were found on the streets again [report]. Many activists were stopped and searched outside the convergence centre / sleeping space at Ragnhildesgade [photos]. There were also several reports of people being searched throughout the city [2], with some arrested for having things like spray paint or items that could be used to cover faces. Earlier in the day the fire service also told Ragnhildsgade accommodation space that part of the building could not be used for sleeping. Meanwhile more people are travelling to Copenhagen ahead of the other protests and events scheduled for the next week.

[See Indymedia Full Timeline #1] [Photo Reports 1 | 2] [Video] [KanalB Video] [Graswurzel.tv Video] See also [Modkraft timeline | en] [icop15 Aggregation]

Video interview With Angelica Navarro – Bolivian Negotiator | Video: Climate Pirates Arrive | Climate Radio Show #4 | Climate Chronicle Newspaper #3 Pdf

Philippines: NPA Shuts Down Logging Operation, Seizes Arms

Victorious NPA Offensive: Raid on SUDECOR

New People’s Army Front 30 seized 13 automatic rifles consisting of two M14s, five Garands and six carbines on November 11 in a raid on the office of the Surigao Development Corporation (SUDECOR) in Barangay Pakwan, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur. The guerrillas conducted the disarming operation without firing a single shot.

Victorious NPA Offensive: Raid on SUDECOR

New People’s Army Front 30 seized 13 automatic rifles consisting of two M14s, five Garands and six carbines on November 11 in a raid on the office of the Surigao Development Corporation (SUDECOR) in Barangay Pakwan, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur. The guerrillas conducted the disarming operation without firing a single shot.

After disarming the Special Civilian Armed Auxiliary (SCAA) and SUDECOR guards, the Red fighters confiscated seven chainsaws from the company. The people’s guerrillas also destroyed four bulldozers, two log yarders, a timber jack, a crane, two dumptrucks and a welding machine.

The objective of this punitive action was to put a stop to SUDECOR’s logging operations, said Ka Maria Malaya, National Democratic Front-Northeastern Mindanao Region (NDF-NEMR) spokesperson. She added that it was about time they ended the company’s plunder and relentless destruction of the environment and people’s livelihood.

The company uses bulldozer dragging, a method where bulldozers drag felled logs and destroy small trees in their path. The method likewise erodes the soil and contributes to the siltation of rivers. SUDECOR has thus been responsible for the rapid destruction of the environment and has been depriving the national minorities and settlers of their livelihood, said the NDF-NEMR spokesperson.

That same day, combined forces of the 58th IB Philippine Army, 1405th PNP Provincial Mobile Group (PMG) and SCAA attempted to defend the company and were ambushed. This resulted in the death of nine 58th IB elements, a policeman and two SCAA elements after they were hit by command-detonated explosives (CDX) along Kilometer 10 of the same town. Twelve other soldiers were wounded.

SUDECOR is owned by the big comprador bourgeois Puyat family. It has wrought havoc for more than four decades in Surigao’s forested areas. As a result, Surigao now has only 3,000 hectares of virgin forests, down from the previous 69,000 hectares.

http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/philippines-npa-shuts-down-logging-operation-seizes-arms-2/

The First COP15 Actions Taking Shape

10 December 2009

11th Dec: For latest news coverage of events see Timeline Reports | Live Video from Cop15live | Modkraft.dk Timeline (dk)

Climate denial conference disrupted10 December 2009

11th Dec: For latest news coverage of events see Timeline Reports | Live Video from Cop15live | Modkraft.dk Timeline (dk)

From “the inside”:
The climate actions started last night with fifty American activists taking over a conservative hosted climate denier conference. Today activists created a “climate storm” inside the Bella Centre and spoke against “suicide pacts” for low-lying nations, that would be destroyed by unchecked climate change. Yesterday the climate summit halted, when one of these threatened nations, Tuvalu, demanded commitment to a legally-binding agreement.

At the borders:
The police has been more active controlling the borders around Denmark, for instance near the German city of Flensburg, but it’s still possible to enter Denmark. There are also reports of people have been rejected through to Denmark from Sweden.

In the streets:
The cops in Copenhagen are generally quite active patrolling and stopping and searching people at several climate active points, when they aren’t just harassing people with paint.

While being a quiet day, the police hasn’t been on the slow side with breaking legislation by making deals with Danish offices regarding surveillance data of public roads.

Yesterday’s feature

For more coverage see: Climate Justice Chronicle Newspaper Issue #2 | Democracy Now! Broadcasting Daily | OneClimate

Copenhagen Getting Ready for COP15 Protests

10.12.09

The Trade and Climate Caravan [more] will finally arrive tonight to Copenhagen [report], meanwhile hundreds of activists are already in town putting the final touches to different aspects of the mobilisations [2]. Police also seem to have stepped up their activity, and in a move apparently designed to harass protestors they raided the Ragnhildgade accomodation space in the early hours of 9th December [Feature | Press Release], a few days after a raid at activist housing in Teglholmen.

COP 15 gears logo10.12.09

The Trade and Climate Caravan [more] will finally arrive tonight to Copenhagen [report], meanwhile hundreds of activists are already in town putting the final touches to different aspects of the mobilisations [2]. Police also seem to have stepped up their activity, and in a move apparently designed to harass protestors they raided the Ragnhildgade accomodation space in the early hours of 9th December [Feature | Press Release], a few days after a raid at activist housing in Teglholmen.

Meanwhile protests have already started in Copenhagen. On the opening day of Cop15 there was a Die-in protest at the Bella Center along with many interventions from different goups demanding Climate Justice. Naomi Klein spoke at the opening event of the Klimaforum, saying “Let’s not restrict ourselves to polite marches and formulaic panel discussions” [report + video]. The second day of Cop15 saw protests by African groups and others following the leeking of the so-called ‘Danish text‘[2].

On wednesday, the Summit negotiations were suspended after interventions by Tivalu and other small Island states and their supporters, while youth activists took over a live webcast of climate change denial.

Information about the intended policing of the Danish borders is also becoming clearer. Borderwatchcop15 reports about police controls on the motorway near Flensburg, as well as reports of coaches getting into Copenhagen being stopped and searched. But this is not discouraging people from travelling to Copenhagen, nor is it stopping activists from setting up infrastructure in the city itself: the Be The Media / Indymedia Media Centre has now been set up and it is open for business, a First Aid Cop15 group has been set up, as well as Street Medics, a Trauma Support Group [more], infopoints and accomodation [see google map 1,2].

For more coverage see: Climate Justice Chronicle Newspaper | Democracy Now! Broadcasting Daily | OneClimate

See also:

Black Cat Social Centre (Bath) To Be Evicted! – Wednesday, 16th December

Update: We’ve just received our eviction notice. The bailiffs are due around at 11am on this Wednesday, the 16th December.

Update: We’ve just received our eviction notice. The bailiffs are due around at 11am on this Wednesday, the 16th December. We desperately need people to help with resisting the eviction, either to be in the house and be difficult to remove, or to film the bailiffs to ensure compliance with the law, or to protest in solidarity outside. This being Bath’s only autonomous social space, it’s important for us to send a message to the authorities and landowners that they can’t just sweep us aside.

After a really successful few months, the owners have decided to try and evict the Black Cat social centre – but the occupiers have decided not to go quietly. In the 3 months that it has been operating, the black cat has been home to dance classes, open days, a library, a cafe, film nights, a freeshop, a massive benefit gig raising hundreds for local causes and more – we are not going to let that go to waste because of corporate greed.

We desperately need people to help with resisting the eviction, either to be in the house and be difficult to remove, or to film the bailiffs to ensure compliance with the law, or to protest in solidarity outside. This being Bath’s only autonomous social space, it’s important for us to send a message to the authorities and landowners that they can’t just sweep us aside.

The Social Centre Collective can be contacted at BathSocialCentre@Googlemail.com, or on 07794 774 938

We are planning a peaceful solidarity demo outside the building, as well as resistance inside. We have almost unlimited crash space, so come on down and help save a space that has become valued by local residents, activists or otherwise.

You can find us at –
The Black Cat Centre
7-10 Kelso Place, upper bristol rd, Bath

Google map

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9.12.2009
The Black Cat, Bath’s only autonomous social space, has lost an extended court battle against Cabot Investments, and is due to be evicted in the near future.

Being committed to fighting the current system of land ownership by any means we can, the Social Centre collective are hoping to get together the numbers and expertise to resist the eviction for a while. If we can hold them off for a week, we reckon their sale to a housing development company will fall through! And if we hold them off for two weeks, Cabot will probably go bust! Even though we probably won’t keep the building indefinitely, this is a great opportunity to flex the muscles of community power and send a clear message of “leave us alone” to the property-owning classes of bath.

The current building is a fantastic space, with pretty much unlimited crash space available – although if you bring your own bedding it’ll help us accommodate more people – and only fifteen minutes walk from the town centre of Bath, where you can enjoy the traditional Bathonian pursuits of gawking at pigeons and despising the tourists.

The Black Cat itself has gained alot of community support, with several neighbours dropping by most days to express support and ask questions. We’ve had a fantastic benefit gig to raise money for the Postal Strike and the Bath Bomb (Bath’s best radical freesheet), with more in the pipeline, and we also provide a home to the Bath Freeshop and Radical Lending Library.

We’re currently waiting for a date for eviction, and will send out another callout when we get one. If we can get half a dozen more people here after that then we can resist – and of course if we get more, we can resist more! So come on down; it’ll be way more fun than your mates are having in Copenhagen…

The Black Cat Collective
http://blackcatcentre.blogspot.com/
7-10 Kelso Place, Upper Bristol Road, Bath (BA1 3AU)

Anthill Mob reinforce anti-expansion message during Copenhagen climate talks, London City Airport

8/12/2009

London City Airport sloganned8/12/2009
Activists in east London have painted two mega-messages against growth in aviation – and flights at London City Airport in particular – to coincide with the Copenhagen climate summit. One message saying, ‘Still climate criminals!’ is written in giant letters on the top of a 60ft hill situated just south of City Airport, which planes pass directly over.

“It’s a message to the delegates flying to and back from Copenhagen,” explains Elsie Wai, spokesperson for local anti-expansion group, the Anthill Mob. “The conscientious will be taking the train but the selfish will be flying. We’re reminding the selfish delegates that they’ll remain climate criminals until they start thinking green.”

The group are also angry about London City Airport’s continuing attempts to increase business and private flights. The airport currently has approximately 80,000 commercial flights a year but aims to increase this to 170,000 by 2030. “That means more pollution, more global warming and more misery for local people,” says Elsie.

The Anthill Mob’s second message is written in 10ft high letters along the boundary fence of Tate & Lyle’s sugar refinery – situated beside the Docklands Light Railway approach to the airport. The message reads: ‘Drop the sweet talk: no flight expansion at City Airport.’

“You only have to look around the area next to the airport to see that it is in terminal decline,” says Elsie. “The airport has made millions in profits but all we get in return is more noise and pollution. Pretty much everything at City Airport is automated. As it stands, a tiny number of people benefit from employment at the airport while the wider community and the climate suffers.”

Cases of asthma and child mortality are already above the national average in the borough of Newham – where the airport is based. Expanding the airport means a massive increase in pollution which will further blight one of the poorest areas in London.