earthfirst - Page 209

Climate Rush at Heathrow 12th January

On Monday 12th January 2009 at 7pm the Climate Rush will hit Heathrow. We will arrive in Edwardian dress (under a big coat!) with hampers of food to have our ‘Dinner at Domestic Departures’. This will be an action against the construction of the third runway and the unsustainable use of short-haul, national flights.

When the string quartet plays its first note we will reveal our dress and share our food. Ours will be the first peaceful sit-in of the environmental movement. Hundreds will join us and together we will make history. We have waited too long and been misled too many times. It is time for us to take control and to lead social change.

After a hugely successful storming of Parliament, The Climate Rush is back in town!

Any day now the government will announce its plans to expand Heathrow and no amount of marching or letter-writing will make them stop. Sipson Village will be demolished. Millions of Londoners will find themselves under new flight-paths. The UK will continue to lag behind the rest of Europe and the world as it misses climate target after climate target.

It is time to take our future into our own hands. It is time to take action.

You and all of your friends, networks and neighbours are cordially invited to our ‘Dinner at Domestic Departures’, 7pm on Monday 12th January at Heathrow Airport Terminal One. Join ‘The Climate Rush’, ‘Climate Action Now’, ‘The Women’s Environmental Network’ and Caroline Lucas MEP as we celebrate the UK public’s commitment to beating climate change.

www.climaterush.co.uk

Plane Stupid protest shuts Stansted Airport

8.12.2008
Over fifty young protesters from the climate action group Plane Stupid have this morning shut down Stansted Airport by camping on the runway and surrounding themselves with fortified security fencing.

The peaceful protest began at 3.15am this morning (Monday) whilst the runway was temporarily closed for maintenance work. Plane Stupid aims to prevent the scheduled reopening of the runway at 5am. The group intends to maintain its blockade for as long as possible, preventing the release of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

10:20am update: The Press Association reports that 57 people have been arrested, and 56 Ryanair flights cancelled.

8:10am update: At least 39 people have been arrested and the runway
re-opened. BAA are claiming that 21 flights have been cancelled. Every
minute the airport emits around 4 tonnes of CO2.

6:00am update: BAA have confirmed that the first flights out of the airport have been delayed. The average flight out of Stansted has a climate impact equivalent to 41.58 tonnes of CO2.

One young woman, Lily, aged 21 said:

“We’re here because our parents’ generation has failed us and its now down to young people to stop climate change by whatever peaceful means we have left. We’re afraid of what the police might do to us, we’re afraid of going to jail but nothing scares us as much as the threat of runaway climate change. We’ve thought through the consequences of what we’re doing here but we’re determined to stop as many tonnes of CO2 as we can.”

The young campaigners have raised a banner reading ‘CLIMATE EMERGENCY’. Wearing high visibility vests which have the message “Please DO something” printed on them, they chose this day for the peaceful trespass as they knew the runway was closed for maintenance works and no flights were due to take off or land for two hours after they arrived.

Tilly, 21, said:

“We all grew up listening to Blair and Brown talking about the urgent need to slash emissions, but nothing ever happened. Even now politicians from our parents’ generation are in Poland holding talks about talks, but still nobody’s actually doing anything. The scientists tell us we’ve got about seven years to make emissions peak then drop, and if we fail it will be the people on this runway, and our children, who’ll live with the consequences. That’s why I’m doing this.”

The campaigners chose to close Stansted after the government approved the expansion of capacity at the airport by ten million passengers a year. Aviation is Britain’s fastest growing source of emissions, already amounting to at least 13% of our country’s climate impact. With plans for new runways across the UK, including at Heathrow and Stansted, experts from the Tyndall Centre for climate research say Labour’s aviation policy alone will scupper any chance the UK has of hitting its climate targets.

Daniel, 24, said:

“We fully appreciate the scale of what we’ve done here today and we know many people will struggle to understand why we’ve done it, but the Arctic ice cap is disappearing, the seas are rising and our last chance to save our future is vanishing. With people taking more flights in Britain than anywhere else on earth, we have a unique responsibility to tackle emissions from flying.”

Intruder enters E.ON power station and switches off 2% of UK supplies

Police have begun an investigation after protesters broke into one of Britain’s biggest power stations last week [28th November 2008] and cut almost 2 per cent of the country’s electricity supplies.

Up to 500 megawatts of generating capacity was lost from the national network for about four hours after the incident at Kingsnorth coal and oil-fired power station in Kent, The Times has learnt. An intruder scaled an electric fence, entered a secure area and switched off one of four turbines supplying London and the South East.

E.ON, the German power group that operates the plant, is understood to suspect that some of its own staff or contracted employees were involved in the incident last Friday night.

According to figures from National Grid, total UK electricity demand at the time was about 33,000 megawatts – meaning that 500 megawatts represented more than 1.5 per cent of the total, enough to power a city the size of Bristol.

The protesters, who have not been caught despite much of the episode being caught on CCTV, climbed an electric security fence that was not working at the time. Having switched off Unit Two, they left through an entrance that only employees would have been familiar with. They also managed to go through a complex procedure at a control panel inside one of the turbine halls to turn the machinery off.

Kent police are involved in the investigation. E.ON has ordered an internal investigation, and is examining its own security procedures.

E.ON has become a key target for climate change protesters because Kingsnorth has been earmarked for construction of Britain’s first new coal-fired power station in decades. The plant, which has a total generating capacity of 1,960 megawatts, making it one of Britain’s biggest power stations, is to be retired from service soon and E.ON wants to build a £2 billion coal replacement, which environmentalists say would lock in the emission of many millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases for decades to come.

Protest messages were also left strewn across the turbine hall during the incident.

An E.ON spokesman confirmed that an incident had taken place in which the site was entered illegally and equipment was tampered with. “While we are respectful of people’s right to peaceful and lawful protest, this was clearly neither of those and could have had very serious implications, not least because of the potential for serious injury or worse. Thankfully, our site team responded very quickly and professionally to ensure that the situation was brought under control.

“We have launched an investigation and are working closely with the police on their inquiries. Kingsnorth power station remains operational.”

E.ON has defended its plans for a coal-fired plant at Kingsnorth by saying that it would be fitted with equipment designed to strip out carbon dioxide for safe storage.

So-called carbon capture and storage (CCS) remains an experimental technology that has not yet been demonstrated on a commercial scale anywhere in the world.

– from The Times newspaper.

– or the below from BBC News; pick & mix the facts you prefer:

Intruder shuts down power turbine

A turbine at a power station in Kent where climate change campaigners have been holding a series of protests was shut down by an intruder.

Energy company E.On said it believed whoever shut down the turbine must have had specialist knowledge to carry out the “potentially deadly” sabotage.

The shut-down happened on the night of 28 November during two days of action by the Camp for Climate Action group.

However, no organisation or individual has claimed it turned off the turbine.

“We don’t know whether it was a protester or not,” said E.On spokesman Jonathan Smith.

“But they gained access to the site, tampered with a pretty specific board and managed to turn off unit two.

“It is completely unacceptable. If you ignore the fact they have broken into our site, what they were doing was potentially dangerous, potentially deadly even.”

Targeted offices

He said engineers located the problem quickly and turned the turbine back on.

Customers were not affected by the shutdown because the shortfall was made up by other suppliers to the National Grid.

During the two days of action, Camp for Climate Action protesters targeted E.ON offices in London and across England.

It followed a week-long Climate Camp near Kingsnorth power station on the Hoo peninsular in August.

The current Kingsnorth power station is due to close in 2015 and E.ON wants to replace it with two new coal units, which it claims will be 20% cleaner.

Mr Smith said police were investigating the shutdown.

He said Kingsnorth was probably the most secure coal-fired power station in the UK.

“Security at Kingsnorth is extremely high,” he said.

“We are looking at security and working with police to make sure this can’t happen again.”

– from The Guardian newspaper:

“It was extremely odd indeed, quite creepy. We have never known anything like this at all, but it shows that if people want to do something badly enough they will find a way,” said Emily Highmore, a spokeswoman for E.On.

Yesterday the full story emerged of what happened. “It was about 10pm, very dark indeed,” said Highmore. “It looks from the CCTV like he came in via a very remote part of the site by the sea wall and got over the double layer of fences.”

The intruder then crossed a car park and walked to an unlocked door. But instead of going to the power station’s main control room, where about eight people would have been working, he headed for its main turbine hall, where no one would have been working at that time.

Within minutes, says E.On, “he had tampered with some equipment” — believed to be a computer at a control panel — “and tripped unit 2, one of the station’s giant 500MW turbines”.

“This caused the unit to go offline,” she added. “It was running at full 500MW load and the noise it would have made as it shut itself down is just incredible. CCTV shows that he then just walked out, and went back over the fence.

“It could be that no one has taken responsibility because they were so frightened by the noise it would have made. It’s probably taken them a week just to get over the shock.”

“He left a banner but it was a real DIY job. It was really scrappy. This was an old bedsheet with writing done out of gaffer tape. It was very crude,” said Highmore

“People at the station are gobsmacked,” she added. “This is a different league to protesters chaining themselves to equipment. It’s someone treating a power station as an adventure playground. You have to be trained to work here. People do not just wander about on their own. He could have killed himself. We do not have a problem with public protest but this was reckless. Whoever it was has crossed a line they should not have gone over. Power stations are dangerous places.”

(full article)

McTrial Cambridge – This Monday!

An all day trial so get some McDonalds Burgers in!

When : 8th Dec 08, 10 a.m.

Where: Cambridge Magistrates Court
12 St. Andrews Street,
Cambridge

What: Back in June an activist was arrested on a walk in protest at McDonalds. The activist is charged under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.

An all day trial so get some McDonalds Burgers in!

When : 8th Dec 08, 10 a.m.

Where: Cambridge Magistrates Court
12 St. Andrews Street,
Cambridge

What: Back in June an activist was arrested on a walk in protest at McDonalds. The activist is charged under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.

See http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/cambridge/2008/06/401637.html

Why: You may very well ask that?

Any support appreciated!

Tyres of luxury cars ventilated

December 5th 2008
This night the action Air gone! started to flatten the tyres of luxury cars as a contribution to the climate action day to paralyse climate killers.

While the climate alliance calls for promotion parodies against the greenwashing of the companies, radical climate activists went a bit further that night.

In different cities the tyres of expensive jeeps and sports cars were ventilated. Aim of the action is not only carbon expulsion, but also to put on the agenda the social and global injustices connected to climate change, the group calling for the action explained. The biggest amount of emissions are caused by the industrial states — and, as it is made more than

clear by the example of luxury cars, it is mainly the rich here as well — while the countries in the South are most affected already by the effects of climate change.

Flyers were left at the cars explaining the actiond and demanding from the owners to immidiately shut them down permanently.

Similar actions happened a year ago in Berlin and aroused a lot of public attention. This year the newspaper taz reported about the call to the action.

Meanwhile the world climate summit discussed about a follow-up of the Kyoto Protocol in Poznan (Conference of the partied COP 14), producing nothing but hot air, as a lot of climate activists think. Background info and statements from a semi-critical NGO perspective on wir-klimaretter.de. For the following summit in December 2009 an international mobilization was already started by the radical leftb from Denmark (Ungdomshuset-Scene) as well as b y sozial movements from the global south like Via Campesina

http://luftraus.wordpress.com

Students roll out red carpet for RBS greenwash award show

Students from Manchester People and Planet groups hosted an awards ceremony and awarded the Royal Bank of Scotland with the prestigious “2008 Greenwash Award”.

On Wednesday 3rd December students of Manchester hosted an elaborate awards ceremony outside the Royal Bank of Scotland offices. At 2pm, around 50 students wearing evening suits and ball gowns, rolled out a red carpet and set up a podium. The presenter bounded up onto the stage to begin the proceedings.

After Oscars style nominations in which E.On, BP, Shell and BAA were announced as runners up, RBS was declared the winner of the 2008 Greenwash Award show.[1] A mock representative from RBS’ Corporate Social Responsibility sector calling himself ‘Graham Wascha’ then gave a very entertaining yet poignant speech about RBS’ greenwash. He was rewarded with a golden statue and a large cheque congratulating their massive investments in industries that accelerate climate change.[2]

RBS-NatWest have funded almost $16billion for coal companies and exploration projects from May 2006 to April 2008[3], yet their greenwash claims that they are financing a transition to a low carbon economy. [4][5]

This award show was part of a series of actions by students from the campaigning group People and Planet against RBS and other big drivers of climate change. It follows a recent action by Manchester students against RBS and E.On which saw over 50 students demonstrating at a business recruitment fair. [6][7]

Quotes:

Abigail Dilliway, 21, primary education student at Manchester Metropolitan University says “I have chosen to take part in this action because I believe that RBS have committed a greenwash atrocity. They have chosen to only celebrate their investment in renewables whilst failing to comprehend their investment in fossil fuels and thus the devastating environmental implications of their actions.”

Alex Fountain, 20, business studies student at Manchester Metropolitan University says, “RBS claims to be committed to a long-term transition to a low carbon economy yet continues to massively fund fossil fuel infrastructures. This will lock us into high emissions for many decades to come and jeopardise any attempts to stop runaway climate change.”

ENDS

Notes to the editor:

1. Greenwash – “Greenwash (a portmanteau of green and whitewash) is a term used to describe the perception of consumers that they are being misled by a company regarding the environmental practices of the company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing.”

Wikipedia — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwash

2. Climate change is the biggest threat to a secure future currently facing humanity. If current trends continue, average global temperatures could rise by 6.4˚C by the end of the century with devastating and permanent results for the planet. — “Summary for Policymakers”, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007

3. RBS is responsible for $15.93 billion worth of loans from May 2006 to April 2008 to companies engaged in loans to companies engaged in the extraction and/or combustion of coal. — http://www.oyalbankofscotland.com/cioc/pdf/cashinginoncoal.pdf

4. In 2007 RBS’ embedded emissions (emission due to its investments) was over 43 million tonnes, more than Scotland — PLATFORM, ‘The Oil and Gas Bank – RBS & the financing of climate change’, http://www.carbonweb.org/documents/Oil_&_Gas_Bank.pdf

5. RBS claim that they only lend to projects that conform to the highest environmental and social standards yet finances some of the dirtiest and most dangerous oil & gas projects, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey criticised by the WWF and Friends of the Earth for its human rights and pollution impacts.

Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPLW2H88q7g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xm0q9_CfRw

London Critical Mass report (& recent legal ruling), & Exeter CM announcement

In the week of the law lords’ final ruling on the legal status of critical mass, friday night saw around 200 cyclists brave the damp and cold to take part in the “commonly or customarily held procession” — for the third month in a row, no police directly accompanied the ride. the ride itself was mostly fun and smooth-going, but there was a collision at marble arch that marred an otherwise succesful evening.

the mass went over waterloo bridge and then along the strand to whitehall and parliament square. after a few circles there, the next stop was outside new scotland yard, where a very loud cycle sound system notified their presence to the police (along with chants of “one-nil, one-nil”). moving on past buckingham palace and round the back streets of piccadilly, there was a brief stop at piccadilly circus.

this is the third month without direct police accompaniment, and it seems each time the mass is getting better at controlling itself and other road traffic for the safety and benefit of all. it seemed that almost everyone was empowered to have a go at ‘corking’ (blocking incoming side roads at junctions to stop motor vehicles from mingling with the mass). if done firmly and politely, the road is kept clear for the whole mass to pass, and then the inconvenience to other motorists is minimised and the cyclists keep moving safely and freely. also, the front riders stopped every now and then to allow the mass to regroup. meanwhile pedestrians were often catered for and let through at crossings etc.

there were an array of different bikes too, with a couple of modern penny farthings, a very tall ‘double decker’ bike (whose rider was heard now and then shouting for people to keep moving — it was a long way down!!), there was a rickshaw, and at least two sound systems.

after a damp start, the rain held off, things were going smoothly until at marble arch, a bicycle was hit by an irate motorist who had been briefly held up by a ‘cork’ at the top of park lane and then decided to drive like a lunatic. as several cyclists went to aid, the driver at first tried to drive from the scene of the accident, then scraped his own car door by pushing it hard open against a nearby bicycle, and then assaulted the cyclist by poking him in the eye.

several riders kept the car surrounded until police arrived. the first cops were from charing cross, and they seemed to be very much on the side of the motorist, even suggesting that they’d arrest the cyclist who was assaulted! after a while some paddington officers turned up, and acted more professionally, taking details of the various witnesses, and eventually arresting and handcuffing the crazy driver.

a shout out to the cyclists that stuck around to help. next mass on boxing day — meet (as customarily!) under waterloo bridge on the south bank at 6–6.30pm (last friday of every month)

—

Since 1994, London cyclists have been gathering every single month to cycle, party and assert their right to the road — the famous Critical Mass.

Amidst other police tactics aiming to break the d.i.y spirit of the event, the Police attempted to ban the ride in September 2005. The court case and obligatory appeals that ensued lasted for 3 years until the 26th of November 2008 when the Law Lords ruled in favour of London Critical Mass. A victory for London — but an unclear result for other Critical Masses around the country.

The Critical Mass bicycle ride has been going on in London since 1994 — a monthly gathering of cyclist who cycle together through London with no planned route and no defined leaders or organisers.

In September 1995, the police effectively tried to ban Critical Mass by claiming it was an illegal procession, and that the organisers had to inform the police of the route ahead of the event. This is an exerpt from the leaflet they distributed on that occasion :

“…Police can impose conditions on processions, demonstrations and other assemblies, and participants render themselves liable to arrest if they fail to comply with those conditions. These cycle protests are not lawful because no organiser has provided police the with the necessary notification. Your participation in this event could render you liable to prosecution. Police policy in facilitating these events is currently under review…”

It may be difficult for the police to accept it, but it is a well known fact that Critical Mass has no set organisers. While some may print leaflets and others host a website, it’s a spontaneous event ; people just show up on the last Friday of the month and ride together, anyone can go at the front and suggest itenaries. Claiming that Critical Mass is organised is like claiming that traffic jams are organised. By their letter, the police refused cyclist the status of ‘traffic’ — one of Critical Mass’ aim being to show that cyclists are traffic and should be allowed to use the road as much as cars.

The October 2005 mass saw one of the biggest turnout ever in London — showing how many people care about Critical Mass, and that people would not let the police stop it. Soon after, Des Key and Friends of the Earth started a court case against the police.

The court case took several years and went up to the House of Lords before finishing, on the 26th of November 2008, ruling in favour of critical mass. The ruling stated that Critical Mass was customary, and therefore did not need to apply for permission, or to inform the police.

The ruling however suggests that Critical Mass is a procession — refusing the idea that cyclist are traffic. As such it is not clear how the ruling may be used in the future for people setting up new Critical Masses around the UK who will not be able to claim these are customary events.

Police has been a regular feature at Critical Mass for the past 3 or 4 years — occasionaly protecting cyclists from angry drivers, but always trying to manage the ride, shouting at people who tried to do it themselves and generally being intimidating towards people who showed any form of initiative. The police were trying to transform Critical Mass into something they could understand : an event where participants are sheepish and simply do as the organisers tell them to do.

It is unclear whether it is related to this judgment, the leaving of Ian Blair or other internal police matters, but the police has not been at Critical Mass for the past two months. Now that the judgement has ruled in favor of Critical Mass, they have even less of a reason for showing up — and we are going to have to re-learn how to manage this event ourselves properly.

—

Exeter Critical Mass — meet 12.00 on Cathedral Green on Saturday December 6th. To get in the mood come along to a screening of “We are traffic” at Exeter Phoenix on Thursday December 4th at 19.00

Thursday December 4th@ 7.00 — We are Traffic Screening -
Exeter Phoenix , Bradninch Place, Gandy St, Exeter,

We Are Traffic! chronicles the history and development of the “Critical Mass” bicycle movement– one of the most spirited and dynamic social/political movements of the apathetic 90’s. In over 200 cities in 14 different countries, Critical Mass has now become a monthly ritual.

With traffic congestion, pollution, and road rage on the rise, growing numbers around the world are advocating for transportation alternatives, and Critical Mass is at the cutting edge of this mindset.

Showing in the Black Box Film, everyone welcome to stay after to talk about future events/critical masses etc and maybe for a drink at Northbridge Inn

Snacks provided — feel free to bring more snacks though!

——————————————————————————

Exeter Critical Mass — Saturday 6th December @ 12.00 Cathedral Green, Exeter -

Xmas Theme optional — decorate your bikes!

WHAT’S IS ALL ABOUT?
Critical Mass is often described as an ‘unorganised coincidence’. It happens when a lot of cyclists happen to be in the same place at the same time and decide to cycle the same way together for a while

WHAT’S THE PURPOSE?
“Everyday, all over the world, people are resisting the problem culture of the car by getting on their bikes and riding, instead of driving.

Critical Mass is a celebration of the alternatives to cars, pollution, accidents and the loss of public spaces and freedoms.

Not an organisation or group, but an idea or tactic, Critical Mass allows people to reclaim cities with their bikes, just by getting together and out-numbering the cars on the road”

WHAT HAPPENS ON A CRITICAL MASS?
Each one is different and they follow no set route, with the direction being spontaneously chosen as people cycle along. Anyone is free to join or leave the ride as it pedals along.

The ride lasts no more than a couple of hours (depending on the weather!) and usually ends in a conveniently placed pub for more drinks.

Most all, they are peaceful, safe and fun!

DO I NEED A BIKE?
Nope! Critical Mass is not just for bikes — skateboards, roller blades, wheelchairs, pogo sticks — in fact any form of non-motorised, non-polluting are all very welcome!

Protests mark the start of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Posnan (Poland)

Denmark: KlimaX rocks the COP15 summit site

Activists from the copenhagen based climate activist group KlimaX climbed onto the front of the conference site Bella Centret and threw out banners. The site is symbolic in the way that its the actual site of the COP15 summit excactly one year from now.

Denmark: KlimaX rocks the COP15 summit site

Activists from the copenhagen based climate activist group KlimaX climbed onto the front of the conference site Bella Centret and threw out banners. The site is symbolic in the way that its the actual site of the COP15 summit excactly one year from now.

“We need a humane solution to the climate crisis.” Says Sini Østergaard from KlimaX “We cannot stand by and watch while the rich countries buy CO2 quotas from the poor countries. We have take action now.”

The activists brought banners, music, cookies and tea while the security people and diplomats attending a conference watched the fun.

“The clock is ticking and time has run out. We have to face the consequences of our over-consumption in the west now.” says Thor from KlimaX.

The police arrived but didn’t bother anyone. The activists promises that they’ll continue their actions in the run-up to and under the climate summit. Already other actions are brewing for the imediate future.

The international mobilization for action at the climate summit:
http://climateaction09.org/

KlimaX — Copenhagen:
http://klimax2009.org

Video from a coorporate newspaper (ignore lame comercials):
http://ekstrabladet.tv/nyheder/indland/article1091836.ece

KlimaX — Copenhagen
international@klimax2009.org
http://www.climateaction09.org

========

USA: Monday Dec. 1

Climate Activists Invade DC Offices of Environmental Defense, Daughter
of ED Founder Accuses Group of Pushing False Solutions to Climate Change

Off-site Media Contact: Matt Wallace, Rising Tide North America,
828–280-3462
On-site Contact: Dr. Rachel Smolker, Global Justice Ecology Project
802–735-7794

***high resolution photos available soon at:
www.risingtidenorthamerica.org***

Washington, DC-As the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change opened today in Poznan, Poland, grassroots climate activists took over the Washington DC office of Environmental Defense. The activists stated that they had targeted ED, one of the largest environmental organizations in the world, because of the organization’s key role in promoting the discredited approach of carbon trading as a solution to climate change.

Dr. Rachel Smolker of Global Justice Ecology Project and Global Forest Coalition read a statement, which said in part, “My father was one of the founders of this organization, which sadly I am now ashamed of. The Kyoto Protocol, the European Emissions Trading Scheme and virtually every other initiative for reducing emissions have adopted their market approaches. So far they have utterly failed, serving only to provide huge profits to the world’s most polluting industries. Instead of protecting the environment, ED now seems primarily concerned with protecting corporate bottom lines. I can hear my father rolling over in his grave.”

The activists rearranged furniture in the office, illustrating how marketing carbon is “like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.” Others held signs reading “Keep the cap, ditch the trade” and “Carbon trading is an environmental offense.”

Leo Cerda, an indigenous activist with Rising Tide Ecuador said, “ED wants to turn the atmosphere and forests into private property, and then give it away to the most polluting industries in the form of pollution allowances that can be bought and sold. Not only is this an ineffective way to control emissions, it is also a disaster for the poor and indigenous peoples who are not party to these markets and are most impacted by climate change.”

ED has been key in establishing the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a business consortium advocating for a cap and trade system with extremely weak emissions reductions. US CAP allows polluters like Duke Energy, Shell, BP, DuPont, and Dow Chemical to claim they are green while continuing with business as usual. In recognition, activists awarded ED the “Corporate Greenwash Award,” a three foot tall green paintbrush. “We think this award is appropriate since Environmental Defense spends more time painting polluters green than actually defending the environment,” said Matt Wallace of Rising Tide North America.

Opposition to carbon trading is growing as it becomes apparent that market based schemes do little to fight climate change while helping corporations rake in profits. Earlier this year, over 50 groups came together in the US to denounce carbon trading in a Declaration Against the Use of Carbon Trading Schemes to Address Climate Change. Globally, hundreds of environmental, social justice, and indigenous groups have come together to oppose such market based initiatives as inherently unsustainable and ineffective in creating a just transition away from fossil fuels.

========

Australia: Coal-fired power station blockade on the eve of international climate negotiations

November 27, 2008: This morning, four people entered the Munmorah Coal-Fired Power Station on the NSW Central Coast, attaching themselves to conveyor belts carrying coal.

Spokesperson Ann-Marie Rohlfs says “In two days, the Rudd Government will go to the United Nations climate change meeting in Poland. Instead of showing leadership, they are set to announce weak and ineffective domestic emissions reduction targets…”
“With the upcoming release of the Climate White Paper, the Rudd Government will hand tens of billions of dollars in compensation and free permits to polluting industries. Public money would be better spent investing in a green renewable future for Australia.”

Spokesperson Nicky Ison says, “This week we witnessed the closure of the BP solar plant in Homebush Bay. Australia is missing out on tens of thousands of new jobs by continuing to prop up the coal industry and preventing the transition to a renewable energy economy.”

In September, Nobel Prize Winner Al Gore said “I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants.”

We are taking him at his word.

Today’s blockade at the Munmorah Power Station is part of a huge community effort to kick Australia’s coal habit.

“We are facing a climate emergency, but our emissions are still rising. We call on the Rudd Government to ensure 2010 is the year Australia’s greenhouse emissions peak and begin to rapidly decline.

“If half of the homes in NSW had solar hot water systems, there would be no need for Munmorah Power Station. We would save 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 annually. As the oldest power station in NSW, Munmorah Power station must be the first to go in the new green economy.”

For further comment:
Holly Creenaune- 0417 682 541
Ann-Marie Rohlfs – 0406 021 920
Nicky Ison – 0423 717 567
For high resolutions photos and video footage, contact Nicky Ison on 0423 717 567

protests against the roll-out of the ID card scheme & database

Against the imposition of ID cards on Non-EU students and marriage visa holders.

This is not the first time foreign nationals or migrants have been used as guinea pigs to test a law or technology. Examples include the Asylum Registration Cards (ARC), which is a similar card that asylum seekers have been required to carry since 2002. Once migrants have been used as a ‘road test’ for the widely opposed ID scheme, the government will start on the rest of us. From 2010 on, the government predicts that one million cards will be handed out every year.

For more background information on how this ‘drip drip’ approach to imposing biometric ID cards relates to migration management and the Home Office’s points system read:

http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=3147
http://nobordersmanchester.blogspot.com/2008/11/defy-id-cards-no-one-is-illegal.html

==========

27th November 2008
This evening approximately 13 activists from No Borders North East handed out 200 anti-ID card leaflets to shoppers in Central Newcastle. Banners and placards were also held, and a very positive response was given from the public.

Tuesday saw the introduction of Identity Cards for non-EU citizens. No Borders views this as yet another attempt to victimize an often voiceless group, and so has orchestrated a series of protests this week throughout the country.

http://www.noborders.org.uk

.….

This morning, during the peak rush hour time of 7.30 — 9.00 am, 4 activists from No Borders North East performed an anti‑i.d card banner drop from a bridge over one of the city’s busiest inner motorways. The largest banner read “No To ID Cards, Freedom For All!” and was accompanied by a smaller No Borders banner.

The reaction from the drivers below was overwhelmingly positive, with many honking horns, waving and giving thumbs up.

Today sees the start of the ID card scheme, with non-EU citizens applying for, or renewing visas for study or marriage, being made to carry a card and have their details put on the Government’s database. Immigration law already gives the Home Office powers it would like to exert over everybody. Under a cloud of anti-immigration hysteria the government is increasing it’s social control and attempting to usher in unprecedented powers of surveillance over the whole population.

The police came along while we were doing it, but didnt seem to have any problem with it. Interestingly however, they said that an anarchist symbol can be deemed offensive and thus removable under a public order act (?!). We told them that our No Borders banner with a large anarchist symbol wasn’t in fact anarchist related, and they believed us for some reason.… 😉
—

Yorkshire Activists blockade Sheffield Border Agency Centre

1.12.2008
At 8am this morning a group of Yorkshire activists blockaded the Sheffield Border Agency Interrogation Centre at Vulcan House using bicycle locks and superglue to attach themselves to both entrances. The group are there in response to the introduction of compulsory ID cards for non-EU people on student or marriage visas. They are displaying two banners, one reads “My identity is not your property” and the other “Nothing to hide? Everything to fear! Defy ID!”

Some applicants have been turned away by the Border Agency staff but many were supportive of the actions the group has taken. Speaking to a blockader, one applicant said that by introducing compulsory ID cards, the government have shown that “they just want to control people”. Border Agency staff have called the police to remove the protesters but at the time of sending (10:30am) the protesters are still in place.

An activist from Bradford (who is currently superglued to two others in front of the main entrance) said “The government are trying to introduce ID cards through the back door, targeting some of the most vulnerable people in the country.” A Sheffield activist added “If we want to save the people of Great Britain from ID cards, we must act now!”

Government legislation has meant that, since 25^th November, foreign spouses and non-EU students who apply for, or renew, visas will be forced to attend an interrogation and be issued with an ID card that will hold their name, photograph, nationality and immigration status, along with a biometric chip that will hold their fingerprints and digital image. The details will be held indefinitely on the UK Identity Service database. Delays meant that the Sheffield Border Agency Centre only began interrogations from today (1^st December).

Update — 11 activists were arrested (significantly more than were thought to be locked on) after holding the blockade for more than three hours. All released with with verbal cautions.

—

Identity Cards Protest, Lunar House, Croydon

26.11.2008
On the corner of George Street in Croydon, London, a November sun was warming the shoppers and office workers on their lunch breaks, but a few hundred metres north on Wellesley Road a biting Siberian wind seared the demonstrators outside Lunar House. It seemed appropriate that such a freezing blast should surround the UK headquarters of the Border and Immigration Agency and indeed be generated by its twenty stories of the grim early 1970s office complex. After all its raison d’être is to give would-be immigrants and asylum seeks an extremely cold reception.

Its bleak anonymity is also a warning of things to come for all of us in a Brave New Britain of state surveillance and control whose infrastructure is increasingly with us through security cameras, the interception mobile phone signals and electronic communications and the planned introduction of universal ID cards.

The picket, called by London NoBorders http://london.noborders.org.uk and NO2ID http://www.no2id.net/, marked the start of Biometric ID cards, which are being issued from today, 25 November 2008, to all non-EU students and spouses applying for, or renewing visas for study or marriage. The cards will have a photograph with name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status and biometric details, including fingerprints and digital facial image will be stored on a chip on the card as well as being held indefinitely on the UK Identity Service database.

Soon all foreign nationals in the UK will be required to have these cards, which will be rolled out to other groups including students who want a student loan by 2010. And from 2011 you will need to get one – and have your details on that database — if you want to renew or get a passport.

What worries many of us is not just the use to which our own government and security services might make of such data – linking to face recognition software working on images from security cameras and mobile phone data would enable our every move to be tracked – but the certainty that it will get into other hands – such as those of our US friends in the CIA, as well as criminal and commercial organisations who will have their own ideas about how such all-pervasive data might be used.

Among those at today’s demonstration was David Mery http://gizmonaut.net/bits/suspect.html a man who has achieved a small personal victory against the juggernaut database state.

Mery was stopped by police entering Southwark tube station on 28 July for being “calm on arrival, almost too calm” and having a largish rucksack and a strong French accent. It was three weeks after the London bombing – and — perhaps luckily for him, six days after the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. This time at least the police didn’t shoot first and ask questions later, but his treatment in the months and years following the event can most favourably be described as Kafkaesque. He finally (or at least probably) succeeded in having both his fingerprints and DNA record removed from the police databases, but it took over two years of fighting. His blog http://gizmonaut.net/ and articles are essential reading for anyone who wonders why civil liberties are important.

—

Leeds NO2ID have burnt a mock ID card in protest at the introduction of the ID card scheme for foreign nationals

Video — video/quicktime 13M

Around 20 activists braved the freezing temperatures and rain to gather in Leeds last night on the eve of the introduction of ID cards for foreign nationals.

The protest was made my burning a mock ID card in public.

The Protest passed off peacefully without the presence of West Yorkshire Police.

—

Liverpool anti-ID picket: No One Is Illegal

20 students and No Borders/anti-ID campaigners from Manchester made their way to Liverpool on 25th November, the day that the government introduced ID cards for non-EU nationals living in the UK. There they joined a group of 30 Merseyside activists outside Reliance House to protest at the introduction of compulsory ID cards for international students and non-EU spouses on that day.

Reliance House is where interviewing, photographing and fingerprinting will take place from 4th December before being issued with a biometric ID card. It is also Liverpool’s reporting centre where those seeking asylum have to ‘sign in’ on a regular basis while their claims are being processed. If their claims fail they can be held, without prior notice, in the immigration detention facility in the same building for up to 7 days.

It is thus imperative to make the connection between ID cards and the assault on the rights of non-EU nationals wanting to live, work and study in the UK. People from Manchester No Borders had brought along placards and banners proclaiming that “no one is illegal”. Where the state reinforces the division between legal and ‘illegal’ people our solidarity must extend to those most affected by the scheme.

Some mention in the news:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2008/11/25/protests-in-city-over-id-cards-100252–22330184/
http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2470740.0.Protests_as_first_ID_card_scheme_launched_in_Britain.php
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2008/11/26/protesters-say-no-to-introduction-of-id-cards-for-foreign-students-64375–22341365/

(During the picket of Reliance House, some first contact was made with individual No Border activists from Liverpool, Merseyside and North Wales. If you are from this region and want to get active in a No Borders group, please email us, so we can get you in touch)

manchesternoborders@riseup.net
http://www.manchesternoborders.org.uk

—

Over 60 people attended our protest against the introduction of Biometric ID Cards for non-EU students and spouses on Tuesday. The demonstration was held for a couple of hours at midday outside the Cardiff office of the UK Border Agency at 31–33 Newport Road. People the government is forcing to carry ID cards will have to attend this centre for interrogation, photographing and fingerprinting.

We displayed banners, held placards, waved giant mock ID cards and distributed 600 copies of this leaflet — the reaction from passers by was completely supportive. Many people used their lunchbreak to join the protest for a short while before returning to work or study. This protest was part of a nationwide day of action outside UKBA centres by No Borders Network who, along with Defy ID, NO2ID and other groups, held protests in Croydon, Liverpool, Glasgow, Solihull, and Newcastle. Though many of these protests around the country got into local newspapers, Welsh media coverage has been minimal.

This protest appears to be just the start of resistance to ID Cards, the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has threatened industrial action if the government goes ahead with it’s plan to impose ID cards on airport workers next year. Tens of thousands of people have signed up to NO2ID’s pledge not to register for a card, even if that means going to prison. No Borders South Wales will be protesting outside the Border agency again, on Wednesday 10th December when the Cardiff office will start to register people, join us if you can.

“These new ID cards are not only a repressive measure against non-EU students and spouses, they are the first shot in an attack against everyone’s liberty. In targeting a largely voiceless migrant group, who have the least chance to complain and the most to lose, the government is following a familiar path of repressive regimes throughout history. Immigration law already gives the Home Office powers it would like to exert over everybody. By resisting the repression of migrants, we defend the freedom of everyone!“

For links to leaflet, video and other stuff, see http://noborderswales.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/cardiff-protest-against-id-cards/
—

Solihull protest against the imposition of biometric ID cards on migrants

26.11.2008
Yesterday Noborders Birmingham protested against the imposition of biometric ID cards at the UK Border Agency Office in Solihull. They were met by a puzzling disproportionate police response at Dominion Court, 41 Station Road, Solihull — around 12 police officers, including 3 police vans and an evidence gatherer. This may have something to do with the policing of a previous protest around the corner at Sandford House, the home office reporting centre, where hundreds of Congolese demonstrators facing mass deportation occupied the main road http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2007/04/368076.html

A banner proclaiming ‘Freedom of Movement for All’ was held by the entrance of the UK Borders Agency Office. The police offered to ‘facilitate’ our protest by a seemingly polite offer to arrange for a metal barrier to hang our banner from. However, we realised that the six foot high hedge in front of the building would make our protest invisible to almost everyone, so instead we hung our banner by the main road and distributed around 600 leaflets to some very interested members of the public.

Following a concerned report from a dedicated community police officer earlier in the day, two equally committed council workers from the environmental and health department at Solihull Council turned up in their lunch hour to ensure that the literature being distributed was of a political, rather than commercial, nature and thus would not run afoul of local bye-laws on littering/flyering (no one seemed quite sure). This follows several other incidents known to us in central Birmingham where council officials have attempted to apply similar bye-laws (with accompanying threats of fines and court appearances) to dissuade people from handing out political literature. It has been noted before that the parliamentary legislation which serves as the basis of these bye-laws specifically exempted materials of a political nature. The council workers also showed some interest in the banner, raising concern over the manner of its attachment to some local shrubs and something else about private property, but in the end they seemed to decide that neither the public nor the shrubs were at any risk (potential, real, or otherwise) and returned to what remained of their lunch hour.

Two students from Pakistan informed us that they had to book an appointment to begin the biometric ID card process and they couldn’t return home until this had been completed. They claimed today they were told by staff that they would be required to give blood samples and have iris scans for their biometric cards so if they committed any ‘crimes’ in the UK they could be identified immediately. It appears that the private company contracted to the tune of £5.6 billion, and entrusted with sensitive biometric data, are already doing their best to impress upon applicants that ID cards will be effective at ‘fighting crime’. Liberty, the civil liberties and human rights organisation, have already expressed concern about the Government’s ability to safeguard individual’s intimate details on the National Identity Register after Government departments last year lost 30 million pieces of personal data, including those of 25 million child benefit claimants. ‘We have ID cards in our country but they aren’t biometric’ said one of the students. ‘It feels very discriminatory that we are being targeted first. Why aren’t they processing UK nationals first?’ The international students also pointed out that this was costing them a great deal of money. Not only did they have to pay exorbitant fees for their courses but on top of that they have to pay £300 for their visas and now they have to pay for their biometric ID cards and they are only permitted to work 20 hours a week. They also added that these measures would serve to put overseas students off studying here citing Australia as a more welcoming alternative.

The use of foreign nationals as guinea pigs for the more widespread introduction of ID cards is a strategy to run a testbed for the technology on people without a voice. It has become apparent that the government is likely to pick off certain sections of the community in Britain one at a time. This divide and rule strategy has been used throughout history, most notably by the Nazi regime in Germany.

When the British government came for the migrants,
I remained silent;
I was not a migrant.

When they came for the airline workers,
I remained silent;
I was not an airline worker.

When they came for the convicts,
I did not speak out;
I was not a convict.

When they came for the health workers,
I did not speak out;
I was not a health worker.

When they came for the students,
I did not speak out;
I was not a student.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

noborders-brum @ riseup.net

—

http://glasgowanarchists.wordpress.com/

—

Also in the news:

ID ‘reading’ machines on Canada and Mexico borders
‘Smart’ CCTV in Portsmouth

Buy Nothing Day reports — London x2, Norwich, Wrexham, Liverpool & Manchester

“Take your clothes off!

“Take your clothes off! Swap them with your friends for FREE!” was the message from the Space Hijackers http://www.spacehijackers.co.uk/html/welcome.html, who decided to set up their clothes swap — “the restyling fashion mash-up event of the year” — on the lower ground floor of TOPSHOP at Oxford Circus (London). The idea was to demonstrate that “we don’t need to spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need.”

The action, designed as it was to subvert one of the iconic temples of consumerism seemed to baffle police and didn’t amuse the security staff, who stopped me taking pictures there. One other photographer was manhandled out of the store, but I was treated very politely, with several security men standing between me and the action and telling me that photograph was not allowed. On of the store managers even offered to personally help me find any clothes I might wish to buy elsewhere in the store, a possibility I found most unlikely.

I left the store (with a rather large escort until I left the premises) and walked around to the side exit where I expected the clothes swappers to be ejected, arriving just before they emerged, and was able to photograph them continuing to swap clothes on the pavement in Regent Street. Here one policeman did attempt to prevent me from taking pictures, claiming I was causing an obstruction (which clearly I wasn’t) and as usual I moved back a couple of feet before returning to take pictures when he moved away.

Things did threaten to get out of hand when a rather elderly police officer (at my age all policemen are supposed to look young), helped by a ‘Red Cap’ (rather sinister private security wardens employed by the ‘New West End Company’ to ensure shoppers don’t step out of line) started to push people around, but mostly other officers took a more sensible approach, some even talking and joking with the swappers as they continued to exchange items of clothing on the pavement.

Some shoppers passing by stopped to watch, and a few took a leaflet, but there was no evidence of any Damascene conversions, most hurrying on clutching their loaded shopping bags, desperate to spend more money.

One of those taking part was held by the police for a while as they had decided he was the ringleader. He got a big cheer when he was released, waving his pink ‘Get out of TOPSHOP Jail Free’ Chance Card and the Anti-social Behaviour Act Notice for the Dispersal of Groups (see http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2003/ukpga_20030038_en_5 ) which the Met had issued. This required him to leave the Oxford St/Regent St area for the next 24 hours. Fortunately the map provided didn’t include the Red Lion, where he announced his intention of going — and at this point I also left as I was already late for a meeting with friends in Streatham. Some of the others looked as if they were going to continue their fun along Oxford Street.

========

All in all, I think it was a good action.

around 30–40 people turned up and swapped clothes, hundreds of leaflets were handed out on oxford street before the action, and when it did happen, TopShop had a shop full of Police, PCSO’s and security, they closed the entrance to the shop and removed the ‘red phone box’ meeting point display.

Lots of literature was handed out, and plenty of pretty activist flesh, (oh my).

two arrests happened, one for refusing to give a name and address (section 50 of the Police Reform Act) apparently it was anti-social behaviour. On the contrary I thought it was incredibly social behaviour show by the hijackers. Both arrests were released without charge fairly swiftly. Although one was driven to Trafalgar square and dropped off there for no apparent reason?

Later on the actions continued with a street party in Kingly Court shopping centre, and then a road blocade at Seven Dials with plenty of dancing.

thanks to all of the non-shop swappers and to the lovely people who swapped their clothes with mine for the great new outfit I have.

========

Buy nothing day — brixton report

“Buy nothing day” is an international anti-consumerist day. Put simply : people are encouraged to stop shoping for one day. In Brixton, activist set up a stall to give away free food and other free items.

Activists met at 11am at Library House to pick up vegetables and part of the content of the Library House’s freeshop. The items were brought to Brixton, and were given out for free in front of the supermarket next to the tube station.

——

To mark Buy Nothing Day, activists from Norwich Rising Tide held a Rat Race in the Norwich city centre.

The busiest high street in Norwich was today full of rats. The rats were equipped with placards reading Work Harder, Earn More Money, Buy More Things, Keep Going, and leaflets telling people to join the consumption Rat Race. The reverse of the leaflet, revealed the spoof and informed people that today was buy nothing day and perhaps they should consider the environmental and social consequences of excessive consumption.

600 leaflets were handed out in total (see below), and many passers-by expressed their support, although one by passer was heard to call “Get a job” to which one of the rat (a teacher) shouted back, “It’s a Saturday you tosser!” – the crowd of shoppers that had gathered around the rats all laughed.

——–

“Free Socks!” “Why? Who’s holding him?”
29.11.2008
In Wrexham town centre this morning, the local Freeconomy group held a Sock (FREE) Shop — that’s socks for free, not a shop free of socks or even freeing Sock. Hundreds of pairs of warm socks were distributed in subzero temperatures to people with cold feet — and hands — along with leaflets explaining what Freeconomy Wrexham does and inviting people to get involved in the happy world of giving and sharing.

There was a great deal of puzzlement about a stall offering free socks in the town centre on a busy Saturday morning.

One passing shopper came over to find out more about our campaign to free the mysterious ‘Socks’ from his captor. More commonly, people just couldn’t seem to believe that the socks were for free:

Free? What’s the catch? You don’t get anything for free… do you?

But of course you do. Or, at least, someone does.…

Loads of stuff happens for free all the time. Capitalism has only survived this long because of the free labour which is provided by anyone whose work helps someone else to get richer. Marx had something to say about this. Land and resources stolen from the people — our own Eagles Meadow included — are used by businesses to generate profit, and trashed in the process. We nurture our children for free because we love them, but all that free care and attention is what brings the next generation of workers into being — a free gift to capitalism. Much of the free stuff we do as parents, carers, partners, friends, ‘good neighbours’ and so on is largely invisible to the economy, although without it the economy as it is couldn’t function at all.

Freeconomy Wrexham is just doing a bit to raise the profile of free giving and encourage people to spread their free gifts around rather than trashing them, which is what happens when good stuff ends up at the tip, for example. We handed out socks and leaflets for about 3 hours, by which time even multiple layers of our free socks couldn’t keep our feet and hands from freezing, so we called it a day.

LEAFLET TEXT

FREECONOMY WREXHAM… Bring and Take… Free for All…

What’s it all about?

Freeconomy Wrexham is:
for everyone; environmentally friendly; sharing; giving; fun!; re-using stuff; completely free; sustainable.

Turn over to find out more…

Freeconomy Wrexham is about gift and sharing, showing that it is possible to make things work without payment or financial profit. In a world where everything seems to have a price — often more than we can afford — it can be difficult to imagine a completely free event. But all the goods on our stalls and at our events are there for the taking. Everyone is invited to come and help themselves.

Bring and Take is made possible by everyone who gives their time and energy to help out, who donates goods to be given away, who loans a venue for free or lets us use a van or bakes a cake, and — most importantly — everyone who takes away all the things that are donated!

Re-use for the planet. Before you throw anything away, think about whether someone else could use it. Natural resources, time and skills were needed to make that item. If it’s binned, all those things are lost. By sharing and re-using, we can keep wealth in our communities, help each other, create goodwill and happiness, and do a little bit to save the planet.

freeconomywrexham[at]yahoo.co.uk

——–
What, No Prices?

More than 150 people came to Next To Nowhere’s Free Shop on Saturday in Liverpool. This was a one-off event to mark Buy Nothing Day. The organisers encouraged people to come in by offering free tea and toast and free mistletoe on the street outside.

Really, it’s free

Buy Nothing Day originated in the USA in 1992. It was intended to make a statement about over-consumption and the amount of waste this generates, and encourage people to re-think their lifestyles. It generated some controversy, and still does, if the comments to the previous posting about Buy Nothing Day are anything to go by! Some people think consumption by itself is not the issue, others think the event is patronising to people who can’t afford to buy much anyway.
But none of the people who wandered into the free shop last Saturday seemed to feel patronised. Some, who had come to town to do Christmas shopping, looked in out of curiousity, and found they preferred doing some “non-shopping”, and getting some refreshments at the free cafe. People with little money were happy to take away free items they needed, and for the people who had donated things, it was satisfying to see goods they don’t need any more being taken for re-use. Not everybody who came had heard of Buy Nothing Day, and had to be reassured that everything really was free!
Whatever the general criticisms, this particular free shop worked as a co-operative event, it introduced people to the social centre who had never been there before, and it gave people a taste of how liberating it is to do without currency for once.

——–

Buy Nothing Day Manchester: Primark Feels the Wrath of Santa’s Little Workers!

On Saturday 29th November seven students braved Manchester’s heaving Market Street in support of Buy Nothing Day 2008. In festive dress and armed with some thought-provoking clothing labels of their own, the aim was to raise awareness about unnecessary consumerism over Christmas, and to reveal the true cost of high street fashion to Saturday shoppers.

The action began incognito, as the protestors secretly delivered messages questioning consumer greed and the unethical sourcing of cheap fashion into the pockets, zips, and cuffs of clothing in Primark. Messages such as “I wonder if the person who made this garment is happy?”, and “Do you really need another one of these?” were soon dotted around the bustling store and security quickly reacted, calling all cleaners to the ground floor to remove the labels. The protesters escaped unscathed, merry in the knowledge that the chances of hunting out all the labels would be pretty slim.

After a quick change of clothes the protestors took to the street, antlers and all. With a splendid banner and leaflets a‑plenty they approached the swarms of passers-by and announced that they need not spend money this Christmas to be happy. Some engaging debates ensued concerning consumerism and sweatshops. It was felt by some that only the financially privileged could afford to have a conscience, and that outlets such as Primark offered those with a lower income the chance to look (and therefore feel) good. Others had been so far unaware of shops like Primark’s association with factories in India, and were genuinely shocked at some of the stories the protestors relayed about underpaid and mistreated workers. Whilst not everybody agreed, the value of lively public debate cannot be underestimated. Talking about something is the first step to changing it and perhaps now a few people will think twice before buying something just because it is cheap. It’s real cost is inhumanely high.