earthfirst – Page 253

Lancaster ‘First’ Carnival Of Culture 2008

“The Carnival of Culture is a celebration of all that’s good and distinctive about Lancaster and a protest against the corporate takeover of our city by Centros Miller and other developers, against the wishes of the community.
From Centros Miller, the Northern Link road and out-of-town supermarket plans at Lawson’s bridge, Lancaster is subject to a barrage of proposed developments designed to benefit large companies, yet threaten the fabric and liveliness of our communities. We are tired of the lack of any say for the residents of the city as to the direction that the planners are taking us.

The Carnival is about giving Centros, the Council and any other developers a taste of the strength of our communities and of our opposition. It’s also about making links and creating lots of exciting and fun events!”

Taken fron website….

Saturday 1st of March saw Lancaster’s Carnival of Culture come off without a hitch. During the day, between 250-350 people joinedin a fantastically colourful, creative and vibrant street procession that snaked around the town through the afternoon, stopping in spots that are due to be blighted by car-parks, big box retail shopping and so forth, as well as the town square with it’s Trumpton-style Victoria statue, the City hall and the planners’ offices. We were treated to performances by a community steel band, Batala samba (leading the procession for much of the day), SistaSlap women’s african drumming group, an impromptu klezmer group, a skateboarding 10-foot Punch puppet, an alien on stilts etc etc etc.

The procession also took up the City’s one-way system in between events, with a bike sound-system providing the bassy beats. Stewards for the carnival on bikes blocked side streets and on foot, handed lollipops to car drivers caught up in the blockage. The police, it has to be said, facilitated the whole thing in a low-key manner, except for the unnecessary presence of 3 undercover cops and evidence gathering team. Why don’t they just use our website for pictures!? 😉

The protest/procession was organised over several months at open, public meetings run by consensus, and at ‘infrastructure group’ meetings (also open), with tasks divided into working groups for e.g. music, performance, carnivalism…The event itself was proceded by a street performance where corporate ‘grey men’ pulled the maggot of consumerism through saturday shoppers, sucking the souls from ‘unsuspecting’ ‘random’ Lancastrian shoppers, who were offered empty shiney bags and emerged with zombie-mask blank faces.

It is impossible to convey the ‘vibrancy’ and ‘diversity’ (we wanted to reclaim these corporate-propaganda words from the developers) of the day, it’s best to visit the website at www.carnivalofculture.org.uk. We have sent a loud and colourful, well-organised and diverse, unambiguous ‘NO’ to the corporate take-over of our city, and a multi-faceted ‘YES’ to the alternatives of non-commercial community and creativity.

carnivalofculture at googlemail dot com
http://www.carnivalofculture.org.uk

Fossil Fools Day – 1 Month to Go!

Whether you’ve been plotting for months or have just been inspired, there’s plenty of time left to plan your action. Read on for loads of resources and support…

With one month to go until April 1st, actions are being plotted up and down the country and around the world, ranging from street theatre and town centre demonstrations to high profile direct actions targeting industry operations and headquarters. Networks from Earth First! to People and Planet have got on board in helping to spread the word. National press have been in touch and are planning to cover the day. People are emailing from around the country asking for more info on planning their prank, and looking for local actions to get involved in.

We are in the middle of an unstoppable rise of creative, radical, necessary direct action against climate change… be part of it, on Fossil Fools Day and beyond.

Whether you’ve been plotting for months or have just been inspired, there’s plenty of time left to plan your action. Read on for loads of resources and support… and whatever you do, make sure to call or email us on the day so we can add your action to our end-of-day round up, and show the world what grassroots action against the fossil fuel industry can achieve.

Happy Fossil Fools Day everyone!

CONTACTS
www.risingtide.org.uk/fossilfoolsday
info@risingtide.org.uk
0796 191 7535

RESOURCES AND SUPPORT

Resources available at www.risingtide.org.uk/fossilfoolsday (get in touch if you’d like anything mailed to you in hard copy):
-actions booklet with 15 ideas for action against the fossil fuel industry, including planning tips, target locations, examples of successful actions and more
-posters, leaflets and graphics to make your own materials
-coming soon: a generic leaflet you can adapt to hand out on the day and a Q&A sheet for answering media questions

Want to find an action to get involved in?
If you’re looking to get involved where you live, get in touch and we may be able to link you up with something in your local area… or give you advice on getting your own action off the ground… or put you in touch with a local group for future actions!

Publicity
If you’re planning a publicly announced action, let us know ASAP and we can help spread the word.

Media
We’ll be sending out a national press release and may be able to direct journalists to you on the day if you wish, so any info you can let us know in advance will be really helpful – and/or a phone number to contact you on the day if that’s possible. And call or email us as soon as your action’s happened so we can include it in the end-of-day actions round-up, which we’ll be press releasing as well. Get in touch if you’d like help writing and/or sending your own press release – there’s a great guide here:
http://www.networkforclimateaction.org.uk/toolkit/press_and_media/guides_for_using_the_mainstream_media/short_guide_to_the_media.pdf

And if your action’s all sorted and you just can’t get enough of FFD… Help spread the word!
• Send an email or letter to everyone who might be interested, or who supports your group, letting them know about Fossil Fools Day and where to find out more.
• Post a Fossil Fools Day link or event description on your website, or to any other lists, blogs or websites you can think of.
• Distribute Fossil Fools Day leaflets and put up posters wherever you can – mailed to your local groups, in your community centre, office, pubs, bookshops, cafes, library, wherever you can think of. Just let us know how many you need and we’ll send them out to you!

And one last time… the call-out:

FOSSIL FOOLS DAY, April 1st 2008
Pull a prank that packs a punch.

Roll up, roll up! The climate circus is in town. Climate change threatens our very survival, but the fools at the head of the fossil fuel empire continue to plunder the earth, with governments the willing court jesters at their side.

They would have us believe that we can escape climate change with techno-fixes, market mechanisms and offset schemes – all technocratic acrobatics that distract us from the truth: the only real solution to climate change is to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

For over a century the fossil fuel industry has been fooling with our lives. From extraction to combustion they have poisoned our air, polluted our water and ruined our climate. On April 1st, 2008, we’re going to turn the tables and show them who the real fools are.

Find a local fossil fool – the coal-mining clown, the offset contortionist, the aviator tripping on the high wire, the supermarket food mile freak show, the oily strong man, or any other fool that deserves your attention – and take direct action to end the fossil fuel empire.

On Fossil Fools Day, bring the spirit of carnival and mischief to the fight for climate justice.

PS. Don’t forget, Fossil Fools Day kicks off a season of action…
3 MONTHS, 3 DAYS OF ACTION
April 1st: Fossil Fuels
May 1st: False Capitalist Solutions
June 3rd: Food and Climate Change
www.networkforclimateaction.org.uk
www.daysofclimateaction.org.uk

and…
August 4-11: Camp for Climate Action 2008
www.climatecamp.org.uk

CLIMATE ACTION NEWS SHEET 77, MARCH 2008

CONTENTS:
———————————————-
UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS:
———————————————-
1) FOSSIL FOOLS DAY – INTERNATIONAL, 1.4.08
2) MAYDAY! MAYDAY! INVASION OF THE CLIMATE SNATCHERS – INT’L, 1.5.08
3) CLIMATE ACTION WITH A BITE! – INTERNATIONAL, 3.6.08
4) “PEOPLE ARE STILL THE SAME” – BRECON, 8.3.08
5) PADDY’S DAY OF ACTION AGAINST SHELL – IRELAND AND BEYOND, 17.3.08
6) BIKES NOT BOMBS TOUR – LONDON TO ALDERMASTON, 22-24.3.08
7) TERMINAL 5 FLASHMOB – HEATHROW, 27.3.08
8) CLIMATE BILL PUBLIC MEETING – LONDON, 22.4.08
9) COIN WORKSHOPS – NATIONAL, MARCH-APRIL 2008
10) NATIONAL CLIMATE FORUM – LONDON, 14-15.6.08
11) EARTH ACTIVIST TRAINING – GLOUCESTERSHIRE, 12-26.7.08
12) ENVIRONMENT CAMPAIGNER AWARD – 2008
13) LILI COURSES IN APRIL – BUCKS/LONDON/SHEFFIELD

———————————————-
RECENT HAPPENINGS:
———————————————-
1) CLIMATE EMERGENCY AT HEATHROW, THEN WESTMINSTER – 25.2.08 / 27.2.08
2) RATCLIFFE ACTION VERDICT – NOTTINGHAM, 25.2.08
3) BP AMERICA, EXXON MOBIL AND CO. IN THE DOCK – ALASKA, 27.2.08
4) HANDS OFF IRAQI OIL! ACTIONS – UK AND NETHERLANDS, 23.2.08
5) EARTH FIRST! BLOCKADES POWER PLANT CONSTRUCTION – FLORIDA, 18.2.08
6) RTNA/EARTHFIRST! PIPELINE ACTION – PORTLAND, U.S. 23.1.08
7) SABOTAGE AT GLENSANDA – YORKSHIRE, FEBRUARY 2008
8) PLANKTOS DUMPING SCHEME DEFEATED BY ANTI-WHALERS – MADEIRA, 14.2.08
9) COMMUNITY HALTS SHELL – IRELAND, 12.2.08
10) CRITICAL MASS HERO CLEARED – BRISTOL, 7.2.08
11) KLIMAX SURGE ON! – SWEDEN, JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2008
12) TARA CAMPAIGN UPDATE – FEBRUARY 2008
13) 15 ACTIONS TO TOPPLE THE FOSSIL FUEL EMPIRE – FEBRUARY 2008
14) RISING TIDE POP-ED RESOURCE PACK – FEBRUARY 2008
15) “RISING TO THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE” BOOKLET – FEBRUARY 2008
16) “BURNING CAPITAL” – FEBRUARY 2008
17) SPIRIT OF FREEDOM – FEBRUARY 2008
18) CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTIONS CENTRE – FEBRUARY UPDATE 2008
19) “THE AGE OF STUPID” – FEBRUARY 2008
20) AIRPORT WATCH BULLETIN – FEBRUARY 2008
21) CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE – WEBSITE 2008

———————————————-
UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS:
———————————————-
1) FOSSIL FOOLS DAY – INTERNATIONAL, 1.4.08
Roll up, roll up…the circus is coming to town, and it’s going to be big!
For over a century the fossil fuel industry has been fooling with our lives. From extraction to combustion they have poisoned our air, polluted
our water and ruined our climate. On April 1st, we’re going to turn the
tables and show them who the real fools are. Rising Tide’s call has been
backed by Network for Climate Action, Global Exchange and Rainforest
Action Network. There are actions planned across the country and around
the world – let us know what you get up to! (Or tell us in advance if you
can and we’ll help spread the word, get media attention, etc.) Contact
local groups or just do it yourself. Show the fossil fool clowns what you
think of their freakshow – It’s time to Pull a Prank that Packs a Punch!
Resources and ideas are available from;
http://risingtide.org.uk/fossilfoolsday/resources
http://www.networkforclimateaction.org.uk/
Also see; http://www.fossilfoolsday.org/
and; http://risingtide.org.uk/node/241
Contact no: 07961 917 535

2) MAYDAY! MAYDAY! INVASION OF THE CLIMATE SNATCHERS – INTERNATIONAL, 1.5.08
From biofuels to nuclear power, carbon-trading to hydrogen fuel cells,
dumping urine in the ocean to carbon capture – everywhere corporations are
seeking the elusive elixir which allows them to continue with business as
usual. All these technologies are a distraction from the real solutions –
a massive reduction in our consumption and far-reaching social change. On
May 1st, International Workers Day, we will challenge these false
solutions to climate chaos.
http://networkforclimateaction.org.uk

3) CLIMATE ACTION WITH A BITE! – INTERNATIONAL, 3.6.08
Climate action starts on your dinner plate, in the supermarket, at the
food processing and distribution centres, on the farm, in your allotment
or your back yard. The foods we eat are responsible for about a third of
our greenhouse emissions. It’s time for us to switch to plant-based,
organic, seasonal and locally produced food. Whether you’re into local
food, permaculture, animal rights, allotments, humanitarian issues, food
politics or transport campaigning, make the links and take action to
highlight the role of the food industry in climate chaos.
http://networkforclimateaction.org.uk

4) “PEOPLE ARE STILL THE SAME” – BRECON, 8.3.08
A one-day event showcasing artworks created in response to interviews,
dialogues and documentation of the construction of the South Wales gas
pipeline.
From 3pm till dusk: Current State Dystopia – a video projection in the
tunnel underneath the A40 road and: Books – a sound and slide installation
in Dingle Wood. 6pm: Going Home – projection and music in Penpont Church.
RSVP morag@cooptel.net or telephone 01874 636269 www.penpont.com

5) PADDY’S DAY OF ACTION AGAINST SHELL – IRELAND AND BEYOND, 17.3.08
This year´s St Paddy´s day, 17th March, has been called as an
International day of action against shell, in solidarity with the people
of Rossport. People from all over Ireland are set to join forces and show
their united strength by going all the way to London to demonstrate on
Shell´s front door step.
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20124
http://gluaiseacht.nologic.org/wordpress

6) BIKES NOT BOMBS TOUR – LONDON TO ALDERMASTON, 22-24.3.08
Bikes not bombs are planning a bicycology bike tour from London to
Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment to mark the 50th anniversary of
the Aldermaston Peace March. The ride is expected to take 3 days
(22nd-24th March). More than 5000 people are expected to attend the
“Surround The Base” event at Aldermaston on the 24th. If you are
interested please email; info@bikesnotbombs.org.uk
Also see www.cnduk.org/aldermaston

7) TERMINAL 5 FLASHMOB – HEATHROW, 27.3.08
Be at T5 International Arrivals at 11am to put on (or strip to reveal)
your brightly coloured “Stop Airport Expansion” t-shirt: a visible
presence of public opposition to the madness of airport expansion. Wander
round for a bit, have a coffee, leave when you like. Wearing a t-shirt is
not (yet) a crime!
Order your free T-shirt today: stopairportexpansion@gmail.com or 0845 458
2564.
The Government/BAA see the opening day of Terminal Five (the biggest
terminal ever built in the UK, and the subject of the longest Public
Inquiry in British history) as an opportunity to put the case for further
airport expansion. Join the flash mob to highlight the real problems that
airport expansion causes: climate change, noise, air pollution and
community destruction.
http://www.t5flashmob.com/

8) CLIMATE BILL PUBLIC MEETING – LONDON, 22.4.08
Friends Meeting House, Euston, London, 7.30pm. A chance to attend a public
meeting with Hilary Benn MP (Environment Secretary) and Peter Ainsworth
(Shadow Environment Secretary) and join the calls for a strong climate
change law.
More info: howard.whitehead@foe.co.uk

9) COIN WORKSHOPS – NATIONAL, MARCH-APRIL 2008
(a) Climate Change Condensed will be happening in Cheltenham on the 6th
March.
(b) Climate Action Groups matchmaker evening, Tue 11th March 4:30 –
7:30pm, The Environment Council, London. Anyone who has attended any of
the COIN/TEC series of trainings can attend this for free.
(c) Do you work for the NHS? COIN is offering a tailored Climate Change
Speaker Training in London on March 14th. See;
www.healthandsustainability.net
(d) Communicating Climate Change, a one-day workshop, in partnership with
Vale
Royal Borough Council on Friday, April 11th.
Further trainings coming soon in Birmingham, Manchester and Scotland.
Would you like COIN to run trainings in your local area? – give Mim a call
on 01865 727911 or email mim@coinet.org.uk
See the COIN website for details on all the above; www.coinet.org.uk

10) NATIONAL CLIMATE FORUM – LONDON, 14-15.6.08
This event offers a wide range of workshops and seminars all dealing with
different aspects of the climate change crisis, probable solutions and
future developments in national and international climate policies. Venue;
South Camden Community School, London. Follow the link below to look at
the program and speakers from last year climate conference.
http://www.campaigncc.org/conference.shtml

11) EARTH ACTIVIST TRAINING – GLOUCESTERSHIRE, 12-26.7.08
A permaculture design course and more for activists! Learn the skills to
transform a piece of land, a community, and our political and economic
systems.
COSTS: (Including tuition, two weeks accommodation and all meals) £150 –
£500 sliding scale according to income. If you are interested in taking
part in the course, download an application form from:
http://www.earthactivisttraining.org/
Or write to: Earth Activist Training, c/o 59 Chelsea Park, Bristol, BS5 6AH.

12) ENVIRONMENT CAMPAIGNER AWARD
The Environment Awards (organised by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation) are
an opportunity for grassroots campaigners to receive a bespoke programme
of support and skills development designed to help them take their
campaign to the next level. See www.sheilamckechnie.org.uk for details of
how to apply.

13) LILI COURSES IN APRIL – BUCKS/LONDON/SHEFFIELD
Low-Impact Living Initiative: (01296) 714184 www.lowimpact.org

———————————————-
RECENT HAPPENINGS:
———————————————-
1) CLIMATE EMERGENCY AT HEATHROW, AND THEN WESTMINSTER – 25.2.08 / 27.2.08
On the 27th, campaigners opposed to Heathrow expansion scaled the roof of
the Houses of Parliament and hung protest banners from the building. The
protesters also made paper aeroplanes out of confidential Whitehall
documents and flew them into the MPs’ car park below! The documents –
obtained under the Freedom of Information Act – prove that airport
operator BAA wrote parts of the consultation document and that the
government has already decided to build a 3rd runway and 6th terminal at
the world’s biggest international airport.
http://www.planestupid.com/?q=content/plane-stupid-scales-parliament
Two days earlier Greenpeace campaigners had climbed on to one of
Heathrow’s short-haul flights and covered the tailfin of the plane with a
huge protest banner that read “CLIMATE EMERGENCY – NO 3rd RUNWAY”.
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/climate-campaigners-bring-peaceful-protest-to-heathrow-20080225
Also on the 25th, the Heathrow end-of-consultation rally at Westminster
was a packed-out success, with thousands of residents, politicians and
environmental campaigners pledging to resist plans to extend Heathrow –
http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/
The distribution of 50,000 leaflets and the actions of anarchist art troop
Weird Load helped make the rally such a success:
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20050

2) RATCLIFFE ACTION VERDICT – NOTTINGHAM, 25.2.08
Following their attempts to halt operations and thus diminish CO2
emissions at the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station last April, 10 activists
were recently back in court. Unfortunately the defendants’ defence of
environmental necessity was rejected and they were found guilty. The judge
had earlier said that he wished to compliment all the defendants on the
presentation of their case.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/02/392323.html

3) BP AMERICA, EXXON MOBIL AND CO. IN THE DOCK – ALASKA, 27.2.08
Meanwhile, in Alaska, lawyers for the native coastal village of Kivalina
have filed a suit arguing that 5 oil companies, 14 electric utilities and
the country’s largest coal company were responsible for the relocation of
villagers because of flooding caused by the changing Arctic climate.
“There has been a long campaign by power, coal and oil companies to
mislead the public about the science of global warming,” the suit says.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/us/27alaska.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Flooded+Village+Files+Suit%2C+Citing+Corporate+Link+to+Climate+Change+&st=nyt&oref=slogin

4) HANDS OFF IRAQI OIL! ACTIONS – UK AND NETHERLANDS, 23.2.08
In solidarity with the Iraqi peoples’ struggle against the plunder of
their oil reserves, there were actions in Birmingham, London, Liverpool,
Wrexham, Coventry and Amsterdam.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/02/392315.html

5) EARTH FIRST! BLOCKADES POWER PLANT CONSTRUCTION – FLORIDA, 18.2.08
Dozens of concerned community members from Palm Beach County and across
the States put their bodies on the line to halt construction of a massive
gas-fired power plant. A dozen activists locked themselves together
through metal pipes as 200 supporters rallied around them. The blockade
stopped work on the construction site for six hours before a total of 27
people were arrested.
http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/2008/02/19/blockade-shuts-down-south-florida-power-plant-construction-27-arrested/
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20038

6) RTNA/EARTHFIRST! PIPELINE ACTION – PORTLAND, U.S. 23.1.08
The above blockade followed another combined action where Cascadia Rising
Tide joined forces with Stumptown Earth First! to hold an action and rally
at the Portland office of NW Natural in protest at their involvement in
Liquefied Natural Gas pipelines, which threaten to clear-cut strips of
forest throughout Oregon for new fossil fuel infrastructure. Activists
piled trees around the office entrance and hung a large banner which read
– “There’s nothing Green about Clear-cuts, No new pipelines”.
http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/2008/01/23/cascadia-rt-organizes-anti-lng-action-at-nw-natural/

7) SABOTAGE AT GLENSANDA – YORKSHIRE, FEBRUARY 2008
An aggregates processing plant on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National
Park has been sabotaged. 20% of the stone extracted will go to major road
network construction across Europe. The plant in Yorkshire was entered and
vehicles, including all bulldozers, had holes drilled in vital parts of
their engines and their tires. Both control rooms were broken into and all
computers and instrument panels were smashed. Keys to all buildings and
machinery were removed from the site. The message “Stop Glensanda” was
left.
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20043

8) PLANKTOS DUMPING SCHEME DEFEATED BY ANTI-WHALERS – MADEIRA, 14.2.08
Planktos, the California company trying to turn a profit by fertilizing
the ocean with iron dust, has pulled the plug on planned field tests. On
the company’s web-site, a simple notice blamed the shutdown on a “highly
effective disinformation campaign waged by anti-offset crusaders.” In
November 2007, the anti-whaling ship Sea Shepherd confronted the Planktos
vessel and forced it to move onto Madeira. And there it stayed until its
recall last month.
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/19989

9) COMMUNITY HALTS SHELL – IRELAND, 12.2.08
The Erris community continues to protect the land – survey work was
stopped and trucks were blocked. Local people prevented Shell from illegal
work for 4 hours until Gardai forced through workers, injuring protesters.
http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=1686
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/19977

10) CRITICAL MASS HERO CLEARED – BRISTOL, 7.2.08
In May last year, someone stood in the road and tried to stop a car that
had hit a Critical Mass cyclist, from driving away. For that he was
arrested for obstructing the highway, thrown to the floor by his neck
whilst handcuffed, and then – surprise surprise – also arrested for
assaulting a police officer.
After 9 months of nervous waiting, he was finally cleared of all charges,
as Bristol Magistrates Court accepted a submission that the police
evidence was at best ‘severely flawed’ and at worst, fabricated, and the
trial was stopped.
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/19971

11) KLIMAX SURGE ON! – SWEDEN, JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2008
Groups of activists connected to Klimax, Sweden’s direct action movement
against the root causes of climate change, struck repeatedly last month.
At Malmö Airport, seven activists were apprehended when trying to break
into the runway, some of them dressed as polar bears. Some 30 activists
put up a blockade in the middle of the highway running through Umeå, the
largest city in northern Sweden.
A similar number staged a protest outside the office of Swedish Meat, a
major meat corporation, to highlight the severe effects the industry is
having on our climate. Another 50 activists marched into the traffic on
one of the major streets in inner city Stockholm, seizing it for 15
minutes. The action was directed against a planned mega-highway, to be
built in the western parts of the capital.
http://klimatet.org/2008/02/17/action-report/
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20019
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20035

12) TARA CAMPAIGN UPDATE – FEBRUARY 2008
Lock-ons and digger-diving, plus protest camp contact.
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/19996
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20126

13) 15 ACTIONS TO TOPPLE THE FOSSIL FUEL EMPIRE – FEBRUARY 2008
Rising Tide’s newest resource, on why and how to take direct action
against the fossil fuel industry… including planning tips, target
locations, examples of successful actions and more. Email us for a hard
copy or download it here:
http://risingtide.org.uk/resources/other

14) RISING TIDE POP-ED RESOURCE PACK – FEBRUARY 2008
A popular education resource packed with tools to help you run engaging,
interactive workshops on all aspects of climate change for a wide range of
people. Download it here: http://risingtide.org.uk/resources/other

15) “RISING TO THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE” BOOKLET – FEBRUARY 2008
Climate change myth-busting booklet designed to help people cut through
the fog of confusion and mixed messages about climate change and to be a
useful resource for community groups and individuals all over Scotland.
Download from the website at www.sead.org.uk

16) “BURNING CAPITAL” – FEBRUARY 2008
This compelling series of short films explores the role of Britain’s
largest corporation in the growing climate crisis. Burning Capital is a
video voyage through the murky world of oil giant BP, who kindly delivered
1.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere last year.
Watch the films now at; http://www.platformlondon.org/burning

17) SPIRIT OF FREEDOM – FEBRUARY 2008
Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network newsletter. They’re in there
for us out here – Please write!
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/19960

18) CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTIONS CENTRE – FEBRUARY UPDATE 2008
A group of environmental and community-based organisations in the South
West have made a bid to found an independent, inter-disciplinary ‘Climate
Change Solutions Centre’, on the site of an ex-agricultural college
currently owned by Plymouth University. For more details, and information
on how to support the plans, please see; www.climatechangecentre.co.uk

19) “THE AGE OF STUPID” – FEBRUARY 2008
A climate change documentary for the big screen from Franny Armstrong
(McLibel) and John Battsek (One Day In September). Mixing documentary
footage, drama and cutting-edge animation, and starring Pete Postlethwaite
as an old man living in the devastated world of 2055. As he watches
‘archive’ footage from 2007, he asks himself: Why didn’t we stop climate
change when we had the chance? http://www.ageofstupid.net

20) AIRPORT WATCH BULLETIN – FEBRUARY 2008
For information about the campaigns against suicidal expansion at
Heathrow, Bristol, London City, Lydd, Carlisle, Newquay and other airports
see; www.airportwatch.org.uk

21) ‘CAUSES CLIMATE CHANGE’ WEBSITE
Subvertising ideas and resources.
http://www.causesclimatechange.blogspot.com/

———-

Please send anything you’d like included in this news sheet to:
newssheet@risingtide.org.uk

To view previous editions of the Rising Tide News Sheet, visit the News
Sheet Archive at http://risingtide.org.uk/newssheet

This News Sheet was brought to you by Rising Tide, a grassroots network
of groups and individuals committed to taking action and building a
movement against climate change.

For more information…
email: info@risingtide.org.uk
Phone: +44 (0)845 458 8923 / +44 (0)7708 794665
Address: 62 Fieldgate St, London, E1 1ES
Web site: http://risingtide.org.uk

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Mass Action: Refuse to Pay on trains to London, 20 April

A mass climate action is taking place on Sunday 20th April in London. People will board trains into central London, refusing to pay the high prices. There will be a convergence in the central London terminals at around 1pm. The action aims to highlight how the current public transport prices are unaffordable and must be radically lowered if we are to get people out of their carbon intensive cars.

All are invited to take part in a mass action against soaring public transport prices on Sunday 20th April. We encourage people from all walks of life to board trains into the central London terminals, refusing to pay the fare. People will converge together at the terminals at around 1pm. The action is highlighting the fact that public transport must become drastically cheaper and affordable if it is to become a viable alternative to the dominant carbon heavy motoring. It will be a chance to collectively rise up and declare that we are not going to accept how much it costs to travel by sustainable means, and a warning to both the government and private train companies that these actions will continue until public transport prices are brought down massively.

The action is being organised by The Student Climate Project, because choosing whether or not to own a car is a decision many students are faced with. Many will opt to own a car simply because an affordable and accessible alternative is not available. This action gives students an empowering opportunity to contribute to changing the fundamentals of our carbon intensive infrastructure and economy, rather than merely feeling guilty about their own personal emissions. But, of course, you don’t need to be a student to take part in the action!

Since 1980 motoring has increased by an alarming 87%, and continues to grow despite the ongoing threat of climate change. This might have something to do with the fact that, in this time period, public transport costs for the user have risen by 40% in real terms, whereas motoring costs have decreased by 14%. [1]

If anyone is in any doubt about the emission reductions public transport can bring, then you need look no further than the Department for Transport’s own calculations. In a parliamentary answer in July 2004, the Department stated that taking the train from London to Manchester would mean just 14% the carbon emissions of taking the car for the individual passenger. [2]

Climate Change needs to be tackled today. We need 90% cuts in UK emissions before 2030 if we are to avoid going beyond tipping point where the climate system will spiral out of our control completely. As well as rapidly doing away with carbon intensive means of transport, we must also ensure the sustainable alternatives become available for all.

Therefore, let’s come together on this action and bring about positive change: putting public transport first!

More information will follow very shortly at www.studentclimateproject.org.uk and you can also email process@studentclimateproject.org.uk for info and resources for the action.

References

[1] http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/trends/current/section1rvc.pd
[2] http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/vo040708/text/40708w05.htm

networking@studentclimateproject.org.uk
http://www.studentclimateproject.org.uk

squatting news – London, Leeds & Manchester – updated

Second court reprieve for RAMpart2
3.03.2008
The squat opened as a backup venue to the rampART social centre in east london today enjoyed it’s second courtroom reprieve. Twice now it has been served with an application for a Interim Possession Order. The first time the claimants failed to turn up at the hearing and today they admitted that they had failed to correctly serve notice on the defendants so it was thrown out of court. The owners will be apply for the third time and the papers are expected to be served sometime Tuesday with a court date probably sometime next week (although it could be earlier if there is an available time slot at the court).

Whether it will be rampART or RAMpart2 which gets evicted first remains a neck and neck race. A new building is being sought. If you have suggestions please contact the collective via rampart at mutualaid dot org.

Check out the photo essay about london’s secret social centre…

http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/london/2008/02/392529.html

///////

rampART and RAMpart2 evictions
25.2.2008

All very gloomy news from the various parts of the rampART. This morning there was a hearing to decide whether there would be an appeal against the granting of the possession order relating to Rampart Street. The judge decided there would be no appeal.

The possession order originally granted for the 3rd of Jan is now active and the owners may now get a warrant to enforce the order and book the bailiffs for an eviction. This could be within two or three weeks although this is just a guess and we’ll know more in a day or two.

Meanwhile, a new set of papers was served (kind of) on RAMpart2 and the hearing date is the 3rd of March (ie. next monday). The hearing is both for an IPO and ordinary possession order (which seems a little weird) and assuming they actually bother to turn up this time we seem to have no defense beyond a few technicalities. If they get the IPO then we’d be evicted tuesday 4th March.

A new building is urgently required.

===============

Part of the international weekend of action in support of squats and autonomous spaces around the world (see www.april2008.squat.net for more info).

A Celebration of Free Spaces
Leeds City Centre, Friday 11th – Saturday 12th April 2008

Across the world, communities are under threat as city “regeneration schemes” favour a glamorous , business-friendly environment over and above issues such as community,. social housing and diversity. Leeds is no exception as PFIs and similar privatised “regeneration” programmes threaten communities across the city.

We want to show that communities throughout our city are not prepared to lie down and accept this!

For this weekend we are planning a squatted space in Leeds City Centre, featuring:

– cafe
– focus on housing / squatting / gentrification
– free shop
– family friendly space: daytime cafe will be alcohol-free & drug-free space
– opportunity to link up with other communities threatened by the above issues

…but most importantly the space will be open for whatever you want it to be: an opportunity for films, displays, art, workshops… to get involved give us an email on leedssquat@googlemail.com or call 07526 261061.

===============

Manchester Space Invaders Landing April

11th & 12th April have been named as ‘international days of action on autonomous
spaces’. There will be things happening in Europe including squatted
buildings, parties, Reclaim the Streets, land occupations and more!
We have started an organising group to kick start ideas for action in Manchester. From reclaiming the streets to guerilla gardening..from a ceilidh to a
vegan cafe…free party to permaculture space…

MANCHESTER SPACE INVADERS LANDING SOON!

Decentralised days of action (April 11-12th) meeting
Thursday 21st February 7-9pm

15 people met from various different networks to begin planning for the autonomous
days of action in April..

What are the days of action?

The squatting network met recently in Leeds, and the next national squat meeting
will be in September 2008, in Manchester and the focus will be on skill sharing, and
the possibility of a mass squatting action.

Ideas for action for 11-12 April. We discussed lots of options for the days of
action… From reclaiming the streets to guerilla gardening..from a ceilidh to a
vegan cafe… Consensus was that it would be good to combine doing a squat with a
positive, inclusive, outdoor event, reclaiming a public space in the city..

We discussed the capacity needed to make these ideas happen..so if you have time,
equipment or skills please get involved! People are up for making squatted social
spaces, there have been 2 previous TAA’s (Temporary Autonomous Art spaces) in
Manchester that have been in squatted buildings. There have been TAAs all over the
country.

To find out more about potential areas we are looking at for the squat, street party
and park, come to the next meeting.

A building could be the nucleus for what we do and somewhere to base the weekend.
Everyone agreed that it’s vital to have time and space set aside for
workshops, meeting space and events. It could create a collective that
wants to keep a squatted social centre going for a while. There are community
centres being shut down all over the city at the minute.

We need money and people with skills to share and squatting experience. Please get
in touch if this applies to you! you don;t have to come to lots of meetings, but it
would be great if you could join our team to help make these plans a reality!

We are developing a resource for legal information and to clarify what is involved
in squatting..

We call for networks and autonomous groups across Manchester to get involved…
Basement/Critical Mass/Under the Pavement/Indymedia/Open Media Collective/
Manchester Animal Protection/Temporary Autonomous Artists/Campaigns Collective/No
Borders/Manchester Climate Action/Soundsystems/
LGBT Groups/Queer/Feminist/Permaculture/Food not Bombs/Musicians
and many more besides!

Next meeting: Thursday 6th March 7pm Meeting Rm 3 University of Manchester Students
Union, Oxford Rd.. please note this is an accessible venue.

People will split into working groups and start to
consider practicalities.

To join the email list:
https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/manchesterspaceinvaders
then click on subscribe
email manchesterspaceinvaders@yahoo.co.uk

Sankofa Foundation in Crisis & ASBO social centre disintegration

Amidst the recent disintegration of the ASBO project the Sankofa Foundation has been suffering and surviving, but now the end may be in sight for our Burns Street office.

Sankofa therapist Miriam Hollis recently wrote this message asking for help, which can also be read on the Sankofa blog – sankofafoundation.blogspot.com

Amidst the recent disintegration of the ASBO project the Sankofa Foundation has been suffering and surviving, but now the end may be in sight for our Burns Street office.

Sankofa therapist Miriam Hollis recently wrote this message asking for help, which can also be read on the Sankofa blog – sankofafoundation.blogspot.com

The Sankofa Foundation and impact of vandalism in the immediate short term to the survival of the project

www.sankofafoundation.org.uk

The Sankofa Foundation is a psychotherapeutic service for seekers of asylum and their families, refugees and those granted humanitarian protection. We are based in Nottingham and take referrals from Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and South Yorkshire. In fact, if we have the capacity, we won’t turn anyone away. We are a not for profit service and we do not receive any state or charitable funding. We offer appointments to anyone who is suffering from trauma arising from experiences of torture, imprisonment, violence, witnessing of violence or sexual assault in their country of origin. We also offer support to people suffering from trauma arising from the process of asylum and destitution. Our services are free at the point of delivery and we rely on donations from supporters of The Sankofa Foundation.

History:

Sankofa arose out of another project which was accessed by young people seeking asylum and who were without their families ( Unaccompanied Minors). Due to unexpected funding cuts to the provision of a service to these young people, the decision was made to continue to offer psychotherapy to those young people who were in critical need. Without funding or a base, social services in Nottingham offered a room for meeting with their own referrals. The service continued and was based in the offices of social services over three days a week for over a year. Efforts were made to move towards charitable status. However, when Sankofa became aware that the Local Authority in Nottingham were not complying with the decision in the Hillingdon case 2003, Sankofa needed to relocate in order to support young people to access appropriate guidance and legal advice in pursuit of their rights under the law. Pursuit of charitable status was set aside in order to meet the needs of this very busy time.

Social activists had taken the occupancy of a disused local authority building. Previously, the building, which had been three large Victorian three storey terraces with shared courtyard, had been divided into flats and occupied by tenants of the local authority. However, the buildings had been unused for over eight years, apart from casual use on a regular basis by people with serious drugs habits, and women sex workers. Local residents were upset by what was happening in their neighbourhood and supported the occupation of the buildings by social activists who repaired windows and floors, painted and furnished and set up projects very quickly which benefitted the local area. Within a short amount of time the building, which had been deteriorating fast ( as documented by freelance photographic journalist, Tash) was looking occupied, the gardens were tidied, and the uninspiring back yard was greening up with bath tubs and containers full of herbs and tomatoes, which nasturtiums tumbling out of them in full colour in the summer. A Community Centre was established ( and entered in the Directory of Community Centres), and within the Community Centre, a free shop was opened, inviting donations of useable goods and clothing which were available free to anyone who needed them. A Community lending Library was opened, an internet cafe, a bicycle maintenance workshop, a community arts room with regular activities for children, and a free Community meal once a week for anyone who needed a hot meal ( vegetables donated from local greengrocers).

Into this busy and engaged space, Sankofa was offered a base. Encouraged to approach the Community by Bill Walton of NNRF Destitution Group, our original room was in a disused ground floor flat, and shared with the Community Printworks who had equipment in the kitchen. We had no glass in the windows and only one room was useable due to problems with flooring in an adjacent room. A team worked long into the nights to glaze the windows, fix the flooring and decorate. With furniture obtained through the freecycle network and a computer donated from friends in other counselling services, within a week, Sankofas new therapy room was hosting a meeting which was to have an impact on the provision for unaccompanied asylum seeking children in Nottingham. The Refugee Council (GB) Childrens Panel, the Co-Ordinator of the asylum Project at the Childrens Legal Centre (University of Essex), National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) and 23 young people seeking asylum and in the care of the local authority ( with more popping in and out throughout the day) met to discuss the provision made for them in the area. As a result, The Refugee Council, the Childrens Legal Centre, and a local Family Law Solicitor took instructions from many children to demand the right to clothing allowances, better provision in accommodation, and the instigation of care plans. The co-ordinator of the Childrens Legal Centre (asylum project), now the Policy Advisor to the Childrens ‘ Commissioner on children seeking asylum, who was due to spend only one day in Nottingham, worked late into the night and throughout the next day taking statements from children. A year later the Refugee Council Childrens’ Panel had set up a partnership arrangement with the Sankofa Foundation to provide a monthly surgery in Nottingham for minors seeking asylum who had been unable to access care. Although appointments were by arrangement the surgeries were always oversubscribed. NYAS set up and gained funding for a temporary (nine months) post for a worker to write with young people, a survival guide to Nottingham. This guide was to assist young people gain access to support in Nottingham uip to the age of eighteen years, and for the immediate period after this. The appointee undertook the NYAS training for working with young people and has been able to go on to offer a service at NNRF once a week for young people. The Local Authority has made changed to some of their provision and young people became eligible for ongoing care. Although not all the problems were solved by any means, young people seeking asylum in Nottingham benefitted from being heard constructively, and a message has gone out to young people in Nottingham that they have rights and they can have their rights asserted by agencies in Nottingham.

Sankofa continued with the work of meeting individuals for therapy. However, as a member of both the Person Centred Counsellors and Psychotherapists for Social Change, and Psychotherapists and Counsellors for Social Change, we acknowledge that therapists regularly hear stories from disadvantaged, alienated and disempowered people within the Community. Sankofa Foundation is committed to, and active in, ongoing debates within therapy about the ground between confidentiality and using our voice to denounce the inequalities within society that contribute to injustice and therefore stress and mental health problems. We take more and more referrals from GPs who are seeing destitute seekers of asylum in their surgeries, whose mental health problems are exacerbated by the lack of care available to people in this situation.

Sankofa became committed to recycling bedding useful to seekers of asylum made destitute. Often bedding would be made available to seekers of asylum who had arrived in the City at the weekend when other offices were closed. Local students in the area annually seemed to be in a hurry to bin all the household goods accumulated during their studies in the City. Annually the area around the Sankofa office became a rich source of items useful to our client group. We obtained a washing machine which allowed destitute clients to wash their clothing and take newer clothing from our store cupboards. Bedding became available in vast amounts, as did cooking equipment and sundry furniture. We were able to support people in makeshift accommodation who had no furniture or bedding.

Many of our clients have been supported to return to solicitors with reports from Sankofa, enhanced by the hours of research that post graduate students have put into assisting people to find evidence in support of their fresh applications for asylum. Sankofa has reached out to organisation in Iraq and Germany for assistance in gathering primary evidence in support of clients, with German NGOs using their contacts within countries to make enquiries on our behalf. We don’t give legal advice but we do walk beside clients in their quest for support in obtaining information and evidence, helping them to learn the skills necessary, encouraging confidence and ultimately doing the research on behalf of those too debilitated by the process of asylum to try. Of clients who have returned to their country of origin, whether voluntarily or assisted(!) we have endeavoured to stay in touch. We speak with clients returned to Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Ethiopian. (We have concerns about the quality of commitment from agencies supporting returns and are gathering evidence in support of our concerns.)

A regular weekly film night was held for young people seeking asylum. Films were selected by the audience from a range of films representative of, or made in, or by film directors from, the countries of origin of the audience. In the afternoon of the show, a group of young people would go shopping for ingredients to create a meal which was shared with the rest of the audience on arrival. As the film was shown, fruit and nuts were shared around the room. At the end of the showing young people would share their memories and their feelings about their country of origin and the life that they have left behind, the people that they miss, and the heartache of their lives in their country. These thoughts and feelings were sensitively listened to and shared with audience members from the host community. With these film nights came new and deeper understandings and bridges between people were built. One of the audience on one occasion was the neice of a Kurdish film director, Karzan Sherabayani. (Within a year we assisted Karzan to show his new documentary about Kirkuk at the Broadway cinema, and to host an event at Robinhood Chase with guests Shano dance Company – a Kurdish dance company in the UK who had previously performed at the Edinburgh festival).

It wasn’t long before the Community Print works relocated to the Sumac Centre and Sankofa was fully using the whole space of the original flat. On occasions when our clients were detained, groups of people would collect to run campaigns to prevent the removal of our clients and to help them to get legal advice. There have been many tense and heart warming moments in the anti deportation activities emanating from the office.

Current Crisis

After two years at the Community Centre we must leave. Many of the original social activists have moved on to other projects and Sankofa has remained, actively responding to the therapeutic needs of the asylum seeking community in Nottingham.

It is with heavy hearts that we are now looking urgently for a place to be. Sankofa has been the target of harassment and violent attacks for a year. With the first attack in the summer of last year, , and this year on five separate occasions within a month. The attacks are so vicious and without restraint that it is not possible to attempt to repair. On each occasion doors have been forced and research papers and folders strewn around, computers damaged and made unusable. Refugees and supporters of Sankofa have worked into the night on each occasion to secure the premises for the next day to ensure that client work was not affected. However, the attacks have gained momentum and we have arrived to see the kitchen door so damaged that only the border of the door remained. We have secured inner doors as well as external doors but finally this week, we have arrived to see the back door destroyed again as well as the internal doors, and, more shockingly, the hot water tank ripped out and water gushing all throughout the office and filling up the cellar with nowhere else for the water to go. All the windows have been smashed, and then smashed again. However, the windows and doors on the old Community Centre (unused) and the art room (unused) have remained untouched.

There has been a growing unease about some of the people who have come to occupy the disused premises at the back. On each occasion the police have been called and they are increasingly shocked. Most recently, this week, the police who attended have expressed their own frustration, acknowledging the positive contribution of Sankofa to the area and to the needs of a client group who are increasingly finding it difficult to have therapeutic and health needs met elsewhere. More recently we have observed a small group of men, regulars who frequent the back of the building at night, kicking at the door, running at the door, but the police have not been able to respond quickly enough to make arrests.

At Sankofa we have never had large funding. Our funding base has been relatively small because many donors respond more readily to the immediate material needs of seekers of asylum, particularly when they become destitute. We are such a shoestring operation that where there have been shortfalls in our income and expenditure (on service bills) we have paid the bills ourselves. Our therapeutic skills are provided without fee or salary. Our psychotherapeutic reports to Tribunal and Immigration hearings are commended for their objectivity and thoroughness. Our vision has always been bigger than our budget and we have attempted to deliver a holistic and responsive service regardless of the lack of funding.

Sankofa has been approached on many occasions to write – chapters on therapy with young people seeking asylum, mental health care of asylum seeking women, and more recently for the Journal of Critical Psychology. There simply isn’t the time, because we are running a service across six days in the week, whilst earning a living elsewhere for part of the day. We have been invited to give opinion and to contribute to committee meetings of the House of Commons, and the House of Lords.

At this moment in time we have nowhere to offer sessions next week. The Sankofa Office is damaged beyond repair. We have a waiting list and we are out of funds. Although conversations are taking place next week with a couple of other organisations in the field for very temporary access to space, we urgently need premises and funds to help us to continue the work that we do. We have destitute clients who are struggling to keep going and the devastation of the Sankofa space has been deeply upsetting and disruptive to them. We are trying to continue with house visits – but these necessarily take and mean that we see less people – and by meeting people at NNRF at the destitution group. We have been in discussion with members of Sudanese and Kurdish organisations for a long time about shared spaces and the future vision will be somewhere that we can work together to create family spaces as well as therapeutic spaces within a social action context.

This is an appeal for funds and/or urgent accommodation. Even temporary accommodation will help us to continue in the short term. We also appeal for people with experience of fundraising to help us to continue the work that we do, and to help us to extend our service to those in need. If you would like to talk to us about any aspect of our work please contact us by email Miriam@sankofafoundation.org.uk or by mobile at 07866 733223 as our lanline is not accessible ion the immediate short term.

Thank you ..

Kindest regards,
Miriam Hollis

www.sankofafoundation.org.uk /
sankofafoundation.blogspot.com

——-

ASBO, The Last Days – for full article & photos, click on this title link

After many meetings and planning, in August 2005, a number of concerned individuals took direct action to squat a large house / block of flats. The place had been empty for the previous seven years and was in a great state of dis-repair.
…
Because of some bad people that ended up taking over, violently attacking people that tried to stand up to them, the whole project has collapsed. People drifted away being intimidated and at some fear.

There was then an attempt to re-squat the squat, a valiant attempt. But this again was made untenable by the violent activity of only a couple of people that remained there. People being physically attacked and intimidated. The asylum and refugee project that was also housed there was then subjected to numerous break-ins and much damage done to the building, so that they couldn’t remain.

How to Fitwatch

Fitwatch meeting – Saturday 8th March at the LSE (Connaught House, Aldwych) at 2pm. Room H103.

Fitwatch has proved to be a highly effective tactic against surveillance by public order police.

Although really, it is better described as a range of tactics. Some are as simple as taking a picture, or making a note of police numbers. Other tactics are more confrontational and actively prevent the police accumulating the data they use for their ‘preventative’ public order policing. There is a tactic for everyone, and all of them are very effective.

Fitwatch meeting – Saturday 8th March at the LSE (Connaught House, Aldwych) at 2pm. Room H103.

Fitwatch has proved to be a highly effective tactic against surveillance by public order police.

To get involved, you need only bring a camera, placard or banner to your next demo or meeting, and get fitwatching. But you would also be very welcome at the Fitwatch meeting on Saturday so that we can share experiences, develop tactics and create an effective response to FIT and public order policing.

Just as an aside, it seems that even security firms have taken notice. The following testimonials are taken from a Group 4 Securicor briefing, and from the website of the security outfit Inkerman, who make it their business to protect companies from the attention of trouble making protestors. According to Inkerman, we are ‘counter-surveillance’. Sounds posh innit?

8 March 08 – London – The anarchist group, Fitwatch, is arranging a series of meetings that begin in London to discuss the nature of policing at protests and demonstrations. Fitwatch are an active group that prevents Police Forward Intelligence Teams (FIT) from gathering information during protests and demonstrations. Fitwatch insist FIT are an oppressive reflection of the state’s attitude towards protest groups. Fitwatch aim to use the meetings to discuss ongoing tactics and to attract support. The first meeting is to take place at the LSE (Group 4 Securicor)

Another protest group against the use of cameras and surveillance of activists has been established and holds growing weight within activist movements. FITWATCH is a counter-surveillance group, who take photos and try to obtain the personal details and identification numbers of the officers in FIT. Photographs of the officers concerned have been posted on activist websites.”
(Inkerman. See http://www.inkerman.com/static/files/1197479765-theinkermanmonitorecoterror.pdf for their report on ‘eco-terrorism’.)

defycops@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com

Cops use military seige tactics at TAA fundraiser, Brighton.

3.03.2008
A fundraiser for the forthcoming Temporary Autonomous Art project in Brighton was clamped down on heavily on Saturday. Police used violent tactics to attack the building showing there true face yet again. more……..

A fundraiser for the forthcoming Temporary Autonomous Art project in Brighton was clamped down on heavily on Saturday.The gig featured local bands and a sound system in an old supermarket in the city centre.

The police arrived quite early and proceeded to surround the whole building, refusing entry to anyone wishing to enter. This just exacerbated a public order situation on the street which would not have happened if they had left us alone.

Things escalated when, after closing down the entrance we were using, we simply opened another one to allow people to enter the building which we were legally occupying.

Police attacked with pepper spray and dogs after surrounding the whole building with a cordon of vehicles, tape, dog and special ops units. There were several arrests and one person was badly mauled by a police dog and had to go to hospital.

The police then tried to storm the entrance but were held off by hand to hand fighting until we managed to get the door closed and keep them out.

The police then served a section 63 and proceeded to impound living vehicles and equipment. Our legal team think the section 63 was served improperly making the impoundings illegal, so we will be attempting to prosecute.

http://www.subterraneanartbrighton.org/

Camp for Climate Action to target Kingsnorth power station

3.03.2008
Today it was announced that E.ON’s Kingsnorth power station in Kent will be the site of this summer’s Camp for Climate Action, running from 4 th to 11th of August 2008.

Coming on the back of last week’s actions against the proposed third runway at Heathrow, with activists occupying the tailfin of a jet and the roof of the houses of parliament, climate activists promise that 2008 will be “the year of direct action on climate change”.

3.03.2008
Today it was announced that E.ON’s Kingsnorth power station in Kent will be the site of this summer’s Camp for Climate Action, running from 4 th to 11th of August 2008.

The protest will begin with a one-day event at Heathrow, the site of the previous year’s camp, before marching across London to Kingsnorth. This is one of eight climate camps targeting coal across the world this summer.

Climate change activists will converge on Kingsnorth power station where owners E.ON plan to build the UK’s first coal fired power station in 30 years. Saturday 9th August has been named a ‘day of mass protest and direct action’ against Kingsnorth to highlight its impact on climate change.

Moving from Heathrow to Kingsnorth highlights government and corporate collusion to expand the fossil fuel economy when the scientific consensus demands the opposite. The camp will bring together thousands of activists for several days of workshops and direct action. The camp will also challenge businesses set to profit from false solutions to climate change such as agrofuels. A day of action targeting the agrofuel industry will be an integral part of the week long camp.

Natasha Edleman said: “Building a new coal-fired power station in the middle of a climate crisis is madness. The science shows that we only have a few years to avert catastrophic climate change. If we let this happen then there are seven more power stations coming. This must be stopped.”

Charlie Owens said: “Biofuels have been proposed as a solution to climate change. But new studies confirm that they are just as dangerous as fossil fuels. And they create the illusion we can carry on as usual. In the end we can only stop climate change if we challenge the growth economy and start putting people and planet first.”

For more information see:

http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/
http://www.StopKingsnorth.org/

* Like Heathrow, Kingsnorth is awaiting the approval of the government. The decision on whether to hold a public inquiry into the power station will be taken by John Hutton, at BERR, in the next six weeks. As with Heathrow, there are accusations of collusion between EON and the government. For more information see: www.greenpeace.org.uk

* Kingsnorth will produce twice as many climate-harming emissions as a third runway at Heathrow. According to the World Development Movement, flights from a third runway at Heathrow will produce as much greenhouse gas as the whole of Kenya.

* If Kingsnorth is built it is likely to open the way to new build coal. Up to seven other similar projects are planned. Growth in coal-power will undermine investment in renewable energy.

* Last year’s camp was on land which is intended for the building of a third runway at Heathrow. The eight-day camp brought together 2000 people on land next to the village of Sipson and shut down BAA’s headquarters for 24 hours. The camp also organised up to 20 smaller actions on other aviation and climate change related targets. There were 70 arrests over the week.

* E.ON has tried to greenwash their plans to build a new plant at Kingsnorth by claiming that it might one day be upgraded to use carbon capture technology. Even by the most optimistic standards, such technology will not be ready until 2020.

* In the weeks before last year’s camp, BAA applied for an injunction to stop the camp taking place. The injunction covered two million members of environmental groups from the RSPB to Greenpeace. The injunction was successfully defeated in the courts.

* In addition to the camp, days of action on climate change are planned for the 1st April (Fossil Fools Day), 1st May (Mayday), 3rd June (highlighting issues to do with food and climate change)

* “Agrofuels” are liquid fuels produced from agricultural crops. These are also referred to as “Biofuels”.

ELF Burn Down Luxury Homes

3.03.2008
Early this morning, at around 4am, three multimillion-dollar model homes in a Seattle suburb were burnt down with messages left by the ELF, “Built Green? Nope black!”, mocking the claims that the homes were environmentally friendly.

The buildings, originally estimated at $2 million, then re-calculated to be worth $7 million dollars, and were completely destroyed in the fires.

Other messages were spraypainted on homes “Stop Urban Sprawl”; “If you build it we will burn it”; and “Burn the rich.”

A banner was also left saying: “Built green? Nope black! McMansions in RCD’s r not green. ELF”

RCD=rural cluster developments

ELF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Liberation_Front

Video: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/03/03/seattle.fire/#cnnSTCVideo

Sources: http://news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&ncl=1138828157