earthfirst – Page 282

5 detained after peaceful ‘Bamboo Blockade’ as Japanese A-bomb survivors appeal to Britian to get rid of Trident

At around 2.30 pm today (July 25), Strathclyde police arrested 10 people, including atomic bomb survivors (‘Hibakusha’) from Nagasaki during a nonviolent blockade of the main gates of the Faslane nuclear base in Scotland, where the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons are deployed.

The Japanese group, supported by around 100 others, including a large group of Quakers, placed peace cranes in front of the main (North) gate of the base. As police moved in to remove the cranes, four grandmothers from Fukuoka and the son of a Nagasaki bomb survivor sat in front of the gate, while five more, including his father and peace campaigners from Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Finland locked themselves together with bamboo arm locks. The Japanese appealed to the Scottish and British governments not to deploy or renew the Trident nuclear weapon system. Though the police quickly ‘dearrested’ four elderly women and one young man, who had sat in front of the gate singing Japanese peace songs, it took them nearly an hour to cut the bamboo blockade and reopen the gate. The four Japanese men and a Finnish woman were charged with ‘breach of the peace’ and taken to Clydebank Police Station.

As he was arrested, Masahiko Moriguchi, head of the editorial committee of the periodical ‘Testimony – Voices of Hiroshima and Nagasaki’ who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki when he was 7 years old, said: “The Faslane 365 campaign in the UK is encouraging the epoch-making first step towards the abolition of nuclear weapons by calling on Britain to renounce Trident. As one who experienced the A-bomb, I wanted to see this nuclear base with my own eyes and personally take part in this action to halt the nuclear weapons.”

His son, Shinya Moriguchi (born in Nagasaki, now aged 30), was among those laying cranes in front of the gate. He said: “The UK’s decision on whether or not to renew the Trident system is not only a British matter, but will influence proliferation and insecurity around the world. I wish the UK to make a wise and rational decision and pioneer the road to nuclear abolition, which would make this world safer.”

Before being arrested in the Bamboo Blockade, Kohei Ueyama from Hiroshima (aged 26), said he came to Faslane to show solidarity with the Scottish people taking nonviolent action to get rid of Trident: “If we do something for peace in our neighbourhood and country, we can solve any international problem.”

Several members of the delegation are professors, scientists and teachers. Yoshiko Sakai, a retired quantum chemist, said she was “eager for Britain to be the first country that has the honour of abolishing nuclear weapons”. Physics professor Kouichi Toyoshima added, “As a member of the scientific community, I feel it’s my duty to make every effort to eliminate all such weapons from the world, since the scientists of today must take over the responsibility of our predecessors.”

Miyoshi Eisaku (60), Professor of Engineering from Fukuoka, brought an exhibition of photographs and paintings from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As he was arrested he said “We have to bear witness to the horror of nuclear weapons so that they are never ever used in this world again.”

The names of those detained for the Bamboo Blockade are:
Kouichi Toyoshima, Professor of Physics from Saga University, aged 59
Kohei Ueyama (26) from Hiroshima
Masahiko Moriguchi, head of the editorial committee of the periodical ‘Testimony — Voices of Hiroshima and Nagasaki’
Anna-Linnéa Rundberg from Åland Islands, Finland (member of the Faslane 365 Steering Group).

The names of the group who risked arrest by sitting down with peace cranes and singing in front of the gate are:
Yasuko Kuramoto (67) retired teacher from Fukuoka
Yoshiko Sakai (67) retired researcher in quantum chemistry
Shinya Moriguchi (30), the son of Masahiko Moriguchi, and a second-generation Hibakusha from Nagasaki.
Mariko Kuroki, language teacher from Fukuoka
Kayoko Toyoshima, who is Professor Toyoshima’s wife.

No More Bull On Climate Change: Action this Saturday

24.07.2007

PRESS RELEASE
NO MORE BULL ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change campaigners to descend on Cornmarket Street

24.07.2007

PRESS RELEASE
NO MORE BULL ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change campaigners to descend on Cornmarket Street

No more bull…

This Saturday many environmental campaigners will descend on Cornmarket Street to raise awareness about climate change. A colourful, vibrant, and varied crowd will be running around Oxford.

One activist who will be taking part in one of the many actions this Saturday said:
“Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time, if we don’t take action now to slow down the oncoming disaster then no-one can.”

The main action will occur from 12pm at a well-known landmark, other actions will be taking place around the town. There will also be a Flash Mob beach party resplendent in bikinis and bermuda shorts.

The recent flooding in Oxfordshire led to many people being removed from some of the worst hit areas, the Oxford Mail reported that over 200 people needed to be evacuated to safety[1]. The Guardian reported that the ‘flash floods in Britain are likely to be the biggest immediate problem caused by climate change'[2].

Another campaigner semi-joked of the current flooding:
“If the water keeps on rising, we’ll have to build an ark!”

This action has been called as part of the upcoming Camp for Climate Action[3] where hundreds of people will meet, participate in workshops, and take action on the root causes on climate change.

The Camp for Climate Action will be at Heathrow Airport from the 14th – 21st August.

ENDS

Notes to editor:

1.Matt Wilkinson, ‘Flooding: Evacuation hotel full’, Oxford Mail, 24/07/07
2.Matthew Weaver, ‘Flash floods ‘biggest climate threat to UK’, The Guardian, 12/07/07
3.The Camp for Climate Action is a national campaign to encourage people to tackle the root causes of climate change. In 2006, 600 campaigners marched on Drax Power Station in Selby to protest against carbon emissions; this year the aviation industry will be challenged. See www.climatecamp.org.uk for more details.
4.A study by Oxford University, published by the Inter-governmental Committee on Climate Change, found that there will 25 million environmental refugees who will be displaced by climate chaos.

Tara’s Last Stand?

violence on tara
7 arrests
court case today
urgent help needed

www.indymedia.ie click on ´watch revolt footage here`

faeryarmy@yahoo.co.uk

Tara’s Last Stand?

violence on tara
7 arrests
court case today
urgent help needed

www.indymedia.ie click on ´watch revolt footage here`

faeryarmy@yahoo.co.uk

Tara’s Last Stand?

An open letter to all who are interested in the defence of the earth and the standing-up to power.
Please forward, copy, or circulate.

Place: Tara Valley, Hill of Tara, County Meath, Republic of Ireland
Time: NOW

History: Tara Hill and Valley are part of an ancient temple complex of earthworks, henges, raths (forts), and souterrains (underground tomb chambers). Many of the works pre-date the pyramids. Tara was used as the crowning place of the old high kings of Ireland. It is still in use for ceremonies today, and is particularly associated with Samhain (Hallowe’en).

Threat: The Irish government have sanctioned a route through the Tara valley of the M3 motorway. This road will be tolled, is the least-favourable of the five options available according to principles of road-building and economic sense, will ’save’ fifteen minutes of time to the M50 bottleneck (British M25 equivalent) during the morning rush hour to Dublin, and is being sited on a stretch of road that is not even that busy. A gigantic complex of shopping malls is planned at an interchange, due to be sited 1000 yards from the Hill of Tara. Many ancient monuments have already been destroyed. Many more new and unusual findings DUG UP DURING THE EXCAVATION OF THE LAND FOR THE ROAD have been either recorded by record’ (ie made a note of in a book and destroyed) or are being stored in warehouses. Such ancient artefacts dug up include human bones from old graves.

Actions to date: Around ten to twelve regular people have taken it in shifts for the past year in keeping an unbroken vigil fire and camp burning on Tara Hill. These people have held up the progress of the road by direct action, including digger-diving thus far.

Current Situation: The European Parliament (EU) has told the Irish Government that the work they are doing is illegal and to cease immediately. Just after this was announced in the press, many more diggers and machines were sent, on Wednesday July 18th, to a monument on the site known as ‘Soldier’s Hill’ for the road company to establish a compound. Having recruited many more drivers, and turned them into nominal security guards for the day, the company deployed its staff to aggressively remove all protestors from site. Seven protestors were arrested for not following a policeman‘s orders and public order offences. Three were bailed at 500 Euros, with the condition they cease to go to the sites to protest. A further four refused those bail conditions and were remanded on a week’s custody at Clover Hill prison, Dublin, until a court case pending Wednesday July 25th. Internet footage of the high levels of violence utilised by the road company’s men surprised even the long-term campaigners at Rossport, used to dealing with such intimidation.

The Last Stand: A court case is pending in the EU court, but the road company, aiming to save on much lost time and money has started a big push, and has now reached the part of the route where a gigantic WOODHENGE was unearthed during the excavation. This site is currently being ‘recorded by record’ by state-appointed archaeologists. Their work is SAID to need another two to three weeks to complete. The EU court case is due mid-to-late August The Henge is looking like the site of the last stand. The company has drafted in round-the-clock security. The Irish Police has said it will arrest anyone found on site, even if they are merely mounting a peaceful protest. The road company and the Irish Government have continued destroying monuments, even before the ‘recording by record’ process has finished. There are currently around ten to twenty protestors on site.

A Plea: If anyone out there has it in their heart, time, space, trip, whatever to come and lend a hand, the following three general areas would love to be catered for:

1. DIRECT ACTION: anyone with any experience of, enjoyment in doing and a continued desire to do locking-on, tree-house building, ropeway-slinging and so on are instructed to make their way to the site as soon as possible. This plea is especially directed to those who are part of the victorious Nine Ladies camp in Derbyshire, who may be at a loose end and may want to get involved in this action. It may only last a month, one way or the other. Although Irish police has said it will arrest anyone on site, there is still the possibility of digger-diving and road-blocking, provided the numbers are increased.

2. MAGIC ACTION: as part of a psychological warfare front, music, dance, song, partying and all the rest of it are very welcome at this time. This is not only a call for Direct Action people. The festival of Lughnasa (Lammas or Harvest Festival) starts on Wednesday August 1st and it is intended to hold ceremony, play games, sing, recite poetry, and have a party in the woods, from then and throughout the weekend of July 3rd to 5th, and on and on. Even if you can only make it over for a few days, do come for the party anyway!

3. PRACTICAL ACTION: All manner of kitchen workers, camp-cleaners, fire-tenders- you-name-it-ers, whatever it takes to maintain a decent camp. There are always things to do, and there are not really enough there yet to make the stand that is required.

THE NUMBERS GAME:

Experienced Direct Action protestors reckon that a good stand could be made at the Henge if there are AT LEAST ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE THERE. If there are TWO HUNDRED, then the position is that much stronger, while THREE HUNDRED would, it is reckoned, tip the balance against the road company.

In order for the road to be stopped, AS MANY AS POSSIBLE are pleaded with to help in any way they can, to come to Tara AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Otherwise, it may be too late.

Thank you for your time.

We Hope to See you on the Hill

yours, in love of the land,

THE FIANNA FAERY (Soldiers of Faery)
TARA BRIGADE
HILL OF TARA

Saving Iceland Blockades Rio Tinto-Alcan Smelter in Hafnarfjordur

Saving Iceland
Press Release (in Icelandic below)
July 24th, 2007

LANDSVIRKJUN INVOLVED IN COAL & NUCLEAR POWERED RIO TINTO-ALCAN SMELTER IN AFRICA

Saving Iceland
Press Release (in Icelandic below)
July 24th, 2007

LANDSVIRKJUN INVOLVED IN COAL & NUCLEAR POWERED RIO TINTO-ALCAN SMELTER IN AFRICA

HAFNARFJORDUR – Saving Iceland has closed access to RioTinto’s Straumsvik smelter in South-West Iceland. About 20 protestors have locked their arms in metal tubes and climbed onto cranes on the smelter site. Saving Iceland opposes plans for a new RioTinto-Alcan smelter in Keilisnes or Thorlakshöfn, expansion of the existing smelter, and a new coal and nuclear powered smelter in South Africa.

“Protests against Alcan have been successful. Of course the people of Hafnafjordur have stopped the expansion of Straumsvik and recently, in Kashipur, Northeast India, Alcan had to give up it’s participation in a bauxite mine because of protests against their human rights violations and environmental devestation. Alcan has been accused of cultural genocide in Kashipur, because mining and dams have already displaced 150.000 mainly tribal people there . Norsk Hydro left the project when police tortured and opened fire on protestors, and then Alcan moved in,” says Saving Iceland’s Snorri Páll Jónsson Úlfhildarson.

“This case and similar cases, and Alcan’s involvement in arms production, shows how ruthless they are. The takeover by RioTinto is rather unlikely to make Alcan into a responsible corporate citizen.”

“RioTinto-Alcan haven’t blown off their interest in a new smelter in Iceland. Hafnafjordur is still being named by Alcan despite the referendum , and a new smelter might be built in Thorlakshöfn or Keilisnes. Saving Iceland rejects this, and we express our solidarity with the people in South Africa opposing RioTinto-Alcan’s coal- and nuclear powered smelter plans there. Landsvirkjun has also gotten involved in this , so it is very important that people in Iceland reject these neo-colonial developments that destroy the environment and communities. ” says Úlfhildarson.

Documentation of Alcan’s links to the arms industry, the South-African deal with Landsvirkjun, and some of the history of Rio Tinto is attached to this press release.

More information:
http://www.savingiceland.org
Snorri Páll Jónsson Úlfhildarson

ALCAN’S LINKS TO THE ARMS INDUSTRY
RioTinto-Alcan’s aluminium alloys are sold for a whole range of military purposes. Alcan is the main supplier for European Aerospace and Defense and Space, producer of military helicopters, military satellites, the Eurofighter Tycoon, Mirage F1, EF18 Hornet and other jets . EADS is the world’s leading producer of missiles . Deals made between the EADS and Alcan are presented as between Airbus and Alcan, to cloud the military involvement ; it is common for all aluminium companies to hide their ‘defense’ products under the title ‘aerospace’. But at the same time, military products need to be marketed, so images of fighter jets are displayed on Alcan Aerospace’s website .

EADS claims to sell to countries that “guarantee a responsible approach to high-tech military air systems. It draws on decades of expertise in military aviation.” But can you trust a company that is sick enough to add video fragments from Nazi Germany, glorifying first world war and Nazi airplanes , on the same webpage as this quote?

RIO TINTO-ALCAN: ALUMINIUM TO IRAQ
Alcan further supplies Boeing a “variety of high performance aluminum-products” . Boeing produces the Apache and Chinook military helicopters used in Iraq and less known products that brighten your day, such as the the ‘Small Diameter Bomb’ and the ‘Joint Direct Attack Munition.’ Then there are Alcan’s associations with Dassault ., a French arms manufacturer, which produces a range of aluminium fighter-jets . Alcan has also been promoting itself to Naval services .

RIO TINTO-ALCAN: PLANS FOR AFRICA
RioTinto-Alcan has signed a letter of intent with the Govt. of Cameroon to expand the existing Alucam smelter with 150.000 Mtpy, and build a new 150.000 Mtpy smelter. The Lom Pangar Dam, to be constructed by the government, would power this . Alcan have a large number of projects planned Africa – their “greenfield project pipeline” includes Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar and South Africa. ‘Greenfield’ means that untouched nature will be destroyed for the mines, infrastructure, smelters, and dams that would power them.

APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA, ESKOM AND LANDSVIRKJUN
Alcan was active in apartheid South Africa between 1949-1986 . Now they want to come back and develop a new smelter in the near zero-tax ‘Coega Development Zone’ near Port Elizabeth, powered by coal and nuclear delivered by Eskom, one of the worlds largest electricity companies. “Thirty percent of the poor communities of South Africa don’t have electricity, and now that will be going straight to Alcan,” says Lerato Maregele, a S-African activist visiting Iceland .
Elkom is a ‘sister-company’ of Iceland’s Landsvirkjun . Landsvirkun want to be part of this deal and more generally branch out to Africa.
Landsvirkjun can be expected to try and sell their expertise to Eskom’s various hydroprojects in Mozambiqu, Uganda and Congo. They will try to be part of damming the Congo river, a project twice the size of China’s Three Gorges, that will have a devastating effect on the central African rainforest.

RIO TINTO’S ABYSMAL RECORD
While we can conclude that Alcan itself heavily supplies the arms industry and is invading Africa as it invades Iceland, it is now part of Rio Tinto, the world’s largest private mining company, “long criticized for gross human rights violations dating back to its support of apartheid in Southern Africa.”
We will name some of the many cases. Rio Tinto has been know to subject it’s own workers to poisoning in mines, having security guards shooting locals on the spot looking for small amounts of gold in one of it’s mines and having union-members spied upon or fired in its Brazilian gold mines.

Rio Tinto has been involved with mercenary scandals. The Papua New Guinean (PNG) Government, in joint venture with Rio Tinto, hired private mercenary companies Sandline International, a London-based private military company, composed primarily of former British and South African special forces soldiers, which had been involved in the civil wars in Angola and Sierra Leone and were now payed to fight the population of Bougainville, an island near PNG. The mine had been closed by the people of the island because of the disastrous ecological effects .
Citizens of Bougainville have filed a class action lawsuit in the United States against Rio Tinto arising from the environmental damage caused by the mine and war crimes occurring during the civil war years. In August 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected Rio Tinto’s effort to dismiss the claim.

S. Das & F. Padel, “Double Death – Aluminium’s Links with Genocide”, Economic and Political Weekly, Dec. 2005, also available at http://www.savingiceland.org/doubledeath
Chandra Siddan, “Blood and Bauxite”, Montreal Mirror, Nov 20-26, 2003, Vol. 19 No. 23.
“Smelter Expansion on Landfill?”, Iceland Review, June 20th 2007.
RUV News, 26-02-2007, http://ruv.is/heim/frettir/frett/store64/item145391/. Note that RUV has Alcoa and Alcan confused.
EADS website, http://www.eads.com/1024/en/businet/defence/mas/combat_aircraft/combat_aircraft.html
EADS promotion film, “A Brief Glance at EADS”, http://www.eads.com/xml/content/OF00000000400004/1/10/41434101.mov
AFX News, June 13, 2007, http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/13200786914.htm
Alcan Press Release, “Company To Provide Critical Aluminum Materials For Full Range Of Aircraft Including A380”, June 13, 2007, http://www.decisionplus.com/fr/fintools/stock_news.asp?Market=TSE&Symbol=AL&NewsID=20070613/021501
http://www.alcanaerospace.com/Aerospace/aerospace.nsf/html/FWFGHOME?Open&LG=1, dd. 22-7-2007.
EADS promotion film, “90 years of aircraft history in Augsburg”, http://www.eads.com/1024/en/businet/defence/mas/mas.html and http://www.eads.com/xml/content/OF00000000400004/0/64/41488640.asx
US Geological Survey, “Minerals Yearbook 2005,” September 2006, p. 5.2.
Boeing Website Image Gallery of Small Diameter Bomb: http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/gallery/images/missiles/sdb/sdb.html
Boeing Image Gallery: http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/gallery/images/missiles/sdb/sdb.html
Alcan Press Release, “Alcan Contributes to Success of Eighth Ariane 5 ECA Launch,” Dec 13th, 2006.
http://www.dassault-aviation.com/
“Pacific 2004, International Naval and Maritime Exposition for the Southern Pacific,” Aerospace Maritime and Defence Conference, http://www.ideea.com/pacific2004/embassy/smithbriefing.pdf
US Geological Survey, “Minerals Yearbook 2005,” September 2006, p. 5.5.
Alcan Press Release, “Alcan to Explore Development of Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery in Madagascar,” September 11th 2006.
Alcan’t website, http://www.alcant.co.za/history.html
Grapevine, Issue 10, July 13, 2007. Interview also available at http://www.savingiceland.org/node/870
RUV News, 26-02-2007, http://ruv.is/heim/frettir/frett/store64/item145391/. Note that RUV has Alcoa and Alcan confused.
International Rivers Network & EarthLife Africa, “Eskom’s Expanding Empire
The Social and Ecological Footprint of Africa’s Largest Power Utility,” June 2003, http://www.irn.org/programs/safrica/index.php?id=030601eskomfactsheet.html
Asia-Pacific Human Rights Network, “Rio Tinto’s Record and the Global Compact,” July 13th 2001, http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=623.
SBS Australia’s television program Dateline in a report on Rio Tinto, August 2000.
Wikipedia Germany (22-7-2007), http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandline-Affäre
Contract between PNG Government and Sandline: http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/PNG/htmls/Sandline.html.
Sarei v Rio Tinto, 456 F.3d 1069 (9th Cir. 2006), USA.

S.I. Activist Imprisoned by the Icelandic State

Saving Iceland
24 July 2007

The Icelandic government and ALCOA have gained their first political prisoner with their repression of protest against the heavy industry policy.

Saving Iceland
24 July 2007

The Icelandic government and ALCOA have gained their first political prisoner with their repression of protest against the heavy industry policy.

A twenty three year old British Saving Iceland activist who was arrested today on the action against Rio Tinto-Alcan, has been imprisoned for eight days.

Apparently the activist was told by the Icelandic police that she was to pay a 100.000 kronur (£840) fine for her involvement in protests against ALCOA in the east of Iceland in the summer of 2006, or face prison. She chose the latter.

At this time we do not know where she will be held.

Other foreign protesters have their passports held at ransom by the police for fines based on accusations for obstructing the police, but no actual charges.

Here at Saving Iceland we seem to remember that passports are the property of the States that they are issued in.

Thus, not for the first time, the Icelandic police may actually be breaching international law by blackmailing foreign citizens who are exercising their democratic right to protest against the corrupt heavy industry policy that the Icelandic government continues to maintain.

In March this year the Left-Green party in Iceland called in parliament for an independent investigation into the conduct of the Icelandic police against Saving Iceland protesters in the the years of 2005 and 2006.

It is high time that the autocratic and frequently violent methods of the Icelandic police against peaceful protesters come under serious scrutiny.

http://www.savingiceland.org/node/887

Saving Iceland Blockades Rio Tinto-Alcan Smelter in Hafnarfjordur, Iceland

Incriminating photo evidence of ALCAN involvement in the arms industry

‘A Brief Look at EADS’ – ALCANs major military partner the way they want to be seen – Video

EADS proudly display their contributions to Adolf Hitler’s airforce and just about every war in the 20th Century – Video

Saving Iceland
Press Release (in Icelandic below)
July 24th, 2007

LANDSVIRKJUN INVOLVED IN COAL & NUCLEAR POWERED RIO TINTO-ALCAN SMELTER IN AFRICA

HAFNARFJORDUR – Saving Iceland has closed access to RioTinto’s Straumsvik smelter in South-West Iceland. About 20 protestors have locked their arms in metal tubes and climbed onto cranes on the smelter site. Saving Iceland opposes plans for a new RioTinto-Alcan smelter in Keilisnes or Thorlakshöfn, expansion of the existing smelter, and a new coal and nuclear powered smelter in South Africa.

Incriminating photo evidence of ALCAN involvement in the arms industry

‘A Brief Look at EADS’ – ALCANs major military partner the way they want to be seen – Video

EADS proudly display their contributions to Adolf Hitler’s airforce and just about every war in the 20th Century – Video

Saving Iceland
Press Release (in Icelandic below)
July 24th, 2007

LANDSVIRKJUN INVOLVED IN COAL & NUCLEAR POWERED RIO TINTO-ALCAN SMELTER IN AFRICA

Documentation of Alcan’s links to the arms industry, the South-African deal with Landsvirkjun, and some of the history of Rio Tinto is attached to this press release.

More information:
http://www.savingiceland.org
Snorri Páll Jónsson Úlfhildarson

ALCAN’S LINKS TO THE ARMS INDUSTRY
RioTinto-Alcan’s aluminium alloys are sold for a whole range of military purposes. Alcan is the main supplier for European Aerospace and Defense and Space, producer of military helicopters, military satellites, the Eurofighter Tycoon, Mirage F1, EF18 Hornet and other jets . EADS is the world’s leading producer of missiles . Deals made between the EADS and Alcan are presented as between Airbus and Alcan, to cloud the military involvement ; it is common for all aluminium companies to hide their ‘defense’ products under the title ‘aerospace’. But at the same time, military products need to be marketed, so images of fighter jets are displayed on Alcan Aerospace’s website .

RIO TINTO-ALCAN: ALUMINIUM TO IRAQ
Alcan further supplies Boeing a “variety of high performance aluminum-products” . Boeing produces the Apache and Chinook military helicopters used in Iraq and less known products that brighten your day, such as the the ‘Small Diameter Bomb’ and the ‘Joint Direct Attack Munition.’ Then there are Alcan’s associations with Dassault ., a French arms manufacturer, which produces a range of aluminium fighter-jets . Alcan has also been promoting itself to Naval services .

RIO TINTO-ALCAN: PLANS FOR AFRICA
RioTinto-Alcan has signed a letter of intent with the Govt. of Cameroon to expand the existing Alucam smelter with 150.000 Mtpy, and build a new 150.000 Mtpy smelter. The Lom Pangar Dam, to be constructed by the government, would power this . Alcan have a large number of projects planned Africa – their “greenfield project pipeline” includes Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar and South Africa. ‘Greenfield’ means that untouched nature will be destroyed for the mines, infrastructure, smelters, and dams that would power them.

APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA, ESKOM AND LANDSVIRKJUN
Alcan was active in apartheid South Africa between 1949-1986 . Now they want to come back and develop a new smelter in the near zero-tax ‘Coega Development Zone’ near Port Elizabeth, powered by coal and nuclear delivered by Eskom, one of the worlds largest electricity companies. “Thirty percent of the poor communities of South Africa don’t have electricity, and now that will be going straight to Alcan,” says Lerato Maregele, a S-African activist visiting Iceland .
Elkom is a ‘sister-company’ of Iceland’s Landsvirkjun . Landsvirkun want to be part of this deal and more generally branch out to Africa.
Landsvirkjun can be expected to try and sell their expertise to Eskom’s various hydroprojects in Mozambiqu, Uganda and Congo. They will try to be part of damming the Congo river, a project twice the size of China’s Three Gorges, that will have a devastating effect on the central African rainforest.

RIO TINTO’S ABYSMAL RECORD
While we can conclude that Alcan itself heavily supplies the arms industry and is invading Africa as it invades Iceland, it is now part of Rio Tinto, the world’s largest private mining company, “long criticized for gross human rights violations dating back to its support of apartheid in Southern Africa.”
We will name some of the many cases. Rio Tinto has been know to subject it’s own workers to poisoning in mines, having security guards shooting locals on the spot looking for small amounts of gold in one of it’s mines and having union-members spied upon or fired in its Brazilian gold mines.

Rossport Solidarity Camp Face Threat of Eviction

Court Report.
23/07/07

Rossport Solidarity Camp temporarily thwarted Mayo Co. Council’s attempt to secure a permanent injunction at Castlebar Circuit Court today. Judge Harvey Kenny adjourned the case to next Tuesday 31st of July to give members of the camp time to seek legal advice. Mayo County Council was refused an interlocutory injunction against the camp but an interim order was upheld. The council has undertaken to not to act on this order while the case is adjourned.

Court Report.
23/07/07

Earlier this morning members of the Rossport Solidarity Camp and several local supporters arrived at Castlebar Circuit Court on foot of a Court Order issued by Judge Donagh McDonagh last Friday 20th of July. This order cited Rossport Solidarity Camp was an unauthorised development in a Candidate Area of Special Conservation.

Eoin O’Leidhin was the only one of the three people named on the court order present at the hearing. Mayo Co. Council was granted an application to have Niall Harnett added as an extra respondent/defendant to the injunction when he submitted a statement representing the camp’s position. Judge Harvey Kenny put the case back to the afternoon so that members of the camp could consult with the Co. Council representatives and their solicitor Michael Browne.

When the court reconvened, John Kiely JC, outline the councils case. Mr Kiely stated that the camp has caused “irreparable damage” at the site and that the camp was “an unauthorised development” contrary to the Planning Act of 2000 section 160. He informed the court that the council’s decision to act was due to a report from Karen Gaynor of the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) and not because of “greater and better” issues regarding the camps participation in the Shell to Sea Campaign.

Mr Kiely countered Niall Harnett’s argument that the council failed to give warning [of the councils intention to seek eviction] stating that “this is a nullity under section 3” of the Planning act.

Speaking about the residents of the camp Mr Kiely stated that they were “genuine protesters and conscientious objectors to progress”. He acknowledged the many precautions taken by the camp to minimise the footprint of the camp but argued that had “Joe Blogs been in front of the court he would be treated the same way. He pointed out that the council had an obligation to enforce the planning laws and that the court “with a heavy heart” had to deal with many travellers in the same situation.

In response, Niall Harnett, who represented the Solidarity Camp, disputed the council’s claims of irreparable damage and that authorisation of the site was “implicit in the communication and co-operation between the camp and the NPWS”. Niall told the court that the camp had carried out the recommendations set out by the service. Niall referred to an independent impact statement that was included in a statement that he had earlier handed up to the Judge. This report by, Bob Wilson, a director of Celt – Centre for Environment Living & Training and the Clare Biodiversity group stated that he is confident that the vegetation would soon take hold again.

Taking issue with the urgency of the council’s action Niall told the court that the camp had just received the papers on Friday and that the camp had not time to seek legal advice. He pointed out that the council stated that they had expected large numbers to attend the camp at the weekend but numbers were relatively small at the camp over the weekend.

In his argument Niall told the court that the camp had not been consulted or warned about the councils intent to seek a court order. Niall said, “that although Agenda 21 had not been ratified in law… it is council policy” and that consultation is a principle of Agenda 21. Niall also stated that the council’s solicitor Michael Browne had accepted that short notice was given. Niall then told the court that the order was inappropriate.

Niall requested to read his statement in to evidence for the court but the judge told him that the important points were made and that it may take some time to read.

Niall accepted that the site did not have planning permission but told the court “it is a genuine claim that we didn’t know” that the camp “was not an authorised development”.

Judge Kenny suggested that there was no getting over the planning permission barrier. In an act of goodwill Niall invited Judge Kenny to visit the camp.

John Kiely JC assumed that Niall was making an application to adjourn the case and said that he could see the court giving “liberal time” to seek legal advice. He went on to question the credentials of Bob Wilson and reiterated the council’s position that the camp was an unauthorised development.

Niall Harnett concluded that the “balance of harm was a test for any injunction” and that the harm to those living on the camp and would be greater.

Judge Kenny agreed that short notice was given. Judge Kenny stated, “that they were entitled to some breathing space” but would not concede to Niall’s request to putting the case back to after the courts summer break. Before he rose Judge Kenny ensured that the council undertook not to act on the interim court order before the next court sitting. Judge Kenny adjourned the case to next Tuesday 31st of July 2007 when he will make his ruling on the matter.

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Dutch/Belgian Earth First! gathering 24-26 August 2007

Join the Dutch EF! gathering and get involved in DIY and ionformative workshops on the three most extensive threats to this planet: climate change, one third decrease in biodiversity and the increasing abuse of natural resources. We can’t wait any longer: NOW is the time to shrink or we’ll drown!

From Friday evening the 24th until Sunday evening the 26th of August there will be workshops, discussions, brainstorms and presentations about eg the five coal-fired power stations planned to be built in the Netherlands, current campaigns, climate neutral squatting, DIY windmills, economic shrink and much more!

For more info visit www.groenfront.nl or send an email to 2007@groenfront.nl Don’t hesitate to submit your own workshop suggestions.

Children’s facilities available. Don’t bring dogs or journalists.

Come and give a workshop, talk or presentation at the Gatwick No Border Camp!

Invitation to contribute workshops and discussions at the No Border Camp, near Gatwick, UK, 19th-24th September 2007.

Continuing the tradition of No Border camps this will be a space to share information, skills, knowledge and experiences, and to plan actions together against the system of border controls.

Invitation to contribute workshops and discussions at the No Border Camp, near Gatwick, UK, 19th-24th September 2007.

Continuing the tradition of No Border camps this will be a space to share information, skills, knowledge and experiences, and to plan actions together against the system of border controls.

The first No Border Camp in UK will be a place for actions and demos, but also a space for discussion around all aspects of migration, a space to learn about new initiatives against the system of controls, detention and deportations, and a place to exchange ideas on how fight with support migrants. We want to look at the whole structure of migration controls.

To achieve this we need your contribution: would you like to deliver a workshops, discussion, forum or presentation?

Every day, from the 20th to the 24th of September we are organising spaces for discussions or plenary forums. The time-slots have been organised so not to clash with actions or demos.

The camp events working group has so far agreed on having workshops/talks on Thursday the 20th from 1 to 4 pm, and on Friday the 21st from 3 to 6 pm.

On Saturday the 22nd from 5pm there will be a plenary forum for groups to present themselves and network with others.

On Sunday in the late morning we are planning a plenary discussion where to exchange ideas on the future of the struggle for the freedom of movement for all and an end to migration controls. No borders – which way forward? And also proposal for international actions.

The camp events working group has come up with the following themes for workshops, but other ideas are of course very welcome:

* Migration controls and global apartheid
* European system of migration controls, including biometric ID, companies involved, Eurodata, SIRENE/Schengen Information System, surveillance and what’s happening in the Southern borders (Malta, Italy, Spain, Morocco etc…)
* The role of institutions and transnational organisations in migration control
* Detention & deportation
* Connections between racism and migration and antifascism
* Climate change and migration, migrant labour
* more practical ‘how to run/start a campaign’ workshops

Lets us know if you would like to contribute to the camp in Gatwick, UK, with a workshop, talk or discussion, by emailing us at g-anbc2007 [at] riseup.net

Please note the only time-slots available for workshops are on Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st September.

thanks
the camp events working group

g-anbc2007@riseup.net
http://www.noborders.org.uk

next Disarm DSEi Public Meeting @ rampART London 28th July

Disarm DSEi Public Meeting Saturday 28th July, 2pm-4pm
rampART centre, 15 Rampart Street, London E1 2LA
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=534642&Y=181247&A=Y&Z=1

Tube : Whitechapel, Shadwell, Aldgate, Aldgate East, Tower Gateway
Bus : 15, 115, D3, 100

There will probably be police photographers outside the meeting, don’t be intimidated. You might choose to wear a scarf in this unpredictable weather.

Disarm DSEi 11 September 2007 – One Day, Many Actions

From 11-14 September, Defence Systems and Equipment international, the world’s largest arms fair, returns to East London’s ExCeL Centre. Despite massive local opposition, and a huge bill to the taxpayer, arms dealers will once again be free to deal in death and destruction.

Against the War— Against the Arms Trade

`Stop the War’ (whichever war) is useless sloganeering unless it is accompanied by a commitment to stopping the global arms trade. War will never stop whilst weapon sales are a booming capitalist business worth in the region of $40 billion a year. There are no borders, no limitations and certainly no morals when it comes to arms trading. Whilst countries such as the US and UK pretend to restrict the sale of arms, there are enough loopholes to enable dealers to trade whatever they like, to whoever they like.

In 2005, DSEi hosted 1,100 companies, 70 official military delegation and 20,000 visitors from across the globe. Many of the countries invited were at war, some with each other. Many were dictatorships with appalling human rights records. Many had huge national debts with populations in severe states of poverty and starvation. We must not let them meet without disruption and opposition. Join us and take action. Say no to war. Say no to the arms trade.

To join the Disarm DSEi mailing list send a blank email to:
disarmdsei-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
07948 318756

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Against War. Against the Arms Trade. Two Day: Many Actions. 29-30 July 2007

Blockade? Party? Destroy? March? Smash? Infiltrate? Invade? Picket? Harass? Clown? Dance? Light candles? Fight? Lock on? Vigil? Disrupt?

You Decide!

In the run up to DSEi 2007, DISARM DSEi is calling for two days of autonomous actions against the arms trade.

There were 1,201 exhibitors at the last DSEi. Find out where your nearest (see www.dsei.org for further information). Take action and say no to death and destruction on your doorstep.

info@dsei.org
http://www.dsei.org/