earthfirst – Page 291

Eviction & Injuction Against Squatted Garden? Reading Resists!

17.05.2007
Common Ground Community Garden is due to open to the public for the first time this Saturday 19th May, with a BBQ, children’s dance exhibition and live acoustic music. Through four months of hard voluntary work, some local residents and activists have created a beautiful green space from land left as a derelict junkyard by Reading Borough Council. We’ve cleared rubbish, secured the area, laid lawn, grown plants and built tables and benches. We have recycled and re-used and created something positive for others and ourselves. Throughout this time we have been occupying the former Women’s Information Centre, left empty after the council cut their funding.

Today, we have found out that derelict land and buildings are not left to rot by the council through sheer laziness, but that they actually prefer them this way. A council official has informed us this morning that they are applying to the court for our eviction and the eviction of the new Common Ground Community Garden. Refusing to allow this positive community project to flower (excuse the pun!) or allowing Katesgrove residents a chance to decide the future of this area, the council is seeking an injunction to prevent the planned open day and celebration events this Saturday from taking place.

We intend to carry on regardless. This project is a source of pride for us, and we hope it can be the same thing for all our neighbours. We believe it to be a positive contribution to the area and we sincerely hope you will feel the same. With this in mind we would like to extend an invitation to all our friends, neighbours and those who support us to visit the garden at anytime from now onwards. We also restate our invitation to join in our celebration of the opening day, this Saturday 19th May.

The entrance to the garden is through the alleyway next to the Women’s Information Centre at the bottom of Silver Street, Katesgrove, Reading.

Against their injuction and eviction is our stubborn determination – resist!

Love n Rage,
Common Ground Community Garden Collective
rgacollective(AT)hotmail.co.uk

Christiania under attack and Copenhagen-Update

15.05.2007
The police entered christiania yesterday to evict and demolish a house, that partly burned down a couple of years ago. The eviction lead to a night of street fighting in the area. Timeline is translated from modkraft.dk

Yesterday’s attack on christiania has to be seen in connection with the attack on Ungdomshuset the 1st of march which lead to a week of riots all over Copenhagen. Again the police is now attacking a free space in Copenhagen that has been under attack from both police and government several times the last couple of years

The reason was officially that there had been made new constructions on the house which against the new administration “rules” for christiania that forbids any construction at all, which also lead to another major police raid in september 2006. Unofficially it is said that the eviction might be a test from the police to see the reaction to evictions on christiania, prior to the promised eviction of all “illegally” build houses in the area..

From several politicians and the opinion in general among left radicals the official reason for the attack has been critized as being pointless. The house was officially asked to be removed by Christiania themselves back in 2006 and there hasn’t been any reason stated why it had to be removed just now a month and a half after Ungdomshuset and a week before the court decides whether or not 3 houses on Christiania should also be evicted.

To many it seems like the police is training for these evictions of houses that are still in function and also this might be an attempt to shift the public opinion AGAINST Christiania by creating and provoking several riots in the area week after week.

However, the riots and fighting yesterday also shows that the police isn’t always the strongest force. People were caught by surprise this morning when they attacked Christiania but by evening the demonstrators proved to be a much more prepared and stronger force than the police seem to have been prepared for.

Even though Copenhagen might have seemed to disappear again in the international news the city has been the center for huge political mobilizations time after time and there has been more and more focus on police brutality in the danish news.
At the same time sentences has been decided by the city court against some of those people arrested around 1st of march. Most of them have been confession trials and might therefor not give any hint about future trials but in one or two trials people have been sentenced for long jail punishments even though there was more civil witnesses supporting them than police witnesses against them.

——-
From modkraft.dk:

Kl. 01.51

The police has bloked Prinsessegade (main road to christiania) and has parked a big amount of vans and officers on the main square in the area Christianshavns Torv

The situation seems unchanged.

Modkraft.dk is ending tonights reportage

Kl. 01.39

A police attack hasn’t begun anyway. Four police vans are parked across Prinsessegade with a number of officers in gas masks in front of and behind the vans.

Further up the street closer to Christiania molotov cocktails and teargas granats are thrown in each others direction but without any real movement.

The police has all equipment ready but nothing is happening

Kl. 01.28

A witness reports that the police has taken on gasmasks and is standing next to their vans by the church half way between the square Christianshavns Torv and the entrance to Christiania

The witness thinks it looks like the preparation for a final attack on the demonstrators.

Kl. 01.24

There has just been new clashes between demonstrators and police around Prinsessegade and Bådmandsstræde.

The police moved forward in vans and had rocks thrown after them. The police then retreated and fired teargas at the demonstrators.

In return the demonstrators threw at least 3 molotovcocktails at the police

It seems as if the clashes doesn’t lead to any changes in position. The police has again retreated.

Kl. 01.05

The fighting between demonstrators and police seems to stop just as slowly. There aren’t as many demonstrators on the street as earlier in the evening.

There is still a lot of clashes with the police where paintbombs and molotovs are thrown at the police

A witness has estimated the number of demonstrators to be around 100 but there is more inside christiania.

Kl. 00.55

After demonstrators have been retreated to christiania they have now started running out in different locations in the area. There is fighting in a street next to Prinsessegade. The police is slowly retreating.

There are still huge amounts of gas in the streets but the wind keeps spreading it out.

Kl. 00.41

There is still fighting between police and demonstrators in Prinsessegade. Also there is still a lot of gas in the streets but the demonstrators are just moving according to the amount of gas, retreating when there is too much. Molotovs are frequently being thrown at the police

The demonstrators are pouring water on the teargas bullets (?), moving from one to another with water bottles.

The area is covered with a huge policeforce.

Kl. 00.24

The police has fired extremely much teargas in the streets. A witness says taht the demonstrators are crying and vomitting. But people still havent given up but are instead very aggressive. A lot is retreating from the gas but several demonstrators are staying.

Water and lemons are handed out among the demonstrators.

The wind in the area is continuing and the demonstrators are moing towards the police as soon as the gas is gone.

Teargas has just been fired into christiania over the musikplace Loppen (www.loppen.dk)

Kl. 00.18

There are burning barricades several places in the area. In a parallel street to Prinsessegade a larger barricade is on fire

Kl. 00.13

Everything is quiet on Sankt Hans Torv where a demonstration was suppose to start at midnight. 15-20 demonstrators are hanging out there and there isn’t any sign of disturbance.

Kl. 00.11

A clash is being prepared in Prinsessegade. The police has fired huge amounts of gas in the street but a wind is spreading it out. That makes the demonstrators move forward as soon as the worst amount of gas is gone

The police seems to be hesitating, according to a source

Kl. 23.59

The police moved towards the demonstrators a moment ago. They were met with rocks and the like.

One van was set on fire which is out again by now

A minute after the attack the police retreated again and regrouped.
They fired gas at the demonstrators

The demonstrators have retreated a bit but are very disciplined. They are yelling “Hold the line” to each other. A witness calls them “ready for battle”

Kl. 23.55

The situation is tense. Barricades are build in Prinsessegade

By Bådmandsstræde a smaller clash is happening. Opposite earlier the police is hesitating a bit. At other attacks the police has answered to demonstrators’ attacks with powerful attack on them.

It is the demonstrators that are offensive now.. They are yelling out paroles against police brutality

The house the police evicted this morning has been rebuild.

Kl. 23.47

SMS-messages has called for a demonstration at Nørrebro at midnight. As the demonstrations on christiania and in the area earlier it is to protest the eviction of a house on christiania earlier today

Kl. 23. 42

There are two large burning barricades in Prinsessegade. One of them was attacked by a police 15 minutes ago.

A new fire is being made between the two barricades. The mood is tense & battle-prepared.

The area has been blocked by police. No one can enter or leave the neighbourhood. Even the metro has been stopped.

Witnesses describe the situation as silence before the storm

Kl. 23.33

Police has just started a massive and violent attack on the entrance to Christiania. This is after demonstrators again has made attacks on the police. A single demonstrator didn’t make it away and has been arrested and carried away

Kl. 23.23:

The police attacked the entrance to christiania five minutes ago. The demonstrators replied with molotovs, rocks and bottles.

The police has retreated again and a new attack is expected.

There are several burning barricades in the area

The riots started shortly after 22 o’clock where a demonstration on the main square in the area started by sms’s started a larger fire and build barricades. The police attacked the demonstration after about 10 minutes and at least 25 people were arrested.

The demonstrators spread out in the area afterwards and started building burning barricades around the entrances to christiania.

Politiken.dk writes that at least 42 persons had been arrested at 22.30

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Pictures & video: http://indymedia.dk/article/1153
http://politiken.dk/poltv/?ExtID=1646
http://politiken.dk/poltv/?ExtID=1646

More video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImOBGgLEBHI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpse1ohja4g
playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D96F3A4AD2D6B746

Activists Occupy Downtown West Palm Beach Billboard protesting Florida Power and Light

West Palm Beach, May 14 – This morning local activists from Project Awareness and Everglades Earth First! hung banners and locked themselves to a downtown rooftop billboard to call for a sustainable future for western Palm Beach County. They oppose FPL’s proposed West County Energy Center, citing its contribution to global warming, Everglades pollution, and overdevelopment; and the Callery-Judge “Town Development,” which would jumpstart urban sprawl in the Loxahatchee area. Their messages highlight the enormous water consumption cllowances already approved for each project, and promote public participation in two forums ñ tomorrow’s 2pm county commission meeting and the FPL’s Shareholders meeting to take place at FPL’s Juno Beach headquarters on May 25.

Their colorful banners showed an alligator chomping a power plant and read:

“Got Water? They would: FPL’s West County Plant ->18 million gallons a Day;

“Callery-Judge Town -> 5 million gallons a day. Keep it Rural, Keep it Wild. No new FPL Plant”

For over a year environmental groups have been fighting the West County Energy Center (WCEC), a natural gas plant that FPL hopes to construct 1000 feet away from the Arthur R. Marshall National Wildlife Refuge in Loxahatchee. As the alternative to fossil fuel plans, activists are promoting energy efficiency & renewable energy, which FPL claims is impractical, despite the American Council for Energy Efficiency’s recent report on the potential for efficiency and renewable sources to meet Florida’s energy demands.

“When it comes to renewable energy, the science has been there for years,” says local activist & physicist Lynne Purvis. “Why does FPL continue to use old, dirty technologies? The answer can only be greed.”

The current drought and water shortages spawn further concerns about FPL’s proposed WCEC water requirements of 18 million gallons a day and the unknown water consumption of the hundreds of thousands of units of development enabled by the project, including Callery-Judge’s 5 million gallons a day.

“These projects are direct threats to Everglades Restoration,” declared Everglades Earth First! member Peter Shultz. “What we need is conservation, not more construction.”

Dublin Shell to Sea – Bringing it all Back Home

Day of Action – They deserve it and you deserve better

On the 18th of May Dublin Shell to Sea is going to escalate its campaign against Shell’s command centre – Corrib house on Leeson Street with another day of action starting at 7.30 am sharp. This attempt to shut down Shell’s HQ, like our last day of action (http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82200), is being called to highlight the incredible theft of our natural resources that totals 51 billion euros in the Corrib field alone. This is only possible with your help; we encourage everyone to come along.

Fuel Poverty – A National Scandal
Ireland is currently facing a crisis. Our health service verges on the brink of collapse as our nurses are forced to strike for decent working conditions. Our politicians have told us they can’t give in, in fear we all might ask for decent conditions.

We have been constantly reminded in the election campaign about how much we owe our politicians. We are told the Celtic Tiger has brought untold riches and this country is now awash with money. This is true to a certain extent. More money has been generated and emigration has stopped. But still all is far from perfect in this country. Money has been wasted and the greatest giveaway is happening as we speak. 51 billion euros of our natural gas reserves is being given to Shell, Marathon and Statoil (for more info on deal see http://www.publicinquiry.ie/reports.php). Whilst these figures are often too big to contemplate, it is sometimes easier to look at who is being directly affected. As usual it is those who need help most who will be affected worst.

Unbelievably, each winter, up to 3,000 people die prematurely every year from fuel poverty (‘The Potential Health Benefits of Improving Household Energy Efficiency’ Clinch and Healy 2000 and Help The Aged., source: http://www.eirigi.org/campaigns/naturalresources/fuel_p…y.htm). This is our parents and grandparents who are dying. What is our politicians’ response to this? Instead of trying to solve the problem they gave away the one thing that could alleviate the problem – natural gas. Above all else natural gas could have ensured that three thousand people lived out their lives, but they chose to give it away instead (http://www.publicinquiry.ie/reports.php).

Royal Dutch Shell A.G.M. in The Hague
Whilst our politicians are to blame they are not the only ones. Shell, Statoil and Marathon are the thieves in this situation and are making away with enormous amounts of our resources. This week one of the thieves, Shell, will celebrate their grotesque profits at their A. G.M. in Holland. It’s quite telling that the only place that Shell’s board of directors can be held to account (if you are rich) is in a conference hall in The Hague. We the rightful beneficiaries of the natural gas deposits off our west coast won’t have a say.

The new beneficiaries are people like the Queen of Holland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Beatrice) Lord Kerr of Kinlochard (also director of Rio Tinto, Jeroen van der Veer, Linda Cook, Andy Pyle and Terry Nolan (for other members of Shell’s board of directors see (http://www.search.shell.com/cgi-bin/rsearch.cgi). Throughout this week Royal Dutch Shell will wine and dine the global elite and divide out 51 billion euros of our money.
At this meeting the rest of Shell’s shareholders will get the chance to see how their investments are doing and decide what to do with €51 billion they stole from you and Shell’s executives this year will no doubt have a nice cigar and champagne at your expense.

These men and women with their suits and briefcases will sit smug in The Hague with their caviar in the knowledge that they have ripped off a country that needs its resources badly – Our health service verges on the brink of collapse as our nurses are forced to strike for a decent wage, our elderly now live in fear of Winter as up to 3000 people die each year from fuel poverty and pensions are being privatised.

What you can do?
But all is not doom and gloom, on Friday the 18th just as Shell’s Irish elite arrive back having given away our resources to the global rich. Dublin Shell to Sea plans to greet these people by shutting down their Irish nerve centre and headquarters – Corrib House. This is the building where all decisions are taken, where they hatched the plans to steal our resources and target the Mayo communities in their relentless pursuit of profit. So come and join us in protesting against these criminals and blockade their offices on Friday the 18th of May – they deserve it and you deserve better!

Squatted Community Garden Opening Day – Sat 19th May – Reading!

“COMMON GROUND”
(Reading Squatted Community Garden)
** OPENING DAY! **

SATURDAY MAY 19TH,
1pm till Late!
** BBQ, live acoustic music and dance exhibition by local kids from 6pm! **

“COMMON GROUND”
(Reading Squatted Community Garden)
** OPENING DAY! **

SATURDAY MAY 19TH,
1pm till Late!
** BBQ, live acoustic music and dance exhibition by local kids from 6pm! **

A group of anti-capitalists in Reading have created a beautiful garden from a squatted piece of derelict land for our community to use and enjoy. On Saturday 19th May we will be opening to the public for the first time, hope to see you there!

Limited accomodation is available, 1st come 1st serve – please let us know asap, thanx!

The entrance is through the alleyway, next to the Womens Information Centre, Silver Street, Central Reading, UK. We are 10mins walk from train station.

“Anything is possible when we take the initiative”

For further information please email rgacollective(AT)hotmail.co.uk

New cars smashed while on transportation by train

Since the G8 in Gleneagles 2005 there has been sabotage on 3 different dates, with estimated damage about £200,000 plus,bristol indymedia has been spared the postings for legal reasons.

EAST KENT EARTH FIRST!

This report announces the formation of a new campaigning and action group to be called EAST KENT EARTH FIRST!

The group is based in Canterbury, but already has support from people in the Medway Towns, Sittingbourne, Herne Bay and Thanet as well as Canterbury. Most of the people involved have a background in the Animal Rights movement and recognise the need to broaden out into Eco Action and related issues. Be it GM crops, Airport expansion, unnecessary development, or diverse other issues we shall seek to educate, inform and protest, notwithstanding the current clampdown on reasonable protest. There will shortly be a website up and running, but in the meantime anyone interested in being involved should

This report announces the formation of a new campaigning and action group to be called EAST KENT EARTH FIRST!

Video – You Plant, We Dig

Short video of the April 21st anti-GM rally and picnic that ended with the attempted underplanting of organic potatoes in a field thought to be earmarked for a BASF GM potato crop trial in Hedon near Hull.

8 mins, 19mb, H264 encoded

Plane Stupid Callout for Local Groups

Plane Stupid (www.planestupid.com) is calling out for local Plane Stupid groups to form to fight the fastest growing cause of climate change (aviation) in your area. Plane Stupid thinks that local groups taking action in their area but within a wider network of Plane Stupid activists is the best way to fight the unsustainable growth of the aviation industry. If you would like to set up a group in your area all you need is a few enthusiastic members committed to using direct action to fight climate change.

The 2003 Aviation White Paper outlines plans for between double and triple the current number of passenger flights. This involves massive airport expansion all over Britain at rate equivalent to the building of a new Heathrow every 5 years. The UK’s top climatologists predict that aviation’s emissions alone are predicted to exceed the government’s target for the country’s entire output of greenhouse gases in 2050 by around 134%. (Tyndall Centre for Climate
ChangeResearch)

Plane Stupid has become one of the direct action groups of the emerging grassroots climate movement in Britain. Our dramatic impact has come by means of a series of high-profile direct actions and a near obsessive focus on clear, basic demands that people understand: the scrapping of airport expansion plans, a tax on aircraft fuel and
plane tickets, and an end to unnecessary and unsustainable short haul flights.

Since we formed in less than 18 months ago; we have disrupted the world’s largest international aviation industry conference in Central London; grounded planes through the occupation of a taxiway at the short-haul East Midlands Airport; blocked the entrance to BAA’s headquarters at Heathrow twice; staged a roof-top protest at easyJet’s corporate headquarters in London, temporarily shut down tens of travel agents across the UK and helped angry Heathrow residents disrupt the transport minister’s speech. We also inspired and oversaw Britain’s first national day of action against short haul flights, which saw local groups hold demonstrations at six regional airports and outside Flight Centre travel agents in cities across the UK.

Government and industry’s profiteering from creating catastrophic climate change will go unchecked unless YOU do something today! Join us by setting up a local group with some like minded people in your area to help us scrap airport expansion, get aviation fuel and tickets taxed and ending short haul flights.

Contact info@planestupid.com or call 07948 219 493 for advice on setting up a local group or for someone to come and speak in your area about Plane Stupid. Also on the 12th and 13th of May we will be at the Campaign against Climate Change conference in London (http://www.campaigncc.org/) where you can come and speak to us.

www.planestupid.com
info@planestupid.com

G8 Bike Caravan Action Nijmegen

7.05.2007 – Today a bicycle demo against the G8 was held in Nijmegen, Holland..

Today the bicycle demo against the G8 was a success. Despite the pouring rain and the absence of the majority of the international bicycle caravan, there were still 30 cyclists ready for action. Several locations that had some connection with the G8 politics were visited by bike for some good-spirited demonstrating . Unlike in Utrecht the police was wise enough not to show up. Tonight the rest of the caravan will arrive in Nijmegen, where the cyclists will stop for the night. Tomorrow the caravan will continue towards Germany, where the G8 summit will take place from 6th to 8th of june, in Heiligendamm.

7.05.2007 – Today a bicycle demo against the G8 was held in Nijmegen, Holland..

The first stop was made at the local Mcdonalds. This was surrounded by the cyclists and the entrance road to the mcdrive was blocked with fences.This fast food chain is a symbol of exploitation of workers and environment in third world countries by the rich western society.

Of course Berendonck was also visited. Here, environmental groups and local nature enjoyers are resisting the expansion of the golf terrain, into a valuable forest and lake area. The activsts reclaimed the public space by placing signs proclaiming “This is not a Golf State / Free access recreational area”. Trees were planted in the holes, and there was a game of football. Like Berendonck is wasted for a small group of rich people, the same goes for the G8 – on a world wide scale.

The last action was at the local headquarters of the marechaussee (immigration police). The gates to the building were locked from the outside by thick chains. Banners were hung on the fences, on which was written “no human being is illegal” and “break the power of the G8” By this way the activists protested against the Fortress of Europe. The marechaussee plays an important role in the inhumane immigration politics. Migration is one of the main themes of the protests against the G8.

Photos: http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2007/05/44322.shtml

Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5LnmkG2zOQ