Aviation and Roads – Page 13

Earth First! Summer Gathering set-up plans announced

We can now announce that set-up will begin from around 2pm on Saturday, 31 July. Marquees, tools and construction materials will be arriving on site from Saturday morning so there will be plenty to do. You will be able to camp on the site from Saturday and there will be skeleton facilities (water, basic kitchen) from that time.

We also have a mobile number for setup which is 07766 947852. This will be on-site from Saturday lunchtime, and may well get answered in the few days beforehand but please don’t try ringing until then – e-mail will remain the main contact point until nearer the time – summergathering -{at}- earthfirst.org.uk

What we need to know:

*Please can you let us know when you are coming? – this helps us plan foods, facilities and what jobs to do when.

*It is also helpful if you can let us know if you have any particular skills or interests with respect to set-up – we might need drivers, so if you are over 25, hold a clean licence, are confident driving a 3.5 tonne Luton AND can bring along both parts of your driving licence please let us know.

*Similarly if you are arriving in a vehicle and could potentially provide lifts, transport equipment en route or run errands from site once you arrive please let us know. In this case it is very helpful if you are able/willing to supply us with a contact phone number.

How to get there

As you maybe aware that we do not announce the exact site of the gathering until one week before the main event, this means directions will be available on the website http://www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk/ from Wednesday, 27 July. We realise this will be short notice for people arriving on the Saturday, however to make things easier we will e-mail directions to set-up crew on that day (that still 4 days to check a map!).

The nearest train station is Derby if you want to pre-book train tickets, you will also need to take a local bus service from Derby (these are frequent). We are aiming to have a vehicle on site that can assist if people have difficulties between Derby and the site, so hopefully everyone will be able to get there okay.

There may be a very small number of lifts available from the Nottingham area across the weekend of Saturday 31st July/Sunday first of August. There may also be lifts from the Leeds area first thing on 31 July. Let us know if this may be of interest to you.

What to bring

*Everything you need to the gathering, tent sleeping bags etc. and especially a torch

*It may be wise to come a bit more self-sufficient in food and snacks than you would need to for the main gathering – we will have a basic kitchen but Veggies and the tuck shop are not arriving until Wednesday

*If you are able to bring any tools, especially for basic carpentry, these are often useful

Big thanks for offering to help out

Do get in touch if you have any questions

Love & rage

The EF! Gathering crew

Russian Activists set up Barricade, then Camp Out As Battle For Khimki Forest Heats Up

July 17, 2010
Environmentalists opposed to plans to raze a Khimki forest to make way for an $8 billion highway raised a barricade to keep out loggers Monday, Interfax reported.

On the side of the road to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, which runs along a pristine expanse of old-growth trees, a banner urges drivers to help “Stop the felling of the forest.”

Behind the sign, the forest is marred by a gaping hole the size of three football fields.

This is where activists from the Ecodefense environmental group have camped out in a desperate bid to save the Khimki forest from destruction.

Russian authorities want to clear large swathes of forest to make way for an $8 billion highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. They say the proposed route through Khimki, a small town on Moscow’s northern outskirts, will help ease traffic congestion by offering an alternative road to the airport.

But environmentalists say building the highway in Khimki would deprive Moscow of yet another chunk of its fast-dwindling green belt, designed in the 1930s to contain pollution and preserve wildlife.

Ecodefense succeeded in halting the first felling works on July 15, because the workers showed up without deforestation permits, according to activist Sergei Ageyev.

“There were about six workers cutting down trees and two security guards. There were more at the other location, which had the bulk of the equipment, including an excavator. We demanded that they stop work,” Ageyev says. “We asked to see documents. They didn’t know anything; there were no documents at the site. It is a blatant violation; there must be documents.”

Ecodefense leader Yevgenya Chirikova says a small fight erupted between activists and security guards of the French company in charge of the felling, Vinci Concessions.

“We won,” she adds with a smile.

The company could not immediately be reached for comment.

Shortly after speaking to RFE/RL, Chirikova was attacked by an unidentified man, who struck her before ramming his car into her. She escaped unhurt.

She said the police were slow to respond when she reported the incident. “I don’t understand why it took them so long to find me,” she told RFE/RL’s Russian Service. “The day before a detachment of police was ordered to our camp and they had found us quite easily.”

Chirikova said the the attack was a form of “psychological pressure” and just one in a series of incidents meant to intimidate her.

Pollution And Illness

At the activists’ makeshift camp, freshly cut birch trees are piled up close to an abandoned bulldozer. Other piles of felled trees nearby suggest clearing has been going on for some time.

Despite the sweltering heat, the activists are determined to stay here round-the-clock until all felling equipment has left the forest.

Ecologists and Khimki residents have been fighting plans to build the highway for years, saying it will have a devastating effect on the local environment.

Andrei Margulev, the coordinator of the union of ecological organizations, was the one who raised the alarm about this week’s felling at Khimki forest.

“The ecological situation here in the north of Moscow is very dire due to the huge number of vehicles and enterprises, including garbage incineration plants and a famous garbage dump that constantly sends out smoke on that side of the canal,” Margulev says. “The forest filters the air and the dust that can carry pollution all the way to our lungs. All this dust remains here. If there were no forest, hundreds more people would die of cancerous diseases.”

Chirikova, a businesswoman, moved to Khimki with her family to live closer to the forest. She began campaigning to save the forest after she noticed red paint on trees near her home in Khimki marking the highway’s proposed route.

“The forest is important to us not only as a source of oxygen, but also for its biodiversity, which is unique for the Moscow region,” she says. “There are fewer and fewer such places, and we understand that if we don’t preserve this forest, we won’t survive next summer when temperatures reach 36 degrees Celsius.”

Charges Of Corruption

Critics of the highway accuse the government of ignoring protests, manipulating laws, and modifying the forest’s status to allow its deforestation.

The group filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights after Russia’s Supreme Court rejected its appeal in April.

Ecodefense also accuses authorities of deliberately engineering a recent four-day traffic jam on the road leading to the airport to gain support for the highway.

Activists say the project is mired in corruption, stressing that one of the driving forces behind the proposed route is Transport Minister Igor Levitin, who also sits on the airport’s board of directors.

Transparency International has reported there was a “potential corruption risk” in the project.

Ecodefense activists say they recently met with representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to persuade them not to invest in the road.

Experts say the planned route through the forest will actually slow down a road that is supposed to be about speeding up traffic.

The campaign has become a cause célèbre in Russia, particularly after Mikhail Beketov, the editor of the local newspaper “Khimkinskaya Pravda,” was viciously beaten two years ago in what many see as retaliation for his battle to save the Khimki forest.

One of Beketov’s legs had to be amputated following the attack, and he suffered severe brain damage.

Ecodefense has collected 20,000 signatures against the destruction of the forest. In another sign of the group’s mounting clout, Chirikova won 16 percent of the vote in last year’s election for mayor of Khimki — a high result for a first-time, independent candidate.

Despite the start of tree felling this week, Chirikova is not losing hope. But she says more people need to join the cause.

“We see a real chance to stop the felling,” she says. “The only thing we lack is help from active people who could come here…to bring water, food, and tents to our wonderful camp. That’s the only way we can stop anything.”

“We have no hope in the police, who simply sit in the bushes shrugging their shoulders and saying they don’t know what to do,” she says.

—

Deforestation Starts, and Stops, in Khimki

16.7.10
A French company started clearing a Khimki forest for an $8 billion highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg, but its work was halted Thursday by environmentalists.

France’s Vinci Concessions cut down trees in an area equal to two football fields near the Novotel Sheremetyevo Moscow hotel on Wednesday before the environmentalists showed up Thursday morning and demanded to see deforestation permits, which the workers were unable to provide, the public group In Defense of the Khimki Forest said.

The activists put up tents near the deforestation site in Khimki, a town on Moscow’s northern outskirts, for 10 people to monitor the area around the clock to make sure work did not resume without the permits.

The workers promised to show the permits Monday, said Yevgenia Chirikova, head of In Defense of the Khimki Forest. “They promised to provide everything, but on Monday at 2 p.m.,” she said, Interfax reported.

Greenpeace Russia asked the Prosecutor General’s Office to check “without delay” whether the workers had permits for the deforestation, the environmental watchdog said in a statement.

Officials with Vinci Concessions, which leads the North-West Concession Company, a consortium building the road, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ecodefense, an environmental group, linked a four-day traffic jam on Leningradskoye Shosse in late June and early July to the deforestation in Khimki, saying it was “engineered deliberately to get a green light for the construction” of the Khimki road.

In Defense of the Khimki Forest together with the Federation of Car Owners of Russia appealed to the Prosecutor General’s Office this week to investigate the reasons for the snarled traffic, which city authorities have blamed on construction work on a small bridge in Khimki.

In late April, the Supreme Court brushed aside environmental concerns over the deforestation of the old oak forest, allowing work on the highway to proceed.

The forest has become a symbol of grassroots activism in Russia over the past two years. In November 2008, Mikhail Beketov, one of the forest’s staunchest defenders and the editor of the local newspaper Khimkinskaya Pravda, was badly beaten after he criticized the Khimki administration for supporting the deforestation. The attack, which remains unsolved, left Beketov brain damaged, and one of his legs had to be amputated.
Background and here

summer camps in the UK & Merthyr coal train action sentencing – solidarity demo

The next month and a half are busy times if you like camping and politics! Peace News, EF! gathering, Welsh & UK climate camps….

The Peace News Summer Camp is almost upon us in sunny Oxfordshire, “an inclusive, democratically-run five-day experience-in-miniature of the kind of world we are trying to bring about”. This year, feminism joins our standing themes of peace and justice.
http://peacenewscamp.info/

The EF! Summer Gathering is of course in early August in the beautiful Peak District. “5 days of workshops, skill sharing and planning action, plus low- impact living without leaders. Meet and share skills with others who care. Plan actions and campaigns. Have fun. We’ve got over 80 workshops, planning, strategy and ‘Where Next’ sessions planned, get in touch if you want to offer a workshop! ”
A tonne of varied and amazing workshops and training sessions, full details at http://www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk/2010/front.html

And the Welsh Climate Camp is in mid-August (see callout below), “a basic ‘lite’ action-focused camp in South Wales; with its attention fixed firmly on coal. This will be linked to a sister-site /info-shop in Cardiff which will act as a point of contact before and during the camp. Workshops will be mostly limited to action-based training and information although there will be space to hear from community campaigns and open discussion forums throughout the camp.”
http://climatecampcymru.org/?page_id=1000

The UK Camp for Climate Action is heading north to Edinburgh at the end of August, “Our sustainable and collectively organised basecamp will give you the chance to learn, train up, and meet like minded individuals. Exciting action plans are currently in the plotting stages, so watch this space.”
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/actions/edinburgh-2010

—-

Open cast is trashing the south Wales landscape
It’s time to take action
Climate Camp Cymru
13 – 17 August

A momentum is building. Last year we camped next to Ffos y Fran – one of the largest opencast mines in Europe – for a week of workshops and sustainable living. This summer we’re going back to basics with a light action-based camp, targeting coal somewhere in south Wales.

Our current economic system is based on an addiction to fossil fuels and on maximising profit at the expense of people and the environment. Fossil fuel corporations cannot be allowed to progress unchecked. We need green jobs for Wales, not dirty destruction.

On the 13th we’ll meet in Cardiff and make our way from there to the site.
Things to bring:

> Tent
> Sleeping bag
> Warm clothes and waterproofs
> Plate, bowl, mug and cutlery
> and a bike could be useful too

Burning coal is destroying our climate, while opencast mining damages the earth and the health of local people. We must leave it in the ground.

Join a growing number of ordinary people taking direct action, and exploring alternatives, to stop the madness that is destroying the earth. This August 13th -17th come to Climate Camp Cymru.

www.climatecampcymru.org
info@climatecampcymru.org
07040 909 147

—-

Heading to Climate Camp Cymru on August 13th? 13 people who blockaded the railway at Ffos y Fran opencast mine in April are being sentenced at Merthyr Crown Court that day at 2pm. Why not drop by around 1pm for a solidarity demo.

Just Do It: Get Off Your Arse and Change the World

Documentary following the fortunes of environmental activists in 2009 launches innovative crowd-funding appeal

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Documentary following the fortunes of environmental activists in 2009 launches innovative crowd-funding appeal

***

In early 2009, Emily James began filming the clandestine activities of several environmental direct action groups across the UK. Allowed unprecedented access, Emily documented a year of escalating action that began in spring with the now infamous G20 demonstrations in London. Always in the thick of it and with ever her trusty camera to hand she saddled up with The Climate Rush “Bike Rush” as they brought Westminster to a standstill, pitched up with The Climate Camp as they occupied Blackheath, masked up with The Great Climate Swoop as they stormed the fences at Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal power station, and then accompanied them all to wintry Copenhagen as they took their protest to the streets outside the UN COP 15 climate talks. And those are just the headlines!

‘Just Do It’ follows the triumphs, traumas and clandestine activities of civil disobedient environment activists as they take on the combined forces of global capitalism, run away climate change and the pesky Metropolitan Police. Having gathered over 250 hours of material, she and her team are now embarking on the challenging task of turning this footage into a feature length film, which will inspire people to take action on climate change. Check out the trailer here: http://just-do-it.org.uk/.

Set for release in 2011, the Just Do it model can be thought of as the ultimate in independent film production. Unlike a TV funded documentary, our innovative crowd-funding model allows us to work completely free from external interference, be it editorial or stylistic. This means that we can focus entirely on making a film that does justice to the exciting footage we have captured. Our production model gives us complete control. This is bottom up filmmaking, not the usual top-down, and it is driven by passion and creative vision, rather than by desire for ratings or commercial imperative.

“It’s precisely the kind of film that wouldn’t get made within the existing profit and ratings-driven funding structures,” explains Just Do It director, Emily James, “Crowd-funding through donation enables us, as creative artists, to be supported by our audience in a more direct way, without the involvement of cultural gatekeepers. This is another nail in the coffin for traditional media.“

‘Just Do It’ aims to tell an important story frequently obscured by the agenda of the corporate media. If you too think this is a story which should be told, then please donate here: http://just-do-it.org.uk/fund-this-film – whether it’s a tenner or a grand, it will be gratefully received.

Bath Bomb #30 Out Now

THE BATH BOMB

@nti-copyright: copy and distribute!

Issue #30

free/donation

June ’10

“Fucking Laws at your expense”

Electile Dysfunction

THE BATH BOMB

@nti-copyright: copy and distribute!

Issue #30

free/donation

June ’10

“Fucking Laws at your expense”

Electile Dysfunction

As readers may have noticed, May the 6th’s hung parliament (no nooses, more’s the pity) and subsequent clamour of backroom deals has led to a coalition featuring the odious ’18 of our MPs went to Eton’ Conservatives and the almost-as-posh ‘Tory-lite’ Lib Dems. Now the dust has settled, it’s clear that no parties have a mandate for the cuts they will try to unleash. No party dared to clearly set out what the Financial Times dubbed the “brutal” economical decisions required. That is simply because to do so would have been electoral suicide. If they had been honest about the cuts – the first stage being £6.2 billion hacked from vital public services, hundreds of thousands of jobs and harsh pay slashes – then nobody would have voted for them. The markets and ruling class demand a vicious economic program (rather than ‘rich tax’) that will mean turmoil. There will be resistance from unions, service-users and the community alike, with the fight moving from the ballot box to the picket lines and to the streets. Ordinary people cannot be expected to pay for a crisis caused by corrupt politicians and bankers and, like the people of Greece, Ireland, Spain and Romania, we must be prepared to fight every cut, and protect every job. Locally, B.A.N. and others are planning to set up a ‘Public Services Defence Group’, and everyone is invited to join – to protect our rights, jobs, pay, pensions and benefits. Together, we can win.

Pressing Their Luck?

Tesco are now displaying for public comment their plans to occupy the former Bath Press site and demolish the entire building, leaving nothing but a wobbly-looking front wall. The new site, to incorporate a ‘community hall’ – presumably similar to the social improvements promised at other Tesco sites, which have almost universally failed to materialise – will be Tesco’s first major store in Bath. 650 ‘new jobs’ are also promised. The economics behind this claim are flawed, however. As the market for food is already saturated here – otherwise there’d be a city-wide outbreak of malnutrition – the new store won’t be creating any new markets, and so will just be taking custom away from existing stores. As Tesco is renowned for their efficiency and high income-to-staff ratio, this will cause an overall drop in employment as other businesses close or shed staff. In fact, studies have shown that the opening of a large supermarket causes an overall loss of 276 jobs per new store opened.

For a more hopeful outlook, look to Bristol, where the anti-Tesco campaign on Stokes Croft has left the council considering placing a Compulsory Purchase Order on the site and handing it over to the community, as an indoor market incorporating local ‘Time Bank’ trading schemes.

GOT A STORY? WANT TO RECEIVE THE BATH BOMB BY EMAIL? HOPING TO SUE? Contact us by emailing bathbombpress[at]yahoo.co.uk. Large print e-versions available on request. And for more info on any of our stories, check out http://www.thebathbomb.blogspot.com

Schools Of Hard Cuts

Amongst the raft of cuts the Tories and their pet Lib Dems have unleashed on us, their plans for education stand out for sheer idiocy. Dressed up as ‘freeing teachers from bureaucracy and letting them teach’, their plans in fact boil down to selling off the entire education system wholesale. Intent on sending our schools the same way as the railways and energy companies, the Tories intend to auction off schools to companies and religious groups. The plan has already been exposed as a failure, with working conditions for teachers, attainment for pupils and bullying management all coming under scrutiny in existing academies, and the country’s largest academy group United Learning Trust (ULT) being banned from taking on more schools. With several schools in Bath exploring the academy route, we spoke to ‘Matt’, a teacher in a local academy about the prospect of spreading the academy love. “It would be a terrible idea,” Matt tells us, “Working in an academy, you are driven by bullying management that aren’t bound to follow the same pay and conditions that state schools are tied to. Unions are discouraged, and union members face questioning and harrassment. Every facet of school life is out-sourced to private companies, often leading to a substandard provision of education for the kids. As academies are grades driven, teachers are routinely bullied into faking coursework, and lower ability pupils are ignored in favour of C/D borderline kids. On top of that, anyone with enough cash can sponsor an academy, meaning that some really unsavoury, and right wing religious and corporate groups control our kids education. From personal experience, the academy system is an unfair and failing system, for staff and kids.” Four schools in the Bath area are already threatened with closure, including Oldfield, to be replaced by two academies. With unions already gearing up for the fightback, why not drop an email to your kids school and let them know how you feel about the future of your child being flogged to the highest bidder.

Consultation Stitch-up On The Kennet And Avon

About 20 travelling boat dwellers attended the Kennet and Avon Canal User Group meeting on the 29th April where the recent consultation on setting up local mooring strategies was discussed.

Although 73 out of 98 responses to British Waterways opposed the idea, BW’s Damian Kemp told the meeting it will go ahead and start setting up the first strategy group on the Kennet and Avon between Devizes and Bath. BW justified this by saying that many of the replies were from groups rather than from individuals, and gave the groups more credence. Boaters challenged this interpretation as BW did not make clear at any stage that responses from groups would be treated differently. Now, many boaters believe that the process was a complete sham and the results are being manipulated to support BW’s agenda of ridding live-aboard boaters from the Kennet and Avon and replacing them with “the leisure industry”. This is demonstrated by the comments of James Young, another BW employee, describing the process as “a working party to address the problems associated with liveaboards.”

Damian Kemp, who was appointed in mid 2009 to head the project implementing mooring strategy groups on the Kennet and Avon, inadvertently admitted the discrepancy. Whilst telling the meeting at one point that the responses from individuals were given less weight than those from groups, a few minutes later he contradicted himself by saying that the results were not weighted. What is more, Mark Stephens, manager of the Kennet and Avon, admitted at the meeting that there is no additional money in the current budget for a local mooring strategy group, and that to set it up could cut funding in other areas. This all sounds completely unworkable. And why did BW hold a consultation when Mr Kemp had already been appointed?

These restrictions will be decided by a steering group in which most of the boating community in this area will not have a say, even though they are the only group that is directly affected. Yet, if BW’s plans go ahead, many will be forced to make a tough choice: lose the home or lose the job. Plenty may also be forced to give up their homes to keep their children in school. BW has already worked with Bathampton and Claverton Parish Councils in Summer 2009 to draw up these proposed mooring restrictions, which will vastly reduce the availability of two-week moorings between Bradford and Bath. Boaters only discovered this plot by accident, and were never invited to these meetings or informed about them. The minutes of these meetings, maps and associated correspondence are published in an article entitled ‘The Outer Zone’, see http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk/wordpress/?p=77

The 1995 British Waterways Act confers a statutory right for boats to cruise the waterways without having a permanent mooring, so long as they do not remain in any one place for more than fourteen days, or a longer period if there are exceptional circumstances.

The next boaters’ meeting takes place on the 16th of June upstairs at the Georgian Lodge Hotel in Bradford-on-Avon. For more information, contact info[at]boatingcommunity.org.uk.

http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk

Eco Village Of The Damned

Back on the 5th of May, after a maze of legal battles, the first incarnation of the Bristol Eco Village was evicted. The villagers moved onto a disused plot of land in St Werburghs in April to set up a community to experiment with sustainable living on and improving industrially contaminated land.

The London-based landowners made several illegal attempts to evict them before finally… wait for it… going through legal channels to get their land back, so they could get on with developing it at the expense of the local community, the endangered newt population, and the wider environment. But a mass of local residents decided they’d rather have a low-impact living project on their doorstep than profit-driven development. On eviction day they blockaded the gates that bailiff company Constant & Co were attempting to enter the site by. Later they occupied a cherry-picker as it attempted to enter the site. Game on!

However the over-arching memory of the day will be the sad hospitalization of one villager, cynically assaulted by the bailiffs while atop a tripod. Bailiffs disregarded health and safety regulations and collapsed the tripod, crushing the villager’s leg between long sturdy metal poles, and then sitting on them. Villagers are appealing for any witnesses to come forward, particularly those with any video footage of the assault.

The Bristol Eco Village briefly took a new site on the 15th of May, near Temple Meads train station. Rumours abound about the Eco Village’s next move, with a possible pincer movement to simultaneously occupy land adjoining the canal in Bath and a second site in Bristol, being on the cards.

Constant & Co are a notoriously brutal collection of pondlife (not newts) that proudly specialise in forcing the vulnerably housed onto the streets. Any ‘concerns’ can be ‘voiced’ to them at 66 Harpur Street, Bedford, MK40 2RA.

Short And Snappy

Whilst the government decided on the 12th of May to scrap Heathrow expansion and additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted, at the end of May, North Somerset Council chose a different path. Ignoring not only B&NES and Bristol Councils, but also 5,000+ objections, the latest findings on climate change and World Health Organisation noise and health guidance, they greenlighted Bristol Airport’s planning application. Stop Bristol Airport Expansion are now looking to the Secretary of State, and are building funds to mount a legal challenge – contact them for info at email[at]stopbia.com

Despite expert scientific advice, the government has decided to follow the Welsh lead (and unsustainable industrial farming lobby) and push ahead with a national badger cull, particularly in bovine TB hotspots like Devon and Cornwall. The annual cull in Pembrokeshire, repeated for five years, costs £10 million so far, with balaclava’d contractors aiming to kill off 80% of the local population. Your local animal rights groups need you!

For the first time in 12 years, the EU has approved the growth of genetically engineered crops. A petition might be all that stands in their way!: http://www.greenpeace.org/GEpetition

EDF’s bid for the proposed Hinkley C nuclear power station has just had its planning application delayed a second time, from early July to the 1st of December. Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has stated that there will be no government subsidies available for new nuclear build

Local campaigning group S.W.A.G. have formed to dissuade Charlie from selling off royal greenbelt land near Newton St Loe, doomed for the construction of 2,000 homes. However, they won an unexpected overkill victory when the ConDem alliance scrapped Neo-Labour’s plans for 21,300 homes in the local area, and potentially the contested Bus Rapid Transit route, too!

Catnaps And Chinwags

It’s been a strange time for Bath’s Black Cat independent community social centre. Thrown out in the rain from their former opulent home at the old Porter Butt pub on London Road (after a storming ‘Never Mind the Vote, Here’s the Folk’ gig) on the 7th of May. Landlord Julian Richer and a dodgy collusion of Bath police and Manchester-based JMW solicitor (claiming to be a bailiff), rather than go to the trouble of legitimately attaining a Warrant of Eviction, instead just intimidated the residents to “voluntarily leave”. Since then those frisky Black Cats have been homeless and gone through an internal shake-up, teaming up with the Snow Hill Skills and Enterprise Initiative (who have been patiently attempting to work with the Council for four years to set up a grassroots, poverty-breaking and ecologically-sustainable community centre for the local, deprived area) and helping birth the ‘Black Kitten’ anarchist free lending library in Stokes Croft, in Bristol. Though determined to keep it real and radical, the collective are currently going through a spate of negotiations over premises with Council and political officials. Who’d have thought it? In the meantime, there’s everything to play for, and the Black Cat is very keen for new volunteers to get involved: contact them at bathsocialcentre[at]gmail.co.uk.

http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

EVENTS

London Road Food Co-op, Wednesdays, 4-7pm, Riverside Community Centre, London Road

Bathampton Community Growers workday, Thursdays, 10am-dusk, Mill Lane, Bathampton, e-mail thelostplot[at]googlemail.com/ tel Chris 07792 444628

Bath Stop The War Coalition vigil, Saturdays, 11.30am-12.30, Bath Abbey Courtyard

Recycle Your Sundays, Sundays, 10.30am, starts Abbey Churchyard, the regular series of sociable, easy-paced cycle rides, http://www.bathrys.org.uk/ tel Hazel 01225 469199

Bath FreeShop, Saturday 12th June, 12-3pm, outside Pump Rooms, Stall Street

Broadlands Orchardshare Volunteering Day, Saturday 12th June, 12-4pm, Broadlands Orchard, Box Road, Bathford, http://www.bathford.net/broadlands.php

Palladium Bridge Picnic: with the Natural Theatre Company, Saturday 12th June, 6pm, Prior Park

AmnesTea fund-raising cream tea, Saturday 12th June, 2.30-5.30pm, 6 Widcombe Terrace, BA2 6AJ, http://www.greenbath.org

Widcombe Rising festival, Sunday 13th June, 1.30-7.30pm, Widcombe, http://www.widcombe.net

Bristol Naked Bike Ride, Sunday 13th June, location tbc, http://bristolwnbr.blogspot.com

film: ‘Establishing a Food Forest the Permaculture Way’, Sunday 13th June, 7.30pm, the Love Lounge/ back room of the Bell, Walcot Street, £5 entry, http://www.transitionbath.org

Bath Animal Action meeting, Monday 14th June, 8-9pm, The Bell, Walcot Street, e-mail bathanimalaction[at]yahoo.co.uk

Boaters’ Meeting, Wednesday 16th June, 8pm, Georgian Lodge Hotel, Bradford on Avon

film: ‘Passengers’, Wednesday 16th June, 8pm, Cube Cinema, Bristol, bristolnoborders[at]riseup.net

film: ‘Welcome’, Thursday 17th June, 8pm, Cube Cinema, Bristol, bristolnoborders[at]riseup.net

Bathampton Community Growers workday, Saturday 19th June, 10am-dusk, Mill Lane, Bathampton, e-mail thelostplot[at]googlemail.com/ tel Chris 07792 444628

Coal Train Blockaders benefit defence gig, Saturday 19th June, 8pm, the Plough, Easton, Bristol, feat. Ceilidh Minogue, Heroin Hero and DJs

Bristol Anarchist Bookfair benefit punk & thrash gig and film, Sunday 20th June, 6pm, feat. Guarapita, Power Is Poison, Threat Manifesto and This Ends Here, £5, http://www.thebastardsquadcollective.wordpress.com

Bath Cycling Campaign meeting, Monday 21st June, 7.30pm, Rising Sun, Grove Street

talk: ‘Climate Migrants: Feeding Back from the World People’s Conference on Climate Change’, Wednesday 23rd June, 7pm, St. Paul’s Learning Centre, 94 Grosvenor Road, Bristol

Transition Bath Visit to Stroud Community Farm, Saturday 26th June, 8.43am from Bath Spa train station, http://www.stroudcommunityagriculture.org

Critical Mass Bike Ride, Saturday 26th June, 1pm, Kingsmead Square, http://www.bathcyclingcampaign.org.uk

Bath Animal Action info stall, Sunday 27th June, 2-4pm, Stall Street, e-mail bathanimalaction[at]yahoo.co.uk

Transition Bath Social, Monday 28th June, 7.15pm, the Love Lounge/ back room of the Bell, Walcot Street, http://www.transitionbath.org

Bath Hunt Saboteurs meeting, Monday 28th June, 8-9pm, The Bell, tel Justin 07854 062336

Bath Socialist Forum: ‘What is Socialism?’, Monday 28th April, 8pm, upstairs at St James Wine Vaults, e-mail ianjprior[at]aol.com

Bath Activist Network meeting, Thursday 1st July, 7.30-9pm, downstairs at The Hobgoblin, St James Parade, http://www.bathactivistnetwork.blogspot.com

Earth Oven Cooking workshop, Saturday 3rd July, 10am-4pm, Broadlands Orchardshare, Box Road, Bathford, £25, http://www.bathford.net/broadlands.php

Bristol & South Wales Hunt Saboteurs punk & thrash benefit gig, Friday 9th July, 7.30pm, The White Hart, Whitehall Road, Bristol, feat. Kismet H.C., Death Job, Mutiny Plot and This Ends Here, £5

Introductory Permaculture Weekend, Saturday 10th to Sunday 11th July, Bath City Farm, £50, http://www.transitionbath.org

Bath Green Drinks, Wednesday 14th July, 8.30pm, the Rising Sun, Grove Street

Earth First! Summer Gathering, Wednesday 4th to Monday 9th August, Derbyshire, £20-30; five days of workshops, skill sharing and planning action, plus low-impact living without leaders; e-mail summergathering[at]earthfirst.org.uk FFI

Camp for Climate Action, Saturday 21st to Tuesday 24th August, Edinburgh, http://www.climatecamp.org.uk

Animal Cruelty? Noah Way!

Activists from Bath and Bristol have been running a concerted campaign against local animal abusing nutcases Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm. This shoddy establishment has a long history of neglect towards animals for ‘enjoyment’. The zoo has recently been the subject of a council investigation relating to a catalogue of animal welfare violations, including ill-treatment of the tigress Tira, leading to the death of her and her cubs. To make matters worse, the zoo were caught out having skinned, beheaded and buried the mother on farm land. In addition to this, the zoo trades animals with the notorious ‘Bobby Roberts’, a circus condemned by many organisations including the RSPCA for the horrific conditions and degrading, painful performances its animals are subjected to. As if the disgusting disregard with which the zoo treats its animals wasn’t reason enough to try and shut them down, the frankly nutty views of the zoos creationist owner make them a prime target for anyone who gets annoyed at fairy tales being passed of as fact! The whole zoo is a homage to the pseudo science of creationism, and numerous displays (including one that depicts the actual Noah’s ark as fact) try to convince bewildered visitors that the bible is the literal word of god, and that evolution is a myth! While several prime examples of the missing link can be seen operating the zoo, numbers of visitors have been dwindling as word of the disgusting animal cruelty and insane beliefs of the management spreads. Activists are holding weekly demos against the zoo with the aim of closing it down, and are confident of success. To get involved, come along to a demo, or to find out more about the zoo, contact Bristol Animal Rights Collective at barc[at]hotmail.co.uk.

Greek Economy Crumbles, Class War Erupts

Early May saw a massive eruption of working class anger greet the EU/IMF proposed bailout of the debt-ridden Greek economy. The bailout of some 120billion Euros over three years requires the Greek state and ‘socialist’ government to enact stringent austerity measures and cuts across all sectors of the workforce, except of course for the rich and greedy. Whether this cash comes in time to avoid a Greek state debt default remains to be seen, but it sure has the capitalist system worried as shares crashed worldwide.

Equally worrying for the bosses is the response from the Greek people. Massive strikes, protests and riots erupted across Greece on the 1st, the 5th and the 6th of May, and ongoing, as the working class made it clear they have no intention of paying for the capitalist crisis, nor of accepting further foreign intervention in their affairs. Parliament was nearly stormed, ministry buildings burned, and symbols of capitalism were attacked as strikers shut the country down. Such active resistance also brings more tragedies to go with the long list of people from all backgrounds killed and brutalised in the conflict. Homes, cafés and social centres were attacked by riot cops using gas, stun grenades and live ammo, and the military was put on full alert.

As the class war rages in Greece, the rest of the European ruling class look on aghast, terrified of the contagious effects of both the protests and the financial crisis, such as the wave of anti-cuts protest sweeping Bucharest in mid-May (and the public stoning of economy ministry official Marcel Hoara) and the Irish ‘Anglo Irish Bank’ occupations and ‘Right to Work’ demos at the same time. They and we know that we too face such attacks on our living standards as they seek to maintain the profit system. What nobody knows is how far the Greek resistance will go in challenging the power of the ruling class, nor how far we will follow down the same path?

http://libcom.org/news

http://www.occupiedlondon.org

Disproportional Murder

The Israeli army has once again engaged in its favourite game: Innocent People Massacre! Last time we left them, the Zionists were busy crushing all Palestinian hope by building a huge wall around Gaza, and not letting anyone out while killing the people inside under false pretexts.

A bunch of civilians thought they’d be sneaky, pretending to break the siege and all, by sailing to Gaza on a flotilla of boats named ‘Freedom Flotilla’. But raising a white flag didn’t fool our brave sectarians: clearly, they were secretly working with Hamas to kill Jews. Their instruments of death: aid, food, medical supplies, concrete.

So, on the 31st, a brave bunch of guys killed 19 people (all Turkish) aboard the Mavi Marmara, and wounded another 60. The rest of the crew, some 800 people, were just kidnapped and deported, Nazi-style, but without a camp at the end of the trip. That makes all the difference, you know.

Immediately after news of the massacre came out, demonstrations were held in many European countries. 2,000 people in London gathered outside the Israeli embassy to protest the slaughter. If the Israeli army didn’t kill them all, it probably was because they were too far away. Some other day, on a boat in international waters, maybe.

The usual empty round of outrage surged in the international political community. The common theme of which was, that the Israeli attack was disproportional to the threat the boat was representing. That’s an understatement, hinting at the white-washing of crimes.

The attack was not disproportional, it was not self-defence gone awry, it was unjustified. The Israeli forces have engaged in a criminal assault on the aid boat, in international waters, and they fired on innocent civilians. Naturally, the latter were said to have attacked the Israelis first. Sure, a bunch of civilians probably thought they were going to beat up the Israeli army and break the siege by force.

More important than the insanity of such an alibi, even if they had used force against Israeli forces illegally assaulting their ship, it would still be right. The Israelis had no right to be on there. Neither do they have a right to arbitrarily pen in 1.5 million innocents like cattle. That is, even if this had been a military expedition to break the siege, by law this would have been the right thing to do.

Every time you focus on details in a controversy, you end up conceding the larger point, which is the most grievously false. This blockade is illegal anyway, and that means force can be used to end it, never mind that the activists were pacifists engaging in aid.

Bath Activist Network are a local umbrella group campaigning on issues as diverse as development, environmentalism, anti-war, animal rights, workers’ rights and more. Helping to produce the Bath Bomb, we are open to anyone, and our members range from trade unionists to anarchists, liberals and greens, and people who just want to change Bath for the better. For details on meetings, demos, or just to get in touch, email bathactivistnet[at]yahoo.co.uk or see our website: www.bathactivistnetwork.blogspot.com

BNPathetic!

For the average person, the last month’s elections have been nothing to smile about – cuts, deepening recession and a choice between tweedledum, tweedledumber and tweedle-Eton educated toff twat. However, one glimmer of hope came from the dismal, yet entertaining election campaign of the fascist BNP. Their campaign got off to a corker when fuhrer Nick Griffin contacted the police to squeal on his press officer, Mark Collett, who is allegedly plotting to kill him. After kicking Collett out of the party, then subsequently letting him back in, the second blow came just days before the election. Simon Bennett, the bloke behind the BNP website, decided he had had enough and took down the website. He then redirected visitors to a page listing the dire financial straits of the party as well as numerous compelling reasons not to vote BNP! On the same day, Griffin got pelted with rotten veg by an angry mob while out on the campaign trail. In the South West, the BNP fared no better, with a strong force of trade unionists leafleting against the BNP in Chippenham, Corsham and Swindon, meeting a few dejected and isolated fascists along the way. On election night, the BNP fared terribly, losing both council seats of Barking and Dagenham, even with Nazi Nick standing as their prospective MP in the area. Meanwhile, in Hereford, 20 anarchists under a banner reading ‘my grandparents didn’t vote for fascists, they shot them’ stormed the polling booth, chasing out the BNP candidate under a hail of boots and fruits! Locally and nationally, we have finally seen a clear indication that society has seen the BNP for what they are, a gaggle of white supremacist thugs who have no place in civilised society. Without gaining even a single seat on polling day, and with growing calls from inside the party for Nick Griffin to step down,it looks like we are witnessing the disintegration of the BNP. All they need now is a little push.

Steeeeerike!

Recent months have seen the unwelcome return of a trend not seen in many decades in this country – the banning of strikes. Both the recent BA cabin crew, and Rail, Maritime and Transport workers (RMT) signallers’ strikes have been banned by judges for various dubious ‘irregularities’ and the fact that the strikes may cause financial damage to the companies involved (sort of the point of a strike!). With the recession showing no sign of going away, and with massive job, pay and service cuts looming in the near future, this is a worrying precedent for stifling workers’ right to raise collective grievances. On top of this, the Tories hope to escalate the class war by introducing legislation which will all but ban strikes in the hope of choking the massive resistance that will inevitably fight back against the upcoming cuts. But it is not all doom and gloom. The last year has seen the resurgence of another old trend – the wildcat strike. Realising that bosses do not listen to polite requests, several factories were occupied by workers last year. If we hope to fight back against the anti-worker policies of the judiciary, the employers and the ruling class, we need to be prepared to take the initiative and flout oppressive anti strike and protest legislation. We are as powerful as we want to be. In the words of martyred trade union militant Joe Hill ‘If the workers took a notion they could stop all speeding trains; every ship upon the ocean they can tie with mighty chains’. As some other bloke said ‘when injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty’.

Necks On The Line

On the 26th of April, the railway line from Ffos-y-Fran opencast coal mine, near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, was closed by folk from Bristol and Bath Rising Tide. The coal was due to supply the nearby Aberthaw power station, but never arrived.

Once absolutely certain the train wouldn’t leave the station – as the company and workers had been informed – the activists locked themselves to the track using chains and super glue. This single track is used only by the mine owners Miller Argent, and isn’t used by the public for travel.

It took some thirty South Wales coppers (plus a helicopter) four and a half hours to remove those locked on. As this happened the police received some incredibly irritating news: a second group had been hiding just round the corner and were, as they spoke, emerging and locking onto the tracks with reinforced lock-on arm tubes. Clearly too exhausted from their hard work to take a quick stroll down the line to check this out, the helicopter took to the skies once more. This swoop eventually confirmed what it had failed to notice from hours of previous surveillance – the second group, now cheerfully waving from the track. It took the cops until 8pm to arrest everyone and no coal left that day.

Local residents have been up in arms over the mine since it was first opened, just 30 metres from the nearest home, with many locals joining last year’s Climate Camp Cymru next to the site. Not only is opencast mining terrible for local people’s health (with black rain and rising lung complaints), it also destroys wildlife and local ecosystems and contributes massively to climate change. In the UK alone, 43 new mines or extensions have been applied for or approved in the last three years.

We need to rapidly change our energy systems to avert catastrophic climate chaos. This will take huge ambition, which the government is completely unable to achieve with its hands in the pockets of corporations. We can’t rely on their false solutions any more – it is down to ordinary people to develop worker and community control of our energy supply and our society.

Meanwhile, the 18 (one of which was handed the olympic bail conditions of having to reside in Cornwall, and somehow make the daily 150 mile return trip to sign on at Bath copshop, all without using trains) are back in court in Wales on the 8th of July to enter their pleas. They also have a benefit gig on the 19th June, 8pm, at the Plough in Easton.

http://www.risingtide.org.uk

http://www.stopffosyfran.co.uk

http://coalaction.org.uk

Politicians ‘Meet’ The ‘People’

My dad told me that when he was a boy growing up in the coalfields before the war that anyone standing for political office had to be able to do three things; do genuine public meetings, handle hecklers and dodge turnips thrown from the audience. How times change. Politicians now are worried about meeting genuine voters and during elections, move around protected from the rabble by minders and the authorities. Back on the 22nd of April, the three main party leaders staged a so called public debate in Bristol, before a specially selected audience who had to sit and ask preapproved questions, like good children. Outside, the real electors were being kept away from the meeting by lines of police. Around 300 people – a mixture of anarchists, socialists, animal rights and anti-war protestors one side and a group of seven pissed-up English Defence Leaguers on the other – made their voices heard. The defenders of democracy, the police, using batons and horses tried several times to push the protest away from the Arnolfini Centre, the location of the debate. The crowd stood firm however, and were able to deliver some succinct opinions to the party leaders as they drove in. Police made between seven and ten arrests, but were outfoxed at one time by anti-hunting activists aboard a boat who produced anti-bloodsports banners for the benefit of Cameron and his bloodthirsty toff mates. However, because of the secretive and controlled way this debate was run, whoever won it, it was democracy and the people who lost.

And now, to the disclaimer: as anyone is free to contribute, the opinions expressed in each article are not necessarily reflective of each contributor. Naturally, any right-wing or corporate bullshit will be binned and spat upon. Needless to say, the opinions of the author of this disclaimer do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other contributor.

Manchester Plane Stupid Breach Airside Security in Airport Protest

Update: Ten people from the Tripod part of the action were arrested on Monday morning around 11am – having been there since 6.30am.

They were held for roughly 10 hours in custody. They have been charged with obstruction of the highway and bailed to appear at Trafford Magistrates court at 9.45am on Thursday 3rd June.

The six people who went airside were arrested for criminal damage, conspiracy to commit criminal damage and entering a restricted airfield. They were held for around 13 hours in custody and had their houses searched. They have not yet been charged, but bailed to return to Altrincham police station on 20th August.
—
24.05.2010
Activists from the group Manchester Plane Stupid have breached airside security at Manchester Airport today in a protest against the expansion of the airport. The protest involves two groups. The first group of 6 people cut through the perimeter fence and created a human circle around a stationary plane using arm tube lock-ons.

A second group have used tripods to blockade the road entrance to the World Freight Terminal preventing airfreighted goods from being taken in or out. They have unfurled a banner reading: “More air freight = more climate change. Stop all airport expansion now.”

The group are protesting against the recent decision to expand the World Freight Terminal which will involve the demolition of historic homes on Hasty Lane.

Lisa Jameson from Manchester Plane Stupid said, “This isn’t just about airport expansion or rising carbon emissions. This is about challenging an economic system based on the absurdity of infinite growth on a planet of finite resources, a system which prioritises bail-outs for the banks and then makes us pay for it in public service cuts. Capitalism is the cause of the problem, climate change is just a symptom.”

Following the recent decision to stop expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead airports, the aviation industry is likely to look to regional airports such as Manchester to increase profits.

“The third runway at Heathrow was stopped because ordinary people stood up to the government at the time and the aviation industry using a broad range of tactics. Direct action has historically played an important role in creating social change and will continue to do so.”

The aviation industry consistently overstate their importance in creating jobs and their contribution to the economy.

The lack of tax on aviation fuel is costing the UK economy £9 billion per year. There is also a tourism deficit in the North West region of £2.2 billion.[1] That is the difference between what Britons flying abroad spend in foreign countries and what foreign visitors spend in the North West.

Each round of airport expansion is justified on the promise of more and more jobs. In the 1990s Manchester Airport promised to create 50,000 jobs with the second runway – but the actual number was far lower. We need to begin a just transition to a low carbon economy by creating jobs in sustainable industries such as rail and renewables”

Annie McLaughlin said, “Recently, we’ve seen attempts by British Airways to use the courts to overturn workers’ right to strike. We support the rights of all workers to fight for good conditions. It is essential that the changes needed to prevent climate change are not used as an excuse to restrict workers rights.”

The airport, which is owned by local councils, has kept local residents in the dark about the proposed expansion plans, failing to adequately inform them that their homes face demolition.

McLaughlin continued, “The proposed expansion of the freight terminal makes no sense, economically or environmentally. The existing capacity is not fully utilized and an expansion would simply be a stepping stone to expansion of the airport as a whole, which would be an environmental disaster.”

“ With the planet on the verge of climate breakdown it is essential that the real cost of aviation expansion is taken seriously – currently emissions from aviation are not included in Manchester City Council’s Climate Change Action Plan.”

The protesters say they are locked on to halt emissions and are prepared to stay for as long as it takes to get their message across.

Notes to Editors

[1] Brendan Sewill, ‘Airport Jobs: False Hopes, Cruel Hoax’
http://www.aef.org.uk/uploads/Airport_jobs___false_hopes_cruel_hoax.pdf

Plane Stupid / Manchester Climate Action
info@planestupid.com
http://www.planestupid.com

Giant Elephant attacks Manchester Council meeting

……well sort of. New councillors were reminded yesterday that Manchester Airport is still the ‘elephant in the room’ when it comes to the local Climate Change Action Plan – since the Council have refused to include the flight emissions from the Airport in their carbon reduction targets. The 9ft inflatable elephant highlighted that the Council’s much-lauded plans are totally undermined by the omission of the Airport– especially considering that Manchester City Council own 55% of Manchester Airports Group.

As Councillors met altogether for the first time since the election, a trailer bike soundsystem played a set of aircraft noises as a reminder of what life under the flight path can be like for communities in Stockport and Knutsford.
Aircraft Noise – audio/x-ms-wma 4.4M

In November 2009, Manchester City Council released ‘Manchester: a Certain Future’ which laid out plans to reduce the city’s CO2 emissions by 41% by 2020. These calculations did not include the full impact of the airport. The next day the Council Planning Committee approved proposals to bulldoze residents homes at Hasty Lane, to expand the World Freight Centre at Manchester Airport. [1]

A report by the Committee on Climate Change (December 2009) has predicted that Manchester Airport could become as busy as Heathrow with the number of flights doubling by 2050, leading to a flight taking off or landing every 70 seconds.[2]

Recently, the new coalition Liberal Conservative government in London have blocked expansion plans at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick. It seems the aviation industry will be looking to expand regional airports like Manchester to increase their profits.

Alex Fountain from the Stop Expansion at Manchester Airport coalition said, “The new councillors need to take a fresh approach to airport expansion. The council cannot continue to ignore its effects on local communities – such as rising carbon pollution and noise impacts.”

He continued, “There is a tourism defecit in the Northwest of England amounting to £2.2 billion. [2] That’s £2.2 billion more being taken out of the region than being brought in by airports. The argument that airport expansion is good for jobs and the economy is unfounded. We need an update assessment of the airport’s role in the region.”

Manchester Airport plan to become carbon neutral by 2015 – but this will not include emissions from flights.

A rendition of ‘Nellie the Elephant’ by the Toy Dolls was also heard playing out the soundsystem.
TUNE: Nellie the Elephant by the Toy Dolls – mp3 3.1M

Notes
————————–

[1] Council Approve Expansion Plans – Manchester Evening News – 21st November 2009 http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1183425_fury_over_airports_move_to_demolish_family_homes

[2] Manchester Airport to be as busy as Heathrow – Manchester Evening News – Monday 8th March 2010
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1194908_manchester_airport_to_be_as_busy_as_heathrow

[3] Brendan Sewill’s ‘Airport Jobs: Cruel Hoax, False Hopes’ – page 21.
Available here:
http://www.aef.org.uk/uploads/Airport_jobs___false_hopes_cruel_hoax.pdf

http://www.stopmanchesterairport.org.uk

The new Action Update – full of of action news and analysis

In the new summer edition of the EF! Action Update, read about coal trains blockaded, peat bogs defended, and gas terminals shut down. Find out about the dangers of nanotech, current state of nuclear GM trials in the UK, Tesco uprisings, golf course trashing, tar sands action and much more.

Be inspired by our protest camp feature and the recent Titnore victory. And from across the seas, read about our brothers and sisters struggling against whaling ship sabotage, coal port pirates, riots in Zagreb, mining firm occupations in Bolivia, dam resistance in Brazil and much more.

“We are going to inherit the earth . There is not the slightest doubt about that. We Are not afraid of ruins. We carry a new world, here in our hearts. That world is growing this minute.” – Durruti

To download the latest EF!AU for printing, go to http://www.earthfirst.org.uk/efau/actionupdate_summer10print.pdf

To read the latest EF!AU online, go to http://www.earthfirst.org.uk/efau/actionupdate_summer10.pdf

Plane Stupid targets Red Bullshit

Environmental campaign group, Plane Stupid, has deposited a large mound of manure outside the south London HQ of soft drink giant Red Bull.

Environmental campaign group, Plane Stupid, has deposited a large mound of manure outside the south London HQ of soft drink giant Red Bull. Three activists, dressed as ‘avenging air hostesses’ in wigs and mini-dresses the same colour as the company’s logo, crowned the mound with placards reading: ‘Red Bull-sh*t’, ‘Red Bull gives you (plane) wings’ and ‘No second runway by stealth.’

The move was prompted by the revelation that Red Bull has applied for planning permission to build an aerodrome opposite London City Airport. The company claims that the new control tower, runway and helipads would support its annual air race on the River Thames.

But there are growing fears that the company is working with London City Airport and Newham Council to introduce a new heliport and permanent runway for private jets through the back door. ‘We believe Red Bull’s claim is bullsh*t and we’re telling them so,’ said spokeswoman Elizabeth Baines.

‘London City Airport is positioning itself a major hub for City executives,’ Elizabeth continued. ‘We suspect that Red Bull’s planning application is an underhand way of helping the airport to attract private jet and helicopter users. That way, they won’t have to deal with fierce opposition from people in East London who are sick and tired of the noise and pollution from the airport.’

London City Airport has been feeling the heat recently. Local campaign group Fight The Flights (FTF) has launched a High Court bid to stop the airport from expanding its flights volume by 50%. Six local councils have publicly supported FTF’s bid. The Greater London Assembly’s Environment Committee is also holding a probe into the effects of the expansion.

‘We insist that Newham council turns down this planning application. Red Bull may have high flying ideas but this time we think their wings should be clipped,’ Elsie added. ‘

For more information contact:
Leo Murray: 07595 506673
Nancy Birch: 07506 006597

Massive “Climate Action Now” Banner unfurled

April 25, 2010

Massive “Climate Action Now” Banner unfurled

April 25, 2010

Massive “Climate Action Now” Banner unfurled

DELTA, BC, CANADA – GatewaySucks.org and the Council of Canadians (Delta/Richmond chapter) unfurled a massive banner today that reads “CLIMATE ACTION NOW” on land slated for freeway construction.

Historic homes are being demolished, and ancient indigenous sites are under threat from the South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR) project here on the Fraser River bank. The est. $2 billion SFPR is part of the controversial Gateway program, which would greatly increase greenhouse gas emissions in BC.

The action took place at River Road and Centre Street in Delta. It coincides with the multi-faith Pilgrimage to Burns Bog, and is visible from the pilgrimage route across the Alex Fraser Bridge. Pilgrims and activists aim to raise awareness about Burns Bog, a large, carbon-sequestering peat bog also under threat from the SFPR freeway.

“Our neighbours are being forced out of their homes, and ecosystems are being bulldozed,” says Delta resident Ernie Baatz. “Schools and programs are being cut across the province to pay for this climate changing freeway. We have to stand up to this appalling waste.”

Baatz and fellow activists also planted trees at the site today, to highlight the area’s potential as a riverfront park, not a riverfront freeway. Although preparatory work has begun on some sections of the SFPR, no build contract is in place. A request for proposals was issued by the Ministry of Transportation in April 2009.

Today’s action is part of a week of events dubbed “Earth Action Week” by GatewaySucks.org and the Council of Canadians (Delta/Richmond chapter). For the full list of events see www.gatewaysucks.org/earth-action-week-april-1826

Photographs are available at www.gatewaysucks.org/picture-links

Follow www.twitter.com/gatewaysucks for updates

For more information about the Pilgrimage to Burns Bog see www.pilgrimage2burnsbog.org

>> Big shout out to UK roads activists past and present. You inspire us! <<