Capitalism / Globalisation – Page 51

The latest EF! Action Update is out, bringing you reports of eco-resistance for the darkening days…

Bringing light & inspiration to the darker evenings are the action stories in the latest Earth First! Action Update.

Blockades of nuclear power, roads & rivers around the world were joined “with this Shell-blockading D-lock I thee wed”.

Bringing light & inspiration to the darker evenings are the action stories in the latest Earth First! Action Update.

Blockades of nuclear power, roads & rivers around the world were joined “with this Shell-blockading D-lock I thee wed”.

And if anti-fascist action, quarry sabotage, squats, tree platforms, wrekin’ opencasts, scaling luxury hotels & the latest protest camp news wasn’t enough for you, chuck in some glue, arm tubes, a pool of oil, stink bombs, airborne rape alarms and a Lego-sized occupation, then there’s full reports from this summer’s antics at the Camp for Climate Action, Rossport solidarity camp, EF! summer gathering and Saving Iceland camp, plus a crop of global climate camps & news of protest & resistance from all 5 continents.

“No nukes, no coal, no kidding” – with people dying (both literally & symbolically) from the activities of the Earth-destroyers, people have been shouting to just “Leave it in the Ground”, dragon boats have clashed with navy gunboats in Ireland, an oil war was declared in Nigeria, and ‘moles’ spent a week underground digging further and further away from the forces of darkness at an open-cast coal site.

Details of the new Coal Action Network, upcoming dates & a full contact list should help launch (or boost) you into the orbit of eco-resistance.

Subscribe and get it sent direct to a letterbox near you – you’d also be supporting the EF!AU to get printed and sent out to prisoners & protest camps. If you want some to distribute, contact us at: actionupdate (AT) earthfirst.org.uk

Download the latest issue or past issues here.

The EF!AU is there to inspire people to take ecological direct action, to provide info to help you just get out and do it. Don’t feel shy, put your best foot forward.

The EF!AU is the quarterly newsletter of people taking ecological direct action – send us news of your action or campaigns, and come along to the Winter Moot if you want to get involved in any of the campaigns you’ve read about.

What is Earth First!?

Dongria Kondh Road Block – Tribe vows to fight mine with axes and arrows

Tribe vows to fight mine with axes and arrows

One of India’s most isolated tribes, the Dongria Kondh, is preparing to stop British FTSE 100 company Vedanta from mining aluminium ore on their sacred mountain, after police and hired thugs forced protestors to dismantle a barricade over the weekend.

Tribe vows to fight mine with axes and arrows

About 150 people had blocked the road in Orissa state on Wednesday after hearing that Vedanta intended to start survey work for a planned aluminium mine which would destroy an ecologically vital hill, and the Dongria Kondh’s most sacred site. Vedanta employees visited the blockade repeatedly, threatening the protestors. On Friday the villagers gave in and took down the barricade, but about 100 are still at the side of the road, blocking traffic when Vedanta vehicles approach.

Vedanta is majority owned by London-based Indian billionaire Anil Agarwal.

Today, Dongria Kondh from all over Niyamgiri, the hill range that would be decimated by Vedanta’s mine, are making arrows and preparing their axes to stop Vedanta reaching their sacred mountain. One Dongria man said today ‘Now our people are very angry. We have to show the Dongria Kondh power to Vedanta.’

When India’s Supreme Court gave Vedanta the green light in August to mine on Dongria land, around 40 Dongrias used tree trunks to block a road leading into their hills, and held banners reading, ‘We are Dongria Kondh. Vedanta can not take our mountain.’ [photos available]

The mountain that Vedanta wants to mine is not only the Dongria Kondh’s most sacred site, it is also integral to the entire ecosystem of the hills, enabling the numerous streams and lush forests which sustain the Dongrias to continue to thrive.

Survival’s director, Stephen Corry, said today ‘The Dongria Kondh are protecting their land from invaders, who are only interested in plundering the mountain for their own gain. The Dongrias will get nothing from the mine, except destitution and ruin, and Survival will continue to support their resistance to Vedanta.’

For more information please contact Miriam Ross at Survival International (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or (+44) (0)7504 543 367 or email mr@survival-international.org

Bath Bomb #15 out now

The Bath Bomb
@nti-copyright: copy and distribute!
Issue #15
free/donation
Oct 08

Knowledge is Power, So Arm Yourself

The Bath Bomb
@nti-copyright: copy and distribute!
Issue #15
free/donation
Oct 08

Knowledge is Power, So Arm Yourself

Of late, you’d be mistaken for thinking the end is indeed nigh. With the implosion of large chunks of the global economy, and the fall of banks like Bradford and Bingley and Northern Rock over here, Lehman Brothers, Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac in the States, capitalism’s days are looking numbered. Far from being an inevitable and efficient system, it seems like the constant financial fiddling and creative math required to meet targets and provide the illusion of continual growth, are causing a global credit crunch whose sting we’re all feeling. But whilst Brown & co donated £25 billion worth of corporate welfare to bail out blundering Northern Rock in one day, money sorely needed for our public services is nowhere to be seen. But are there any other answers? Well, last month saw the Bristol Anarchist Bookfair at St Werburghs Community Centre on Saturday the 13th September pulling in over 400 punters, and on Saturday the 18th of this month will be the Anarchist Bookfair in London. Expect reams of info on socially-just economics, alternative energy and lifestyles, childcare, music, food, talks and workshops, radical theory and lessons learnt from the past. Capitalism has been failing us now for decades with poor health, over-exploitation, over-work, increasing authoritarianism, and a widening poverty gap, and it’s high time we tried something new. And if you can’t make it to London, we now have a new online radical lending library in Bath – so, if you fancy an interesting read on the really cheap, check out the blog section of http://www.myspace.com/bathactivistnetwork.

http://www.anarchistbookfair.org/
www.bristolanarchistbookfair.org/

Labour of Hate

For the first time in decades, the annual Labour party conference was held outside of Brighton, the politicians instead opting for Manchester. The change in location did not bring a change in attitude though, and the conference saw more of the now familiar cosying up to big business, tired taglines and pro-war, pro-privatisation rhetoric. Outside the conference however, 4,000 citizens gathered to rip the agenda away from Neo-Labour and their corporate buddies and highlight the growing disgust the population feels at the contempt politicians show for the needs and desires of the average person. A large part of the demo consisted of the anarchist ‘freedom of movement bloc’.

Made up of up to 500 people, the bloc gathered to demand freedom of movement for migrants and an end to national borders, states and war. Before long, our fluoro-jacketed buddies from the deeply unpopular (and taser-happy) Manchester Metropolitan showed an interest in the bloc, diving in to arrest activists treasonous enough to don Gordon Brown masks. After a short, sharp fight however, the cops were sent packing with no arrests made. From then on, police tried to make frequent incursions into the bloc, all of which were repelled, and the least successful ending with 15 cops getting taken prisoner and cut off from their buddies for a period of 10 minutes! The most noticeable aspect of the demo was the increased size and prominence of anarchist politics on the march, a phenomenon that has been growing in recent years. While the demo was a mostly non confrontational affair, it was successful in reminding Neo-Labour that while they privatise our resources, imprison and torture our asylum seeking brothers and sisters, enclose us with CCTV and kill us with fuel prices – we are still watching, and we will not be silent.

Liberate Your Mind at Bubbling Under

Sunday 28th September saw a return to the monthly radical film showings at the Porter Cellar Bar in Bath. This month, the line up included ‘Bombs and Batons’, a short film covering Brighton’s Carnival Against the Arms Trade on June 4th. The film generally showed police officers looking totally fazed and out of their depth amongst hundreds of demonstrators taking a stand against the lucrative arms trade (see below for more info). The second film, ‘Can’t Complain’, was made up of footage from a demonstration in January outside Brighton police station against the oppression faced by those active in opposing EDO/ITT. The third film took viewers back in time to the tree camps of the 1990s. The film included daring stunts by activists to halt the building of the infamous Newbury Bypass. Whilst viewers enjoyed the films, they tucked into the Porter’s famous veggie roast. Aside from the fabulous food, previous showings have been accompanied by talks from political activists, live debates and workshops on events such as this year’s Climate Camp. Forthcoming events at Bubbling Under will include films about Climate Camp and coverage of the 1990 poll tax demonstrations. Organisers always welcome suggestions to bathactivistnet@yahoo.co.uk for films, workshops and debates.

Pigs Might Fly: Or Was He Pushed?

Matisse once said ‘flowers are everywhere for those who are willing to look’. Well, this month, our flowers come in the form of the forced resignation of Sir Ian Blair – ex-head honcho of the London Metropolitan police. Acts during his time at the top include the cold-blooded murder of Brazilian plumber Jean Charles ‘it’s one of them dark’uns, sarge’ de Menezes, the resignation of almost every black and asian high ranking officer he worked with amid claims of racism and the gleeful passing of laws to criminalize, beat and arrest legitimate protestors. The final turd on the mountainous steamer that was Blair’s career came when it emerged that he channelled taxpayers’ money away from the police and into his mates’ pockets. So, goodbye to true scum in its purest form (and hoping that more of his bastard buddies go the same way), and a fond hope that his forced retirement ends soon and bloodily with journalists reporting that the shooting was nothing more than a tragic case of mistaken identity.

Shut ITT, You Slag

Following on from June’s smashing Carnival Against the Arms Trade, on Wednesday the 15th of October, activists will converge from all round the nation on the EDO/ITT arms factory in Brighton, for around 2. Rather than toothlessly appealing to the state’s fictitious benevolent side to NOT sponsor corporate massacres half way across the world and at home, in the case of the ‘Smash EDO’ campaign, ordinary people are confronting the roots of war – the very manufacturers of instruments of death (Nazi Germany-affiliated ITT make the Paveway missile guidance system, used in Iraq and Palestine). Not petitioning them, but forcing them to stop, share by share, day by day, with the campaign biting down and holding tenaciously on, until these profit-obsessed bastards are brought down. It’s history in the making, an example of a focused campaign succeeding at its aims, even in the face of state, police and media censorship and harassment. And once ITT has been bankrupted, which company is next? Following this course, we will eventually have humanity, mutual aid, and dare we say it, world peace… even if we have to smash, d-lock, shout ourselves hoarse, and superglue our way through every dodgy industry and evil megalomaniac to get it: be there on the day! The demo starts at 12 noon, meeting opposite Falmer train station. For transport down, drop us an email at bathactivistnet@yahoo.co.uk.

http://www.smashedo.org.uk/shut-itt.htm

Positive’s Not News

It’s come to our attention here at the Bath Bomb of a worrying tendency in the local press. Whilst the same is true of national and regional papers the UK over, the Bath Chronic has taken upon itself to ignore positive local events and initiatives which show communities organising their own needs and doing good for themselves and their neighbours; take for example, the case of the Riverside Community Youth Centre’s open evening on the 26th September, where local youth showed off their music talents and staff put on food and highlighted to residents the important work the centre is doing. Staff were told by the Chron that such positive stories, which you might mistakenly believe are the fare of local rags all over the land, were not high enough priority to warrant a photographer, nor any more than reluctant coverage; perhaps the kids should have been out mugging people like a proper hoodie? Likewise, worthwhile activist events throughout the last six months have been equally censored: ‘Roots of Change’, ‘There is such thing as a free lunch!’, the Bath FreeShop… the list goes on. If these protesters had lived up to the stereotype and been busy breaking stuff, then perhaps that would have shifted a couple more papers? So whilst the Chron puts a cynical spotlight on the negative, the trivial, the celeb-obsessed, or fear-mongering, is it really the job of the media to decide what its readers are permitted to know or think?

Bath – 2, BNP – 0

Remember last year when Nick Griffin, head Nazi of the BNP, tried to come to speak at Bath Uni? Local anti-fascists mobilised to first kick him off campus, then out of several pubs, then into a field where the cops made him and his bonehead mates go home after a 5-minute speech on public safety grounds! Well, it looks like the Nazis may be back. Reports suggest that several BNP activists were handing out flyers at Bath Uni earlier this month. This month also saw a few hundred Nazis from across Europe converge at the Bungalow Inn in Somerset (against the scared owner’s wishes) to drunkenly sieg heil their departed fuhrer Ian Stewart Donaldson, singer of fascist band Skrewdriver, who bravely martyred himself over a decade ago after drunkenly falling in front of a car! While this was a one-off event, the BNP at Bath Uni may not be so, and Bath anti-fascists would appreciate any information on the situation there. The BNP are vicious racists who oppose immigration and trade unions and have a long history of racial violence, Hitler-worship and Holocaust denial (their leader still denies the Holocaust, calling it the ‘Holohoax’, and recently claimed in a speech to American Nazis that he would be happy to kill for the white race). We have kicked them out of Bath once, and we can do it again. Any information will be treated as confidential and can be sent to bathactivistnet@yahoo.co.uk.

Computer Says ‘No… 2ID’

Despite long resistance, the racist state will be pushing in ID cards, this year, starting on the 25th November with easy targets the immigrants. Incensed at this, 35 activists from No Borders across South Wales, Bath, Bristol and beyond converged on the Home Office Identity and Passport Office in Newport, on Saturday the 5th October. Despite the drizzle and minor police intimidation, they stayed on for two hours, leafleting the passing public about this insidious new (old) scheme. Whilst the cards will reach immigrants next month, if the scheme doesn’t meet too much opposition, it will then be rolled out to workers in ‘sensitive’ locations in 2009, and then students in 2010. Acting on flawed ‘intelligence’, bungling coppers turned up an hour beforehand to police the demo, and the office itself shut its barrier after one hour. But what’s all the big deal? Surely if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear? Management of this database (the most complex in Europe) will be doled out to private companies like PA Consulting, who already lost 30,000 people’s records back in August. Will their struggling software be able to handle this larger strain? We hope so, because with an increasing reliance on technology, and numerous such computer cock-ups, what’s to say that similar incidents won’t result in other horror stories, with data-loss victims unable to work, unable to pay bills, unable to shop, and unable to access basic services. But what about ID cards stopping crime? Unless the cards or RFID chips (radio frequency identification implants) miraculously address malnourishment, domestic abuse or poverty cycles, then these cards won’t prevent crime. So given that, why is Big Brother so intent on building up all this info? As the proverb goes, “First they came for the communists, and I did nothing because I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did nothing because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did nothing because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to help me.”

http://current.com/topics/88831947_data_loss
http://www.no2id.net/
http://noborderswales.wordpress.com

Your Government Wants You Dead!

A dramatic headline? We at Bath Bomb are known for our occasional sensationalism, but on this occasion, we are being ‘deadly’ serious. Recent figures suggest that 1/3 of the population is going to be forced into a choice between sufficient fuel or sufficient food this winter. By encouraging price hikes in the private fuel sector and choosing to support failing business rather than average people, the government of this country will literally be responsible for thousands of deaths this winter. Let’s put this in perspective – the government is perfectly willing to shell out hundreds of millions of OUR money to slow the inevitable collapse of capitalism, while just down the road in Swindon, 69% of council house residents were recently discovered to be living well below the poverty line. There is plenty to be angry at the government over that we spend much time focusing on – the war on the Iraqi people and surveillance society being a couple of examples, but it is about time we start to resist the brutality that the state dishes out to us all on a daily basis; the fuel poverty, the cuts to NHS, education and jobseekers, the meagre support for low income families. The government has shown that it stands on the side of business above the needs of the people. The class war, this epic social battle between the haves and the have-nots was not started by us, it was started by a ruling class who care more for profit and preservation of the status quo than the lives of its citizens. We have had war declared on us by the political class and we need to begin asking ‘how will we respond to the assault of business and government on our lives’ and how can we organise to take back what is ours, our basic rights to warmth, food, affordable housing, enjoyment and an end to wage slavery? How will we organise to win the class war?

Mini Bar-stards

Just a quickie: on Friday 26th September, activists from Bath Animal Action and BAN did a short, sharp demo against foie gras seller Mini Bar on John Street, who have taken it upon themselves to sell the stuff. See every other issue of Bath Bomb for more on foie gras and the campaign. As per usual, BAA will be back again and again, until Mini Bar sees sense.

EVENTS

Mondays – Bath Hunt Sabs Meeting, 8pm, Bell
Wednesdays – London Rd Food Co-op, Riverside Community Centre, 4-7pm
Saturdays – Bath Stop The War Vigil, Abbey Courtyard, 11.30-12.30
Weds 15th Oct – Smash ITT, Falmer Station, Brighton, 12noon
Fri 17th Oct – Chris Baines’ green spaces in cities talk, Guildhall, 7pm £6
Sat 18th Oct – London Anarchist Bookfair www.anarchistbookfair.org
Fri 24th Oct – Bath Madhatters Birthday Party, Manvers St Baptist Church, 3-6pm
Fri 24th Oct – anti-foie gras demo, against Minibar, John St, 7-9
Sat 25th Oct – benefit gig, the White Hart, Easton, 6pm, £7 entry
Sun 26th Oct – Bubbling Under, Porter Cellar Bar, 1-4pm
Mon 27th Oct – Block the Builders, Aldermaston AWE blockade
Weds 29th Oct – Bath Bomb benefit gig, the Junction, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 8-late
Sat 1st Nov – Bath FreeShop, Stall Street, 12-3pm
Weds 5th Nov – Bath Animal Action meeting, backroom of Bell, 7.30-8.30
Thurs 6th Nov – BAN meeting, downstairs Hobgoblin, 7.30-9
Sat 22 Nov – Bath Vegan Fayre, Percy Community Centre 12-4pm

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 on. Needless to say, the opinions of the author of this disclaimer does not necessarily represent the views of any other contributor…

For further info on any of our stories see www.myspace.com/bathbomb

Q: Who Are Bath Activist Network? A: 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 to greens, and people who just want to change Bath for the better. For details on meetings, demos, or just to get in touch, ring us on 07949 611912, email bathactivistnet@yahoo.co.uk, or see our website: www.myspace.com/bathactivistnetwork

GOT A STORY? WANT TO RECEIVE THE BATH BOMB BY EMAIL? HOPING TO SUE? Contact us by e-mailing bathbombpress@yahoo.co.uk. Large print e-versions available on request.

Anti-RBS Action, London – Fri 10 Oct 08

What do a Distraught Bengal Tiger, a Sacked Financial Analyst, a Homeless Polar Bear, and a Jobless Banker all have in common?

What do a Distraught Bengal Tiger, a Sacked Financial Analyst, a Homeless Polar Bear, and a Jobless Banker all have in common? Why they’re all victims of the Carbon Crunch – the conflation of Capital’s toxic Carbon Addiction and it’s self-made Credit Crunch. Oh, and they’re also all characters in a protest drama played out at the Olympia Exhibition Centre between some radical smart cookies from…
• People & Planet – http://peopleandplanet.org
• PLATFORM – http://www.platformlondon.org
• Rising Tide – http://risingtide.org.uk & http://londonrisingtide.org.uk
…and some shitty-brown suited security drones.

You know how Finance Capital oils the wheels of industry? [1] Well one UK bank excels above all others at oiling the wheels and greasing the axles of the Climate Criminal’s Juggernaut – and my, how proud they used to be about doing so. Once upon a time, there was a website called www.theoilandgasbank.com – a product of the Oil Bank of Scotland (who prefer “Royal Bank of Scotland”) – but in Jun 06, RBS took it down and stopped using this title publically. But why? This was the first major victory in a campaign waged since early 06 by a coalition of environmental NGOs (including Friends of the Earth Scotland, People & Planet and PLATFORM) to wean RBS of its toxic addiction to financing the climate criminals of the fossil fuel industries, and set it on a healthy diet of financing renewable energy initiatives: The Oyal Bank of Scotland Campain. [2]

THE OIL BANK OF SCOTLAND

“In 2007 RBS supported the fossil fuel industry with over $7 billion, while the bank’s embedded emissions passed 50 million tonnes of CO2 – more than Scotland.”
PLATFORM, in ‘NGOs slam RBS for fossil fuel financing on the eve of delayed Corporate Responsibility Report launch’, 10 Jul 08 –
http://www.carbonweb.org/showitem.asp?article=330

Yes, you did read that right – one bank in Edinburgh is complict in MORE climate pollution than the ENTIRE NATION of Scotland!

“RBS-NatWest is driving climate change and feeding carbon addiction faster than any other British bank. Pouring billions into fossil fuels and working intimately with oil corporations, the bank is locking huge emissions into our future. People & Planet and PLATFORM are campaigning for RBS to recognise its climate responsibilities and move its money from the dirtiest fossil fuels into sustainable energy.

OUR DEMANDS
We are calling on RBS-NatWest to:
• Accept responsibility for the climate impacts of its lending. Calculate and publish the embedded emissions resulting from loans to oil and gas projects.
• Adopt a comprehensive climate change policy, including a target for annual reductions and the strategy to achieve this.
• Rebalance its lending portfolio away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy. Immediate halt on all loans to coal and tar sands.”
Oyal Bank of Scotland Campaign – http://oyalbankofscotland.com

WANNA WORK FOR CLIMATE CRIMINALS?

The Oil Bank of Scotland is proud of it’s score of graduate recruitment programmes and sports a flashy animated Flash microsite to snap up the bright young things fresh from university – http://www.makeitrbs.com (although it’s foundations are as dodgy as its fossil fuel addiction – clicking any ‘programmes’ link on the ‘Programme Selector’ produces: “Page not found!”)

We thought we’d better alert attendees at the National Graduate Recruitment Exhibition at Olympia 2 that the recruiters on the RBS stand were consealing the fact that their hands were covered in oil. But with one reconnaissance photo taken and a few leaflets handed out, we were escorted from the Exhibition Hall by shitty-brown suited security drones. Unveiling our banner outside led to some very silly cat-&-mouse antics, with one of said drones trying to stop two snappers shooting his fellow drones attempts to censor a peaceful pavement protest!

Seems the cops had tipped of their Security Head Honcho (one v v unhhappy bunny) to our arrival, so he’d had constructed a three-crash-barrier cage to try (in vain) to contain us. Perhaps by stupidity (or maybe as a secret expression of sympathy? teehee 😉 our cage provided perfect banner mounting facilities, and was perfectly positioned to engage the captive audience of career seekers queueing up to get in.

While reconnoitering the RBS stand, I picked up two toys for my nephews, archetypes of corporate brading arrogance – wind-up squishy walking globes of planet Earth emblazoned with the RBS logo. This was on Black Friday, the last working day of a week that saw RBS shares have 40% of their value wiped out in Credit Crunch recriminations. Here’s hoping the shambolic rout of Finance Captal will refocus the minds of the RBS Fat Cats on bequeathing to their own young relatives a bioshere still rich in biodiversity, and stll fit enough to sustain humanity’s urgently required low carbon economy.

ALSO AVAILABLE: PIX, REPORT, & CALL TO TAKE ACTION

You can also read about our action in an illustrated report by People & Planet media and communications volunteer, and member of Westminster Uni P&P, Amani Ashraf – http://peopleandplanet.org/navid6525

Meanwhile, YOU TOO can help to shape our energy future – by telling RBS to stop fuelling carbon addiction:
• Take Action on RBS: The Oil Bank of Scotland – http://www.oyalbankofscotland.com/action.htm
• Take Action to Ditch Dirty Development, Target #1: RBS-NatWest – http://peopleandplanet.org/ditchdirtydevelopment/action

Neither the International Court of Justice nor any other bourgeois court will put huge dirty corporate Finace Capital bodies like RBS in the dock for aiding and abetting the Climate Criminals in the fossil fuel industries. So its down to us to band together and force RBS OUT of fossil fuel financing and IN to sustainable renewable energy development – join us, and take positive actions to safeguard our planetary future.

Tim Dalinian Jones

[1] Finance Capital oils the wheels of industry – at least it did until Capital’s historical Crisis of Overproduction [3] found expression in the Credit Crunch, toppling the huge Wall Street domino Lehman Brothers on 15 Sep 08, since when Finance Capital’s lubrication services have all but ceased in a paroxysms of fear and recriminations.

[2] The Oyal Bank of Scotland Campaign – http://www.oyalbankofscotland.com is the successful campaigning website of the anti-RBS coalition of environmental NGOs, including:
• People & Planet – http://peopleandplanet.org
• PLATFORM – http://www.platformlondon.org
• Friends of the Earth Scotland – http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/

[3] Capital’s historical Crisis of Overproduction: “what characterises the 20th and 21st centuries is that the tendency towards overproduction – which in the 19th century was temporary and could easily be overcome – has become chronic, subjecting the world economy to a semi-permanent risk of instability and destruction. Meanwhile competition – a congenital trait of capitalism – became extreme and, crashing up against the limits of a world market which constantly verged on saturation, lost its role as a stimulant for the expansion of the system, so that its negative side as a factor of chaos and conflict came to the fore.” ~ ICC, in ‘Capitalist Economy: Is there a way out of the crisis?’, translated from Accion Proletaria 199, the ICC’s publication in Spain, Jan-Mar 08 – http://en.internationalism.org/wr/315/crisis-01

Spirit of Freedom (October 2008) – support the eco-prisoners

Produced by EARTH LIBERATION PRISONERS SUPPORT NETWORK

“The whole experience has been tough, but all the kind and strengthening words and wise thoughts from strangers made it much easier!” (Former Swedish Animal Rights Prisoner)

Produced by EARTH LIBERATION PRISONERS SUPPORT NETWORK

“The whole experience has been tough, but all the kind and strengthening words and wise thoughts from strangers made it much easier!” (Former Swedish Animal Rights Prisoner)

Welcome to the October 2008 edition of Spirit of Freedom. The last month has been a month of mixed emotions for ELP. On the one hand we heard the brilliant news that the Dutch animal rights activist, Gerben Jan, was found not guilty of assaulting a police officer, causing the officer to break his leg, during an animal rights demo in Sweden. Instead Gerban was found guilty of resisting arrest for which he was fined and deported. Also in an unexpected move, all the Austrian Animal Rights prisoners were released from prison pending their trial! Plus, the American vegan, Nathan Knoerl, was granted bail in his case where he is accused of involvement in an anti-vivisection protest. Following Nathans release a support campaign has been set up to try and help raise money for Nathan’s forthcoming legal case. For more info please e-mail supportnathan@gmail.com. However, just as ELP started to think our prisoner lists might start to go down, we received news of further police raids in Austria. ELP also learnt that, due to Frank Ambrose, grassing everyone up, the American’s Marie Mason, Stephanie Lynne Fultz, and Aren Burthwick, have all had to enter Plea Bargains and admit some of the charges set against them. In Marie’s case she has admitted her direct role in an ELF arson on a University building involved with GM crop tests, whilst Stephanie and Aren have admitted not reporting a fire (Stephanie has admitted cutting Marie’s hair which was burnt following the arson). We don’t know what sentences Stephanie and Aren are likely to receive, but Marie is looking at 15 to 20 years and has been remanded into custody. This is really bad news, especially as it was hoped Marie might remain free until her sentencing early next year. Around the world, people are being imprisoned for standing up for what they believe in and trying to
help the animals and the earth. So please, no matter where you are in the world, support the eco-prisoners. And no compromise in defence of Mother Earth.

ECO-DEFENCE PRISONERS

Tre Arrow, #70936-065, (in transit), USA. Serving 78 months for his involvement in two ELF arsons. 1) an arson on logging trucks 2) an arson on vehicles owned by a sand & gravel company. (Tre is a raw energy vegan – He has asked that his letters of support are written on scrap paper or tree-free paper).

Grant Barnes #137563, San Carlos Correctional Facility, PO Box 3, Pueblo, CO 81002, USA. Serving 12 years for setting fire to a number of SUV vehicles. The letters ELF were spray painted onto all of the vehicles. (Grant is a vegan).

Nathan Block, #36359-086, FCI Lompoc, Federal Correctional Institution, 3600 Guard Road, Lompoc, CA 93436, USA. Serving 7 years & 8 months for an ELF arson against a Poplar Tree Farm and an ELF arson against an SUV dealership. Also admitted his role in an ELF/ALF conspiracy. (Diet unknown).

Marco Camenisch, Postfach 3143, CH-8105 Regensdorf, Switzerland. Serving 18 years. 1) Ten years for using explosives to destroy electricity pylons leading from nuclear power stations. 2) Eight years for the murder of a Swiss Border Guard whilst on the run. In ’02 Marco completed a 12-year sentence in Italy for destroying electricity pylons in Italy. (Marco is a meat eater who encourages organic living).

Daniele Casalini, Casa Circondariale, Via Burla 59, 43100 Parma, Italy. Il Silvestre activist awaiting trial accused of using explosives to damage an electricity pylon in protest at nuclear energy. (Daniele is a vegan).

Rodney Coronado #03895-000, FCI El Reno, PO Box 1500, El Reno, OK 73036, USA. Serving one-year imprisonment after he informed people how to make an incendiary device during a speech at an animal rights gathering. (Meat eater).

Francesco Gioia, C.C. Sollicciano, Via Girolamo Minervini 2/R, 50142 Firenze Sollicciano (FI), Italy. Il Silvestre activist awaiting trial accused of using explosives to damage an electricity pylon in protest at nuclear energy. (Francesco is a vegetarian and Straight Edge).

Paola Gori, Via delle Macchie 9, 57124 Livorno, Italy. Il Silvestre activist awaiting trial accused of allowing her house to be used to plan illegal activity. (Paola is a vegan).

Bryan Lefey #38664-086, FDC SeaTac, Federal Detention Center, P.O. Box 13900, Seattle, WA 98198, USA. On remand accused of an ELF action that saw the damaging of GM trees and the damaging of US Forestry Service vehicles. (Diet unknown).

Jeffrey Luers, # 13797671, CRCI, 9111 NE Sunderland Ave, Portland, OR 97211-1708, USA. Serving 10 years for arson on a SUV dealership & the attempted arson of an oil truck. The original sentence was 22 years & 8 months, but was reduced on appeal. (Diet unknown).

Marie Jeanette Mason, Newaygo County Jail, PO Box 845, White Cloud, MI 49349, USA. Awaiting sentencing having pleaded guilty to involvement in ELF arson against a University building carrying out Genetically Modified crop tests. Marie also pleaded guilty to conspiring to carry out ELF actions and also admitted involvement in 12 other ELF actions. Marie is expected to receive a sentence of between 15-20 years. (Marie is a vegan).

Eric McDavid, 16209-097. FCI Victorville Medium II, PO BOX 5700, Adelanto, CA 92301, USA. Serving 19 years & 7 months for planning to destroy the property of the U.S. Forestry Service, mobile phone masts and power plants. At the point of his arrest no criminal damage has actually occurred. (Eric is a vegan).

Daniel McGowan, #63794-053, USP Marion, US Penitentiary, PO Box 1000, Marion, IL 62959, USA. Serving 7 years for an ELF arson against a Poplar Tree Farm and an ELF arson against an old growth logging corporation. Also admitted his role in an ELF/ALF conspiracy. (Daniel is a vegetarian).

Jonathan Paul – See details in Animal Liberation Prisoners List.

Briana Waters 36432-086, FCI Danbury, Federal Correctional Institution, Route 37, Danbury, CT 06811, USA. Serving six years for involvement in an ELF arson on a University. (Diet unknown).

Joyanna Zacher, #36360-086, FCI Dublin, 5700 8th St.- Camp Parks- Unit F, Dublin, CA 94568, USA. Serving 7 years & 8 months for an ELF arson against a Poplar Tree Farm and an ELF arson against an SUV dealership. Also admitted her role in an ELF/ALF conspiracy. (Diet unknown).

ANIMAL LIBERATION PRISONERS
(All Animal Liberation Prisoners follow a minimum vegetarian diet and most are vegan).

Jon Ablewhite TB4885, HMP Lowdham Grange, Lowdham, Nottingham, NG14 7DA, England. Serving 12 years for attempting to blackmail a farmer who supplied guinea pigs for vivisection. (Jon is a vegan).

Dan Amos VN7818, HMP Winchester, Romsey Road, Winchester SO22 5DF, England.
On remand having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to blackmail Huntingdon Life Sciences. (Dan is a vegan)

Gregg Avery TA7450, HMP Winchester, Romsey Road, Winchester, SO22 5DF, England. On remand having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to blackmail Huntingdon Life Sciences. (Gregg is a vegan).

Natasha Avery NR8987, HMP Bronzefield, Woodthorpe Road, Ashford, Middx. TW15 3JZ, England. On remand having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to blackmail Huntingdon Life Sciences. (Nat is a vegan).

Mel Broughton TN9138, HMP Woodhill, Tattenhoe Street, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK4 4DA, England. On remand accused of involvement with an arson and blackmail campaign against an Oxford University vivisection establishment.
(Mel is a vegan).

Jacob Conroy #93501-011, FCI Victorville Medium I Federal Correctional Institution, P.O. Box 5300, Adelanto, CA 92301, USA. Serving 48 months imprisonment for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign. (Jake is a vegan).

Donald Currie A3660AA, HMP Parkhurst, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX, England. Serving an Indeterminate Sentence, of not less than six actual years, for carrying out arsons against targets associated the vivisection industry including HLS. (Don is a vegan).

Lauren Gazzola #93497-011, FCI Danbury, Federal Correctional Institution, Route #37Danbury, CT 06811, USA. Serving 54 months imprisonment for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign. (Lauren is a vegan).

Joshua Harper #29429-086, FCI Sheridan Federal Correctional Institution, P.O. Box 5000, Sheridan, OR 97378 USA. Serving 36 months imprisonment for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign. (Josh is a vegan).

Sean Kirtley WC 6977, HMP Stafford, 54 Gaol Road, Stafford, ST16 3AW, England. Serving four and a half years for running an anti-vivisection campaign website. (Sean is a vegan).

Kevin Kjonaas #93502-011, FCI Sandstone, PO Box 1000, Sandstone, MN 55072 USA. Serving 72 months imprisonment for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign. (Kevin is a vegan).

Daniel McGowan – See details in Eco Defence Prisoners List.

Heather Nicholson VM4859, HMP Bronzefield, Woodthorpe Road, Ashford, Middx. TW15 3JZ, England. On remand accused of conspiracy to blackmail, in relation to her involvement with the SHAC campaign. (Heather is a vegan).

Jonathan Paul, #07167-085, FCI Phoenix, Federal Correctional Institution, 37910 N 45th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85086, USA. Sentenced to 51 months for an ALF arson on a horse meat plant. Also admitted his role in an ELF/ALF conspiracy. (Jonathan is a vegan).

John Smith, TB4887, HMP Lindholme, Bawtry Road, Hatfield Woodhouse, Doncaster, DN7 6EE, England. Serving 12 years for attempting to blackmail a farmer who supplied guinea pigs for vivisection. (John is a vegan).

Andrew Stepanian #26399-050, USP Marion, P.O. Box 1000 Marion, IL 62959, USA. Serving 36 months for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign. (Andrew is a vegan).

Kerry Whitburn TB4886, HMP Lowdham Grange, Lowdham, Nottingham, NG14 7DA, England. Serving 12 years for attempting to blackmail a farmer who supplied guinea pigs for vivisection. (Kerry is a vegan).

Sarah Whitehead, VM7684, HMP Bronzefield, Woodthorpe Road, Ashford, Middx, TW15 3JZ, England. Serving two years for: 1) rescuing a puppy from horrific conditions. 2) rescuing over 100 animals from a pet breeder who was later prosecuted for animal abuse. Also awaiting trial for SHAC activity. (Sarah is a vegan)

PLOUGHSHARES PRISONERS

Helen Woodson, 03231-045, FMC Carswell – Admin. Max. Unit, POB 27137, Ft. Worth, TX 76127, USA. Serving 8 years 10 months for actions that focused on the interrelationship of war & the destruction of the natural world. The actions included pouring red paint over the security desk of a federal court and making threatening communications. Previously Helen had served 20½ years for: 1) Using a hammer to disarm a nuclear missile silo. 2) Burning $25,000 on the floor of a bank whilst denouncing war, environmental destruction & economic injustice. 3) Mailing warning letters with bullets attached to Government & corporate officials. (Diet unknown).

THE LECCE DEFENDANTS
The Lecce Defendants have been charged with “subversive association” accused of damaging Esso petrol pumps to oppose the War on Iraq; sabotaging the cash machines of a bank which funds an immigration centre; and targeting the multinational company Benetton in support of Mapuche land rights activists in Chile. All of the defendants are currently either under house arrest or released on bail.

ANTIFA PRISONERS

Vahtang Devitlidze, ul. Libbedova 42, UO 68/2, otryad 14, brigada 142, g. Hagyshensk, Krasnodarskiy Kray, 352680 Russia. Serving 2½ years for stabbing a neo-nazi in the leg whilst defending himself from attack. (Diet unknown).

Fabio Milan, C.C. via Pianezza 300, 10151 Torino, Italy. On remand accused of fighting with the police after an anti-fascist protest. (Diet unknown).

Andrea Neff, Bnr: 746/07/2, Justizvollzugsanstalt fur Frauen in Berlin, Arkonastrasse 56, 13189 Berlin, Germany. Serving 14 months for anti-fascist activity. (Diet unknown).

Christian Sümmermann, Bnr: 441/08/5, JVA Plötzensee, Lehrterstr. 61, 10557
Berlin, Germany. Serving 40 months for breaching the peace whilst serving a suspended sentence issued for anti-fascist activities. (Diet unknown).

Tomasz Wiloszewski, Zaklad Karny, Orzechowa 5, 98-200 Sieradz, Poland.
Serving 15 years for accidentally killing a neo-nazi whilst defending himself. (Tomasz is a vegetarian).

Yuri Yurevich Milevskiy, SIZO #7 kamera 38, g. Brest, ul. Karla Marksa 86, 224000 Belarus. On remand for fighting with neo-nazis. (Diet unknown).

OTHER PRISONERS

Olga Aleksandrovna Nevskaya, UU163/5, 7 Otryad, pos. Dzerzhinskiy, Mozhaysk 140090 Moskovskaya oblast, Russia. Eco-activist serving 6 years for arson, criminal damage and causing explosions in protest at the war in Chechnya. Due for release in 2009. (Diet unknown).

Vaggelis Botzatzis, Komotini Juridical Prison (“Dikastikes Fylakes Komotinis”), T.K. 69100, Greece. On remand accused of setting fire to two company cars owned by a energy/power company. It is believed that the person or persons unknown who carried out the arson did so in protest at the destruction of the natural environment and in support of two workers who died at the power plant. Vaggelis is also accused of setting fire to a bank and starting a fire inside a car yard. (Meat Eater).

Richard Sills (Address Unknown, USA). Serving 15 months for bomb hoaxing a University saying they would be targeted by the ALF if they didn’t stop their animal experiments. (Diet unknown).

Michael W. Sykes, 696693, 3855 Cooper St, Jackson, MI 49201, USA. Youth held on remand accused of anti-sprawl arsons, criminal damage, spray-painting an anarchist sign and burning the American flag. (Diet unknown)

Fran Thompson, #1090915 HU 1C, WERDCC, PO Box 300, Vandalia, MO 63382, USA. Serving Life for killing, in self-defence, a stalker who had broken into her home. Before her imprisonment Fran was an eco, animal & anti-nuke campaigner. (Fran is a vegan).

MOVE

MOVE is an eco-revolutionary group who carried out protests in defence of all life. All move prisoners describe themselves as vegetarians. There are currently eight MOVE activists in prison each serving 100 years after been framed for the murder of a cop in 1979. 9th defendant, Merle Africa, died in prison in 1998.

Debbie Simms Africa (006307), Janet Holloway Africa (006308) and Janine Philips Africa (006309) all at: SCI Cambridge Springs, 451 Fullerton Ave, Cambridge Springs, PA 16403-1238, USA.

Michael Davis Africa (AM4973) and Charles Simms Africa (AM4975) both at SCI Graterford, PO Box 244, Graterford, PA 19426-0244, USA.

Edward Goodman Africa (AM4974), SCI Mahanoy, 301 Morea Rd, Frackville, PA 17932, USA.

William Philips Africa (AM4984) and Delbert Orr Africa (AM4985) both at SCI Dallas Drawer K, Dallas, PA 18612, USA.

Mumia Abu Jamal, (AM8335), SCI Greene, 175 Progress Drive, Waynesburg PA 15370, USA. In 1981 Mumia, former Black Panther and vocal supporter of MOVE, was framed for the murder of a cop. He was originally sentenced to death but is currently awaiting re-sentencing following a court hearing in 2001.

STATEMENT ON VIOLENCE
Some people listed in this newsletter have carried out violent actions. ‘Spirit of Freedom’ does not condone violence. But we are also against censorship & believe people can decide for themselves who they wish to support.

ABOUT E.L.P. SUPPORT NETWORK
ELP is an international eco-prisoner support network founded, in Britain, in 1993 to support jailed eco-activists. We support the prisoners by producing various regular prisoner lists:

Spirit of Freedom is ELP’s international monthly prisoner listing which is circulated by e-mail.

Urgent ELP! Bulletin is an e-mail service that distributes the names of any new eco-prisoner as soon as ELP gets their details. For more info e-mail ELP4321@hotmail.com

On-Line Newsletters – ELP has a number of websites that provide news, prisoner lists and additional info about ELP & the prisoners.

English language ELP Website
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Greek language ELP Website
http://greekelp.blogspot.com

North American ELP Website
www.ecoprisoners.org

Turkish language ELP Website
www.geocities.com/yesilanarsi/elp.htm

ELP Extra is an e-mail group that circulates the details of political prisoners, ELP learns about, who do not fall within the remit for support by ELP. To subscribe to the list e-mail ELP4321@Hotmail.com

Australian ELP.SN is our Australian contact. For more info e-mail elp4321@hotmail.com

Belgium ELP.SN is our Belgium contact. For more info e-mail elp_bel@hotmail.com

German ELP.SN is a prisoner led initiative run by eco-prisoner Marco Camenisch. For more info contact Marco Camenisch, Postfach 3143, CH-8105 Regensdorf, Switzerland.

Greek ELP.SN is our Greek contact. For more info e-mail greekelp@yahoo.gr

North American ELP is our North American contact. For more information e-mail naelpsn@mutualaid.org

Turkey ELP.SN is our Turkish contact. For more info e-mail
yesilanarsi@yahoo.com

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
elp4321@hotmail.com
http://spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Penan mount logging road blockade

Penan mount logging road blockade
8 October 2008

Penan communities in Sarawak, Malaysia, have mounted a road blockade against the logging company Interhill in an attempt to stop the destruction of their last remaining rainforests.

The Penan organized the blockade after negotiations with Interhill’s representatives at the company’s timber camp failed.

Penan mount logging road blockade
8 October 2008

Penan communities in Sarawak, Malaysia, have mounted a road blockade against the logging company Interhill in an attempt to stop the destruction of their last remaining rainforests.

The Penan organized the blockade after negotiations with Interhill’s representatives at the company’s timber camp failed.

‘We are asking Interhill to respect our Native Customary Rights and to stop logging our remaining primary forests,’ a Penan spokesman said.

The blockade, in the Middle Baram area of Sarawak, is being organised by the Ba Abang, Long Item, Long Kawi and Long Pakan communities. A similar blockade was erected in the area in June 2006 but was dismantled by the police after two weeks.

The blockade comes shortly after Penan women raised a cry of alarm over cases of sexual abuse and violence by logging company workers in the region.

The Penan tribe are nomadic hunter-gatherers. Many now live in permanent settlements, but continue to rely on the forest for their existence.

Interhill is a Malaysian company, and has been logging primary rainforests in Sarawak since the 1970s.

Source: Bruno Manser Fund

Background info: www.survival-international.org

Saving Iceland Targets International Aluminium Conference

Today, September 25, the 11th International Conference on Aluminium Aloys (ICAA) met with angry protests. Activists from the environmentalist network Saving Iceland disrupted the proceedings at the University in Aachen. Early this morning, during one of Rio Tinto Alcan’s lectures, the fire alarms in the building were put on. Later today – again during Rio Tinto Alcan’s lecture – stink bombs were thrown and a high volume rape alarm was put on and suspended out of reach by green and black helium baloons. The auditorium was also strewn with information leaflets. The aim was to call attention to the industry’s singular involvement in ecological destruction in Iceland, as well as on a global scale.

The ICAA conference is a weeklong event held at a different international location every 2 years. This is its first appearance in Germany and as such is run in parallel to the Aluminium trade fair in Essen, about 80 km away. This double event is sure to call together all major players of an industry that still tries to present itself as having a green conscience, and with some success: Alcoa has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, for the 7th year running. [1] Environmentalists dispute this depiction in the strongest terms.

Global Impacts
“There is no level on which the continued expansion of the aluminium industry can be pursued sustainably” says Andreas Jager of Saving Iceland,” In India, for example, the primary material, bauxite, is open-cast mined and refined into alumina, stripping rainfores covered mountains, displacing tribal people from their land and polluting the water supply with “red mud” residue [2, 3]. In Australia and Jamaica, virgin forests are also destroyed for the same prize – and with the same toxic consequences [4].

Destruction of Icelandic Wilderness, for weapons
“ In Iceland, the country’s unique natural landscape is being raided for its energy potential by these multinational invaders: at a time when the world is finally waking up to climate change, the effect of our high energy dependence, the process of aluminium production requires colossal quantities of electricity, for which it plans to block and harness every glacial river, exploit every geothermal field and transform Iceland’s wild beauty into a spent and polluted wasteland, dotted with smelters. This does not equate to green energy, particularly considering that the planned Icelandic aluminium smelters will far exceed the generous 1,600,000 tonnes of emissions permitted to that country under the Kyoto Convention [5].

“And the end product? For the most part, military hardware used for destruction of every imaginable kind, aviation, which is increasingly being shown to be incompatible with a stable climate, and disposable packaging, a symptom of our wasteful society. There can be no future for this industry, above all others, if we are to avoid environmental crisis.”

Rio Tinto Alcan’s Environmental and Human Crimes
Saving Iceland protests Rio Tinto’s investments in Iceland and in Africa. In Iceland the RT-Alcan smelter in Hafnarfjordur, southwest Iceland is being upgraded to increase production. The Budarhals dam is currently being constructed to power the smelter expansion.

“The people of Hafnarfjordur voted against expansion of the smelter in a local referendum, but still production is being increased,” says Jager. “The smelter discards its toxic spent potlinings in a landfill in the sea that floods at high tide [6]. We do not want more pollution and we do not want more dams here in Iceland, which are destroying our beautiful wilderness. Especially for a company with the most abysmal record in human rights,” states Jager.

Rio Tinto has been accused of subjecting it’s workers to poisoning in mines, of having security guards shooting locals looking for small amounts of gold in one of it’s mines and having union-members spied upon and fired [7, 8]. It has also hired mercenary forces against local populations protesting it’s operations in Papua and Bougainville [9, 10, 11].

The Norwegian government has sold its shares in Rio Tinto because it’s Grasberg mine in West Papua has devastated the land of the Amungme and Kamoro tribes. Norway sold its almost £500 million shares in Rio Tinto following recommendations from its Council on Ethics to exclude the company from its government pension fund [12].

International Solidarity
People all around the world are waking up and becoming aware of the destruction caused by the aluminium industry, as well as the situation in Iceland. Last week, big banners were hanged up in Copenhagen saying: “The Aluminium Industry is Destroying All Major Icelandic Rivers!” [13].

Footnotes and further reference:

[1] http://savingiceland.puscii.nl/?p=3182&a…
[2] http://savingiceland.puscii.nl/?p=602&am…

[3] http://savingiceland.puscii.nl/?p=2607&a…
[4] http://savingiceland.puscii.nl/?p=2233&a…
[5] http://savingiceland.puscii.nl/?page_id=…
[6] Rio Tinto Alcan (2008). Alcan Environment: Potlinings. http://www.riotintoalcan.is/?PageID=111 [Accessed September 24th, 2009].
[7] SBS Australia (200). Dateline, Report on Rio Tinto, August 2000.
[8] Asia-Pacific Human Rights Network, “Rio Tinto’s Record and the Global Compact,” July 13th 2001.
[9] Wikipedia Germany (22-7-2007), http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandline-Af…
[10] Contract between PNG Government and Sandline: http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/PNG….
[11] Sarei v Rio Tinto, 456 F.3d 1069 (9th Cir. 2006), USA.
[12] Survival International (2008). Norwegian government – Rio Tinto’s Papua mine unethical. http://www.survival-international.org/ne… [Accessed September 24th, 2008]
[13]

Camp Bling announces emergency relaunch/new website on third anniversary.

Press release:

Camp Bling ‘Save Priory Park!’ road campaign

Wednesday 17th September 2008

Contact Camp Bling directly on 07866 967601

Or e-mail camp.bling@yahoo.co.uk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

——————————————————————————————————–

Camp Bling announces emergency relaunch on third anniversary.

Press release:

Camp Bling ‘Save Priory Park!’ road campaign

Wednesday 17th September 2008

Contact Camp Bling directly on 07866 967601

Or e-mail camp.bling@yahoo.co.uk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

——————————————————————————————————–

Camp Bling announces emergency relaunch on third anniversary.

‘The global situation has changed dramatically since the protest site was first set up specifically to stop the road – both in terms of the overall environmental impacts and accelerating pace.’ (www.campbling.org)

Protesters and supporters at Camp Bling will mark a third full year of occupation to stop the controversial Priory Crescent road widening on Tuesday 23rd September 2008 with an emergency relaunch to address environmental catastrophe as it unfolds and accelerates around the world.

The camp are set to go live with new website: http://www.campbling.org on the anniversary date, to support their objective to stop the road widening, whilst at the same time taking a dramatic new turn to discuss critical issues such as consumer culture, peak oil production, mass extinction, and the appropriate response to these and other crises. (1)

Resident Gavin said, ‘we could not have predicted how quickly the world was going to change when we first set up Camp Bling three years ago. Now we feel compelled to address the fundamental need for lifestyle change during the coming crash, as western society overshoots the ecological limits of the earth.’

Latest member Paul added, ‘funding towards the £13.5m Priory Crescent scheme is unlikely to be granted to the Council before 2011. A further three years defending the site will provide ample opportunity for us to begin to push a far more radical agenda. We have always walked the walk – now is the time for us to start talking all about it.’ (2)

People are invited to visit both the virtual world of the new website, plus the real one of the road protest as the Blingers dig in for a fourth winter, with a comprehensive revamp and ongoing building work planned, and support therefore still very much required from the local community.

——————————————————————————————-

ENDS.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1) See ‘Tipping points’ page at http://www.campbling.org/ for latest background data and definition of peak oil theory.

2) Southend Borough Council latest Priory Crescent cost estimate of £11.5m presented to Department for Transport does not include £2m already spent to date.

Bath Bomb 14 hits the streets

Another issue of Bath’s should-be award winning grassroots publication…

anti-cop, right? copy and distribute
The Bath Bomb
Issue #14
“All the news the Chron didn’t Use!”

free/donation

Sept ‘08

Reds, Shite And Booze

Another issue of Bath’s should-be award winning grassroots publication…

anti-cop, right? copy and distribute
The Bath Bomb
Issue #14
“All the news the Chron didn’t Use!”

free/donation

Sept ‘08

Reds, Shite And Booze

Saturday the 16th of August was to be the second annual Red, White and Blue Festival of the BNP, a so-called family event, held on the farm of former Tory councillor Alan Warner, in Denby, Derbyshire. Though pitching themselves as the media-friendly ‘Nazi-Lite’ face of modern nationalism, Nick Griffin’s party still can’t quite drag itself away from its hardline right-wing roots, as betrayed in the program’s highlights: talks on ‘heritage and culture’, night-time navigation and survival skills, kooky Morris-style dancing around a horse skull, stalls selling Union Jack attired golliwogs, and let’s not forget the Hitler Youth-esque kids’ camp, teaching 12-year-olds live ammo marksmanship, knife-fighting, techniques for dealing with ‘Marxist teachers,’ and how to make ‘Dutch arrow’ throwing spears (erm.. that doesn’t sound very British). However, this insanity isn’t the sort of shit that ordinary people stand for and, whilst residents and local activists have been making plans to shut it down, nationally, Antifa and the organised Left converged.

Though the powers-that-be have no issue with the fascist nature of the event, as soon as they realised the storm of resistance that was building, police banned the festival’s music and liquor licenses – but didn’t subject the festival to even a modicum of the hassle they did with Climate Camp. Their true colours shined even more so on the day, releasing hoodied-up agents provocateurs into the 400-strong SWP, UAF, TUC-dominated march and rally, and Merseyside cops outdid themselves by phoning and attempting to fit up known anti-fascist activists by offering supposed lifts to the demo. Whilst the marchers were engaging in token pushy-shovey and chanting with the police line (a lip service gesture to democratic freedom was made in the form of 30 protesters escorted to the entrance to the festival for an insulting 15 minutes, against a hail of BNP abuse), Antifa made their own plans. That morning, 80 masked up and made their way through the undergrowth to confront the fash directly, intending to set up a system of roadblocks and sabotage. However, following the first barricade, police violence forced them back and into a string of running battles – culminating in more than 30 arrests and one injured cop.

So unfortunately, RWB wasn’t crashed, but was surrounded by chaos (as well as drunken sieg-heils) and villagers are now pleading with the BNP not to come back; to add your voice to this request, contact Alan Warner (The Bungalow, Codnor Denby Lane, Denby Village, Derbyshire, DE5 8PT, 01773 748129/ 07810 383595, or alan.warner@w3z.co.uk) or organiser David Shapcott (6 The Spinney, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 0PB, 07871 029681). But Antifa’s antics do bring up serious questions – considering the strategic importance of the BNP’s RWB, why did so few opponents put in an appearance? And how did small, yet admittedly rabid, clusters of cops put superior numbers of determined militants to rout and infighting, with thrown bricks occasionally hitting their own? Beyond talk of machismo, organisation and violence, perhaps more activists need to focus on their own personal limits and be honest with themselves over what threats they are prepared to face… Not only for the success of individual actions and the movements’ credibility, but also in terms of both our own safety and that of our comrades And next year, let’s really stop them!

http://www.antifa.org.uk/
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/688740
http://netcu.wordpress.com
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/09/03/bnp…22309

Sainsbury’s And Tesco – Destroying Communities All Over The World

While Tesco threatens to infest Bath with crappy ‘food’ and depressing, repetitive jobs under patronizing bosses who don’t care about you, Sainsbury’s look set to crawl their way into Odd Down. The site proposed by Storegap Commercial and Odd Down Developments would be the same size as Bath’s Morrisons. If you’re in favour of good quality food products made with a regard to animal welfare and environmental sustainability, worker’s rights and the fair distributions of wealth – or if you simply hate being rushed around as if you were in a chaotic cattle market every time you go out to buy groceries, while being blinded by artificial lighting – we’d love to have you on board our campaign, aimed at resisting supermarket expansion and creating viable alternatives. Email bathactivistnet@yahoo.co.uk for more details.

A brief update on the Tesco Express on Bathwick Hill – originally due to open early this year, now, due to the actions of local community and activists, it’s still yet to open its doors due to the enforcement of the conditions they tried to weasel out of completing.

Watching/Smashing Up The Watchers

Your faithful, yet paranoid journalists here at Bath Bomb towers have given many column inches over the past few months to the increasing surveillance we are subjected to nowadays. Britain is now the most surveillance-heavy country in the world, narrowly besting notable competitors such as China and the good ol’ US of A. Industry insiders have agreed that CCTV is almost useless in dealing with real crimes, such as rape and murder, and only really comes in useful when dealing with those things that only politicians and the rich count as crimes, such as shoplifting. Taking into account their inefficiency at solving serious crime, it can be sensibly assumed that the prime function of CCTV (on which our pervy government spends millions each year) is social control; of spreading the idea that you cannot step out of line because you are always being watched. Well, now, finally, we have a chance to strike back! October the 11th is an international day of protest and decentralised action against CCTV and surveillance. Want to be part of the fun? A plastic bag or well aimed spray can blast can temporarily disable a CCTV camera, while hammers and screwdrivers can do a much less subtle, yet longer lasting job! Wondering how to access those cameras in hard to reach places? A paintbrush tied to a bamboo stick does the trick! There are literally hundreds of legal and illegal ways we can strike back against big brother, so let’s use the 11th as an opportunity to show the state we can live outside of their control, laws, authority and oppression. If nothing else, use the day as a chance to look a CCTV camera (or community support officer) dead in the eye, flip a finger and defiantly shout (safe in the knowledge that thousands across the globe are doing the same thing) ‘stop looking at me funnily you weirdos!’.

CCTV News Part Deux

The Bath Bomb can exclusively reveal that Big Brother (as in 1984, not that reality TV farce of squawking, egomaniacal lobotomy-cases) is changing the way it interferes with The People and scapegoats the young. Previously obvious CCTV installations are now being gutted into redundant bluff cameras, with the real camera placements being hidden nearby in tiny black casements, though their lens will still need to be exposed to the light of day. And, it’s also recently emerged that sinister scientists at Bath Uni have been spying on Bluetooth users in the city for the last three years, without consent, with ‘Cityware’ scanners following around 3,000 devices every weekend, following citizens’ movements and shopping patterns. Targeted marketing, or marking targets? We’ve heard it all. Stay out of trouble kids!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/21/civilliberties…yfull

Theory Corner Part A: Are All Cops Really Bastards?

After reading the Theory Corner: ‘Are All Cops Bastards?’ article in July’s issue 12, I got the permission of said article’s author to have my say on this complex issue. Yes, the police have devolved from your friendly neighbourhood bobby; the one who made you feel a bit safer, who gave you directions and popped round for a cup of tea (how wrong can you go with old TV programmes as your barometer for reality?) They’ve gone from this to a mindless mass automaton who go on power trips and think that anyone who finds themselves at a demonstration of any sort, be they strong or not so strong, young or not so young, deserves to at best be spoken to in a patronizing manner and at worst be manhandled away and arrested for no good reason.

BUT, and this is a big but. Taking it as read that the ultimate goal of ‘changing the world’ is, in fact, to make that world a better place for everyone, then we have to realise that cops are in fact human, despite the lengths they can go to try to hide this fact. Take away the uniform, the weapons, the smug above-you attitude and you will find someone with the same basic needs and desires as everyone else. I’m sure the answer is not to engage in this cat-and-mouse relationship with them, slagging them off (though they often have no qualms about doing the same to us – for example the sickening comments on the ‘Police Inspector’s Blog’), just as that is not the way to go with the Rich, though that is another article. This, to me, seems a lazy way of going about things that will just enable the status quo to be kept; we get to make our jokes about PC Plod and never have to come to terms with the fact that they will be part of this new society.

I don’t know what the way forward is, I think it is a slow path, where we get out of our cosy activist corners and mix with people of all walks of life, even those who make us feel ill with what they’re doing to the world. We welcome people and talk to them about our way of life, without judging or forcing anyone to see it our way. Some will come over to our side. Some will resist, but we never know what effect our viewpoint is having on them. It is hard to change, and won’t happen over night. But only with these small victories and gradual changes will any real and lasting change ever come about. To describe a group of people as largely irredeemable, will cause defensiveness – we have to believe in the possibility in people to change, whether they show us any proof of this or not. You can do so much more with peace and welcome than you can with violence, judgement and isolation – isn’t that what ‘our side’ is all about? After all, this other way’s been tried so many times before, in fact it’s all we as a human race has ever done, and has it ever worked? With this dismissive attitude we condemn ourselves to a limited success, when with all our skills, energy, ideas and compassion, we can achieve so much more.

http://inspectorgadget.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/young-m…n-go/ (police inspector’s blog)
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&…34851 (newsletter issue 12)

Stop The Wars, Stop The Walls & Stop Wall Street

Despite what the Daily Mail would have us believe, we are all now a witness to an unprecedented rise in border management and social control. Neo-Labour is at the forefront of this squeeze, and are holding their annual party conference in Manchester this month. Coinciding with this, with violence peaking in Afghanistan, dragging on in Iraq, and breaking in Georgia, Stop The War have called for a ‘Troops Out’ march on Saturday the 20th at 12 midday, and the UK No Borders network have also jumped in – anti-authoritarians and all others against borders, states and war can consider themselves humbly invited to join the ‘Freedom of Movement’ bloc, assembling at the north end of Albert Square – follow the red and black flags!

http://www.manchesternoborders.org.uk
http://www.stopwar.org.uk
http://www.acbar.org
http://www.bathstopwar.org.uk/

Racist BIAstards Feel The Heat In Bristol

In other immigration-related news, No Borders activists recently paid a visit to the British Immigration Authority offices in Portishead. BIA round up failed immigration applicants for forced deportation. Favourite tactics include ‘dawn raids’, intended to round up the whole family before the kids can get to school. Recent brave deeds by our jackbooted friends have included the forced removal of a Columbian single mother from the Bristol area, her 7-year-old son sending a letter to his class mates from a detention centre reading ‘I don’t know why I am here, they have put me in prison, but I promise I haven’t done anything wrong’. When activists arrived at the Portishead BIA centre, from which Bath and Bristol dawn raids are launched, the buildings’ locks were glued, the entire fleet of vehicles used for dawn raids were destroyed with spanners, etching fluid and paint stripper and the slogan ‘racist thugs work here’ was daubed over walls for all to see. BIA represent the sharp end of the state’s racist war on asylum seekers, who, having fled persecution, terror and torture, ask only for a safe place to live, and not to be deported to certain death and imprisonment. Unfortunately, the majority find out the hard way that government the world over is a brutal mechanism for the repression and incarceration of ordinary people. We must stand side by side with other oppressed peoples struggling for a decent standard of life, and like the BIA saboteurs, fight for a world without borders or governments, and respond by any means necessary to the violent and destructive forces of state and capital.

Frothy Cinematic Undercurrents

After the summer break, the Bubbling Under series of radical film lunches will return to the big[ish]screen at the Porter Cellar, starting again on Sunday the 28th September, from 1 til 4pm, free entry. This month, we will be showing a couple of filmlets – one about the recent Camp for Climate Action in Kent, and the other about the upcoming Shut I.T.T./Smash EDO day of action in Brighton, following up on June’s successful Carnival Against the Arms Trade. Come along for great grub, food for thought, and mediocre company! Drop us a line if you have any ideas for upcoming films, to show on the third Sunday of the month.

http://www.smashedo.org.uk/shut-itt.htm
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/

Theory Corner Part B: Metamorphosis and Liberation

It’s all too easy to feel helpless in the face of the state, like a tiny cog in a towering machine. Religion and television preach the importance of “finding yourself” and “staying true” to that self once you’ve found it. But we shouldn’t feel trapped and limited by our genes and the experiences and conditioning society has given us – we have no true self and life should be about creating it, not finding it! As human beings we have a vast potential for self-change. The awareness of the ability you possess to change yourself can be extremely liberating. It’s important to start small – choose a habit at random you wish to adopt or eliminate. At first, this should be something so simple you can’t fail at it, like having an extra sugar in your tea each morning. Keep the same goal for two or three weeks, and scribble it on a post-it note and stick it to the fridge, if this helps you remember. There are all sorts of self-hypnosis techniques that can help. Focusing intently on your goal while in an altered state of consciousness accessed by meditation, dancing, drumming, chanting, orgasm, art… (try staring intently at yourself in a mirror while trying not to let your eyes distort the image) are all ways to do this. Remember to ground afterwards! Laughter helps.

It’s important to set a new target once you’re done with the old one. Start small and your confidence and self-discipline will grow so long as you make willed self-change a habit. Work up to bigger goals and you’ll realise that things you thought you couldn’t do are totally possible – confronting a phobia, going vegan, taking direct action. Eliminating fears and smashing taboos (eating food from skips, acting oddly in public) can be so empowering and widen your range of possible experiences.

http://www.chaosmatrix.org/library/chaos/rites/beyondwa….html

EVENTS

Mondays
Bath Hunt Sabs Meeting, 8pm, Bell
Wednesdays
London Rd Food Co-op, Riverside Community Centre, 4-7pm
Saturdays
Bath Stop The War Vigil, Abbey Courtyard, 11.30-12.30
Saturday 20th Sept
No Wars No Borders, All Saints Park, Manchester, 12.30
Friday 26th Sept
Anti-foie gras demo, outside Minibar, John St, 7-9pm
Sunday 28th Sept
Bubbling Under, the Porter Cellar Bar 1-4pm
Wednesday 1st Oct
Bath Animal Action meeting, back room of the Bell, 7.30-8.30pm
Thursday 2nd Oct
Bath Activist Network meeting, Hobgoblin, downstairs 7.30-9pm
Friday & Saturday 3-4th Oct
No Borders Fest, TJs, Newport
Saturday 11th October
Day of action against surveillance
Saturday 11th Oct
Westside Climate Camp Gathering, Windmill Hill City Farm, Bristol, 10-5
Saturday 11th Oct
Bath Freeshop, Stall St, 12-3pm
Wednesday 15th Oct
Smash I.T.T, opp Falmer Station, Brighton, meet 12noon

For further info on any of our stories see www.myspace.com/bathbomb

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Peru: Amazon Indians Direct Action Against Government

Thousands of Amazon Indians are protesting against the Peruvian government. Protests have been going on for more than a week and involve an estimated 14,000 Indians from all over the Peruvian Amazon. A road and a river have been blockaded, boats belonging to a gas company have been intercepted, an oil pipeline has been closed, and a hydroelectric plant has been taken over.
The protests are in response to new laws passed by the government. The Indians say the laws undermine their rights and make it easier for companies to take control of their territories.

‘(We) are the victims of a systematic violation by the Peruvian state of the fundamental rights we have over our territories,’ a statement from Peru’s national Amazon Indian organisation, AIDESEP, said. ‘The person responsible for this is the president, Alan Garcia, who has violated Peru’s constitution and international agreements protecting indigenous peoples’ rights.’

AIDESEP and other indigenous leaders have been in talks with members of the government, but these have since broken down. Peru’s prime minister has said that talks can resume if the protests are called off.

The protests started on August 9, the UN Day for Indigenous Peoples. One of the Indians’ main complaints is that the government has failed to consult them about the new legislation, contravening international law and the recently approved UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

AIDESEP has called for the protest to go on ‘indefinitely’ until their demands are met. These include the repeal of thirty-nine laws.

Protests by thousands of Amazon Indians across the Peruvian jungle have had major impacts on the Peruvian government.

The protests have been in response to new laws passed by the government that the Indians say undermine their rights and make it easier for outsiders to seize control of their territories.

Following the protests, Peru’s Congressional Commission on Andean, Amazonian and Afro-Peruvian peoples, the Environment and Ecology has proposed a bill to repeal the two most controversial laws – Legislative Decrees 1015 and 1073. Congress is due to vote today on whether to do so.

Peru’s prime minister has described the Commission’s decision as establishing ‘a bad precedent’ because it was made in response to the protests. Meanwhile, Peru’s president appealed to Congress not to repeal the two laws, saying it would be a ‘historically serious mistake’ and would condemn Indian communities to ‘another century of backwardness and misery.’

The government has declared a state of emergency in some parts of the Peruvian Amazon. There are reports of police firing bullets and spraying tear gas to disperse crowds, leaving some Indians wounded.

Reports say that Peru’s national Amazon Indian organisation, AIDESEP, has called for a suspension of the protests.