Reclaim the Fields Spring Gathering 2012 – details & updates

@ The Wilderness Centre, Mitcheldean, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, GL17 0HA

The first Reclaim the Fields Gathering of the year will be taking place this March at the Wilderness Centre in the Forest of Dean.

Pre-Gathering Help needed:

@ The Wilderness Centre, Mitcheldean, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, GL17 0HA

The first Reclaim the Fields Gathering of the year will be taking place this March at the Wilderness Centre in the Forest of Dean.

Pre-Gathering Help needed:

Anyone interested in helping out with the running/ setting up of the event, should come to the Wilderness asap. If you're interested in giving a talk, or demonstrating a skill – get in contact, or just show up and arrange to use one of the "spaces" available with one of the Protect The Wilderness Crew.

The provisional timetable includes:

Thursday 8th:

*Introduction to Reclaim the Fields – where we've come from and recent action, including feedback from the European Gathering.
* Wilderness Centre introduction & housekeeping
*Open Introductions; introduce your self & your projects & continue networking with our noticeboard

The remainder of the day is designed around open spaces, giving people a chance to work & communicate around these suggestions so far:

*WWOLF (woofing with teeth) and Reclaim the Field Trips
*Seed Sovereignty & grower-to-grower seed distribution networks
*Carrots session e.g. RTF internal structure/sharing workloads
*Using the food sovereignty principles as a strategic framework – (in a UK context)
*How to organise & maintain effective land occupations
*Composting gender
*Planning for International Peasants Day of Struggle on April 17th
*Legal options for accessing land
*Protecting bee populations

Friday 9th:

*Session on general Reclaim the Fields strategy and focuses for 2012
Workshops and talks:
*An introduction to land rights
*History of Land rights struggles in the Forest of Dean

Followed by a consensus based guerilla gardening action… remains open to suggestions!
(ideas so far…)
*Food forest, in an abandoned quarry
*Care home for the elderly
* Clear-felled Forestry land
* Victorian walled garden

Saturday 10th:

Protect The Wilderness open skill-share day!
Seed swap, Community bring and share.
Gardening the organic community garden, and walled garden.
Music and feasting!

Not forgetting gardening, charcoal burning, baking in the cob oven, seedbomb making, cobbing the round-house, and chopping wood through-out!

£5 suggested donation per day, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Items to bring:
Warm clothes, two sets (if you mind being muddy)
bedding, camping mats
tools for g-gardening [spades, forks, mattocks, billhooks]
Instruments, dancing shoes,
seeds for seedbombs,
home-grown veg, pickles, jams, whole foods

More info about the Wilderness Centre: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-the-Wilderness-Centre-Forest-of-Dean/321890141176064
Who to contact for more information: use the RTF UK email list or email frankynecklace@yahoo.co.uk

Gourds work be done,

Protect The Wilderness,
Reclaim the Fields!

Consumer Culture Brought to Its Knees in Bradford – Buy Nothing/Steal Something Day

In one sweeping stroke the false consciousness of consumption was served a mortal blow in the streets of Bradford today. As the worldwide ripples of Buy Nothing Day crashed upon the shore of BD1, multinational capital trembled in it's bloodstained boots.

In one sweeping stroke the false consciousness of consumption was served a mortal blow in the streets of Bradford today. As the worldwide ripples of Buy Nothing Day crashed upon the shore of BD1, multinational capital trembled in it's bloodstained boots.

The 26th of November has been known by some as Buy Nothing Day for twenty years. A day to celebrate the madness of our self-consumption and to plead for the soul of our civilisation, Buy Nothing Day is about touching people. Inspiring a thought, a doubt, a scrunched up brow, a gob of spit in the face maybe, but a reaction.
Today the hardy shoppers of drizzley Bradford met friendly faces, offering a smile, a song, a book and a drink. No money accepted.
Shivering souls warmed their long neglected cockles with some fine rebel coffee, lovingly grown by Zapatista cooperatives in Mexico.
Confusion reigned as people wondered, "why is this stuff free?". The answer: "why not?"
We can't buy happiness, even dodgy science has shown that paying for experience rather than things is more satisfying. Our habits of purchasing antidotes to alienation are seemingly furthering our descent into dissappointment, and so we fill our lives with shiny things while we deplete our planet of necessary survival items like air and water, and thus ending potential for japes and jiggery-pokery.
Luckily, a collection of people put an end to this cycle of depravity by having some stalls in the soggy streets. A free shop was erected and people played songs, outside a monument to failed capitalism, an empty shop. (The sweet irony of protesting against consumption in a half-vacated city centre was not lost). A worthy target was found, and Starbucks was picketed by free shoppers and Zapatista supporters, highlighting their bullying tactics towards small farmers and their own workers. Their dubious involvement with greenwash front Conservation International was blown wide open (see this http://londonmexicosolidarity.org/content/chiapas-coffee-starbucks-and-conservation-international or http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/starbucks.cfm) and people complained that their independent cafes were being suffocated by this silky sham sofa swarming of sterile Starbucks, with one independent observer commenting "I don't know why people go there, their coffee's shit." The Yorkshire Zapatistas were on hand to offer some free coffee, and a taste of autonomy to curious people, and many fruitful discussions were had.
So is this the end of the consumerist model?

Maybe a Buy Nothing Christmas will hammer the final nails into the coffin.

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Background:

No purchase necessary!

Saturday November 26th is Buy Nothing Day (UK). It's a day where you challenge yourself, your family and friends to switch off from shopping and tune into life. The rules are simple, for 24 hours you will detox from shopping and anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending!

Everything we buy has an impact on the environment, Buy Nothing Day highlights the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. The developed countries – only 20% of the world population are consuming over 80% of the earth's natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage, and an unfair distribution of wealth.

People around the UK will make a pact with themselves to take a break from consumption as a personal experiment or public statement and the best thing is – IT'S FREE!!!

For a quick start to Buy Nothing Day read the FAQ page. If you want to take part in more actively, which is far more fun, then you may want to organise an event – take a look at the TOOLKIT for info and ideas and check the EVENTS page. If there are no events near you – organise one! Get social and follow Buy Nothing Day UK on TWITTER and FACEBOOK

Of course, Buy Nothing Day isn't about changing your lifestyle for just one day – we want it to be a lasting relationship with you consumer conscience – maybe a life changing experience? We want people to make a commitment to consuming less, recycling more and challenging companies to clean up and be fair. The supermarket or shopping mall might offer great choice, but this shouldn't be at the cost of the environment or developing countries.

Around the world: Adbusters.org | Argentina | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Croatia | Denmark | Finland | France
Hong Kong | Intl. BND | Japan | Netherlands | New Zealand | Romania | Sweden | Uruguay

Buy Nothing Day Website

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Steal Something Day, a shameless 24-hour stealing spree!

Critique and call-out

anti-shell protest at awards

9.11.11

9.11.11

tomorrow marks the sixteenth anniversary of the killing of ken saro-wiwa and eight other activists in nigeria. today, shell, complicit in their execution, was polishing its image by sponsoring an awards event for young entrepeneurs at the centrepoint building in central london. rising tide organised a reminder of shell's bloody history outside the event, involving grim reapers, sombre drums, and hundreds of leaflets.

after meeting and dressing just round the corner, a dozen or so activists arrived outside the centrepoint building, creating quite a stir with a morbid beat from two huge surdo drums, several ghostly shell logo skull-faced grim reapers, and an excellent banner using the shell and livewire logos and the slogans "shell livewire – supporting bright young business, shell deathrope – hanging outspoken young nigerians".

centrepoint security at first overstepped the mark, pushing people and trying to snatch the banner, but they retreated indoors and closed off the entrance when they realised they were being filmed, allowing the protest to continue right outside.

hundreds of leaflets were handed out to interested passers-by, and police, who arrived after around 40 minutes, waited for instruction up the command chain before deciding to leave the protest alone.

after about 90 minutes, with leaflets running out, and the young entrepeneurs apparently led out of the building via an underground car park, it was off to the pub for a well-deserved drink for the activists.

it was on the 10th november in 1995 that the nigerian government hanged ken saro-wiwa and eight other young activists who were campaigners against the devastation caused by shell and other oil exploiters in their homelands. shell was later shown to have been complicit in the murders. to this day, shell still attacks communities (like rossport in northern ireland, as well as continuing abuses in the niger delta) and destroys the planet through oil extraction, and to offset their destructive image they put tiny amounts of their profits into high profile sponsorship events like 'livewire', a youth business enterprise.
 

VIDEO
Thanks too to 'You and I Films' for producing a video of our (S)Hell DeathROPE action, and to Kevin Smith of Platform for the informative interview/voiceover, which you can watch online at:

• ‘Shell Death Rope – In Memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa’, at vimeo
» video, 2:29 – http://vimeo.com/31879898

BLOGS
Thanks to Ben Amunwa at Platform, there are also two blog postings about our (S)Hell DeathROPE action:

• ‘Protest Exposes Shell’s Grim Record on Human Rights’
» http://blog.platformlondon.org/2011/11/10/protest-exposes-shells-grim-record-on-human-rights/
» http://remembersarowiwa.com/protest-exposes-shells-grim-record-on-human-rights/

FUTURE ACTIONS
If you are also inclined to acknowledging that the catastrophic climate chaos caused by anthropogenic global warming is the most serious social/economic/political issue humankind has ever faced, and want to join in taking grassroots direct action to influence our civilisation toward climate justice, then do please consider joining London Rising Tide (or your local Rising Tide group).

• Rising Tide, London
» http://www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
• Next action planning gathering: Thu 17 Nov 2011, 19:30-21:00 (and afterwards (optionally) down t’pub), at the London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, Whiechapel, London E1 1ES
» LARC – http://www.londonarc.org

• Rising Tide, UK and around the world
» http://risingtide.org.uk
• see left hand column for links to Rising Tide groups all around the world

Earth First! Winter Moot 2012 – 24-26th February 2012. Updated: location & what to expect

A weekend of discussion and networking for those taking direct action against ecological destruction. 

Please note date & location change (due to date clash & venue problems):

24-26th February 2012, near Glasgow

Nearest train station: Lanark.

A weekend of discussion and networking for those taking direct action against ecological destruction. 

Please note date & location change (due to date clash & venue problems):

24-26th February 2012, near Glasgow

Nearest train station: Lanark.

See earthfirstgathering.org.uk for further information about location,  programme and contact details

Update:

Where – this years Earth First Winter Moot will take place in Glespin Village Hall, South Lanarkshire. Glespin is a small village about 14 miles south of Lanark, and 35 miles south of Glasgow. South Lanarkshire also has many beautiful areas with rivers, hills, forests and peat bogs.  Full directions

What to expect – this years Earth First! Winter Moot takes place in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. In a months time environmentalists from across the UK and beyond will converge to discuss and debate. Below is an update from the organising collective who are working on the program.

The Moot 2012 collective has felt that at previous EF! Gatherings groups have primarily attended to recruit for their respective campaigns. Yet those who attend EF! Gatherings are predominantly already active, making them good places for networking, but not necessarily for outright recruitment. We recognise the effort gathering organisers put into planning agendas but often the more discursive aspects of the gatherings focus on larger,  abstract questions and debates have often been framed by self-appointed experts. We feel that these discussions ineffectively attempt to find answers or reach consensus where this is inappropriate.

For example at the first EF! Gathering 20 years ago the question was asked: 'What is EF!?' 20 years later in 2011 at the last Moot the same question was still being asked . . .

The answer is EF! is what we make it, and this year we are going to make it a space in which we can approach our campaigns both critically and analytically by asking more specific and practical questions. Our activism should be constantly evolving not stuck in a rut asking the same questions again and again.

The agenda will be designed to ask questions around four key issues: the tactics we use; the strategies that we employ in our campaigns; community solidarity; and sustainable activism. There will be no attempt to reach conclusions or consensus especially about what EF! is. Instead we want to have discussions that lead to new ideas that could evolve ongoing campaigns or give creative inspiration to ones that are just getting started.

A free space will be provided in which campaigns will be able to hold meetings and have further discussions if they wish, and there will also be some space given for campaign updates with an emphasis on honest analysis rather than promotion.

For updates and more info check the website or email us.

efwintermoot@noflag.org.uk

Earth First! Summer Gathering Update 2011

Location announced, workshop schedule published, and how the kids space is going to work. All for the Earth First! Summer Gathering which begins on the 10th of August and runs until the 15th.

Get in touch if you need more information.

Location announced, workshop schedule published, and how the kids space is going to work. All for the Earth First! Summer Gathering which begins on the 10th of August and runs until the 15th.

Get in touch if you need more information.

The gathering this year will be held at Woolseybridge Farm – a lovely site in Norfolk with lots of trees and a little stream. It’s approximately 1.5 miles NNE of Diss. Diss has regular train services and a wholefood shop.

If you can come down to help set up please do, we start on August the 5th, if you can stay a few days after the gathering to help bring it all do that’d also be grand.

Site phone number 1 is 07551689365 or try number 2 on 07866797016.

Here’s a detailed map

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And here’s the workshop schedule:

Wednesday

11:30-1

National Bargee Travellers Association

Information and discussion session on the current struggle of travelling boat dwellers to keep their homes in the face of harassment and unlawful enforcement by British Waterways. Come along if you live on a boat, or if you want to know how you can help the boating community fight back!

Frack-Off! An introduction to the threat of hydraulic fracturing.

Fracking is a nightmare! Toxic and radioactive water pollution. Tap water you can set on fire. Runaway climate change. To produce expensive gas that will soon run out. So why are we doing it? This will be a detailed practical, participatory workshop aimed at bringing people up to speed on the issue, the specifics of which areas of the UK are directly under threat and particularly, where to find organised resistance.

Squat Electrics

Dealing with our shit- Men against the Patriarchy. An open discussion on the ways in which men can unlearn the arsehole patriarchal behaviours they’ve picked up by being alive in this society, and reinforce within the radical environmental movement.

2-4

Popular Education & Training

Skill-share for Trainers! Interested in popular education & training? Come learn & share popular education exercises & games designed for group participation and horizontal learning. Find what collectives are working in the UK (& beyond!) and the work they are doing.

Oh Fuck it’s the Apocalypse

working on the basis that the collapse of industrial society is fairly imminent, and that we need to plan for it. To this end we’re looking at sustainable living, permaculture, etc, with a survivalist angle; at ways to survive a collapse and build a more sane society from the ruins; and discussing how this analysis affects our other activism and priorities. We’re a bit like Transition Towns with an Edge and a Clue.

Using Radios- A beginners guide to using radios during actions.

Setting up a Tripod- Never put up a tripod before, want a use one on an action. Here’s your chance to find out how.

4-6

Squatting,Direct Action and New Laws

Film: ‘Gasland’

When a documentary film-maker is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination. A recently drilled nearby Pennsylvania town reports that residents are able to light their drinking water on fire. This is a US documentary, however shale extraction or ‘fracking’ is now heading to the UK.

Tinkers Bubble

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Thursday

10-1130

Intro to Consensus

Consensus is widely regarded as one of the most empowering and creative ways of making decisions in a non-hierarchical group, but it isn’t always easy. This participatory workshop provides an introduction or refresher to what it’s all about and how to make it work.

Reccing

Structured and facilitated discussion to share skills and tips for successful reccies for action. Including a check-list of what to find out, internet and phone searches, site visits, tricks and disguises for getting info, security tips etc.

Intro to EF!

London Olympics

Resisting the London 2012 Olympics (Corporate Watch and the Counter Olympics Network)
What can we do to resist the Olympics in London next year? People are aware of the problems with the games – surveillance, gentrification, environmental destruction, privatisation, job insecurity etc and the benefits to corporations. Come and discuss these and how we can resist, taking inspiration from people who have resisted other Olympics.

How to plan a kick ass action:

You’ve taken action before and now you’re ready to start planning your own proactive and creative Kickass Actions…

1130-1300

Banking & finance

Locking on

Practical workshop for learning different lock-on techniques for blockades and other actions. Arm-tubes, d-locks, chains, handcuffs, superglue and more!

20 years of EF! Looking forward

Fight Fracking

Shale gas extraction or ‘fracking’ has been polluting drinking water and the climate in the US, where it has caused numerous health problems. It’s been blamed for mini-earthquakes in Blackpool and there are plans for projects across the UK, including in South Wales, Lancashire, Somerset, Kent, Surrey and Scotland. Join an open discussion & planning session on how we can resist these projects.

Infiltration- Activist Trauma

2.00pm-4.00pm

Dealing with Conflict

An introduction to understanding and dealing effectively with disagreement and conflict in our groups. www.seedsforchange.org.uk

Intro to Anarchy

Smash Edo

Anti-cuts and Against Austerity

An open discussion on how we’re currently working against the cuts, what are we learning about the situation, what is proving to be effective, do we need to unlearn certain behaviours that have dominated activist circles in order to broaden and connect the resistances currently occurring.

Mental Health

4pm- 6pm

Action Planning for a kick ass action

You’ve taken action before and now you’re ready to start planning your own proactive and creative Kickass Actions…

Self-Defence for Pacifists

Safe self-defence that doesn’t rely on strength and appropriate for any level of experience. Can be applied in direct-action or every day scenarios. Bring your (empty) plastic water-bottle and we’ll play with some ‘weapon/baton’ defence at the end. Numbers capped at 20, only appropriate15yrs and over (apologies for that arbitrariness).”

Shell to Sea

Trouble Shooting in meetings

A workshop on troubleshooting and improving your meetings.

Puppet show

Performance and discussion of a puppet show celebrating the history of environmental direct action in the UK.

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Friday

10.00am- 11.30am

Affinity groups

Participatory workshop exploring how and why work with others for action, including inspiring case studies of successful autonomous actions.

Basic bike maintenance.

An informal workshop on brakes and gears, can also cover truing wheels and look at other repairs with no or few tools, by Bicycology.

Intro to EF!

Facilitating Participatory Workshops

Have you got skills or information you’d like to share? Or maybe you want to support people to learn from each other, or share experiences? Develop skills, confidence& understanding to facilitate fun, participatory & dynamic workshops.

Solidarity is a Weapon

1130-1pm

Intro to Direct Action

Direct action is about taking things into our own hands instead of asking the rich and powerful to do the right thing. Empower yourself to go out and make change happen!

Intro to industrial Agriculture and GM

Anarcho-Feminist

Black Fish

The Black Fish is a newly founded European based conservation organisation that takes action on the issues of whaling, industrial fishing and marine animals in captivity. Using education, investigation and non-violent direct action, The Black Fish has set out on a mission to change attitudes towards our precious oceans and work to protect the unique life within them.

2-4pm

Sustaining Resistance- A workshop to explore how we can make our activism more sustainable and effective in the long term. Finding sources of personal support to help us stay inspired, nourished and creative for the long haul and identifying how we can challenge damaging cultures of overwork and burnout in our activist groups.*

Doing Actions without getting caught

Practical workshop covering various aspects of doing actions without getting caught, including getting to your target without detection both in the day and in the dark, forensics and dress sense, getting together materials, communications, getting away. Parts of the workshop will involve physical practise, please wear suitable clothes for crawling through bushes…

Women’s Self Defence

The luddites 200 year anniversary and technology politics today

Celebrating the 200 Anniversary of the Luddite Uprisings: Technology Politics Then and Now (Corporate Watch and the Luddites200 Organising Forum
In 1811-12 Artisan cloth workers in the Midlands and North of England rose up against factory owners who were imposing new machines and putting them out of work. Since the 1950s the Luddites have been painted as fools opposed to all technology and progress, but in fact the Luddites were very selective in their attacks, breaking only machines they thought were ‘hurtful to Commonality’. What can the Luddites teach us about the ongoing use of technology to replace workers’ jobs, as well as issues like GM food and nuclear power? Can we escape the myth that technology always brings progress?

Activist Trauma

4-6pm

Getting over Fences

Privilege and Oppression

Power and privilege play out continuously in our group dynamics. This workshop will explore the roles we each play as privileged and as oppressed in our movement and in wider society.

Dale Farm

this is the biggest unlawful Traveller site in the UK. Residents own their land but have been repeatedly refused planning
permission and Basildon Council have now gathered £18million in order to evict them. After years of fighting their eviction through the courts they have now been served their papers, and have until the 31st August to leave. this workshop will outline the history of the campaign, discuss plans for resisting the eviction and, if there is enough interest, organise a working party to visit Dale Farm to help them prepare for eviction.

Coal Action Network

Intro to what’s happened so far with CAN. Discussions about what people would like from the network/website and where people think coal campaiging is going. How to get involved in CAN.

Tripods

Doing Actions without Getting caught part 2

We’ll be practising how to move in the dark without being spotted. Please wear dark clothes suitable for crawling through the bushes and a torch if you can. Meet at 8.30 sharp at the gate tent. The practise will finish by 10pm.

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Saturday

10-1130

Facilitation

If you’ve never facilitated a meeting before, or want to brush up your skills and gain confidence, this workshop is for you.

Intro to EF!

Basic land navigation

An introduction to navigation with map and a compass for total beginners or improvers. Please bring a compass if you have one . Also, an overview of very simple route finding using the sun, stars and other natural signs.

Environmental and Autonomous Education for young people

A discussion about various alternative education projects for young people, a space to share ideas, experiences and rethink the ways in which we engage in these projects.

Coal Action Scotland- What’s going on in the Valleys at the moment and how can people get involved.

11.30am- 1.00pm

Building Strong Groups- Share ideas and learn from others for making your group more accessible, inclusive and sustainable.

Organising the next winter moot and summer gathering

Enjoyed this gathering? Thought this gathering was crap? Come along and start working out how next years gathering could turn out.

Nutrition 101

Mayday Indymedia

What is indymedia and how does it work? This workshop, run by members of the collective which looks after the indymedia.org.uk website, will attempt to answer your questions about indymedia and will give you the information you need to report your news effectively on the uk site [and the local sites Birmingham, Sheffield and Oxford?], including writing middle column features for the uk front page to give prominence to your campaigns and actions. Find out about the editorial guidelines and moderation, as well as how to raise queries and how to start up an indymedia collective in your local area.

Rewilding

Facilitated discussion.

2.00pm-4.00pm

Who Cares?

Open discussion based around recent article published on Ceasefire entitled “Who Cares?” which talked about the failures of the radical movement within the UK to engage with child care in a way which related to anarchist politics.

Know your rights: Legal and arrest workshop

Covers basic law for activists and the arrest process. If you’ve
never been nicked before or you want to brush up on your knowledge, this is for you. www.seedsforchange.org.uk

Anti-Nuclear- Campaign update and info session

Using Radios

Saving Iceland and Samarendra Das: The Global Crimes of the Aluminium Cartel

Behind the shining image of aluminium is a dark side of environmental catastrophes, the arms industry and cultural genocide. A joint presentation by Saving Iceland and Indian author/activist Samarendra Das. It will include current threats to the Icelandic highlands, one of Europe’s last great wildernesses, the history and future of the campaign and the fallacies of hydro and geothermal energy. Samarendra Das will speak about the present struggle of Adivasis against companies such as Vedanta and the real facts behind the aluminium industry.

2.00pm-4.00pm

Self-Defence

Safe self-defence that doesn’t rely on strength and appropriate for any level of experience. Can be applied in direct-action or every day scenarios. Bring your (empty) plastic water-bottle and we’ll play with some ‘weapon/baton’ defence at the end. Numbers capped at 20, only appropriate15yrs and over (apologies for that arbitrariness).”

‘The True Cost of Coal’

The Beehive Design Collective (part of the Rising Tide North America Network) create portable murals of collaboratively produced illustrations with an amazingly engaging central narrative. ‘The True Cost of Coal’ will take you on an interactive visual tour of the connections between Coal Mining, Climate Change, the Ever Expanding Capitalist Economy, and the Struggle for Justice in Appalachia, North America and throughout the world.

GM Campaign- Campaign update and info share.

Community Defence: Building our own Exarchia’s

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Sunday

10.00am- 11.30am

Regional Meetings

Dsei

DSEi is the worlds largest Arms Fair, as many EFers know. This year it’s from September 13-18. It’s not simply about the arms trade. It’s about public services “cuts”: the environment: banking and investors: the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. Not to mention the borders that stop people fleeing conflict There’s a call for a mass blockade of the DLR on the Tuesday. Previous Days of Action- and other days in the week -have included street parties, Critical Mass bike rides, die-ins, mock sales of “arms”, legs and even a tank; splashing fake blood across the entrances, engaging with arms dealers on the trains and platforms, invading the car park and rail entrance, blocking the roads, locking on to the trains, even swimming in the dock! And visiting the investors offices of course. And in ther run-up- your local arms factory. Will be talking about all this – Not to mention that visit to your local arms factory!

11.30am- 1.00pm

Action Update

Gatherings Collective

Basic Plant I-d

Discussion about Veganism

Direct Action Training

Come and get active in this interactive and hopefully fun workshop where we’ll be looking at some fundamental building blocks for taking non-violent direct action to fight suffering, and practising different non-violent echniques to hold occupations, blockade, break out of kettles, de-arrest people, and to deal with other police tactics, like snatch squads, horses and dogs. We’ll also give lots of other tips for dealing with public order situations and for affinity group actions, including some key legal information which you should know when you’re taking action, and some tips about dealing with the media. And we’ll look at some of the values and attitudes which are key to taking NVDA, like non-hierarchical organising and consensus (and others). We’ll hopefully be able to adjust the workshop to cover what you want, and to answer all your questions.

2.00pm-4.00pm

Gathering Feedback Show

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Kids’ space and activities

If you do not have a kid, we might still need your help, so read
on…….

The kids’ space is designed as a place where children and those caring for them can relax, play and eat. The space contains books, toys and craft materials.

The kids’ space is NOT a creche and doesn’t have staff or facilities to care for children.

Parents and carers are respectfully reminded that they will need to collect children at meal times/breaks and that they much keep adults in the kids space informed of where they can be found; please also fill in the forms in the kids kitchen regarding food allergies etc.

If you do not have a child at the gathering, but would like to help in kids space, please talk to the collective. Help with reading stories, playing games, art and crafts always welcome.

Kid’s kitchen

This provides meals suitable for and at appropriate times for children. Kids meal tickets cost £2 or £3 a day for 2 meals (the lower rate is for toddlers); please buy these at the gate tent. This is the first time we have sold kids meal tickets and hopefully this will cover the cost of meals, but we may need to ask for help if this is not enough to cover our costs.

Even those without children can help by with cooking and washing up in the kids space, please volunteer if you can.

Games and activities

During the morning (approx 10 am -noon) there will be activities and workshops for kids in one of the workshop spaces.

In the afternoon (after lunch), there will be games in the top meadow for children and adults together. Again, any help with these very welcome – just ask the collective/kids space crew.

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Public Transport

The site is easily accessible by public transport, you can get the train either to Diss or Norwich and then catch the bus route no 1 (Simmonds) from Diss to Norwich. Or you could walk or cycle – it’s only 1.5miles away from Diss train station. Please come by public transport if at all possible! .

We will run pick-ups from the train station for anybody who can’t use the bus service or for larger groups of people. If you need a lift please let us know well in advance (and not in the middle of the night, when you’re at a train station somewhere!). !

Wheelchair users intending to use Diss station will need to book assistance with the train operator. There are no lifts so station staff have to assist mobility impaired customers across the track. Apparently the station is not manned 24 hours a day and the gate for the crossing is kept locked – so do phone and book to be sure .We have been told the bus service includes some low-floor buses with easy access for pushchairs, people with mobility impairments etc.

Hitch to Norwich or Diss; from Norwich hitch south on the A140 to Dickleburgh. It is then a 3 -4 mile walk or hitch to the site; on the Dickleburgh bypass (don’t go into Dickleburgh village) is a right turn to Shimpling and Burston; follow this road through Burston village, past the village green and out of the village. There is a sharp left turn, then down a hill to a sharp right turn. Site is on the right just over a little brick bridge.

From Diss either walk or bus, or carry on up the A140 to the turning on the Dickleburgh junction as above (only this time the junction is on the left).

[some even more detailed info including post-code, from previous year, at http://www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk/2008/where.html]

efsummergathering2011@riseup.net

The swoop cometh! Glos eco-village:meeting list.

Greetings all,

The beginning is nigh…

Hopefully this will be the last meeting list, so the next thing you’ll hear from us will be the swoop info.. anyone wanting to help out with the swoop, on the day- please get in contact now… Otherwise you’ll only be given short notice as to the date/location etc…

Greetings all,

The beginning is nigh…

Hopefully this will be the last meeting list, so the next thing you’ll hear from us will be the swoop info.. anyone wanting to help out with the swoop, on the day- please get in contact now… Otherwise you’ll only be given short notice as to the date/location etc…

We could do with a few more people on the ground, with a knowledge of the area to help out on the day- So get in touch if you wouldn’t mind helping to guide people in, and with some of the organisational aspects on the day and shortly before the swoop.

I’ll need some help getting the message out a few days before- spreading the news through activist networks/list and via SM…

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Wednesday 13th Gloucester @ 1:30pm, Meet in Gloucester City, pub or park!
Web 13th… Forest of Dean @ 3pm – Off to the Forest of Dean for a forage-about and nature walk. We’ll try to spot some Deer, or Wildboar, as we discuss the project.
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Saturday 16th Gloucester City @ 1:30pm – A continuation of last months guerilla gardening [see http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/06/480854.html ] weather permitting- if not, we’ll go to a park or pub for the meeting.
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Wednesday 20th West London, various sites @ times tba – Networking with other eco-villages, recruiting some extra hands for the day. Core groups members, wanting to move over shortly before the swoop of the main site- will have the opportunity to do so then. These people will then be able to help other members of the core group, with any geographic/logistical questions that arise on the day. (it is easy to get lost, round ‘ere)
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Get in touch for further details, and contact info…

Other news…
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Radical Artists call-out… Any artists/ painters/ decorators/ spray-painters/ Art teachers wanting to take the class out and do something exciting/ any other creatively minded people at all, wanting to help turn an ugly, unloved space into a vibrant and beautiful freespace, WE NEED YOUR HELP. Email the address given with “radical artist here” (or something similar) in your emails title, and come down to help us bring some color to an otherwise dreary area.
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A plan to join forces with some of the more active woodland protection campaigners around Gloucestershire is currently being worked on. Anyone networked with local or national wildlife protection groups, forest conservation activists -not of the armchair variety- or any other radical tree-top-camper, please put me in touch with them regarding an opportunity to protect an area of mixed/native woodland from further felling.
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I’ve started setting up a social media type website to allow people already involved, or interested in this project and others similar in nature, to communicate, share knowledge, network and collaborate on projects -it’ll have a forum, media/file sharing, wiki, subgroups/ friends features. I’m looking for anyone interested in helping out with this, I’ve got everything I need bar enough time to get a workable beta up-and-running any-time close to the swoop, so if you’d like to get involved -as much, or as little as you can- drop me an email.
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Peace and Love,

Apok
admin [AT]] apokaluptein [dot]] org [dot]] uk

Call out for workshops for EF! Summer Gathering 2011

This year’s Earth First Summer Gathering takes place in East Anglia this year, starting on the 10th of August and running for five days. With six workshops tents we have space for over 100 discussions, presentations and workshops. The spaces are filling up fast, but there is still time to book a spot.

This year’s Earth First Summer Gathering takes place in East Anglia this year, starting on the 10th of August and running for five days. With six workshops tents we have space for over 100 discussions, presentations and workshops. The spaces are filling up fast, but there is still time to book a spot. So if you’ve got an idea you wish to highlight, whether it’s related to ecological defence or social resistance here is your chance. The gathering is attended by hundreds of individuals interested and participating in struggles around the UK and Europe.

To get in touch just email efsummergathering2011announce@riseup.net with a blurb of for you workshop or discussion and we’ll do our best to fit you in.

For monthly email updates for the gathering subscribe to efsummergathering@lists.riseup.net

BP and Culture – time to break it off!

A week of action to kick BP out of our cultural spaces
14–20 April 2011

A week of action to kick BP out of our cultural spaces
14–20 April 2011

In the week between BP’s AGM and the one-year anniversary of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, we are calling for actions and creative interventions to show the true nature of BP’s damaging activities around the world, and to persuade our most prestigious galleries and cultural spaces to liberate themselves from BP’s dirty money.

Sponsorship of galleries, museums and other cultural spaces is one of the most important ways BP tries to protect its reputation and buy our acceptance. By breaking off BP’s relationship with our most prestigious cultural institutions, we strike a blow to BP’s precious brand, topple BP’s powerful position in our society, and reclaim our public spaces. On the anniversary of the Gulf spill, let’s reveal the sticky black stuff behind BP’s shiny green logo, and pile on the pressure to kick BP out of our cultural spaces for good.

Creative interventions will be popping up at sponsored galleries and institutions throughout the week, so watch this space, or better yet plan your own!

This week of action is called by Art Not Oil, Climate Camp London, Climate Rush, Indigenous Environmental Network, Liberate Tate, London Rising Tide and UK Tar Sands Network

More info including events list, targets and resources:
http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/bpweekofaction
Facebook event: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198819640150485

INCLUDING…
The Great BP-sponsored sleep-in

Sunday 17 April 2011, 2PM at Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG

To mark the one year anniversary of the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, join us for ‘The great BP-sponsored sleep-in’, a 4-minute flashmob art installation inside Tate Modern. Imagine the turbine hall of this former power station filled with BP-branded sleeping figures, who will soon wake from their BP-sponsored coma to sound the climate alarm.

BP’s greenwash is sleepwalking us into the climate crisis. BP sponsors galleries like Tate to try and clean up its tarnished image, and distract us from its devastating activities around the world. Every pound of dirty oil money accepted by Tate helps legitimise a long legacy of environmental destruction and human rights abuses. It’s time to take off the blindfold, rub the sponsorship sleep from our eyes, and give Tate and BP a wake-up call.

This family friendly event will highlight BP’s sponsorship to the public, and show that we are not prepared to stand by as the Tate helps BP greenwash its image… and allow us all a few minutes to dream of a future free from oil spills and oil sponsorship of the arts.

SIX STEPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL SPONSORED SLEEP-IN
1. Synchronise your watch using this website:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fullscreen.html?n=136
2. Enter the building before 2PM
3. Choose your sleep-in spot – café, corridor, lift, gift shop, and of course exhibits are all fair game, but please pick somewhere on Levels 1 (turbine hall level), 2 or 3 (this is where our camera crews will be to film the fun).
4. At exactly 2.15PM, unpack your BP branded sheet, pillow, pyjamas, sleep mask, teddy bear, alarm clock or any other sleep related props (see here for ideas and downloadable props:
http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/bpweekofaction/resources) and start the sleep-in!
5. Exactly 4 minutes later, the flash mob will be over as alarm clocks sound the wake-up call throughout the gallery. Take off your sponsored blindfolds and bedding, leave them behind if you wish, and head outside to…
6. Post-slumber party on the South Bank. Listen to speakers from BP-affected communities from the Gulf of Mexico and the Canadian Tar Sands, help engage gallery-goers with leaflets and vox pop video messages, and enjoy live music and a pedal-powered sound system.

So join us on April 17th, and show the Tate that we won’t take oil sponsorship of the arts lying down!

More info: http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/bpweekofaction/flashmob
Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137704989634221

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 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

Oil Spill at the British Museum

13.07.2010
This morning three members of the art activist group Culture Beyond Oil poured non-toxic black oil around the British Museum’s world famous Easter Island sculpture, in protest at BP’s sponsorship of the museum. Emily James, Director of Just Do It, happened to be there and captured the action.

BP British Museum 1BP British Museum 2BP British Museum 313.07.2010
This morning three members of the art activist group Culture Beyond Oil poured non-toxic black oil around the British Museum’s world famous Easter Island sculpture, in protest at BP’s sponsorship of the museum. Emily James, Director of Just Do It, happened to be there and captured the action.

Following similar actions at the Tate Modern, Tate Britain and National Portrait Gallery in recent weeks, the activists targeted the British Museum because of the annual sponsorship it receives from the infamous oil company.

A recent report called ‘Licence to Spill’ from the campaign group Platform has pointed to the benefits of cultural sponsorship for oil companies, stating that “the financial support that the companies [like Shell and BP] provide [to cultural institutions] strengthens their position as a part of Britain’s cultural and social elite, and creates a perception of making a positive contribution to our society”, thus giving them a “social license to operate”.

The statue around which the oil was poured* is known as Hoa Hakananai’a, a 2000 year old relic taken from Easter Island by European explorers. The story of the Easter Island statues is often cited as an example of the speed with which once strong civilizations have suddenly collapsed.

Ben Cooper, who is also part of Liberate Tate, said: “Oil sponsorship of public institutions is a problem that stretches way beyond BP and the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil industry has a long history of environmental and human rights abuses, and is currently pulling us closer and closer to a potential catastrophe on a global scale.

“Just like the forests on Easter Island, oil represents a resource being over-exploited despite massively increasing risks. With our relentless search for oil we are risking the collapse of the ecosystems on which we depend – just as the inhabitants of Easter Island did 2000 years ago”.

VIDEO AND PICTURES HERE: http://just-do-it.org.uk/oil-spill-at-the-british-museum

just.do.it.film@googlemail.com
http://just-do-it.org.uk/