Action Reports – Page 170

ELF Torches Development Water Truck in Mexico

16.8.2009
Earth Liberation Front Torches Development Water Truck in Mexico

Communique:
In the clandestine darkness, on a tranquil and hot night, we assembled our dream with gasoline that would soon be fire.

We walk under the ghosts of the trees already destroyed, only our breathing and steps we could hear. During this night, everything went well.

16.8.2009
Earth Liberation Front Torches Development Water Truck in Mexico

Communique:
In the clandestine darkness, on a tranquil and hot night, we assembled our dream with gasoline that would soon be fire.

We walk under the ghosts of the trees already destroyed, only our breathing and steps we could hear. During this night, everything went well.

We arrived at our objective, a truck full of water, utilized to squander hundreds of liters of water for the earth that civilization would later lick, urbanizing it and leaving it completely infertile, all for the construction of streets where zombies wander.

We placed our device in the front rim of the truck and we hid behind urban flora. A small spark of happiness suffices to illuminate a sad night of agony.

Our dark clothes camouflage with the shadows, and the luminous and round moon lit the truck that in some minutes would begin to burn. The incendiary was lit and began to burn the the rim, the chest, and later, slowly, the cabin of the truck would be eaten. A great cloud rose to the skies, as we felt a great emotion in our bodies. The flames were large, as large as our desire to see the dying civilization burn.

In the company of the stars, we admired our completed action, behind the trees, just as the panther visualizes its prey.

Suddenly, the deafening noise of chaos, of neighbors, and of sirens were heard. An ambulance arrived, firemen arrived and the cars that were near the smoke began to flee. The deafening sound was the sound of the motor of the truck exploding.

The social peace had been destroyed. Exploiters of the earth received their punishment, the truck was rendered useless and we once again struck without leaving any trail.

Revenge for the land, the trees, the mountains, the water and everything that signifies wild nature turned into merchandise for the anthropocentric human!

We will continue in the fight.

Earth Liberation Front/Mexico

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

Police raid eco-protest camp

16.08.2009
POLICE bullies have invaded Camp Titnore near Worthing and intimidated the protesters, who have been peacefully occupying the threatened Durrington woodland since 2006.

Coming just a few weeks after Tesco got permission for its disgusting new abomination on neighbouring fields, it is feared this heralds an all-out attack on the camp by the usual unholy alliance of profiteering capitalist scum, corrupt local authorities and the taxpayer-funded thugs-in-blue.

Strong rumours are circulating that Worthing Borough Council planners are to meet very soon to give the final go-ahead for the 875-home housing development at Titnore Woods and that the camp will be cleared by force before work starts, possibly as soon as October.

The campers are appealing for all those who have supported them during their three-year marathon protest to make the effort to come and visit them now – before it is too late – and show the authorities that they cannot mistreat them with impunity as they enjoy public backing.

If people can go and stay at the camp for any amount of time, no matter how small, that would obviously be even better.

The latest police raid on the camp came under the the pretence of a “health and safety check”. Up to 18 tooled-up ‘officers’ intimidated the environmentalists with video cameras, as they were in-terror-gated. This included a young woman with a 4-year-old child who was visiting friends at the camp. The police then search and video’d all areas of the camp despite being told to leave the campers’ home.

Clearly even after all the criticism of the police by government ministers following their behaviour in London in April they are still out of control.

The campers now expect more harassment in order to get them to give up and leave.

Warning of a possible move to give the housing development the OK imminently, campaign group Protect Our Woodland! says: “A lot has to be done in a very short time. First please could you sign the petition at: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/TitnoreWoods/ and ask all in your address book to do the same. Next it is still very important to send an e-mail of objection to the council, please find all the details at www.protectourwoodland.co.uk then if you’ve still got the energy write to the papers.

“Yes we know there’s been very little reporting in the local papers – except for the Tesco part of the development – that’s because editors get fed up with the same old suspects writing in endlessly. So let’s see if a new hand will get results. All the details are on the website.”

Meanwhile the campaigning Durrington and Northbrook Times reports that work on the massive new Tesco Extra will start tomorrow, Monday August 17, with residents’ concerns bulldozed out of the path of the monster that they like to call progress.

It reported in a special email bulletin:

“At a public meeting in the Durrington Community centre, Robert Curtis Project Manager for builders Kier revealed that although disturbance to local residents would be kept to a minimum there would be some inconvenience.

“He admitted to a stunned audience, that one maximum weight multi-wheeled truck would have to come through the existing Tesco car park every 7 minutes as negotiations had broken down with the owner of land north of Fulbeck Ave, previously earmarked. The route to the car park indicated on the handout was through residential roads such as New Road (From the Lamb) and Romany Road.

“It was further revealed that apart from rainwater harvesting NO other sustainable features are to be incorporated. Not even one solar panel.

“So there we are then, our council has allowed this mega rich conglomerate to build a shed that will be a blot on the landscape, create a traffic nightmare, destroy local residents right to breathe clean air and enjoy peace and quiet. Thank you councillors you will be remembered at election time.

“What a shame not one reporter from either the Worthing Herald or Argus felt it necessary to be present to report on this. However you can rely on The Durrington and Northbrook Times to report what’s going on to residents.”

http://www.protectourwoodland.co.uk/tea.htm

Day of the Broken Promise

Benny Wenda, West Papuan independence leader and chairman of the Koteka Tribal Assembly, and most of the rest of the small handful of West Papuans living in Britain demonstrated opposite the Netherlands Embassy in London on Fri 14 Aug, to mark the anniversary of the ‘Day of the Broken Promise’, 15 August 1962.

The western half of New Guinea became a Dutch colony in the nineteenth century, but by the 1950s they were moving towards giving it independence. However the Indonesian goverment claimed the country and threatened invasion after then Dutch set up an elected government of West Papua in 1961.

Indonesia was backed by military aid from the Soviet Union, and the Kennedy administration in the USA wanted to prevent further movement of the country towards the Soviet bloc, so pressured the Netherlands into signing the ‘New York Agreement’ with Indonesia in August 1962. This allowed Indonesia to take over the administration of the country but provided for all the adult population of West Papua to vote at a later date on whether they wished to become independent.

The Indonesian army moved in on 1 May 1963 and began a programme of repression and human rights abuse against the people. In 1969 they rounded up and detained just over a thousand West Papuans as representatives of the people and enusured that they voted for rule by Indonesia by threats, including at least in some cases that they and their families would be killed unless they did so.

The Indonesian government made it impossible for the UN represenatative who was supposed to oversee the election to operate properly, and banned most foreign reporters. Although it was clear that the vote did not reflect the will of the West Papuan people – and had failed to meet the terms of the agreement – which had been ratified by the UN – it was approved by the UN General Assembly.

Since then there have been many reports of repression by Indonesia in the country, including murder, political assassinations, torture, rapes, dissapearances and bombing. The government also had a programme of resettling migrants from Indonesia in the country, apparently aimed at producing an Indonesian majority population.

West Papuans have engaged in both civil disobedience – particularly around cermonial raising of the West Papua flag (the Morning Star) as well as armed resistance.

Wenda was jailed for displaying the West Papuan flag (on his chest and at top right of picture) but managed to escape and gain asylum in the UK. Estimates of the number of West Papuans killed by Indonesian repression are in the hundreds of thousands (400,000 according to the Free West Papua Campaign), and in 2006, 43 refugees landed in a traditional canoe in Australia, claiming the Indonesian military was carrying out a programme of genocide.

Despite a widespread recognition of what has been happening, there is little international support for West Papua. The country has the world’s largest copper and gold mines, largely owned by US Compnay Freeport-McMoRan with UK based Rio Tinto Group also involved.

Today’s demonstration was peaceful and tuneful, with Benny and Maria Wenda and others playing instruments and singing traditional West Papuan songs opposite the embassy.

A Dutch diplomat came across the road to talk to the demonstrators and receive a letter demanding that the Netherlands and other governments insist on the proper implementation of the 1962 agreement, with a free and fair independence referendum involving all West Papuans overseen by the UN. Papuans feel they were let down by everyone involved, but particularly by the Dutch; “We trusted you and we believed in you. But you betrayed us.”

The diplomat spoke for a few minutes with the demonstrators and was interested to see a feature on the rebel army there which appeared in today’s Independent on display.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/bows-arrows-and-a-dream-of-liberation-1771884.html

After the demonstration at the Netherlands Embassy the protest was moving to the Indonesian Embassy in Grosvenor Square, where the West Papuans hold regular protests.

Climate campers stroll to Ffos-y-fran opencast mine

August 15th 2009

Climate campers reclaim Ffos-y-fran

Campers at Climate Camp Cymru near Merthyr Tydfil have upped the ante and have set off to enter Ffros-y-fran open cast coal mine, just yards from the camp.

Jill Lloyd said,

August 15th 2009

Climate campers reclaim Ffos-y-fran

Campers at Climate Camp Cymru near Merthyr Tydfil have upped the ante and have set off to enter Ffros-y-fran open cast coal mine, just yards from the camp.

Jill Lloyd said,

“We have been talking to local people at the camp, in the town and on the housing estates. The story is the same everywhere — people feel abandoned and used. Their hillside is being ripped apart, a massive incinerator is proposed and a third phase of this monstrous coal mine is now on the horizon, with plans to destroy the peaceful wooded hillside opposite.

“This action wasn’t planned at the start of the camp, but we feel it is important to show our opposition to the mine with a ‘climate stroll’ to symbolically reclaim the land for the community

“We have been hearing about people with respiratory conditions such as asthma which have started or worsened since the mine opened, people unable to put their washing out because it gets black, vegetables coated in filthy dust.”

Wales could soon be self-sufficient in clean energy but is still generating fossil fuels for England. The coal from Ffos y Fran will generate the same amount of CO2 per year as Mozambique. We have to stop climate change, not make it worse. Coal is nearly all carbon and must be left in the ground.

Angharad Jones said:

“Reclaiming the land is a symbolic act. Coming here has been a real lesson for us, and we feel privileged to be part of the resistance to this mine. We have had talks from scientists and ecologists, but the most memorable lessons came from the local residents.

History has shown that changes can be made by ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The suffragettes and the civil rights movement took action that was often illegal but very necessary. As our politicians fail us, we need deeds and not words.”

Between now and the Copenhagen climate summit in December, activists will take decentralised or collective action in Wales against the root causes of climate change.

Contact

* 07780914369 or 07875 868232 for Welsh language interviews
* 07789898374 for English language interviews
* 07973298359 for video footage

Notes for editors

Climate Camp Cymru is being held in a green field near Merthyr Tydfil between 13 – 16 August. For maps and site information, go to www.climatecampcymru.org

Access for journalists is restricted to the hours of 11am – 1pm on Saturday, but there is an edge of site media area where filming can take place at any time.

—–

Stroll photo essay

Get Your Selves Down to Climate Camp

The site was taken on Wednesday.Kitchens, compost loos, wind and solar energy and kids spaces are all up and running; workshops are go and we’ll soon have a cinema. The sun’s been shining all day. Friendly locals!

We’re roughly the same distance from Ffos y Fran, the UK’s largest open-cast coal mine, as the nearest houses (36 metres!) – that’s so close the marquee pegs are hitting coal. Good to know, considering how much dust and air pollution is emitted by the mine, the coal from which will generate as much CO2 per year as the whole of Mozambique.

Come and join us for four days of sustainable living, education, movement building, and building the capacity for action.

200+ people at camp now, with lots still arriving. 2 kitchens running, 2.5 wind turbines up (possible?) & the welcome space is all go!

The Residents Against Ffos-y-fran (RAFF) workshop was very popular & went down well, no surprises! http://stopffosyfran.co.uk

Follow updates at
http://twitter.com/CampCymru09

See: http://www.climatecampcymru.org for directions etc.

Vestas Rooftop protesters to head down to NIMBY MP’s office

Vestas Rooftop protest to move to local MP constituency offices on Friday morning

Press statement- Thursday 13th August 4.30pm

After being on the roof for eleven nights, rooftop protesters will descend from the Vestas factory in East Cowes tomorrow morning (Friday) at 11am. They will then take the protest to the local MP Andrew Turner’s constituency office in Newport.

Vestas Rooftop protest to move to local MP constituency offices on Friday morning

Press statement- Thursday 13th August 4.30pm

They say: ‘Despite the green rhetoric from the main political parties, the truth of their attitude is apparent where green jobs are allowed to be lost and local MP Andrew Turner actively opposes a wind farm on the Isle of Wight. This typifies the NIMBY attitude which is blocking the progression of on-shore wind in the UK.’

‘Andrew Turner’s justification for the opposition to Wind power on the Island includes a statement that having a windfarm on the Isle of Wight would have no effect on the Vestas work force,(1) when in fact it is the cumulative effect of decisions like these which effects demand for wind power in the UK and has directly let to the closure of Vestas with the loss of over 600 jobs.’

Timings for photo and interview opportunities;

7.30 am We will be available for interviews over the phone from this time Telephone 07944 744922.

11am Protesters will abseil down from the side of the Vestas building, Columbine Road, Venture Quays, East Cowes, Isle of Wight and, alongside vestas workers, will be available for media interviews.

1pm – We will be at Andrew Turner’s constituency surgery requesting to talk to him on camera, to discuss his objections to Wind power on the Isle Of Wight, and his stance on NIMBYism

There will be a photo and interview opportunity at this time.
Address: 24 The Mall, Carisbrooke, P030 1BW
tel. 01983 530808

Rooftoppers Email address: vestasrooftop@googlemail.com
Telephone on the roof: Martin: 07944744922

Notes to editors:

1) Based on Andrew Turners response to windfarm application: ref. TCP/27774,P/01400/06)
paragraph begining: ‘I do not accept that a convincing…’
Copies of which will be available tomorow.

London climate camp summer swoop update 1

Dear Campers,

*IF YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE SWOOP – SIGN UP TO THE TEXT MESSAGING
SERVICE ON THE WEBSITE NOW !!*
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/swoop-update

Dear Campers,

*IF YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE SWOOP – SIGN UP TO THE TEXT MESSAGING
SERVICE ON THE WEBSITE NOW !!*
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/swoop-update

Over 900 people have signed up for the Summer Swoop in the first 2 weeks,
which is a brilliant start. If every single one of you is in London by 12
noon on Wed 26th August, we’ll be an unstoppable swooping force! But the
swoop is now ONLY TWO WEEKS AWAY today, and we still need more people, so
please keep inviting your friends.

(1) HERE’S THE PLAN…
(2) CHOOSE YOUR COLOUR
(3) BE PREPARED TO SWOOP AND STAY
(4) WHAT TO BRING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

(1) HERE’S THE PLAN…
Everyone needs to be in London and prepared to swoop from 12 noon on
Wednesday 26 August. Swoop starting positions will be announced online –
keep your eye on the website in the preceding 48 hours… !

Everyone needs to sign up to be in one of the coloured groups detailed on
the website. Each of these will have a different meet-up point on the day.
After that the fun will begin.

(2) CHOOSE YOUR COLOUR
If you want to be in the same group as your friends, you’ll need to sign
up for the same group. Get chatting now and then all sign up for the SMS
updates on the website. This is the primary way that we will know that
we’ve got enough people in each group and everything’s on track. The 10
colours are:

Green – Accessible and child friendly group
White – North Bike group (Cyclists only!)
Brown – South Bike group (Cyclists only!)
Pink – North (On foot/public transport)
Blue – South (On foot/public transport)
Purple – West (On foot/public transport)
Red – West (On foot/public transport)
Yellow – East (On foot/public transport)
Silver – East (On foot/public transport)
Orange/Invisible – not meeting up in a public place (On foot/public
transport)

Some of you may prefer to choose your own meeting point in London – one
that won’t be publicly announced. If you’d like to choose your own
meeting spot, sign up for the Orange/Invisible swoop group!

You can sign up to your chosen colour here:
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/swoop-update

If you don’t have a mobile phone, it’s probably best to pair up with
someone who does. Once you’ve chosen your colour, get creative! Wear
something in your chosen colour on the day. There may be loads to do in
your swoop group, so get involved.

(3) BE PREPARED TO SWOOP AND STAY
The crucial thing about the swoop is that we get large numbers of people
to take part, and that we all stay to set up and defend the Camp until
everyone else starts arriving. This means it’s a 24 hour thing, so you
need to bring your stuff for the Camp, take the day off if you need to,
and bring food to feed yourself until the kitchens are up and running. If
everyone thinks they’re coming for an hour and then goes home we won’t
have a defendable site.

(4) WHAT TO BRING
– A one-day Zone 1-6 Travel Card (you may be required to travel on all
forms of public transport)
– Water
– Snacks/food
– Sleeping stuff
– Your tent
– All weather clothing
– A luggage label in case you get separated from your stuff
– Anything else you want to bring to Camp

That’s it for now. As we say, the starting points for the Swoop will be
announced closer to the time, and the location of the Camp itself won’t be
announced until the moment of the Swoop! But make sure you’re signed up to
as may methods of communication as possible so you receive the news as
soon as we have it:

SMS updates: http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/swoop-update
Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=238893455547
Climate Camp Newsletter: https://lists.riseup.net/www/subrequest/climatecamp
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/climatecamp

If you’ve got any questions for us, drop us a line via
summerswoop@googlemail.com

Happy swooping,
Summer Swoop

ps. We know, we know, swoops are like buses – you wait all summer for one
and then two come along at once. For anyone confused, the Great Climate
Swoop is a mass action to shut down Drax or Ratcliffe-on-Soar on 17-18
October – see http://www.thegreatclimateswoop.org/ to vote for which one
to shut down. It’s also going to be incredible! But first things first…

Protesters seize site of Wales’ first Climate Camp

12.8.2009
At 7.30am this morning, around 60 protesters set up the site of Wales’ first Climate Camp on the edge of Merthyr Tydfil, next to the controversial Ffos-y-Fran opencast coal mine.

The Camp, which runs until 16 August, aims to highlight the hypocrisy in government policy of claiming to act on climate change while expanding coal mining. Coal is the most carbon-intensive fuel, and campers argue it should be left in the ground to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Campers also aim to build a strong grassroots movement against the causes of climate change in Wales. They are inviting anyone concerned about climate change to come for several days of family-friendly discussions, workshops and sustainable living.

The protest site is only 36 metres away from the edge of the mine – the same distance as several homes. This proximity is despite continuing local opposition to the noise, dust and fumes from the 1,000 acre site. A report funded by the Welsh Assembly Government in June 2007 [1] expressed concern about the health effects of air pollution and dust particles.

Local campaign groups such as Residents Against Ffos-y-Fran (RAFF) have long been ignored by planners and government.

Camper Jill Lloyd said: “We need work that does not destroy lives or trash the planet, and we urgently need green-collar jobs for Merthyr. Wales could soon be self-sufficient in clean energy but if we keep mining fossil fuels such as coal, we will cause death and hardship for millions of people around the world. To stop devastating climate change we must leave coal in the ground.”

————————————————————————————————————————

[1] The 2007 Health Impact Report can be found at http://www.stopffosyfran.co.uk/files/Final%20report%20June%2007.pdf

A map to the site is available at www.climatecampcymru.org

3 tonne boulders to sabotage fishing trawlers

Greenpeace are sinking 150 boulders, weighing up to three tonnes off the Danish/Swedish coasts to stop fishing trawlers operating in the area by ensnaring/damaging nets.

“Greenpeace has begun sinking boulders in EU-protected cod fishing grounds to prevent what it says are destructive forms of fishing in the area.

Greenpeace are sinking 150 boulders, weighing up to three tonnes off the Danish/Swedish coasts to stop fishing trawlers operating in the area by ensnaring/damaging nets.

“Greenpeace has begun sinking boulders in EU-protected cod fishing grounds to prevent what it says are destructive forms of fishing in the area.

The environmental group says it will drop 180 boulders off the Swedish and Danish coasts to prevent fishing boats from dragging nets along the sea bed.

Greenpeace says the bottom-trawling fishing method destroys both the sea bed and the marine environment.

Greenpeace spokesman Staffan Danielsson told AFP news agency that the granite boulders, weighing as much as three tonnes, would be sunk over the next week.

They would have “no negative impact on the environment”, he said.”

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8194105.stm

Vestas action – Fish and Chips Day 11

Video by Emily James, hosted on Vimeo – http://vimeo.com/5953877