Latest news: a technicality has meant a tree top protest against a new £87m relief road scheme in Dorset has continued despite a legal ruling.
The government has given the go-ahead for the Weymouth relief road and Dorset County Council secured a land possession order to evict protestors.
Latest news: a technicality has meant a tree top protest against a new £87m relief road scheme in Dorset has continued despite a legal ruling.
The government has given the go-ahead for the Weymouth relief road and Dorset County Council secured a land possession order to evict protestors.
But the demonstration, which began last Thursday, was continuing on Friday and has delayed work at Two Mile Coppice.
Protestors have now occupied a tree branch overhanging neighbouring land.
In the morning, Dorset County Council served a compulsory purchase order on the land which meant the protestors were legally required to leave.
While the oak tree they are in is on land covered by the notice, the branch they occupy overhangs adjacent Woodland Trust land.
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Tat list – What we need
And latest update (Saturday 20th December):-
www.greenvoice.com – shortly to be a web space for us
PLEASE CIRCULATE
update– we have an address of sorts, and donations and xmas gifts would be great !”!!
Cash is ok to send as it is a secure post box, but phonecards for Orange are better than cash.
Also need AAA and AA batteries – Duracell and Energiser or alkaline ONLY.
Rope – Green or blue polypropelene – 6mm or 10mm thickness.
Rope – Static climbing line – 10mm or larger.
Rope – Dynamic climbing line – any thickness
Rope – arborist lines – we have 2 tree surgeons living with us and this rope is useful.
second hand rope is normally FREE from climbing centres -indoor centres often throw their ropes out every 6 -9 months – just call in and ask for it.
Tarps, plastic sheeting.
Tools – hammers, nails, saws, pruning saws, bill hooks.
2 way radios, nightvision goggles, catapults (to get rope up), grappling hooks. Head torches – LED are best.
The Woodland Trust still own the land that the road is being built on, but have waived their 14 days notice period and told Dorset County Council that it is ok to get on with cutting down the Ancient woodland – basically they have thrown in the towel without even standing up to argue or delay the destruction on their land. The fact that the Woodland Trust still own the land was recorded in the Court case of the 18th december 2008 of Dorset
County Council ‘ v ‘ Persons Unknown in Weymouth County Court. Her Majesty’s Land Registry in Plymouth also confirmed it.
The people of Weymouth brought Two Mile Copse through public subscription. Local people dug deeply into their pockets and put their money into conserving the land for perpeturity, for us and all future generations.
Dorset County Council have so far not given one penny in compensation, either to the Woodland Trust, nor local people who raised the public money to preserve the wood in the first place.
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More update:-
Hi Ho!, HO!, Ho!
Living up 6 trees at weymouth – Two Mile Copse / Teddy Bear Woods. I helped fight against
this road back in 1996, and 2004 and we won it then.
BUT now they gone and done it and cut 70% of the trees…..
We have a 400 year old Oak in Ancient Woodland that’s are protecting and 4 Ash trees reaching 90 feet up into the sky. Also a tall and healthy young elm.
We have a tree house, a net, lots of walkways in the sky and an off route visitors site on the ground.
GET HELP + MEDIA now if u can.
regards
2 Mile Copse Protest Camp
c/o Lorton Barn
Lorton Lane
LittleMoor
Weymouth
DT3 5QH
Sorry we currently are in the process of arranging a site mobile phone – number to follow
shortly
Following from the Stop the Weymouth Relief Road bulletin. Apparently there is a chainsaw gang now operating 1.5 miles further North from Littlemoor, between Littlemoor and Ridgeway. There are 3 protesters down there but they need more back up. I have been in contact with the protesters occupying the sight at Littlemoor. They are in urgent need of more support from locals to help on the ground and others to help build tree houses along the route, all help would be greatly appreciated.
COUNCIL chiefs will go to court tomorrow in a bid to remove a growing number of protesters from the route of Weymouth’s planned relief road.
It comes as the stand-off intensified in Two Mile Coppice as eco-warriors began moving a fence and telling security staff it encroached too far into the ancient woodland.
But today Dorset County Council is hoping to be granted possession of the land by Weymouth County Court.
The council is asking the court to rule that the protesters must leave the property, and if they agree to that request, when they must leave.
The number of protesters reached seven as a camp was set up beneath an oak tree that stands alone in the fenced off area of the woods.
Four protesters set up camp and roped off their own area below three more based up inside the tree.
One new arrival, known only as Andy, said: “We are here to stop the road as there are many reasons why the woodland should not be chopped down.
“The oak tree we are in and beneath is hundreds of years old.
“We heard about the people here and wanted to come to support the action.
“We can help provide food and whatever else they need in the tree.
“If you let the council go ahead with the road it won’t be long before they want to chop more of this beautiful woodland down for development.
“The road won’t actually help prevent traffic congestion in the end anyway.”
A council spokesman confirmed clearance work is continuing in the western edge strip of Two Mile Coppice and said it is hoped this will be finished before Christmas.
She said: “There is a county court hearing today where the county council will be asking for an order for the trespassers to hand over the land to the possession of the council.”
Nick Pepper, 41, has camped in the woods since he came down from a tree which has now been chopped down.
Mr Pepper, who previously lived in Weymouth but now lives in Bristol, said: “As soon as we received the legal papers to evict the tree we thought we’d better have a legally legitimate support camp.
“We are protected under the 1977 Criminal Law Act which stops us from being legally evicted or illegally assaulted.
“We’ve actually squatted in an area of land so we can protect the people up the tree from intimidation or illegal activity.
“There needs to be open access so we can monitor what’s going on.”
2008-12-16
Seven activists were charged with trespass today after shutting down Gunns’ Triabunna mill for over seven hours this morning. Fifteen people occupied the woodchip mill at 4:45am, with seven activists attaching themselves to a conveyor belt and other machinery.
2008-12-16
Seven activists were charged with trespass today after shutting down Gunns’ Triabunna mill for over seven hours this morning. Fifteen people occupied the woodchip mill at 4:45am, with seven activists attaching themselves to a conveyor belt and other machinery.
“The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme White Paper makes it plain that the Federal ALP is not committed to ‘serious and credible’ emissions reductions. There is a failure by policy makers to grasp that we are facing a climate emergency – the policies proposed by the White Paper will result in the disappearance of Tasmania’s unique alpine ecosystems, the collapse of the Barrier Reef, and the salination of Kakadu,” Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesperson said.
“Targets of a 5% reduction by 2020 are pitiful and internationally humiliating. The Australian Government’s increased assistance to large emitters provides a clear demonstration that their priorities lie with heavily polluting big business, and not with Australia’s people and natural environment,” Warrick Jordan said.
“In Tasmania, the logging, burning and woodchipping of old growth forest releases massive quantities of carbon. Gunns Limited is the driver of this grossly irresponsible and morally reprehensible situation,” Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson said.
“Gunns hides this immense climate crime behind official carbon accounting figures which exclude the logging of native forest. Tasmania’s old growth forests are globally significant as unique ecosystems and carbon stores, and their protection can play a significant role in Australia taking real climate action,” SWST
“The Tasmanian Government has publicly expressed a will to address climate change. If the Bartlett government is serious about addressing climate change then it will legislate an end to old growth logging” concluded SWST.
15/12/2008: this morning thirty campaigners from Coal Action Scotland together with local residents peacefully blockaded the entrance to the Scottish Coal-operated Ravenstruther coal rail terminal in South Lanarkshire. Having stopped its reopening after the weekend, this action is currently preventing the delivery of thousands of tonnes of coal to power stations across Scotland. Protestors intend to stay in place as long as possible.
15/12/2008: this morning thirty campaigners from Coal Action Scotland together with local residents peacefully blockaded the entrance to the Scottish Coal-operated Ravenstruther coal rail terminal in South Lanarkshire. Having stopped its reopening after the weekend, this action is currently preventing the delivery of thousands of tonnes of coal to power stations across Scotland. Protestors intend to stay in place as long as possible.
With Scotland’s CO2 emissions increasing significantly, continuing the consumption of coal will make it impossible for Scotland to meet its 80% target reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. Angus Mcloud said “The fact is that the government will not meet its own targets. This confirms what climate protestors have believed all along – that the Scottish government is paying lip service to the dangers of climate change.”
The action is aiming to disrupt the operations of Scottish Coal and Scottish Power in the region. The protestors are acting to oppose the five open cast coal mines that deliver coal to the rail terminal and in resistance to the thirteen new open cast coal mines due to open in Scotland.
Protestors erected and scaled a 15ft scaffolding tripod, blocking trucks from entering the terminal. Others are locked by their necks to a conveyor belt and a bulldozer, preventing coal stockpiles from being loaded onto trains.
Tilly Gifford who is at the site said: “In the face of dangerous runaway climate change, increasing our dependence on coal – the most polluting of the fossil fuels – is simply unacceptable. We urgently need to make the transition to renewable energy and close existing mines. We shouldn’t even be thinking about new ones.”
The demonstration today is in support of communities opposing new open cast mines. Rebecca Mackenzie, a local resident said: “We’re here today to send a clear message that we don’t want parts of Scotland such as South Lanarkshire to become the most heavily mined areas in Europe, as they will be if permission is granted for all the new open cast coal mines currently being proposed. If sites such as Mainshill near Douglas can’t be stopped through legal avenues, then action will have to be taken to make sure these last remaining areas of un-mined countryside aren’t destroyed”.
Beth Whelan, the campaigner perched on the scaffolding tripod, said: “Local authorities, the Scottish government and companies such as Scottish Coal and Scottish Power are ignoring the scientific evidence on climate change. We have to take responsibility for our climate and our future, and stop the coal industry and its expansion. This is what we doing today: acting responsibly”.
It is estimated that 6,380 tonnes of coal were stopped from being transported from the coal mines to power stations, equivalent to 11,675,400 kg CO2 (11,675.4 tonnes) released into the atmosphere.
Coal Action Scotland apologizes to any workers affected by today’s demonstration, but in recognizing the desperate need to stop burning coal sees no other choice but to target the companies responsible for mining it.
The action lasted over 8 hours and resulted in 6 arrests and not a single chunk of coal was transported from the terminal.
On Sunday, 14.12. about 150 people demonstrated in the forest of Kelsterbach (near Frankfurt / Main) against the construction of the new runway north of the current airport site.
On Sunday, 14.12. about 150 people demonstrated in the forest of Kelsterbach (near Frankfurt / Main) against the construction of the new runway north of the current airport site.
To familiarize with the surrounding of the forest, which fraport (the company which runs the airport) wants to destroy and in view of the area which probably will be cleared first, the demonstration moved trough the forest towards the airport grounds, along the current path to where the road Okrifteler crossed the motorway 3 and the fast-train tracks. Throughout the Kelsterbacher forest are the preparatory measures (removal of munitions, sub-wood and animals) largely completed. Among the preparatory measures include marking work on the trees. These were from the demonstrators numerous and varied with paint and spray cans supplemented, so that the orientation for forestry workers in the forest in the future will be more difficult.
At the bridge on the ICE route had already posted the cops and blocked the transition towards soundproofing wall of the airport. Under the observation of a police helicopter there was a short rally, while on the road Okrifteler many new slogans against the expansion were painted.
The forest walk was a good step from the activist lethargy of the past few months!
Upcoming events:
4th January 2009: The first colourful walk in the forests in the new year will again explore the area and make the extent of forest destruction clear. Meeting: 14 clock Forest Camp
From the 12th January 2009: possible grubbing beginning, Day X
Day X is the day on which the site is fenced and / or with the clearing work is begun. Get on the alarm lists (soon under www.waldbesetzung.blogsport.de or in the forest camp)!
14th January 2009: demonstration together with pupils, students and others against the Hessian conditions in Frankfurt. Check: www.14januar.de
Even between the years, there will be activities around the camp and against the expansion type. Keep you updated on www.waldbesetzung.blogsport.de or www.flughafen-bi.de
Join us on Saturday 10th January 2009 to march around the proposed open cast coal mine site at Newton Lane, near Fairburn Ings nature reserve and Castleford.
YANC SAYS:
NO CO2AL HOLE
It’s time to say NO!
We don’t want a dirty opencast coal site adding to climate change
Join us on Saturday 10th January 2009 to march around the proposed open cast coal mine site at Newton Lane, near Fairburn Ings nature reserve and Castleford.
YANC SAYS:
NO CO2AL HOLE
It’s time to say NO!
We don’t want a dirty opencast coal site adding to climate change
Join us on Saturday 10th January 2009 to march around the proposed open cast coal mine site at Newton Lane, near Fairburn Ings nature reserve and Castleford. Meet at the White Horse in Ledston at 12 noon for a 12:30 start. We will take a route on public rights of way around and through the proposed open cast site. The walk should take no more than an hour.
This protest event will be a joint venture between YANC (Yorkshire Against New Coal) and RAGE (Residents Against Greenbelt Expansion).
For a map of the area including location of Ledston, see the RAGE website at: www.savefairburnings.org.uk
White Horse pub postcode is WF10 2AB. Add this postcode to multimap for directions.
We will have some banners and placards but please feel free to make and bring your own.
Media will be invited.
If we are to tackle climate change, coal must be left in the ground. We need clean, green renewable technology, energy efficiency and decentralised energy.
Your New Years Resolution? To stop climate change!
For further information see the YANC website: www.yanc.org.uk or find us on Facebook.
DETERMINED eco-protesters in Worthing are facing up to the hardest challenge yet in their two and a half year occupation of threatened woodland.
DETERMINED eco-protesters in Worthing are facing up to the hardest challenge yet in their two and a half year occupation of threatened woodland.
The freezing temperatures and stormy conditions mean life is currently no picnic for the hardy protesters camped out in Titnore Woods, West Durrington, in a last-ditch bid to try and stop a new housing estate and Tesco megastore from being built over green fields and ancient woodland.
And grateful local supporters are organising a pre-Christmas stall in the town centre to bring festive cheer to the tree-house dwellers, who moved onto the site back in May 2006.
They will be collecting provisions for the protesters under the title “A Hamper for a Camper” at Holder’s Corner, Montague Street, Worthing, on Saturday December 20, from 11am.
It wasn’t an easy option when the team of eco-heroes sneaked onto the threatened ancient woodland off Titnore Lane at the crack of dawn on a May bank holiday and started building their tree homes before anyone knew what was happening.
Most people assumed they’d be kicked off again straight away, but the days turned to weeks turned to months turned to years and they’re still there!
The final planning application isn’t even through yet – they had to rethink part of it – and you can still object, writing to the Worthing Borough Council planning department at Portland House, Richmond Road, Worthing and quoting WB/04/00040/OUT.
But, sadly, Worthing campaigners against the development have already discovered through years of campaigning, letter-writing, petition-raising and large, peaceful, demonstrations that money and power don’t listen to the little people who know the difference between right and wrong.
We live in a world where even if police commit murder or theft they can get completely off the hook.
We live in a world where politicians can lie through their teeth, start wars that kill hundreds of thousands of people, and get away with it. We live in a world that is being choked to death by the blind greed of capitalism and yet we are told there is no other option.
The Titnore campers are part of that bigger picture – they have the guts to physically put themselves on the line and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Please support them in any way you can – food, supplies, a friendly visit.
There are tough times ahead and we all need to be there for each other.
* 1990s road protester Jim Hindle will be giving a talk at 8pm on Thursday January 29 upstairs at The Rest in Bath Place, Worthing. All welcome.
Five brave counterculture warriors don Santa Suits, sing anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist Xmas carols, and leaflet for more mindful attention to love, gifts, and catastrophic climate change – in Oxford Street, in the heart of the shopping district of Old London Town, on the busiest shopping day of the year: Sat 13 De
Five brave counterculture warriors don Santa Suits, sing anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist Xmas carols, and leaflet for more mindful attention to love, gifts, and catastrophic climate change – in Oxford Street, in the heart of the shopping district of Old London Town, on the busiest shopping day of the year: Sat 13 Dec 08.
Turning material wealth into possessions makes you happy; shopping till you drop and retail therapy are good for everybody; proving you love somebody means giving them an expensive present. The bullplop promoted by Capital’s advertising and marketing psyche-manipulators has never needed challenging more than it does today, in the worst of the madness of Xmas shopping mass-psychosis during a cash-strapped credit crunch recession.
Our yuletide ‘tradition’ at London Rising Tide [1] involves a ‘Santas Against Excessive Consumption’ [2] choral street action – mass dressing as Santa Claus, social singing of anti-consumerist Xmas carols, and letting folks know by leaflet that there is an alternative to the dominant the-one-who-dies-with-the-most-toys-wins idiocy of hyperconsumerism. Since the rain was heavy and steady, we sought shelter and performance space in the West One indoor shopping mall on Oxford Street, by Bond Street tube station. But anti-capitalist choristers only dampened what little Xmas spirit the security boss had left – and he threatened to call the cops if we didn’t leave forthwith.
Thankfully, his remit seemed to run out at the doors to Oxford Street, which still left us with a suitably sized covered area in which we could sing to our hearts content, and compete with the McDonalds McFlyer to see who could give away the most leaflets per unit time. The applause of shoppers happy to be spared, if only temporarily, from the soul-rotting rounds of shopping for tat was much appreciated.
The lyrics of the songs you can hear us singing in the video (so you can sing along, or even stage your own Santas Against Conspicuous Consumption street action) are as follows.
___________________________________________________________________
1 (& 3). Jingle All The Way – to the tune of Jingle Bells
Chorus:
Profits here, profits there,
profits everywhere
Christmas time is funny
we smell money in the air
Advertise, glamorize,
fool you with a flair.
Let’s make sure that Christmas
is a businesslike affair.
You’re eating up our lies and dashing to the stores
Then all our prices rise and how the money pours
If we don’t keep you drugged and watching your TV
You might see the hypocrisy
then where would business be?
Chorus
We’ll tell you how to think and tell you what to try
What to eat and drink and how to live and die
And if our plan succeeds, when Christmas-time is nigh
Instead of seeking love and peace you’ll hunt for gifts to buy
Chorus
___________________________________________________________________
2. Consumer Wonderland – to the tune of Winter Wonderland, lyrics by Erica Avery
The TV’s on / are you watching?
Another product / that they’re hawking
one more thing you need
to make life complete
Welcome to Consumer Wonderland
In the stores / you will hear it
“Pricey gifts / show holiday spirit”
That’s what they call it
to get to your wallet
Welcome to Consumer Wonderland
At the mall we can go out shopping
and buy lots of stuff we can’t afford
we’ll have lots of fun with our new toys
until we realize that we’re still bored
When you shop / ain’t it thrilling
until / you get the billing
the money you still owe the stuff broke long ago
Welcome to Consumer Wonderland
___________________________________________________________________
4. Oh Come All Ye Shoppers – to the tune of Oh Come All Ye Faithful
Oh come all ye shoppers
Burdened and despondent
Come all ye followers of ma-a-mon
Come and buy things
Sparkly and redundant
Oh come let us ignore it
Oh come let us deplore it
Oh come let us abhore it
Money and greed.
Ring tills with profit
Ring in exploitation
Ring all ye registers of capitalism
Glory to profit
At it’s highest
Oh come let us ignore it
Oh come let us deplore it
Oh come let us abhore it
Money and greed.
For capitalists, giving means buying tat from them first. For anti-capitalists, a gift economy can undermine the market economics that poison our environment, our culture and our minds – for example, see ‘Creating Our Future World One Gift At A Time’ – http://tinyurl.com/gift-economy
Following the police shooting of a 15 year old anarchist, riots, protests & vigils continue throughout Greece, with worldwide solidarity protests taking place. Latest report below (click Read more). For much more info and all the latest, see https://www.indymedia.org.uk
Following the police shooting of a 15 year old anarchist, riots, protests & vigils continue throughout Greece, with worldwide solidarity protests taking place. Latest report below (click Read more). For much more info and all the latest, see https://www.indymedia.org.uk
—
The Greek Intifada continues and the government is unable to impose its control in the country, spreading fears among the ruling classes all over the European Union.
The Greek Intifada continues and the government is unable to impose its control in the country, spreading fears among the ruling classes all over the European Union. In the EU Summit in Brussels, Sarkozy but also the other bourgeois leaders demanded to the Greek right wing Prime Minister Karamanlis “to arrest immediately those responsible for the chaos”. So in today’s demonstration in Athens of tens of thousands of schoolchildren, students, parents, teachers and professors, the riot police tried to make mass arrests of 12-15 years boys and girls. The teachers and parents intervened to save the kids, fought with Police and liberated most of them apart from 3(more or less kids of 12-13 years old) who are added to the 176 already officially arrested.
Clashes between schoolchildren and riot police took also place in front of the parliament in Syntagma Square. The repressive forces of the State attacked afterwards the Law Faculty under occupation where our Independent Action Center is functioning. The center of Athens has been suffocated with the chemical gazes used by the riot police. But the police had to retreat as the students defended themselves with stones and a few Molotov cocktails. Then the Students Assembly took place and a new program of actions was decided for the next days.
The Karamanlis government was unable to have the support of other bourgeois parties and the official Left to declare the stage of the siege. The government itself is split on that crucial issue. Nevertheless, the real State of Emergency was declared by the schoolchildren who have put under siege tens of Police Stations in Athens and all over the country.
The Stalinist KKE continues to escalate not only its attacks against Synaspismos /Syriza accused to be “protectors of the hooligans”, but the revolt itself. Officially the leaders of KKE insist that there is no… any revolt! Today, at the same time that the schoolchildren waged their battles with the riot police in front of the Athens University and in the Syntagma Square, the Stalinist bureaucrats kept their supporters away, in Omonia Square and rapidly dispersed them in a few blocks distance from that Square. Nevertheless, KKE deputies and their newspaper Rizospastis repeated their slanders against the revolted – to be hooligans, Talibans, drug dealers, prostitution racketeers( 12-13 years old boys?) , police agents- adding now a new slander: that those fighting the police are agents of imperialist agencies namely of CIA!!!
As the political crisis intensifies, the economic crisis is exacerbated. Today’s news show that over-indebted Greece finds more and more difficult to get new loans to pay both its past debts and its deficits. To give an idea: the spread( the difference between the interest rates) of the Greek State bonds in relation to those of Germany has escalated to 202, while in the beginning of 2008 was just 20. Until March 2009 it is expected that the spread will grow to 500 or more. Greece is de facto bankrupt. It is the weakest economic link in the chain of the Euro-zone countries, and now it is proved above any doubt that it is also the weakest political link. The global capitalist crisis not only destabilizes all social relations but produce now explosions and a tendency towards a pre-revolutionary and/or revolutionary situation.
December 13th, 2008
Santa Cruz, CA — Over four hundred days ago, a handful of activists climbed up into the trees on Science Hill as a symbol of resistance to the university’s plan to destroy 120 acres of campus forest. For the past 13 months, the tree sit has drawn attention to UCSC’s reckless plan to develop upper campus without regard for the welfare of one of Santa Cruz’s last wild ecosystems.
December 13th, 2008
Santa Cruz, CA — Over four hundred days ago, a handful of activists climbed up into the trees on Science Hill as a symbol of resistance to the university’s plan to destroy 120 acres of campus forest. For the past 13 months, the tree sit has drawn attention to UCSC’s reckless plan to develop upper campus without regard for the welfare of one of Santa Cruz’s last wild ecosystems.
At approximately 8 AM this morning, the tree sit drew to a close as police seized control of Science Hill, arresting one Tree Sitter. Later, a tree cutting service hired by the university cut down a grove of 100 year old redwood trees to make way for construction of a new Bioscience building.
The three clusters of redwoods which have now been clearcut were inhabited since November 7, 2007, when over 500 students, alumni, and community members rallied in opposition to the University’s “Long Range Development Plan”. The Tree Sit and the University entered mediation to find a solution to this conflict, but the University was unwilling to modify any of their plans, despite the devastating effect that upper campus development will have on the Santa Cruz ecosystem. Precious watershed regions, unique manzanita groves and hundred-year old redwood forests will be destroyed by the University’s development of the wild lands just north of campus. The homes of such rare native animals as the burrowing owl and the endangered red-legged frog will be irreparably damaged.
The Tree Sit tactic was employed due to the University’s failure to meaningfully address the concerns of Santa Cruz city and county officials, community members, environmentalists and UCSC faculty and students. Instead of acting upon the concerns of the thousands of people who have voiced opposition to increased University construction, UCSC has spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to hire riot police to intimidate community members who oppose their plans.
The end of the Tree Sit is not the end of resistance to the Long Range Development Plan. The determination and integrity that sustained the 13 month occupation will continue to incite action against the Long Range Development Plan. The diverse communities that united to oppose the destruction of upper campus are renewed in their commitment to resistance.
Struggle on Science Hill. Nov 7 Noontime – a group of students protesting the UCSC’s Long Range Development Plan (LRPD) struggled with police while bringing food and water to a group of about five old-style activists who, using mountain climbing gear, had placed themselves and several wooden platforms inside the upper reaches of several redwood trees.
The march, and chaos.
The police had arrived on the scene early that day and had cordoned off the area on science hill just outside the Science and Engineering Library with tape, plastic fencing, and portable metal barriers.
However, the protest turned ugly when the march circled the enclosure. One protestor speaking with a police officer took a step too close, was told to step back, and was pushed forward by the crowd.
One of the protestors, Jane Olivera, retold what happened next. She had been walking around the enclosure at the front of the march when she saw her friend Robin Speaking with someone who wasn’t part of the protest.
“I came around just to hang out with him and then he moved in a little bit and the cop said ‘ no, no you can‘t do that,’ and then there was a crown of people that followed him as he moved in a little bit, and then he moved in a lot more, and then before I knew it there was a cop on him. They had jumped on him, and tackled him to the floor, and I don‘t like it when my friends get arrested, and so I jumped in because he was using force. He was holding his hands and he was hitting him so I ran in and said ‘no, you can‘t do that‘ and before I knew it one cop threw me to the floor. I flew,” she said. “I had just moved in a little bit. After I had moved in they just got on top of me and started hitting me.”
Olivera sustained multiple bruises and a scratch on her left arm, was arrested, ticketed, and then released on the scene along with the rest of the protestors. No one was hospitalized.
Along with the arrests an indeterminate number of students received blows from batons around the arms and head and were hit with pepper spray. Students pulled down fences and climbed across, the police stepped back while spraying, clubbing, and pushing.
Almost an equal number of students ran towards the fences and away from them. One girl stood rooted to the ground while the metal grate was being lifted by police and pulled away by students.
Later reinforcements arrived in about six to eight squad cars with what appeared to be tear gas and armor. When the officers who were armed were asked about their weapons they did not respond. These officers formed a line across the middle of the grove where they remained for several hours.
Students then read the entirety of ‘The Lorax’ using a megaphone, shouted at the police, and helped bring supplies to the trees where the sitters hoisted up water, food, and blankets.
Olivera and other protesters were released by police officers only a little after the reading of the Lorax. She was scratched and shaken.
“A lot of my friends are organizers and I just don‘t think that development is really a good idea because we can‘t support the number of students we have now and the development is going to stress the water table, the town – there are a lot of reasons outside the trees that makes this not a good idea,” Olivera said. “I don‘t want to go to school inside a cement block.”
The development plan.
The LRDP was approved unanimously by the UC regents in on September 28 ‘06 who had originally drafted the plan three years earlier in 2003. The plan makes way for the development of 120 acres of upper campus, the possible destruction or relocation of the UC trailer park, the addition of 4,500 new students, and the construction of a biomedical sciences facility on what is now a grove of second growth redwood trees.
The district supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt, and the members of the Coalition for Limiting Campus Expansion (CLUE) have been fighting the LRDP. To do this Wormhoudt drafted measures I and J, which made the University responsible for complying with the Local Agency Formation Commission’s (LAFco) guidelines before the City extends water and sewer service to the university, which would, in effect inhibit University growth by preventing the toilets from flushing in whatever buildings the University makes if the guidelines aren’t met. Currently CLUE is engaged in a legal battle over the proposed construction as well.
Jennifer Charles is a UCSC alumna, and the media contact for the protest. She said that campus expansion would decrease the quality of the education that students receive.
“This comes at a time when UCSC is increasing enrollment but really decreasing the quality of education. They’re putting a lot of money towards expansion,” she said. “but not a lot of money for the programs that students need.”
Charles said that the nonexistent ethnic studies program and the now nonexistent journalism minor were two good examples.
“Those are programs that students really want to see. Instead the University is expanding things like the facility planned to be on this site. It‘s an 80 million dollar facility for research that includes live animal testing. It includes no classroom space. The entire building will be used by graduate students and researchers which will probably be funded by outside corporations. And as we‘ve seen at other universities when private corporations are funding research at public insititutions they want control over research.”
Charles said that the LRDP would change the university from a small liberal arts college into a massive science college which would annihilate the feel of UCSC.
“We don‘t want to be UCLI or UCLA or even UC Berkely,” said Charles. “We want to be UC Santa Cruz. We certainly don‘t want to be the UC of the Silicon Valley.”
Tree people.
After the violence, after the chanting, and after the reading of the Lorax the police left. Supplies were hoisted up into the trees. The sitters have climbed the trees and are now living in the branches around science hill.
One of the tree sitters wearing a sweatshirt with a hood and a camouflaged mask came down and refused to give his name or reveal his face. He referred to himself only as Malachi.
Malachi said that the sitters’ voices had not been heard. He said that he and the other tree sitters were going to remain suspended above the ground for as long as it took to change the LRDP “to accommodate all of upper campus and not just corporate interests.”
“We just need support,” said Malachi. “If people want to come up and sit for a few days then they can do that. If they want to come and bring food – day or night – just tell them you‘ve got some food and they‘ll lower a line.”
According to the organizers the tree sitters need blankets, buckets (the ten gallon kind with lids,) portable stoves, and food.
………
Original occupation of the site:
Standoff with Police as Activists occupy redwoods to oppose UCSC Expansion
Early Wednesday morning, activists opposed to UCSC’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) launched a tree-sit in redwoods near Science Hill. UCSC plans to develop the occupied site into a new Biomedical Sciences Facility.
Contact: Jennifer Charles
(831) 430-6791
LRDPaction.media [at] gmail.com
Press Release
Standoff with Police as Activists occupy redwoods to oppose UCSC Expansion
UCSC Students launch tree-sit at site of controversial Biomedical Sciences building.
Nov. 7, 2007 Santa Cruz, CA Early Wednesday morning, activists opposed to UCSC’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) launched a tree-sit in redwoods near Science Hill. UCSC plans to develop the occupied site into a new Biomedical Sciences Facility.
One person was arrested by UC police early in the morning. Police surrounded the site, where at least 4 activists were 50 feet up redwood trees. A scheduled rally and march that began at 11am drew hundreds of supporters to the site. A tense standoff with police commenced, as supporters attempted to get close enough to the trees to send up supplies. Police pepper sprayed the crowd and at least four people were arrested.
The Biomedical Sciences facility would be the first project under the University’s plan to develop 120 acres of forest in order to accommodate 4,500 new students. The Biomedical Sciences building will have no allotted classroom space, despite student complaints about overcrowded class sizes. But it will have room for live animal experimentation, which includes such practices as food/air deprivation, infection, and non-anesthetized surgery, according to campus guidelines (http://carc.ucsc.edu).
This building, which will house biotechnology and nanotechnology research, is exemplary of how the new LRDP marks a clear shift from UCSC’s commitment to undergraduate, liberal arts education to the more lucrative programs funded by large corporations. Following the trend of privatizing public universities, students are paying more for education and receiving less. Students are calling for more funding for humanities and arts, including the creation of an Ethnic Studies department. Meanwhile, the UC is cutting faculty, increasing enrollment and ignoring the concerns of students.
Critics say the planned addition of 4,500 full-time students is irresponsible given the existing shortage of resources. They cite overcrowded classrooms, overworked teaching assistants and dissatisfied faculty as signs that the UCSC has already exceeded its capacity. In addition, the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) accompanying the LRDP does not bind the UC to mitigate the impacts of growth. The LRDP calls for the development of 120 acres of forest. Environmentalists say that the current development plans will significantly damage unique ecosystems, including Moore Creek, the Jordan Gulch wildlife corridor and the Campus Natural Reserve seep zone. Again, UCSC refuses any binding language requiring them mitigate the effects of development on impacted habitats.
Students, faculty, city council, community members, and environmentalists all expressed concerns about the impact of expansion during the planning process and were disregarded by the University. The group of individuals who are occupying the trees believe that action is needed to oppose UCSC’s destructive plans before construction begins on any of the LRDP buildings.
Since early this winter, Iceland has been facing economic crisis. The three major business banks have been nationalized, putting their dept on the people’s shoulders. People have been losing their livelong savings, loans have increased and are getting sky high (and for sure they already were high enough).
Since early this winter, Iceland has been facing economic crisis. The three major business banks have been nationalized, putting their dept on the people’s shoulders. People have been losing their livelong savings, loans have increased and are getting sky high (and for sure they already were high enough). 200 people lost their job, every single day of November and more and more people are facing the threat of losing their houses.
Activists vs. the police
People are getting angry, some of them wanting back the “good old” prosperity, while others and hopefully the majority, are realizing the real cost of capitalism. More and more people are standing up against corruption and demanding new form of society – society of justice. But every day the current government proves that it’s main aim is to save their own and their friend’s ass. A loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been granted, most likely leading to the common aftermaths of an IMF loan: the privatization of social systems as the health care and the education system, and more destruction of the Icelandic wilderness.
Weekly demonstrations
For more than 2 months people have gathered weekly in a park in front of the parliament. The first protests demanded that the government would “break it’s silence” about the current situation. People were tired of not even being told about what was happening and what the government was doing about it.
One of the weekly domonstrations
But soon people realized that it was not enough to ask the government to speak, so the protests took up another and more radical demand: the resign of the government and new elections as soon as possible. The government has completely ignored this demand and people are getting more and more angry.
Anarchists and other radical leftists have come to most of the protests, but not to protest against the economic situation, not to ask the government for solutions, not to ask for new elections, not to ask any member of the government or parliament or any other official institution to do anything to “solve” the crisis we are facing. But to spread anarchistic and anti-capitalistic information among people, analyse the problems of authority and capitalism and to encourage Icelandic people to take direct action against the forces of corruption.
Burning flag and money
Burning of bank flags and “hanging” of a capitalist
During a protest in front of the prime minister’s office in late October, the flags of two Icelandic banks were burned. A group of anarchists, probably the biggest in Icelandic history at that time, shouted anarchistic slogans, pointing out capitalism as the real problem. Until then, capitalism seemed to be a ban-word among the protesters. The flag burning caught the interest of foreign media, e.g. CNN which showed the burning in their news show later the same evening. An event like this had not happened in Iceland for a long time.
Burning the flag of Landsbanki bank
A week later, a big demonstration parade went through the center of Reykjavík, demanding the resign of the government. Anarchists, which grew bigger and stronger every week, joined the march with banners, black flags, leaflets about direct actions, and anarchistic slogans. While other protesters chanted “Away with the government”, anarchists shouted “Never again government!”
When the parade came down the the park were weekly speeches took place, a group of people climbed a big fence and hung a doll of a capitalist. Again foreign media captured the performance on tape and screened it around the world.
Couple of meters away from the park were the protests take place, a Food Not Bombs groups has been giving away food every Saturday for the last 8 or 9 months. Food Not Bombs has for sure had it’s effect of the walking-by Icelanders, who are getting more curious and interested in alternative solutions to the problems of capitalism.
During a protest, Saturday November 8th, an anarchist climbed on top of the parliament were he hung the flag of Bónus, Iceland’s cheapest supermarket. The message was clear since the flag is yellow with a pink pig on it: “The government is a cheap and dirty pig!” Unlike to the usual Icelandic protesters, people celebrated this act and sang along “The government is a cheap and dirty pig!”
Soon hundred protesters surrouneded the parliment to help the anarchist to get away from the police, which had already arrested a mate of him. After a bit of a struggle with the police, people managed to help the flag-man (like he later became known as) to get down of the roof and de-arrested him more than once. One could feel some change in the air.
Illegal arrest
Less than a week later, on a Friday night, the police arrested the flag-man. He was in the middle of a research trip to the parliament, organized by his university, when some parliament staff recognized him and called the pigs.
The man had been arrested two years before, for an action with the environmental direct action campaign Saving Iceland, protesting against the building of a big dam, Kárahnjúkavirkjun, in the eastern higlands. For this action he had got sentenced and fined, but refused to pay the fine and instead insisted on sitting in jail for 18 days. But after only four days of his jail-sentence he was “thrown out” because of lack of space in the prison.
Now, the police stated that the man would have to sit the other 14 days of the sentence. The fact is though that the it is not allowed to split the sentence like this, and the man was supposed to get an announcement about finishing his sentence with at leas 3 weeks notice. This had not been done in his case.
People claimed this was especially done by the police, fundementaly to “take out” an activist who was likely to take more actions during the upcoming weekly demonstration. So the next day, during the protest which 10.000 people had joined, another protest was announced, this time in front of the police station, a little bit later that day.
Riots by the police station
500 people came to the police station and demanded that the man would be set free. After a while, no sign of the police was seen and nothing looked like the man would be set free. The protest got heated and soon people had started to break windows of the station and in the end the door of the station was broken. A group of people went in were the police welcomed them with a splash of pepper spray, without even announcing it.
The protest got even hotter, red paint and eggs were thrown at the station and on the riot squad which now had formed a chain in front of the station. A lot of people were peppersprayed, including the flag-man’s mother and young kids down to 16 years old. In the end, the flag-man was payed out of the prison by an unknown person. The flag-man came out were he was celebrated like a hero. He thanked people for the support but encouraged people to use their energy for something else: a revolution!
The Invasion of the Central Bank
A week after the riots by the police station, the weekely protest was a little more chilled. Instead people hoped for something big taking place the upcoming Monday, December 1st, the day of Iceland’s sovereignty.
1st of December used to be a free day in Iceland but couple of years ago the proletariat movement disclaimed it´s right. This 1st of May people were encouraged not to pay their bills, not show up in work and come to a big outdoor meeting on a big hill close to the government offices and the Central Bank. Few speeches took place, most of the including some nationalistic piffle which the radicals answered with a slogan: “No nationalism – International solidarity!”
After the meeting was formally over the word on the street was that more radical action was going to take place. Suddenly a big group of people marched to the Central Bank and entered the first entrance.
The entrance was completely full of people shouting and demanding that Davíð Oddsson, the chairman of the Central Bank board and a former prime minister, would resign. Few policemen had closed the second entrance but people shouted at them, asked in “what team” they were in, telling them to join the public, leave the entrance and let the people in. Suddenly the police left the entrance, the people cheered and opened the door to the second entrance.
Pepper spray again?
The second entrance became completely full as well as the first one, but behind big glass doors the riot squad had formed a chain of c.a. 30 pigs, armed with shields, clubs and pepper spray. Again, instead of speaking to the people, the pigs started shaking their spray cans, forcing to use it against the people it they would not leave.
The riot squad, ready to strike inside the Central Bank
People started banging on the door, shouting slogans against the Central Bank and the police. After a while, when a police officer had several times threatened to use the pepper spray, people decided to sit down peacefully and not stand up until Davíð Oddsson would resign. The action stood over several hours and had it’s peaks when people stood up, lifted up their hands to show they were unarmed and challenged the police to leave, open the doors and let the people bring Oddsson out.
When it became clear that Oddsson had already left the building the protesters gave the police an offer: the riot squad would leave and than the protesters would leave the building. About 30 seconds later, the pigs walked back and the people cheered some kind of a victory of the people.
Into the parliament
A week later, last Monday December 8th, thirty people went in to the Icelandic parliament, heading to the inside balcony were the public is legally allowed to sit, watch and listen to what takes place there. The group announced that the parliament no longer served it’s purpose and the government should therefor resign right now, the other MP’s should use their time for something more constructive.
Protester thrown out by police after telling the MP’s and ministers to leave the parliament
Only two persons got to the balcony and shouted at the MP’s and ministers to leave the building. Quickly they were brutally removed by a police officer, while the rest of the group was stuck in a staircase inside the building. The parliamentary session was delayed and all the MP’s left the room.
Meanwhile the protesters were brutally handled by security guards and police, which ended up arresting 7 people, most of them for housebreaking. But like said before, the public is allowed to enter the parliament balcony.
Police carries a man out after handcuffing him and rope his legs – “Fascist, fascists!” the man shouted while being carried out
The next morning, 30 people had gathered in front of the prime minister’s office were a government meeting was supposed to take place. The people had formed a human chain blockading the two entrances of the house. When ministers started to show up, the police had already arrived and started to try to remove the chain. The people resisted heavily and read out a statement sent out by the group.
The statement said that the aim of the action was to “prevent the ministers from entering the house and therefore stop further misuse of power. Money has controlled people on the cost of their rights and the authorities and their cliques have manipulated finance for their own benefits. That manipulation has not entailed in a just society, just world. Time of action has dawn, because a just society is not only possible, but it is our duty to fight for it.”
With the help of the police, all the ministers got in, but heard the statement and were under big pressure from the media. They were not prepared for questions and came out badly when asked. The government meeting was delayed because of the actions.
Two were arrested, one for entering a police line and the other one for sitting in front of the police car which was about to drive the other arrested one to the police station. More people sat on the street and it took the police quite a long time to get out of the street. Only when a police officer gave the driver an order to “just drive hard”, the driver did so and nearly drove over two persons.
One of the biggest newspapers in Iceland, DV, reported the brutal behavoiur of the police. The paper’s journalist and photographer were both attacked by the police, as well as noticing when a police punced a protester in the face, while he lay on the street. Most other media did not dare to report the brutal behaviour.
A left wing website, Smugan, told about a police officer who was asked by the protesters if he would have protected Hitler. His answer was simple: “Yes, if it would have been my duty.”
More actions have been announced and it will be interesting to see what comes next.
Latest news: a technicality has meant a tree top protest against a new £87m relief road scheme in Dorset has continued despite a legal ruling.
2008-12-16
15/12/2008: this morning thirty campaigners from Coal Action Scotland together with local residents peacefully blockaded the entrance to the Scottish Coal-operated Ravenstruther coal rail terminal in South Lanarkshire. Having stopped its reopening after the weekend, this action is currently preventing the delivery of thousands of tonnes of coal to power stations across Scotland. Protestors intend to stay in place as long as possible.
On Sunday, 14.12. about 150 people demonstrated in the forest of Kelsterbach (near Frankfurt / Main) against the construction of the new runway north of the current airport site.
DETERMINED eco-protesters in Worthing are facing up to the hardest challenge yet in their two and a half year occupation of threatened woodland.
Five brave counterculture warriors don Santa Suits, sing anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist Xmas carols, and leaflet for more mindful attention to love, gifts, and catastrophic climate change – in Oxford Street, in the heart of the shopping district of Old London Town, on the busiest shopping day of the year: Sat 13 Dec 08.
Following the police shooting of a 15 year old anarchist, riots, protests & vigils continue throughout Greece, with worldwide solidarity protests taking place. Latest report below (click 
December 13th, 2008