Action Reports – Page 204

TopShop SwapShop (London), Buy Nothing Day action (+ Steal Something Day) + Leeds + Liverpool + Bristol

Ladies and Gentlemen we are proud to announce the restyling fashion mash-up event of the year!

TOPSHOP SWAPSHOP
2pm Sat 29th November – Topshop Oxford Street
Credit Crunch!

Ladies and Gentlemen we are proud to announce the restyling fashion mash-up event of the year!

TOPSHOP SWAPSHOP
2pm Sat 29th November – Topshop Oxford Street
Credit Crunch!

In the light of the current economic crisis and the outrage over the sweatshop conditions that most high street brands make their clothes in, the swapshop is your chance to re-vamp your wardrobe with a free conscience! Leaping away from the drudgery of big corporate fashion with it’s dodgy business practices and spend spend spend attitude, the Topshop swapshop takes fashion back to it’s roots.

Simply turn up at TOPSHOP on Oxford Street wearing an outfit you wish to upgrade, then on the stroke of 2, marvel as hundreds of fashion moguls offer to trade your clothes with you.

Fancy that girls jumper? Why not offer to swap your belt for it?
That boy’s hat is to die for, how about a trade for your jeans?
Nice skirt, fancy trading my t-shirt for it?

After a hectic re-working of your look you can then walk proudly back onto the streets of London town with a new wardrobe and not having spent a single penny.

You can buy lots of clothes but you can’t buy style.

Please spread far and wide…

DISCLAIMER:

The above event is in no way supported or condoned by TopShop. Any similarity to any brand living or dead is merely coincidental.

http://www.spacehijackers.org

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Steal Something Day, a shameless 24-hour stealing spree! a critique of BND and call to action, recycled from previous years for your entertainment

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Buy Nothing Day Leeds

In Briggate this Saturday (29th of Nov) there will be a Buy Nothing extravaganza. We will have Christmas carols telling people of the woes of shopping, there will be hot tea and coffee to help ex-shoppers readjust to there new found happiness, and ideas of presents that do not involve consumerism. From
11am – till dark we will be asking people to question consumerism and join us in buying nothing!

Last year was a major success and BND strikes again. Please bake cakes, bring food and anything you would like to give away. There will be a free shop, music and tables. Bring anything down to join in the party!
Leeds BND

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Liverpool

next to nowhere is proud to present an opportunity for all the liverpool activists to join together in a spirit of togetherness, openness & communication.

i guess we can all agree that over-consumption is a very bad thing & i reckon that most of us see capitalism as the root of the sickness that is infesting our society. yes?
anyone a racist? no? oh my, we seem to have something in common after all!

well, on saturday 29th november it’s time to put your mutual aid where your mouth is.

at 11am maybe meet & greet nick griffin (bnp) who could be pleasuring our city with his presence in his bid to become mep for the north west of england. he’s called for the party faithful to gather in protest at thearrest of several members last week. are we really going to let this happen?
meet at the top of church street at 10am.

afterwards, from 12pm, the social centre shall be transformed into an oasis of anti-capitalism.

we’ll have:
a fabulous free-shop full of quality free goodies,
free tea n’ coffee,
vegan cafe (donations only),
open mic, film, performance, spoken word…

now, i know that some people are a bit scared of actually getting involved in next to nowhere, prefering to discuss the shortcomings of the booking policy from a safe distance. just to be clear, and restate the bottom line of next to nowhere from its constitution – everyone is welcome to get involved at the social centre provided that they are willing to work in a non-hierarchical way through consensus.

‘actions speak louder than words’ – please can people work together in mutual support to help make this world a better place and take on the evils which are fucking up our world or say nothing and stop this on-going criticism from the sidelines, whilst doing nothing at nowhere.

who knows, the open-mic forum could even provide an opportunity for people to express their feelings about the social centre, in a non-hierarchical way of course!
or, we could just have a good old-fashioned knees up…

together, let’s start to dance on the graves of multi-national corporations!

feistyfingers[at]yahoo.co.uk
http://www.liverpoolsocialcentre.org

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Buy Nothing Day 2008 – Freeshop in Broadmead, Bristol

Free shop, live music, circus skills and face painting? UWE students from the People and Planet society are going to be taking part in a ‘buy nothing day’ and will be running a free shop on Saturday, brightening up the cold, grey, wintry streets of Bristol city centre.

To recapture some of that lost Christmas Spirit (the giving that is, not the spending!) we’ll be giving away clothes, bric-a-brac and plenty more little gems for you to get your mitts on as well as bringing a little sunshine to the often not-so-happy shoppers of Bristol. If you have anything you want to get rid of, bring it along!

We’re looking for volunteers to help inform and entertain (musicians, circus entertainers, etc) so if your game bring your unicycle down and get involved! It kicks off at 11am and will be running till 4pm, so Pop down to our marquee in-between the Galleries and Cabot Circus (Just down from Ann Summers!).

For more info e-mail Lisa at lisatozer@hotmail.com

I’ll see you there!

Chester Forest Rescue Camp Steps Up (Australia)

2008-11-23
Local and other community members campaigning to save over 800 hectares of rare, pristine forest in WA’s southwest have set up a tree platform and sustainable community camp in the Chester forest block after camping on nearby private property for the last few months. The move comes as the Forest Products Commission (FPC) starts to mark out Dieback infected areas and logging roads into the coupe. A callout has been made to all to get down and support the campaign.

After several months on private property near Margaret River, the Chester Forest Rescue Camp has moved into the forest as the logging date draws closer and the FPC begins to mark out logging areas and roads within the coup. A tree platform has been erected and a community camp set up on the edge of the coupe for what is expected to be an ongoing campaign to save over 800 hectares of a world recoginsed biodiversity hotspot.

Chester Forest Block is situated South of the Blackwood River in WA’s southwest, approximately 40km’s south-east from the town of Margaret River. It is comprised predominately of Jarrah and Marri(Redgum) woodland with seasonally wet lowland and a patch of Karri towards the middle of the coupe. There is a high number of threatened and priority endemic plant species (species that only occur within the local plant community) with Chester Forest having a very high degree of species richness. A large patch of forest within the coupe and surrounding Nature Reserve remains uninfected from Phytopthera dieback ( see http://www.dwg.org.au/index.cfm?objectid=2C607FE0-C09F-1F3C-C87C8B2114B042F3) which threatens to destroy and degrade much of the Forest. The FPC plans to log right in the middle of the uninfected, healthy forest. Logging the forest and all the disturbance that comes with it (Machinery, altered water flow, roads etc.) will only accelerate the spread of Dieback within Chester and surrounding pristine forest and woodland. Logging is expected to commence in early January.

With the effects of logging on Climate Change, increase salinity, and ecosystem collapse now well documented, and 85 percent of WA’s native forests already gone, it is unacceptable that native forests continue to be logged for tiny (sometime negative) profits for industry and government departments. It is now well known that our forests provide much more than just wood. They provide us with clean air, water, healthy soil and stable ecosystems to support life as we know it.

Come and join the campaign to save Chester Forest and build the community voice that is needed to stop the logging of our precious natural resources.

Get in touch with the Margaret River Environment Centre (Ph/fax. 9758 8078)
Or call 0422535328 for more info and directions to camp.
(a map will be posted soon for directions to camp)

Western Australian Forest Alliance
Global Warming Forest Group

A report from the No Borders network gathering

A report from No Borders gathering in Newcastle

On 9 & 10 November a gathering of No Borders activists was held in Newcastle with groups and individuals from Brighton, Bristol, South Wales, London, Oxford, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow taking part. Altogether, about 50-60 people attended.

A report from No Borders gathering in Newcastle

Saturday began with report backs from local groups, giving us an impression of the activity of the No Borders network. Opposition against ID cards and the IOM, and actions against deportation airlines and immigration snatch squads, are as much part of the No Borders agenda as is solidarity with detainees, deportees and migrant workers. It was obvious that the volume and variety of actions is one of the strengths of the network which has helped it to continue to develop and grow without losing momentum.

The international dimension of the network was stressed when people told of large-scale blockades of a detention centre in Belgium, of Hamburg airport to stop deportations, and of the attempt to dismantle a detention centre in Denmark. People felt it is increasingly important to continue developing info and action-sharing networks with people across Europe and elsewhere. UK No Borders activists are making connections with campaigners in Northern France to highlight the situation of hundreds of refugees trapped in Calais.

Discussions also developed around the idea of organizing a bigger No Borders event in the future that would include actions and info-sharing.

On Sunday, the need to develop No Borders politics was stressed in a discussion on ‘who are our allies’. At a local level, whilst working on some issues in coalition with groups and organisations that differ in character, No Borders has a firmly anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian stance. Over all, the network reiterated its explicit anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian position, and a group formed to work on publicity that offers an easily accessible guide to No Borders politics. This could take the form of written publications and media projects such as the development of a film.

All in all, sharing information and stories was an inspiring experience and by strengthening communications and network-wide tactics, people across the UK will continue to develop their ideas and inspire each other to take action against borders and to promote freedom of movement for all.

The next gathering is proposed for February/March 2009 in Bristol
www.noborders.org.uk

Indigenous Resistance To Silly Dam Project In Brazil

18/11/2008
People Power Fucks Up Construction

One hundred and twenty members of the Enawene Nawe tribe trashed a construction site of a hydro electric dam on the Juruena river in western Brazil on 11th of last month. Trucks, offices, housing for workers were all destroyed and or torched in a $1 million survival spree.

“They came armed with axes and pieces of wood, banished the employees and later set fire to everything” said Frederico Muller, a coordinator working at the site. At least 12 trucks were destroyed, along with a number of offices and housing units.

Survival because the tribes all over the Amazon basin rely on the rivers for fishing, one of the easiest, most reliable ways to get food. There are 77 such dams planned for the area but the destruction is very widely spread: one Brazilian super dam project – the Belo Monte – will displace 16,000 people.

Some background to this crisis: Brazil’s spiralling energy needs are the result of the dentally inimitable pro industry fuckwit Lula de Silva’s (or should that be the IMF etc’s) policies of growth at any cost. Demand has outstripped supply in recent years and a long drought in 2001 brought matters to a head. With no water even the best dams can produce no power so rationing was commenced – down to one fifth of normal supply. The decision was made at this time to increase Brazil’s hydro capacity by 75% and thus we have the current situation of mass forced displacement of indigenous peoples.

But the dams are not even a sure thing either economically or practically (excepting the construction companies, financiers, bribees etc.). Predictions of low water for 3 – 5 months of the year make the projects look ridiculous. However if you include genocide as a welcome part of your business model then the figures are anything but. As one fucked up white elephant dam is completed it requires more upstream storage capacity to be built and hence more displacement. This is the reality of ‘economic development’ in Brazil.

Mass Tribal Uprising in West Bengal

November 18, 2008

What we are witnessing in the tribal belt of West Bengal is [an] historical moment. A long oppressed people have risen up and are daring to confront their oppressors and question the logic of “development” that destroys their lives and livelihoods.”

November 18, 2008

In what started out as a protest against police brutality, on November 7 more than ten thousand Santhal men and women converged in the Indian state of West Bengal to demand the end to state oppression and the constant dispossession of their lands.

It is an historic moment for the tribal peoples in the region — and one so unprecedented that authorities are not even sure what to do about it.

“Even the political parties and civil society are at a loss trying to come to terms with what is happening,” says Partho Sarathi Ray, in Sanhati.com. “Nothing like this has been witnessed in West Bengal in living memory.”

The uprising reportedly began following a land mine explosion on November 2, which targeted the state’s chief minister as well as the union steel and mines minister.

The two men were returning from the inauguration of the Jindal Steel Works (JSW) special economic zone (SEZ) in West Midnapore district. Approximately 5000 acres of land had been acquired for JSW, the vast majority of which was supposed to be distributed amongst the landless Adivasis (indigenous people) in the region. The government handed it over to the company instead.

The explosion was promptly blamed on the Maoist guerrillas — however, in what has become a common practice in West Bengal, the police turned all of their attention to the local indigenous population for being “complicit” in the attack.

Over the next few days, the police set out on a campaign to assault, harass and randomly arrest any tribal person they wanted.

But it just wasn’t enough for the police, who hadn’t the slightest clue who was behind the explosion. So, on November 6 the police “… led by the officer in charge of Lalgarh police station… unleashed a reign of terror in 35 villages encompassing the entire tribal belt of Lalgarh,” explains Ray. “In raids throughout the night of November 6th, women were brutally kicked and beaten up with lathis and butts of guns. Among the injured, Chitamani Murmu, one of whose eyes was hit by a gun butt, and Panamani Hansda, who was kicked on her chest and suffered multiple fractures, had to [be] hospitalized. Chitamani’s lost her eye because of the injury. Eight other women were badly wounded. These police brutalities soon reached a point where the adivasis had no other option but to rise up in revolt,” Ray continues.

The next day, “what began as rumblings of protest took the shape of a spontaneous mass uprising [of] ten thousand Santhal men and women, armed with traditional weapons, [who] came out and obstructed the roads leading to Lalgarh, disconnecting it from Midnapur and Bankura. Roads were dug up and tree trunks were placed on the road to obstruct the entry of police vehicles, in the same way as it had been done in Nandigram.”

During the night, “people also disconnected telephone and electricity lines, virtually converting a vast area into a liberated zone. The apex social organization of the Santhals, the Bharat Jakat Majhi Madwa Juan Gaonta took up the leadership of the struggle, although the leader of the organization, the “Disham Majhi” Nityananda Hembram has himself admitted that the organization has no control over the movement; rather the movement is controlling the organization.”

As for the government, which has “not dared to respond with overt violence yet”, is helpless in the face of this upsurge. They’ve been trying to negotiate, but the effort has so far been fruitless due to the democratic and decentralized nature of the uprising. They simply can’t exert any influence over the indigenous people.

They way things look right now, the government may have no choice but to concede.

Reports on Sanhati

Nov 13: Background of the movement – Partha Sarathi Ray
Nov 14: Movement spreads to Midnapur, Jhargram cut off – Partha Sarathi Ray
Nov 15: Some reports from mainstream media
Nov 15: Spins of the corporate media, and the true story of Chotopeliya village – Partha Sarathi Ray
Nov 16: Peoples Committee Against Police Oppression formed, uprising spreads near Garbeta – Partha Sarathi Ray

Mainstream Reports

Nov 17: Under Maoist threat, cop retreats from Salboni
Nov 18: Lalgarh stir spreads, cops helpless
Nov 18: JSW Steel’s Stock-for-Land Deal Turns Sour for India’s Farmers
Nov 18: Tribals to continue agitation in West Bengal

2 weeks of Rooftop Occupation. Public Meeting Called with P4P

ROOFTOP OCCUPIERS CALL FOR PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF 87 ASHLEY ROAD, ST PAUL’S, BRISTOL

10.00am today (Wednesday) marked 2 weeks of the rooftop occupation – WE’RE STILL HERE!

ROOFTOP OCCUPIERS CALL FOR PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF 87 ASHLEY ROAD, ST PAUL’S, BRISTOL

10.00am today (Wednesday) marked 2 weeks of the rooftop occupation – WE’RE STILL HERE!

On Thursday 27th of November an open public meeting is being held in The St Pauls Learning Centre at 6.30pm to discuss this situation. Supporters of the rooftop protesters will be in attendance to answer questions, respond to local concerns and open a dialogue with PfP.

Places for People are publicly invited to state and openly discuss what their intentions for 87 Ashley Road are. This will help assure everyone that they are in fact going to rehouse people on the housing waiting list.

We hope you can attend.
For further information contact:
Email: 87AshleyRoad@gmail.com
Phone:07722 786 379

Background:

On November 12th 2008 Places for People (PfP) executed an eviction order on 87 Ashley Road, a squatted building occupied by 20 people who have been made homeless by this action. This building was unused by PfP for four years and left empty until May 2008 when squatters working to house as many people as possible moved in.
PfP have refused all attempts to negotiate a mutually benifical agreement, repeatedly submitted incorrect possession claims to Bristol Magistrates courts and threatened illegal eviction. At one stage the sitting magistrate called PfPs representation “a right dog’s breakfast.”

As bailiff’s and builders working on behalf of Places for People entered the property several squatters moved onto the roof to resist eviction and have been there ever since.
As far as the courts are concerned the eviction has been served despite protesters being on the roof.

This press release is being written on the 14th day of continual rooftop occupation and is being sent to community groups and individuals in the St. Pauls area, and Places for People.

Builders have boarded up all normal exit points from the roof, leaving the roof protesters no safe, immediate access. PfP have instructed builders to render the property uninhabitable by removing ALL fixtures and fittings.

There are no planning applications currently under consideration by Bristol City Council for 87 Ashley Road. PfP have been vague about their intentions for the property, however they have mentioned plans that would not benefit anyone on the housing list.

The protest is part of a continuing concern over Places for People’s treatment of empty properties and it’s selling off of rental stock on the open market. PfP are selling properties via the “shared ownership” scheme while not replacing rental properties for those most in need. This will lead to an eventual return to the unaffordable rental market and a worse deal for low-income families seeking decent accomodation.

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1 week: rooftop Occupation of Ashley Road update

Update: Daily solidarity demonstrations will take place from 4-6pm outside the house. All are welcome —-
Saturday November 15, 2008
The rooftop occupation has now been going for 81 hours. Morale is high, support has been constant and much appreciated. Thank you. There are health and safety questions about Places for People barricading them up there. Any support, noise or provisions is very welcome! Come and say hello to the 87 crew, still going!

Residents and squatters together against corrupt landlords!

Vedanta chased away by threatened Villagers in Orissa

14th November 2008

Last week, a group of more than 500 villagers set up roadblocks in Orissa’s Puri district to protest the construction of “Dev Sanskrati Vishwavidyalaya” (Divine Culture University) a project funded by the rather-unenlightened company we know as Vedanta Resources.

14th November 2008

The villagers are angry that the institution, which will apparently”>http://intercontinentalcry.org/vedanta-chased-away-by-threatened-villagers/’);”>apparently establish “a Cultural Renaissance” in India, is situated on agricultural land that the Orissa government ‘acquired’ without the peoples consent. The government then donated the land to Vedanta for free (Wikipedia).

The company defends the governments actions by claiming the land isn’t fertile and of no real use to the villagers. It’s a thoroughly absurd claim, seeing as how the villagers are active in growing rice, mango, cashew, papaya, betel, pumpkin, and coconut, etc. throughout the region.

Similarly, Vedanta claims that the land is only sparsely populated and that only a hundred or so people will be displaced for the project. Activists say it’s more like 1,000 — on top of another 20,000 to 50,000 who will be indirectly effected.

Whatever the actual number is, no villager has given their consent to be displaced. That was made clear during last week’s protest, which took place at the ground-breaking ceremony for the institution. The protesters rushed it, some of them carrying lathis, and forced the officials to withdraw by police escort. There were no injuries reported.

Following the protest a company official stated that, “in view of the violent situation… we have stopped the work of the university and intend to resume the construction work soon.”

It would seem the official also tried to demean the villagers’ struggle, by claiming it’s little more than a few people “creating disturbances.”

An insult to say the least, the official’s statement is also a far stretch from what the protesters were told. According to Umaballav Rath, leader of the Vedanta Vishwavidyalaya Virodhi Samiti, the organization heading the movement against the project, “officials of the Vedanta Group have assured us in the presence of the district administration that they are not going to start work on the project without our consent.”

In light of recent history — namely, the struggle of the Dongria Kondh, who are facing similar displacement (as well as the destruction of their culture) at the hands of Vedanta — the former statement is probably the most accurate.

The company doesn’t seem to care one way another how must destruction it causes. Just as long as it maintains the good face of enlightenment for its shareholders.

Fortunately, the villagers—and of course the Dongria Kondh—are not so willing to play make believe.

photo: http://nazaronline.net

KELSTERBACH FOREST OCCUPATION CAMP AGAINST AIRPORT EXPANSION CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY & UNRÄUMBAR FESTIVAL 28-30TH NOVEMBER

Waldbesetzung Kelsterbach (Kelsterbach Forest Occupation Camp)

Big parts of the beautiful forest of Kelsterbach near the airport of Frankfurt/Main (Germany) are in danger of being destroyed.

Waldbesetzung Kelsterbach (Kelsterbach Forest Occupation Camp)

Big parts of the beautiful forest of Kelsterbach near the airport of Frankfurt/Main (Germany) are in danger of being destroyed.

It has been well known for about 10 years that Fraport (the corporation running Frankfurt Airport) plan to build a new runway on this place by the end of 2011, cutting down every tree on 300 hectares of land (about 100,000 trees), doubling the airports flight movements per year to a level of at least one every 45 seconds. About 50 initiatives and nearly all communities around the airport are against the expansion because of the expected rise of fly-over noise.

Fraport plan to finish the runway by the end of 2011 and is already taking so-called “preparing measures” in the forest, cutting brushwoods to make way for their machines to cut the trees and capturing several animal species including frogs and bats to relocate.

Almost all forms of protest have not succeeded to stop the preparations of the building of a new runway. Activists have occupied a small area of the forest since May 2008 to stop the extension plans and a tent and hut village has emerged. About 30-50 people now regularly live in the forest village and welcome every help, may it be donations, new inhabitants or just people passing by and showing their solidarity.

The mayor of Kelsterbach has threatened to evict the camp as of 30th November 2008, claiming he cannot accept the huts in the forest for legal reasons, although it seems unlikely the eviction will actually be attempted then or any time soon.

Unräumbar Festival

The Waldbesetzung Kelsterbach (Kelsterbach Forest Occupation Camp) invite you to the Unräumbar Festival, a weekend of live music, art, dancing, cinema, workshops, playshops, info meetings, creative actions, good food, and much more, on 28-30th November. The whole festival will be non commercial, everything runs on donation basis. Bring a tent, sleeping bag and mat. Bring musical instruments, toys, good energy and food to share.

Other Ways to Support the Kelsterbach Forest Occupation

Spread the news about what is happening in Kelsterbach Forest. Tell people, journalists and politicians.

Donations are very welcome. Useful things include vegan and vegetarian food, building materials (a lot of construction wood, nails), old bedsheets (for banners), writing materials, polypropylene rope (10 or 14 mm), bicycles, tools (saws and hammers), wood stoves and other stuff for the winter, a cheap way to make flyers.
Visit or join Kelsterbach Forest Occupation. Bring a tent, sleeping bag and mat, warm clothes, a flashlight. Musical instruments and toys are nice! Dishes, fork, knives and spoons are already here.

Directions

from Kelsterbach centre:

By train (S-Bahn) from Frankfurt or Wiesbaden to station Kelsterbach.
Outside the station to the left (in the direction of Wiesbaden (south-west) at the right side from the track). Then with the track left from you, you follow Rüsselsheimer Straße for about 1,5 km. After you’ve seen an exit-way, you’ll see a traffic light. There you turn in the Okrifteler Strasse (not indicated) in the direction of Walldorf. You underpass a train track, ignore the first street (right) and take the second possibility, a parking bay. Walk into the forest.

by car:
From Köln to Frankfurt A3/E35, exit Raunheim #48, then to the north, direction of Kelsterbach (Rüsselheimer Straße / 43). Right at the traffic lights (not indicated: Okrifteler Straße, K152), under by a viaduct. Ignore the first street at the right and take the second possibility (150 meters further), a parking bay (see picture) and park your car there.
Behind the barrier you walk straight on, following the way and peace-signs. You’ll come by a lake (on your right) and find the camp a little further (after a crossroad) on your left.

Hitchhiking directions:
A3, from Köln direction Frankfurt, exit 48 – Raunheim, ask the driver to go north direction Kelsterbach to let you out after several 100 meters -where its possible to turn… go on till you find the first hard way (ignore the 1. earthy path) to the right… follow the signs of liberation.
or go under the train, turn left, go right under the tube, over the street and straight… along a lake after it turn right.

Contact

Address:
Baumbesetzung neben dem Pflanzgarten
Gelbe Grundschneise
65451 Kelsterbach
GERMANY
Phone: (+49)0175 833 59 58 (German/English)
e-mail: waldbesetzung@riseup.net
Website: http://www.waldbesetzung.blogsport.de
Coordinates: 50.038999, 8.504019

Heathrow Decision Day Flashmob

12 noon (on the dot), Heathrow Terminal 5 Departures (‘Security North’ section)
on the first Saturday after the Government makes its decision on Heathrow expansion
(unless all forms of expansion are ruled out – see below).

Reveal your t-shirt and then pelt Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon with red sponges.

THE STORY SO FAR …

Reveal your t-shirt and then pelt Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon with red sponges.

THE STORY SO FAR …

Before the end of 2008, the Government will announce whether or not to give the green light to expand Heathrow, by allowing a third runway and / or a big increase in planes on the existing runways. The decision is expected in December.

Either option will cause misery for tens of thousands of local residents, and help make devastating climate change inevitable.

The Government is under real pressure on the third runway and may decide to drop it. Their way out may be to allow flight numbers on the existing runways to rise by nearly 50%, to 650,000 a year!

Unless ALL the proposals are dropped the Decision Day Flash Mob will go ahead. Together we can win!

www.stopairportexpansion.org
stopairportexpansion@gmail.com

Climate suffragettes storm municipal city council! Stop the motorway!

On November 12th, 2008 at 5.15 pm. six climate activists dressed in period costumes as suffragettes complete with big hats, marched into a municipal city council meeting in Gothenburg, the second largest city of Sweden.

The politicians were debating a new six-lane motorway, called the Marieholm tunnel, planned to be built under the river that runs through the city. The six women, activists from the climate network Klimax, stormed in to the meeting blowing whistles. A banner was unfolded with the text: “No more tunnel vision – climate smart politics now!” The activists voiced two demands:

Stop Marieholm tunnel, no more motorways.
Local politics in accordance with the latest climate science.

From the stand other activists and members of the public cheered. Leaflets explaining the action were handed out. The action commemorated the 100 years anniversary of the Suffragettes bursting into the British Parliament to demand women’s suffrage.
The official climate goal of Gothenburg is to stabilize the emissions caused by the city to a globally sustainable and fair level by 2050. Still the politicians (conservatives, liberals and social democrats) are cooking up plans for a new six-lane motorway under the river, even though they know that new roads lead to more traffic. To build a new motorway is insanity. Its the absolut last thing we need in these times of climate change!
As did the Suffragettes 100 years ago, we are facing an urgent problem of huge injustice. It is women all over the world who will suffer the worst consequences of climate change, even though it isn’t women who are responsible for the largest sources of emissions. With this action we celebrate the strong women before us who fought for a better world. We have picked up the torch the suffragettes carried and we will pass it on!

greengoteborg at yahoo.se
http://www.klimatet.org