Action Reports – Page 211

nuclear protester in court .so early protest to support comrades rolls royce trident anti nuclear protest

monday 20/10/08
our comrades are in court .they used lockins /outside rolls royce nuclear plant rayesway derby .due in court 20/10/08 support them and come to early morning prottest

monday 20/10/08
our comrades are in court .they used lockins /outside rolls royce nuclear plant rayesway derby .due in court 20/10/08 support them and come to early morning prottest

our comrades are in court /for crossing the so called goverment red lines .they were locked in concrete blocks .it took police 4 hours to free them ./.on the tarmac outside ro;;s royce are red lines .the tarmac is provided out of ratepayers money .not r,r .if you cross it it is ilegal .when taking a driving test .does the highway code mention red lines .how many people in the street know what they are for./ /the illegal trident weapons banned by the un .but as usual not america.are stored uraniam .as more close by is b.o.c thet store gases in bottles calor oxygen aceyaline propane all lethal to bomb makers .1000 yards away is celanese chemical and acatate plant /so many dangerous chemicals on premises there is a benzene tank .acatate acids stuff ive not heard off .there have been many fires and expolsions ,the last one /the benzene tank .,22 fire engines and specail units .a 7 hour battle they claimed was a overheated valve /yet they sealed spondon off /this factory was on the i.r.a list /.and other terror groups .all 3 premises can be got in with ease .security is poor .all are in flood plains and getting worse as new buildings go up so come alng and support .the prottest on the 20/10/08 /. pickup points derby statoin ./spondon station .safe parking privat land .transport each way /pete 07727226032 /email tigger1946@fsmail.net

4 Women Lock Down in LURC Office to Oppose Recent Decision

September 29, 2008
LURC Office
Augusta, Maine

“Why did you sell our future?” Group Asks LURC
Act of Civil Disobedience a Way to be Heard When the System is Broken?

September 29, 2008
LURC Office
Augusta, Maine

“Why did you sell our future?” Group Asks LURC
Act of Civil Disobedience a Way to be Heard When the System is Broken?

Today, in an act of civil disobedience, four women locked their necks together in the office of the Land Use Regulatory Commission (LURC). Last week, LURC signaled their approval for the controversial Concept Plan put forth by Plum Creek to rezone a large tract of the Moosehead Lake Region. The women, part of Maine Earth First!, refused to leave the office until the LURC staff could explain why they had recommended approval of the plan.

Last week, the Commission approved the plan revisions that LURC staff recommended in a move that surprised many who have been watching the process closely. Critics of the plan noted that LURC received over 1,700 comments opposing a resort development at Lily Bay as part of the Plum Creek Concept Plan. LURC received only 6 comments in favor of the plan. Despite this overwhelming public statement against the Plum Creek development, the commission refused to amend their recommendations by removing the Lily Bay resort. “The public has spoken on this issue, and LURC refuses to listen. We want to know why they are selling our future,” said Emily Paine, one of the four locked together.

Many of the groups that intervened in the formal Concept plan review process are expected to file appeals to LURC’s decision in Maine Superior Court. Some of the grounds for these appeals are likely to revolve around the flawed process that has LURC staff writing changes to Plum Creek’s plan so that it can be rubber stamped by the Commission. The staff that is working on tailoring the Concept Plan for Plum Creek works in the office occupied by Paine and others. “We aren’t leaving until the LURC staff who made the recommendations can adequately justify their actions. Many Mainers believe their process has been undemocratic and corrupt… LURC’s decision flies in the face of thousands of Mainers who have expressed serious concerns about the Concept Plan.” said Meg Gilmartin, another of the women locked down.

Maine Earth First! has been critical of the plan from the beginning, but this is the first time people from that group have committed civil disobedience to express their concerns. LURC will meet on Wed. October 1st to present its final version of the plan to Plum Creek who will then have ten days to accept or reject the plan. Members of Maine Earth First! are pledging continued resistance to the plan as it moves forward in the coming months. Gilmartin said, “We are completely dedicated to doing what LURC has refused to do: protecting a way of life, safeguarding biodiversity, promoting climate stability and preserving the culture that makes the Moosehead Lake Region so unique and so wonderful. This is just the beginning.”

Maine Earth First! is an all volunteer movement dedicated to protecting the long term climate stability of the planet, maximizing biodiversity, and maintaining the rural way of life and culture of Maine. No Compromise in Defense of Mother Earth!

Plum Creek proposes to rezone 20,000 acres, for development of high-end resorts and second homes as part of its Moosehead Lake Concept Plan. The plan includes 90,000 acres of conservation easements to satisfy the Land Use Regulatory Commission’s (LURC) requirement for a conservation balance. An additional 266,000 acres worth of development rights on Plum Creek land will be sold to The Nature Conservancy and The Appalachian Mountain Club for $35 million. This conservation is being hailed by many as an unprecedented opportunity to protect a large tract of land in Northern Maine, however, the conservation easements only prevent further development. They still allow ecologically destructive practices such as gravel mining, spreading of sewage sludge, commercial water extraction, industry defined “sustainable forestry,” road building and the erection of power-lines.

A contentious component of the Concept Plan is Plum Creek’s development visions for Lily Bay on the undeveloped eastern shore of Moosehead Lake. This area is natural habitat for the endangered Canada Lynx and abuts the highly valued and utilized Lily Bay State Park. Plum Creek wishes to build a resort that can accommodate over 700 units, a marina and golf course. Plum Creek’s lead attorney, Severin Beliveau told LURC that “Lily Bay is the keystone to this plan. Without Lily Bay there is no plan.” However, over 1700 citizens have written to LURC expressing a different view, opposing any development in this area (just six have written LURC in favor of Lily Bay development). LURC is prepeared to approve the Concept Plan, including Lily Bay development and discard this clear public outcry against Plum Creek’s proposed ecological destruction of the Moosehead Region.

E.ON Targeted in Sweden in Solidarity with the Climate Camp

29.09.2008
An E.ON facility in the working class district of Mollevangen, Malmo was targated to highlight E.ON’s plans to build the UK’s first new coal fired power station for 30 years.

Despite E.ON working extensively on renewables and reducing carbon emissions in Sweden, the company continues to push coal in the UK.

The building of Kingsnorth coal fired power station on the Hoo peninsular in Kent will cause respiratory problems and hazardous wastes in the local area, raise the country’s emissions to unsustainable levels, swerve energy supply into non-renewable dirty fossil fuels rather than renewables, and feed a community-fracturing and polluting global coal market which along with the expansion of other fossil fuels threatens the ecosystems of the planet.

The campaign against kingsnorth, like the potential effects of the 8 new coal fired power stations the UK government could sanction this Autumn, is global.

Swedish solidarity steps up to support this campaign in the UK.

The grafitti is at a prominent intersection in the city and will be seen by thousands of people who will question E.ON’s green spin and contradiction between its’ work in Sweden and its new coal plans for the UK.

For more information about the stop kingsnorth campaign see www.climatecamp.org.uk

Stalking the Solitaire

29.09.2008
Shell to Sea Kayakers visit the Solitaire in Scotland

At the crack of dawn on Sunday two Shell to Seas Kayakers, the James Connelly and the Ken Saro Wiwa paid an audacious visit to the Solitiare currently lying 1.5 nautical miles off the banks of the Clyde, Scotland. The kayakers wanted to establish for definate whether the ship was returning to Ireland for a second attempt at laying the pipe or was to return to Rotterdam for repairs. Initially radio contact was made with the ship whose bridge crew refused to disclose its intentions. The activists attempted to board the Solitaitre but were thwarted by security presence on the pontoon lying alongside the accommodation ladder. They then paddled around to the Stinger where they were only feet away from a high tension cable that was being winched onto a nearby barge. Work continued with complete disregard for the health & safety of the kayakers. The kayak crew continued to attempt communications with the ship’s crew for over an hour in order to establish the next destination of the Solitiare but to no avail.

Meanwhile back in Mayo some equipment has been removed from the Glengad compound and the boats that were dredging the bay last Thursday have gone back to Ballyglass, an anchorage just around the headland. However the community in Mayo and its supporters remain on high alert for the possible return of the Solitaire this year.

New social centre in camberwell, london

26.9.2008
About a year after the eviction of the former New Camberwell Centre, a new social centre has been opened in Camberwell, not far away from where the previous one stood.

The building where the Camberwell Centre stood has been left empty for this entire year, and only last week the boards that were placed outside were seen with a gap to allow physical access through the door.

26.9.2008
About a year after the eviction of the former New Camberwell Centre, a new social centre has been opened in Camberwell, not far away from where the previous one stood.

Anyway – we have a new social centre! – address is 52 Knatchbull Road, although the entrance is through the gate on Burton rd, and the building is right behind Minet Library.

Meetings are happening weekly already. Electricity needs sorting out (hence call to all autonomous energy generator systems) and garden needs clearing. All welcome to help, get involved …

The next meeting is on Tuesday 30th September at 7pm

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Opening Event in New Autonomous Space Camberwell: THE LIBRARY HOUSE

CALLING OUT TO ALL AND EVERYONE A NEW SPACE HAS BEEN OPENED:

THE LIBRARY HOUSE.
52 KNATCHBULL ROAD (behind library, junction with Burton rd)
SE5 9QY
CAMBERWELL

WE ALL HAVE A NEW AUTONOMOUS SPACE IN SOUTH LONDON TO PLAY IN. TOGETHER WITH ALL OUR ENERGY AND IDEAS WE CAN CREATE A NEW AND INSPIRING PLACE EVERYBODY TO EXPERIMENT IN AND ENJOY.

OPENING EVENT
Saturday 4th of October, 3pm onwards, will be our first open day. Food, music, gardening, workshops, DIY…

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR KNOWN FACES WITH NEW ONES.

THE LIBRARY HOUSE.

Police attack on London Critical Mass & I Bike MCR Mini Festival & South London CM reminder & Liverpool report

While there was a notable absence of police on the September Critical Mass ride in London, we did have one unpleasant encounter with a very aggressive group of officers from the TSG unit.

Travelling between Victoria Street and Buckingham Palace Road on Friday night, we ran into a van load of police dressed in overalls, fleeces and baseball caps. Their van was an odd silver grey colour and apparently was not equipped with a siren or flashing lights.

To compensate for their lack of adequate apparatus the officers, led by # SX 836, attempted to force their way through the mass by knocking riders to the ground, and dragging others to the side of the road and dumping them on the pavement.

At one point SX 836 encouraged drivers of other vehicles to ram the mass, telling them “Just drive at them, they’ll get out of the way!” despite the fact that we were all in the middle of a traffic jam at the time. Another officer involved whose number I managed to note down was QA 232.

Photos::
http://18hz.deid.net/2008/septembermass/vikings03im.jpg
http://18hz.deid.net/2008/septembermass/vikings01im.jpg

Higher resolution versions of my photos can be fund at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29703759@N08/sets/72157607617808713/

—

One hellllll of a mass (london)

critical mass london | 01.10.2008 23:33 | Climate Chaos | London
And there’s plenty more drama to come …

I got out of work at about half past five, so i came down to the south bank early; the tide was out, so i spent a while strolling on the beach of the Thames. It’s an amazing place – a beach in the middle of a city of seven million people, and deserted except for me and two or three others. Like a rubbly, silty secret garden.

Back up on ground level, we once again set off a good few ticks after seven. Boo hiss. But at least we went through the Kingsway underpass!

But – shock horror! – with no cops. I didn’t see a single policeperson accompanying the ride – did my eyes deceive me? How could this be? Anybody know? We did have the cycling ambulanceman with us, though.

I’m very pleased to say that, as far as i could tell, the mass ran like clockwork. We kept together (mostly – we split into a fast and a slow pack after Buckingham Palace, and i bounced between the two for a bit), we corked – we even let pedestrians through! Brilliant! Pats on backs all round!

Although one thing that was evident was much more aggression from drivers, particularly black cab drivers. Recently, we’ve always had coppers around, and cabbies have behaved themselves. Tonight, though, their basic ferocity was fully in evidence. There were two main instances of this that i saw.

The first was on High Holborn, at the junction where i spoke to the ambulanceman – this was why i was stopped. The mass was coming along from the east; i think the advance bulk had passed through, and then was a thinner stream of us coming along behind. A black cab was sat in Grape Street (i think – i’m looking at a map here; one of the side streets off on the north, just before the junction), and i imagine had been waiting a while for the mass to pass. When it thinned out, he took his chance (we hadn’t corked him), and came out onto High Holborn, turning right, and staying in the rightmos lane. Fifty metres ahead of him was a red light at the junction. Less than fifty metres ahead of him was a masser, riding slowly. The cab driver drove less slowly – he drove right up to within inches of the masser, tailgated him for ten metres or so, and then quite deliberately drove straight into the back of him. The guy went down, the cab stopped, and a crowd of us clotted around the scene. Luckily, the guy wasn’t hurt.

I was to the left of this, in the second or third lane over, and a little way behind the cab; i saw everything happen right in front of me. It was quite obvious that the cab driver did it deliberately: the masser was riding at a constant speed, and the driver accelerated, hitting him. he had driven to within inches of him, which is simply not a safe way to drive.

So, we made sure the taxi wasn’t going anywhere, took photos of the scene, registration plate, driver, etc, and some of us who had seen it gave the guy our details. The cabbie wasn’t giving his details, though. Someone called the police, and after a while our friends in blue duly turned up and did their best to work everyone up into a frothing rage. Do cops get training in dealing with angry punters (other than with a truncheon)? Because these guys were to defusing confrontations as Guy Fawkes was to the bomb squad. Anyway, eventually, questions were asked, details were recorded and exchanged, and the lead copper declared that he was recording this as a no-injury collision, and they weren’t going to follow it up. Apparently deliberately driving into a cyclist doesn’t count as careless driving or anything. He came out with, essentially, the usual crap about ‘our word against his’. During this i had a long chat with the other copper, who seemed very nice when he wasn’t trying to start a fight, but completely clueless about cycling, and indeed road safety generally. Still, i’m sure if i wanted an electrician shot dead, he’d be just my man.

I also talked to the masser who was hit, his two friends, and a courierish guy who also stopped. I didn’t quite get the victim’s name. Nice lad. As i said, he wasn’t hurt, but his back wheel went under the cab’s, and was pretty bent. I had a look at it: the hub looked like it should be okay, and the tyre and tube should be fine, but he’s going to need a new rim, (it was a Bontrager, the poor thing!) spokes, and brake disc. Basically, he’s going to need a new wheel. I couldn’t see any damage to the stays, mech, etc, but he needs to take it to a bike shop to get it checked out. He’s got the cabbie’s insurance details; he didn’t really seem to understand about how insurance works, but i’m sure he knows someone who does.

I suggested we bend the wheel back into shape so he could at least roll the bike home, so we found a fence and did a bit of ghetto truing – an essential urban cycling skill, and the second time i’ve had to do it on a mass! He and a friend set off walking for King’s Cross to catch a train home. I sincerely hope he didn’t decide to try and ride – he had rather a touch of teenage invincibility, so i worry he might have.

Anyway, one of his friends had received a signal that the rest of the mass was at Buckingham palace, so he, the courierish guy and i set off. We got there a few minutes before the mass set off again – i just had time to wish Des Kay well with the Lords and ride a lap round the top of the Victoria Memorial.

After that, we started to get spread out, between the main body at the front and a long tail of slow riders. I’m a speedster myself, so i was half tempted to go a bit sheepdog on them and get them moving, but i ended up bouncing back and forth – going forward, helping cork or just waiting, and being caught up.

Taxi incident number two came as we rode down Theobald’s road. A stream of traffic was trying to come in from the right, i think from Red Lion Street (again, i’m looking at a map and guessing), and had been corked. There were only a few people there, so i looped back and joined them.

At the front of the queue was a taxi driver. He wasn’t very happy about being stopped, and insisted we move. We didn’t, of course – the mass was still passing. He got rather upset, and started shouting. He then started edging his taxi forward – he went from being a foot away from us to actually pressing his right fender into my leg and starting to push me over; there was another guy beside me, and a few people around us, and we made it clear we weren’t going anywhere until the mass had passed. It did, and i was set to go – but he was still pressing into my leg, which meant i actually couldn’t get on my bike and move off. If i had, and he’d edged forward any further, i would have gone straight under him. Bit of an impasse, cue much shouting.

Eventually, he stopped his engine, got out of his cab, and came up to me and tried to shove my bike out of the way. Because he’d stopped, i was actually able to move, and was quite happy to do so, so in a way, his move was quite successful! There was a bit more shouting, with neither side really wanting to let the other have the last word (although i was silent – i just wanted to get home and have my dinner), and a disgusting drunk old fat man walked over and started shouting and shoving a lady masser about, but eventually we disentangled ourselves and rode on.

By this point, i was getting tired and hungry, our numbers were down, and i decided to call it a night. We hit the junction with Rosebery Avenue, where i turn left. The mass defaulted to heading straight on, but a few people were shouting to go left: i mentioned that i was in favour of that because i wanted to go home; the girl beside me said she wanted to go left because she wanted some doritos, which i found quite puzzling.

It was only after i’d sped away into the night that i realised she’d said ‘burritos’, and must have been referring to the really good little burrito place at Angel. I could have kicked myself, because i could really have gone for a burrito right then.

And that, as they say, is that.

http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/cm-london
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk/

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I Bike MCR presents a week long series of cycling events and activities to celebrate the bicycle from 6th-12th October 2008

I Bike MCR is a grassroots voluntary group where everyone gives their time and skills for free. We organise events that aim to promote cycling and to build a strong supportive cycling commiunity in MCR. We do this in our own spare time because we believe that giving our time to make a change will be worth it.

It will be a free festival in order to make it accessible to everyone no matter their economic situation. We will, however, ask for donations to go to helping the I Bike MCR cycle campaign, you can give money or time please look here for info:
http://www.ibikemcr.org.uk/minihelp.htm

MINI FESTIVAL TIMETABLE
Every week-day morning we will be having a group ride from Owen’s Park in Fallowfield down Oxford Road to the Universities so that students can meet each other and gain confidence by cycling in together as a group.

Meet in the carpark area of Owens Park (map)
8.15am, we’ll leave at 8.30am PROMPT to get into uni at 8.45am
We hope this will continue after the week festival is over.

Monday 6th October
7.30pm Council Chambers Manchester University
Bicycle Film Night

Tuesday 7th October
Meet 6pm Outside Manchester University refectory
A bicycle tour around our city, taking you to the nicest parks, the best bike shops, cool places to hang out, the best cycle routes, nice landmarks and nice pubs.

Wednesday 8th October
2pm – 5pm Email info@ibikemcr.org.uk to book a place
FREE Bicycle Confidence lessons. Book asap to reserve a place.
No matter whether you need some tips on how to deal with a particular junction or how to ride one handed you can benefit from a bike confidence class with a qualified cycling instructor.

7pm Basketball courts in Platt Fields Park
The Spokes Bicycle Dance Troupe,
The all woman Spokes bike dance troupe have an open practice to encourage more bike loving women to get involved and join them in dancing with their bikes to encourage more women and girls to cycle.

Thursday 9th October
6pm Whitworth Park, Denmark Road
Bicycle Polo Practice. We will teach newcomers how to play this exhilarating and fun sport.

Friday 10th October
Register at 6pm, Ride at 7pm…
Meet in the carpark behind the Sandbar, Grosvenor Street (map)
I Bike MCR Superheroes Treasurecat.
No matter what bike you’re on or how well you know the city you can take part (and have a chance to win!) in this treasure hunt on bicycles.

* Dress as a superhero for more points..go all out!
* Ride as a dynamic duo, both people must be present at each checkpoint but only one needs to do the task (if you can’t find a partner beforehand, don’t worry you’re sure to find one on the night)
* With a final sprint to see which out of your pair is the superhero and which is the sidekick
* If the phone rings answer it. You may get a secret mission to win more points, then choose if you want to go for fastest time or most points
* Prizes for a wide variety of things NOT JUST FASTEST. inc.Team back at any time with the most points, Winner of the final sprint, Best costume and loads more…So it’s open for anyone to win a prize no matter how little you know the city or how fast you can ride

Amazing prizes from:
Cantgoslo
Bagaboo
Seagull Bags
HK Fixed
Knog
Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative
Bicycle Boutique

Saturday 11th October
Noon at Piccadilly train station
or 1.30pm at Delamere Forest Information Centre
Mountain biking in Delamere Forest
(you can hire mountain bikes there)

8pm The Sandbar Grosvenor Street (map)
Moonlight Ride: a 3 hour circular ride into the night with a pub stop.

Sunday 12th October
Noon Meet Sainsbury’s Carpark, off Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield
A ride along one of Manchester’s nicest off road cycle routes, the Fallowfield Loop, where we will stop off to help create a mural depicting the celebration of the bicycle. Everyone welcome to get involved making the Fallowfield Loop brighter and fun. Bring brushes, tatty clothes, paints and lots of enthusiasm (don’t worry if you not that artistic we’ll find some way for you to help!)

info@ibikemcr.org.uk
http://ibikemcr.org.uk/

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The 4th South London critical mass bike ride is this friday and every first friday of the month.

Come and liberate the streets of south london, taking the mass to the masses not just to shoppers,tourists and irate cabbies. Meet 6.30pm outside Peckham Library,off Peckham High Street.

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Big Turnout for Liverpool Critical Mass

This month’s critical mass was bigger than ever. The ride ended at Next To Nowhere (social centre) where the riders got free refreshments and saw a film.

Dozens of cyclists of all ages and backgrounds, from students to social workers, turned out. They included a visitor who has recently come from New Zealand and took part in critical mass rides there.

After doing a tour around the city centre they stopped at the social centre, where they were given free soup and cakes, and watched a film showing the history of how the Critical Mass rides started in San Francisco in 1993. The rides in that city grew to thousands-strong, and worked beautifully through collective organisation, without committees or leaders. They had the effect of causing more people to commute by bicycle instead of car, and to use the bicycle as their normal transport. This was disrupted when the San Francisco police decided the cyclists needed to be “organised” and made to follow officially designated routes. Ultimately, however, the cyclists decided they didn’t want or need to be organised.

Liverpool Critical Mass has not so far had any police interference, and is successfully enabling cyclists to use the roads safely, and assert their right to be recognised as road users. But as one cyclist said, “If the police wanted to organise us – how? There are no leaders and no-one’s in charge. There’s just a bunch of cyclists who happen coincidentally to turn up at the Chinese arch on the second Friday of the month, and go for a ride together.”

A bunch of cyclists may, coincidentally, be at the Chinese arch on Nelson Street at 6pm on 12th November and 15th December. They would welcome any-one who wants to turn up and ride along with them.

Fight Speciesism! #5 – Out Now

October issue of the latest anti-speciesist, anti-capitalist, abolitionist direct action news is out now.

Antispeciesist Action is a collective of militant antispeciesists and animal rights activists committed to confronting animal abuse, suffering and exploitation of non-human beings through the use of direct action.

Articles:

– Solidarity for Sean Kirtley
– Solidarity for Dan Amos
– Operation Smash Barclays
– Thousands of Partridges Liberated
– Hunt Sabbing in Yorkshire
– Global ALF Roundup
– Mink Freed Across the Globe
– A Critical Look at Hierarchy
– Earth News: Berlin & Australia
– No Borders Resistance in Bristol

PRINT / SHARE / DISTRIBUTE

FS! #5 – http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409384.html

Saving Iceland Targets International Aluminium Conference

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes and further reference:

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

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

CRUSH the Cabot CREDIT Circus

This Thursday the 25th of Sept, a call to action came to disrupt the farcical opening ceremony of Bristol’s brand new abomination.

CRUNCH CABOT CREDIT CIRCUS was emblazoned across the vile new shopping complex’s advertising hoard in plain view of motorists arriving through the newly routed, soon to be congested, road system that snakes around the £500 million project that offers yet more sterile, soulless, capitalist consumerism.

The ridiculous timing of the advent of this unnecessary monstrosity, during the so-called ‘credit crunch’, offers the opportunity to think about just how little community consultation took place; about the mass displacement of the poorer sections of our community to make way for its construction; and about the sheer slap in the face to people on low-incomes whose lives hang in the balance as banks crumble and credit becomes scarce. All the while the Bristol (Imperial) Alliance siphon off what profits they might make, out of our city, to Birmingham, London and the hands of a few corporate profiteers.

This rupture with the Alliance’s image and ethos – where ‘retail therapy’ has replaced community contact and our social interactions are increasingly channelled through monetary transactions and materialist consumption – serves as an exclamation. This is a call for further and sustained action against this odious symbol of aggressive global capitalism and the gentrification that is seeping into our city.

Already full of empty shops, at such a financially unstable time, if it doesn’t crumble of its own accord, this disease must be purged from the city,

BUY LESS, LIVE MORE!

Take your own actions.

Whistle crews, musical chair shop invasions, dress like the drones that make this shambolic circus possible and cause some mischief!

Join the Zombie march this Saturday the 27th of Sept, assemble 11am at the Bandstand in Castle Park, shamble & lurch from noon.

Buy Nothing: Steal Something Day: http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/

CABOT CIRCUS on Indymedia: http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/688930

rossport solidarity action at irish consulate in cardiff & Shell in London

Whilst the solitaire is in for repairs, we’d thought we’d remind the government that activists haven’t taken their eye off the ball. We also thought we would dedicate this action to Maura.

About 12 climate activists from the Westside (thats south wales, bristol & bath) occupied the irish consulate in cardiff for an hour or two today (wednesday 24th sept). About 5 got into the reception and altered the decorations, and demanded to see the consul, who wasn’t at home (to us anyway). Meanwhile, outside a banner previously used on the welsh pipeline campaign was held on the steps of the consulate, ignoring the ridiculously irate security chief :”calm down mate, we are only holding a banner”. Most staff from the building happily took leaflets.

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Banner Dropped in Solidarity with Rossport & Maura

On Wednesday evening a women’s collective climbed 2 lampposts directly outside of Shell’s headquarters in London. After unfurling the banner the police came in large numbers and harassed the supporters on the ground. A lively protest ensued for about 20 minutes whilst the climbers stayed up and people on the ground chanted. Information was given to the folks walking near the area about Rossport & Shell’s campaign of destruction in County Mayo.

The police eventually managed to cut the banner down. The climbers were arrested and later released without charge.

We did this action to show support for the ongoing struggle of residents and supporters in Mayo to send Shell to Hell (or to Sea, depending on when and who). Since late 2000 there has been an on-going attempt by multi-nationals and the Irish state to destroy a beautiful remote coastal area in the county Mayo with a toxic refinery and high pressure production gas pipeline. The local residents and supporters have lead an inspiring and sustained campaign against this construction. In the last few weeks there has been a wave of action to stop the pipe-laying ship, the solitaire, from building. Included in this was the inspiring hunger strike of local school teacher Maura Harrington.

At the end of last week the solitaire left the bay for ‘essential repairs.’ Maura came off hunger strike and the campaign is working on ensuring that it does not come back. For more information see:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409002.html
http://struggle.ws/rsc/