Action Reports – Page 224

Bristol Tree Felling Protest

July 8th 2008
A protest organised by the Snuff Mills Action Group attracted a very healthy turnout last night despite adverse weather conditions. Around 250 people turned out to express their disgust at Bristol City Councils approval of a planning application to fell 27 trees in a conservation area.

Grove Wood on Blackberry Hill in Stapleton has been part of the hospital site since it was originally built to house French prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars but was sold off at auction last year to Mr Hussain Jafari Najafabadi of Clifton for £39,000 as part of the Governments drive to sell off surplus state owned assets. The land forms part of the conservation area that runs from Eastville right through to Downend.

Mr Jafari has a record of planning violations (most of which have been granted retrospectively) and, it is alleged, has been heard to be bragging of his long term plan to turn the site into a hotel and conference centre. His business dealings are carried out under a number of aliases.

Shortly after purchasing the wood, the new landowner set about cutting down trees with impunity and sited a portakabin within sight of the main road, near the entrance to the Wood.

Bristol City council took no action and when he submitted a planning application to fell the trees lining the road, locals thought that conservation area status would probably limit health and safety work to pruning alone, given the massive impact on visual amenity that felling would have.

Bristol City Council granted the permission citing that the listed wall was being undermined, a sewer was affected and highway obstruction.

The protest last night was the first of its kind in the campaign to save Grove Woods and Snuff Mills Action Group Spokesman Steve Micklewright said:
“We want to know the real rationale behind this decision, we are very suspicious about what’s happened here and we want proper answers immediately”.

He went on to say
“Come on Bristol City Council, do your job and stop pandering to rogue developers.”

This full details of this campaign can be obtained from the link below, and the online petition can be accessed also.
http://snuffmills.blogspot.com/

Illegal Arromight Arrest – The Footage

After telling one activists to stop using the megaphone as it was annoying the workers inside and the activist carrying on, he was arrested for section 5, but with four activists and only two police officers the games began. All charges have been dropped! What a surprise! See the videos below for the footage “bet you cant run as fast as me…”

VIDEO 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=spS578gQus0 – leading upto the arrests
VIDEO 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZVRKvJSTW7c – the fun continued

AMP-Ohio Utility Headquarters Overtaken by Earth First! – No More Business as Usual for Environmentally Destructive Profiteers

Earth First! activists demand cancellation of proposed coal-fired power plant in Meigs County, Ohio

Columbus, OH — At 11:30am Monday morning (8/7/2008), about 100 Earth First! activists occupied the headquarters of American Municipal Power, an electric utility that provides statewide service to member communities.

As part of an ongoing series of direct actions, activists confronted CEO Marc Gerken and demanded that AMP-Ohio cancel its plans for construction of a new and widely opposed coal-fired power plant in southeast Ohio.

Dozens of activists charged the building and occupied the lobby, disabled video cameras with silly string, danced on furniture, banged on pots and pans, and delivered anti-coal messages to employees with chants and songs. Five activists locked themselves down in the lobby and two activists climbed the flagpoles in front of the building, hoisting signs that read “no new coal!” and “we won’t stop until you do.”

Business as usual was disrupted for several hours while police forcibly removed demonstrators from the property, arresting eight. Bail money is still needed for several activists. Please help out by donating to the legal fund at http://earthfirstjournal.org/

Morgan Kipler, an Earth First!er from Columbus, said that the proposed plant “is currently the greatest threat to Ohio’s health, safety, and welfare, and must be cancelled immediately.”

Earth First! opposes the power plant for a number of reasons. The proposed plant would be a major climate change contributor, emitting 7.3 million tons of CO2 into the air every year. The local impact is just as dramatic: Meigs County ranks number one in the state for lung cancer incidence, and number two for related mortalities.

A study released by the Clean Air Task Force shows Meigs County to be in the center of a tri-state hot zone for premature death rates directly attributable to PM 2.5 exposures. PM 2.5 is the particulate matter released by power plants responsible for a multiplicity of life-shortening illnesses including cancer and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

If the proposed AMP-OH plant is built, it will become one of five coal plants within a ten-mile radius to the southern tip of Meigs County. Additionally, four more coal-fired plants have been proposed for construction in the area by other electric utility providers. This is an obvious injustice as it forms the backbone of the highest concentration of coal-fired power plants in the country.

The power plant is also a bad deal for electric customers. Costs of construction have escalated from $1.2 to $2.9 billion since October of 2005, an increase of about $1.7 million per day over the last 3 years! At a time of cost hikes, nationwide power plant cancellations and rejections, and pending federal legislation on global warming emissions, AMP-Ohio is making a bad decision for its member communities, the people of Meigs County, and future generations in Ohio and beyond.

Earth First! said it will continue to resist the construction of the AMP-Ohio plant with a diversity of tactics.

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Earth First! is an international movement rooted in bio-centrism and direct action. This action concludes the Earth First! 2008 national gathering, which took place in Southern Ohio from June 30-July 7.

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I was fortunate enough to be at the AMP-Ohio headquarters in March, when activists occupied AMP’s lobby and demanded that AMP CEO Marc Gerken schedule a meeting with impacted community members to discuss their concerns about the Meigs County coal plant. Gerken promised to schedule the meeting, then broke his promise several months later.

AMP-Ohio are part of a small army of coal industry environmental criminals, who are trying their hardest to pollute our communities and cause climate chaos in order to increase their profits. But in order to do that, they’re going to have to get past a small army of environmental warriors – like the activists who shut down AMP’s headquarters on Monday – who are willing to put their personal safety on the line in order to confront and shut down these climate criminals.

FIT at menwith hill

Food, music, fun and FIT, Menwith Hill, 4th July Independence from America Day

Another well attended demo at Menwith, with blazing sun, music, food and increased levels of surveillance.

Food, music, fun and FIT, Menwith Hill, 4th July Independence from America Day

Another well attended demo at Menwith, with blazing sun, music, food and increased levels of surveillance.

There were maybe 100 or so attending, along with stupid numbers of police, including for the first time, members of the Metropolitan FIT team. They were very camera shy, and only appeared briefly to photograph participants as they set off for a tour of the base. I guess that they left the bulk of the ‘evidence gathering’ to North Yorks officers, who were very busy throughout the day.

There was music on the day from seize the day, who played some cracking tunes. Better was the anarchist punk band at the end who blasted the occupants of the base with a selection of hardcore tunes as the sun set behind them, all captured on film by the police!

Also for the first time was a visible Anarchist presence on the day, with a red and black flag flying in the Sun next to CAAB’s upside down Stars and stripes.

After a brief tour of the base the march headed back to the main gate where Lunch out Lils from Sheffield provided some excellent and much needed food!

One arrest on the day, Lindis Percy who was arrested for breach of bail conditions, i suspect for crossing the ‘yellow line’ at one of the gates. i observed the Evidence gathers in conversation with senior officers at this point in the day, checking that they had evidence of Lindi’s transgression on film…

All in all another well attended demo – better that it was held in the evening i think a there did some to be plenty of new faces there.

As an aside i also noticed that a new wind farm is in the process of being constructed near Menwith. maybe coincidence but could also be an ensured power supply during the coming oil crash??

“In some cases, (a military) installation can depend on nearby generation, including renewable energy for its backup energy supply where the utility has the capability of segregating its service area from outside influences. This creates self-sustaining regional “islands” which should not be overlooked as installations engage in emergency planning to serve critical installation functions. Planning must necessarily be coordinated with regional energy suppliers, transmission companies, and major energy users.”

Aldermaston Nuke Frocks and shots: on cocktail parties and builder blocking

Yet another fantastic opportunity to mix business with pleasure! Aldermaston Women’s peace camp(aign) host another fabulous women’s cocktail party at the peace camp on Saturday 12 July, while Block the Builders meet in nearby Reading the following afternoon to plot the downfall of the nuclear-industrial complex 😉

Since 2002, the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston has been the recipient of a substantial investment programme to upgrade and develop new nuclear weapons facilities. The project is on the same scale as Heathrow’s Terminal Five. Aldermaston is where Britain researches, designs and manufactures it’s nuclear weapons. Latest news and background info on developments at the site can be found at http://www.aldermaston.net/news.

In March 2007 a parliamentary vote paved the way for a new fleet of nuclear-armed submarines to replace the existing four Trident subs, with decisions and announcements on new warheads and missiles expected to be made over the coming years (…in public … though who would buy £15bn submarines without already having committed to arming it?)

Between 2006 and 2007 new legislation was introduced aimed at limiting the right to and scope of protest at Britain’s nuclear weapons facilities (SOCPA and military lands byelaws).
Despite this, in March 2008 an estimated 5,000 people came to Aldermaston to make their voices heard in opposition to the extension of Britian’s nuclear weapons programme, and the women’s peace camp continues its 23-year tradition as a visible presence at the wire.

The camp is inviting women to come to Aldermaston on Saturday 12 July to join a celebration of the right to protest (frocks and shots optional but encouraged) and of women’s strength in the struggle against patriarchal military madness. Music, snacks, vegan cake (possibly…), ice and a twist.

Nonviolent direct action network Block the Builders are meeting the following day in Reading to discuss the ongoing builder-blocking efforts at Aldermaston, aimed at slowing and costing the construction of new weapons-related facilities. See http://www.blockthebuilders.org.uk for details.

Come and meet us, discuss the issues and have a fabulous time!

info@aldermaston.net
http://www.aldermaston.net

Camp for Climate Action: Great Rebel Raft Regatta update & newspaper launched

THE GREAT REBEL RAFT REGATTA UPDATE

Following a professional reconnaissance and Health and Safety test trip by boat last Wednesday, rebel rafters and experienced sailors gave the thumbs up for the water borne disobedience on the Mass Day of Action, August 9th. Launching with the tides and if the weather is not blowing a gale, the action was deemed totally do able and has the potential to be a spectacular success. The key will be in the number of rafts, the more rafts ( or anything that floats !) there are the more impossible it will be for the forces of darkness to stop the armada reaching it’s target. So start packing paddles, canoes,inflatables, rafts, dinghies, amphibious vehicles etc.. with your tent. Try to encourage any yacht or boat people, pirates or sailors you know to join in. All rebel rafters will be requited to attend a water safety workshop that will be run daily for the three
days leading up to the day of action, and will have to wear life jackets ( if you don’t have your own, these will be provided by the camp). A write up is available on the GRRR website.

Meanwhile many groups across the country are getting excited by the GRRR bug and planning to build rafts and get teams together. If your group has any news, pictures of rafts or ideas to share, then send it to the constantly updated news feed on www.thegrrr.net . For any further enquiries email: pirates@thegrrr.net

CLIMATE CAMP NEWSPAPER HITS THE STREETS AND FESTIVALS

Last week 30,000 newspapers, beautifully designed in black and bright cyan and not looking anything like a boring political paper, came off the printing press and began their journey around the country.

Published to inspire people to come to the camp it is filled with full pages images of last years events, portraits of hot climate campers, a stunning map of this years camp and texts that describe the politics of radical climate activism. If you would like copies to hand out in the street, festivals, drop off in cafe’s etc. contact distribution@climatecamp.org.uk with your address and how many you want, they will be sent out asap or ring Isa 07984158 108 to find out where you can pick some up. The pdf’s is now online here: http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/node/23

Trial Set for McDonalds Protester!

Date for trial set for Cambridge protester. Support appreciated!

The campaigner who was arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act in a McLibel anniversary protest in Cambridge (See http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/06/401637.html for details and video) had his first hearing last Thursday. A trial date of the 15th Sep, 10.00 a.m. at Cambridge Magistrates Court at 43 Hauxton Road, Cambridge was set. The court set a full day trial for the case.

Date for trial set for Cambridge protester. Support appreciated!

The prosecution handed over witness statements and said they wanted to use CCTV from McDonalds as well as a Youtube video (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld3I4zVxc2A). Well, have a look and judge for yourself. What an evil dangerous protest, right?

The campaigner is still awaiting his request for legal aid and so has no representation at this time.

Section 5 of the Public Order Act basically is words or behaviour likely to cause ‘harassment, alarm or distress’ and as we all know holding a placard and expressing your views in McDonalds is very harassing, alarming and distressing and a terrible crime!

Trial Date:
15th Sep, 10.00 a.m. at Cambridge Magistrates Court at 43 Hauxton Road, Cambridge – Support Welcome!

New Social Centre Opens / Frome Squatters’ Network

6.07.2008
The new Social Centre in Frome, a short ways south of Bath, is hosting it’s first public event this Thursday – the first meeting of the Frome Squatters’ Network!

The Frome Autonomous Zone

6.07.2008
The new Social Centre in Frome, a short ways south of Bath, is hosting it’s first public event this Thursday – the first meeting of the Frome Squatters’ Network!

The Frome Autonomous Zone
..is a large house on Somerset Road, Frome, which aims to become a fully functioning Social Centre as soon we get our acts together. We can offer meeting and arts spaces and are working on a music room.

The center is at 36, Somerset Road, near the junction with Weymouth Road. Just look for the huge banner and the red and black flag fluttering proudly from the roof!

The Frome Squatters’ Network
…aims to connect with squatters and everyone interested in squatting, in order to create a social, political and practical network for the promotion of squatting in the Frome area. If you’re in the area and looking to squat, drop by – there’s plenty of empties to go round!

The meeting begins at 7pm.

No Cops – No Journos – No Fash

Arsonist hit car dealership (Athens, 5/7/2008)

A fire erupted at 03:22, inside a car dealership, on Kalamakiou street, 97, at Alimos, wrecking 5 cars and damaging 14 others and also the building.

Source: http://www.naftemporiki.gr/news/static/08/07/05/1535490.htm

A fire erupted at 03:22, inside a car dealership, on Kalamakiou street, 97, at Alimos, wrecking 5 cars and damaging 14 others and also the building.

Source: http://www.naftemporiki.gr/news/static/08/07/05/1535490.htm

250 hens liberated for Sean Kirtley

“With one more comrade behind bars, we decided to turn to a more direct form of action.

“With one more comrade behind bars, we decided to turn to a more direct form of action. Sean Kirtley got over 4 years for editing a website. So why bother doing anything legal?

Taking the message from the government loud and clear, we took up the tools of liberation during the night and made our way to an egg battery farm south of York. We ‘broke in’ by opening the door to the lower section of the farm and climbing up to the cages. Over-night we freed 250 hens and took them all to new homes across the country.

This action is dedicated to Sean whose spirit will still be outside those bars helping animals in the face of government stitch-ups and a corrupt legal system.

The change is in our hands, the battle has just begun…
The Animal Liberation Front”

anonymous communique – additional photos

Support Sean Kirtley