Action Reports – Page 295

Police evicts social centre ‘Ungdomshuset’ in Copenhagen (& solidarity demo in London)

1.03.2007

After a long political and legal battle the basis-democratic, alternative political and cultural centre ‘Ungdomshuset’ was forcefully evicted by riot police and airborne anti-terror squads this morning. Ensuing demonstrations have seen large-scale confrontations between protestors and heavy-handed police, here is the full story from Copenhagen.

After serious social conflicts and uprisings by the autonomist and squatting movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the subsequent ‘Ungdomshuset’ was offered as part of a political compromise to the activists. The mainly young activists dubbed it ‘Ungdomshuset’ (‘The Youth House’), and started running various cultural and political activities out of there. It has for many years served as one of the only multicultural, basis-democratic collectives/community centres in Copenhagen, with the exception of the Freetown Christiania. Property rights remained in the hands of the local council, which in 1999 decided to disregard the previous political compromise and sell the house to the highest bidder.

In 2003 the fundamentalist Christian sect ‘Faderhuset’, which had bought the property in 2001 prompted the authorities to evict the ‘Ungdomshuset’ and its users. Despite many demonstrations in support of ‘Ungdomshuset’ Faderhuset won the ensuing courtcase and the politicians avoided serious involvement in the conflict, despite the political nature of the case. Many domestic demonstrations saw alleged police brutality and in December an ‘Ungdomshuset’ demonstration turned into a major confrontation between activists from all over Europe and the police. Subsequently the ‘Ungdomshuset’ was fortified in order to avoid an eviction and return the issue to the political arena.

This morning at 7:00 AM the anti-terror squad landed on the roof of the ‘Ungdomshuset’ via helicopters, while riot-police sealed off the street and attacked using teargas from below. As the whole area is closed off no documentation of the action and police-behaviour can take place. Some witnesses say that teargas and police violence was plentiful, although the eviction happened swiftly and according to police in a ‘relatively calm manner’.

Later in the day activists from all over Copenhagen rushed to protest the eviction of ‘Ungdomshuset’, they were met by aggressive policemen in riot gear blocking the street arresting suspected troublemakers with many resulting injuries. The demonstrators fought back and tried to reclaim the ‘Ungdomshuset’, but were repelled and activists took to the nearby streets and started building barricades, while engaging police in skirmishes.

The neighbourhoods has been entirely shut down by local residents and activists: actions and demonstrations have taken place all over Copenhagen with more planned for the following days and weeks. While sympathisers from all over Europe have been rushing in, although police are attempting to detain suspected activists at the borders. Furthermore solidarity demonstrations are under way in Germany, Norway and Sweden.

The house has functioned as a political and cultural centre, home to political demonstrations, political debates, concerts and many more cultural events since 1982. It has served as a basis-democratic remainder that ‘another world is possible’ until this morning… The actions of solidarity taking place all over Europe, as well as Russia and Australia are greatly appreciated. Please join in and support the struggle for autonomous commons and the resistance against the neoliberal repression. The homepage of ‘Ungdomshuset’ has been shot down but a mirror has been set up (in English) at: http://www.ungeren.dk/en.php3?id_rubrique=4
Furthermore updates can be found on http://indymedia.dk/article/885 and http://indymedia.dk/article/878
Also here is a short video-introduction produced before the eviction http://www.ungeren.dk/spip.php?article79

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Friday DEMO Danish Embassy LONDON

01.03.2007 19:36
Meet 2pm HYDE PARK CORNER, inside on park FRIDAY 2nd MARCH
Bring banners, flags…

Please circulate on www and email lists

See you there
Support the squatters…show solidarity!!!

Royal Danish Embassy in London, Great Britain
55 Sloane Street
London SW1X 9SR
Great Britain

Phone: 00 44 (0)20 7333 0200
Fax: 00 44 (0)20 7333 0270
Email: lonamb@um.dk

Save Rospuda Valley Demonstration, London, 9 March 2007

A ‘Save the Rospuda Valley’ demonstration will take place on Friday, 9th March 2007 at 16.30, outside the Polish Embassy, 47 Portland Place, London.

Residents in 16 Polish towns are protesting in opposition to the building of the ‘Via Baltic Expressway’ through the Rospuda River Valley – the last such natural treasure of its kind in Europe.

The protest camp set up on 13 February aims to delay the work. Protestors are sleeping in and amongst the trees, in temperatures as low as -20 degrees Centigrade (use the links below to view recent footage of the conditions at the camp):

The camp:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaZiKfyRLdM&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ_fWfQ2mjo&NR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44IySFbtmGc&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW41XY4eofQ&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZS41nBvZcM&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSVlnNVb6jM&mode=related&search=

Olecko town feeds the protesters – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mQJeoAdtJo&mode=related&search=

Further information concerning the situation, along with updates from the camp are also available at (these sites feature articles in English language):

www.viabalticainfo.org
www.dolina-rospudy.pl
http://www.zieloni.org.pl/

Donations can be made to:
Description: “Rospuda”
Account Number (IBAN): 44 16801206 0000 3000 1447 1454
Fundacja Instytut Spraw Obywatelskich
ul. Wieckowiskiego 33/127 90-734 Lódz
Nazwa banku / oddział: Invest Bank
Swiftcode (BIC): * *IVSEPL PP

Invite to Tara

1.3.2007
The last in a series of legal challenges against the road through the Tara -Skyrne valley has failed today. There are 72 hours left before the road works which will not alone bisect the historic valley, but place a
land grab and ugly planning in and around the whole area will commence.
And Yes the process was corrupt.

What you can do:

The vigil keepers are peaceful NVDA protestors.
Some are quite young.
They are very isolated.

They have asked for support, so if you are visiting Ireland in the next weeks you could come with cameras and food and even help in blockades.

The Irish Gardai are not known for their patience.
[as we have seen and indeed experienced in both Rossport and The Glen Of the Downs]

The vigil is peaceful and non hierarchical and they are very welcoming of people who come to support them especially if ye bring biscuits to have with the cup of tea at the vigil fire.

*There are 72 hours left to legally stop the road.
the PPP has been signed.
Works are due to commence on Monday.
Messages of solidarity are welcome.

The group though it best to ask for help and to warn everyone that if you want to help- now is the time.

Gur a Mhaith agat!

The Campaign Against Prison Slavery

The Campaign Against Prison Slavery is a group set up to try to expose the reality of prison labour, how little of it teaches skills that can be used after release and which could help reduce the chances of re-offending.

We also seek to expose the private companies that have contracts with prisons that are making huge profits using prisoner labour while the prisoners are paid pennies an hour, any loses incurred by the prison industries contracts are covered by the tax payer.

CAPS now has a new website www.againstprisonslavery.org and the contact details are:

Campaign Against Prison Slavery
P.O. Box 74
Brighton
BN1 4ZQ
E-mail: againstprisonslavery@riseup.net

SAVE PRIOY PARK : Mass Rally (photos)

26.02.2007

As promised by local campaigners, and expected by the wider public, hundreds of local people converged upon Southend Civic Centre last Thursday for the ‘Parkrally’, to oppose controversial plans to widen the A127/A1159 Priory Crescent, or ‘scheme F5’ as it has come to be known.

The event follows the recent ‘storming’ of the British Archaeological Awards celebration at Prittlewell Priory in January, when dozens of local residents disrupted an invite only ‘wine and cheese’ event held for local dignitaries, in celebration of the discovery of the East Saxon king’s burial, which would be destroyed, should the £25m road scheme get the go ahead.

Feelings continue to run high, with majority public opposition to the scheme repeatedly being shown by local groups, and press, six years into the campaign to stop the road.

Speaking from the steps of the Civic Centre, where a meeting of the full Council was taking place inside, campaigner and local resident Shaun Qureshi said, ‘Southend Borough Council are either somehow still ignorant of the fact that so many people continue to demonstrate, or they are arrogant enough to feel that they can simply push us aside.

‘They have only time and silence on their side, and the commonly held misconception that the scheme has already been canned by the Department for Transport, who would be required to provide the funding. The feeling that the scheme will not now go ahead is due to the delay in anyone in authority either taking any responsibility, or coming to a decision on the issue.

‘However, recent events have proven that despite this, significant numbers of the local public can still be mobilised to take action, that we do have majority support, and should the go-ahead be given, that there will be outrage across the town if attempts are made to evict Camp Bling, concrete over the burial or to destroy yet another green space.’

A decision to fund the road widening has been awaited from the DfT since a local Public Inquiry took place in March 2004. Information from the East of England Regional Partnership Group shows that costs have now risen to an estimated £25m for the 870 metre length of carriageway , making it potentially, ‘The most expensive stretch of road in the world.’

http://www.savepriorypark.org

GP ship impounded during anti-Trident action

23 February: Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise impounded during floating blockade of Faslane naval base. Snippets below from GP press releases.

This morning the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise out-manoeuvred MoD ships and is now anchored across the entrance to the base. Meanwhile six smaller blocking boats have dropped off Greenpeace volunteers in canoes who are attempting to scale HMS Vigilant, one of the UK’s four Vanguard nuclear weapons subs berthed at Faslane.

23 February: Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise impounded during floating blockade of Faslane naval base. Snippets below from GP press releases.

Later that day:
UPDATE: Twenty military police stormed the ship and smashed their way onto the bridge of the Arctic Sunrise shortly after 5pm following the day-long stand-off. The military police cut the anchor chain and towed the ship into the nuclear base. All onboard have been arrested for being in a restricted area.

See http://www.greenpeace.org.uk for more (pix, etc)
and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6388967.stm

The Arctic Sunrise is due to berth on the Thames in early March, ahead of the parliamentary debate and vote on Trident replacement.

Dozens of Swampys desperately needed to save Rospuda Valley, Poland

People who will defend the valley are needed. Do not leave Polish eco-warriors alone. Polish ultracatholic government is building a road through primeval forest. An inquiry into the preparation of this investment shows that the decison process was undemocratic, a variant called Chodorki variant of the proposed bypass that was avoiding the valley altogether was excluded from the appraisal procedure, as well as the Eastern variant, which was the cheapest.

Swampys in all qualities and quantities are needed in Poland to stop, or slow down the inwestment, and to create the much needed media coverage of this problem. As by now, no one of the national media reporting on the problem have not arrived to the core of the problem, that is the manipulations of the authorities with the choice of the variants and manipulated transport investment appraisal process. The government-owned TVP (kind of Polish BBC, alas ultracatholic and neonationalistic) is so biased when reporting on the issue, that it despereatedly tries to show ecologists as mentally ill people that possess even no capability to speak in their own name.

Here are the directions to Rospuda Valley.

The Valley is here:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF8&z=12&ll=53.896045,22.934303&spn=0.146468,0.3162&om=1

The camp is over the river. Easy to find if arrived to Augustów no later than in the mid-day as it might be 4 hours walk from the town.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rospuda

From Kaunas to Augustów you might take a bus or a train. There is one train connection daily from Kaunas to Augustów, the train departs at 13:01 with change in Sestokai and arrives at 15:56. The schedules (also connections from other European cities to Augustów) are here:

http://rozklad.pkp.pl/bin/query.exe/en?

Nights are cold. Please check the weather forecast before departing. Get ready for more than minus 10 degree in the night.

plea for international support and publicity, let everyone you know, know. people needed to support camp with people power. if you plan to go to rospuda from u.k in mid march, contact piotr-dziedzice@gmail.com.

Rospuda Protest Camp – Films for viewing

Use the links below to watch the most recent films from the Rospuda Protest Camp. This will give you an idea of the conditions and temperatures being endured by the activists. Dialogue is in Polish language, but the images speak for themselves:

Olecko town feeds the protesters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mQJeoAdtJo&mode=related&search=

Police Critical of Mass (edinburgh)

23 Feb 2007
A critical mass of over 40 cyclists converged this Friday on Edinburgh city centre. After meeting between the art galleries near the mound they undertook a lively cycle ride, lasting nearly two hours through the town.

The mass had a generally uncompromising attitude to traffic, corking lanes at red lights to keep the mass together, ensuring the event was safe and fun for all involved.

Pounding techno music from the sound system set a really good mood for the cycle. There was a 25Watt megaphone-soundsystem with some uplifting tunes from Aphex twin, Squarepusher, a bit apocolyptic orchestral. One of the participants said “The music was quite amazing, it brought a whole different atmosphere to the ride. By changing the daily reality of people, with cars blocked and silent bikes riding to the music that filling the whole street, there is a vision of what is possible. I think critical mass is a revolutionary moment.”

Four police motorcycles arrived halfway through the ride, intercepting the procession outside the mosque near Edinburgh University. Several individuals were pulled to one side and warned that their lights were not legal. Despite forty cyclists being quite conspicuous and easily observable by motorists, they complained that several participants in the critical mass were breaking the law. Apparently flashing red lights are not adequately safe and visible, despite forty people with flashing red lights looking much like an xmas party. The name and address of one Edinburgh University student was taken, but no-one was arrested or formally cautioned, although they were warned that they may face an on the spot fine if caught again without legal lights. Despite this, the four police motorcyclists left the mass and no police were seen again after this unnecessary confrontation.

An Edinburgh University anthropology student who was accosted by the a police motorcyclists commented: “the problems they had with me were reasonable, i was cycling without any lights, they were just enforcing the law, I didnt go home when warned and was going slow on the inside lane and partially obstructing the police motorcycles”

One of the participants, an unemployed man living in Leith said: “the police were being antagonistic. So what if some of us had flashing red lights, and did not have the legally necessary white lights on the front of our bikes, haven’t they got better things to do? I think they just hate it when a bunch of people get together in a group to do something fun or radical and they cant control or dominate the situation. Despite the police, it was the best critical mass i have been on, good people and good atmosphere.”

A computer programmer from near the meadows said “I thought it went just dandily, it was good that we went slowly and blocked the whole road and there was nothing they [the police] could do about it because we were well within the law.”

“I’m going to dress up like a fucking christmas tree for the next critical mass, then they cant complain!” exclaimed one cyclist.

The vast majority of those in the mass were not intimidated by the police and continued with the critical mass demonstration, continuing along George St., and enjoyed cycling around the roundabouts and along the picturesque cobbled streets.

Edinburgh’s critical mass meets at 5.30pm on the last Friday of every month, outside the art gallery at the foot of the mound, It appears to be growing in numbers and enthusiasm as the warmer and lighter seasons approach.

Southend: Hundreds gather to oppose controversial F5 road widening

As promised by local campaigners, and expected by the wider public, hundreds of local people converged upon Southend Civic Centre this evening for the ‘Parkrally’, to oppose controversial plans to widen the A127/A1159 Priory Crescent, or ‘scheme F5’ as it has come to be known.
The event follows the recent ‘storming’ of the British Archaeological Awards celebration at Prittlewell Priory in January(1), when dozens of local residents disrupted an invite only ‘wine and cheese’ event held for local dignitaries, in celebration of the discovery of the East Saxon king’s burial, which would be destroyed, should the £25m road scheme get the go ahead.

Feelings continue to run high, with majority public opposition to the scheme repeatedly being shown by local groups, and press, six years into the campaign to stop the road.
Speaking from the steps of the Civic Centre, where a meeting of the full Council was taking place inside, campaigner and local resident Shaun Qureshi said, ‘Southend Borough Council are either somehow still ignorant of the fact that so many people continue to demonstrate, or they are arrogant enough to feel that they can simply push us aside.
‘They have only time and silence on their side, and the commonly held misconception that the scheme has already been canned by the Department for Transport, who would be required to provide the funding. The feeling that the scheme will not now go ahead is due to the delay in anyone in authority either taking any responsibility, or coming to a decision on the issue.
‘However, recent events have proven that despite this, significant numbers of the local public can still be mobilised to take action, that we do have majority support, and should the go-ahead be given, that there will be outrage across the town if attempts are made to evict Camp Bling, concrete over the burial or to destroy yet another green space.’(2)
A decision to fund the road widening has been awaited from the DfT since a local Public Inquiry took place in March 2004. Information from the East of England Regional Partnership Group shows that costs have now risen to an estimated £25m for the 870 metre length of carriageway (3), making it potentially, ‘The most expensive stretch of road in the world.’(4)
—————————————————————-
ENDS.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
1 British Archaeological Awards 2006:
www.britarch.ac.uk/awards/winners2006.html
2 Camp Bling website: www.savepriorypark.org
3 East of England Regional Partnership Group regional funding allocations advice to Government report January 2006, page 25:
http://www.eera.gov.uk/Documents/About%20EERA/Policy/Regional%20Governance/Regional%20Funding%20Allocations/Final%20EoE%20RFA%20300106.pdf
4 Southend Evening Echo Monday 13th February 2006

Bradford Climate Criminals flyposted

22.1.07
On Wednesday evening, a number of concerned Leeds and Bradford residents decided to draw attention to the activities of a number of climate criminals in Bradford city centre. Advertisements for damaging air flights were modified to tell the truth; that flying is the fastest growing cause of climate change, the “single greatest threat to human-kind” according to the government’s chief scientist.

Despite assurances that climate change is being taken seriously by any number of politicians or business people, the fact is that new runways are planned, motorways are being expanded, and pipelines being built to increase our dependence on fossil fuels. In the face of this hypocrisy, it was clear that the time had come to make a direct statement that irresponsible criminality of this kind will not be tolerated by sane and moderate people.

Several travel agents, shamelessly plugging massively destructive air flights for profit, had their misleading window displays obscured by handy stickers which made plain the true cost of flying. Those people taking part in this vital service did so as a way of encouraging others to stand up against the climate criminals and carry out similar public-spirited actions in their areas. The stickers used are available at a cost of 50p each to anyone who wants them – just email trees@riseup.net with your order. The stickers are just £10 for 20, post free!

There is still time to prevent runaway climate change but we must act now.

Part of that action must be to expose the ongoing activites of those who wish to destroy the planet for profit. Clearly, we can’t leave it to business and government to sort out the mess – they are the ones making it because of their bizarre obsession with an economic system based on continual growth and unsustainable consumption.

The rich are plundering the Earth, and as always the poor will suffer the worst. We can all act in our lives, and join together to create a radical, and ultimately reasonable and moderate, movement for social change and climate justice.

This action was inspired by the Camp For Climate Action, which seems to have been a new beginning for the fight-back by reasonable and moderate people against the climate criminals and profit-terrorists who seek to kill us all.