Action Reports – Page 93

Action round-up from Faslane anti-nuke action month

Four Olympic Gold Medal Winners arrested at Faslane Naval Base on Monday 11th June!

The four women from Glasgow and Edinburgh are members of the Gareloch Hortis peace group which was taking part in thirty days of actions to mark thirty years of Faslane Peace Camp’s protest against Trident nuclear weapons. The group staged the Peace Olympics with events as varied as synchronised swimming and putting the Haggis.

The medallists were arrested during the Tug of Peace across the North Gate of the base.

The event drew attention to the continued presence of the illegal and deadly weapons in Scotland, and all eight other nuclear nations. The winners’ podium highlighted that the only way to win the Race for Peace is to lay down the weapons of mass destruction.

Activists blockade Faslane Naval Base

19.6.2012

Today at 7 o’ clock in the morning activists of the Faslane Peacecamp blockaded the Trident Naval Base. Three people locked on in front of the South Gate. From the original five people at the North Gate two were arrested immediately while the rest were able to blockade one lane of the road. The blockade lasted about 90 minutes.

A spokesperson said on behalf of the Peace Camp: ” We are having this blockade today because we want to show our opposition against nuclear weapons. We express our fear and our anger in a nonviolent way. We ask the British government to listen to the opinion of the majority of Scottish people and MSP’s. The People do not want Trident! They do not want this base with it’s nuclear weapons in Scotland. Due to the fact that in the next few years Scottish independence may be achieved now is the time to put pressure upon the British government. Instead of starting to put money into a Trident replacement we want them to shut down the Faslane Naval Base and stop their nuclear weapons program.”

An international activist added: “This blockade was a very international one. People from all parts of Britain and activists from Spain and Sweden were involved. I think that it is my right and my duty as a global citizen to do nonviolent direct actions against nuclear weapons as long as our governments do not fulfill their duty and stop fighting wars. Nuclear weapons are illegal by international humanitarian law and I want all countries to respect this and make a step to a more peaceful world.”

This blockade is part of the 30 days of action from the 9th June to the 9th July. To find out more about what has happened and will happen in the future visit our blog.

http://faslanepeacecamp.wordpress.com/

Faslane Peace Campers Trespass at Coulport Nuclear Weapons Depot

15/06/2012

Angus Chalmers and Leonna O'Neill of Faslane Peace Camp entered RNAD Coulport in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

They left the camp on foot at approximately 10pm with the intentions of seeing how close they could get to Coulport under the cover of darkness. By the time they were approaching the outer fence perimeter the two still hadn't been apprehended or detected by security or any of the night vision cctv cameras, and so decided to continue to see how far luck (or the ineptitudes of the security system on what should be the most heavily guarded naval depot in the UK) would get them.

They decided to approach the Explosives Handling Jetty via the shore line and entered by wading water and climbing a razor wire fence. At this point they decided to walk visibly and announce themselves to the first police they saw. To their surprise they were met with zero security personnel and were able to access a jetty a matter of feet from the Explosives Handling Jetty where the Trident nuclear warheads are loaded to the Vangaurd submarines.

Angus climbed a further fence into the establishment setting off the bandit alarm and alerting the MOD security and cctv camera operators. Both were soon apprehended by MOD police and arrested and charged with miilitary by-laws and the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCPA). Both were held in custody until court on Thursday afternoon where the SOCPA charges were dropped and they pleaded not guilty to the by-laws charges.

Leonna and Angus said "This is evidence that the Couport Nuclear Weapons Depot is unsafe. The capacity for this technology to irreperably destroy life and the environment should be reason enough to ensure that it is safe guarded and protected in a way that does not allow for human error or complacency. The relative ease at which we were able to approach and enter Coulport on foot and the close proximatey we were able to get to the Explosives Handling Jetty is surprising and disturbing".

Faslane Peace Camp and Trident Ploughshares Trespass at Faslane Naval Base

2/07/2012

Seven activists from Faslane Peace Camp and Trident Ploughshares entered Faslane naval base this morning with four members of the group slipping past guards and reaching points up to 100 yards inside the base. A further two were arrested in the attempt.

At 7am this morning Faslane Peace Camp and Trident Ploughshares activists attended the North gate of the Faslane Naval Base to serenade the approaching morning shift staff with peace and nuclear disarmament songs. The act doubled as a ruse to enable fifteen of the group to attempt entering the base. One TP activist, Brian Larkin, succeeded in gaining entry to the base whilst the rest were prevented from doing so by Minitsry of Defence and Strathclyde police.

Brian was charged with breach of SOCPA, the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, and miliatry by-laws and later released on an undertaking. Upon being released Larkin said “the serious organised crime happens inside the base and not in these actions for peace and disarmament. It is the ongoing deployment of Trident submarines – each carrying 48 warheads, eight times more destructive than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima which killed 200,000 people – that constitutes serious organised crime and violates every principle of humanity in international law.”

In a show of the same relentless persistence that has kept the Peace Camp and the anti-nuclear movement going over the years, the group later returned to make a second attempt at breaching the North Gate. Two were arrested during the attempt whilst six gained entry, four of which reaching up to 100 yards inside the base.

The bandit alarm was activated and the Naval Base was locked down, preventing traffic from entering the base and normal operations to continue within the base for 45 minutes. The action was part of the Peace Camp’s 30 Days of Action marking 30 years of continuous resistance to nuclear weapons at Faslane. Thirty people have been arrested in the campaign which began on 9 June. Nine people were arrested today.

It is not yet clear what the other eight will be charged with but a breach of SOCPA charge is likely in addition to breaching military by-laws. Angus Chalmers of the Fasland Peace Camp said “This land has been fenced and designated as a SOCPA area in order to make possible the serious crime of deploying Trident.” Margaret Bremner of the Trident Ploughshares Gareloch Horticulturalists affinity group added “We cross this line today to demonstrate that this land, this earth, does not belong to a state which is using it to threaten the destruction of the earth and all its peoples. We enter this gate in order to reclaim land for life not death.”

Each of those trespassing were carrying letters explaining the international illegality of nuclear weapons to present to workers inside the base. In 1996, the International Court of Justice wrote the advisory opinion that not only would the use of nuclear weapons be illegal but the very threat of use through deployment, maintenance and upgrade of nuclear weapons systems is in contravention to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Under the terms of the NPT which entered into force over forty years ago, the UK government is obligated to bring nuclear disarmament to completion. Instead the UK government has continued to maintain and is now upgrading its nuclear weapons system. The recent news that the MoD has awarded lucrative contracts to arms companies for the initial stages of a Trident replacement programme furthers this ongoing mockery of our international legal obligations.

As long as our government continues to fail in it’s obligation to make serious moves toward complete nuclear disarmament, members of Trident Plougshares and Faslane Peace Camp are committed to non-violent direct action to disrupt the deployment of these illegal and immoral weapons.

Further demonstrations are planned for the remainder of the thirty days of action which will finish on July 9th. Amongst other actions, there will be an academic seminar blockade on Friday and a Rebel Clown Army insurgence on Saturday. For more information on the 30Days Action Campaign contact the camp via faslane30@gmail.com.

Faslane Peace Camp: 01436 820901 or 07511793227
Trident Ploughshares: Brian Larkin 07768 312676

For More information on
Trident Ploughshares see: www.tridentploughshares.org.uk
Faslane Peace Camp and 30 Days of Action see: http://faslanepeacecamp.wordpress.com/

State Of Emergency In Cajamarca Follows Four Deaths in Mine Protests

6th July '12

A state of emergency has been declared in three provinces in the Andean department of Cajamarca, located in northern Peru, following the deaths of four people during protests against the multi-billion dollar Conga gold project.

6th July '12

Peru’s Executive branch approved the measure, which curtails civil liberties, in the provinces of Cajamarca, Celendin and Hualgayoc. The state of emergency came into force on Wednesday and will be valid for 30 days, the government said.

The measure follows the death in Celendin of three people and more than 30 injured on Tuesday, during clashes between police and demonstrators. One of the persons killed was 17 years old. More than 15 people were arrested. On the same day, a man was killed during protests in Bambamarca, capital of the province of Hualgayoc.

This week’s protests, with Minas Conga still in focus, are against the mayors of 65 districts who last week were in Lima with President Humala at the Government Palace to accept government investment in a series of infrastructure projects in their provinces.

It is the second time since last December that Peru has declared a state of emergency in Cajamarca to control escalating protests against the $4.8 billion Minas Conga project, which is being developed by gold mining company Yanacocha.

Yanacocha is majority controlled by US-based Newmont Mining (51%), with Peru’s Minas Buenaventura owning 49%.

Protests late last year against Minas Conga, over worries that it would harm the water supply to farmers, resulted in the suspension of the project.

At the same time, the delay in reaching an agreement with protesters pushed President Humala to make a major cabinet shuffle late last year, appointing former Interior minister Oscar Valdes as his new premier to apply a stronger hand in quelling the protests. Those against the mining project have only become more entrenched.

Independent consultants hired by the government have reviewed the Minas Conga environmental impact study, and the government said recently that the company could restart work if it made some changes like building water reservoirs before starting construction of the mine.

However, opposition has remained strong despite attempts by Peru’s government to resolve the dispute. One of the main opponents of the project is the regional government of Cajamarca, led by far-left governor Gregorio Santos.

Santos rejected the state of emergency and called on the government to lift the measure.

Minas Conga is the latest in a number of mining projects that have been targeted by community opposition, largely over environmental concerns. Analysts say some $50 billion in mining investments are at risk due to the social conflicts in Peru, a country where mining has been the lynchpin of economic growth.

Squat Milada brutally evicted after an attempt to make a one-off commemorative gig

The Prague's renowned squat Vila Milada, which was evicted three years ago after being one of the most important places for Czech autonomous underground scene, had been occupied by approximately 30 people on Saturday July 30th to commemorate the bleak anniversary by an improvised hardcore punk gig. Even though the authorities were informed that this is a one-off event which is not an attempt to reocuppy the squat for good but a symbolic pointing out of a passive approach of a Czech state to take care of unused buildings and of the oppression against alternative culture, the police reacted with a massive police operation including an aggressive attack against the non-violent concert-goers, which resulted in many bloody injuries and in a temporary arrest of tens of people. At least 20 people were brutally beaten up and psychologically humiliated inside the building out of reach of cameras and witnesses and the remaining 7 activists hid behind the chimneys on the roof of the building, fearing for their health and risking their lives over a 4-storey gap directing to ground. After a day-long negotiations and a couple of stupid attempts of the Czech police to harass tens of supporters in front of the building, the squatters decided to climb down if the Police lets them to gather their belongings from the lower parts of the house. In the early evening of Sunday July 1st, they realized all of their equipment, including laptops, loudspeakers, guitar combos and electric guitars, were smashed up by the intervening Police riot squad. The owner of the house is going to bring a lawsuit against the activists and more serious offenses are actually threatening them.

Brazil tribes occupy contentious dam site

30th June 2012

About 150 indigenous people are protesting a massive dam they say will dry up the river their livelihood depends on.

30th June 2012

About 150 indigenous people are protesting a massive dam they say will dry up the river their livelihood depends on.

A cluster of 12 men from the Xikrin tribe chant in their native language while marching together, arms interlocked, stomping their feet against the dry red dirt. They say this is their call of resistance from the Amazon.

The Xikrin are joined by about 150 indigenous people from three other tribes – the Arara, Juruna, and Parakana – that are occupying one of the work sites at the Belo Monte dam construction site in what is becoming a high-stakes standoff. The occupation, which is entering its second week, has halted a part of the construction on what will be the world's third-largest hydroelectric dam.

At the site of the protest, visited by Al Jazeera on Wednesday, the tribesmen were carrying clubs and spears and had built rudimentary sleeping quarters in what has essentially become a non-violent sit-in. An anthropologist was with them, typing away at her laptop as the indigenous people articulated their demands.

The tribes are occupying a road, built by the dam builders, which cuts through part of the Xingu River's waterways. The road blocks the natural flow of the waters.

The occupation of the site began at about 11 am on June 21 and played out like something from a fictional Hollywood movie. The indigenous people arrived at the work site in half a dozen small boats, charged the area, and announced that they were taking over. The construction workers, seeing the tribesmen with their faces painted for combat and armed with spears, immediately fled for safety.

"The workers were scared, so they immediately ran when we arrived," said Bepumuiti, from the Juruna tribe. "They probably thought they were going to die."

The tribesmen confiscated the keys to more than three dozen dump trucks and heavy machinery left behind.

What the indigenous people want

Last year, a series of conditions were agreed upon with the indigenous people to reduce the impact of the construction of the dam on their communities. Some of the conditions included the demarcation of indigenous lands, the construction of health facilities and schools, and means of transportation for the tribal people when the rivers dry up.

In exchange for their agreement, the indigenous said they would not forcefully oppose the dam construction.

The problem, the indigenous now say, is that while the construction of the dam steams ahead, the promises made by the consortium building the dam and by government-led Norte Energia – the energy company overseeing the dam – have yet to be fulfilled.

So the tribes decided to invade. This was a historic and significant move, because the decision was made without the assistance or knowledge of local or international NGOs or government rights bodies, who in the past often assisted tribes during protest movements.

"We would not be here today if the builders and the government would have done what they promised us," Bebtok, a tribe elder from the Xikrin tribe, told Al Jazeera. "In my community, nothing has been done. There is no quality health post, there is no school, they have not built a road for us. My road is the river and that is going to be dried up."

Since October, the tribes most affected by the construction of the dam have been receiving a budget of about $15,000 from the government, through which they can request anything they want, such as gasoline for their boats, food or construction material.

But the tribes have been told that the money – called "emergency assistance" in government parlance – will stop later this year, infuriating the tribal people at the very moment they are starting to feel the negative impacts of the dam, they say.

The indigenous people are now also starting to see the impact the construction is having on their lives. Surara, from the Parakana tribe, showed Al Jazeera how a road built on the construction site through a natural waterway of the Xingu river has already started to dry out one side of the river.

"We were always navigating this river because we know this river like the palm of our hands," Surara said. "And today, as you can see, it's very dry. That is sad for us."

Surara predicted that, at the current pace of construction, in two years the tribe will no longer be able to reach their community by boat because of the changes in water levels. The tribes have a new list of demands they want fulfilled before they say they will end their occupation.

Response from government and builders

The tribes' occupation of the dam seemed to catch the dam builders and the government by surprise. In response, Norte Energia has taken what seems like a peculiar approach that involves two very opposite responses, using the carrot and the stick at the same time. Three days after the occupation began, a judge rejected a request to have the indigenous evicted by force from the area.

At the same time, Norte Energia is providing the indigenous people three meals a day at the occupation site. Often times, a representative from the company will show up at the site during a meal and ask the indigenous people for the keys back to their heavy machinery. So far, the tribes have refused to hand them over.

Last week, Norte Energia refused an Al Jazeera request for an interview on the matter. Norte Energia has said in the past that the economic and social assistance packages to help the tribes will be implemented at various points during the entirety of the project, as previously agreed upon.

Behind the scenes, the company is facing a daunting task. Not only do each of the four tribes involved in the occupation have their own set of demands, but there are also as many as 35 different sub-communities within the tribes taking part in the occupation, and each have their own interests and requests they want met.

Activists face arrest

Pressure is building on multiple fronts. Construction of the dam ramped up earlier this year, and there are strict timetables to get the dam up and running by late 2014.

Aside from the indigenous protest, several other tense issues surrounding the dam are coalescing at the same time.

In Altamira, the closest city to the dam site, 11 people – all unaffiliated with the indigenous protest now occurring – are fighting arrest warrants after being accused of helping organise an anti-dam protest earlier in June that the dam builders say led to property damage. Local TV channels have been airing video of broken windows and the burning of office equipment at the construction site.

The activists facing possible arrest all deny they were involved, and say any protests they organised were peaceful and legal. They include, among others, a Catholic priest, a nun, some members of Xingu Vivo Para Sempre – a local anti-dam NGO – as well as a local fisherman featured in an Al Jazeera report in January

Police have an open investigation, and have yet to formally announce if charges will be filed. However, even the threat of jail time has sent a chill through the tight-knit community of local anti-dam activists.

How will it end?

On Thursday, in the city of Altamira, more than 60 of the indigenous occupiers met with a high-level delegation from Brasilia that included the president of Norte Energia.

The meeting lasted nearly four hours, and was closed to the media. The indigenous people discussed their demands to end the protest, but no agreement was reached. Norte Energia said they needed to take the requests back to Brasilia for analysis. A new meeting was set for July 9. In the meantime, the tribes say their occupation will continue. It was also agreed by all sides that work will continue on the parts of the construction site not under the control of the tribes.

"This was a very friendly conversation; the tribe elders are very wise and measured," said Carlos Nascimento, president of Norte Energia, in a brief press conference after the meeting. "There are some young tribesmen that want some improvements, and as much as we can, we will do anything in our power so these kinds of things will not happen again."

The indigenous seemed determined to keep up the fight for as long as it takes. "What we asked for, the dam builders did not give us an answer to, so we will only leave the construction site when they bring an answer to us on paper," Giliardi, from the Juruna tribe, said after the meeting. "And as long as they don't do anything in our communities regarding infrastructure, we are not leaving the occupation."

Meanwhile, more boats loaded with indigenous people are arriving at the protest site every day. It is an indication that this standoff in the Amazon could drag on for days to come.

Earth First! Summer Gathering Update – programme, directions, website and more

It’s only weeks until the Earth First! Summer Gathering begins.
Five days of workshops, info sharing and learning new skills, 1-5 August.

The Earth First Summer Gathering takes place each year to provide a space in which the radical ecology movement can share skills and plan for future campaigns and actions.

Discussions around the importance of community building in inner cities, the state of the anarchist movement and patriarchy in activism.

Skill shares including women's self-defence, researching corporations and navigation.

Campaign round ups from Frack Off! Smash Edo and Luddites 2000 amongst others.

If you have workshops you like to run or discussions you'd like to facilitate then email us at earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net

Full programme.

Camping is on a sliding scale of £30 to £15, pay what is genuinely appropriate.

Food will be from Anarchist Teapot and meal tickets will be £5 a day.

Kids can have separate meals if they want for £3 a day.

There will be a couple of kids spaces, and special workshops being ran for kids. If you’d like to run any kids workshops get in touch at earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net.

If you want you dog to come along then you’re going to have to email us at earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net

And of course there will be entertainment and a bar open in the evenings.

The camp is ½ mile from the Berrington village, and 1 mile from the larger village of Cross Houses.

We encourage non-cycling campers to use public transport if possible as Cross Houses is on a bus route.

BY TRAIN
The nearest train station is Shrewsbury. You can then get the bus to Cross Houses (see below). If coming from a long distance it can sometimes be cheaper to get a ticket to a large station such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Manchester or Crewe and then a separate ticket on to Shrewsbury. Check national rail for train times and prices. If coming from the London direction, it’s generally cheaper to buy a Super Offpeak Return, specifying “London Midland & Arriva only”.

BY BIKE
See here for directions and a map to the camp from Shrewsbury for cyclists and drivers.

BY BUS
When you arrive at Shrewsbury train station, ask someone to point you to the bus station. It’s only a few minutes walk from the train station. The bus service that runs from town to within a mile of Crabapple is the 436 towards Bridgnorth. It runs every hour from 7.40am to 5.40pm with a “late” one at 7.40pm. The journey to Cross Houses is approx 15 mins. You will need to press the stop button when you see the sign for Cross Houses. Some of the services on this route are low-floor accessible buses. Please note that the last bus leaves Shrewsbury at 7.40pm, Monday to Saturday and there are no Sunday bus services. For the bus timetable see here http://shropshire.gov.uk/bustimes/timetable.jsc?timetable=436mfi0412.
The camp itself is about 1 mile from the bus stop. From the bus stop at Cross Houses, walk back towards Shrewsbury past the petrol station (on your right) and take the first left turn signed “Berrington”. After about ½ mile, the road forks at the edge of the village. Take the right turn signposted “Betton Abbots” and we’re about ¼ mile up the road on the right.
If you intend to come by bus but need help getting to and from the bus stop, you can arrange a pick up with us: details will be available nearer the time.

BY TAXI
There is also a taxi rank just outside Shrewsbury train station. Accessible taxis can be got from here.- but it is MUCH cheaper to book a cab from a local company – Comet Cabs 01743 344444, or Vincent Cabs 01743 367777. Vincents also have a booking office just across the road from the station, which is handy if you don’t have a phone to book a cab in advance.

USEFUL LINKS
See here directions and a map to the camp from Shrewsbury for cyclists and drivers.
See a map of where the site is here
See the bus timetable
Directions from places other than Shrewsbury

Earth First! Summer Gathering Collective
earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net

http://earthfirstgathering.weebly.com

Climate Siren activists scale Palace gates Rio+20

Four members of the group Climate Siren, which included Occupy London supporters, chained themselves to Buckingham Palace gates on Saturday 23 June to highlight the biggest threat to our planet, climate change. The activists were there for over 4 hours and the stunt attracted national and international media attention. Their banners included a quote from Prince Charles that the ‘doomsday clock of climate change was ticking ever faster towards midnight,’ and called for 10% annual emissions reductions.

The action was timed to coincide with the end of the Rio+20 Earth Summit on Sustainable Development, which as predicted failed to deliver any binding agreement to put humanity on a path of true sustainability and peace. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on our elected officials to save the planet and the Rio +20 agenda was dominated by corporate interests bent on preventing any deviation from business as usual which will threaten their profits. People power is our only hope for saving the planet and all its inhabitants.

http://climate-siren.com/

Frack Off: Activists Blockade Fracking Drill

Update: it has now ended – a successful 7 hour occupation on the gates and no arrests

18.6.2012

Update: it has now ended – a successful 7 hour occupation on the gates and no arrests

18.6.2012

Anti-fracking group, Frack Off, is blockading the site of Cuadrilla Resource’s drilling rig. Twenty people descended on the site at 5am and are blockading the entrance. The site is owned by PR Marriot who is Cuadrilla’s lead drilling contractors.

The action is stopping work on the drill which is being worked on in preparation for more fracking exploration in Lancashire. Frack Off is highlighting the threat posed by the tidal wave of extreme energy extraction methods that are being pushed by the government and a number of mostly US and Australian companies. The action is the beginning of a concerted campaign by people across the country to stop the introduction of these dangerous practices before it is too late.

Despite the mounting evidence from the United States that the exploitation of unconventional fossil fuels such as shale gas and coal bed methane (CBM) threatens to poison the environment, further destabilise the climate and is implicated in rising toll on human health including increasing cancer rates, corporations and governments are doing all they can to push through the introduction of these new energy extraction methods in the face of growing public opposition.

Last month the Energy and Climate Change Minister Gregory Barker announced in parliament that the "Government will continue to seek full economic recovery of UK hydrocarbon resources, both conventional and unconventional", a position which amounts to a declaration of war on the people and environment of the British Isles. Full economic recovery will involve coating the countryside with drilling sites and pipelines while poisoning the air and water and the emission of vast quantities or carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The main justification used for the need for this destructive course of action is that we face an energy crisis and need this gas to "keep the lights on". In reality unconventional fossil fuels are very expensive to extract and the amount that could be extracted is a small fraction of the gas from the North Sea that we have squandered over the last 40 years. The choice we face is between continuing to feed our addiction to increasing expensive and dangerous fossil fuels or putting a stop to the vicious economic system that requires them.

There is a gaping disconnect between the green rhetoric that is thrown around by governments and corporations alike and the dirty, dangerous and impoverished future that they are actually advocating in their quest for a quick buck. This prioritising of corporate greed over the interests of people and ecosystems while pretending to care about them, has no better poster child than the Rio+20 Earth Summit that starts on Wednesday.

Twenty years after world leaders met in Rio de Janeiro and promised to address the environmental and social problems afflicting the planet they will meet again, to promise, again, to do something about the now even worse problems we face. As with twenty years ago they have no intention of actually doing anything that would put a check on the system of corporate exploitation that is destroying the ecosystems we rely on. This is why ordinary people must take a stand to stop the destruction if anything is every going to change.

For more info have a look at:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/frack_off
Facebook: www.facebook.com/frackoffuk
Website: www.frack-off.org
Pictures: http://s.coop/pzid

Agriculture Action Camp 5-10 July Den Bosch NL

From the 5th till 10th of July in Den Bosch in the Netherlands, ASEED will organize a 6 days long camp. The camp will involve workshops, trainings, discussions, and action, for good ecological initiatives, an alternative food chain, alternatives to industrial farming, and against gentech and meat industry, and more..

Do you know where your food comes from? Do you want to take food in your own hands and make the food chain shorter between the farmers and consumers? Do you also want to know more about the struggle against GMOs and industrial farming that is dominated by big companies? Do you want to organize actions against the meat industry and the imports of animal feed? But you are also interested in producing your own food on a sustainable, climate neutral, autonomous and social way? Are you not afraid of getting your hands dirty in a workshop? All of these and more will be covered during the camp. We invite activists, slow-foodies, farmers, gardeners, students, animal friends and people who want to learn and share skills on sustainable agriculture to come to the camp. Mark your agendas and join in!

Last year the first Agriculture Action Camp in The Netherlands took place in the Flevopolder with 70 participants camping on an organic farm for three days. We had a program full of workshops and discussions, and two actions close to the camp against GM crops and soy greenwashing. The participants opted for a replay, so here comes the second camp once again with an interesting programme of workshops, trainings, action and nice atmosphere.

Hello everybody,
We are getting closer to the date it is all going to start, the location will be in the city of Den Bosch (or ‘s Hertogenbosch) in and around a squatted community garden project Graafse Hof in a residential area in the East of the city. The workshop program is getting more and more concrete. Confirmed are amongst other things: GMO update by Greenpeace, GMO field liberation movements by FLM Belgium (more contributions/examples
from similar movements in other countries welcome!!), introduction into different forms of sustainable agriculture systems (biodynamic, agroecology, permaculture), seed saving, worm composting, getting to know your gardening tools, action trainings by Vredesactie, tractor driving, talks with and working with farmers, food sovereignty: what does it mean, European movement, concrete examples, and more to come. The program starts on Thursday 5th in the evening and goes on till Monday 9th July.

Give a Workshop?
Want to come and give a workshop yourself? Great! We are in particularly interested to hear about reclaim the fields land occupation actions, or similar campaigns/initiatives going on, as well as the Reclaim the fields movement in general. Also looking for someone who can tell more about the European Campaign for Seed Sovereignty. But anything relevant, you’re welcome to propose.

Info stall @ mini alternative agro fair on Saturday 7 July, 13.00?
Saturday we want to focus on getting more mainstream people to participate in the camp. The workshops are more introductory and their will be a small fair. Want to have stall to spread materials from your project or action group? Let us know.

Networking @ Worldcafe on Saturday 7 July, 20.00
Saturdaynight we will turn a tent into a nice cafe, where everyone can come to exchange ideas and examples. Organisations, Initiatives and Individuals have the opportunity for reservating a table, where people can sit around to have informal conversations. Want to have a table your project/initiative/campaign? read more here:
http://landbouwactiekamp.contrast.org/?page_id=181

Action
Monday July 9 will have a focus on doing one or more actions. Possible targets/topics are mentioned in the call out from before. The camp will decide collectively what it will become at the beginning of the weekend.

Finances & travel costs reimbursements
We have some funding for the camp but not enough to cover all costs, so we would ask a participants for a contribution of 7,50 if you come 1 day, less per day if you stay longer (see the website under practicalities).
We have some limited possibilities to (partially) cover travel costs from people coming from abroad, AND coming on the 4th of July (help build up) and/or stay till 11th (help break down). Let us know if you want to come, and travel costs are an issue. If you can travel on one of these dates, we can probably reimburse (some) costs.

Want to reserve a workshop slot, info stall or worldcafe table, or just know more about the camp, contact us via landbouwactiekamp@aseed.net.

We still need people to;
-make the kids program and organize the kids area in the camp
-help us with the infrastructure preparations of the camp, & be there on the 4th to set up the camp,
-translation and editing texts,(NL, ENG, DE mainly)
-help us out with program content,
-facilitate workshops, translation during the workshops etc..

Cheers and hope to see some of you @ Den Bosch.

ASEED

http://www.landbouwactiekamp.net/

Carnival of Dirt

On Friday 15 June, London will experience its first ever Carnival of Dirt, a carnival like no other. More than 30 activist groups from London and around the world have come together to highlight the illicit deeds of mining and extraction companies.

Reports and photos from the day: 1 | 2 | 3

http://www.carnivalofdirt.org

Sabotage Action in Mayo

June 13, 2012

Last week a stone crushing machine central to the operation of Barretts Quarry in Bangor, County Mayo was decomissioned. Barretts Quarry was targeted because it supplies materials crucial to the construction of Royal Dutch Shell's dangerous and destructive raw gas pipeline in Broadhaven Bay.

This action was taken in solidarity with the local community who have been in struggle against Royal Dutch Shell for the past ten years, and should serve to demonstrate that any company complicit in supporting Royal Dutch Shell's activities in Mayo, and beyond, can and will be targeted.