Squatting / Free Spaces / Protest Sites – Page 61

Eviction Of Coal Mine Protest Site Started (Bodge House)

7.08.2008
Around 7.45am about 60 police and 50 bailliffs arrived at the house. Throughout the day the police have been trying to get through the barricades and defences. Local people and media have been at the scene. So far 3 people have been removed from lockons and a cargo net outside the house and have been arrested. 7 people are still inside and are heavily barricaded in, included being hidden in tunnels under the house. The bailiffs have put up security fences and although they have managed to enter part of the building, the eviction attempt has been stopped for today. It is estimated the eviction will take at least another couple of days.

Bowl Court Evicted This Morning – Call Out For Help

7.08.2008
This morning at 7am, 40 high court bailiffs have evicted the Bowl Court squat in Shoreditch. It is located in Bowl Court which is up Plough Court next to the junction of Great Eastern Street and Shoreditch High Street. Please come around – help needed urgently !

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I went there at 1pm the situation was :

– a lot of security around, both sides of the building

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I went there at 1pm the situation was :

– a lot of security around, both sides of the building
– a lot of rental vans – it looks like they might be emptying it
– metal grills have been fixed to all entrances, both sides of the building
– they had running generators outside, going in. Don’t know what for.

I didn’t see any of the squatters, there was nothing to do so I left.

SAVING ICELAND BLOCKADES RIO TINTO-ALCAN’S SMELTER IN ICELAND

Aug 01 2008
“STOP THE DESTRUCTION OF ÞJÓRSÁ FOR ARMS PRODUCTION!”

HAFNARFJORDUR, ICELAND – Activists from Saving Iceland have today begun stopping traffic to and from Rio Tinto-Alcan’s aluminium smelter in Straumsvík, Hafnarfjordur, by chaining themselves to the gates of the plant. Saving Iceland is protesting against Rio Tinto-Alcan’s plans to increase their aluminium production capacity on the island, the consequences of which would would be that significant parts of Iceland’s unique environment would have to be destroyed for energy generation. The activists are also protesting against the worlds largest aluminium producer’s involvement with the arms industry.

Rio Tinto-Alcan wants to increase its production in Straumsvík by 40 thousand tons per year without enlarging the smelter building itself. At the same time the company is planning to build a second aluminium smelter in the towns of Keilisnes or Þorlákshöfn (1).

Reykjavík Energy (Orkuveita Reykjavíkur) pulled out from an energy deal with Rio Tinto-Alcan because of strong public opposition to their expansion, resulting in the geothermally active Bitra mountain being saved.(2)

At the same time, Landsvirkjun (the national energy company) is planning to go ahead with the construction of three dams in the Thjórsá river, south Iceland, as well as one in the adjoining Tungnaá river. They have already signed an energy expansion contract with Rio Tinto-Alcan (4). In December 2006, the two companies signed a contract which stated that Rio Tinto-Alcan would share the cost of the three dams in Thjórsá (5).

Corruption in Hafnarfjörður
In the end of March 2007, a public referendum took place in Hafnarfjördur, where a majority in the city voted against the enlargement of their Rio Tinto-Alcan’s smelter. Lúdvík Geirsson, mayor of Hafnarfjördur, said that the referendum was a “victory for democracy” and added that he would follow the conclusion (6). Rio Tinto-Alcan announced that they were then considering to move their production facility to to Thorlákshöfn.

Only three months later, Lúdvík sat at a meeting with Rannveig Rist, director of Alcan in Iceland, and Michael Jacques, director of Alcan Primary Metal Group, where they discussed the future of Alcan in Iceland. One idea discussed was to increase the Straumsvik smelter’s capacity into the sea, on top of a landfill mound, rather than onto a lava rock area cleared by Alcan in anticipation of a positive result from the referendum (7). Many see this as a betrayal of the referendum spirit, which was not in regards to the specificities of Alcan’s expansion but their expansion altogether.

“Is this really what Geirsson calls the ‘victory of democracy’? Broken promises?” says Snorri Páll Jónsson Úlfhildarson, from Saving Iceland. “His behaviour show clearly how much power the aluminium corporations have here in Iceland. The authorities seem to not dare to speak or act against these corporations will.”

Alcan’s links with the arms industry
August 30th, 2006, Alcan signed a long-term contract for their involvement with the production of the F-35 Jointer Strike Fighter, in collaboration with the arms producers Lockheed Martin, Nothrop-Grumman and BAE Systems (8).

“This is not a respectable company” says Sofie Larsen from Saving Iceland. “Until now, Alcoa has got the most attention here in Iceland when it comes to the links between aluminium production and the arms industry. Yet, Alcan is no better at all, since the company is contracted to several different weapon producers.”

Alcan produces aluminum for EADS (European Aerospace and Defense and Space) (9), whose line of military helicopters and fighter jets includes the Eurofighter Tycoon, Mirage F1 and EF18 Hornet. EADS is also a lead in the production of missiles (10).

“On it’s website, EADS claims that the company’s product is only sold to countries who ´guarantee a responsible approach to high-tech military air systems´” says Sofie, ”but on the same site, one can find videos which glorify Nazi Germany’s airforce (11). What kind of ethics is that?”

The damming of Thjórsá river
Despite strong local resistance from farmers unwilling to give up their land for Rio Tinto-Alcan’s expansion, Landsvirkjun have been working full time to push through the four dam project. Landsvirkjun has again and again gone up to the river, trying to get farmers to agree with the construction. When they received a letter signed by nine of the ten farmers affected by the Urridafoss waterfall Thjórsá dam, stating that they refused to participate in any further discussions with the energy agency, Landsvirkjun threatened to forcefully expropriate their land.

Recently the district council of Flóahreppur made an agreement with Landsvirkjun to include the Urridafoss dam into their district plan. Jón Árni Vignisson, a farmer who lives by Thjórsá, said that they had done so after Landsvirkjun had promised to pump funds into a variety of their minor infrastructure projects: road, water supply and mobile phone reception improvements (12). Essentially, the local government had been bribed.

The enlargement of Rio Tinto-Alcan’s capacities in Iceland and the damming of the Thjórsá river are highly corrupt projects which Saving Iceland demands the immediate halting of.

References:

(1) Mbl.is, Álframleiðsla hjá Alcan aukin um 22 prósent, http://www.mbl.is/mm/frettir/innlent/200…
(2) Mbl.is, Fyrirhugaðar framkvæmdir og orkusala haldast í hendur, http://www.mbl.is/mm/frettir/innlent/200…
(3) Mbl.is, 200 mw orkusala úr sögunni, http://www.mbl.is/mm/frettir/innlent/200…
(4) Vísir.is, Alcan keppir áfram um orku Þjórsár, http://visir.is/article/20070909/FRETTIR…
(5) Heimasíða Rio Tinto-Alcan á Íslandi, http://www.riotintoalcan.is/?PageID=12&a…
(6 )Mbl.is, Sigur fyrir lýðræðið, http://www.mbl.is/mm/frettir/innlent/200…
(7) Mbl.is, Álver á landfyllingu, http://mbl.is/mm/frettir/innlent/2007/06…
(8) Vefsíða Alcan, http://www.alcan.com/web/publishing.nsf/…(JSF
(9) Vefsíða ABC Money, http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/132007869…
(10) Vefsíða EADS, http://www.eads.com/1024/en/businet/defe…
(11) Myndband sem segir sögu EADS, http://www.eads.com/xml/content/OF000000…
(12) Sunnlenska Fréttablaðið, 30. tölublað, Eigum marga aðra valkosti, bls. 8-9, 24. Júlí 2008

Cambridge Mill Road Social Centre evicted but car-park squatted

On Friday 1st around 9AM, police and bailiffs kicked down the door to the social centre and started evicting people from the premises. No advance warning was given. It goes to show that Tesco can never be trusted, as they reneged on their promise not to take possession of the building before they needed to start building.

Tesco were obviously very confident that the previous night’s planning meeting (to allow them to build waste and airco facilities) would find in their favour. As it turned out, their application was turned down. No doubt Mill Road’s Broadway will soon sport a set of shiny metal window boards.

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We cordoned off part of the car park behind the evicted mill road social centre, and are now squatting the site.

At 3:15pm today (Friday) we cordoned off part of the car park behind the evicted mill road social center, so at to make a clear boundary, and are now squatting the site. Please feel free to come and join us. As it is open air, accommodation is camping. If anyone has any spare tarpaulin they could give/lend us this would be useful.

Bicyclists Attack Failed Businesses With Seeds, Art

Friday, August 1st – “We don’t need another parking lot” read one of over 30 stenciled cardboard signs erected Friday evening across the fences of various failed businesses throughout Santa Cruz by a group of bicyclists as part of a “Going Out of Business & Green Futures” community ride.

Part protest against car culture, part living art project, and part prank, the group of about 20 bicyclists visited the sites of former gas stations, drive thrus, autodealerships, and more, planting wild flower seeds, and other decorations depicting a deteriorating economy and hopes for a greener, wilder future. “Property is Theft”, “My heroes carry guns in the their minds”, and “Community Garden Coming Soon!” read some of the signs posted outside fenced off buildings and pavement cracking open with weeds.

The ride was in response to a statement sent by the Corporate Rulers of America that read:

“To the people of the United States,

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we regret to inform you that we will no longer be able to continue running this country as all of our assets are no longer viable.

Effective immediately, we will no longer be providing you with low-wage meaningless jobs, cheap gasoline, or hours upon hours of infotainment. Furthermore, we cannot guarantee that the remainder of our mass produced products are of any quality beyond the value assumed by our corporate logos, nor are they environmentally safe. We also cannot guarantee that your pensions will be paid, that your savings are secure, or that you’ll be getting the best health care in the industrialized world. In fact, to be completely honest, we’ve never really meant anything we’ve said but do thank you for believing in us nonetheless.

We hereby relinquish all deeds of private property and assume no responsibility with what happens to it from here on out.

Finally, we’d like to thank you for all your years of service and sacrifice, but most of all, thank you for your obedience to our way of life, we seriously couldn’t have done it without you. We wish you the best of luck. You’re on your own.

Sincerely,
Corporate America”

By Saturday afternoon, most of the signs had been removed…But the seeds have been sown.

More words & photos

Police invade Climate Camp – and FIT are ejected

2.08.2008
The Forward Intelligence Team made a foray onto the field today but were ejected from the field by campers.

2.08.2008
The Forward Intelligence Team made a foray onto the field today but were ejected from the field by campers.

Police still feel confident to wander about the site in pairs – followed and escorted, natch – but the arrival of the FIT with cameras proved too much.

Accordingly they were surrounded and ejected from the field today by the camp.

Numbers are swelling – the clmate camp info line is very busy with last minute requests for directions – and we will soon be empowered to reclaim absolute ownership of the site.

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Activists dove under police vans and formed human chains to prevent them from getting on site, and people scrambled up the double tripods – but campers were outnumbered 3 to 1 by the police.

Although police claimed to be searching for materials that could be used on the 9th August day of action, they also seized items such as guy-ropes for safely securing marquees, radios used in medical emergencies, and building materials essential for the construction of compost toilets. The seizures went as far as the confiscation of such ridiculous items as a bicycle repair kit, three board games and a pack of children’s crayons.

But the real stand off took place over water pipes and wood for the kitchens. In a twist of supreme irony, as the council dug a pipeline to deliver fresh water, activists had to engage in a tug of war with the police to keep the water pipes on site – which they did successfully. And as the police brought in a flat-bed lorry to remove wood for the kitchens, activists climbed onto the woodpile and prevented it from being taken away.

As the police gave in and the lorry drove away, a cheer went up and campers immediately formed a human chain to carry the wood up to the kitchens. Unfortunately, there is for the time being a small police presence on site.

Everything is now calm on site, but the raid has put the set-up back by half a day, so more people on site are needed to get the camp ready for this Sunday. The big push will be happening over Friday and Saturday as the majority of materials arrive, and there’s plenty of work to be done – so come on down!

31.07.2008
This afternoon over 100 police officers invaded the Climate Camp, claiming to search for material that could be used for criminal damage. Since there are only around 150 people currently on site, more people are urgently needed to make the site more secure. There are reports that several people were arrested.

Activists who blocked police vehicles were removed in a very heavy handed manner. The names and details of many people were taken. Materials were removed from site, including a wet suit. All the while, a police helicopter was in the sky over the camp.

Police have now left.

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IMC timeline:

19:10 – Police numbers on site are now substantially reduced but they have installed a mobile police station at the entrance to the camp and there is talk of a permanent patrol. Campers currently negotiating the return of the property stolen by police, much of which is essential to setting up the camp infrastructure.

18.36 – The wood pile has been saved. People sat on the woodpile protecting it and eventually the police gave up and sent the recovery vehicle away. The seizure of water pipe was also attempted but stopped by people sitting on it.

18.15 – Currently the police are removing the pile of construction wood using a 24 hour recovery vehicle. Other confiscated items now include: lots of rope, lots of tools, 3 boardgames, a ladder, boiler suits, flares. Police have emptied entire vans. Half of the police have gone off-site, the other half stopped the search but are still on-site. So far 2 people have been arrested, 1 for stopping police from going into their tent (obstruction).

16.40 – Over 200 police officers have entered the site with vehicles and a police helicopter is hovering overhead. Police were issued with a warrant for the searching and seizing of articles for use in criminal damage. Confiscated items have included: planks of wood, carpet and a war-on-terror boardgame. Every tent is being searched. People are up in the tripods. Some officers are reported acting aggressively towards people trying to resist the search. Forward Intelligence Teams (FIT) are walking around the site photographing and filming people.

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Any materials relating to the Day of Action, including things that appear to be innocuous (oars, inflatables, pumps, D-locks for bikes and so on) may be seized by the police.

You may like to store such items offsite for collection at a later date.

Eviction Postponed for Wembley Sports Ground; New Threats

On Wednesday morning the Wembley Sports Ground occupiers and local businesses saw off council workers, who came to evict the local businesses as part of a simplistic divide-and-conquer manoeuver, but were forced to back off and postpone the eviction ’til Friday.

Last Saturday, the 26th, saw a new group occupy the Wembley Sports Ground. The group, called GRASS (Grass-Roots Alliance for Social Spaces), claims that the construction of a new Academy on the grounds will close them off from the local community and exclude many children and young people from using it. With dwindling community resources due to funding cuts across the nation (to help pay for the Olympics), and reports of rising youth crime and violence all over London, the group says that excluding even more young people from safe social spaces could drive them to the streets, and towards violent gang crime.

On Monday, construction workers and land surveyors attempted to enter the site, and found themselves faced with locals and campers, as well as a large tire barricade. The locals chatted to the workers and informed them of what was going on, while the campers buckled down in front of the gate. The workers left and everyone had a nice drink in the sun.

After this, the council decided to try out the usual tactics of authority everywhere, and informed the businesses on the site (four in all: the football ground, a kids’ nursery, a motorbike driving school and a carwash) that they must leave by Wednesday 9am. Anyone could see this as an attempt to turn businesses against community, and the plan backfired as the businesses held a meeting and decided to resist, along with the camp occupiers. On Wednesday morning a council worker, along with a legal aide, arrived on site and informed the businesses that their eviction has been postponed until Friday morning.

Brent Council is in deep trouble, as they have already promised several parents that their children have places in the unbuilt school, which is due to open at the beginning of the school year in September. With less than five weeks to go, it has become abundantly clear that the privately-owned and run academy (funded by ARK, a children’s “charity” managed by several rich businessmen, including Arpad Busson) will not be built in time. Sources say that the plan is for several portacabins to be laid out to start with, while the school itself will be built around the students during the school year.

Meanwhile, the campaign by locals to keep their sportsground open and free of privatised education has been going for the past two years, as consultations with the community have resulted in open mass opposition to the idea. The council, however, has steamrollered over the opinions of local people and went ahead with the plan.

Tomorrow is Friday, and there are reports of several countermeasures being contructed to stop the bailiffs from evicting the campground and businesses. If you are interested in coming along to help, there are plenty of tents and sleeping bags, and you will be made welcome. The sports ground is on Forty Avenue, Wembley Park Station being the nearest tube. For information and directions, please call 07533192116.

Sitting on piles of coal, revolting peasants, trashing things & fixing other things together, it’s the latest EF! Action Update

Smelters smelted and woodchippers chipped, protestors around the world have been busy again taking action against the planet-trashers – read all about it in the latest quarterly EF! Action Update.

This EF!AU is jam packed with exciting actions, plus features on international resistance against coal in time for this year’s Camp for Climate Action, a resurgence of anti-genetics campaigning, and proposals for a rolling blockade next year of Kingsnorth. You’ll be inspired to Taste the Waste, Leave it in the Ground and who knows what else!

With stories of greenwash laid bare, guerrilla-gardening, revolting peasants, protest camps against coal mines and airports, buildings burnt down, conveyors and trains stopped, tires deflated, GM fields liberated & ‘trials’ decontaminated, despite tear-gas, jail threats, and fortress-like field protection, continuing resistance in Mayo & Iceland, and campaign successes, the diverse uses of superglue just become mundane. Got a broken tea cup or an incinerator to shut down? You know what to use!

And if smashing greenhouses or hanging about 60 metres up seems wierd, read on…

Also includes full lists of ecological direct action groups, protest camps & support groups. Batteries not included.

Pick up your copy at the Camp for Climate Action or at your nearest social centre. Or drop us a line at actionupdate AT earthfirst.org.uk and we’ll post you as many as you like for distributing around town and at events.

Download the latest EF!AU to share with others, subscribe or check out some past issues. The next issue will come out at the beginning of November.

And of course, this year’s EF! Summer Gathering (click here for latest news) is from Wednesday 27th August to Monday 1st September 2008, if you want to plot & plan, and laugh & chat with old friends & new.

Latest info on Camp for Climate Action (& action reports during the camp) – useful links including ‘what’s it like’ video

All the latest info you need to have a rewarding Camp for Climate Action is below – read more.

Also please note that during the camp, the best place to get related action reports will be https://indymedia.org.uk/en/actions/2008/climatecamp/, with others on the general IMC newswire. Daily video reports trailer.

We’ll do a round-up of actions & photos afterwards, as last year.

All the latest info you need to have a rewarding Camp for Climate Action is below – read more.

We’ll do a round-up of actions & photos afterwards, as last year.

Getting there | What to bring | Neighbourhoods | Phones & security | Direct action | 9th August mass action | Other useful info about the camp | Workshop programme – you’ll find 2 workshops clearly labelled as EF! but there’ll be EF!ers, such as you dear reader, sprinkled here and there throughout the camp in all sorts of roles, or off site taking action; also check out all the exciting UK coal resistance workshops, mainly in the Welsh neighbourhood & not in the main workshop programme.

Video – Attending the camp. The practicalities, fun, and fears. Views, reassurance, clarification, and enthusiasm from people who attended in 2007, and a little bit of the magic in their words and eyes.

Activists take site for the Camp for Climate Action and reveal location

30 July 2008

Activists take site for the Camp for Climate Action and reveal location

30 July 2008

Activists take site for the Camp for Climate Action and reveal location

100 people entered and secured an uncultivated field at Deansgate Ridge at 3.00pm today, only 1 km from Kingsnorth Power Station. They erected and climbed tripods to prevent police from moving them and have erected a marquee alongside a banner which reads ‘No New Coal’.

Although the climate camp activists have been upfront and open about most aspects of their plans, the location of the camp had not been revealed until today in order to prevent E.ON and the police from attempting to stop it from happening. The uncultivated field is on a road that runs between Hoo St Werburgh and High Halstow. The Camp for Climate Action intends to return the field in two weeks in as good, if not better, condition than it was found.

Around 20 sheep were in the field when it was occupied. They have been rounded up and are being taken care of with food and water.

The camp, which is due to officially start on Sunday, 3 August, is expected to attract thousands of people coming from all over the UK. The week long camp hosts hundreds of workshops on sustainable living and the politics of climate change. The camp will culminate on Saturday 9 August in a mass direct action to shut down Kingsnorth power station on protest over E.ON’s plans to build the first new coal-fired power station in the UK for 33 years.

“We want to warmly invite people from the local community to come down and see for themselves what the camp is all about,” said Terry Graves, who has already pitched his tent up in the field.

“E.ON and the government believe that you can have endless fossil-fuelled economic growth in a world of finite resources,” said Christina Greensford, who helped to secure the camp. “People from all over the UK are here to create a democratic, low-carbon society in which our long term future on this planet is prioritised over the short term profit margins of the fossil fuel industry.”

“We have a future to protect, and today, in setting up the climate camp, we’ve drawn a line in the sand at Kingsnorth.” said Hannah Abbots. “We will not allow companies like E.ON drag us over the edge of climate catastrophe.”

Press can contact Conor O’Brian at 07530 306267 who is on site and arrange interviews, either over the phone or on the perimeter of the site.

Press can also contact the media team, who are not currently on site, at 07772 861 099

A press advisory will be shortly issued giving information as to when the first media tours of the camp will take place.

camp media team
press@climatecamp.org.uk
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk

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The OS grid reference for the camp is TQ 773 742. The site is between Deangate round about on the A228 and the village of High Halstow. The site is on the west side of the road (left coming north from the A228) as you go up hill after the Deangate sports field and before Dux Court farm.

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For directions and other useful info, see http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/21137