Unnecessary Developments – Page 43

Coal Action Scotland InfoTour dates

The Mainshill Solidarity Camp is going on tour! Check our list of dates below to see if we’re coming anywhere near you. If you’d like us to to a talk where you are and its not on the list, email us at mainshill [at] riseup.net and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

10th March
Brighton
7pm at the Cowley Club
London Road

12th March
Leeds
7pm at the Bandstand Community Allotments
Woodhouse Ridge, Meanwood Road
15th March
Bradford
7pm at the 1 in 12 Club
21-23 Albion Street

16th March
Lancaster
7pm at the Lancaster Action Resource Centre
78a Penny Street

Lappersfort Forest Occupation expected to be evicted this week!

Updates Thursday 4th: the eviction has begun since this morning; it is still unclear how far the eviction is going, and if there are still people present to resist. this night at 8pm manifestation in Bruges, at ‘t Zand. Wednesday 3rd: yesterday, the federal police was seen in the neighbourhood of the Lappersforest. Several people were chased when they wanted to leave or enter the forest. There is constant patrolling in the surrounding of the forest. At this moment (Wednesday 8:00), everything seems quiet in the forest.

The eviction is still expected to happen this week.

—

According to a very reliable source, the occupied part of the Lappersforest will be cut down this week. We don’t know the exact date (yet), but the eviction and chopping will probably start at the beginning of the week. (This week!) Another indication is the fact that police have visited the forest three times last week.

What can you do?
– come to the forest as soon as possible
– prepare solidarity actions
– prepare actions at branch offices of GDF Suez, Fabricom, Electrabel…
– send displeased reactions to press and other media.

If you come to join the eviction resistance, bring a raincoat, warm clothes, a sleeping bag and maybe some blankets.

If you can’t make it to the inside of the forest, come to the green bridge of Steenbrugge (on the road from Oostkamp to Bruges), where there will be protest actions from the very start of the eviction. At night we gather at 8 pm on ‘t Zand in Bruges, for a demonstration.

No compromise in defence of the Earth!

—
http://lappersfort.freehostia.com

– E-Mail: mgriks(at)gmail.com Website: http://www.ourmediaindymedia.blogspot.com

Climate Camp Invades Lewes Tesco

28.02.2010

28.02.2010
Climate change activists teamed up with local residents to invade the Tesco superstore in Lewes, East Sussex on Saturday in protest at plans to increase the size of the supermarket by 50%. More than 80 protesters took part, entering the store and embarking on a game of Tesco Whirl. The idea is to grab a trolley keep it empty and form up with others to create a giant conga chain.

The point of not actually shopping was to highlight that for every £3.00 spent on retail in Lewes, £2.00 is spent in Tesco.

By increasing the size of the store, money will be drained from the independent shops, harming the town’s local economy. But police had received a tip off about the action and were on hand to prevent some protesters entering the shop while ejecting those who attempted to form a chain. Still a chain of 10 trolleys at a time did form.

As activists were thrown out of the store a party formed at the entrance with music and dancing from activists in endangered animal masks.

Climate Camp activist and Lewes resident Marina Pepper said: “Tesco is more expensive than people realise, thanks to their misleading advertising campaigns. They also rip off farmers and destroy local communities by undercutting and bankrupting competition leading to high unemployment and boarded up town centres.

“Tesco has a strong foothold in Lewes. It’s only the robustness of the local economy that has saved it so far. But these expansion plans are madness and could spell the end, destroying so much that our town holds dear – namely our independent shops which provide us with choices as to how we shop and what we buy.

“This action today was only the launch of a campaign that will see Climate Camp working side by side with community groups to ensure one way or another Tesco’s growth plans are thwarted. We implore people to contact their local councilors, especially those on the planning committee and tell them a bigger Tesco is unwelcome here. Ever y little extra will hurt.”

The activities of massive supermarkets like Tesco involve scandalous waste, pollution and environmental degradation.

Supermarket food travels vast distances, products are over packaged and customers travel ever greater distances once local shops are driven out of business. This leads to an increase in road congestion, accidents, noise, air pollution and CO2 emissions which contribute to climate change.

Supermarket demands are also behind the continuing industrialisation of agriculture. Big farmers are getting bigger to survive while small farmers are going bust. This leads to increased disease among livestock and cruel factory farm practices.

Further information.

Tesco stores erode local choice as smaller, independent shops struggle to compete. Independent stores in the UK shut at the rate of 2,000 a year in recent years. Over 17,000 independent shops closed in England and Wales last year.

Large supermarkets like Tesco also:
• Siphon money away from local communities and towards distant corporations
• Increase traffic and congestion from lorry movements and customers
• Destroy local jobs and undermine local job markets
• Every large outlet causes the net loss of 276 local jobs on average
• Generate waste and over-package their products
• Exploit suppliers and damage the environment
• Cynically manipulate prices to fleece shoppers

Tesco is the largest retailer in the UK:
• Over £1 in every £7 (14.3%) of UK retail sales is spent at Tesco
• It has takings of more than £1 billion a week
• It made profits of over £3 billion last year
• It has £30 million turnover in Lewes compared to £17m for all other shops

southcoast@climatecamp.org.uk
http://climatecamp.org.uk/get-involved/local-groups/south-coast

Zapatistas reclaim Mother Earth

On 6th February 230 civilian Zapatistas took part in an action to retake control of their reclaimed lands at Bolon Ajaw, Chiapas, Mexico, which had been invaded and taken over since 20 January by the paramilitary group OPDDIC, report the human rights group Fray Bartolome de Las Casas. The 25 Zapatista families of Bolon Ajaw, part of autonomous municipality Comandanta Ramona, were given solidarity by Zapatistas from further afield.

The human rights activists of Fray Bartolome present a detailed report which dismisses claims by the state government, OPDDIC and the mass media that on 6th February the Zapatistas shot at OPDDIC members, killing one and injuring others. On the contrary, report Fray Bartholomew, it was OPDDIC who at least four times opened fire on the Zapatistas, wounding three Zapatistas, including a sixteen year old.

Fray Bartholomew (Frayba) confirm that the OPDDIC member killed and those wounded were shot by mistake by fellow OPDDIC members, as two different OPDDIC groups opened fire on the inhabitants of Bolon Ajaw, from opposite sides of the village. OPDDIC, linked to the PRI – the Institutional Revolutionary Party which governed Mexico for many decades – have been involved in numerous attacks and harassment of Zapatista communities over recent years.

Frayba give a detailed account of the several clashes which occurred during the day. Actions included the Zapatistas repulsing an attempt by OPDDIC to retake the land, and the Zapatistas breaking out of an armed ambush and encirclement by OPDDIC in order to go to the aid of the inhabitants of Bolon Ajaw, who were being shot at by OPDDIC gunmen.

The Zapatista Good Government Council based at Morelia has also issued a full statement http://www.edinchiapas.org.uk/node/266 . This details the attacks by the OPDDIC paramilitaries, naming names, and holding all three levels of government – local, Chiapas state, and the national federal government – responsible for the attacks against the indigenous people and their lands. The statement describes how on 6th February OPDDIC shot at unarmed Zapatistas, seriously wounding one man in the stomach, how they completely destroyed a Zapatista’s home, and smashed up sacred objects in the Bolon Ajaw church.

The Zapatistas stress their willingness to hold talks over the problems:
‘We, the Council of Good Government, have never closed the door on finding a good solution to problems, we always show good will..’

HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN

The Frayba investigation emphasises that government plans for major tourist developments at the renowned local waterfalls lie behind the attacks on the Zapatistas. Nearby Agua Azul Falls are already heavily promoted, featuring in international tourist guides such as Lonely Planet, and Bolon Ajaw counts with five more as yet undeveloped Falls which are even more beautiful.

These proposed developments are part of a much bigger tourist development plan. Enormous interests are at stake in the Palenque CIP project, which covers six municipalities in the north of Chiapas around the world-famous Mayan temples of Palenque. The state government of Chiapas is due to invest half of the money involved, the balance presumably coming from private investment. The Project has been in development since 2007, and a major extension of Palenque airport is due this year.

The CIP Project emphasises specialist and luxury tourism, and long-stay visitors. A natural theme park is planned for the Agua Azul Waterfalls, with commercial areas and significant accommodation for ‘eco’, adventure and sporting tourism. But, international consultants point out, ‘before attracting investment the State must find a solution to the problems of acquiring the land and the problems of access.’

In other words, for the state and business interests, the Zapatistas and their determination to defend Mother Earth are ‘a problem’ standing in the way of the realisation of multi-million tourist investments.

These planned tourist developments are closely linked to a new highway through Chiapas, which threatens a number of communities on its route from the colonial tourist centre of San Cristobal de Las Casas to the magnificent Mayan temples at Palenque. As well as Bolon Ajaw, the communities of San Sebastian Bachajon http://www.edinchiapas.org.uk/node/235 , near Bolon Ajaw, and Mitziton near San Cristobal, both adherents to the Zapatista-initiated Other Campaign, are among the communities resisting the new highway in the face of state and paramilitary oppression.

Fray Bartolome denounce the Chiapas State authorities for trying to blame the Zapatistas and the Other Campaign supporters of San Sebastian Bachajon for the violence. They accuse the authorities of ‘generating the
conditions for a military intervention ordered by the Federal Government against the civilian population.’

The lands at Bolon Ajaw were reclaimed by the Zapatistas in the aftermath of the 1994 uprising. Till then they had been in the hands of private owners who brutally exploited the local indigenous people. Frayba detail the numerous attacks by OPDDIC on the Zapatistas since 2003.

DEFENDING MOTHER EARTH

These latest events at Bolon Ajaw are noteworthy not only for the scale of the threats facing the Zapatistas, but for the exemplary solidarity, courage, self-organisation and self-discipline displayed by the Zapatistas in taking collective direct action to defend ‘Mother Earth and its natural resources’.

In Bolon Ajaw, in Montes Azules http://www.edinchiapas.org.uk/node/263 , in Mitziton, in Sebastian Bachajon, in Chicomuselo http://www.edinchiapas.org.uk/node/262 and throughout Chiapas and Mexico a
war is being waged by the state, paramilitaries and big business to once more rob the indigenous and poor peasant peoples of their land and destroy Mother Earth for money.

In Chiapas, and also in other Mexican states like Oaxaca and Guerrero, the peasant and indigenous peoples’ resistance and struggle for autonomy continues – international solidarity is needed.

As the Fray Bartolome centre state:
‘We issue an URGENT call to civil society, in Mexico and internationally, to all those committed to the defence of human rights, to come out and denounce the clear increase in the actions of violence against the civilian, peaceful process of autonomy being developed by the Zapatista bases of support and their Councils of Good Governments which are civil authorities.’

NOTES

If interested in solidarity with the Zapatistas and people of Chiapas and Mexico contact Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group edinchiapas@yahoo.co.uk
www.edinchiapas.org.uk
Plus UK Zapatista site http://ukzapatistas.wordpress.com/
There have already been solidarity actions in various towns and cities in the Spanish State and in Mexico.

Full statement by Zapatista Council of Good Government of Morelia on the events at Bolon Ajaw on 6th February, in English http://www.edinchiapas.org.uk/node/266

Fray Bartolome site, info in english
http://www.frayba.org.mx/index.php?hl=en

Regular reports from Chiapas, mainly Spanish, some English, on Indymedia Chiapas
www.chiapas.indymedia.org

Full report by Fray Bartolome human rights group on the events at Bolon Ajaw on 6th February, in Spanish
http://chiapas.indymedia.org/article_173362

Letter of protest to Mexican government about the eviction of Zapatista community in Montes Azules, Chiapas, in Spanish
http://www.europazapatista.org/spip.php?article2409

More info and protest letter in English can be found at:
http://glasgowchiapassolidaritygroup.wordpress.com

Construction equipment destruction — Lancaster, PA

Lancaster police are seeking the public’s help in finding the vandals who caused about $30,000 damage to some heavy equipment near a construction site over the weekend.

The vandals spray-painted messages, broke windows, cut engine wires and did other damage to a bulldozer and an excavator on Pavement Road near Nichter Road, police said.

Lancaster police are seeking the public’s help in finding the vandals who caused about $30,000 damage to some heavy equipment near a construction site over the weekend.

The vandals spray-painted messages, broke windows, cut engine wires and did other damage to a bulldozer and an excavator on Pavement Road near Nichter Road, police said.

The incident, discovered Sunday, apparently occurred some time between Friday night and Sunday.

http://www.buffalonews.com/437/story/959258.html

Support the Local Campaign Against Bradley Proposed Open-cast

This years EF! winter moot was held in Dipton Community Centre, which looks over the proposed site for an open-cast at Bradley. Members of the local campaign against the mine have asked if people who attended the moot, (as well as those who didn’t) would write in their objection to the development.

UK Coal’s application is expected to be heard by the planning officials in the near future. The local campaign would appreciate it if people would write in letters of objection to the following address, stating the APPLICATION No. CMA/1/37

Mrs C.L.Teasdale
Plannng Development Control Team
Regeneration and Economic Development
Durham County Council
Durham
DH1 5UQ

Apparently letters hold more weight if you say that you have visited the area.

The facts about this proposed mine:
UK Coal has applied to surface mine 556,000 tonnes of coal from a coal seem covering 22,000 acres.
The current version of the application is has not yet gone to the Planning Authority.
The application is being resisted by The Pont Valley Network www.pontvalley.net
If the application goes ahead the residents are particularly concerned about the loss of their heritage sites.
The final destination for the coal is either the steel industry or a power station generating electricity.
Burning this coal will release over 2 million tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere.
UK coal say the mine will create 38 jobs. Mr Cory of UK Coal says that there will be no new jobs but people will be transferred to this site.
The mine will need 3 lorry trips per hour, each way.
UK coal and other surface mining companies have applications at the planning stages for a further 13 mines in the area and a further 5 have been granted in the area.
The nearest planned site also currently at the planning stages is Skons Park, which Hall construction are applying to extract half a million tonnes of coal fire clay. This application was last refused in 2007 but Halls have since reapplied this year.

The Bradley site is 10 miles south of Newcastle in a beautiful area. The proposed site can be seen from Newcastle and Cheviot on a clear day. A mine would scar the landscape; cause habitat destruction which would affect many species, including Great Crested Newts and Red Kites; contribute to global warming; increase traffic locally and destroy the remains of wagon-ways and bell pit and shaft mines in the area. Residents are also concerned that if the mine is given the go ahead then they will see further extensions applied for and granted.

For more information about the site and to add strength to letters of objection please see http://pontvalley.net under NOTT campaign on the left hand side.

Riot police arrest 23 in night raid on peaceful protest against the destruction of Zagreb pedestrian zone

11.02.2010
At 03.30 this morning around 100 riot police arrested 23 activists from Green Action and the Right to the City initiative in Zagreb, Croatia. The raid took place just hours after 4000 people turned out in snowy conditions to protest against turning part of the pedestrian zone into a ramp for an underground garage planned as part of the Cvjetni shopping centre and luxury flats development in the old part of Zagreb.

The operation aimed to remove the accommodation container which the groups had put on Varsavska Street pedestrian zone as a 24-hour info-point in order to block the beginning of works on the ramp, which is still under legal dispute. Activists inside of the container and on the roof peacefully resisted removal by locking themselves together using arm tubes, and were arrested after the fire brigade cut the tubes. Around 50 more activists blocked the road exits of the lorry carrying the container but were also removed by the riot police.

The police also hacked to pieces a five-metre high wooden trojan horse which had been brought to the site for the previous evening’s protest as a symbol of private interests and corruption masquerading as urban redevelopment.

“Using riot police against a small group of peaceful protesters is a disturbing over-reaction to the civil offence of failing to obtain permission before temporarily placing the container in the pedestrian zone”, said Teo Celakoski from Right to the City. “Yet the whole Cvjetni project is based on dubious legal manoeuvres such as the city authorities’ decision to declare it a project of public interest when it is clearly nothing of the kind”.

“The Croatian authorities must concentrate on tackling the real problem of corruption instead of shooting the messengers, added Tomislav Tomasevic, from Green Action. “The European Commission has repeatedly identified corruption as a major remaining obstacle to Croatia’s EU Accession but if this project is anything to go by there is still a long way to go.”

Videos of removal of activists & removal of shipping container

Contact: Tomislav Tomasevic. +385 98 719 253
http://www.zelena-akcija.hr/

Chhattisgarh (India): 19 Mining Trucks Set Ablaze

From the Daily Mail

http://dailymailnews.com/0110/29/FrontPage/FrontPage8.php

Maoist separatists set ablaze 19 trucks of Indian Govt

From the Daily Mail

http://dailymailnews.com/0110/29/FrontPage/FrontPage8.php

Maoist separatists set ablaze 19 trucks of Indian Govt
NEW DELHI—Over 100 Maoist guerrillas stormed into a mining complex of the state-run NMDC Ltd in Chhattisgarh’s restive Dantewada district and set 19 trucks on fire in the early hours of Wednesday. The armed Maoist separatists raided the mining complex of India’s largest iron ore miner at Kirandul, about 400 km south of here, at around 2 am. “The rebels sneaked into Kirandul’s 11-B deposit of the NMDC and burnt 19 trucks hired by NMDC for iron ore transportation. This resulted in panic amongst the hundreds of NMDC staff engaged in mining in the hilly area,” Lakhan Thakur, in charge of the Kirandul police station, told media….

Bath Bomb #27 Out Now

THE BATH BOMB

@nti-copyright: copy and distribute!
Issue #27
free/donation
Feb 10

“I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better!”

B&NES Cuts It Fine

THE BATH BOMB

@nti-copyright: copy and distribute!
Issue #27
free/donation
Feb 10

“I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better!”

B&NES Cuts It Fine

In the ongoing saga of B&NES Council’s job-cutting bonanza, plans have been revealed to go on a massive redundancy spree, starting in April. Since the Bath Bomb got hold of confidential documents and blew B&NES’ axing plans out of the water back in November, they have been trying to gloss over and deny what will be a massive attack on public sector employees and service users alike. It now appears that the cuts will come in three stages: presumably a poor attempt at making the redundancies and service slashes seem less numerous, starting in earnest this spring. In the meantime, we have to satisfy ourselves with 70 immediate redundancies, affecting several key departments of the council. In April, the attacks will be switched up a gear, with 400 losses planned. To add insult to injury, those workers lucky enough to keep their jobs will suffer a proposed two-year pay freeze being discussed at Westminster (agreed on by all three mainstream parties) to recoup costs after their mates, the bankers, pissed the economy down the drain.

Unsurprisingly, redundancies so far won’t affect middle or high management, but are instead aimed at the ground-level workers who provide us with services and support. Workers that remain in their departments will also be expected to shoulder the workload of their former colleagues. Council workers have told the Bath Bomb that if the planned redundancies go ahead, it will be literally impossible to run their departments or provide any competent service to the public, as many of the job cuts affect workers with very specific skills and abilities, and departments would be left too understaffed to be fit for purpose. This latest round of attacks on council workers is coupled with mounting plans to privatize our public services and slash the effectiveness of what remains.

With this only being stage one of a three-pronged attack, we are left wondering what will be left of our public services by the time B&NES have finished mauling them. It’s not all doom and gloom though, with local activists, community groups and unions gearing up to fight back and defend our jobs, our services and our communities from the greed-driven onslaught being unleashed on us by these politicians – watch this space for news on the fightback!

Charlie Gets Fat While He Tightens Our Green Belt

Yes, this just in – famous environmentalist and everyone’s least favourite jug-eared parasitical tax drain Prince ‘Last Tango in Paris’ Charles has decided to sell off part of his vast green belt estate to be used for new housing. Around 2,000 new homes are planned for Bath, half of which are to be on Crown-owned lands around Newton St Loe. Conveniently forgetting his supposed ‘green credentials’ for a second, Charlie has shown his royal streak by being won over by massive amounts of a different type of green – cash.

Local opposition groups have already sprung up in protest at the plans, which will see yet more of our treasured green spaces disappear under concrete. We wouldn’t mind so much, were it not for the abundance of disused and dilapidated buildings in Bath that sorely need rennovation and could provide homes for thousands. But once again, we are seeing that the royal family, who only clawed their way to the top through bloodshed and greed, are no friends of ours. What really worries us here at Bath Bomb, however, is once all the green fields have been concreted over, where are we going to take our horses and hounds when the time comes to stick a tail on Charlie and his degenerate ilk and chase them down?

Keep your ear to the ground, as more news of plans to fight the development are popping up all the time, and with the impending concreting of Bathampton Meadows, we’ve got a proper fight to get stuck into to save the green spaces around Bath!

GOT A STORY? WANT TO RECEIVE THE BATH BOMB BY EMAIL? HOPING TO SUE?
Contact us by emailing bathbombpress[at]yahoo.co.uk. Large print e-versions available on request. And for more info on any of our stories, check out http://www.thebathbomb.blogspot.com

In By The Catflap

The Black Cat, Bath’s best autonomous social space, is now up and running again for the new year. The old Black Cat building, on the Upper Bristol Road, was evicted late last year – and then almost immediately reopened by a group of local residents. This new collective ran the centre until early January, when the ‘owners’ of the building used a back-door legal process to resurrect their previous eviction order – despite such an act being flagrantly unlawful.

The two Black Cat collectives have now joined forces directly to open a new centre in Oldfield Park. Situated at the junction of West Avenue and Cynthia Road, and mere minutes from Oldfield Park Station. Once again the centre will house the Bath FreeShop, an extensive infoshop (including copies of this fine publication), plus an intensive program of dance classes, exhibitions, dub nights, debate clubs, film nights, cafes, open mic nights, and more. A suitable venue is also being sought to hold a follow-up to the last centre’s hugely successful benefit gig.

The Black Cat is open right now, unless you’re reading this between the hours of about 7pm and 1pm, and would love for you to drop by. They can be contacted at bathsocialcentre[at]googlemail.com, or on 07946 777609. The centre is open most days from 1pm to 7pm, earlier on Sundays, and extra hours as needed for events.

http://bathsocialcentre.blogspot.com

Bath Activist Network are a local umbrella group campaigning on issues as diverse as development, environmentalism, anti-war, animal rights, workers’ rights and more. Helping to produce the Bath Bomb, we are open to anyone, and our members range from trade unionists to anarchists, liberals and greens, and people who just want to change Bath for the better. For details on meetings, demos, or just to get in touch, email bathactivistnet[at]yahoo.co.uk or see our website: http://www.bathactivistnetwork.blogspot.com

Green Guerillas Hit Bath

The last couple of months have seen a number of mysterious gardens springing up in the Bath area, the most noticeable of these being an ongoing project on Park St, behind St James’ Square. The garden has been created by guerrilla gardeners – people who, sick of seeing useable land left uncultivated, have taken it upon themselves to create more local food sources. They’ve cleared the overgrown area and planted fruit trees and bushes to feed the local populace for free.

Anyone can be a guerilla gardener; just find a few seeds, a disused area and some mates, then pop along in a clandestine fashion and plant your veggies. There are lots of different reasons for guerrilla gardening – some people want to feed themselves, some hope to provide their community with free and local veg, while others, such as the cheeky gardeners who planted ganja in the floral display at the police station a few years back, may have other motives!

You don’t need to be part of a group or have much gardening experience to be a guerrilla gardener, but if you want to hook up with a local group, check out the local Transition Towns group at transitionbath[at]googlemail.com. Alternately, there are other communal gardening schemes, such as the allotments in Vicky Park – with Bath people cultivating more and more of the city every day, there’s never been a better time to go green!

Wheely Good News

Cycling enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that Bath Cycling Campaign are relaunching that old favourite, the Critical Mass. A Critical Mass is a celebration of pedal power in which cyclists take to the streets en masse to highlight the fun and eco-friendliness of the bicycle. It is a carnivalesque parade, so feel free to dress-up, dress down, or just dress plain old weird (non-fancy dress/ serious ‘politico’ styles are are also welcome!).

The Critical Mass is a worldwide event that happens regularly in Barcelona, London and New York to name but a few, and is always great fun, so why not come and get involved? The last Bath Critical Mass drew over 50 people and was a great success. The Mass is meeting at 1pm at Kingsmead Square on Saturday the 27th of March.

http://www.bathcyclingcampaign.org.uk

Smile, You’re On Camera!

In a humorous turn of events, the obnoxious Bath police spy vehicle has gotten itself into a spot of bother recently after being photographed parked in a disabled-only space! While on her way out, a conscientious member of the public manged to beat the cops’ personal voyeur wagon at its own game, snapping a few choice shots of the van in the disabled space. Bath police have since apologised and claimed that they were on “very urgent business“, but won’t say what; in other words, they wanted a bite to eat and felt above the law enough to deprive a disabled person of their spot while they went to get it.

So hopefully the sight of a few red-faced spy-cops will bring a smile to the face of all of us who hate police surveillance and the CCTV society, or just find it plain old irritating that the cam-van’s threatening, sinister motto “smile, you’re on camera” is written in such a lovely, friendly font!

EVENTS

Bath Hunt Saboteurs meetings, 2nd and 4th Monday of the month, 8pm, The Bell, Walcot Street

Free samba dancing classes, Mondays, 7-8pm, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Debt advice drop-in, Tuesdays, 4-7pm, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

London Road Food Co-op, Wednesdays, 4-7pm, Riverside Community Centre, London Road

The Lost Plot workday, Thursdays, 10am-dusk, Bathampton

Bath Stop The War Coalition vigil, Saturdays, 11.30am-12.30, Bath Abbey Courtyard

Recycle Your Sundays, Sundays, 10.30am, starts Abbey Churchyard, the regular series of sociable, easy-paced cycle rides, http://www.bathrys.org.uk/ Hazel 01225 469199

Black Cat Centre general meeting, Sundays, 1-3pm, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Antifascist benefit punk/ska/hip-hop gig, Friday 12th February, doors open 6.30pm, £6 entry, the Croft, 117-119 Stokes Croft, Bristol, featuring La Fraction, Left For Dead, Jakal and Rejected,
http://libcom.org/news/gentle-bonecrusher-life-death-ivan-khutorskoy-17112009

Orchard Management Workshop for all levels of experience, Saturday 13th February, 10-3.30pm, the Vine House, Bailbrook Lane, Solsbury Hill, Bath, £15 including light lunch, book with Jim Dowling/e-mail piltonman[at]googlemail.com/ tel 01225 481500

‘Incorporating Climate Change into your Community-Led Planning Process’, Saturday 13th February, 11-4pm, Brunswick Room, the Guildhall, Bath, re-mail sara_grimes[at]bathnes.gov.uk

Bath FreeShop, Saturday 13th February, 12-3pm, outside Pump Rooms, Stall Street

Broadlands Orchardshare Volunteering Day, Saturday 13th February, 12-4pm, Broadlands Orchard, Box Road, Bathford, http://www.bathford.net/broadlands.php

Allotment Fair, Saturday 13th February, 2-5pm, the Guildhall, Bath, e-mail alotta_thingsgoingon[at]yahoo.co.uk/ tel 01225 332246

EVICT THE BAILIFFS! Punk and folk benefit gig, Saturday 13th February, The Plough, Easton, Bristol, featuring KilnAboy, The Autonomads, Harijan and Hacksaw

AWE Aldermaston blockade, Monday 15th February, starting 7am, there is already a carload going from Bath (4 am start)

Bath Cycling Campaign meeting, Monday 15th February, 7.30pm, the Rising Sun, Grove Street, http://www.bathcyclingcampaign.org.uk

Talk by Alastair McIntosh: ‘Engaging the Powers’, Monday 15th February, 7.30pm, 3rd Floor, Bush House (above the Arnolfini) 72 Prince Street, Bristol, BS1 4QD, £3 entry, http://www.ecoshow.org.uk

Workshop: ‘Community Benefits of Renewable Energy’, Tuesday 16th February, 6-9pm, Council Chamber, The Hollies, Midsomer Norton, e-mail sara_grimes[at]bathnes.gov.uk/ tel 01225 477548

Tue 16 Feb – Transition Film: ‘Hawaii: Message in the Waves’, Tuesday 16th February, doors open 7.15pm, the Minerva Centre, 8 Combe Park, Lower Weston, Bath BA1 3NP, http://www.transitionbath.org

‘Junk Poetry’ open mic night, Thursday 18th February, 7.30pm, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Camp for Climate Action national gathering, Friday 19th-Sunday 21st February, Bridewell, Bristol

Transition Bath open review: ‘How are we doing?’, Monday 22nd February, 7.15pm, back room of the Bell, Walcot Street, Bath, bring food to share, http://www.transitionbath.org

Free yoga class, Wednesday 24th February, 10.30-11.30am, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Film: ‘Matwan’, Thursday 25th February, 7pm, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Free yoga class, Wednesday 3rd March, 10.30-11.30am, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

North Somerset Council Meeting on future of Bristol Airport expansion, Wednesday 3rd March, 6pm, Town Hall, Weston Super Mare, come along to the meeting and show councillors your concerns, http://www.stopbia.com

Bath Activist Network meeting, Thursday 4th March, 7.30-9pm, downstairs at The Hobgoblin, St James Parade, http://www.bathactivistnetwork.blogspot.com

Bath Animal Action meeting, Monday 8th March, 8-9pm, The Bell, Walcot Street

Exhibition: ‘Loss of Innocence: Gaza Children’s Artwork’, Monday 8th March-Wednesday 17th March (not Sundays), mostly 10-4pm, St John’ Church, Frome, ffi e-mail adam.stout[at]virgin.net

Free yoga class, Wednesday 10th March, 10.30-11.30am, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Bath Stop the War Coalition public meeting, Wednesday 10th March, 7.30pm, Friends Meeting House, York Street, Bath

Bath Green Drinks, Wednesday 10th March, 8pm, the Rising Sun, Grove Street

Radical debate club: ‘When environmentalism becomes fascism’, Thursday 11th March, 7-9pm, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Free yoga class, Wednesday 17th March, 10.30-11.30am, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Bath tree-planting project day, Saturday 20th March, more details tbc

Free yoga class, Wednesday 24th March, 10.30-11.30am, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Bath Critical Mass, Saturday 27th March, 1pm start, Kingsmead Square

Trapese Collective course: ‘Tools for Social Change’, training in grassroot organising for social change, Saturday 27th March-3rd April, Ragman’s Lane Farm, Forest of Dean, £175-£350, limited places available so book early! http://www.stuffit.org/trapese/ragm.pdf

Free yoga class, Wednesday 31st March, 10.30-11.30am, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Free yoga class, Wednesday 7th April, 10.30-11.30am, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Radical debate club: ‘Radicalism & religion’, Thursday 8th April, 7-9pm, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Free yoga class, Wednesday 14th April, 10.30-11.30am, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

Free yoga class, Wednesday 21st April, 10.30-11.30am, Black Cat Centre, http://www.blackcatcentre.blogspot.com

World Day for Lab Animals march in London, Saturday 24th April, coach 8.30am, leaving Bristol Temple Meads, £10 ticket

And now, to the disclaimer: As anyone is free to contribute, the opinions expressed in each article are not necessarilly reflective of each contributor. Naturally, any right-wing or corporate bullshit will be binned and spat upon. Needless to say, the opinions of the author of this disclaimer do not necessarilly represent the views of any other contributor.

Insane In The B&NES

Meanwhile, back to other news. The Save Bathampton Meadows campaign to save, err, Bathampton Meadows, recently suffered a blow when B&NES Council gave themselves permission to proceed with their four-stage Bath Transport Plan – including the wildlife-devouring Bus Rapid Transit route, the expansion of two existing Park & Ride schemes, and the sacrifice of the Meadows to be gloriously reborn as a new flood-prone P&R. The much-hated A36/A46 link road plan still remains too, despite constant public denial. Though the Council’s complete lack of transparency and democratic representation (66% of Bathonians objected to the Bathampton scheme in Nov 08) defied all expectations, and the traffic congestion and air quality benefits (less than 1%, according to government studies) of the plan are implausible at best, B&NES’ true motive is clear as glass: money. Yep, the £5.75 million carrot of government grant has got them all wet, and residents or the environment can fuck off.

In response, the seven-year strong SBM lot hosted a packed-out community meeting in Batheaston on the 27th of last month. The campaign is now psyching themselves up for a pincer attack legal challenge, taking first the Secretary of State to court, and then B&NES… if they can afford it. To this end the ‘protest company’ VeraCity Ltd have been formed, and with court costs expected between £10,000 and £30,000 (with even the sending of a letter costing £500, those solicitors get pricey!) they are now eager for investors to share out the burden of a quid each. Paradoxically, most of these challenges take six years, but VeraCity are only being given three months.

B&NES have now started tending out for construction, spin and architects contracts with which to waste their money. With luck, any info about companies showing interest will come to light either on our own blogspot, or the SBM one.

Whilst we here in the office have some doubts on the efficiency of wading through all that red tape, this, various NIMBY legalese and Compulsory Purchase Order courtroom battles could very well be the key to save the ecologically-important meadows. And if not, here’s to hoping the VC doesn’t lead the campaign away from its direct action commitments.

http://www.vcbath.blogspot.com
http://www.newbridgematters.blogspot.com
http://www.response2route.co.uk/wordpress/?p=221
http://www.savebathamptonmeadows.org.uk

A Censorble Response To Islam4UK

A lot has been made lately of the antics of the pro-Sharia Muslim group ‘Islam4UK’ (a front group for Al-Muhajiroon led by Anjem Choudary), who advocate the turning of Britain into an oppressive Muslim state, complete with capital punishment and flogging for public drunkenness (amidst a host of other gems). They also recently received notoriety for the government’s banning of their proposed Wootton Bassett demo – the repatriation town for British war dead. White nationalists were quick to condemn the march, but you don’t have to be a flag-waving skinhead to oppose these nutcases.

Since the opening of hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, various groups have sunk to using the parading of war casualties in Wootton Bassett as a propaganda tool. While some revel in the body count to promote anti-western sentiment, others like the BNP use coffins and grieving families to fly nationalist flags. The truth, though, is that dead soldiers are neither heroes nor monsters – they’re simply men and women who have paid a harsh price for doing the dirty work of corrupt politicians.

Really, the BNP and Islam4UK are both a threat to the working class, and pander to a political elite who desire only to see us divided along their lines of race, religion, gender and sexuality, instead of class. Surely we want to build a society based on tolerance, respect and equality, and must resist the authoritarian regime envisioned by the far right? If so, then we need to wake up and treat these people – no matter the colour of skin or the faith – like the fascists they are. And whilst we can’t condone state control and bans, it’s the job of our communities to crush them.

To Vote Or Not To Vote?

On Thursday the 11th of February, the Black Cat Centre held a debate on the subject of voting. Should we vote? If so, for whom? If not, why not? I have been asking around to get a feel of what people passing through the centre think, and the results are far from unanimous. They range from not voting as a categorical imperative, to voting for the Tories so the revolution comes, with middle-ground positions as well, contrasting national election with local ones. The debate promised to be mighty interesting.

There is not enough space to explore this issue in depth, so I will use the little I have left to present the act of voting under different lights, which will hopefully allow us to have a constructive exchange. There can be two ends in voting; voting to rule the country, and voting to destroy the system. Those who propose to vote, at least the ones I’ve spoken to, are referring to the second one; and, you’ve probably guessed, those who propose that we don’t vote are referring to the first; that is, someone has yet to say that we should form a party and win the elections.

There is no disagreement, then, on the right to rule. It doesn’t exist. What the people I’ve spoken to disagree on is whether it does us any good, as an activist movement, that one party or another is behind the wheel. Can it help us build the resistance? Or does voting, as such, undercut it?

Here EDO Again

For the last five years, Brighton-based bastards EDO/ITT have been the subject of a concerted activist campaign initiated when locals learned that EDO supplies the Israeli and US military with bomb release mechanisms and other nasties that have been used in Gaza, Iraq and elsewhere. Since the beginning of the campaign, EDO has been subject to numerous protests, lock-ons, blockades, vandalism and other actions and has seen their share value plummet, and gone through four directors in as many years.

On January the 18th, over 300 people gathered in Brighton to mark the first anniversary of the bombardment of Gaza that EDO made possible. Throughout the day, activists, including Bathonians, dodged batons and police dogs to make their way to the EDO factory, which they eventually did via a little-used footpath. Upon the march reaching the factory, sections of the fencing disappeared, allowing protesters entry to the site, where a brief skirmish with the police ensued. From there, the demo, which by this point had been officially banned by the police, headed back into town to let Brightonians know what grotty death merchants peddle their trade on their doorsteps. It was later discovered that, in anticipation of the protests, the factory had been closed the entire day. To add to EDO’s financial misery, later that night the factory was visited and heavily paint-bombed and lock-glued in solidarity with the people of Gaza – not a bad day’s work! The campaign against EDO continues, and you can find out more at http://www.smashedo.org.uk

In support of the Brighton demo, BAN supporters and others picketed Barclay’s Bank in Bristol. Barclays was targeted because it is the main bank of arms companies. 20 people gave out leaflets and held a banner in support of Elijah Smith, a Bristol-based anti-militarist who has been remanded in custody without a trial for a year following an event last year where EDO was subjected to the single action that brought it closer to collapse. Seven ‘de-commissioners’ entered the factory and destroyed almost every piece of equipment they could find. There has been a campaign to keep his spirits up, including sending letters and gifts, and even loud gigs held outside the nick by supporters! To send Elijah your support, send him a letter at – Elijah Smith, VP 7551, Sheppey Cluster (Elmley), Church Rd, Eastchurch, Sheerness, Kent, ME 12 4DZ.

Climate Change Activists: Join the Vancouver Convergence

A coalition of environmental activists led by GatewaySucks.org is calling on climate change activists to join the convergence at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

When the 2010 Winter Olympics start a couple of weeks from now in Vancouver, BC the athletes and spectators will be joined by organizations with some of the worst records on climate change.

General Motors is a national partner for the games, and one of the leading corporate opponents of effective action on climate change. Only two years ago, a vice-chairman of GM called global warming a “total crock of shit.” GM is supplying a large fleet of vehicles for the games, almost all of which are gas-guzzling SUVs.

Petro-Canada, another National Olympic Partner, is the retail arm of the largest extractor of Oil Sands bitumen. The Oil Sands are Canada’s biggest ghg emissions point source.

RBC (the Royal Bank of Canada) in addition to being a prominent Olympic sponsor is the largest commercial bank funder of the Oil Sands,. TransCanada pipelines, whose pipelines connect to the Oil Sands, is also an official supplier.

The government of British Columbia is the main funder and promoter of the games. They kicked off a massive plan to add over 1,000 km of new highway lanes (an increase of over 2,000,000 annual tonnes of CO2e emissions ) with the Sea-to-Sky Highway expansion for the Olympics. These plans include the controversial Gateway Program. It continues to heavily subsidize the oil and gas industry which resulted in it being the only Canadian province to see ghg emissions from industrial sources increase in 2008.

The Federal government of Canada which consistently earned “Fossil Awards” at the most recent international climate talks also is a major funder for the Olympics.

These corporations and governments want to fool the world with their claim that these are the “Greenest Games Ever” despite the links to climate change deniers, highway expansion and the Oil Sands.

If you would like to endorse this call-out or get involved directly please contact info@gatewaysucks.org.

MORE INFORMATION:

Convergence Info: http://olympicresistance.net/

Welcoming Committee: http://2010welcoming.wordpress.com/

Green Olympic Watch: http://2010greenwatch.org/

GatewaySucks.org: http://www.gatewaysucks.org/

2010 Climate Crime Scene: http://2010climatecrime.org