Wilderness Defence – Page 79

EARTH FIRST! WINTER MOOT: 5th – 7th Feb 2010, County Durham – exact location released, & other info (incl. for cyclists)

EARTH FIRST! WINTER MOOT
6pm Fri 5th – Sun 7th Feb 2010
North-east England

“A weekend of networking, reflection, strategic discussions & campaign planning for anyone involved in ecological direct action who believes in non-hierarchical organisation and directly confronting the forces responsible for the destruction of the Earth and its inhabitants”

EARTH FIRST! WINTER MOOT
6pm Fri 5th – Sun 7th Feb 2010
North-east England

Venue:
The Winter Moot will be taking place at the Dipton Community Centre, Front Street (A692), Dipton, Stanley, County Durham, DH9 9DR. Further information on getting there can be found via the How to get there link (now including cycling directions).

New poster to download
New flyer to download

Details of EF! Winter Moot announced:

The Earth First! Winter moot is an opportunity for people who feel affiliation with the ideas behind Earth First! to network, discuss and reflect on the UK ecological direct action movement and to plan for the future. Earth First! is about direct action to halt the destruction of the Earth. We believe we can make a real difference by doing it ourselves rather than relying on leaders, governments or industry.

This years Earth First! Winter Moot will be taking place in Co. Durham on the weekend of 6/7th February. As well as evaluations and updates from a number of ecological campaigns from around the country, this year we will have a themed event – The Crisis: evaluation, analysis and possible responses. We will be exploring the interactions between the various ecological, financial and resource crises, examining our own conceptions and experiences of crisis, then tying it altogether to find a way forward using non-hierarchical approaches.

We will also be hosting a discussion on how Earth First and the Camp for Climate Action intersect, to deal with quite a number of issues that emerged at the EF! Summer Gathering, including issues of generational understanding, anarchism vs. liberalism, are we seperate networks, and how can we go forward together in the future. This debate will be taking from 6.15-7.30pm on the Saturday evening of the Moot, and is open to all.

Everyone welcome

If your campaign (local or national) is interested in participating in the feedback please get in touch.

The venue will be accessible, and parent-friendly. Vegan food provided. Suggested donation for the weekend is £20. The venue will be announced one week beforehand so keep an eye on the website for details; however, for those who want to purchase advance tickets, the nearest station will be Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

For more information visit http://earthfirst.org.uk/ & http://www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk/2010moot/front.html
Tel: 0777 114 2131

1. It is in doors with communal sleeping areas (no camping – we’re not that mad 🙂 )

2. The actual venue will be announced a week before hand, so please check the website then, or email us.

For enquiries, offers of facilitation & help, ideas for workshops and TO LET US KNOW YOU ARE COMING! email : wintermoot@earthfirst.org.uk

More about the Moot
The EF! Winter Moot is an opportunity for people who feel affiliation with the ideas behind Earth First! to network, discuss and reflect on the UK ecological direct action movement and to plan for the future.

Following a popular discussion at 2009’s EF! Summer Gathering 2010’s Moot also aims to hold discussions on the theme of “readying ourselves for unpredictability and instability in the UK and globally”. The current & impending crises of economics, ecology, energy & society fundamentally alter the terrain of struggle; this in turn impacts both the practice and possibilities for a radical ecological movement.

2010’s Winter Moot is to be held in County Durham, an area with a large number of opencast coal mines, both active and at the application stage. The weekend will include opportunities to meet with activists involved locally in campaigns against these.

Cost including vegan food & crash-pad accommodation £20-£30 (depending what you can afford-but please don’t blag-even the organisers will pay).

If you have particular accommodation, access or dietary needs or are bringing children it would help us to know as soon as possible so we can plan suitable facilities; whoever you are please do try & drop us an email at least a week in advance so we can gauge how many to cater for.

www.earthfirst.org.uk

Rossport Update – Illegal Shell Works halted for a Day

Today, Wednesday 21 October, Shell to Sea stopped work at an illegal Shell site for the entire day when a campaigner climbed onto the arm of a digger which was laying bog mats, in preparation for drilling works.

Shell moved into Glengad this morning, preparing to drill bore holes in a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Shell to Sea maintain that this work is illegal, because Shell do not have planning permission from An Bord Pleanála for the onshore pipeline yet; it is due within the next day or two. Shell confirmed this morning that the only authority they are relying upon to carry out drilling in Glengad is permission from the landowner, but in order to drill on an SAC, Shell must get the permission of the Minister for the Environment under the the EC Habitats Regulations. Mayo County Council was not aware that there was any work being carried out in Glengad today.

In October 2007 Shell were proven to be illegally drilling on an SAC, and Minister for Environment John Gormley ordered them to remove their works and return the habitat to its original form. Commenting on this illegal drilling, Gormley said “The actions of the Shell contractors in entering a Special Area of Conservation and carrying out works without authorisation are a matter of serious concern to me. I find it unacceptable that this has occurred at a time when my Department has been making special efforts to keep in communication with Shell during the course of this project to date.”

Shell are now trying to do it again in the same SAC, two years later- however they’ve found it impossible with people climbing onto their machinery and occupying it. An entire day’s work was stopped today when locals residents entered the field where Shell was working. Shell was using a digger/forklift to place bogmats on the field, preparing for heavy machinery to be able to drive onto the field. Campaigners and locals stood around for a bit watching this happening, and before long the Gardaí showed up with their cameras and their Section 8. The Gardaí were told that the work going on was illegal, that Shell had no permission to be drilling in an SAC. Unsurprisingly they were only interested in making sure the Shell lorry with the bogmats got through. Overall this was the extent of the Gardaí’s involvement (besides the usual harassing and peering into car windows). The Guards seemed to want to leave it with IRMS to deal with people on the private land (where their Section 8 doesn’t apply).

When people started entering the field, IRMS initially got rough, shoving and throwing people around, but Jim Farrell (their boss) told them to “Calm down lads, let them go” and he had to ‘reign them in’ a few times. One campaigner sat on a pile of bog mats for a period of time, while the Shell workers continued laying bog mats from other piles and left him there. After a period of time, they needed the pile of bog mats the person was sitting on, and as a handful of IRMS surrounded him to try and move him, another campaigner made a run for the digger and climbed up the arm. Immediately Dimitry S, an IRMS employee who has testified against Shell to Sea people in the past, was pulling at the campaigner’s leg, despite him being in a precarious position. His boss, Jim Farrel, had to tell him to stop and let go of the person’s leg, because it was clearly unsafe. The digger-occupier stayed up there for six hours, and there was lots of support from the community. Locals showed up bringing tea and sandwiches for the crowd that had gathered on the road. Once all the workers had gone home and it was clear that a day’s work had been successfully stopped, the digger-occupier got down from the arm without much hassle.

Overall it was a good day, though IRMS seems increasingly frustrated, blatantly antagonising the local community. After the digger-occupier had gotten down and as other locals were leaving the field, one of the IRMS quietly dared one of the local people to ‘just try and do this when it gets dark’

Rossport Solidarity Camp
– e-mail: rossportsolidaritycamp@gmail.com
– Homepage: http://www.shelltosea.com

Reclaim the Earth Centre – conisbrough

There will be a walkabout the Earth Centre at Conisbrough (Doncaster, S. Yorks)on Friday, 23rd October at 1pm.

This meeting is an opportunity to meet each other an discuss plans to reclaim the earth centre for the people.

There will be a walkabout the Earth Centre at Conisbrough (Doncaster, S. Yorks)on Friday, 23rd October at 1pm.

This meeting is an opportunity to meet each other an discuss plans to reclaim the earth centre for the people.

The Earth Centre was a millenium commission funded project, it is a educational centre for sustainable living and after millions of pounds were pumped into it the site has been left derelict and closed to the public for 5 years. Unfortunately now in the hands of the council it is under immediate threat of development.

Imagine an island of low impact living structures, forest gardens, lush allotments, and the technology to be completely self sustainable this is the Earth Centre. Please help us save it!

Mainshill Drilling Vehicles Sabotaged

21/10/2009
An anonymous communique was received after two machines used for drilling and testing for coal on site were sabotaged in the early hours of Tuesday morning… The communique reads:

“On the morning of Tuesday the 20th of October two heavy vehicles had their Fuel lines, wires, gears and fuel tanks destroyed. Their windows and bodies where also spraypainted.

21/10/2009
An anonymous communique was received after two machines used for drilling and testing for coal on site were sabotaged in the early hours of Tuesday morning… The communique reads:

“On the morning of Tuesday the 20th of October two heavy vehicles had their Fuel lines, wires, gears and fuel tanks destroyed. Their windows and bodies where also spraypainted.
The vehicles damaged have been working to prepare the Mainshill Wood area for coal extraction. If it is open casted then it will join several other mines in the Douglas Valley, two of which are currently expanding.
Scottish Coal, the land owner Lord Home and the government and more than prepared to sacrifice the health of local communities and environment, as well as contribute to climate change and nearly universal environmental degradation for wages, bonuses, targets and profits.
This action was taken by a group of autonomous people in solidarity with all those who oppose the development of Mainshill Wood into an open cast coal mine.”

Hot off the press and packed with Direct Action – the new Earth First! Action Update is out!

Rebellion, a spark in search of a powder keg – the new Action Update is out, the quarterly round-up of ecological direct action from the UK and beyond.

What’s in this issue?

Rebellion, a spark in search of a powder keg – the new Action Update is out, the quarterly round-up of ecological direct action from the UK and beyond.

What’s in this issue?
Old King Coal meets his Match, but the Nuclear Empire Strikes Back! Read tales of flotillas, bishop-bashing, blockades and occupations as the Rebel Alliance takes on the Empire. The rebels have also been hanging around in nets and on platforms, occupying and locking-on at coal terminals, and passionately attacking power station fences around the world, trying to shut ’em down. Mainshill protest camp continues to pro-actively resist open-cast mining – they climb, occupy, and by night, anonymous pixies sabotage. Who knows when they sleep – with a strong alliance with local villagers, they welcome YOU to come and play anytime, with a gathering at the end of October.

Want more? Radio-towers toppled, dams and trucks seized, naked oil streaks and green smears in defence of the wild, a shit dumped with shit…resistance to peat mining, genetic engineering, logging and Shell in Ireland, and for Vestas wind turbine factory and workers on the Isle of Wight.

Still not enough? Stopping Tesco, climate campaigning successes, runway invasions, more ecotage, and the EF! Winter Moot, plus contacts and upcoming dates.

To download your copy go to this website:

http://www.earthfirst.org.uk/efau/actionupdate_oct09.pdf

If you want paper copies to distribute, contact us at: actionupdate@earthfirst.org.uk or pick up a bunch from our stall at the Anarchist Bookfair in London. To print your own, download from http://www.earthfirst.org.uk/efau/actionupdate_oct09print.pdf

Wanted: We are very skint! Please send us some dosh to help us pay for the printing.
Cheques can be made out to Earth First! Action Update, and posted to The Basement, 78a Penny St, Lancaster LA1 1XN

Love and Rage
Your Action Update collective

reports of the Great Climate Swoop at Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power station

Climate change activists have hailed this weekend’s direct action as a “massive success” after repeatedly breaching the fence and spending 24 hours outside Ratcliffe coal-fired power station.

Three activists are said to have recovered from injuries suffered at the hands of the police, while one more activist is believed to still be in hospital after collapsing yesterday afternoon. Footage was released last night of a protester-medic aiding a policeman taken ill at the protest (1).

Activists gathered in various points on Saturday morning, swooping on the power plant in separate groups to arrive at 1pm. Within five minutes they had already broken down one of the perimeter fences and several had entered the plant.

On Saturday night around 300 activists pitched tents in two camps outside the gates, despite attempt by police to intimidate campers by standing next to the campsite in full riot gear. The police have confirmed 58 arrests, but there are believed to be more arrestees yet to be booked in. Further action is expected to take place today.

Natasha Blair from the Camp for Climate Action said: ‘We’ve achieved what we came here to do: to show that coal has no future and there is a growing movement which is prepared to take action on climate change.”

This weekend, activists from around the world met in Copenhagen to finalist plans for similar actions during the UN climate talks taking place in December. The Camp for Climate Action has announced that they will be joining other activists in the ‘Push for Climate Justice’, which aims to take over the talks for a day.

Natasha Blair continued: “In the run up to the UN climate talks in Copenhagen this December, acts of civil disobedience to confront big business and governments that are causing catastrophic climate change are gaining support.”

Notes

1. Find the full video at: http://blip.tv/play/njSBqIoGAg

Action timeline

Live timeline and live map

Police videos of fence cutting and police being charged by fence.

Our videos – fences coming down | 11 year old atop fence | to the fences | and others here

Our photos

Mainstream news coverage

Nottinghamshire Police’s Chief Inspector has admitted that the figure of 80 people arrested during the first day of the climate swoop at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station was not correct. In fact only 52 people were arrested.

Climate Activist Arrested in Run-Up to Coal Action on way back from meeting

http://climate-swoop.appspot.com/
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/actions/climate-swoop-2009

Mainshill Solidarity Camp Gathering – Saturday 31st October & Sunday 1st November + video

Building – Workshops – Action

Join us at Mainshill Wood for the weekend of the 31st October & 1st November or longer if you can.

Building – Workshops – Action

Join us at Mainshill Wood for the weekend of the 31st October & 1st November or longer if you can.

Work has started at Mainshill, where Scottish Coal want a new coal mine but the community does not. Huge areas of plantation are being felled and JCBs have moved in. This gathering will strengthen the campaign and give new energy to the Solidarity Camp.

Events over the Weekend:

* Saturday 31st October, 13:00: A walk of the area with people from surrounding and affected communities, visiting areas that have been destroyed by Scottish Coal and areas that we can still save. A discussion on the campaign so far and where we can take it will follow.
* Climbing, tree-house building and tunnelling workshops
* A “work day” to build the Solidarity Camp some new defences
* Evening camp-fire entertainment
* Plenty of chances to stop a beautiful area of Scotland’s countryside from being turned into an opencast coal mine

What to bring:

* Warm clothes and water-proofs, a tent, sleeping bag and mat
* Any food, building materials and tools you can
* Most importantly, bring yourself and your friends

The Solidarity Camp has been doing its best to stop work on the site, but now we need your support and solidarity to win this fight against Scottish Coal, Lord Home and South Lanarkshire Council!

Stopping Work at Mainshill – Solidarity Camp Gathering 31st Oct & 1st Nov video

http://coalactionscotland.noflag.org.uk/

12,000 mink freed from fur farms, one farm to close

Media in Denmark have reported that more than 10,000 mink were released from cages at Danish fur farms this week. Media in Sweden has reported that approximately 1,000 mink were released from cages at a farm in Eksjo, Sweden early on October 5.

TWO FUR FARM RAIDS IN THREE DAYS, 11,000 MINK FREED (Denmark)

Media in Denmark have reported that more than 11,000 mink were released from cages at Danish fur farms this week. During the night of October 6, 6000 mink escaped from a farm near Søndervig after cages were opened and fences surrounding the property were destroyed. Then, early on October 9, 5000 mink were freed from cages at a farm in Fousing.
(photo: Morten Melhede / dagbladetringskjern.dk)

1000 MINK RELEASED FROM CAGES, FARM WILL CLOSE! (Sweden)

Media has reported that approximately 1,000 mink were released from cages at a farm in Eksjo, Sweden early on October 5.
Water pipes and equipment at the farm were also damaged. It was the fourth time that the farm had been targeted, most recently in April.

The farmer has announced that the farm will close.

Source: Bite Back Magazine

Reclaim the Earth Centre at Doncaster – People needed for planned occupation

The Earth Centre in Doncaster has been left to ruin for 5 years. We intend to take it back. This site now owned by the council was developed to be a sustainable living education centre and community farm. It is currently being used as a firing range by weapon enthusiasts Cerberus Airsoft.

The Earth Centre was developed on derelict land left over from former coal pits, it was intended to be the museum for the millenium. Initial plans were for a gradual development of the site, incorporating community-led projects and with much construction work being undertaken by Mowlem, who used the site to train apprentices. The first stage of that project opened in 1994, including a sustainable aquaculture centre and a community farm.

In 1995 the Millennium Commission made an award to Earth Centre, which became one of its Landmark Millennium projects. The site was completely redesigned and virtually all existing landscaping and projects were destroyed, which lost the goodwill of the local community who felt excluded from the project. From 1996 work progressed on the remediation of the remaining polluted land and the design and construction of the many buildings and exhibitions.

In September 2004 the attraction closed to the public, and only pre-booked school parties were allowed. By the end of October, the Earth Centre, monument to Sustainability, was to the money men un-sustainable and was put in the hands of administrators. It is now in the hands of the Council who surprise surprise have made no effort to return it to its original intent. Instead the council chooses to allow access to Cerberus Airsoft a company specialising in providing war games and shooting outings to a select membership group. General public will be thrown off by the police!!

We think that this is an amazing site and the original concept behind the Earth Centre is a fantastically intelligent way of educating communities about sustainable living. It is now the time to return the Earth Centre to the people.

We need support in many forms to make this happen. To begin with we need people to come and help occupy the site, we will need tools and volunteers. This is a great opportunity for anyone that has been wanting to live in a community, in an eco village setting and a real chance to put South Yorkshire on the map for environmental education and lifestyle.

We’re planning a swoop on the site and then aim to transform it so that everyone can use it and benefit from its resources.

Please help contact – thereismore2lfefolks@yahoo.co.uk

This is a very urgent matter!
The following story was published in local paper ‘Peterborough Today’ 15 February 2007

DONCASTER Council is poised to sell off the ill-fated Earth Centre to developers after admitting running costs mean it would be “extremely unlikely” it could be used by community groups.
The probable fate of the 200 remaining acres of the former £38 million green visitor attraction was revealed in the council’s Corporate Asset Management Plan, presented to councillors last week.
The Earth Centre has been mothballed with 24-hour security patrols since it was wound up in 2004.
The Asset Management Plan presented to a meeting of the Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Panel describes the Earth Centre as “extremely unlikely to find sustainable use from community or other not for profit groups because of the very high cost of running and maintaining both the buildings and the grounds.” The report goes on to say that a “disposal solution” would be the “only viable option” for the site.
Ripon-based Pearson Developments Limited have submitted a planning application to build 300 houses, flats and offices on 17.5 acres of the 30 acres the company bought from the Millennium Commission. This land includes the former car park area and the lodge facilities.
Doncaster Council owns the remainder of the 200-plus acre site, including greenbelt land and the showpiece conference centre and galleries.
Their report adds: “Adjacent land owned by the Millennium Commission was sold in spring 2006 to a developer and discussions are in hand regarding a possible sale of the council’s landholding potentially to the same developer.”
Former Earth Centre member Bernard Pearson said: “All the money spent there was spent by the Millennium Commission from lottery money – I think the people who have paid into this should be taken into consideration. I don’t think the Council has tried very hard to get rid of it.”
Mr Pearson, who claims the maintenance bill for the site is in the region of £30,000 per month, added of the likely sell-off: “I think it is sad but it was what one would expect after two and a half years. I would look forward to seeing what proposals are put forward for the site. A lot of public money was invested in the site and I would hope the public will get something out of the arrangements.”
Opened in March 1999 as one of the Government’s flagship millennium projects, the Earth Centre was originally billed as an ‘environmental theme park’.
But the projected visitor numbers failed to appear. A relaunch in 2001 saw the centre rebranded to appeal to business and education users, but its fortunes did not revive enough for the attraction to break even. It went into liquidation in 2004 and has been mothballed ever since.
Nobody at Doncaster Council was available for comment this week.

We will not allow this to happen action must be taken!

The Earth Centre is key in educating the world about the effects of climate change and sustainable living solutions

Check out what it’s got to offer!

• 80% of building materials were either reclaimed or recycled
• Europe’s largest flat-foot photovoltaic installation.1,300m2 canopy containing 250 photovoltaic panels – generating 80,000 KW of electricity per year and would run the systems and the galleries.
• Conference centre constructed largely from reclaimed materials including telegraph poles, crushed concrete, glass and radiators.
• A shop and café area
• 6500m2 black box gallery space conditioned through an underground thermal store called the Labyrinth
• “Living Machine” sewage treatment plant. A local water treatment system processing all waste water coming from Earth Centre toilets, basins and kitchens, operating entirely through biological reactions, using both bacteria and nutrient-demanding tropical plants in the warmth of a greenhouse.
• Fully integrated network of water management that incorporates rainwater harvesting and the treatment, storage and recycling of water for use in irrigation and water features and as a wildlife habitat.
• 100,000 new trees including 15 acres of willow as well as some ancient woodlands, two rivers and a variety of ecological grasslands and wetlands
• Demonstrations of organic gardening methods, fruit orchards, willow sculptures, forest and bog gardens, and other flower and sculptural gardens

All this and a pirate ship!

……Attention……
We need support for the takeover of the Earth Centre, we intend to transform it into a camp for sustainable living and community activism contact us now! A swoop date will be announced soon.

Scottish Power, Hatfield Moor Gas Storage Facility, URGENT HELP REQUIRED!!! Protest, Sunday 11th October

HATFIELD MOOR GAS STORAGE FACILITY, LINDHOLME, DONCASTER, SOUTH YORKSHIRE.

Scottish Power, the current owners of the site, have just submitted a planning application to DONCASTER METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL seeking permission to both extend, and reinstate a naturally occurring gas field situated under the area. The site stands adjacent to a small residential estate, a couple of prisons, and a NATURE RESERVE which already is designated as an area of Special Scientific Interest.

During the construction phase of the project, Scottish Power themselves admit that they will be running drilling operations 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, for at least 10 months.What effect will this have on local residents, wildlife and environment.Also, the original geological survey of the area to which Scottish Power base their planning application is some 30 yrs old now and has been shown to have been riddled with flawed data in any case.
In addition, our local MP, who initially seemed happy to support us, appears to have changed sides, hmm, interesting but not surprising!

We have arranged the first of many peaceful protests, which is to be held on Sunday 11th October, starting at 2pm, meeting up point: Lindholme ‘Green Gym’ Playing Field, Lindholme, Doncaster, South Yorks (adjacent to Lindholme Immigration removal centre. DN7 postcode. Support desperately needed!!!).

As I mentioned earlier, we are a small community, with little chance of successfully holding any real form of protest on our own, so any support would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks