Wilderness Defence – Page 88

The Coal caravan has arrived in West Yorkshire! AND daily blog

29.04.2009
The coal caravan is now in West Yorkshire and has visited Fairburn Ings which is threatened with open casting and Ferrbybridge power station which will burn the coal.

The Coal Caravan reaches Ferrybridge

29.04.2009
The coal caravan is now in West Yorkshire and has visited Fairburn Ings which is threatened with open casting and Ferrbybridge power station which will burn the coal.

The Coal Caravan reaches Ferrybridge

The Coal caravan has arrived in West Yorkshire! After a day of cycling 54 miles in the rain the caravan has set up in Pontefract.

Today activists and locals walked from Pontefract to Fairburn Ings, a site which will be devastated by open cast coal mining if HJ banks and the Ledstone Estate are given the go ahead to remove coal. On the way we passed the monstrosity which is Ferrybridge power station and were able to see exactly where the coal from the Fairburn Ings area will be burned. The coal taken from this area will only power the three local power stations for 11 days, yet it is predicted to take 50 years for the area to recover. The affects on global warming will be felt indefinitely if we don’t move away from a coal based power source, to renewable technology fast.

Last night the Caravan had an evening of discussion around the history of coal and the future of coal. The event was booked to take place at Pontefract New College, but the police leant on the college and then told the public the event had been cancelled. Thankfully we were still able to go ahead with the event in the Town Hall instead! The police have been overly present at some aspects of the caravan, but this has simply increased the public’s curiosity with our events and shown how much the police waste their time.

This evening the Caravan will show the Age of Stupid in Pontefract Library.

Tomorrow we cycle North, towards events in Durham and the North East. If you are interested in the caravan there is still time to come along. We have a full timetable over the bank holiday weekend with the local community and extra hands would be welcome. Please check out our website for details of accommodation and ring the caravan on 07729575582 to let us know you are coming.

caravan@climatecamp.org.uk
http://www.coalcaravan.org.uk

Daily blog during journey – http://coalcaravan.wordpress.com/

Orissa Tribes stage mass protest against British mining company Vedanta – 25 April 2009

Several hundred tribespeople today staged a protest against FTSE-100 company Vedanta, as it bids massively to expand its controversial aluminium refinery in Lanjigarh, Orissa. The refinery occupies land belonging to the Majhi Kondh tribe, and lies at the foot of the Niyamgiri hills, home of the isolated Dongria Kondhs. Both tribes took part in the protests.

Over a hundred families lost their homes to their refinery. Many more lost their farm land and with it their food-security and self sufficiency.

Vedanta’s refinery expansion project is integrally linked to its plan to mine the Dongria Kondh’s mountain home. Vedanta’s mine is needed to provide the refinery with a nearby, and cost efficient, source of bauxite – the raw material for aluminium.

One Dongria Kondh man said, ‘Mining only makes profit for the rich. We will become beggars if the company destroys our mountain and our forest so that they can make money. We cannot give our mountain, it is our life. And other tribes will also suffer, those who live on the rivers that come from our mountain.’

Today’s protest is just the latest in a string of demonstrations against Vedanta’s activities.

More info: www.survival-international.org/tribes/dongria

Whaling Ship Sunk Again by Agenda 21 in Norway & Marine Monkeywrenching Guide

On the evening of the 23rd of April, Agenda 21 snuck onto a Norwegian whaling ship making repairs, flooding the engine room and scuttling the ship to delay the 2009 killing season.

anonymous communique:

“APRIL 24, 2009
HENNINGSVAER, NORWAY – WHALING SHIP SUNK

ON THE EVENING OF THE 23RD OF APRIL WE SNUCK ONTO A NORWEGIAN WHALING SHIP MAKING REPAIRS IN THE LOFOTEN ISLANDS IN
PREPARATION FOR THE 2009 WHALING SEASON. TO DELAY THE KILLING SEASON AND TO PROTEST THE CONTINUED ILLEGAL EXPORT OF WHALE MEAT TO JAPAN WE DISASSEMBLED A VALVE AND FLOODED THE ENGINE ROOM. UNFORTUNATELY LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS WERE ABLE TO RESPOND JUST MOMENTS BEFORE THE SHIP SETTLED ON THE BOTTOM BUT NOT BEFORE THE SHIP HAD ALREADY BEEN COMPLETELY FILLED WITH SEA WATER AND THE DAMAGE DONE. FOR BOTH FISHERIES INVESTORS IN TOKYO AND INSURANCE UNDERWRITERS IN OSLO INVESTING IN THE NORWEGIAN WHALING INDUSTRY CAN ONLY LEAD TO SUNKEN PROFITS. AS A DIRECT RESULT OF A GROWING INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES WE CAME TO HENNINGSVAER. WE SAW THE SKARBAKK.

WE SANK THE BASTARD. -AGENDA 21″

Source – http://www.directaction.info/news_apr25_09.htm

Previous action
Communique – http://www.directaction.info/news_sep11_07.htm
Pictures – http://www.directaction.info/news_sep03_07.htm
Victory – http://www.directaction.info/news_oct21_07.htm

More info – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda_21

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Check out the Marine Monkeywrenching Guide

Happy Valley update, New Zealand

SE dismantle Happy Camp – so we’re relocating to SE front lawn
The Happy Valley Occupation camp has been dismantled by Solid Energy and helicoptered out of the Valley. So we’re re-locating – to Solid Energy’s Front lawn!

Media Advisory
Save Happy Valley Coalition
7.00am Friday 24 April

Protesters sleep on coal company lawn

Media Advisory
Save Happy Valley Coalition
7.00am Friday 24 April

Protesters sleep on coal company lawn

Five Save Happy Valley Coalition members camped on the front lawn of state-owned coal miner Solid Energy’s Christchurch headquarters last night. Around 30 protesters helped set up a pup tent on the lawn at 2.00pm yesterday, as a response to the removal of a long-term occupation camp on the site of a proposed West Coast coal mine.

“It certainly wasn’t as peaceful as a night in Happy Valley,” says Front Lawn Protester Anna-Clair Hunter. “We heard cars and trucks instead of weka and kiwi.”

Media are invited to a community breakfast at the Front Lawn site from 7.30-8.30am on Friday morning.

The group has spent the past five years protesting the plans of the state-owned company to destroy a pristine area north of Westport, home to 13 endangered species including /roroa/, great spotted kiwi.

ENDS

—-

7.5.09
Solidarity for Happy Valley in Tauranga
Banner Hung to Highlight Climate Crimes

Solid Energy and Genesis continue to profit from coal mining in New Zealand despite their “million dollar” greenwash marketing campaigns.

Happy Valley is a pristene native wetland near Westport, on the west coast of the South Island. Solid Energy plan to extend their already massive open-cast coal mine at Stockton into Happy Valley.

Two years ago a group of people concerned about climate change and the native ecosystems set up an occupation camp to protect Happy Valley. On the 21st April this year the camp was forcibly removed by Solid Energy.

Tauranga port is a key location for the trafficking of coal in and out of New Zealand by Solid Energy and Genesis. This banner was hung on a mega billboard (bearing a poignant message!) along a major road and railway used for transporting coal, in order to highlight the continued climate crimes committed by Solid Energy and Genesis in this time of global and ecological emergency.

http://www.savehappyvalley.org.nz

3 Lappersfort occupiers released, with deportation notices

Yesterday (friday 24th april) the 3 Lappersfort occupiers arrested on tuesday night were released (original article about arrest http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/22493). Upon signing out of the Brugge prison they were all issued with deportation notices, ordering them to leave the “Kingdom of Belgium” by midnight on the 29.04.2009. One of them signed the paper after being threatened with being sent back into the cell if refusing. The other two refused to sign the paper and were still released, but as yet we’re not sure if the deportation notice has any legal grounds or not. Obviously the pigs are using their socalled “position of authority” to intimidate the occupiers and those supporting them, and this attempted deportation is simply an extreme and over-the-top expression of their desire to be rid of us before the issues of the lappersfort, of “zonevreemde” forests and police repression get too big for them to handle. The notice itself seems extremly dodgy, it has only been signed by the prison director, refers from a law from 1980, and one is issued without the official name of the person to be deported. But these days here in Brugge nothing is surprising anymore, and the police may take this “chance” to raid the camp to find the “illegal” people there. The facist pig-protectors of the “Belgian Reich” are again flexing their little muscles, and this one case is another example of the facism of “fortress Europe” and its protectors, and the violent repression practised against those who show any form of resistance. Resorting to such measures only shows us that the police here feel threatened by our presence in the forest.
Meanwhile the pigs still have the ID’s and belongings of many people, and we’re trying to find out whether the raid at a local friends house on wendesday afternoon was legal or not, and whether or not we have a legal case against the Brugge police. (For original article about raid http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/22512).
Following the release of the 3 we now know more about their arrest on tuesday. At least 6-10 piggies had been waiting in the bushes, some dressed in camouflage and black, some in uniform, some with balaclavas and at least one dog. They came from behind the bushes and trees from all directions in a pathetic hollywood-style ambush, violently forcing 3 people to the ground, twisting their arms and using pressure-points. Fingerprints and photos were taken, and after the raid the pigs managed to positively identify one of the 3. The coppers here are using their tactics of kidnapping, ambush, violence and lies to crush our camp, our campaign, and to make others afraid of coming to visit, show support or move in. Spring is happening, and we are trying to get ready for a busy summer of campaigning and actions, despite constant police harassment. Just last night, while we celebrated the release of our friends, 3 people were forced to run from police after returning to the camp from collecting bread from a local bakery supporting the occupiers. The piggies, obviously with nothing better to do, waited long in to the night, keeping a close eye on the bag of bread dumped in the bushes by the 3 forced to flee. Upon returning to get it later, the silly buggers were still waiting, but the people managed to get away. Our criminal bread is now back on site and being enjoyed by all….
The camp, in this time of police surveillance and harassment and all the rest of it, require a few things which could be very helpful….Lappersfort wishlist: people with legal knowledge and experience, especially immigration law
computer freak to help updating and renewing old and neglected website
most of all we need more people in the forest, to come by and stay as long as they want, to move in and to take part in the camp itself (all people coming over should be aware however of strong police presence around the forest)
please phone for anything…….(++32 741/65.85.44)

Indians blockade main Amazon tributary – 24 April 2009

A large number of Indians have blockaded one of the Amazon’s main tributaries, the Napo River, in response to the violation of their rights by oil companies and Peru’s government.

The protesters have blockaded the Napo with canoes and a cable to stop oil company vessels getting upriver. According to sources, two boats, including one from the Anglo-French company Perenco, have managed to break through the blockade. Three shots were allegedly fired at the Indians who chased after them.

The blockade of the Napo River is just one of many protests currently taking place across the Peruvian Amazon. Coordinated by Peru’s Amazon Indian organisation, AIDESEP, the protests are in response to government policies seen by the Indians as discriminatory and threatening to their communal lands. AIDESEP is lobbying for the repeal of several laws they claim violate their rights, and for the creation of new reserves for uncontacted tribes.

The government has responded by sending police and soldiers to areas where protests are taking place. AIDESEP has criticised these measures, calling them ‘intimidation’ and saying that the protests are peaceful.

Perenco is working in a part of the Amazon inhabited by two of the world’s last uncontacted tribes. The company does not acknowledge the tribes exist.

Survival’s director Stephen Corry said today, ‘All over the world tribal peoples are being forced to resort to blockades to try and protect their remaining land. We’re seeing this in India and Malaysia as well as South America.’

www.survival-international.org

Shell security attack Willie Corduff after illegal Glengad compound dismantled

23.04.2009
Shell’s illegal Glengad compound was dismantled last night and Goldman winner, Willie Corduff was assaulted by masked Shell security during truck protest.

23.04.2009
Shell’s illegal Glengad compound was dismantled last night and Goldman winner, Willie Corduff was assaulted by masked Shell security during truck protest.
Yesterday Shell’s attempts to restart their works on the Corrib Gas project were ground to a halt after only eight hours. At 6-30 a workforce of about 20, backed up by around 50 private security guards erected fences to re-establish a compound. This compound is the would-be on-shore pipe installation base. Works were seriously hampered when local people and solidarity camp activists occupied machinery.

By 4 o clock Rossport Five member Willie Corduff was still refusing to leave the from under the truck, which he had occupied in the compound and all work had ground to a halt. Shell were unable to continue as Willie was preventing necessary equipment being used.

As the evening drew to a close Willie was resolute that he would stay and the community rallied around in support. Throughout the evening supporters gathered at the compound to show support for the campaign and Willie Corduff’s stand bringing blankets and hot water bottles.

As the crowd gathered tensions rose as Erris people saw first hand Shell’s attempt to devastate their community for a tenth year in a row. The fence beside the truck where Willie was positioned was removed and the activists made their way to Willie to ensure he was ok. Soon the entire southern exterior perimeter was dismantled. Shell’s initial works were almost undone.

At this point people returned to see Willie who was cold and still but all things considered was in good spirits. Erris activists had checked Shell’s attempts to restart work. People sat around talking and were in high spirits.

Protesters Attacked

Around 3am the vigil of supporters were gathered on the road and Willie was accompanied at the truck only by his brother- in-law. Willie had briefly gotten out from under the truck to stretch his legs. The two men were standing beside the truck when up to ten Shell security personnel in black and wearing balaclavas “appeared out of nowhere”. The men pushed Willie to the ground and started kicking him and hitting him with a heavy object that appeared to be a baton or torch. They knelt on his head and twisted his arms behind his back as they beat him. His brother-in-law attempted to aid Willie but was pushed back repeatedly and forcibly removed by the masked Shell security into an adjacent field where he was then knocked to the ground, kicked and beaten.

A Shell medic stayed with Willie for a period. Local people, who arrived on the scene shortly after the two men were assaulted, were so frightened of the Shell security personnel that they called the Gardaí who were patrolling the area. Willie was removed by an ambulance to Castlebar General Hospital, where he is being treated for nausea and severe bruising to the head and body. A Garda statement confirmed the identity of Willie and his brother-in-law’s attackers stating that “A protester [Willie] who was present on the site since yesterday was this morning removed from the compound by security staff.”

Works as we write appears to be suspended. Willie Corduff is in hospital, the area is on a knife-edge as a mixture of fear and anger brews.

People are urged to travel to Erris now to stand with Erris people to make a stand against Shell.

Lappersfort- Police out of control

Following the ambush & arrest of 3 lappersfort occupiers on the night of 21st April, the Brugge police yesterday conducted a raid on the house of a local sympathiser.

Following the ambush & arrest of 3 lappersfort occupiers on the night of 21st April, the Brugge police yesterday conducted a raid on the house of a local sympathiser. Atleast 6 pigs entered the home after showing a warrant, and took with them many personal items from the occupiers, including passports, other forms of ID and even personal letters and journals. The police are taking every opportunity to weaken local support through the media circus and also to gather identification of the occupiers. The belief is that they are gathering the id’s in order to be able to charge people with the costs of the eviction (after eviction in 2002, 13 occupier who had given their names were threatened with having to pay the eviction costs of 50,000euros if they are caught again in the forest) . We aren’t sure if this means the eviction is coming any sooner now, but the camp is under constant eviction threat. There is some speculation as to whether or not the police raid yesterday was done legally or not, and also whether or not they will take the next step of raiding the camp….

Meanwhile 3 of our friends are still sitting in prison in brugge and will face the judge tomorrow. They are accused of scraping some words in wet concrete, which the pigs have decided deserves the official charge of “destroying the road”. We are obviously hoping they will all be released tomorrow, but the courthouse here in Brugge has a reputation for locking up lappersforters for anything they possibly can. One local paper also reported that the security and dogs who ambushed and arrested the 3 on Tuesday night were requested by the mayor himself.

Life in the forest is getting sometimes difficult, and the pigs are obviously using their tactics of intimidation, fear and repression to demoralise the camp and cause division between the occupiers and the local community. But the camp and the campaign goes on, spring is happening, and more humans are always wished for and welcome….we wont let the piggies stop us, or even slow us down…

The Beechwood Hotel/Squat 201 Bristol Road Edgbaston Birmingham B5 7UB

A day of permaculture workshops, followed by a BBQ and party. Then stay and help us resist the bailiffs.

Permaculture Day at the Social Justice centre, 201 Bristol Road, B5 7UB.

The Social Justice centre at Bristol Road is hosting a permaculture day on Saturday 25th April.
The event is scheduled for 11am till late . There will also be a barbecue and music for your pleasure.

A day of permaculture workshops, followed by a BBQ and party. Then stay and help us resist the bailiffs.

Permaculture Day at the Social Justice centre, 201 Bristol Road, B5 7UB.

The Social Justice centre at Bristol Road is hosting a permaculture day on Saturday 25th April.
The event is scheduled for 11am till late . There will also be a barbecue and music for your pleasure.

The Centre is a squatted former hotel and conservation area, which has been run down by the owner and former managers. The occupiers are keen to turn this situation around and restore the grounds to proper ecological management, and are working with local stakeholders to this end. In the meantime, practical steps taken include the planting of a vegetable plot.

The day on Saturday will involve volunteers from the neighbouring Metamorphosis at the Martineau Gardens. We will be sharing environmental conservation skills while doing practical work to restore the conservation area to proper environmental management to the best of our collective abilities on the day. We will be continuing to lay pathways too.

Calling all permaculture activists and eco-warriors: come along and share your skills and experience, and of course naturally please bring any tools or seeds you want to use for a naturally natural experience.

The Beechwood Hotel/Squat
201 Bristol Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B5 7UB

For more information call Lee 07874 180014

Shell return to Glengad in force

Protestors beaten by Gardai

22nd April 2009 UPDATE UPDATE
Today’s fencing (and gates?) in Glengad is right now being removed by the community.

Shell returned in force today to Glengad, arriving about 6.45, by about 7 protesters from the community and camp had started to gather.

Protestors beaten by Gardai

22nd April 2009 UPDATE UPDATE
Today’s fencing (and gates?) in Glengad is right now being removed by the community.

Shell returned in force today to Glengad, arriving about 6.45, by about 7 protesters from the community and camp had started to gather.

Willie Corduff, Goldman Environmental Award Winner and 2 others climbed under a truck carrying palisade fencing on the SAC. A camper climbed onto a telescopic loader, later changing to a 20t excavator/digger used for lifting the fencing panels.

Maura Harrington partially blocked the front entrance of the compound with her car, and throughout the day many folk jumped the fence and tried to stop the destruction of this pristine habitat.

Shell had dozens of security and dozens of workers, but were severely hampered in their activities by stiff local resistance. The occupation of truck and digger meant that they had only limited resources for their work, but in the late afternoon they had another digger and another truck load of fencing dropped to site.

The Gardai tried to talk the digger jumper and Wille & co out but to no avail, they simply kept stating that they wanted to see Shell’s permissions to be carrying out the work. When this failed they took a more direct approach with the men under the lorry. They managed to pull Willie’s boots off and stared twisting his toes, they threw stones at them and beat Willie on the ankle with a rock, while another lorry protestor had his had repeatedly banged off the ground by a thug masquerading as a Inspector. Willie was also scratched and stuck in the privates by Gardai.

As the hours ticked by the Gardai had Maura’s car towed by plant hire owner Carey. After 9hrs on the digger the camper was grabbed by security and forcibly pulled off, severely bruising his legs and arm. The other 2 people under the lorry spent approx 8hrs under it.

The weather turned nasty with gale force winds and driving rain, which made life difficult for protesters and workers alike.

This evening Willie remains under the lorry and the Gardai have left. Another man managed to get under the lorry with Willie this evening. There is a large security force still in Glengad, with a crowd forming of solemn protesters standing near Willie in the dark but the situation still seems potentially volatile. Rumour is that several fire brigade units are on their way to lift the lorry and remove him.

The local radio station, Midwest Radio, have been openly calling in their news for Shell to produce documentation to the effect that they have the necessary permissions to work in Glengad which they don’t seem to have.

Around noon or so the portaloos that Shell had dropped on the SAC blew over and all their chemicals poured out onto the SAC, no attempt was made to clean up the chemical spill and the portaloos were only stood up again about 7pm.

Today Shell eventually managed to put up large front gates and create the top compound section with a 2nd set of gates leading down into the SAC.

Despite telling 1 or 2 people they were arrested no arrests were made.

People are frustrated & angry but determined, they need all the help they can get, so now is the time to get to Erris if you can, for whatever support you can give.