Global – Page 97 – Earth First!

SHAC DEMO

Saturday saw 700 people from all over this island, as well as many other parts of the world, gather in Huntiungdon for a march and demo against the concentration camp that is Huntingdon Life Sciences. The people of Huntingdon showed much support for the march, which was the first in the town for over four years, following changes to the existing injunction. Following the march we all moved on to the lab itself, which with its rows of fences and razor wire looks like the death camp that it is. Various speakers gave moving and passionate speeches, vowing to continue the campaign until this barbaric, abhorrent facility is closed. Despite the jailing of the three leading activists in SHAC, political prisoners of a government only interested in protecting vested finacial interest no matter the cruelty, this demo showed that the campaign is stronger than ever. We will never give up our action in defence of the Earth and all Life.

Climate Action News Sheet, 73 November 2007

CONTENTS:
———————————————-
UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS:
———————————————-
1) WILD LIE EXHIBITION PURSUES SHELL TO ABERYSTWYTH – 10-17.11.07

CONTENTS:
———————————————-
UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS:
———————————————-
1) WILD LIE EXHIBITION PURSUES SHELL TO ABERYSTWYTH – 10-17.11.07
2) FREE FILM SCREENING OF ‘THE WARNING’ – LONDON, 12.11.07
3) TOTTERDOWN ART TRAIL – BRISTOL, 16-18.11.07
4) OXFORDSHIRE ECO-HOUSE OPEN DAYS – 24-25.11.07
5) BANNER PROTEST AT BIOFUELS CONFERENCE – LONDON, 27.11.07
6) CRITICAL MASS DATES AND UPDATES – OCT/NOV 2007
7) CLIMATE CHANGE BIKE RIDE / NATIONAL MARCH – LONDON, 8.12.07
8) BEYONDTV FESTIVAL – SWANSEA, 28.11.07-2.12.07
9) CLIMATE CAMP EXHIBITION ON TOUR – WINTER 2007
10) LOW-IMPACT LIVING INITIATIVE COURSES – WINTER 2007
11) PLYMOUTH ENVIRONMENT CENTRE ART EXHIBITION – NOV/DEC 2007
12) EARTHFIRST MOOT / NEW ACTION UPDATE – WINTER 2007
13) FOSSIL FOOLS DAY – 1.4.08
———————————————-
RECENT HAPPENINGS:
———————————————-
1) SONGS OF FREEDOM AT OPENING OF SHELL’S WILD LIE EXHIBITION – 27.10.07
2) NATIONAL DAY OF LOCAL ACTION VS. ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND – 15.10.07
3) PEOPLE’S BLOCKADE OF WORLD’S BIGGEST COAL PORT – AUSTRALIA, 3.11.07
4) GREENWASH GUERILLAS DISRUPT “CARBON TRAITORS” IN NEW YORK – 30.10.07
5) BP EXECUTIVE PIED AT EUROPE’S LARGEST BIOFUELS EVENT – 17.10.07
6) CAMP HOPE, GLOUCESTER – 20-21.10.07
7) PLANE STUPID AT MANCHESTER AIRPORT – 8.10.2007
8) GREENPEACE PROTESTORS SHUT DOWN POWER PLANT – 8.10.07
9) TOTAL BLOCKADES – OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2007
10) NUFFGLOBAL FILMS – NOVEMBER 2007
11) ESCALATING DEFLATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST 4X4S IN SWEDEN – OCT ‘07
12) DIRECT ACTION NEWS FROM GREECE – 7-15.10.07
13) BATH BOMB, ISSUE 4 – NOVEMBER 2007

———————————————-
UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS:
———————————————-
1) WILD LIE EXHIBITION PURSUES SHELL TO ABERYSTWYTH – 10-17.11.07
Immediately after hosting the 2006 Shell Wildlife Photographer exhibition (organised by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife magazine) Aberystwyth Arts Centre is showing our counter-exhibition; ‘Shell’s Wild Lie’. http://www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk/whatson/exhibitions/
‘Shell’s Wild Lie’, has been put together as part of London Rising Tide’s ‘Art Not Oil’ campaign, and features photographs and illustrations that we consider give a truer snapshot of the disastrous effects that Shell and the whole fossil fuel industry have on our planet:
http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/gallery/v/Shell/
Book it yourself, and tell the Museum and BBC Wildlife what you think:
m.dixon@nhm.ac.uk, cc’ing to feedback@nhm.ac.uk,
wildlifeletters@bbcmagazinesbristol.com & info@artnotoil.org.uk

2) FREE FILM SCREENING, THE WARNING – LONDON, 12.11.07
The first UK screening of the award-winning film “The Warning” will be on 12th November, 8pm at Passing Clouds Works in Dalston, east London. This documentary charts the struggle of Siberian communities to protect their sacred lands from predatory oil companies. Passing Clouds is behind ‘Uncle Sam’s’, which is on 438 Kingsland Road. Get there from Shoreditch /Old Street on the 242, 243, 67 or 149 buses.

3) TOTTERDOWN ART TRAIL – BRISTOL, 16-18.11.07
Including art, films and exhibitions connected with climate change and peak oil. www.frontroom.org.uk

4) OXFORDSHIRE ECO-HOUSE OPEN DAYS – 24-25.11.07
Are you planning to renovate your house in the most environmental way possible? Do you want to slash energy bills and make your house warmer and healthier? Are you selling your house and want to improve its poor energy rating? Do you want to prepare for life in the climate change century? 18 eco-houses in Oxfordshire are opening their doors to the public to share the techniques, products and possibilities of eco-renovation. This is a superb opportunity to see a wide range of approaches and talk to the house owners directly about their experiences.
www.ecovation.org.uk
www.coinet.org.uk

5) BANNER PROTEST AT BIOFUELS CONFERENCE – LONDON, 27.11.07
This will take place outside the Biofuel Finance and Investment World Conference at Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington High Street (near High Street Kensington tube station) on Tuesday, 27th November, 12 noon to 2pm.
Biofuel investment means more global warming, more deforestation, more people going hungry because of higher food prices and food shortages, and more human rights abuses and refugees as agribusinesses take control over ever larger areas of land.
www.biofuelwatch.org.uk

6) CRITICAL MASS DATES AND UPDATES – OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2007
Sheffield; last Friday of the month, 5:30pm at the University Concourse.
London; last Friday of the month, 6:00pm under Waterloo Bridge by the NFT, South Bank. Next ride November 23rd 2007.
http://criticalmasslondon.org.uk/main.html
For reports on the October rides see;
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/6274

7) CLIMATE CHANGE BIKE RIDE / NATIONAL MARCH – LONDON, 8.12.07
Saturday 8 December, Cyclists assemble 10am Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Cycling to Parliament Square to link up with main march to US Embassy, (timed to coincide with the UN climate talks in Bali). Marchers assemble 12 noon Millbank for main march. [Westminster Tube]
2.30 pm Rally at US embassy. Speakers include Chris Huhne MP, Michael Meacher MP, Caroline Lucas MEP, Zac Goldsmith, George Monbiot. The National Demo in London will be one of many global climate demonstrations taking place on the 8th.
http://www.campaigncc.org

8) BEYONDTV FESTIVAL – SWANSEA, 28.11.07-2.12.07
Undercurrents will host the 8th annual BEYONDTV festival of political documentaries, animations and music videos from inspiring media directors. All films will have a theme of social or environmental activism. Hosted in the very heart of Swansea, BeyondTV promises to be an entertaining week with all proceeds going to to support the charity work of undercurrents.
http://beyondtvfestival.clearerchannel.org/whatisbtv

9) CLIMATE CAMP EXHIBITION ON TOUR – WINTER 2007
The Climate Camp exhibition documents in sound, words, installations and images the life, workshops and direct action of those ten busy days in August. It examines the issues and thinking of people who seek to stop the world sleepwalking into a disaster that is manifestly preventable, but hugely profitable for a powerful few. This exhibition will be touring UK cities threatened by regional airport expansion.
Workshops, talks and film screenings will appear at http://www.minimouse.me.uk/show as they are confirmed.
Photographs from the show are a selection from those to be seen at
http://www.minimouse.me.uk/photographers.html

10) LOW-IMPACT LIVING INITIATIVE COURSES – WINTER 2007
LILI will be running 10 courses at a new venue called Unstone Grange (nr. Sheffield) and 28 one day courses at Hackney City Farm in London. For the full range of courses for 2007-2008, see;
http://www.lowimpact.org/courses.htm

11) PLYMOUTH ENVIRONMENT CENTRE ART EXHIBITION – NOV-DEC 2007
Plymouth Environment Centre is holding a fund-raising art exhibition and auction at the B-bar in the Barbican Theatre, Plymouth.
Exhibition – Friday 23rd November to Thursday 13th December 2007
Auction – Thursday 13th December 2007 starting at 7pm
http://plymouthenvironmentcentre.org.uk/art_auction.php

12) EARTHFIRST MOOT / NEW ACTION UPDATE – WINTER 2007
To download the EF! Action Update and for advance notice of the Winter Moot (February gathering of eco-activists) see;
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/6347

13) FOSSIL FOOLS DAY – 1.4.08
The site is now running and will be filling up with images, ideas, graphics, posters, links…
Check for updates on what promises to be a memorable day of action.
http://www.fossilfoolsday.org

———————————————-
RECENT HAPPENINGS:
———————————————-
1) SONGS OF FREEDOM AT OPENING OF SHELL’S WILD LIE EXHIBITION – 27.10.07
15 or so folk from all over Carbon Town gathered today to sing a new hymn of hope to an oil-free future in the co-opted cathedral that is the Unnatural History Museum, where the heartbreakingly beautiful Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition has just opened. Gradually the singers were removed, gathering again on the pavement outside with
images from the Shell’s Wild Lie exhibition and more songs. Spirits were high, and responses from the public lovely and heart-warming. No police were present. It still looks as if the campaign to get Shell kicked out as sponsor might bear fruit – we’ll find out very soon if its 2 year contract will be renewed. Let’s keep the pressure up!
For a full report and what you can do to help, see;
http://risingtide.org.uk/node/231
http://www.artnotoil.org.uk//content/view/39/1/
For a short film of the action, see;
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/10/384607.html

2) NATIONAL DAY OF LOCAL ACTION VS. ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND – 15.10.07
From Edinburgh to Cornwall, blockades to invisible theatre, polar bears to treacle tarts; RBS felt the sting today. All in all there were 32 actions across the country including firsts for several groups. Everyone is delighted with the phenomenal response to the day of action…except RBS of course! The actions highlighted their role as one of the world’s
largest funders of climate-wrecking oil and gas extraction. For full reports on the various fantastic protests see;
http://risingtide.org.uk/node/230
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/10/383812.html
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/5176

3) THE PEOPLE’S BLOCKADE OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST COAL PORT – AUSTRALIA,
3.11.07
Rising Tide Australia estimate that about 400 people came to Horseshoe Beach, Newcastle and that about 250 entered the shipping channel to blockade the world’s biggest coal port with canoes, kayaks and inner tubes. This was a fantastic show of community determination to take action against Australia’s biggest contribution to climate change, despite
resistance from government and industry. As well as being a powerful and symbolic action, the protest succeeded in disrupting coal exports from Newcastle Harbour.
http://www.risingtide.org.au/peoplesblockadereport

4) GREENWASH GUERILLAS DISRUPT “CARBON TRAITORS” IN NEW YORK – 30.10.07
Rising Tide North America’s Greenwash Guerrillas paid a surprise Halloween visit to the Carbon Market Insights conference in New York City. Posing as delegates, two protesters took the stage at the exclusive event and presented the 700 attendees with a “Deed to the Atmosphere” denouncing Carbon Trading as a sham approach to the fossil fuels crisis. The action was the first in the US to target the growing Carbon Trading industry.
http://risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/category/front-page/

5) BP EXECUTIVE PIED AT EUROPE’S LARGEST BIOFUELS EVENT – 17.10.07
A stunned audience gasped as a cream-pie was launched at BP Biofuels’ Europe & Africa Director Oliver Mace, while activists swarmed the stage and handed out leaflets to attendees. One of the protesters D-locked himself to the podium, telling delegates “we need to reduce our consumption now – technological fixes are not the answer.” Panic alarms
were then set off around the room and the conference was halted.
There was also a demo outside the event and a lock on blockade at a D1 refinery. D1 are one of the biggest traders in biofuel specific crops.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/10/384123.html
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/5205
http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/expoprotests.php

6) CAMP HOPE, GLOUCESTER – 20-21.10.07
Camp Hope took place in a field opposite the entrance to Gloucestershire Airport on the weekend of 20/21 October 2007. Activists set up the camp in protest at the proposed expansion and increased aviation at Staverton in Gloucester. Workshops and discussions included those given by; Bicycology, Plane Stupid, Seeds For Change, Stop Bristol Airport Expansion and Biofuelwatch.
http://www.myspace.com/campofhope

7) PLANE STUPID AT MANCHESTER AIRPORT – 8.10.2007
Activists from Manchester Climate Action and Manchester Plane Stupid blockaded the security check-in of terminal 3 of Manchester Airport. Passengers were denied access to the departure lounge by seven activists locked together using arm-tube devices. Leaflets and train timetables were handed out. Two banners were unfurled reading, Manchester City Council…supporting climate chaos and Domestic flights cost the Earth. The action was inspired by the Camp for Climate Action.
http://www.planestupid.com/?q=content/climate-change-activists-blockade-domestic-flights

8) GREENPEACE PROTESTORS SHUT DOWN POWER PLANT – 8.10.07
Greenpeace campaigners staged a dawn raid at a power plant which could be the site of Britain’s first new coal-fired station for 20 years. More than 50 activists said they wanted Prime Minister Gordon Brown to reject the proposal for the Kingsnorth site, on the Hoo Peninsula, in Kent. After entering the site, one team locked on to conveyor belts while another team climbed to the top of the chimney.
http://greenpeace.org.uk/tags/kingsnorth

9) TOTAL BLOCKADES – OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2007
A wave of demonstrations against the oil giant Total and its role in supporting the brutal regime in Burma have taken place in London, Bradford, Cardiff and Oxford. While not strictly climate-based, these protests keep the spotlight on criminals like Total. Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s pro-democracy leader, said that “Total has become the main supporter of the Burmese military regime.” She told the French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur that “Total knew what it was doing when it invested massively in Burma while others withdrew from the market for ethical reasons”.
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/5122 & 5137, 5204, 5207 & 6346

10) NUFFGLOBAL FILMS – NOVEMBER 2007
NUFFglobal film festival supported a project to produce 25 short films on different aspects of climate change made by young film-makers from around the world. For more info and to watch the clips online see;
http://nuffglobal.net/

11) ESCALATING DEFLATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST 4X4S IN SWEDEN – OCT ‘07
One thousand 4x4s have now been disarmed by The Indians of the Concrete Jungle! The campaign is spreading like wildfire, prompting national debate and furious aggression among SUV-owners.
http://asfaltsdjungelnsindianer.wordpress.com/

12) DIRECT ACTION NEWS FROM GREECE – 7-15 OCTOBER 2007
http://directactiongr.blogspot.com

13) BATH BOMB, ISSUE 4 – NOVEMBER 2007
For the 4th edition of Bath’s premiere radical tabloid see; http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/385124.html

Compiled and sent out by Rising Tide UK: info at risingtide.org.uk
To receive this News Sheet monthly, email news-subscribe at risingtide.org.uk
with the subject line ‘subscribe’ (without the quotes).

Ogoni 9 Day – Rossport Endures to Prevail; Today Smelt Like Victory (photos)

November 9th 2007
Not in our name !

November 9th 2007
Not in our name !

Today, to commemorate Shell’s judicial murder of the Ogoni 9 and a look back in anger at the Garda baton-fest a year ago, some 400 activists journeyed from all reaches of Ireland to voice our outrage outside and inside Shell’s Bellanaboy site, I was with the section of protestors that first manned the front line at Bellanaboy bridge at 6AM at the request of S2S when it was rightly surmised that Shell and the Guards would attempt to steal a march by bringing the workers in early – for a while, before Garda weight of numbers prevailed, we were effective in blockading and preventing them from earning their 30 pieces of Mammon silver inside.

After being prevented from joining the main group by a two deep line of Guards, we successfully scaled the gates of the refinery to be greeted inside with wanton violence and rough handling by Shell’s thugs dressed in security uniforms.

What stimulated the title was an encounter with a German from Riegen and a couple from the UK Midlands who had spent the previous 48 hours travelling overland from mainland Europe and England just to attend today’s protest, what commitment?, even so, the people of Erris match it and, further afield, activists, who with a granite sense of conscience turn up again and again in Bellanaboy to bear witness against a rogue corporation and their shoe shine boys in government who pave and grease their way?

Updates received via Text Message from Protestors

6.47: Gate 2 blocked since 6am

7.10: Situation tense for a group from Cork hemmed in near Gate 2 (gate nearest the bridge). On the road but the guards have half of it.

7.35: The refinery site has been occupied. One group of 30 people have entered and are now occupying the site compound. Meanwhile on the road between the bridge and Gate 2, a group of 90 protesters prevented a truck from from entering the site for about 20 minutes. The truck drove over one person’s foot and an ambulance is on its way. One of the blockaders was arrested around the same time.

8:08: The same truck that drove over the protester’s foot is still being blockaded from entering the quarry (around 40 minutes at this stage).

8:35: There are currently two different groups on the building site and another two groups of blockaders at Gate 1 and Gate 2.

The protester whose foot was driven over has been taken to hospital. Guards were reported as being very rough while removing people from the road at Gate 2 – standing on people’s arms and chests and pulling them off the road by their necks. Local, John Monaghan had his camera pulled off him and thrown into the ditch by gardai.

8:57: The truck has since got past the blockade of Gate 2 (leaving it blocked for just over an hour). 30/40 local people were actively involved in the blockade. Guards reported as violently dragging people away – punching people in back and stomach. Many guards reported as not wearing their identification numbers.

The blockaders have now joined the group at the main gate to the site and there is a line of gardai (now including the public order unit) between them and the compound gate. Two other arrests have been confirmed aside from the protester blockading Gate 2. Further details on these two arrests to be confirmed.

9:05: One group of about 20 protesters on the site attempted to get past the inner gate (with spikes on top) to the site but suffered minor injuries (cut hands) as well as ripped and torn clothing as the site security prevented them from getting across by pushing them back against the spikes at the top of the gate. Two of the people who succeeded in getting to the inner site were ejected from the site by site security needed first aid but are now on their way up to join the group on the road by the main gate.

10:26: Six people have been escorted out of the compound after breaching it via a back entrance. The group managed to breach the inner perimeter and stop work temporarily. There were minor scuffles but security were ‘generally nice’.

14:56: 16 people are currently on site. There are security present but no gardai as of yet. The group is a mix of locals and supporters.

15:01: “Security guards assaulting protesters, grabbing cameras, work continuing”

Activist killed on GM action in Brazil – call to action for 8th November

Call for day of action on 8th November in solidarity with Brazilian GM activists after shootings on anti-GM land squat in Brazil

On October 21 at 1:30 p.m., gunmen attacked a Via Campesina encampment located at Syngenta’s 127-hectare farm used for field trials of genetically modified crops in Santa Tereza do Oeste, in Paraná, Brazil. During the attack, Valmir Mota de Oliveira, 42 years old (known as “Keno,”) activist and leader of the of the Movimento Sem Terra (the Brazilian Landless Rural Workers Movement), was killed at point-blank range by two shots to the chest. Two other MST leaders, Celso Barbosa and Célia Aparecida Lourenço, were pursued by the gunmen but managed to escape. Workers Gentil Couto Viera, Jonas Gomes de Queiroz, Domingos Barretos, Izabel Nascimento de Souza, and Hudson Cardin were seriously injured.

Call for day of action on 8th November in solidarity with Brazilian GM activists after shootings on anti-GM land squat in Brazil

To anyone who has been part of the fight against GM crops and corporate control of our lives in the UK, from sticking “GM” labels on a packet of bean feast to sneaking through the fields at the dead of night to destroy the crops and sabotage the test-sites: Keno and his companions are us. It is an accident of class politics and geography we are not (yet) receiving death threats.

Via Campesina had previously occupied the site in Brazil because of Syngenta’s illegal development of genetically modified (GM) seeds. Syngenta is the world’s largest producer of agrochemicals and the third largest commercial seed producer. They pulled out of the GM in the UK after their last attempt at a field trial was destroyed.

At dawn on October 21st, about 150 members of Via Campesina reoccupied Syngenta’s site, where they encountered four armed security guards, who were disarmed and left the site. At about 1 in the afternoon, Via Campesina reports, “a bus stopped in front of the entry gate and about forty armed gunmen got out, firing machine guns at the people that they saw in the encampment. They broke down the gate, then shot [Mota].

Mota, Lourenço and Barbosa had been receiving death threats and intimidation since the beginning of the year. They still continued to take action.

We need to act in solidarity, because this is the panorama, and it is only going to get worse. Sick though it is, responses from ‘concerned citizens’ in countries like ours can help protect activists like Keno and have an impact on companies like Syngenta.

La Via Campesina are calling on all organizations and movements to organize protest actions at Syngenta offices on the 8th November in the countries where they are based, and to hand deliver letters to the Brazilian and Swiss embassies, with the following demands:

1. The punishment of the material perpetrators and intellectual authors of this crime.
2. Expropriation of Syngenta lands, to be used for the production of native seeds, and that these lands be administered by rural peasants and farm workers.
3. The expulsion of Syngenta from Brazil.
4. That the Brazilian government headed by President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva adopt measures to ensure the physical integrity of the rural farm workers who are threatened by the armed men contracted by Syngenta.
5. That all organisations back up the initiatives of Amnesty International in their call to repudiate and condemn the actions of Syngenta.
6. That all organisations of Via Campesina in all countries organize days of action and protest in the Swiss and Brazilian Embassies, as well as at the offices of Syngenta this Thursday 8th November and on the 10th of December condemning this criminal act.
7. To send letters of protest to the following addresses:

Governador do Estado do Paraná
Exmo Governador do Estado do Paraná
Sr. Roberto Requião de Mello e Silva
Palácio Iguaçu
Praça Nossa Senhora de Salete, s/nº, 3º andar
Centro Cívico 80.530-909
Curitiba/PR – Brasil
Fax: + 55 41 3350 2935
Saudação: Vossa Excelência/ Your Excellency

Ministro da Justiça
Exmo Ministro da Justiça
Sr. Tarso Genro
Esplanada dos Ministérios, Bloco “T”
70712-902 – Brasília/DF – Brasil
Fax: + 55 61 3322-6817
Saudação: Vossa Excelência/ Your Excellency

Cópias para:
Secretaria Especial de Direitos Humanos
Exmo. Secretário Especial
Sr. Paulo de Tarso Vannuchi
Esplanada dos Ministérios – Bloco “T” – 4º andar
70.064-900 – Brasília/DF – Brasil
Fax: + 55 61 3226 7980
Saudação: Vossa Excelência/ Your Excellency

Copia al MST Brasil y Via Campesina : mstpr [NOSPAM] mst.org.br
viacampesina [NOSPAM] viacampesina.org
Send us a short report and photos of the actions organized to:
viacampesina [NOSPAM} viacampesina.org

SAMPLE LETTER –
Dear Sir:
I, [YOUR NAME / NAME OF ORGANIZATION] am writing to express my grave concern with regard to the October 21 murder of Valmir Mota de Oliveira, also known as Keno, of the Movement of Landless Workers (MST) and Via Campesina, in the Brazilian state of Paraná, who was shot twice and killed by armed gunmen on an experimental GMO farm of Syngenta Seeds in Santa Tereza do Oeste Paraná, Brazil. Keno’s death is a tremendous loss for his family, for those struggling for social justice and human rights in Brazil, and for the international network of friends and allies who continue to be shocked by the brutality of agribusiness expansion in Brazil.
It has been documented that at 1:30 p.m. of the day of the attack, a bus stopped in front of the entrance gate to the farm and an armed militia of approximately 40 heavily armed gunmen got out, firing at the people in the encampment. They broke down the gate, pursued and killed activist Keno with two shots to the chest, attempted to kill two other leaders, shot five other landless workers, and severely beat Isabel do Nascimento de Souza, who remains in serious condition at the hospital.
In addition, it has been noted that Syngenta was using the services of an armed militia which was acting through a front company, NF Security, in conjunction with the Rural Society of the Western Region (SRO) and the Movement of Rural Producers (MPR), which are tied to agribusiness.
While an inquiry has been opened in order to investigate these denunciations against your company and NF Security, we insist that you immediately suspend all contracting of private militias in Brazil to avoid any further violations of human rights.
Please see to it that the individuals involved in this attack, who are intimately linked to and paid by your company, are brought to justice. Also, please ensure that your company avoids further altercations with Brazil’s human rights and social justice movements, and that the right of Brazil’s people to peacefully organize be respected by your Brazil-based employees and functionaries.
Respectfully,
[YOUR NAME / NAME OF ORGANIZATION]
[LOCATION]

25,000 blockade world’s longest dam in India

Solidarity would be hugely appreciated as India’s Supreme Court looks like it is going to rule in favour of mining corporation Vedanta to be able to mine the Niyamigiri Hills in Orissa, which will mean the death of thousands of people and will set a precedent for the mining of all of India’s forests.

25,000 farmers are to form a human chain around one of the worlds largest dams in protest against development by British mining corporation Vedanta Resources PLC. Central to the conflict are issues over water allocation to the aluminium industry and a bauxite mining project whose effects India’s Supreme Court have been warned by its own investigatory committee would lead to “cultural genocide.” [1]

Farmers in India’s poorest state, Orissa, have gradually been losing the right to water from the Hirakud dam since it began to irrigate and produce energy for the region in 1947. Whilst they claim that today only 25% of their fields receive any irrigation, allocation of water to heavy industry has increased by over 27 times within the past ten years. [2] The major benefactor of this is the aluminium industry, Hindalco and Vedanta, present in Orissa due to its rich bauxite deposits [aluminium ore] and the huge amount of water available from the Hirakud dam. [3]

Vedanta is currently on the crux of winning a legal battle granting it the right to mine three million tonnes of bauxite from the most biodiverse forest region in Orissa, the Niyamgiri hills. The mining threatens many rare species of animals and plants which inhabit the region, as well as the existence of an entire tribal population, the Dongaria Kondhs.

Today is the latest confrontation between different interest groups in a ‘water war’ which reflects growing global conflicts over water shortages in a drying planet. Police have fired on and killed demonstrators in previous mass protests in Orissa and it is likely that following the recent contentious pro-Vedanta decisions of India’s Supreme Court, conflicts may well become more heated.

Feel like ringing up Vedanta to tell them to screw themselves? Good!

investorrelations@vedantaresources.com

Sumanth Cidambi
Associate Director Investor Relations
Telephone: +91 22 6646 1444

Vedanta Resources plc
16 Berkeley Street
London W1J 8DZ

Robin Walker & Faeth Birch

Finsbury Communications
52-58 Tabernacle Street
London
EC2A 4NJ

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7251 3801

taken from http://www.vedantaresources.com/contactus.htm

Autumn EF! Action Update out – and advance notice of the Winter Moot, 22-24 February (gathering of eco-activists), Nottingham

The latest issue of the quarterly EF!AU was dished up at the Anarchist Bookfair – bursting at the seams, it had to be turned into a bumper issue, with a round-up of the actions around the time of the Camp for Climate Action, plus loads of action reports from around the world since then – from pieing oil executives, blockading garages & airports, polar bears locking-on, sabotage, prisoners, occupied spaces, digger-diving, GM crop-trashing, to cake and the cunning use of mung beans (oh, and of course, much much more).

Download it to print out and share here. Do get in touch with the editorial collective to let them know if you’re dishing it up round your way, or need paper copies, or want to give them one of the rarer ingredients, dosh (to send it to prisoners, protest camps and far beyond) – their contact details and more are here

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The EF! Winter Moot will happen from 22nd – 24th February 2008, in Nottingham – more details nearer the time, as this is just advance notice.

It’s a gathering for environmental activists – in the past, it’s been a chance for people involved in all kinds of ecological direct action to get together for a weekend indoors to chat about where things are at in the UK, and so improve all aspects of how we work together, in order to take direct action in defence of the earth.

Contact 0845-0223 5254 for more info

Protest shackles Total Oil petrol station (& 7th November action call-out)

On 1st November protestors gathered at the 24-hour Total petrol station on Marylebone Road in central London. They were calling for Total Oil to pull out of Burma due to their funding of the Burmese military regime. The protest began at 5pm to coincide with rush hour.

The protest consisted of banners, placards, leaflets and a petition. One protestor wore shackles to signify the oppression of the Burmese people.

Within 10 minutes of the protest beginning staff closed the station, blocking off the forecourt and switching off the lights. Even the accompanying shop was shut. When it became apparent that the protest was continuing the police were contacted. One officer arrived and after consulting the staff told the demonstrators that there were not allowed onto the forecourt and risked arrest if they “interfered” with the business’s trade by blocking the entrance or locking onto any of the pumps. (It should be noted that none of the protestors had entered the forecourt or caused any “interference”.)

After an hour the station re-opened. The protest continued until 7.00pm.

http://www.totaloutofburma.blogspot.com

A worldwide day of action against French oil giant Total’s investment in Burma has been called for Wednesday 7th November, the day the company’s quarterly results are published. Total’s continued involvement in the operation of the Yadana gas pipeline in the south of the country, in partnership with Chevron-Texaco, is opposed by the country’s democratically-elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest or detention for 12 years. The pipeline earns the regime hundreds of millions of pounds in revenue every year, with only a tiny fraction reaching the Burmese people. The main customer for the pipeline is Thailand.

Three arrested in GM crop protest

ABC News, Oct 23 2007

Three Greenpeace activists have been arrested during a protest at Murray Goulburn’s Melbourne headquarters.

Protesters went into the building demanding the co-operative support bans on genetically engineered food crops.

ABC News, Oct 23 2007

Three Greenpeace activists have been arrested during a protest at Murray Goulburn’s Melbourne headquarters.

Protesters went into the building demanding the co-operative support bans on genetically engineered food crops.

Police had to forcibly remove three campaigners from the premises, but several protesters remain outside.

Campaigner, Louise Sales, says the dairy giant supports the reintroduction of GE crops for use in stock feed.

‘Murray Goulburn play a pivotal role in the dairy industry not only in Victoria but also in all of Australia,’ she said.

‘We think its important that they support clean healthy food for consumers and stand up for farmers and protect our GE free status,’ she said.

‘So I had a brief interchange with the managing director but he was fairly hostile and wasn’t really ready to engage,’ Ms Sales said.

‘So we will continue to pursue a meeting with Murray Goulburn to talk about their policy,’ she said.

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/23/2067318.htm?section=justin

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Greenpeace targets dairy giant over GM

Greenpeace activists are targetting a major milk processor in Melbourne, trying to halt the dairy industry’s support of genetically modified crops.

Murray Goulburn, produces milk, butter and cheese, and is one of the largest processors in the country.

Earlier this year the dairy industry reversed its position on the introduction of GM crops.

Louise Sales from Greenpeace says today’s protest at Murray Goulburn’s headquarters is an attempt to secure a meeting with management.

‘We believe they should be representing consumers, and consumers have made it clear they don’t want to eat GE food,’ she says.

‘Opinion polls consistently show that and Murray Goulburn should be respecting the wishes of its consumers and keeping its Devondale products GE free, and supporting the extension of the food crop bans.’

No-one from Murray Goulburn has been available for comment.

ABC Rural, 23/10/2007 http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/2007/s2067586.htm

Norwegian Whaling Vessel’s Career is Finished

Sea Shepherd News Releases 10/16/2007

Norwegian Whaling Vessel’s Career is Finished

The Willassen Senior, the Norwegian whaling vessel that was scuttled on August 30, 2007 in the northern city of Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands, will not be killing any more whales—ever again. The damage sustained by the vessel that was deliberately sunk by whale defenders exceeded $22 million kroner (over US $2 million). Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was pleased to learn that the Willassen Senior was not insured. The owners of the vessel have decided to scrap the ship, because they cannot afford to pay to repair the extensive damage caused to the electrical and mechanical systems by salt water. A group called Agenda 21 has taken credit for scuttling the whaling ship.

Sea Shepherd News Releases 10/16/2007

Norwegian Whaling Vessel’s Career is Finished

“One less whaling ship on the water translates into fewer whales being killed by these criminal whalers,” said Sea Shepherd Founder and President Captain Paul Watson. “The Agenda 21 team did an excellent job: no injuries, no evidence, no mistakes, and no more whaling. These are results that we can appreciate and admire.”

Immediately after the whaler was scuttled, the owners of other whaling vessels in Norway placed their ships under 24-hour guard. This translates into increased security costs for whaling ships, which cuts into whaling profits. “The whalers should be afraid of being scuttled,” said Captain Watson. “A vessel that is being operated in clear defiance of international conservation law and is involved with the illegal slaughter of these intelligent and gentle creatures has only one place—on the bottom of the sea!”

Norwegian police have been unsuccessful in identifying the Agenda 21 team members. All they have done so far is to seize a hard drive from an internet cafe in Svolvaer, based on a report that one of the sabotage team members may have been using a computer there. Police have confirmed that the Willassen Senior was deliberately sunk by a saboteur (or saboteurs) unknown. The ship was sunk when a pipe used to provide salt water cooling to the engine was removed. It took four hours for the ship to sink, allowing the whale defenders plenty of time to leave the area.

“This was not a crime,” said Captain Watson. “The Willassen Senior was a ship engaged in criminal activity specifically violating the International Whaling Commission’s global moratorium on commercial whaling activities. Sinking this whaler was an act of law enforcement, and we applaud this successful retirement of an illegal killing machine.”

www.seashepherd.org

Burma activists ‘lock on’ to Total

16.10.2007
Three direct activists have today shut down a busy Total filling station in solidarity with the people of Burma’s nonviolent struggle for democracy.

Under a banner saying “May all beings be happy – Free Burma ” the activists have locked themselves together and begun to meditate, locking together the hoses, turning off the power and blocking the entrance to the premises in London’s Marylebone Road.

The group have targeted Total to highlight the company’s role in propping up one of the world’s most brutal dictatorships. The Burmese military rulers routinely torture prisoners, use rape as a weapon of war, and have forcibly displaced almost one million people from their land – including to make way for a 63 kilometre gas pipeline built by Total.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s pro-democracy leader, has said that “Total has become the main supporter of the Burmese military regime.” She told the French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur that “Total knew what it was doing when it invested massively in Burma while others withdrew from the market for ethical reasons”. She added, “the company must accept the consequences. The country will not always be governed by dictators.”

Matthew Herbert, one of the activists, said: “All the peoples of Burma will be free. There is no force as powerful as the nonviolent resistance of a united people, especially when the cause is as just and urgent as this. As Aung San Suu Kyi says, Total will be held accountable. Today’s action plays just one small part in that reckoning.”

A fellow activist, added: “The authority to rule comes from the people themselves, the people of Burma have had enough, they are withdrawing their consent to be controlled. This action is in solidarity with the people of Burma struggle for freedom and a message to Total to withdraw from Burma now.”

For more information contact 07796 430141