Global – Page 99 – Earth First!

Norewegian Whaler Scuttled

Sea Shepherd News
2/9/2007

Sunken Whaler Was a Cruel Killer

It is not a surprise that an unknown person (or persons) targeted the Willassen Senior – the outlaw Norwegian whaling vessel that was scuttled on the evening of August 30, 2007.

Sea Shepherd News
2/9/2007

Sunken Whaler Was a Cruel Killer

It is not a surprise that an unknown person (or persons) targeted the Willassen Senior – the outlaw Norwegian whaling vessel that was scuttled on the evening of August 30, 2007.

Undercover video of a Norwegian whale hunt, taken in May 2005, was released today by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). This footage is believed to be the first of its kind captured by a non-governmental organization (NGO) in over a decade. Though Norway claims to be the best in the business when it comes to accuracy and relative humaneness of commercial whale kills, the footage tells a different story.

In this video, the Willassen Senior was documented pursuing a Piked (minke) whale in choppy conditions. The whale was harpooned and subsequently riddled with bullets from a high-powered rifle. It spent 15 minutes diving, resurfacing, and rolling about on the surface in extreme agony before it finally succumbed to the attack and died.

Click here to view the footage taken by WSPA and EIA in May 2005.

The Willassen Senior is the fifth Norwegian whaling vessel to come under attack for illegal whaling activities since 1992. The complete list to date includes:

The Nybraena – scuttled dockside in December 1992 (Reine, Lofoten Islands).
The Senet – Scuttled dockside in January 1994 (Fredricksberg, Norway).
The Elin-Toril – Severely damaged in 1997.
The Morild – Sunk in 1998.
The Williassen Senior – Sunk in August 2007 (Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands).

Watch video of the sunken vesssel

More info @ : www.seashepherd.org

2 coal actions in Australia

Australia: Coal Power Station shut down in APEC climate protest
3.09.2007

Activists have shut down power generation at the Loy Yang power station in Gippsland’s Latrobe Valley in Victoria on Monday morning for five hours, as a protest against inaction on climate change by the Australian Government of John Howard, and policies that maintain the coal power industry and its contribution to climate change at the expense of developing renewable energy production. The action was undertaken to send a message to APEC leaders to take real action on Climate Change and the Kyoto protocol.

At least four activists from Real Action on Climate Change entered the power station at 5am and locked themselves on to a coal conveyor and an overburden conveyor belt, forcing the shutdown of the 600 megawatt generator, halving production from Victoria’s biggest coal fired power station that supplies 30% of the states power, the dirtiest power supply in the developed world.

Another power unit at Loy Yang is out for maintenance and today’s forced shutdown has dropped power output to half. The electricity price in Victoria has risen to $63 because of the action and is expected to cost the operators thousands of dollars in lost production.

Spokeperson Michaela Stubbs said the action was intended to send a message to APEC leaders meeting in Sydney this week.

“We’re already seeing the effects of climate change and it’s our generation and future generations that are going to be dealing with the long term consequences of climate change,” she said in an ABC news report. “We need to see real action now, through the Kyoto process.”

The Group say they are making a stand for all Australians to protect our community against the dangers of climate change. The group says the APEC meeting is being used to further the lies and deciet being spread by Prime Minister Howard in regards to the Climate Change issue and his continuing efforts to undermine the Kyoto Protocol. A group spokesperson said that Climate Change ends with leaving coal in the ground.

“We need real action on climate change to stop our reliance on polluting forms of energy such as coal and move towards a renewable energy future.” said spokesperson Michaela Stubbs. “Real action on climate change is about people power not coal power” said Michaela Stubbs.

Police Search and Rescue squad were forced to cut the activists free from the conveyor belts, and they have been taken to Traralgon police station in the La Trobe Valley.

Sources:

* Beyond Zero Emissions Media Release Sept 3, 207 – Protesters block coal supply to Loy Yang Power station
* Scoop Sept 3, 2007 – Real Action: People Power, Not Coal Power
* ABC online, Sept 3, 2007 – Climate protest shuts down power station
* ABC online, Sept 3, 2007 – Michaela Stubbs on ABC Radio 774 (MP3)
* Blog, Sept 3, 2007 – Real Action on Climate Change for account of action and photos
* Climate IMC, 3 Sept 2007 This is real action on climate change

Repost of original story from Sydney Indymedia:
http://sydney.indymedia.org.au/story/apec-climate-change-protest-shuts-down-victorian-coal-power-station

Video: www.engagemedia.org/Members/raocc/videos/loyyang.ogg/view

APEC videos/vodcast: engagemedia.org/apec
=================================================

Australia: Greenpeace activists stage APEC coal protest
2.09.2007

Twelve Greenpeace activists have been arrested at the world’s biggest coal port at Newcastle, 160km north of Sydney, after painting the message “Australia Pushing Export Coal” on the side of a coal ship, The Endeavour, and unfurling a large banner in Chinese calling on China to be cautious of John Howard and George Bush’s attempts to sabotage Kyoto. The protest comes at the start of the 2007 APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum meeting being hosted by Australian Prime Minister John Howard in Sydney 2-9 September 2007, and being attended by USA President George Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao and other Pacific rim leaders.

The protest was enacted at dawn on Sunday September 2 to highlight the Australian Government’s real APEC agenda: to protect Australia’s coal export industry by undermining the Kyoto Protocol. The message was painted in two metre high letters to highlight to the world that Australia’s addiction to coal is behind its spoiler role in international negotiations on climate change. According to Greenpeace, the message exposes the Howard Government’s real APEC agenda: to protect Australia’s coal export industry by undermining the Kyoto Protocol.

“Australia’s climate policy is to ‘Push Export Coal’ and to hell with the consequences for the planet,” said Ben Pearson, Greenpeace energy campaigner.

“Real action on climate change means moving away from coal and shifting to clean, renewable energy – and we don’t have the luxury of time for expensive talkfests that have no concrete outcomes. Like any dealer protecting its patch, Australia’s government under John Howard is blatantly ignoring global efforts to extend and strengthen Kyoto, the only internationally binding agreement to deal with climate change – and pushing instead a hopelessly vague distraction through APEC.”

More than four million tonnes of coal will be exported from Newcastle during APEC, resulting in over 11 million tonnes of CO2 emissions – equivalent to the annual emissions from 800,000 average Australian households, according to Greenpeace. Factoring in the costs of climate change impacts, as detailed in the Stern Review, Australia’s coal exports will result in more than $1.2 billion of damage during the APEC week alone, and $64 billion annually, Greenpeace calculated.

Newcastle, already the world’s largest coal port, is set for a major expansion to double its capacity for exporting coal.

“At a time when we need to see deep reductions in greenhouse gases, Australia is not only refusing to act, but is also increasing the greenhouse pollution it exports to the rest of the world. Australia’s climate policy is to protect coal exports at the expense of the climate rather than make the switch to renewable energy and improved energy efficiency measures we know we need to make.” explained Ben Pearson, Greenpeace Australia energy campaigner.

Under a new police powers Act protesters arrested durng the summit week will have a presumption against bail. Police from Sydney travelled to Newcastle to discuss charges against the Greenpeace activists, but no action was taken under the APEC Meeting (Police Powers) Act 2007. Eleven activists were charged with malicious damage and a twelfth with dangerous navigation: all were released on bail later in the day.

The APEC Meeting (Police Powers) Act 2007 came into force on August 30 and remain valid to September 12, 2007. It includes a list of people the police can exclude from the city centre, plus expanded powers of stop, search and detention, and confiscation of items from people. APEC signals the rise of military urbanism in Australia.

NSW Police Minister David Campbell has said that antiwar demonstrators and anyone else considered “suspicious” will be arrested and detained without bail for the duration of the September 6-9 summit. People on the ‘excluded list’ will be denied access to restricted zones, without any recourse or avenue of appeal. The Daily Telegraph has already published a list of 29 people with their photos allegedly on this list. The measures in this Act amount to a new form of detention without trial, and constitute a direct attack on freedom of political expression and movement, aimed at outlawing dissent and stifling opposition to the APEC meeting.

Much of the northern CBD of Sydney will be contained by a nine foot high concrete and wire security fence, dubbed unofficially the Great Wall of APEC.

The coal ship, The Endeavour, sailed out of Newcastle at 11.30am Sunday local time, with the painted message already removed.

Sources:

* Greenpeace Australia Media Release Sept 2, 2007 – Howard’s real APEC agenda spelled out in coal protest
* Daily Telegraph Sept 2, 2007 – APEC arrests begin with Greenpeace protest
* Sydney Morning Herald August 30, 2007 – Police get special APEC powers
* WSWS.org May 21, 2007 – Australia: Police-state measures for APEC summit in Sydney

Original story at Sydney Indymedia:
http://sydney.indymedia.org.au/story/newcastle%3A-greenpeace-activists-arrested-apec-coal-protest

2007: indigenous resistance to Shell in BC, Anti-Canada Day, & ‘In Support of Sabotage’

Methane dispute reignites in B.C.
August 22, 2007

A group of protesters, including members of the Tahltan and Iskut Indian bands, blocked a road in northwestern British Columbia yesterday, preventing Royal Dutch Shell PLC crews from heading into a contested region to do road repair work and reigniting a debate over coal bed methane exploration in the area.
…
Opponents says coal bed methane projects could pollute surface and ground water, threaten fish and wildlife habitat, and disrupt a remote wilderness landscape. Coal bed methane is natural gas found in coal seams. B.C. currently does not have any coal bed methane production, but the province has voiced support for coal bed gas development.
…
In 2005, 13 people were arrested at a blockade at the same site that targeted Fortune Minerals Ltd., an Ontario-based company that has a coal project in the region.

—-

Anti-Canada Day in Vancouver
INDIGENOUS DAY OF ACTION AND RESISTANCE

On July 1st 2007, over 200 Indigenous women, children, Elders and men (and non-native supporters) took the streets and the train tracks on a march and blockade to mark their resistance to Canada as an oppressive force against their people. The march began at Grandview Park and proceeded down Commercial Drive to Venables Street where the CN rail lines were occupied and blocked for over an hour.

—-

Guelph, Ontario: In support of sabotage, not the AFN

[Contributed anonymously to news.infoshop.org]

June 29th: Today a rail blockade was set up in Guelph Ontario, but it failed. This was due to a number of complications, either way no trains were stopped.

Nevertheless, this is the kind of disruption that we strive to create every day, regardless of whether it has been called for by sellout collaborators, individuals or simply for our own joy.

We want to make it clear that we do not support the AFN; the ends that they seek through bargaining with the government, that is responsible for the systematic oppression and exploitation of Native people, our land base, and pretty much every living thing existing on the remainder of this planet.

It is important to act at every opportunity we get to build momentum and community, in order to challenge the powers of the State and Capitalism that are incessantly assaulting our lives.

We do not act on simplistic calls to action (for action’s sake), but use these chances to coordinate our efforts and add to the momentum we are building with others, acting together on our desires to redefine the conditions under which we live. We do this for ourselves and our allies, not for the disempowering political aims of the AFN.

It inspires us to see communities and individuals comming together, employing direct action tactics in a coordinated day of disruption, and acknowledge that inaction is to abandon our allies in today’s actions. Unlike the AFN, we support all acts of sabotage that were created today and continue to inspire us in our own battles.
To the barricades and into the night friends!

Wrap up of West Coast Convergence for Climate Action & actions

Between August 8th-14th, 400+ people gathered for the West Coast Convergence for Climate Action. Participants took part in nearly 100 workshops, as well as lots of games and performances.

The event took place in Skamokawa, Washington in close proximity to a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at Bradwood, Oregon. The Columbia River divides Oregon and Washington, and participants in the Convergence learned about attempts to sustain the local economy of the Lower Columbia River while resisting massive fossil fuel developments in the area.

On Monday, August 13th, Convergence participants were joined by dozens of local activists opposing the Bradwood LNG terminal. The group gathered on the Washington shore of the Columbia River, where hundreds of people live in close proximity to the Bradwood LNG proposal. Using fishing boats, sailboats, kayaks, and an umiak, participants in the action crossed the Columbia River and occupied the beach at Bradwood where NorthernStar Natural Gas intends to construct a large LNG terminal.

On Tuesday, August 14th activists locked down in front of the PacifiCorp (aka Pacific Power) building in Portland, Oregon to demand that the company shut down the four dams it operates on the Klamath river and stop developing coal fire power plants. The protesters were joined by a rally of several dozen supporters, many of whom wore hazmat suits painted with fake blood to draw attention to the poisonous conditions on the Klamath River.

No one was arrested at either action; it was generally concluded that the companies targeted wanted to avoid drawing the additional media attention that arrests would bring.

Monday’s action also featured a banner hang hung on a cliff adjacent to the Bradwood site, showing a target symbol and the words “Another LNG Disaster – What’s Your Number?” The “number” refers to recently released clasified pictures obtained anonymously showing that NorthernStar, developer of the LNG terminal, has numbered every structure within two miles. Local LNG opponents first exposed this disturbing mapping project during Clatsop County land use hearings, with one resident asking, “If we’re not going to be impacted at all, then why is there a number on my roof in this picture?”

The global impacts of the LNG industry were also a focus of the Climate Convergence, where participants learned that LNG is up to 40 percent more carbon intensive than natural gas due to its long supply chain (LNG must be extracted as natural gas, liquefied, shipped huge distances, and ultimately re-gasified). Recent studies show that LNG is comparable to gasified coal (aka “Clean Coal,” a true oxymoron – see post about SE Convergence!) in its carbon impacts. Furthermore, local LNG opponents shared what they had learned about the global LNG industry, having communicated with opponents of LNG producing facilities in Indonesia and Russia. In these places, the severe economic, environmental and human rights impacts of LNG development are multiplied many times over in comparison to the experience of rural Oregon and Washington.

Beyond climate change issues, the West Coast Convergence used the carbon trail of various energy sources to put the environmental, human rights, and labor practices of the fossil fuel industry on display. Speakers addressed a huge variety of issues pertaining to coal, natural gas, and hydropower issues while others used the event to demonstrate skills and sustainability practices that can preclude the need for destructive fossil fuels and hydropower.

The Convergence was met with strong local support — nearly 100 people from the surrounding rural counties in Oregon and Washington participated — and important exchanges between those fighting fossil fuel development on local, regional and global scales. Participants came from as far south as Southern California and as far north as Alberta and Vancouver Island.

Southeast Convergence for Climate Action shuts down Bank of America

August 13, 2007

***5 arrested protesting Bank of America’s investments in coal and climate change***

August 13, 2007

***5 arrested protesting Bank of America’s investments in coal and climate change***

As a culmination of the Southeast Convergence for Climate Action, activists took a bold direct action against Bank of America over concerns regarding their investment throughout the coal cycle and their promotion of climate injustice. Although there was much speculation regarding a protest action at the Progress Energy Skyland coal-fired power plant, protestors surprised the downtown office of Bank of America.

Two activists locked down inside the main lobby and other activists blockaded the entrance to the downtown branch of Bank of America. The protest included a large, lively group of concerned citizens dressed as canaries and polar bears. Activists carried signs and banners that read: “Bank of America Stop Funding Climate Change,” “Bank of America Stop Mountaintop Removal,” “No Coal, No Nukes, No Kidding” “Bank of America Climate Criminal.”

Bank of America has lent hundreds of millions of dollars to companies that run and are planning to build new power plants, such as Florida Power and Light. Between 2005 and 2007, Bank of America facilitated nearly $1 billion in loans to Massey Energy and Arch Coal, two of the largest companies responsible for the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining. This form of mining literally blasts the tops off of mountains to get at thin seems of coal that lay beneath. Mountaintop removal coal mining has permanently destroyed over 500 square miles of mountains and buried over 1,200 miles of streams in West Virginia alone.

As of 2005, Progress Energy’s Skyland was the fifth largest purchaser of Massey Energy’s coal. Progress Energy’s Skyland plant is a purchaser and burner of mountaintop removal coal as well as the largest point source of pollution in Buncombe County.

Locked down

The Southeast Convergence for Climate Action aimed to promote a just, rapid, nuclear-free transition away from fossil fuels; to promote environmental justice by supporting communities that are fighting dirty energy developments in their backyards; and to encourage direct actions as a means for challenging corporate power and empowering movements to stop climate change.

“I attended the convergence to build my skills for organizing and taking action on climate change,” said Joey Littleton, a convergence participant. “This is a great place to network–there are activists from all over the southeast region with a wide breadth of experience on environment and social justice issues. I enjoyed the strategy sessions; I came here to get involved with the movement to stop climate change.”

The Southeast Convergence for Climate Action is happening simultaneously with a Climate Convergence on the west coast focused on fighting liquefied natural gas terminals, and in conjunction with the UK Camp for Climate Action taking place at London’s Heathrow airport.

“Globally and locally, change will come from communities, not from benign politicians and corporations who hope to profit off the climate crisis with feel-good ‘solutions’ that do nothing to challenge a fundamentally unjust and unsustainable system,” said Mary Olson, director of the Southeast office of Nuclear Information and Resource Service and co-organizer of the convergence.

Today a massive police operation was deployed in Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania Counties to prevent activists from protesting a dirty power plant responsible for climate change. Dozens of uniformed and undercover cops surrounded the site of the Southeast Convergence for Climate Action as a police helicopter hovered over the site.

In addition, dozens more police were deployed at Progress Energy’s Skyland coal power plant to prevent legitimate protest against dirty energy and climate change. “This shows which side of the climate debate the government is on. They have spent tens of thousands of dollars to protect the coal industry today. Clearly if the government wanted to address climate change, they would be sending the police in to arrest the heads of Progress Energy for perpetuating the greatest threat humanity has ever faced – climate change,” an anonymous polar bear said.###

CORRECTION

We would like to clarify statements that were made about the Asheville Police Department (APD) using tazers against participants in the action against climate change and mountaintop removal at Bank of America yesterday.

The Climate Convergence sent out a press release saying that people locked down inside the bank were subject to electrocution shocks from tazers, based on the accounts of witnesses inside the bank. Now that the protestors are out of jail, we have learned that this was an inaccurate conclusion based on reasonable suspicion. One protester was heard screaming while pinned down by large group of officers and subjected to excruciating pain compliance holds right after the police were heard yelling back and forth to each asking “Who has a tazer? Get a tazer!” Many of the officers on the scene were equipped with electrocution devises, along with rubber bullets, chemical weapons, dogs, and training in torture techniques. In addition, a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) who attempted to check on the safety of the protesters after hearing shouts from officers about tazers was not allowed to do so.

The APD has a history of using tazers, widely recognized as a form of torture and the cause of several deaths around the country, on nonviolent protesters. In light of increased use of paramilitary tactics by local police forces in civilian situations, such conclusions are to be expected. We reported information we thought to be accurate at the time; in light of new information, we apologize for any inaccuracies we reported.

In Defense of a Living Planet,

###
Additionally, the Southeast Convergence for Climate Action made the following statement:

List of Demands

Recognizing that climate change is already here, we hold corporations and governments accountable for the effects on communities, people and the living earth. Therefore, we demand:

1. That Bank of America completely divest from the coal industry and other dirty, climate-changing energy companies.
2. A 90% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
3. An immediate halt to any plans for new nuclear and coal power plants and a complete redirection of research and development money toward conservation, efficiency and clean, renewable energy projects.
4. An immediate end to mountaintop removal coal mining and other forms of strip mining.
5. A just, rapid transition away from fossil fuels and nuclear power by 2020.
6. A shift to community controlled, small-scale systems of energy production, transportation, and food production and distribution.
7. An end to the privatization of the atmosphere through market-based mechanisms such as carbon trading.
8. Climate Justice Now!

From: The Southeast Convergence for Climate Action – http://www.climateconvergence.org/southeast/

Spirit of Freedom (August 2007) – Produced by EARTH LIBERATION PRISONERS SUPPORT NETWORK

“The whole experience has been tough, but all the kind and strengthening words and wise thoughts from strangers made it much easier! (Former Swedish Animal Rights Prisoner)

Welcome to the August 2007 edition of Spirit of Freedom. Regular readers of Spirit of Freedom will notice that this issue of the newsletter is slightly different to previous issues. As long-term ELP supporters will be aware, back in 2000, after the arrests & remandings of a group of Irish anti-road protesters ELP launched its e-mail Urgent ELP! service. Over the years this service has proven very popular with most of our supporters now receiving their news via e-mail with very few people receiving the newsletter in its paper version. With that in mind, ELP has decided to end its paper version of its newsletter. And because most of the Court Reports & Legal Updates news contained in Spirit of Freedom has already been circulated via e-mail we are dropping this from our newsletter and from now on Spirit of Freedom will solely be a prisoner listing publication. However, to remind everyone of all the prisoners we do support we will be circulating the Spirit of Freedom prisoner listing on a monthly basis, to give everyone a regular reminder of all the prisoners we support. Whilst looking through the list, if you notice an error, please contact ELP and we will correct it immediately. In the meantime, remember, no matter where you are in the world, support the eco-prisoners and no compromise in defence of Mother Earth!

ECO-DEFENCE PRISONERS

Fadalla Idris Alajaimy (address unknown). Sudan anti-dam protester on remand accused of Waging War against the State for protesting against the construction of a dam.

Mohamed Ahmed Alajaimy (address unknown). Sudan anti-dam protester on remand accused of Waging War against the State for protesting against the construction of a dam.

Tre Arrow, CS# 05850722, Vancouver Island Regional Correction Center, 4216 Wilkinson Rd., Victoria, BC, V8Z 5B2, Canada. On remand accused of involvement with an arson on logging trucks and an arson on vehicles owned by a sand & gravel company. Both arsons occurred in the USA. Tre is fighting his extradition to the USA.

Grant Barnes #1533241 22, Denver County Jail, PO Box 1108, Denver, CO 80201, USA. Serving 12 years for setting fire to a number of SUV vehicles. On one of the vehicles the letters ELF was spray-painted.

Nathan Block, #36359-086, FCI Lompoc, Federal Correctional Institution, 3600 Guard Road, Lompoc, CA 93436, USA. Serving 7 years & 8 months for an ELF arson against a Poplar Tree Farm and an ELF arson against an SUV dealership. Also admitted his role in an ELF/ALF conspiracy.

Marco Camenisch, Postfach 3143, CH-8105 Regensdorf, Switzerland. Serving 18 years. 1) Ten years for using explosives to destroy electricity pylons leading from nuclear power stations. 2) Eight years for the murder of a Swiss Boarder Guard whilst on the run. In 02 Marco completed a 12-year sentence in Italy for destroying electricity pylons in Italy.

Ibai Ederra, Carcel de Pamplona, C/San Roque. Apdo. 250, 31080 – Iruñez Pamplona, Navarra (España), Spain. Serving just under 5 years for sabotaging machinery at the controversial Itoiz dam construction site.

Betty Krawczyk, Alouette Correctional Centre for Women, P.O. Box 1000, Maple Ridge, BC, V2X 3K4, Canada. Serving 10-months for protesting against the development of the Winter Olympics site on traditional Squamish territory

Jeffrey Luers, #13797671, OSP, 2605 State St. Salem, OR 97310, USA. Serving 22 years & 8 months for arson on a SUV dealership & the attempted arson of an oil truck.

Ali Mohamed Alhassen Massad (address unknown). Sudan anti-dam protester on remand accused of Waging War against the State for protesting against the construction of a dam.

Eric McDavid X-2972521 4E 231A, Sacramento County Main Jail, 651 “I” Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, USA. On Remand accused of planning to destroy the property of the U.S. Forestry Service, mobile phone masts and power plants.

Daniel McGowan, #63794-053, MDC Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, PO Box 329002, Brooklyn, NY 11232, USA. Serving 7 years for an ELF arson against a Poplar Tree Farm and an ELF arson against a lumber company. Also admitted his role in an ELF/ALF conspiracy.

Jonathan Paul See details in Animal Liberation Prisoners List.

Costantino Ragusa, Casa Circondariale, Via Prati Nuovi 7, 27058 Voghera (PV), Italy. Il Silvestre activist serving 2½ years. 1) 18-months for burgling and firebombing a multinational company. 2) 12-months for organising an anti-GM protest. Costanino is also awaiting trial accused of using explosives to damage an electricity pylon in protest at nuclear energy.

Joyanna Zacher, #0707300576, San Bernardino CDC, 630 E. Rialto Ave., San Bernardino, CA 92415, USA. Serving 7 years & 8 months for an ELF arson against a Poplar Tree Farm and an ELF arson against an SUV dealership. Also admitted her role in an ELF/ALF conspiracy.

ANIMAL LIBERATION PRISONERS

Jon Ablewhite TB4885, HMP Lowdham Grange, Lowdham, Nottingham, NG14 7DA, England. Serving 12 years for attempting to blackmail a farmer who supplied guinea pigs for vivisection.

Gregg Avery TA7450, HMP Winchester, Romsey Road, Winchester SO22 5DF, England. On remand accused of conspiracy to blackmail, in relation to his involvement with the SHAC campaign.

Natasha Avery NR8987, HMP Bronzefield, Woodthorpe Road, Ashford, Middx. TW15 3JZ, England. Jailed for breaching her parole conditions imposed on her for telling a fox hunting murdering scum what she thought of them. Also awaiting trial accused of conspiracy to blackmail, in relation to her involvement with the SHAC campaign.

Nathan Block See details in Eco Defence Prisoners List.

Jacob Conroy #93501-011, FCI Victorville Medium I Federal Correctional Institution, P.O. Box 5300, Adelanto, CA 92301, USA. Serving 48 months imprisonment for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign.

Donald Currie TN4593, HMP Whitemoor, Longhill Road, March, Cambs, PE15 OPR, England. Serving an Indeterminate Sentence, of not less than six actual years, for carrying out arsons against targets associated the vivisection industry including HLS.

Darius Fullmer #26397-050, FCI Fort Dix Satellite Camp, P.O. Box 1000, Fort Dix, NJ 08640 USA. Serving 12 months for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign.

Lauren Gazzola #93497-011, FCI Danbury, Federal Correctional Institution, Route #37Danbury, CT 06811, USA. Serving 54 months imprisonment for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign.

Sarah Gisborne, LT5393, HMP Cookham Wood, Rochester, Kent, ME1 3LU, England. Serving 5½ years for conspiracy to cause criminal damage following the damaging of 8 vehicles owned by people linked to Huntingdon Life Science.

Joshua Harper #29429-086, FCI Sheridan Federal Correctional Institution, P.O. Box 5000, Sheridan, OR 97378 USA. Serving 36 months imprisonment for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign.

Joseph Harris TN5728, HMP Bullingdon, Patrick Haugh Road, Arncott, Nr. Bicester, Oxon, OX25 1WD, England. Serving 2 years for damaging the property of people associated with Huntingdon Life Sciences.

Kevin Kjonaas #93502-011, FCI Sandstone, PO Box 1000, Sandstone, MN 55072 USA. Serving 72 months imprisonment for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign.

Josephine Mayo PR6508, HMP Drake Hall, Eccleshall, Staffs, ST21 6LQ, England. Serving 4 years for attempting to blackmail a farmer who supplied guinea pigs for vivisection.

Daniel McGowan See details in Eco Defence Prisoners List.

Heather Nicholson VM4859, HMP Bronzefield, Woodthorpe Road, Ashford, Middx. TW15 3JZ, England. On remand accused of conspiracy to blackmail, in relation to her involvement with the SHAC campaign.

Jonathan Paul, c/o Friends of Jonathan Paul, PMB 267, 2305 Ashland St., Ste. C, Ashland, OR 97520, USA. Sentenced to 51 months for an ALF arson on a horse meat plant. Also admitted his role in an ELF/ALF conspiracy.

John Smith TB4887, HMP Lowdham Grange, Lowdham, Nottingham, NG14 7DA, England. Serving 12 years for attempting to blackmail a farmer who supplied guinea pigs for vivisection.

Andrew Stepanian #26399-050, FCI Butner Medium II Federal Correctional Institution, PO Box 1500, Butner, NC 27509 USA. Serving 36 months for helping organise the SHAC-USA campaign.

Mark Taylor TT6636, HMP YOI Onley, Rugby, Warkwickshire, CV23 8AP, England. Serving four years for organising loud demonstrations outside the offices of companies with links to HLS.

Suzanne Taylor, TM7154, HMP Foston Hall, Foston, Derby, Derbyshire, DE65 5DN, England. Serving two and a half years for helping organise loud demonstrations outside the offices of companies with links to HLS.

Kerry Whitburn TB4886, HMP Lowdham Grange, Lowdham, Nottingham, NG14 7DA, England. Serving 12 years for attempting to blackmail a farmer who supplied guinea pigs for vivisection.

Joyanna Zacher See details in Eco Defence Prisoners List.

PLOUGHSHARES PRISONERS

Helen Woodson, 03231-045, FMC Carswell – Admin. Max. Unit, POB 27137, Ft. Worth, TX 76127, USA. Serving 8 years 10 months for actions that focused on the interrelationship of war & the destruction of the natural world. The actions included pouring red paint over the security desk of a federal court and making threatening communications. Previously Helen had served 20½ years for: 1) Using a hammer to disarm a nuclear missile silo. 2) Burning $25,000 on the floor of a bank whilst denouncing war, environmental destruction & economic injustice. 3) Mailing warning letters with bullets attached to Government & corporate officials.

OTHER ANTI-WAR PRISONERS

Brendan Walsh 12473-052, FCI/FSL Elkton, PO Box 10, Lisbon, OH 44432 USA. Serving 5 years for an arson on an army recruitment office in protest at the War on Iraq.

THE LECCE FIVE
The Lecce Five have been charged with subversive association accused of damaging Esso petrol pumps to oppose the War on Iraq; sabotaging the cash machines of a bank which funds an immigration centre; and targeting the multinational company Benetton in support of Mapuche land rights activists in Chile. All of the defendants are currently either under house arrest or released on bail.

ANTIFA PRISONERS

Lasandra Burwell W063658, Ohio Reformatory for Women, 1479 Collins Ave. Marysville, OH 43040, USA. Serving 5 years for taking part in an anti-fascist demonstration which turned into a riot.

Vahtang Devitlidze, ul. Libbedova 42, UO 68/2, otryad 14, brigada 142, g. Hagyshensk, Krasnodarskiy Kray, 352680 Russia. Serving 2½ years for stabbing a neo-nazi in the leg whilst defending himself from attack.

Augustin Kraus, Vazebni veznice, PP-1, Litomerice, 41 201, Czech Republic. Serving 14 months for his participation in attacks against local neo-nazis. His charge was “bodily harm”. He speaks Czech, Slovak and Polish. You can also write him short postcards in English.

Christian Sümmermann, BNR: 727/07/7, JVA Tegel, Seidelstr. 39, 13507 Berlin, Germany. Serving 40 months for breaching the peace whilst serving a suspended sentence issued for anti-fascist activities.

Tomasz Wiloszewski, Zaklad Karny, Orzechowa 5, 98-200 Sieradz, Poland. Serving 15 years for accidentally killing a neo-nazi whilst defending himself.

OTHER PRISONERS

Oscar Santa Maria Caro, CERESO, Miahuatlan de Porfirio Diaz, Oaxaca en Hall B, Cell 5., Mexico. On remand. The exact charges against Oscar are unknown but Oscar is a member of RATA, a known animal rights group.

Sacramento Delfino Cano Hernandez, CERESO, Miahuatlan de Porfirio Diaz, Oaxaca en Hall B, Cell 5., Mexico. On remand. Co-defendant of Oscar Santa Maria Caro.

Olga Aleksandrovna Nevskaya, UU163/5, 7 Otryad, pos. Dzerzhinskiy, Mozhaysk 140090 Moskovskaya oblast, Russia. Eco-activist serving 6 years for arson, criminal damage and causing explosions in protest at the war in Chechnya.
Due for release in 2009.

Fran Thompson, #1090915 HU 1C, WERDCC, PO Box 300, Vandalia, MO 63382, USA. Serving Life for killing, in self-defence, a stalker who had broken into her home. Before her imprisonment Fran was an eco, animal & anti-nuke campaigner.

MOVE
MOVE is an eco-revolutionary group who carried out protests in defence of all life. There are currently eight MOVE activists in prison each serving 100 years after been framed for the murder of a cop in 1979. 9th defendant, Merle Africa, died in prison in 1998.

Debbie Simms Africa (006307), Janet Holloway Africa (006308) and Janine Philips Africa (006309) all at: SCI Cambridge Springs, 451 Fullerton Ave, Cambridge Springs, PA 16403-1238, USA.

Michael Davis Africa (AM4973) and Charles Simms Africa (AM4975) both at SCI Grateford, PO Box 244, Grateford, PA 19426-0244, USA.

Edward Goodman Africa (AM4974), 301 Morea Rd, Frackville, PA 17932, USA. William Philips Africa (AM4984) and Delbert Orr Africa (AM4985) both at SCI Dallas Drawer K, Dallas, PA 18612, USA.

Mumia Abu Jamal, (AM8335), SCI Greene, 175 Progress Drive, Waynesburg PA 15370, USA. In 1981 Mumia, former Black Panther and vocal supporter of MOVE, was framed for the murder of a cop. He was originally sentenced to death but is currently awaiting re-sentencing following a court hearing in 2001.

STATEMENT ON VIOLENCE
Some people listed in this newsletter have carried out violent actions. Spirit of Freedom does not condone violence. But we are also against censorship & believe people can decide for themselves who they wish to support.

ABOUT E.L.P. SUPPORT NETWORK
ELP is an international eco-prisoner support network founded, in Britain, in 1993 to support jailed eco-activists. We support the prisoners by producing various regular prisoner lists:

Spirit of Freedom is ELPs international monthly prisoner listing which is circulated by e-mail.

Urgent ELP! Bulletin is an e-mail service that distributes the names of any new eco-prisoner as soon as ELP gets their details. For more info e-mail ELP4321@hotmail.com

On-Line Newsletters ELP has a number of websites that provide news, prisoner lists and additional info about ELP & the prisoners.

English language ELP Website
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

North American ELP Website
www.ecoprisoners.org

Turkish language ELP Website
www.geocities.com/yesilanarsi/elp.htm

ELP Extra is an e-mail group that circulates the details of political prisoners, ELP learns about, who do not fall within the remit for support by ELP. To subscribe to the list e-mail ELP4321@Hotmail.com

Belgium ELP.SN is our Belgium contact. For more info e-mail elp_bel@hotmail.com

German ELP.SN is a prisoner led initiative run by eco-prisoner Marco Camenisch. For more info contact Marco Camenisch, Postfach 3143, CH-8105 Regensdorf, Switzerland.

North American ELP is our North American contact. For more information e-mail naelpsn@mutualaid.org

Turkey ELP.SN is our Turkish contact. For more info e-mail yesilanarsi@yahoo.com

North American ELP Prisoner Fund. The North American ELP group has set up a fund where people can pay money, for North American Eco-Defence and Animal Rights prisoners, which will then be distributed to the North American prisoners. For information about the Fund and how to make a donation please contact naelpsn@mutualaid.org

DEDICATION
This Edition of Spirit of Freedom is dedicated to Bill Avalon Rodgers, the American Oregon Defendant who ended his own life in December 2005 whilst on Remand.

Saving Iceland Blockades Rio Tinto-Alcan Smelter in Hafnarfjordur

Saving Iceland
Press Release (in Icelandic below)
July 24th, 2007

LANDSVIRKJUN INVOLVED IN COAL & NUCLEAR POWERED RIO TINTO-ALCAN SMELTER IN AFRICA

Saving Iceland
Press Release (in Icelandic below)
July 24th, 2007

LANDSVIRKJUN INVOLVED IN COAL & NUCLEAR POWERED RIO TINTO-ALCAN SMELTER IN AFRICA

HAFNARFJORDUR – Saving Iceland has closed access to RioTinto’s Straumsvik smelter in South-West Iceland. About 20 protestors have locked their arms in metal tubes and climbed onto cranes on the smelter site. Saving Iceland opposes plans for a new RioTinto-Alcan smelter in Keilisnes or Thorlakshöfn, expansion of the existing smelter, and a new coal and nuclear powered smelter in South Africa.

“Protests against Alcan have been successful. Of course the people of Hafnafjordur have stopped the expansion of Straumsvik and recently, in Kashipur, Northeast India, Alcan had to give up it’s participation in a bauxite mine because of protests against their human rights violations and environmental devestation. Alcan has been accused of cultural genocide in Kashipur, because mining and dams have already displaced 150.000 mainly tribal people there . Norsk Hydro left the project when police tortured and opened fire on protestors, and then Alcan moved in,” says Saving Iceland’s Snorri Páll Jónsson Úlfhildarson.

“This case and similar cases, and Alcan’s involvement in arms production, shows how ruthless they are. The takeover by RioTinto is rather unlikely to make Alcan into a responsible corporate citizen.”

“RioTinto-Alcan haven’t blown off their interest in a new smelter in Iceland. Hafnafjordur is still being named by Alcan despite the referendum , and a new smelter might be built in Thorlakshöfn or Keilisnes. Saving Iceland rejects this, and we express our solidarity with the people in South Africa opposing RioTinto-Alcan’s coal- and nuclear powered smelter plans there. Landsvirkjun has also gotten involved in this , so it is very important that people in Iceland reject these neo-colonial developments that destroy the environment and communities. ” says Úlfhildarson.

Documentation of Alcan’s links to the arms industry, the South-African deal with Landsvirkjun, and some of the history of Rio Tinto is attached to this press release.

More information:
http://www.savingiceland.org
Snorri Páll Jónsson Úlfhildarson

ALCAN’S LINKS TO THE ARMS INDUSTRY
RioTinto-Alcan’s aluminium alloys are sold for a whole range of military purposes. Alcan is the main supplier for European Aerospace and Defense and Space, producer of military helicopters, military satellites, the Eurofighter Tycoon, Mirage F1, EF18 Hornet and other jets . EADS is the world’s leading producer of missiles . Deals made between the EADS and Alcan are presented as between Airbus and Alcan, to cloud the military involvement ; it is common for all aluminium companies to hide their ‘defense’ products under the title ‘aerospace’. But at the same time, military products need to be marketed, so images of fighter jets are displayed on Alcan Aerospace’s website .

EADS claims to sell to countries that “guarantee a responsible approach to high-tech military air systems. It draws on decades of expertise in military aviation.” But can you trust a company that is sick enough to add video fragments from Nazi Germany, glorifying first world war and Nazi airplanes , on the same webpage as this quote?

RIO TINTO-ALCAN: ALUMINIUM TO IRAQ
Alcan further supplies Boeing a “variety of high performance aluminum-products” . Boeing produces the Apache and Chinook military helicopters used in Iraq and less known products that brighten your day, such as the the ‘Small Diameter Bomb’ and the ‘Joint Direct Attack Munition.’ Then there are Alcan’s associations with Dassault ., a French arms manufacturer, which produces a range of aluminium fighter-jets . Alcan has also been promoting itself to Naval services .

RIO TINTO-ALCAN: PLANS FOR AFRICA
RioTinto-Alcan has signed a letter of intent with the Govt. of Cameroon to expand the existing Alucam smelter with 150.000 Mtpy, and build a new 150.000 Mtpy smelter. The Lom Pangar Dam, to be constructed by the government, would power this . Alcan have a large number of projects planned Africa – their “greenfield project pipeline” includes Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar and South Africa. ‘Greenfield’ means that untouched nature will be destroyed for the mines, infrastructure, smelters, and dams that would power them.

APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA, ESKOM AND LANDSVIRKJUN
Alcan was active in apartheid South Africa between 1949-1986 . Now they want to come back and develop a new smelter in the near zero-tax ‘Coega Development Zone’ near Port Elizabeth, powered by coal and nuclear delivered by Eskom, one of the worlds largest electricity companies. “Thirty percent of the poor communities of South Africa don’t have electricity, and now that will be going straight to Alcan,” says Lerato Maregele, a S-African activist visiting Iceland .
Elkom is a ‘sister-company’ of Iceland’s Landsvirkjun . Landsvirkun want to be part of this deal and more generally branch out to Africa.
Landsvirkjun can be expected to try and sell their expertise to Eskom’s various hydroprojects in Mozambiqu, Uganda and Congo. They will try to be part of damming the Congo river, a project twice the size of China’s Three Gorges, that will have a devastating effect on the central African rainforest.

RIO TINTO’S ABYSMAL RECORD
While we can conclude that Alcan itself heavily supplies the arms industry and is invading Africa as it invades Iceland, it is now part of Rio Tinto, the world’s largest private mining company, “long criticized for gross human rights violations dating back to its support of apartheid in Southern Africa.”
We will name some of the many cases. Rio Tinto has been know to subject it’s own workers to poisoning in mines, having security guards shooting locals on the spot looking for small amounts of gold in one of it’s mines and having union-members spied upon or fired in its Brazilian gold mines.

Rio Tinto has been involved with mercenary scandals. The Papua New Guinean (PNG) Government, in joint venture with Rio Tinto, hired private mercenary companies Sandline International, a London-based private military company, composed primarily of former British and South African special forces soldiers, which had been involved in the civil wars in Angola and Sierra Leone and were now payed to fight the population of Bougainville, an island near PNG. The mine had been closed by the people of the island because of the disastrous ecological effects .
Citizens of Bougainville have filed a class action lawsuit in the United States against Rio Tinto arising from the environmental damage caused by the mine and war crimes occurring during the civil war years. In August 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected Rio Tinto’s effort to dismiss the claim.

S. Das & F. Padel, “Double Death – Aluminium’s Links with Genocide”, Economic and Political Weekly, Dec. 2005, also available at http://www.savingiceland.org/doubledeath
Chandra Siddan, “Blood and Bauxite”, Montreal Mirror, Nov 20-26, 2003, Vol. 19 No. 23.
“Smelter Expansion on Landfill?”, Iceland Review, June 20th 2007.
RUV News, 26-02-2007, http://ruv.is/heim/frettir/frett/store64/item145391/. Note that RUV has Alcoa and Alcan confused.
EADS website, http://www.eads.com/1024/en/businet/defence/mas/combat_aircraft/combat_aircraft.html
EADS promotion film, “A Brief Glance at EADS”, http://www.eads.com/xml/content/OF00000000400004/1/10/41434101.mov
AFX News, June 13, 2007, http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/13200786914.htm
Alcan Press Release, “Company To Provide Critical Aluminum Materials For Full Range Of Aircraft Including A380”, June 13, 2007, http://www.decisionplus.com/fr/fintools/stock_news.asp?Market=TSE&Symbol=AL&NewsID=20070613/021501
http://www.alcanaerospace.com/Aerospace/aerospace.nsf/html/FWFGHOME?Open&LG=1, dd. 22-7-2007.
EADS promotion film, “90 years of aircraft history in Augsburg”, http://www.eads.com/1024/en/businet/defence/mas/mas.html and http://www.eads.com/xml/content/OF00000000400004/0/64/41488640.asx
US Geological Survey, “Minerals Yearbook 2005,” September 2006, p. 5.2.
Boeing Website Image Gallery of Small Diameter Bomb: http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/gallery/images/missiles/sdb/sdb.html
Boeing Image Gallery: http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/gallery/images/missiles/sdb/sdb.html
Alcan Press Release, “Alcan Contributes to Success of Eighth Ariane 5 ECA Launch,” Dec 13th, 2006.
http://www.dassault-aviation.com/
“Pacific 2004, International Naval and Maritime Exposition for the Southern Pacific,” Aerospace Maritime and Defence Conference, http://www.ideea.com/pacific2004/embassy/smithbriefing.pdf
US Geological Survey, “Minerals Yearbook 2005,” September 2006, p. 5.5.
Alcan Press Release, “Alcan to Explore Development of Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery in Madagascar,” September 11th 2006.
Alcan’t website, http://www.alcant.co.za/history.html
Grapevine, Issue 10, July 13, 2007. Interview also available at http://www.savingiceland.org/node/870
RUV News, 26-02-2007, http://ruv.is/heim/frettir/frett/store64/item145391/. Note that RUV has Alcoa and Alcan confused.
International Rivers Network & EarthLife Africa, “Eskom’s Expanding Empire
The Social and Ecological Footprint of Africa’s Largest Power Utility,” June 2003, http://www.irn.org/programs/safrica/index.php?id=030601eskomfactsheet.html
Asia-Pacific Human Rights Network, “Rio Tinto’s Record and the Global Compact,” July 13th 2001, http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=623.
SBS Australia’s television program Dateline in a report on Rio Tinto, August 2000.
Wikipedia Germany (22-7-2007), http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandline-Affäre
Contract between PNG Government and Sandline: http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/PNG/htmls/Sandline.html.
Sarei v Rio Tinto, 456 F.3d 1069 (9th Cir. 2006), USA.

S.I. Activist Imprisoned by the Icelandic State

Saving Iceland
24 July 2007

The Icelandic government and ALCOA have gained their first political prisoner with their repression of protest against the heavy industry policy.

Saving Iceland
24 July 2007

The Icelandic government and ALCOA have gained their first political prisoner with their repression of protest against the heavy industry policy.

A twenty three year old British Saving Iceland activist who was arrested today on the action against Rio Tinto-Alcan, has been imprisoned for eight days.

Apparently the activist was told by the Icelandic police that she was to pay a 100.000 kronur (£840) fine for her involvement in protests against ALCOA in the east of Iceland in the summer of 2006, or face prison. She chose the latter.

At this time we do not know where she will be held.

Other foreign protesters have their passports held at ransom by the police for fines based on accusations for obstructing the police, but no actual charges.

Here at Saving Iceland we seem to remember that passports are the property of the States that they are issued in.

Thus, not for the first time, the Icelandic police may actually be breaching international law by blackmailing foreign citizens who are exercising their democratic right to protest against the corrupt heavy industry policy that the Icelandic government continues to maintain.

In March this year the Left-Green party in Iceland called in parliament for an independent investigation into the conduct of the Icelandic police against Saving Iceland protesters in the the years of 2005 and 2006.

It is high time that the autocratic and frequently violent methods of the Icelandic police against peaceful protesters come under serious scrutiny.

http://www.savingiceland.org/node/887

Saving Iceland Blockades Rio Tinto-Alcan Smelter in Hafnarfjordur, Iceland

Incriminating photo evidence of ALCAN involvement in the arms industry

‘A Brief Look at EADS’ – ALCANs major military partner the way they want to be seen – Video

EADS proudly display their contributions to Adolf Hitler’s airforce and just about every war in the 20th Century – Video

Saving Iceland
Press Release (in Icelandic below)
July 24th, 2007

LANDSVIRKJUN INVOLVED IN COAL & NUCLEAR POWERED RIO TINTO-ALCAN SMELTER IN AFRICA

HAFNARFJORDUR – Saving Iceland has closed access to RioTinto’s Straumsvik smelter in South-West Iceland. About 20 protestors have locked their arms in metal tubes and climbed onto cranes on the smelter site. Saving Iceland opposes plans for a new RioTinto-Alcan smelter in Keilisnes or Thorlakshöfn, expansion of the existing smelter, and a new coal and nuclear powered smelter in South Africa.

Incriminating photo evidence of ALCAN involvement in the arms industry

‘A Brief Look at EADS’ – ALCANs major military partner the way they want to be seen – Video

EADS proudly display their contributions to Adolf Hitler’s airforce and just about every war in the 20th Century – Video

Saving Iceland
Press Release (in Icelandic below)
July 24th, 2007

LANDSVIRKJUN INVOLVED IN COAL & NUCLEAR POWERED RIO TINTO-ALCAN SMELTER IN AFRICA

Documentation of Alcan’s links to the arms industry, the South-African deal with Landsvirkjun, and some of the history of Rio Tinto is attached to this press release.

More information:
http://www.savingiceland.org
Snorri Páll Jónsson Úlfhildarson

ALCAN’S LINKS TO THE ARMS INDUSTRY
RioTinto-Alcan’s aluminium alloys are sold for a whole range of military purposes. Alcan is the main supplier for European Aerospace and Defense and Space, producer of military helicopters, military satellites, the Eurofighter Tycoon, Mirage F1, EF18 Hornet and other jets . EADS is the world’s leading producer of missiles . Deals made between the EADS and Alcan are presented as between Airbus and Alcan, to cloud the military involvement ; it is common for all aluminium companies to hide their ‘defense’ products under the title ‘aerospace’. But at the same time, military products need to be marketed, so images of fighter jets are displayed on Alcan Aerospace’s website .

RIO TINTO-ALCAN: ALUMINIUM TO IRAQ
Alcan further supplies Boeing a “variety of high performance aluminum-products” . Boeing produces the Apache and Chinook military helicopters used in Iraq and less known products that brighten your day, such as the the ‘Small Diameter Bomb’ and the ‘Joint Direct Attack Munition.’ Then there are Alcan’s associations with Dassault ., a French arms manufacturer, which produces a range of aluminium fighter-jets . Alcan has also been promoting itself to Naval services .

RIO TINTO-ALCAN: PLANS FOR AFRICA
RioTinto-Alcan has signed a letter of intent with the Govt. of Cameroon to expand the existing Alucam smelter with 150.000 Mtpy, and build a new 150.000 Mtpy smelter. The Lom Pangar Dam, to be constructed by the government, would power this . Alcan have a large number of projects planned Africa – their “greenfield project pipeline” includes Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar and South Africa. ‘Greenfield’ means that untouched nature will be destroyed for the mines, infrastructure, smelters, and dams that would power them.

APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA, ESKOM AND LANDSVIRKJUN
Alcan was active in apartheid South Africa between 1949-1986 . Now they want to come back and develop a new smelter in the near zero-tax ‘Coega Development Zone’ near Port Elizabeth, powered by coal and nuclear delivered by Eskom, one of the worlds largest electricity companies. “Thirty percent of the poor communities of South Africa don’t have electricity, and now that will be going straight to Alcan,” says Lerato Maregele, a S-African activist visiting Iceland .
Elkom is a ‘sister-company’ of Iceland’s Landsvirkjun . Landsvirkun want to be part of this deal and more generally branch out to Africa.
Landsvirkjun can be expected to try and sell their expertise to Eskom’s various hydroprojects in Mozambiqu, Uganda and Congo. They will try to be part of damming the Congo river, a project twice the size of China’s Three Gorges, that will have a devastating effect on the central African rainforest.

RIO TINTO’S ABYSMAL RECORD
While we can conclude that Alcan itself heavily supplies the arms industry and is invading Africa as it invades Iceland, it is now part of Rio Tinto, the world’s largest private mining company, “long criticized for gross human rights violations dating back to its support of apartheid in Southern Africa.”
We will name some of the many cases. Rio Tinto has been know to subject it’s own workers to poisoning in mines, having security guards shooting locals on the spot looking for small amounts of gold in one of it’s mines and having union-members spied upon or fired in its Brazilian gold mines.

Siberian protest camp attacked by neo-nazis

In the early morning of 21st July, neo-nazi skinheads launched a vicious and unprovoked attack on an anti-nuclear protest camp in Angarsk, Siberia, Russia. The nazis violently attacked activists in their sleeping bags and tents with iron rods, knives and air pressure guns. 21 year old Ilya Borodaenko from Nachodka suffered a head-fracture during the attack and later died in hospital from his injuries. At least nine others have been reported to be seriously injured, one of which has had both their legs broken. Tents were set on fire and several belongings were stolen.
The camp started last week and is aimed at protesting against a planned centre of uranium enrichment in Angarsk. Ever since the arrival of the activists, the police have tried to intimidate them and have entered the camp in an attempt to gather information about planned actions. The organisation who planned the camp, the ‘Ecological Wave of Baikal’, had planned various rallies in the surronding area to inform locals about the plans and drum up support for the campaign.
Financial help and other forms of solidarity are urgently needed. Contact xmakimax (at) gmail.com or ogopogos (at) gmail.com if you are able to offer support