London – Page 10 – Earth First!

Xstrata mining stormed by Occupy London protestors + global anti-Xstrata protests

30.11.11

An action took place in London against a union-busting earth-trashing Swiss/British coal and metal mining company – for a selection of the global protests against them, see below the main article. There's various footage: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Part of the N30 mass strike (timeline).

#OccupyLSX had announced an action at 3pm at Piccadilly Circus. They set off with the samba band and minutes later a flare was set off inside Panton House, Haymarket, whilst a banner was hung from the roof. Outside protestors challenged some plainclothes cops in the crowd, after which a 'bubble' or kettle was set up, apparently with more plain clothes cops trapped inside it.

Occupy London – part of the global movement for social and economic justice – today highlighted the corporate greed endemic in the UK and called for a change within society.

About 60 protestors gained entry into the offices of mining company Xstrata, a ‘leading light’ of the FTSE 100 and British industry to highlight the fact that CEO Mick Davies was the highest compensated CEO of all the FTSE 100 companies in the last year, when his companies had losses and the economy collapsed. He received £18,426,105 for his efforts. [1]

This comes in a year when the average pay rise of executives across FTSE 100 companies was 43%, with ‘top’ directors at 49%. [2]

Led by a samba band to the building from Piccadilly Circus, the protesters entered the HQ at 25-7 Haymarket, London, with the protesters chanting against the corporate greed of Mick and other executives, in support of all those striking for fair pensions for all today. The protestors also unfurled a banner saying “All power to the 99%” from the roof top.

There are currently about 20 protesters inside – being held down on knees, of which many are women. There are a few hundred people kettled outside.

The protesters today are making the connection between the slashing of private and public sector pensions, while supposed ‘top’ executives cash in by increasing their own pay levels, leaving many without pensions. These CEOs like Mick Davies lavishly secure their own futures while ignoring the security and wellbeing of their own workers.

Mines have closed in Australia, South Africa and Spain within the last decade resulting in hundreds of workers in the last decade being laid off.

Karen Lincoln, supporter of Occupy London said: “Mick Davies is a prime example of the greedy 1 per cent, lining their own pockets while denying workers pensions. In this time when the government enforces austerity on the 99 per cent, these executives are profiting. The rest of us are having our pensions cuts, health service torn apart and youth centres shut down.

“We refuse to stand by and let this happen. We call on others to join us in the fight for a more just society. Today we have taken this to one of the offices of the 1 per cent. This is only the beginning. Come and join us on 15th December for Occupy Everywhere.”

Occupy London will unveil details of Occupy Everywhere soon. Be ready.

Notes

[1] According to the Income Data Services, Mick Davies from Xstrata (mining company) was the highest paid executive in the FTSE 100. His company has recently taken severe hits as FTSE 100 companies face drop in value (£104 billion off FTSE 100 companies). He was paid £18,426,105. LONDON OFFICE: Registered Office, 4th Floor 25/27 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4EN

Highest paid executives in the FTSE 100:

1. Mick Davies, Xstrata, £18,426,105

2. Bart Becht, Reckitt Benkiser, £17,879,000

3. Michael Spencer, ICAP £13,419,619

4. Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco £12,038,303

5. Tom Albanese, Rio Tinto £11,623,162

6. Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP Group £8,949,985

7. Todd Kozel, Gulf Keystone Petroleum £8,913,223

8. Don Robert, Experian £8,601,984

9. Edward Bonham Carter, Jupiter Fund Management £8,003,641

10. Dame Marjorie Scardino, Pearson £8,003,641

[2] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/business-as-usual-top-directors-get-49-per-cent-pay-rise-2376929.html

[3] Facebook page for Occupy London’s Stock Exchange site just by St Paul’s (OccupyLSX) is https://www.facebook.com/occupylondon. Overall Occupy London twitter Occupy Londonhastag is #occupylondon. OccupyLSX Twitter is https://twitter.com/#!/OccupyLSX ; hashtag#occupylsx. Twitter for the new Finsbury Square site is https://twitter.com/#!/OccupyFS; hastag #occupyfs. Twitter for Bank of Ideas is http://twitter.com/bankofideas and facebook is http://facebook.com/bankofideaslondon

——

What happened next (& photos) – ejection, kettling (with new added 'info screens'), arrests and arrestee-coach blocking.

——-

Oct.'07: Xstrata, criticized heavily by a growing number of Chileans opposing the Swiss mining company’s plan to build a large hydroelectric dam in northern Patagonia (Region XI), is no stranger to controversy – especially when it comes to rivers. More

Oct.'06: THE traditional Aboriginal owners of land near the Gulf of Carpentaria are travelling to Darwin to protest against the mining company Xstrata's decision to expand a zinc and lead mine by diverting the McArthur River. More

Jan.'08: Communist rebels have attacked a $2 billion copper and gold mine owned by Xstrata in the Philippines. More

May '11: Peru – Xstrata halts activities at Las Bambas due to protests More

Nov.'11: Workers of the mining group Xstrata are to demonstrate in Johannesburg on Tuesday to demand the right to take part in industrial action…."This march will be taking place amid the impromptu arrest of Numsa members by [the] SA Police Service under the instruction of one of Xstrata's key executives." More

Nov.'11: Vehicles torched in job protest at Xstrata mine More

Ministry blocks anti-tar sands law, so we block ministry’s front door

28.11.11

This morning, 50 activists blockaded the Department for Transport with two immobilised cars parked in front of the entrance. Why? Because our government is trying to scupper EU legislation that will block tar sands oil – the dirtiest, most polluting form of oil there is – from being sold at UK petrol pumps.

Mining for tar sands is wrecking the Canadian boreal forest, destroying the homelands of indigenous people, and accelerating dangerous climate change.

So why then is the Department for Transport trying to sabotage legislation that would block tar sands oil from European petrol pumps? Looks like they’ve been lobbied hard by the Canadian government and big oil.

anti-shell protest at awards

9.11.11

tomorrow marks the sixteenth anniversary of the killing of ken saro-wiwa and eight other activists in nigeria. today, shell, complicit in their execution, was polishing its image by sponsoring an awards event for young entrepeneurs at the centrepoint building in central london. rising tide organised a reminder of shell's bloody history outside the event, involving grim reapers, sombre drums, and hundreds of leaflets.

after meeting and dressing just round the corner, a dozen or so activists arrived outside the centrepoint building, creating quite a stir with a morbid beat from two huge surdo drums, several ghostly shell logo skull-faced grim reapers, and an excellent banner using the shell and livewire logos and the slogans "shell livewire – supporting bright young business, shell deathrope – hanging outspoken young nigerians".

centrepoint security at first overstepped the mark, pushing people and trying to snatch the banner, but they retreated indoors and closed off the entrance when they realised they were being filmed, allowing the protest to continue right outside.

hundreds of leaflets were handed out to interested passers-by, and police, who arrived after around 40 minutes, waited for instruction up the command chain before deciding to leave the protest alone.

after about 90 minutes, with leaflets running out, and the young entrepeneurs apparently led out of the building via an underground car park, it was off to the pub for a well-deserved drink for the activists.

it was on the 10th november in 1995 that the nigerian government hanged ken saro-wiwa and eight other young activists who were campaigners against the devastation caused by shell and other oil exploiters in their homelands. shell was later shown to have been complicit in the murders. to this day, shell still attacks communities (like rossport in northern ireland, as well as continuing abuses in the niger delta) and destroys the planet through oil extraction, and to offset their destructive image they put tiny amounts of their profits into high profile sponsorship events like 'livewire', a youth business enterprise.

VIDEO
Thanks too to 'You and I Films' for producing a video of our (S)Hell DeathROPE action, and to Kevin Smith of Platform for the informative interview/voiceover, which you can watch online at:

• ‘Shell Death Rope – In Memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa’, at vimeo
» video, 2:29 – http://vimeo.com/31879898

BLOGS
Thanks to Ben Amunwa at Platform, there are also two blog postings about our (S)Hell DeathROPE action:

• ‘Protest Exposes Shell’s Grim Record on Human Rights’
» http://blog.platformlondon.org/2011/11/10/protest-exposes-shells-grim-record-on-human-rights/
» http://remembersarowiwa.com/protest-exposes-shells-grim-record-on-human-rights/

FUTURE ACTIONS
If you are also inclined to acknowledging that the catastrophic climate chaos caused by anthropogenic global warming is the most serious social/economic/political issue humankind has ever faced, and want to join in taking grassroots direct action to influence our civilisation toward climate justice, then do please consider joining London Rising Tide (or your local Rising Tide group).

• Rising Tide, London
» http://www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
• Next action planning gathering: Thu 17 Nov 2011, 19:30-21:00 (and afterwards (optionally) down t’pub), at the London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, Whiechapel, London E1 1ES
» LARC – http://www.londonarc.org

• Rising Tide, UK and around the world
» http://risingtide.org.uk
• see left hand column for links to Rising Tide groups all around the world

Earth First! Winter Moot 2012 – 24-26th February 2012. Updated: location & what to expect

A weekend of discussion and networking for those taking direct action against ecological destruction.

Please note date & location change (due to date clash & venue problems):

24-26th February 2012, near Glasgow

Nearest train station: Lanark.

A weekend of discussion and networking for those taking direct action against ecological destruction.

Please note date & location change (due to date clash & venue problems):

24-26th February 2012, near Glasgow

Nearest train station: Lanark.

See earthfirstgathering.org.uk for further information about location, programme and contact details

Update:

Where – this years Earth First Winter Moot will take place in Glespin Village Hall, South Lanarkshire. Glespin is a small village about 14 miles south of Lanark, and 35 miles south of Glasgow. South Lanarkshire also has many beautiful areas with rivers, hills, forests and peat bogs. Full directions

What to expect – this years Earth First! Winter Moot takes place in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. In a months time environmentalists from across the UK and beyond will converge to discuss and debate. Below is an update from the organising collective who are working on the program.

The Moot 2012 collective has felt that at previous EF! Gatherings groups have primarily attended to recruit for their respective campaigns. Yet those who attend EF! Gatherings are predominantly already active, making them good places for networking, but not necessarily for outright recruitment. We recognise the effort gathering organisers put into planning agendas but often the more discursive aspects of the gatherings focus on larger, abstract questions and debates have often been framed by self-appointed experts. We feel that these discussions ineffectively attempt to find answers or reach consensus where this is inappropriate.

For example at the first EF! Gathering 20 years ago the question was asked: 'What is EF!?' 20 years later in 2011 at the last Moot the same question was still being asked . . .

The answer is EF! is what we make it, and this year we are going to make it a space in which we can approach our campaigns both critically and analytically by asking more specific and practical questions. Our activism should be constantly evolving not stuck in a rut asking the same questions again and again.

The agenda will be designed to ask questions around four key issues: the tactics we use; the strategies that we employ in our campaigns; community solidarity; and sustainable activism. There will be no attempt to reach conclusions or consensus especially about what EF! is. Instead we want to have discussions that lead to new ideas that could evolve ongoing campaigns or give creative inspiration to ones that are just getting started.

A free space will be provided in which campaigns will be able to hold meetings and have further discussions if they wish, and there will also be some space given for campaign updates with an emphasis on honest analysis rather than promotion.

For updates and more info check the website or email us.

efwintermoot@noflag.org.uk

Frack Mob at Industry Greenwash Conference

Action: Frack Mob
Target: Industry greenwashing conference
Date: Weds 2nd November
Time: 3-6pm
Location: Copthorne Tara Hotel, Scarsdale Place, Kensington, London

Be part of the UK's first mass-action against fracking.

Do you care about where you live, your health and the planet?

Then Join us on the 2nd of November for a massive 'frack mob'. This will be the UK's first mass-action against fracking, and what better target than an industry greenwash love-in?

Fracking is in it's infancy in this country, if we are going to kill this thing it has to be now.

This conference is all about large companies shafting the planet in the name of profit. We still have time to cut through the bullshit, scare the investors and tell the companies to FRACK OFF!

Lets expose this Greenwash. Bring:

-Gas masks
-Fracked water ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/54095609@N00/sets/72157627591245355/with/6166727923/)
-Anything that makes a loud noise
-Green body/face paint
-Chalk/giant chalk ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npcInClZKUI)
-A desire to have FUN

Fracking companies drill for gas by blasting water, sand and corrosive chemicals deep into the ground to crack the bedrock. Fracking poisons tapwater, causes earthquakes and releases more greenhouse gases than coal.

Invite your friends and get informed:
– Follow @Frack_off on twitter
– Go to www.frack-off.org

See you on the streets (nearest tube Kensington High St).

info@frack-off.org

BHP Billiton – Dirty Energy protests

Campaigners from London Mining Network, Kick Nuclear, Colombia Solidarity Campaign, London Rising Tide, Occupy London and other groups gathered outside and inside Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton's central London AGM to protest the company's record of environmental damage and forced displacement of indigenous communities in Colombia, Australia, Indonesian Borneo and elsewhere, due to its extraction of dirty fuels, including coal and uranium.

Some of the group later visited the Australian High Commission, demanding to speak to an official about BHP's uranium mining activities and exploration on aboriginal lands in South and Western Australia. The 'diplomatic protection' police were called by the High Commission. When the police arrived, the protesters were ordered to leave the building.

See also the following reports on the AGM and demo here and here.

London September critical mass – pics and short report

sept 30 critical mass. police allow motorist to leave the scene of an assault and refuse to take details despite witnesses. did you witness the assault?

the balmy indian summer weather ensured a good turn-out for the critical mass bike ride last friday evening, and hundreds of cyclists enjoyed a joyous ride round london despite the occasional psychopathic motorist and a couple of crazy cops. the critical mass bicycle ride, now in in its 17th year, takes place on the last friday of each month throughout the year.

the critical mass bicycle ride, now in in its 17th year, takes place on the last friday of each month throughout the year. cyclists meet from about 6pm on the south bank under waterloo bridge near the national film theatre, and normally set off on a ride by about 7.

the ride has no official organisers, and the route is never agreed in advance, relying instead on a ‘critical mass’ of front runners persuading the rest of the crowd to follow in any particular direction.

on friday, the convoy of four or five hundred cyclists (also including an increasing contingent of skateboarders) headed north over the bridge, and unusually took the underpass into kingsway before heading west and on to oxford street.

as the main purpose of the mass is to celebrate human propulsion over carbon, reclaim the streets, and show that cyclists have as many rights as drivers, it is sometimes a little contentious when the route includes oxford street so early in the evening, as it mostly disrupts public transport rather than general traffic (which isn’t allowed onto oxford street until later in the evening). however, the mass kept up the pace and only stopped briefly at oxford circus before heading to marble arch and down park lane.

by this time, cyclists had spread out a little and so it was harder to take all four lanes of the road. so despite the neon sign at the start of park lane warning motorists ‘delays possible’, some of them were frustrated to find cyclists in their path (even though they were quite likely to get held up again at a traffic jam at the south end of the highway), and among these motorists there was a police car, whose driver recklessly kept changing lanes without signalling, and deliberately cut across cyclists forcing them to veer to the left, and seriously risking injury.

further down park lane, there had been some sort of altercation, and a woman claimed she had been assaulted and pushed over by a motorist. the police car had stopped and the officers got out, but instead of investigating the assault, one of them was making comments loudly that “you cyclists are pests”. the young woman, along with witnesses to the assault, kept telling the police that she wanted to make a complaint and press charges, but the cops just ignored her, returning to their vehicle and winding their windows up. they also for a while refused to give any of their own details until several cyclists surrounding the car kept asking for their badge numbers, with which they eventually complied. they however refused to take any details of the alleged incident. the young woman is considering an official police complaint. if anyone witnessed the assault or took pics/video, please contact me and i’ll put you in touch. i only have the clip of the police ignoring her requests.

sometimes after an incident like this, the mass gets stretched out or split, but this time, the front runners were cycling round and round the duke of wellington arch at hyde park corner, so everyone reconvened and hundreds of bicycles once again rode together east along piccadilly, completely trapping a red diplomatic police car at one point, and on into piccadilly circus, trafalgar square (where a couple of cyclists jumped into the fountains to cool off), and down whitehall to parliament square. there, one rider briefly hitched a lift on the back of a lorry before we all headed up to buckingham palace, back to hyde park corner and then down to sloane square.

two hours in, and although numbers were beginning to lessen, when i left the ride there were still at least a hundred riders heading west down the king’s road.

the next ride will be 28th october.

http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk/main.html
More pictures and videos at http://london.indymedia.org/articles/10323

Check out if there’s a Critical Mass in your town – or start one

new EF! Action Update

In an end of the summer compact EF!AU, find news about kicking shell in the teeth in Rossport again and then some more, solidarity with the community at Dale Farm, and anti-GM resistance – Spuds you Don’t Like demo in England, sabotage in Germany, France and Scotland.

On top of the usual contacts and dates, read about solidarity with jailed Swiss nanotech activists, resistance against steel plants, mobile phone masts, mining and energy projects here & across the world – stay angry and don’t carry on as usual!

The quarterly EF!AU, August 2011

Get ready for Hinkley blockade – 5th Stop New Nuclear newsletter

Welcome to our fifth Stop New Nuclear newsletter. With little more than two weeks to go, we need to make a last effort to mobilise even more people to the blockade of Hinkley Point on 3 October.

Welcome to our fifth Stop New Nuclear newsletter. With little more than two weeks to go, we need to make a last effort to mobilise even more people to the blockade of Hinkley Point on 3 October. More than 100 people have pledged to blockade, and 150 to support – can we reach the total of 300 pledgers within the next two weeks? Or even 400? Please help us to spread the information, and ask your friends, family, colleagues, … to pledge.

Since our last newsletter, we were able to welcome CND Cymru as a new member of the Stop New Nuclear alliance, and we also received more organisational pledges, among them Cumbria and Lancashire CND, No Need for Nuclear, Stop Oldbury, and the French Sortir du Nucleaire. This broad support is important, as it shows the strength of our resistance against new nuclear power stations in Britain.

News about Hinkley Point

We have been told that West Somerset Council and Electricite de France (EDF) have now reached an agreement about the money to be paid by EDF (section 106 agreement),and this agreement will probably go through the Council’s planning committee on 29 September. Once that happened, EDF will have a green light to start with the preliminary works for Hinkley Point C, even though it has not even applied to the Infrastructure Planning Commission for the reactors themselves.

However, EDF is already late with the removal of asbestos from the site, which has been left over from the construction of Hinkley Point A. According to the planning conditions, work should have been completed by 31 August, but it is still continuing, and EDF is now applying for an extension until February 2012. Although EDF is in breach of the conditions attached to its planning permission, County Council planners have decided not to take any action. The Council is concerned,however, that if the work continues into the winter months it could disturb migratory birds which fly along the coast past Hinkley Point (see Stop Hinkley press release, 14 September 2011).

The Environment Agency is presently consulting on two environmental permit applications in relation to Hinkley Point C: make disposals and discharges of radioactive wastes operate combustion processes (standby generators).

Objections to both applications need to be in by 6 October 2011.

More information is available on the website of the Environment Agency at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/132474.aspx.

The Marcoule nuclear plant in the south of France on Monday 12 September which killed one worker and injured four others, highlighted again the dangers of nuclear power. The plant, which is partly run by a subsidiary of EDF, stores large quantities of radioactive waste and produces mixed oxide (MOX) reactor fuel containing plutonium. There are also a number of decommissioned reactors from the early years of the French nuclear programme.

Stop Hinkley responded with the following statement:

“The accident in France is a sobering reminder of what can go wrong when a country commits itself so heavily to nuclear power, including all the problems associated with handling radioactive waste. Yet we are now proposing to import French technology to Hinkley Point and store waste there for 100 years or more. After Fukushima in Japan this accident serves as yet another tragic reminder of the dangers of nuclear power and the urgent need for the UK government to follow the lead taken by Germany in phasing it out.” (see http://stophinkley.org/Health/ExplosionSept2011.htm)

Training

Several Stop New Nuclear trainings for the blockade of Hinkley Point took place in recent weeks – in Bristol, Swansea, Glastonbury, Bridgwater, Compton Dundon, and today in London. Two more trainings will take place:

Exeter, Sunday, 25 September
A non-violence training for people from Exeter interested in participating in the Stop New Nuclear blockade of Hinkley Point on 3 October will take place on Sunday, 25 September 2011 from 1pm to 5.00pm.
Place: University of Exeter, Streatham Campus, Amory Building, Room 105
Contact: exeter [at] stopnewnuclear.org.uk

Leeds, Sunday, 25 September
A non-violence training for people from Yorkshire interested in
participating in the Stop New Nuclear blockade of Hinkley Point on 3 October will take place on Sunday, 25 September 2011 from 2.00pm to 6.00pm.
Place: Leeds Metropolitan University – City Campus, LS1 3HE, Caleverley Building, Room CL 309
Contact: Yorkshire CND, phone 01274 730 795, Email dominic [at] yorkshirecnd.org.uk

We will not able to organise more trainings in the two weeks before the blockade, but for everyone who still wants to participate in a training, there will be several training sessions in the camp on the weekend before the blockade:

Saturday, 1 October, 7.30-10.30pm
Sunday, 2 October, 8.00-11.00am and 2.00-5.00pm

Legal observer/legal support workshop Sunday 3.00-5.00pm

Please register if you want to take part in any of these workshops at training [at]stopnewnuclear.org.uk, especially if you do not want to stay in the camp. You can also register by calling our info number 0845-2872381.

Register for the Stop New Nuclear camp!

We already have more than 45 people registered for the Stop New Nuclear camp, which is about 4 miles from Hinkley Point. The camp will be a space to prepare for the action (non-violence training and legal observer training workshops will take place in the camp on Saturday evening and Sunday during the day), but also a place to meet other activists, to share experience, and to make plans for the future.

Please note that the camp will be alcohol and drug free, and that dogs are not allowed, as there are sheep nearby.

It is important that you register for the camp, so that we can plan food, but also so that we can send you the exact location and directions how to get to the camp. Your can register on our website at http://stopnewnuclear.org.uk/register.

Demonstration in Bridgwater, 1 October

Our weekend of actions will kick off with a demonstration in Bridgwater on 1 October. We will have several speakers, music, and possibly other performances.

Assembly is from 1pm on at Kings Square in Bridgwater, next to the EDF offices. From there we will walk about 20-30 minutes through Bridgwater and end the demonstration with a rally at Cornhill.

After the demonstration, a shuttle service will be organised to the Stop New Nuclear camp. There is also a local bus, and we will end in time for people to catch the local bus.

A map marking the assembly point and the location of the rally is
available at http://stopnewnuclear.org.uk/node/48.

Transport and parking

On 3 October, we will organise transport from the camp to the blockade, and back to the camp. But we will need your help! Let us know if you have spare seats in your car, or if you are willing to drive a car/minibus. We still need drivers! Please contact us urgently on campaign [at] stopnewnuclear.org.uk.

Transport is also being organised from Glastonbury (a coach will be leaving at 9am,to arrive at 10am), Bristol, and possibly from other places. Please check out our transport section at http://stopnewnuclear.org.uk/transport, and use our travel forum to ask for and offer transport.

Parking will be available about 200-300m from the main gate on Wicks Moor Drove, the main and only access road to Hinkley Point. However, this parking is not suitable for coaches. Coaches will need to drop off their passengers and park elsewhere.

We need your help

We need a lot of help to make the campaign a success. We need:
Drivers (30 September – 4 October, transport to and from the camp, to and from the blockade, and from police stations).
1st aiders (for the camp and the blockade)
marquees of any size – from 10-100 persons

Please contact us at campaign [at] stopnewnuclear.org.uk if you can help, or have any questions.

Mobilise!

Two weeks to go. Two weeks to make this campaign and the blockade a success. Please help us mobilise for the campaign. If you need fliers (see http://stopnewnuclear.org.uk/node/10), please let us know, and we will send you some as long as stock lasts. And talk to your friends, neighbours, colleagues and anyone you can think of to join you at the blockade. We need to send a strong message to EDF and government that we will resist nuclear new built in Britain, not only at Hinkley, but everywhere.

Donate

Stop New Nuclear is being organised on a shoe string budget, and we need your donations to make the blockade a success. We need to hire minibuses and other transport for the blockade, we need to set up infrastructure for trainings and workshops in the camp, we need to print more fliers, and and and. Unfortunately, all this costs money.

According to our present calculations, we will be about £1,300 short! Please help us to close this funding shortfall urgently.

Please give generously. You can donate online at
http://stopnewnuclear.org.uk/donate, or you can send a cheque made payable to StopNew Nuclear to:
Stop New Nuclear
c/o 5 Caledonian Road
London N1 9DX
Thank you!

Stop New Nuclear
Stop New Nuclear is a campaign to stop new nuclear power stations and is an alliance of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Stop Nuclear Power Network UK, Kick Nuclear, South West Against Nuclear, Shutdown Sizewell, Sizewell Blockaders, Trident Ploughshares, and Stop Hinkley

Email: campaign@stopnewnuclear.org.uk
Web: http://stopnewnuclear.org.uk

Actions against this year’s 6th biennial DSEi Arms Fair

Actions against this year’s 6th biennial DSEi Arms Fair at the ExCel Centre in London’s Docklands kicked off last week in the run up to the event. This week’s resistance began with a candlelit vigil on Monday night followed by a day of action of Tuesday, dawning to reveal a subvertised billboard as well as a huge ‘Destroy DSEi’ banner hung between cranes.

A critical mass of cyclists was out and about all day with explosive sounds and various groups blockaded entrances to the arms fair and death dealing companies such as Aerospace Defence & Security Group. There were die-ins all over the place, including outside the BAe Systems building and at the National Gallery, where the official arms fair reception was held on Tuesday evening, guests being greeted with chants of “Scum!”

Actions in Westminster during the day included a CAAT ‘supermarket shopping’ event and a Christian demonstration against drones with street theatre. This later moved on to General Atomics, which makes the British Reaper drone. A priest from Bradford was allowed to reach the main DSEi entrance after announcing that he’d come to perform the official exorcism. Many other actions and visual events took place in and around Docklands. FIT were all over the place, some thinly disguised as ordinary cops, with FITwatchers keeping a close eye on them. Two arrests were reported during the day, one for spray painting anti- arms fair slogans and one for fence climbing. Several more arrests were reported outside the National Gallery in the evening. [More]

On Wednesday, around 15 people marched from central London to the Excel centre. Despite a blanket 30-day ban on marches still in place in the City of London and the borough of Tower Hamlets, there was no police harassment.