London - Page 37

Success for DAN at the DWP‏

D.A.N Action Report — 17th April 2008.

Today more than twenty disabled activists occupied the foyer of Adelphi
House, where the Department of Work and Pensions is based. At 1.30 p.m.
campaigners breezed in, taking over the foyer, leafleting and asking to hand
deliver a letter to James Purnell, Secretary of State for the Department of
Work and Pensions. Members of D.A.N. the Disabled people’s Direct Action
Network refused to leave until a meeting was arranged with James Purnell to
discuss Incapacity Benefit and the changes which are forcing one million
disabled people into poverty and unpaid work placements. James Purnell was
out of the country, so D.A.N. activists met with representatives from the
DWP and Sally Witcher from the Office for Disability Issues and held long
discussions.

The result of these discussions is, D.A.N. have been promised a meeting
with James Purnell, the date of which is to be confirmed. We are very
confident that the meeting will happen as we have promised to come back for
another visit if it doesn’t.

Best Wishes.

Mike Higgins
(On behalf of the DAN Press Team)

E‑mail: danpress@blueyonder.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)114 225 8676
Mob: +44 (0)7956 856060

Here is the letter from the meeting/action on the 17th April.….

DWP
Department for Work and Pensions
Our address
Level 2
The Ade1phi
1–11 John Adam Street London
WC2N 6HT
Our phone number 020 7962 8361
Our fax number 020 7712 2235
Website www.dwp.gov.uk

17 April 2008

To the Disabled People’s Direct Action Network (DAN)

This is to confirm that I met with DAN representatives at The Ade1phi today. In discussion with DAN, I confirmed that:

• DWP will respond to DAN’s letter to the Secretary of State within two weeks, confirming that the Secretary of State will meet with DAN

• DWP will arrange for that meeting to take place within one month of today

I have noted DAN’s request that the meeting should be scheduled for an afternoon and would also appreciate it if DAN would inform us of any further access requirements.

Yours faithfully

Stephen Martin
Welfare to Work Director
Email stephen.martin1@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

INVESTOR IN PEOPLE

=======================

DISABLED PEOPLES’ DIRECT ACTION NETWORK — PRESS RELEASE

DISABLED CAMPAIGNERS — RESISTING POLITICAL INCAPACITY AND DEMANDING AN END
TO HARASSMENT

ACTION: Disabled Campaigners are planning to protest against the DWP (Adelphi House, 1 to 10 John Adams Street, WC2) at lunchtime today (17th April). We will be delivering the attached letter for James Purnell (Work and Pensions Secretary) and will be requesting a meeting with him.

WE ARE SICK OF: Politicians who attack minorities — perceived as easy targets — for public spending cuts.

THE GOVERNMENT SAYS: Do as we say, or risk losing benefits.
OUR RESPONSE: We call on all Disabled Claimants to defend their needs, and DWP Staff / Trade Unions not to cooperate with this harassment of Disabled People.

THE GOVERNMENT SAYS: They want to re-test all claims for IB (Incapacity Benefit).
OUR RESPONSE: Claimants are already regularly tested in relation to their claims through questionnaires and physical assessments by Benefits Agencies / Medical Services.

THE GOVERNMENT SAYS: Replace “Sick-Notes” with “Well-Notes”.
OUR RESPONSE: This cynical exercise won’t halt discrimination against Disabled People in the work place, or increase our chances of employment. It will however, force more Disabled People into poverty.

PRESS CONTACTS:
DAN Press Officer for this Action:
Mike Higgins (0114 225 8676 / danpress@blueyonder.co.uk)

Live on the Action:
Barry Schaufer (07508 634 228)
Nick Saunders (07956 682 830)

Pictures from the Action by:
Sid Baility (07951 050 153)
Hugh Hill ( hughiehill@hotmail.com)
Mozaz (Indymedia: 07816 572 505)

Some affected IB claimants:
Clair Lewis (07970 959 791)
Colin Revell (07518 350133)
Stella Ryan (07904 935 413)

RELATED POINTS / ISSUES:
. A one-off assessment only gives a snapshot of a Disabled Claimant’s condition at that moment.
. Welfare Reform ignores the reality of invisible and fluctuating impairments and contributes to discrimination against all Disabled People.
. Political and media coverage suggesting there has been a significant increase in IB claims since the 1980s is misleading. IB was actually introduced in 1995.
. A much higher percentage, than previously, of Disabled People are now living in the community and claiming benefits, rather than being institutionalised.
. A “long hours / short breaks” work culture makes it harder for Disabled People to cope with employment. Rather than attacking Disabled People as work-shy and lazy, the government could provide incentives which change workplace culture to encouraging flexi-time or working from home for example.
. There is a lack of access to meaningful workplace education and training. This leads to many Disabled People lacking qualifications, job skills and therefore decent jobs with adequate incomes.
. Instead of attacking Disabled People, the Government should prosecute employers who repeatedly break the law by discriminating against Disabled People
. For more details about the background to DAN’s concerns, see the attached leaflet, which we will be distributing at today’s event.

Swanner
sheffieldwelfare_an@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.swansheffield.org.uk

==================================

The Leaflet being handed out by DAN at today’s Action‏

DAN’S SICK NOTE

The Disabled Peoples’ Direct Action Network are protesting at the Department
for Work and Pensions in central London today.

We are delivering a letter for James Purnell (Work and Pensions Secretary)
and will be demanding a meeting with him today.

WE ARE SICK OF:

. Politicians who attack minorities — that they see as easy targets — for
public spending cuts, and biased media / press coverage that negatively
portrays Disabled People as lazy scroungers and benefit cheats.

. Lack of access to meaningful education and training, leading to a lack of
qualifications and job skills.

. Work in hostile environments where employers continue to discriminate;
i.e. can’t tolerate disabled employees that need part time and flexi-time
work due to their impairments and don’t have mechanisms that allow Disabled
People to be absent without prior notification, for their condition /
impairment.

. The lack of support to help us get to work and function in the work place;
eg, regular breaks, shorter hours and a working week that can be adapted to
suit our needs.

DAN SAYS

DISABLED PEOPLE WANT:

. Politicians, press and media to wake up to the damage their words do.

. Access to meaningful education and training, leading to proper
qualifications and job skills.

. Justice in the workplace with real penalties for discriminatory employers.

. A positive approach to the inclusion of Disabled People, especially those
with invisible and fluctuating impairments / conditions.

. Solutions to poverty rather than policies that compound it.

. An end to the discriminatory practices of the Work Capability Assessment
for Incapacity Benefit.

. A fair and just system that enables Disabled People who seek work and a
non-punitive system for those Disabled People who cannot currently work.

. Decent jobs with adequate incomes.

Wominspace eviction successfully resisted!

16.4.08 The first attempt to evict the Wominspace in North East London was today successfully resisted.

Wominspace 16.4.08 The first attempt to evict the Wominspace in North East London was today successfully resisted. While women barricaded themselves inside, about 40 supporters guarded the barricades, and helped themselves to a delicious breakfast. Seeing this, no attempts were made to evict the space by the bailiffs or the few cops lurking around. They left after about a hour.

But a second attempt could come at anytime. If you can help out being in the space during the day or night, or if you would like to organise an event over the next few days, please contact us. Email womenorganise@yahoo.co.uk or ring 07939 381562

This Sunday (20th April) we will have a collective meeting from 7pm, and a film night from 9pm. Come along! The Wominspace is open to all women, and all trans and intersex people.

If anyone has any other photos from today’s failed eviction attempt, please send them to womenorganise@yahoo.co.uk

http://womynspace.blogspot.com

Biofools: pumps disabled/clowns nicked, Edinburgh; banner drop, Glasgow; demos in Brighton/Bristol/London; Belgian blockade

April 15, 2008

April 15, 2008
From today, all petrol forecourts will be required by law to sell only fuel which is blended with 2.5% agrofuel. The answer to climate chaos you ask? Hardly. Corporations like Tesco are already jumping on the new “green” bandwagon, speaking little of the greater emissions, displacement, poverty and hunger that will be left in its path.

People from Bristol Rising Tide and Espacio Bristol-Colombia were joined by others to inform the public about this issue at Tesco in Eastville this afternoon. There was some interest in the issue from a number of passersby who were surprised that such a big change had been virtually unspoken about, but there’s little that consumers can do to avoid buying the product. The only answer to the energy crisis is a big shift in the way in which we live, travel and eat.

http://www.risingtide.org.uk

—————-

Biofuels protesters disable fuel pumps

Agro-fuels protesters disabled the fuel pumps of two BP filling stations early this morning in opposition to mandatory blending of biofuels into petrol and diesel. Protesters argue that biofuels will worsen climate change, and cause food shortages.
Protesters have taken this action in Edinburgh as part of a national day of action against biofuels — April Biofools day — coinciding with the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation’s (RTFO) coming into force, making it a legal requirement to mix 2.5% biofuels into all petrol and diesel.

BP was targeted since it is a major investor in biofuels.

Biofuels are more appropriately called agrofuels, as far from being connected to natural, sustainable life they are made from crops grown on unsustainable monoculture plantations.

Far from being a green solution to greenhouse gas emissions, agrofuels drive climate change. Increased use of agrofuels has been promoted by governments as a possible way of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from transport. However, there is evidence that the process of producing agrofuels hugely increases greenhouse gas emissions when deforestation, peatland destruction and nitrogen fertiliser-use are taken into account.

The production of agrofuels is causing large-scale deforestation which is likely to lead to a tipping point of irreversible rapid destruction of forests, which could mean the release of as much as 120 billion tonnes of CO2. Similarly, the expansion of palm oil production for agrofuels is leading to an acceleration of peat draining, which is likely overall to mean the release of 40 million tonnes of CO2. In addition, increased large-scale agriculture means increased use of fertilzers which mean the release of large amounts of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Agrofuels are also a major threat to food supplies and food sovereignty. Increased demand for agrofuel crops is putting pressure on food prices, pushing more and more people below the breadline.

Agrofuel crops are being grown on monoculture plantations. The land for these is often violently seized by governments and corporations from the people who live and work on it. People displaced are forced to either go to join the growing numbers of people living in poverty on urban peripheries or, as happened in the 1970s, settle in a previously uninhabited area of rainforest, causing further ecological devastation to add to that already caused by the plantations themselves.

Agrofuels are being pursued by Western governments because they offer a non-Middle Eastern fuel source. This is unrelated to the need to combat climate change, and is instead based on maintaining neo-imperialist power.

—————-

Lothian and Borders Police Harass a Peaceful Protest

Five members of the Edinburgh Clown Army (1) were detained for questioning this afternoon at a peaceful and entertaining biofuels protest in Bruntsfield(2). They have since been arrested and charged with a breach of the peace, despite maintaining a friendly atmosphere.

Eye-witnesses state that the biofuels demonstration was peaceful, friendly and party-like atmosphere.

Witnesses also state that the Clowns were friendly and entertaining, creating a comical and amusing ambiance for the protest.

Witnesses say that the Clowns gave no grounds for the police to charge them with a breach of the peace.

Police moved in in large numbers, surrounding the Clowns, filmed them, and took them one by one into the back of a police van.

They were taken to St Leonards Police Station for questioning, at which point they were charged with a breach of the peace.

The protest was part of the biofuels day of action, and took place at the BP garage in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh.

People who attended the demonstration are shocked and angered by the treatment the Clowns have received from the police.

This latest move from the police is part of an ongoing campaign of harassing peaceful demonstrators over the last six months. Three environmental campaigners were detained for questioning at 7.30 in the morning last month, including one of the Clowns who were targeted by the police on Tuesday.

They are due in court tomorrow, and the friends and relatives of those arrested will be turning up to support them.

Friends and relatives of those Clowns who were arrested urge the media to provide the pictures and videos that will help prove that they have been wrongfully arrested.

Notes:

(1) A comical and entertaining activist group that use humour and ridicule to challenge the status quo. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clandestine_Insurgent_Rebel_Clown_Army
(2) The protest was called by Biofuels Watch to raise awareness about the negative impacts this fuel source has: calling for a an EU moratorium on agrofuels from large-scale monocultures. Agroenergy monocultures are linked to accelerated climate change, deforestation, the impoverishment and dispossession of local communities, bio-diversity losses, human rights abuses, water and soil degradation, loss of food sovereignty and food security. www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/

Press Contact: Alex Cabb
Telephone: 07858723742

—————-

Biofuel bannerdrop in Glasgow

Protesters against biofuels dropped a banner at Charing Cross today, to draw attention to the use of food to make petrol.

Biofuels are responsible for contributing to CO2 emissions, clearing rainforest and displacing subsistence farmers, and lead to higher food prices, causing riots in Haiti and many other parts of the world.

Turning food into fuel for cars is burning food which the world needs to feed its population, yet today a new law came into force that petrol must contain 2.5% biofuel, with this percentage rising over years. Hungry people are being sacrificed on the altar of the holy automobile.

www.biofuelwatch.org.uk

—————-

Brighton Biofools Day Protest

A group of biofuel activists made a colourful banner and flyer tour of Brighton city centre and Sussex University on Tuesday raising awareness around a new law which came into affect as of yesterday. The RTFO or “Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation” has mandated 2.5% biofuels at British fuel pumps from April 15th, and thereby hugely increased UK consumption of biofuels.

Demonstration against the RTFO, April 15th

Amongst such headlines over the last fortnight as “Food shortages threaten to become the biggest crisis of the 21st century” the U.K. government has nevertheless conceded to EU plans to mandate massive amounts of biofuels into petrol and diesel across Europe. Environmentalists have warned for years that these EU targets will wreak havoc on the climate and food supplies, and eco-systems and people in the global South. These concerns are now echoed by senior scientists and policy makers. EU targets are set to increase to 10% by 2020.

Alison Freeman chair of the Environmental Society at Sussex University stated, “Our primary concern is to break the illusion the government and corporate sector is propagating of these fuels as “renewable”, “green” and “bio” which deliberately obfuscates the issue for the general public. Our message is simple: biofuels kill. The current system’s unyielding hunger to burn nature and humanitarian recourses in the engine of the capitalist machine will pull us all over the edge! We must stop Western economies internalising these fuels before it is too late”.

The Brighton biofuel protest was part of national reaction, with groups protesting across the country including Aberdeen, Bristol, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Norwhich and hundreds outside Downing Street in London. On the 6th of August a mass national action against agrofuels will take place as part of this year Climate Camp- see http://climatecamp.org.uk/agrofuels.php to get up date information.

—————-

Protests to UK Prime Minister — Scrap Biofuel Targets / Scrap RTFO

Hundreds of people in London and groups across the UK held protests against the introduction of mandatory biofuel blending on April Biofools Day. A protest was held later outside Downing Street, with speakers from Colombia, Campaign against Climate Change, Friends of the Earth, Global Forest Coalition, GM Freeze and Biofuelwatch condemning the government’s decision to go ahead with their biofuel policy against overwhelming evidence of catastrophic impacts on climate, communities, biodiversity and food security.

Phil Thornhill of Campaign against Climate Change and Andrew Boswell of Biofuelwatch, in a joint statement, said “The RTFO or “Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation” will mandate 2.5% biofuels at British fuel pumps from April 15th, and thereby hugely increase UK consumption of biofuels. The government is demonstrating a perverse obstinacy in ploughing ahead with this despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that far from helping in the struggle to control climate change, biofuels will accelerate climate change, and are a major cause of an emerging global food crisis that is creating starvation and food riots in several countries.”

Play the Biofuel song on Global Food Crisis at: http://www.biofuelsong.com/music

A lunchtime protest was held outside the Department for Transport, Tuesday April 15th, April Biofools Day. Other protests were held outside the constituency offices of Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport, and Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment, and at BP and Tesco fuel stations. BP and Tesco are two of the companies with significant investment in biofuels from large-scale monocultures, and which have been strongly lobbying for mandatory biofuel blending.

“The UK has chosen to ignore a vast mountain of evidence that biofuels are contributing to hunger, climate change, deforestation and human rights abuses,” said Dr. Rachel Smolker, main author of “The Real Cost of Agrofuels.” She continued, “Perhaps they are counting on new technologies using cellulose from wood and grasses, but these won’t sidestep the problems either. Whatever feedstocks are used will result in further expansion of industrial monocultures, possibly including Genetically Engineered trees. The bottom line is that there is a limited amount of land available, a large population to feed and a desperate need to preserve remaining biodiverse ecosystems. Instead of focusing on improving efficiency and reducing consumption, the UK is mandating further destruction.”

Almuth Ernsting from Biofuelwatch adds: “Protests against the agrofuel industry and this government’s biofuel policies will not end today. The government is talking about vague ‘sustainability standards’, whilst agrofuels are causing ever greater harm to the climate, to forests and other ecosystems, to communities in the global South, to biodiversity worldwide, and to food sovereignty and food security. We need a moratorium on all agrofuel incentives and targets to prevent those catastrophic impacts.”

On 8th April, 29 UK and international groups wrote to the UK government, calling for an agrofuel moratorium and demanding a suspension of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, and opposition to new EU biofuel targets – both the proposed 10% biofuel target in the Renewable Energy Directive, and the inclusion of biofuels in the draft new Fuel Quality Directive. Around 200 organisations from North and South have signed a call for an EU moratorium on agrofuels from large-scale monocultures, and there are separate calls for a US agrofuel moratorium and for an African agrofuel moratorium, as well as growing number of declarations from the Southern groups that are deeply concerned about the impacts which biofuel policies in Europe, including in the UK, are having on their communities, food sovereignty and environment.

Notes:

1. For a copy of the joint NGO letter to the UK government, see: http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/files/rtfo_letter.pdf

2. For copies of the moratorium calls and the other declarations, see
http://www.econexus.info/biofuels.html
http://www.grain.org/agrofuels/?moratoriumen
http://ga3.org/campaign/agrofuelsmoratorium
http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/declarations.php

3. Some other protests

Bolton (video):
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1213934526/bctid1504464364

Edinburgh:
http://scotland.indymedia.org/newswire/display/5536/index.php
http://rinf.com/alt-news/activism/police-harass-a-peaceful-protest/2969/
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Protest-clowns-arrested-after-Capital.3985990.jp
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/396710.html

Brighton:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/396734.html

Bristol:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/396663.html

—————-

Biofools day: Cargill factory blocked in Ghent (Belgium)

17.04.2008
This morning thirty activist of “agrocrisis” blocked the gates of the Cargill factory in Ghent (Belgium). Several activist are chained to the main gate blocking entrance to trucks.

According to An Maeyens, agrocrisis spokesperson, this actions means a one day block from transit. but above all a support to the struggle of thousands of small scale farmers, who are depraved of land and income and forced to migrate to slums near big cities, living in poverty, all because of the activities of big companies such as Cargill in their country,

UPDATE: cargill in the port of Ghent is completely blocked, police agreed not to intervene.

first pictures on

ovl.indymedia.org

More info & photos at http://www.aseed.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=552&Itemid=1

Video:

We’ve put the videoreport in FIVE languages on two sites. The choice is yours. This is a must see…

Politube:

Francais: http://www.politube.org/show/647
Nederlands: http://www.politube.org/show/645
English: http://www.politube.org/show/642
Espagnol: http://www.politube.org/show/648
Deutsch: http://www.politube.org/show/663

Youtube:

Francais: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vyMMfjFQOeY
Nederlands: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yFyA2H-8S5s
English: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XYq8J2N2JaA
Espagnol: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0bfDBb10IiI
Deutsch: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qt4eC3x0Q5o

Fitwatch — Tactics Sharing Gathering — 26th April 2008 — 12:30

Room H216
London School of Economics
Connaught House,
Aldwych

What is Fitwatch?
We are tackling the use of police Forward Intelligence Teams on protests. We get in the way of cameras, take photos and gather information on officers, and are starting to reclaim our demonstrations from the police.

Do you want to Fitwatch?

Room H216
London School of Economics
Connaught House,
Aldwych

Do you want to Fitwatch?
Fitwatch is a tactic, not an organisation. Anyone can fitwatch and it can be as confrontational or as pacific as you want. The more people who start taking responsibility for dealing with FIT, the more chances we have for effective protest.

Got some ideas? Want to know more?
Come to the Tactics Sharing Gathering and let’s work out together how we can kick FIT off our protests.

Whilst support and advice will be available, this is not a training day. It is an open forum for both newcomers and experienced activists to share ideas and experiences.

For further information on FIT and what we’ve done so far, see www.fitwatch.blogspot.com

defycops(at)yahoo.co.uk

New squatted spaces & reports from autonomous spaces weekend/‘what next?’ meetings — updated

Squatters Estate Agents Opens In London

As part of the Space Is The Place — Side Stepping The Property Ladder series of events taking place in various London autonomous spaces over the weekend of the 11th and 12th April, a squatters estate agents has been set up.

Squatters Estate Agents Opens In London

The squatters estate agents is based at a new squatted venue in Bowl Court, Shoreditch and opens Saturday at 10am. A display shows a number of empty properties around London along with details about their location, history and suitability for squatting. The properties range for abandoned houses and flats, to pubs, shops and even government buildings. Some would suit small residential squats and others grand large scale housing communities, squat cafes, freeshops or social centres.

During the weekend you’ll have the opportunity to meet up with others in need of housing and go out as a group to put the empties of London back into good use. Before the end of the weekend you could have yourself and your friends a new home.

The display boards will also be made available at other autonomous spaces over the weekend and beyond.

It’s not to late to contribute to the project. Please submit your own empties lists ASAP to the.rampart AT gmail DOT com

———-

Over the last three weeks people have been preparing an abandoned warehouse in Shoreditch (London) to host events over the weekend of the days of action for squats and autonomous spaces. This week, artists have been transforming the place for an exhibition themed around land use, gentrification, housing and reclaiming space. The building opens on Saturday at 10am with a program of films, discussion and skill sharing till 7pm and again on Sunday. The space will also be hosting a freeshop and squatters estate agency.

The four storey building had been deliberately left empty for years even though the planning authorities won’t allow it to be demolished. Instead of using using/renting or selling the building, the owners have instead totally gutted the inside to deter squatters, stairs removed, floorboards pulled up, pipework yanked out and toilets smashed. As if that wasn’t bad enough they have left the building open to the elements with smashed windows and a bloody great hole torn out of the roof. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the developers are waiting for the building to fall into disrepair enough to justify its demolition.

Despite all the damage it was considered worth squatting anyway, partly due to the symbolic value of occupying and renovating a building that the owners are leaving empty while they wait for it to fall apart, but also because it has most of the attributes we wanted and is very conveniently located.

Right on the edge of the city of London, the squat is overshadowed by a massive new 700 million pound development site pushing out into Shoreditch. A huge glistening glass tower block is the first of many that will be built here, transforming the area completely. The warehouse stands alone with earth movers parked in the open area between it and the construction trains and tower blocks, an almost exact real life replica of the image used on the April2008 website.

The squat is located in Bowl Court which is up Plough Court next to the junction of Great Eastern Street and Shoreditch High Street.

—

What next in London?

After this last weekends decentralised actions for squats and autonomous spaces we’ll be having a followup event at the new Bowl Court social centre. It will be a chance to hear about what went on in other cities in the UK and elsewhere in the world. There will be videos and slide shows of actions and exhibitions of photos and artwork. The squatter estate agents will also have been updated and open for business again.

More importantly it will be a chance for people from different spaces to get together (everyone was too busy during the days of action themselves) and discuss some of the issues raised. Part of the aim of the days of action was to bring autonomous spaces together and create interconnections for better collaboration and mutual support in the future. Of the various social centres in London, three are close to eviction within the coming weeks (the wominspace is due to be evicted this wednesday 16th). How do we move forward together in defending the autonomy we create? How do we extend the links between existing social struggles and our autonomous spaces? What roles can and should these spaces be playing in producing radical social change?

Please invite your friends.

London wide autonomous spaces network meeting and a meal.
Saturday 19th April from 2pm at the Bowl Court Squat off Plough Yard, off Shoreditch High Street

—

News from Londons autonomous spaces…

New squats; more meetings; eviction alert; Brad Will revisited; days of action followup; the film they tried to ban; 56a Infoshop and more… With the days of action for autonomous spaces now behind us it’s time to look forward. Taken from the rampART mailing list, this is a round up of news and events relating to London’s social centres. Get involved.

» Bowl Court Squat

Three weeks since we entered the abandoned warehouse on Bowl Court, we opened on Saturday with not only the esentials like floorboards, stairs, running water and flushing toilets but also an art exhibition, cinema, squatters estate agents and a ping pong table. If you didn’t get down there you can find photos on indymedia or come down next saturday to see for yourself and hear more about the days of action (see below).

» Meetings meetings meetings

With the new Bowl Court space open in Shoreditch we’ve decided to alternate rampART monday organising meetings between the venues. Next monday, (21st April), the meeting will be at Rampart Street. Events proposals for either space should be made at a Monday meeting. However it seems we just can’t get enough of meetings and we’re having a house
meeting at Bowl Court tonight (Tues 15th, 7pm) to discuss and decide practical issues relating to the use of the space.

We’re also organising a London wide autonomous spaces network meeting for next saturday, see below for details.

» Eviction Alert

The Wominspace (womynspace.blogspot.com) has been turned down an appeal and bailiffs are due to evict tommorow at 10.20am (Wed 16th). They are requesting people come down for breakfast at 9:30am to offer support.

The squat is by the canal at 4a Corbridge Crescent, E2 near Mare Street. Nearest tube, Bethnal Green.

» Popular Uprising in Oaxaca, Mexico, 2006.

April 18 at 8pm

Please join us at the Bowl Court Squat on Friday, for a screening of the film “Brad, One More Night at the Barricades” (55 min). Brazilian filmmaker and media activist Miguel will be on hand to discuss his documentary tribute to a fallen friend and will also show another one of his films.

When Mexican paramilitary forces shot Brad Will (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Will) in the chest, killing him, his camera fell from his hands. But it didn’t stop recording. It continued moving from hand to hand, telling Brad’s story, as well as the story of the movement of movements that he was a part of. From the squats of New York to the forests of Oregon, from the anti-globalization protests in Seattle, Prague, Quebec to the popular uprising in Oaxaca, Brad’s camera paints us a picture of what his life was about, and what so many of his friends continue to struggle for.

Donations will go to help Miguel continue his tour. DVDs will also be on sale.

Venue: Bowl Court off Plough Yard, off Shoreditch High Street

» Days of Action Followup

Saturday 19th from 2pm

Venue: Bowl Court off Plough Yard, off Shoreditch High Street

» The Film They Tried to Ban — On the Verge

Monday 21st at 7pm

Police have intervened across the country to censor ‘On the Verge’ an independent documentary about the Smash EDO campaign to shut down the Brighton’s weapons manufacturer EDO MBM. So far establishments in Southampton, Chichester, Bath and Oxford as well as Brighton have come under police pressure to cancel film showings. In Brighton police intervened to prevent a showing at the Duke of York’s Cinema, just one
hour prior to the scheduled premiere.

Cos lots of folk missed it’s first London screening at Housemans (couldn’t fit any more in) there’s another chance to see this important movie at LARC next Monday.

Venue is 62 Fieldgate Street, nearest tubes Aldgate East and Whitechapel

» Keep Informed

Those of you south of the river may be especially interested to know that the 56a Infoshop (www.56a.org.uk) have started doing an irregular email newsletter to let you know what’s been happening and what’s going to happen at the Infoshop as well as bits and pieces from elsewhere. If you would like to recieve their newsletter then send an
email to : 56ainfoshop-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

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Building now in hand for the weekend of events in Birmingham — for timetable see http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20387

We have now occupied the building for this weekend’s events — so people are needed down there tonight and tomorrow morning to prepare for the demo and weekend workshops…

The building is the former Kingfield Heath stationer’s offices and warehouse, between Bradford Street and Warwick Street in Digbeth (on the 50 bus route and very near the Spotted Dog pub). It’s an absolutely enormous building, we are only using a small fraction of the space within it. The “main entrance” is on Bradford St, but the entrance that we are using is the one on Warwick St — about 50 yards up from the Spotted Dog, on the right side of the road. Hopefully by tomorrow morning we will have the “Free Space Brum” banner to advertise it from the outside.

No electricity or water as yet but hopefully these will be sorted tomorrow (and the landlord of the Spotted Dog, has kindly offered us the use of his pub kitchen for water, and possibly also cooking).

Bring down anything you want to make the place look nice — posters, candles, coloured fabric, cushions, mattresses, etc. We already have chairs and tables which were already in the building.

The space will be open to the public tomorrow morning to prepare for the demo outside the Council House at 2pm.

For any more info, directions from the city centre, or if you are there and no one seems to be there to let you in, please call the social centre phone on 07527580190…

freespacebrum@riseup.net
http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/birmingham_social_centre

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Last weekend a temporary autonomous space was opened up in the centre of Birmingham in response to a Europe-wide call out for actions to defend squats and free space (see http://april2008.squat.net/).

An abandoned warehouse on Warwick St. in Digbeth was the venue of three days of workshops, talks and discussion on diverse themes: from the struggles of the indigenous peoples of Mexico, to the Disability Rights Movement in the UK; from 12v power workshops, to ‘seed bombs’ and guerilla gardening; from public sector workplace organising, to bicycle repair. Hot food was served each day with music in the evening and spontaeous sculpture and painting popping up around the building throughout.

The impetus for this event happening was not from any single group, agenda or campaign, but a collaboration between different groups and individuals. The emphasis throughout was to encourage such collaboration and to promote a general ‘lets do it ourselves’ ethos. In retrospect it was a uniquely supportive synthesis of different needs, issues, traditions and innovations.

Whilst the space was timed to co-incide with the Europe-wide call out, the weekend highlighted a number of specific issues in Birmingham over accessible social housing, privitisation of public space and the gentrification of Digbeth.

For example, one group active in creating the space, the Disabled Activist Network, are currently campaigning in Brum on the issues of accessible social housing and the planned closure of day centres across the city, to be replaced by privatised ‘services’. Members of that network felt strongly that they should not be campaigning to ‘save’ day centres given their reliance on the medical, ‘paternalistic’ model of dis/ability. Rather, the argument went, we should be campaigning for their replacement by something more along the social centres model. In synthesising these views, the freespace collective decided that while campaigning and working in the long term for an accessible and inclusive social centre, we could also respond to the call out and put on a temporary social centre for the weekend as a project to focus on.

We considered many buildings and open sites across the city of Birmingham, with various criteria in mind. We wanted easy public transport links, accessibility and a fairly central location. The groundswell of opposition to the Council’s gentrification of Digbeth meant we quickly gravitated to Digbeth, despite the issues that might give us in terms of fulfilling some of our criteria, in particular finding a building in good nick. Given the problems gentrification is already causing the area, with music venues being intimidated by a very few of the inhabitants — abetted by Birmingham City Council — of the jerry-built yuppy flats they erect next door, we felt a responsibility to the area to try and add weight and texture to the exisiting campaign to ‘Keep Digbeth Vibrant’. Council plans might be construed as insulting to the people of Digbeth, as they give the impression Digbeth is a run down, empty black hole of post-industrial misery, in dire need of rescuing by our ever so uncorrupt council and their friends in the construction industry. Digbeth, while not without an element of post-industrial misery is a vibrant community, and surely under no illusions about ‘development’. The word means that which causes something to unfold; growth, and so let us be under no illusions that what is going on is ‘development’. It is gentrification, the process of replacing the poor working community, replaced by exclusive ‘luxury’ flats that turn out to be crap build anyway. Social cleansing. Not just a question of competing ‘lifestyles’, this process is inherently political.

Links were made with the Keep Digbeth Vibrant/Noisy community and their support for the temporary autonomous zone cannot be over-valued. A website on the issue is http://www.keepdigbethvibrant.co.uk/

Of the weekend, one participant commented:

“It was a fantastic experience. It felt like a genuine, unmediated gathering of human beings — something which is quite alien in a culture where most, if not all, of our daily interactions with fellow sentient beings are via state or commercial mechanisms. It was a time and place where skills were learned and taught, ideas were exchanged, faces massaged, friends made, and much fun had.

“The support of the pub just down the road was invaluable — giving us access to toilets and clean water — and demonstrated that what we were doing was not about having a loud party or congratulating ourselves on how ultra-radical we are, but about supporting a cause that means something to the local community, as well as participating in a movement that spans the continent.

“It showed that we, the ordinary people of the world, have the power to create something worthwhile just by working together, even as our capitalist rulers try so hard to convince us that we don’t.

“In our own small way, we have proved them wrong.

“Now we have to do it again. Again and again, except bigger, better and with more involvement from a wider range of people. The powers that rule our lives can do so only as long as enough of the population believes that they are indispensable. By taking direct action such as this, by letting it grow and letting it be seen — especially by people who would not currently consider themselves ‘radical’ — we can show that this is not so.

“No snowflake ever feels it is responsible for the avalanche, but get enough of them together and they are literally unstoppable.”

There was no shortage of imagination and enterprise for autonomy. Plans were discussed to create an eco-friendy compost toilet in the building, to decrease our reliance on our friendly local pub. Unfortunately we did not have time to sort out all of the practicalities but we will be planning towards having compost toilets in our next space.

Events began on the Friday morning with a banner making workshop, with prepared banners displayed. People were also still focussed on clearing up the space and trying to work out if there was any possibility of mains electricity or running water. On discovering the existing mains supply was unworkable, the planned 12 volt lights and a sound system were set up running from leisure batteries ( which are similar to car batteries but far better suited to power domestic appliances).The batteries can be charged by solar panels or wind turbine, showing that you don’t need mains electricity, being an unsustainable and wasteful source. This time around we cheated by charging the batteries down at the pub! But we will try and get hold of some solar panels for next time.

Unfortunately the anti-gentrification demo called for 2pm outside the Council House was something of a wash out, with a low turnout, perhaps a lesson in taking on too much. While the ‘Stop selling Off Our City’ banner was hung on the social centre’s exterior, more banners were put up inside throught the course of the day.

Friday night’s open mic session included a variety of songs about class, Birmingham, war and neo-colonialism from different singers, interspersed with poetry and musical improvisation The fun continued well into the night. Urban exploration occured, guided tours of the enormous building we found ourselves in being offered, and there were some frankly astonishing moments of physical comedy available which I won’t go into too much detail, but imagine Buster Keaton in that Chaplin film where he gets caught up in the machine and you get the idea. It really was that good.

Saturday dawned, and after further work on the building and a breakfast, workshops began at 11am with a discussion of social centres, and numbers continued swelling. Bicycology arrived with their wonderful bike maintainance workshop, complete with infostand, participants sharing and learning thier maintainance skills. The Birmingham man who was involved in bike maintainance workshops in the run up to the West Midlands Climate Camp Neighborhood was particularly impressed with the skills, knowledge and teaching ability of the women from bicycology. Thanks to them for coming along.

After a very well recieved lunch — compliments to the chef — there was an exiting and engaging talk on the Zapatista movement by an artist and activist of Mexico, now resident in the UK. The talk covered amongst other things the history of the Zapatista rebellion, outlining the key goals of their resistance: control over land, direct political representation and the right to protect their language and culture. Broader themes were touched upon too, such as globalisation. After this there was an introduction to the Local Exchange Trading Scheme, or LETS as it operates in Birmingham, given by one of their key administrative workers.

The second afternoon session was taken up by two workshops. 12volt electricity, co-facilitated by three different people, began with a theoretical discussion, looking at the basics of electricity in non-technical language employing metaphor to get across the key concepts, as well as the engineering involved in setting up 12volt systems. This was followed by a hands-on practical session, getting people used to measuring voltages, wiring up lights and a look at the 12volt sound system. Workshop two was a talk on dis/ability rights; the concepts and the movement were covered in a way which participants reported opened their eyes to new ideas about the politics of ‘disability’.

After dinner, the poi/fire spinning workshop/demonstration took place, which certainly looked good from where I was standing. Made the place come alive and was a welcome ‘spectacle’ to those not directly participating.

On Sunday the highly anticipated permaculture/transition towns workshop proved to be an engaging, radical and politicised discussion of the issues. Key points were about the nature of permaculture, it’s history and relevance today, how it has changed as a concept and how we practice it everyday. There was a vision excercise in imagining what a permacultured post-transition world might be experientially from the moment we wake up. What will our homes look like, our breakfasts, the world outside our homes? On transition towns, after the basics were intoduced, key questions were how do we ensure the transition movement remains out of the hands of local business elites, and is non-hierarchical?

Sunday afternoon was taken up with two practical workshops and one discussion. While the stencil making conrtibuted to the ongoing spontaneous arts occuring througout the event, decorating the building, guerilla gardening consisted of making ‘seedbombs’, a radical ‘no dig’ approach to the practice. This labour intensive workshop was interrupted for around an hour by the talk on the forthcoming public sector strikes, and the state of industrial activism in the public sector in the city, which was a productive and certainly informative discussion. For those intersted in following up, there is a union organised rally in Victoria Square, Brum City Centre on Thursday 24th April, 12noon to coincide with a strike over pay cuts.

The ‘What next?’ discussion rounded off the event, discussing the next steps for brumfreespace, on Sunday evening after dinner. Anky, one participant said “The food was wonderful, thanx to “Food not Bombs”…really inspired my cooking, we got the water & lighting and sounds sorted really well I thought, we have so much energy and creativity amongst us!”

And a final perspective:

“One of the greatest strengths of the weekend was the diversity of people that it welcomed. This was the first time I had ever been involved in occupying a space, and it gave me the opportunity to get together with so many different people — to meet new people that I hadn’t met before, and to celebrate the new friends that I had made since becoming involved in Freespace Brum in January. It’s fair to say that each person who visited had particular interests, and the opportunity to listen, learn and discuss the various interests in a free social space that wasn’t just interested in taking your money was really valuable. And it was fun too! We took an empty building and for a few days we gave it colour, life, music and community. In return, it gave us fun, celebration, education and the determination to bring something more permanent to Birmingham. Well done to everybody involved in setting it up and thanks to everybody who visited, promoted it and helped out. Particular thanks must to go to the amazing people from the Spotted Dog pub, all the speakers who gave their time to hold workshops (I managed to get to the LETS and Zapatista talks, both fantastic) and everybody who travelled from out of town to help us. Love to all, and here’s to the future.”

More photos

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The next meeting of Freespace Brum will be at 7pm this Wednesday 23rd April, at the Spotted Dog Alcester St.

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Announcing The New Squat: Location (Nottingham)

The new squat, which has been occupied as part of the weekend of action for free culture and autonomous spaces has so far been successfully taken. Please come along, we really need people to help clear the space and make it one of our own! So where is it? The building is known as the Old County Hall, 23 High Pavement, Nottingham City, NG1. It is the building straight opposite the Galleries of Justice. For general info or directions, please ring us on 075 3449 6679. For a map see: http://tinyurl.com/5wld5k

We hope to see you there soon!

For more photos see http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/396162.html
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Bristolians take part in International homelessness/squatters action day

A vacant city centre building, the Little Theatre in Colston Street, was occupied this morning by homeless Bristolians as part of a co-ordinated day of action round the world.

Hundreds of thousands of square feet of vacant property stands idle in the city whilst Bristol’s housing register listed over 20,000 people and rising when it was scrapped last year. Whilst most people don’t want to live in property not originally built as housing any roof over your head is better than none. The absurdity of fast rising homelessness figures whilst large buildings lie empty, sometimes for years, has not escaped the notice of Bristol’s homeless people.

The government has also decided to drop proposals in the last budget to scrap business rate relief for vacant properties. Many owners of the largest vacant properties in the city will continue to pay little or no tax on their empty buildings and have no incentive to let them. Police and Fire Brigade both recognise these increasing numbers of ‘voids’ create fire hazards, ‘crack houses’ and attract other crime.

Last year’s Northern Rock crisis and increasing banking jitters should only serve to remind people how, by handing responsibility for economic decisions over to the private sector, Gordon Brown has left one of the most important responsibilities of government to a failing market. The council’s appalling new ‘choice based lettings’ scheme, introduced this year, which relies on the disabled, poor, mentally ill and elderly to ‘house themselves’ has effectively scrapped their statutory responsibility over the last 60 years to house the most vulnerable in society.

The occupation will continue over the next few days with public events and will continue beyond to remind the council, public, Shelter and other agencies that homeless people will continue to assert their right to house themselves where the government has failed. Bristol squatters believe the council and homeless charities have shrugged off the desperate plight of tens of thousands of homeless people in the city because they have little economic clout.

Contacts

For more info call: Sven on 07786 166477, Miriam on 07964 292775, Jake on 07910 077111 or others on 07528 953230 or 07591 631230.

Links

With the Broadmead Expansion and its spillover into St Pauls and Old Market that is displacing our local communities, the time is now to take matters into our own hands and reclaim our public spaces.
REPAIR NOT REDEVELOP — Yuppie flats are not part of a sustainable future and are pushing social housing out of the city centre. Resist the displacement of local people and join the parade!
http://www.bristol.indymedia.org/article/688145
http://april2008.squat.net/index.php/category/english/l…ef/en

http://www.squatbristol.org.uk

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AUDACIOUS SPACE CINEMA
@ opposite Primark on the Headrow (21–27) in the city centre at the old housing advice centre, Leeds
07526 261061

Presents… a weekend of radical documentaries

Occupy, resist, squat!

Friday 11TH APRIL 2008

7 — 8pm European autonomous Spaces Part I

Direct Action against Apathy shorts on ‘autonomous spaces’. DAAA made some documentaries back in 2005 about European autonomous spaces. Here we feature three of them: Barcelona, our very own A‑spire from Leeds and a secret location!

8–9pm – Rob Newman
Live from the 2007 Camp for Climate Action, we have Rob Newman’s hilarious and political sharp stand up on oil, war and direct action.

Saturday 12TH APRIL 2008

2 — 3pm European autonomous Spaces Part II
Back with 3 more shorts from Direct Action against Apathy: Nottingham (Sumac Centre), Christiania and Amsterdam

3 — 4 pm Boom — the sound of eviction
Story of gentrification and resistance from downtown san Francisco

4 — 5 pm Those who dance
Inspiring story of resistance from Rossport in Ireland where a community is taking on the massive multinational Shell to stop them building an oil pipeline.

5 – 5.30pm The story of Joe Hill
Story of legendary itinerant, folk hero Joe Hill — a key agitator and wobbly (IWW) organiser

5.30 – 6pm Hands of our homes
Short documentaries abot communities resisting privatisation and PFIs from around the UK

6 – 7.30pm The Take
Story of workers in Argentina who occupy their factory after the 2001 economic crash.

7.30 – 9pm Dockers
Story of amazing 1994 Liverpool dockers strike whose struggle spread around the world.

AUDACIOUS SPACE COLLECTIVE
leedssquat@googlemail.com

The space was taken without too much fuss last night, and opened its doors to the public about 3pm today. On going in, it was obvious that a lot of effort had gone into preparing the infoshop and beautifying the inside. There was free coffee and snacks, some people were watching a film and some were handing out literature on the pavement outside.

For anyone who doesn’t know the area, The Headrow is right in the very centre of town. The council vacated this building (it used to be the housing advice centre) so they could sell it on to be another exclusive boutique; the housing office was moved to somewhere further out of town and harder for people to access.

Perhaps they were prescient when they chose to write in their display, “The Housing Advice Centre Is Changing.” It certainly has. If you go in now, you’ll learn all about how to squat and take control of your own housing problems!

Come and pop in if you have a chance.

–

The Audacious Space cafe is now shut as of early Sunday evening, but everyone is anxious to maintain the momentum of this weekend, so there will be a meeting for people interested in what to do next on Wednesday this week at 7pm to discuss ideas, and have a bit of an Audacious Debrief.

Call the usual number (07526261061) or email leedssquat@googlemail.com for location. It will be particularly good if people who didn’t help in putting on the space, but came down and liked what they saw, came along to see how to get more involved.

And a MASSIVE MASSIVE WELL DONE to everyone who put on and came down to and participated in this amazing event! Let’s keep the momentum going!

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Day of Action for Squatting and Autonomous Spaces, Brighton, 12/04/08.

A video of pixies reclaiming the public space of Brighton with some banner dropping. To our surprise the pigs didn’t show up. The weather was great. The day went well.

Video Squat Level — video/mpeg 13M
a href=“http://www.indymedia.org.uk/media/2008/04//396394.mpg”>Video Squat Level — video/mpeg 13M

The day had started with some tree climbing. After few hours the first banner was dropped. The bender was then erected on the Level and the food acquired from skips was displayed on the table to be eaten for free by the members of public. The second banner was dropped an hour later. The crowd gathered and there was some guitar playing to follow by the after-party. The day went well.

I went home before the start of the party… please add your own accounts of the day/night.

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MESHO, The 16-page tabloid spoof paper about squatting, homelessness and autonomous spaces is out!

Apeing the METRO masthead, watch out if you see what looks like a METRO on a tube train or bus — it might be a MESHO

Look out for MESHO in all the squatted/autonomous spaces opened up this weekend in cities across Britain.

Allegedly the paper nearly didn’t happen because three separate printers pulled out at the last minute fearing a legal comeback – or claiming they didn’t have insurance. One excused themselves because they print METRO, before another finally obliged at the last minute.

What does MESHO mean? Well it looks like METRO but is an anagram of HOMES. So there.

Download MESHO on pdf (16 page, tabloid size, 4.7mb) at www.schnews.org.uk/satire/pdf/mesho.pdf

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On the night of Friday 11th April offices of Angel Group [Leeds] came under attack. This was part of the days of action in support of squats and autonomous spaces.

Angel group make their money by providing poor quality housing for asylum seekers, profitting from vulnerable people and racist asylum laws.

This company were targetted as part of the days of action in support of squats and autonomous spaces because housing is a right, not a means to make profit. This company are known to exploit their position of providing housing to vulnerable people who are not in a position to complain, getting away with providing substandard accomodation.

The front of the Angel group offices were redecorated, slogans painted, and locks glued. 12 company vehicles were attacked with paint stripper, spray paint, and had their tyres slashed.

This should send a message to Angel that their racist business will not be tolerated.

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SPACE INVADED!

Manchester Space Invaders landed on Thursday night.… Dodgy TV kicked off the weekend with films about squatting (including the OK cafe) and a tribute to Free party stalward Charlie.. This was followed by a late night opening at the new social centre. Intrepid Invaders then took to the skies for a night of audacious banner hanging around the city to promote the weekend and No Borders.…

Friday night was the opening bands night at the squat, with everything from punk to folk, via electro randomness. This was a fundraiser for the Basement Social Centre; which lives on through the collective despite being temporarily shut down.

On Saturday the Manchester space invaders took to the streets to reclaim some ‘public’ spaces…The family funday was a success despite being somewhat overshadowed by the corporate presence of the Manchester swimathon in Cathedral Gardens. The space invaders supported the teenagers who are constantly moved on and targeted by police for assembling in ‘public’ spaces. With a range of music, from bike soundsystems to a folk and samba band, we hung out in the sunshine with the I bike MCR art parade. We made banners, painted faces, did tai qi..and were entertained by a magician!

In the evening, up to 200 squatters and No Borders activists held an unauthorised demonstration in the city centre. Accompanied by a samba band and two soundsystems mounted on bike trailers, they marched from Victoria Station into the Northern Quarter, along Market Street and Kings Street, through Spinningfields into Castlefield.

The event, called by the group Manchester No Borders, called for the defence of squatted spaces and the freedom of movement for all. Squats and autonomous spaces face a hard time from the authorities. Yet, for many people, especially some migrant communities, they are the only alternative to homelessness.

The demonstration highlighted the ridiculousness of hundreds of houses standing empty, while many of us face extortionate rents, mortgage repayments or eviction threats.

At the end of the march in Castlefield, the protesters succeeded in taking symbolic action against the redevelopment of the area, occupying an old pub and having a celebration of autonomous spaces. The redevelopment of Jackson’s Wharf into a block of flats was recently fought off by local opposition; but in many parts of the city the battle has been less successful.

After the demonstration some space invaders took off to a party in an old furniture warehouse in Ardwick, but this was sadly busted by the police and shut down after a couple of hours..

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Pictures and report by Manchester No Borders of the FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT and DEFEND AUTONOMOUS SPACES demonstration on Saturday, April 12th (see www.april-12.blogspot.com).

Last Saturday evening, up to 200 squatters and supporters followed our call for an unauthorised demonstration in the city centre. We were accompanied by a samba band (Rhythms of Resistance) and two soundsystems mounted on bike trailers. With the cops not bothering to show up, we marched undisturbed from Victoria Station into the Northern Quarter, along Market Street and Kings Street , through Spinningfields into Castlefield.

The demo in itself was already a great success! We carried three big banners reading ‘Freedom of Movement for all – defend autonomous spaces’, ‘No Borders, No Nations – against migration management’, and ‘Occupy – Resist’. There was a banner drop along the route, hundreds of spoof ‘Mesho’ newspapers were given out, and it was great to see a hundred people sprint down Kings Street past all the posh shops.

But as someone said, this was not just a demonstration. In Castlefields, we succeeded in collectively occupying Jackson ‘s Wharf, an old pub that was the focus of a successful local campaign against redevelopment. Up to a hundred squatters entered the abandoned building, hanging banners from its balcony and opening bottles of cava that No Borders had provided! Even the cops seemed happy to see an old pub being brought back to life for a couple of hours.

And let’s not forget that the events in Manchester coincided with dozens of building occupations, protests and street parties across Europe, in cities as diverse as London, Amsterdam, Vienna and Prague. Worldwide, tens of thousands attended.

Our actions have clearly shown the ridiculousness of having hundreds of houses stand empty, while social and community centres are being shut down and individuals face extortionate rents, mortgage repayments or eviction threats. With sky-high rents forcing the poor to the margins, the creeping privatisation of public space, and a council willing to close down vital community services and simultaneously sell off swathes of the city centre to luxury property developers and retailers, there has seldom been a time when fighting for autonomous spaces in Manchester has been more important.

We need to recognise borders where they appear. The restrictions created by capitalist social relations and the property system abolishes common ground, segregates according to wealth and ownership, and in doing so throws up borders all around us. Control of the movement and association of people — whether at the micro-level of our inner cities or the macro level of international migration is a global issue that must be challenged.

We should fight to create spaces in Manchester not simply as bases of resistance or celebration (though we hope they can provide this), but to encourage a departure from the systems that control us. For centuries, people have migrated across borders and have occupied spaces to live in as a way to take control of their own lives. They choose to leave their own pasts, in an effort to claim autonomy over their future lives.

The demonstration on Saturday was a celebration of this.…Thank you to everyone who participated!

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Squatted Community Garden Reopened in Reading as Part of Days of Action!

On Sat 12th April, actions took place across the world in defence of squats and free spaces. In Reading, anti-capitalists managed to re-open Common Ground squatted community garden for the day, with a community BBQ and music show, despite a year of struggle with the authorities for control of the space.

Over the last two weeks local activists have been busy quietly tidying up the garden, building new furniture and fixing a new lock on the gate ready for re-opening. However, a few days ago, RBC changed the locks and re-secured the gate with barricades. No worries though…

For starters, publicity has been circulating for the last month, not only detailing the planned re-opening, but also explaining a ‘Plan B’ for if the authorities sucessfully stopped the opening. RGA declared that, if stopped, the entire event would relocate to space right outside the Council building, police station and courts, reclaiming it from their authority (and their privatisation plans…)

Happily though, this proved unnecessary. On Saturday, activists from RGA were at Common Ground at 7am, doing work to prepare for opening time. Come 1pm, as people began to arrive, the fence came down and moved aside to create a large (unblockable!) entrance to the garden!

Over the course of the day, many people came through the garden, from local neighbours expressing their support to anarchist comrades from other parts of the country. Local downpours were dealt with (ok, gazeebos had to be bought) and as the day went on to get brighter and drier, more and more people arrived. Everybody relaxed and enjoyed a free BBQ untill evening fell and musicians began to arrive. From 6pm onwards, a diverse crowd of family and friends, neighbours and punks, gathered around for a drink (or two in a few cases!) and showed their appreciation for the acoustic tunes and positive messages plied by PJ & Gaby, Neil Sutherland, Kelly Kemp, Clayton Blizzard and Sam Russo. Finally, a few sober comrades tidied the whole place up and the crowd drifted off into the night, before the fence was re-attached, securing the garden, and several tired but chuffed anarchists went off the bed.

Just to mention, this is only one persons opinion but in many ways this was the most successful event held in Common Ground yet. Ok, a few neighbours complained when a couple of visiting hippies started their drumming, but this was quickly dealt with and at least one of those neighbours was later seen dancing on her balcony to PJ & Gaby. Aside from that, this was the first event held at the garden which was completely left alone by the authorites. Previous events have happened despite interference (such as injunctions, evictions attempts and hired security guards) but this was the first time they simply stayed away. Over the last year the activists involved have proved to the council that they wont be stopped and that attempts at criminalising the project achieve nothing except wasting a lot of money. Clearly, Saturday was a major victory, with the council giving up.

Keeping the garden open everyday may prove impossible due to the size of the organising collective and the lack of permanent occupation making it easy for RBC to simply re-secure the gate each time it is opened. However, the probability of a community garden being created legally nearby as a result of this project means RGA have proved direct-action gets the goods and a fair few neighbours have expressed an interest in getting involved in this local anti-capitalist organisation for further projects.

Cheers to all involved for a good day and solidarity to all the others around the world who participated in the days of action!

Notes for the editor or the ‘really really interested’.…

*The garden, originally created by local squatter, neighbours and anti-capitalists ‘RGA’ (Reading Grassroots Action), sits on Reading Borough Council (RBC) owned land which had been left a derelict junkyard for at least five years previously. Through donations and recycling, the garden was created almost for free and organised through regular directly-democratic meetings. Despite RBC gaining an eviction order for the squatters and an injunction banning the garden being opened, it was opened in May 2007 with over 200 people passing through over the day and was then opened everyday and enjoyed by many diverse members of the community over the summer. The garden was finally closed down and the squatters evicted (after two previous evictions were seen off by local protest) in October. Shortly after, three activists were arrested attempting to reopen the garden and the garden has again been left derelict by RBC for five months.

katesgrovegarden(AT)yahoo.co.uk
http://www.rgacollective.org.uk

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Amsterdam RTS photos — more info about what happened over the seas at links below
==========

Announcements about other events taking place over the days of action in London & elsewhere, here

International round-up on Indymedia and most up-to-date, the main webpage for the weekend.

OIL FOR BLOOD ENTERPRISES!!!! “SHELL“ING THE ENVIRONMENT!!!!!!!

NIGERIAN YOUTH LEAGUE PROTEST AGAINST THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION OF THE NIGER DELTA!!! SHELLS MOST PROFITABLE VENTURE!!!!!

We are the Nigerian Youth League and have been given a mandate by different youth groups in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria to carry out a protestes against Royal Dutch Shells activities in the region. These are the allegations below:

1. Environmental degradation

NIGERIAN YOUTH LEAGUE PROTEST AGAINST THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION OF THE NIGER DELTA!!! SHELLS MOST PROFITABLE VENTURE!!!!!

1. Environmental degradation
2. Destruction of the Bio Diversity- no more fishes for a farming community
3. Contribution to Societal corruption-BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
4. The catalyst of Socio-economic and political instability of a region
5. Scorched earth policy and the destruction of peoples livelihoods for Oil!!!!

DATE:28TH APRIL 2008!!!!

VENUE:SHELL CENTER
2 YORK WAY
WATERLOO
SE1 7NA

For further info please contact daniel@nigerianyouthleague.org

or visit our website on

www.nigerianyouthleague.org

Every one is welcome to join this historic moment where the environment will be more important than money and politics!!!!!!!!!!!

Best regards

Execs

We Are Bad – Bronze Graffiti

Recognising the high art status of graffiti the We Are Bad Collective have had the letters cut from their stencils cast in Bronze. These Bronze Graffiti plaques reading, “WE ARE BAD – PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON US”, have been cast with polished text on a green Patina background.

A spokesperson from the We Are Bad Collective said, “Given the recuperation of Graffiti into a fine art category, and in recognition of its roll as public art, we thought it only fitting that graffiti artists should start using materials that reflect its new found status”.

On the 2nd April 2008 30 Bronze Graffiti plaques where attached to CCTV camera posts in various London locations.

eBayers and Treasure hunters be warned the WAB Collectives love of the drift means we have placed these plaques in some of the most obscure London locations, (non in Shordich).

Take a drift through the hinterlands!!!! Happy Hunting…..

Wearebad.net
INFO.wearebad@googlemail.com

Fossil Fools Day action round up — fully updated

Pictures, more info on all these actions and updates at http://www.fossilfoolsday.org
Start planning your next action on the upcoming days of action on False Solutions (1st May), and Food (3rd June).
More details are below these brief reports:
Activists Blockade Major Gas Terminal, Norfolk UK
Earth First! UK activists today blockaded the UK’s largest off shore gas terminal at Bacton in Norfolk. 40% of the UK’s domestic gas comes ashore here, is processed and distributed by pipeline. Activists blockaded the main road outside the site at 6.30 am this morning, preventing construction workers and shift workers from arriving. There were 19 Arrests.

Protesters Shut down open-cast coal mine, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
Protesters Shut Opencast Coal Mine Direct action exposes ‘black hole’ in climate change policy Tuesday, 1st April, 2008: At 7am this morning, protesters halted work at one of the biggest opencast coal mines in Europe. They intend to remain on the site for several days. Video here

Banner Hang for Fossil Fools in Wrexham, Wales
Reading “Car culture = Climate Chaos”

Climate activists blockade E‑on in Nottingham, UK
Climate activists from Eastside Climate Action blockaded E‑on workers as part of International Fossil Fools Day. At 7:30 this morning 30 people blockaded the entrances to E‑on’s offices on Mount St, Nottingham City Centre. People covered in green paint to represent E‑on’s greenwash, locked onto the front entrance to E‑on’s office and stood in front of other entrances preventing E‑on workers from getting to work.

Climate Activists Shut down Esso station, Plymouth, UK
Climate activists from Rising Tide occupied the Esso petrol station on Exeter Street in Plymouth. There were seven arrests. Thirty occupied the forecourt and three took to the roof shutting it down for over two hours.

Shenanigans in Southampton, UK
Today climate activists from Southampton targeted the Shell garage on Burgess Road cornered with Glen Eyre Road as part of International Fossil Fools Day. A group of eight activists have taken over the forecourt and three activists have scaled and occupied the roof with a banner.

Land Rover Ad Agency occupied by London Rising Tide on Fossil Fools Day
Activists from climate justice direct action group London Rising Tide (LRT) have occupied the offices of Y&R, the ad agency behind the current Land Rover campaign, and a new campaign for arms giant BAe Systems.

EV-EON Carbon Capture launched on Southbank, London!
The first ever Fossil Fools day has been given a terrific christening today with the launch of EV-EON Unnaturally Carbonated Water. This innovative new technology will be used at E.ON’s Kingsnorth PowerStation and used to capture the carbon dioxide given off by the burningof coal. The carbon dioxide is then bubbled through fresh spring water from nearby Kingsnorth Hills to create carbonated drinking water which is bottled and sold in Italian restaurants.
http://ev-eon.com/

People & Planet in Parliament Square, London
People & Planet built a coal power station complete with 12ft cooling towers in Parliament Square and burnt a mock Climate Change Bill to protest against the Government’s plans to build eight new coal-fired power stations in the UK
New Fool Found in Westminster, London, UK

Westminster awoke to cries of “Roll up! Roll up! Come see the Fossil Fool” at 8am this morning as 15 jesters and 30 protestors arrived at the department for business and regulatory reform to laugh at John Hutton, the minister responsible for the government’s push to build a string of new coal-fired power stations in the UK.

Polar bears take on Porsche, London, UK
Climate change activists today delivered a mock apology on behalf of Porsche, highlighting the company’s blatant disregard for the environment. There to receive the apology, to be delivered at 8.30am outside Porsche’s main London showroom in Berkeley Square, was an audience of protesting polar bears and Londoners.

Fossil Fools Day “kicks off” early in London! UK (monday)

Fossil Fools Day 2008 got an early start today — with London Rising Tide “kicking” things off. In front of the Football Association headquarters in London, Rising Tide protesters issued the FA a Red Card for accepting sponsorship from E.ON — a utility company proposing to build new coal-fired power plants in the UK.
More photos here and here.

The Evening Standard’s recent run-in with the press complaints commission (which can be viewed here http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/03/394299.html ), which regarded last years Climate Action Camp near Heathrow Airport, seems to have resulted in a remarkable volte-face with regards to climate activism. These photographs where taken of billboards around London on Fossil Fools day.
More photos

Also in London, people demonstrated outside a Total petrol station, over their involvement in Burma.

Leamington Spa, UK
In Leamington Spa today there had a demonstration parade against the proposed Clarendon Shopping Arcade. There were 50 adults and children, many dressed up as fairies, polar bear, jesters, and deaths with oil drips. Alongside musicians playing a fossil fool’s song written specially for the event. The Group had banners, placards and fliers.

Cambridge (UK) Fossil Fools Day Protest at RBS Bank
The Royal Bank of Scotland is one of the main financiers of climate crime, in the form of oil and gas exploration. After targeting the Trinity Street branch last year for the RBS day if action, this time protesters paid a visit to the Hills Road Branch to mark the occasion of Fossil Fools Day.

34 4x4’s and sports cars ‘disarmed’
One of Edinburghs’ more affluent areas was targeted for April fools fun!
“We chose only rich peoples vehicles to symbolise how the wealthy and powerful are mainly responsible for the destruction of our planet. We did the mung bean trick. It was very easy and fun!”

Edinburgh clowns visited various supermarkets highlighting the problems of food miles.

Banner Hang in Scotland
This banner was hung on Charing Cross motorway intersection in central Glasgow this morning reading “Climate change doesn’t exist. (APRIL FOOLS YOU FOSSIL FOOL!)”

Glasgow (UK) Fossil Fools present awards to local Climate Criminals
The Glasgow Fossil Fools present their local Climate Change Criminals with Awards for their contribution to Climate Chaos.

Fossil Fools in Sheffield
As part of Fossil Fools Day activity across the country, motorists in Sheffield were reminded of an alternative to their fuel-consuming, carbon producing transport… Petrol stations belonging to Waitrose and Shell were targeted with drivers being offered leaflets and bike route maps while being entertained by a cycle ballet performance.

In Hull people in high vis jackets hung a banner in the town centre, and handed out leaflets.

Banner Hang in Lancaster
Building up to the Fossil Fools Day, some people in Lancaster, England hung a banner at the side of Lancaster’s busiest roundabout for the “rush” hour gridlocked car drivers to enjoy. The banner read: “Worried about Climate Change? Stuck in Traffic? Get a Bike!”

On the day in Lancaster, members of Lancaster Climate Action hand out penalty notices for dangerous driving causing climate change to car drivers. The penalty notices were stuck on the wind screens in city centre car parks.

Also the day before, in Norwich people organised a press coference on behalf of Norwich Union, stating that they were pulling out of their fossil fuel investments.

In Manchester a Fossil Fools’ Day parade visited various climate criminals, including RBS, Flight Centre and the local council.

5 activists including one refugee polar bear descended on the streets of Worthing town centre to tell the public about the climate crimes of RBS, Natwest and Thomson travel agents. Percy the polar bear told of his ecosystem’s plight, and specified how the targetted corporations were contributing to climate change. 300 leaflets were handed out to members of the public, telling them about Fossil Fools Day and explaining how local corporations are damaging the planet. Later on, Percy went into the Natwest branch and closed down his account in protest, and encouraged others to do the same and write to their bank manager concerning Natwest’s
bankrolling of oil corporations.

A Tyneside 4x4 showroom was blockaded; workers were aggressive, and the police arrested 2 people who had been driven in to.

In Liverpool, people hung a banner at the train station demanding free transport for all, and handed out fake tickets for free travel.

NORTH AMERICA

Billionaires for Dirty Energy blockade Citibank in New York, USA. 2 arrested.
At 12:30pm today over 25 “Billionaires for Dirty Energy” blockaded the main entrance of Citibank’s Upper East Side headquarters. Two were arrested after chaining themselves to the front doors and refusing to leave. Police eventually sawed them out of the chains, and a rally continued in front of the bank.

8 Arrested as North Carolina, USA Residents Shut Down Construction at Cliffside Coal Plant
At 6:30 this morning, North Carolina residents locked themselves to bulldozers to stop the construction of Duke Energy’s massive Cliffside coal-fired power plant being built 50 miles west of Charlotte

Activists Blockade Bank of America to Protest Funding of Coal, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Boston, MA – Copley Square, April 1, 2008. April Fools! At of 9:00AM, in conjunction with a downtown rally, four activists locked themselves to the front entrance of the Bank of America branch in Copley Square. They were protesting the bank’s funding of coal and energy companies who are among the worst contributors to climate change, and directly responsible for innumerable human rights abuses in communities where coal is extracted and burned. There were four arrests.

Banner drop in Portland, OR, USA
As part of Fossil Fool’s Day, Stumptown Earth First! in protest of the LNG Oregon Pipelines, performed a four-story tall banner hang off of the Burnside Bridge in downtown Portland, OR. The banner reads No New Pipelines with a no LNG logo directly in the middle. The Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Pipeline is a proposed project that involves three LNG processing terminals and over 600 miles of new pipeline throughout Oregon. Stumptown Earth First! is based out of Portland, OR Cascadia.

Pranksters market “infidelity offsets” to downtown Portlanders, Oregon USA
Portland, OR – With a bouquet of heart shaped balloons, a group of Portland-area climate activists calling themselves the “Greenwash Guerrillas” presented a highly experimental new business model to passersby in downtown Portland on Tuesday. Drawing their inspiration from so-called carbon neutral companies like Portland’s Climate Trust, the activists claim to be launching a new company called “Cheat Neutral.”

Plum Creek Receives “Fossil Fool’s Award”, Maine, USA
Fairfield, ME — Volunteers with the Native Forest Network (NFN) staged a mock “Fossil Fool’s Day” awards ceremony today at the offices of the Plum Creek Timber Company to draw attention to the potential impacts of the company’s Moosehead region development proposal on the regional and global climate.

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Air New Zealand in Auckland received a ‘Fossil Fool’ Award
A group of climate change activists have presented Air New Zealand with New Zealand’s first ever ‘Fossil Fool’ award.

3 arrests at peaceful parade in Christchurch, New Zealand
Three people were arrested at at the Christchurch Fossil Fools Day protest

Australian Pranksters attempt to Purchase Goods with Coal

A group of people from Rising Tide Newcastle went to a K‑mart armed with a fist full of leaflets, bags full of coal, and a large banner which asked the question “How does buying stuff fuel climate change?” and directing the reader to a website for the answer. They planned to swap their bags of coal for some cheap consumer products (thereby cutting out the middle man).

In Durban, South Africa, floral wreaths were laid at a petrol dinosaur for the destruction it causes.

====================================================
More detailed details below of actions listed above:
====================================================

Climate activists, a proud penguin, king rat, yellow clowns and critical massers joined forces to shut down the Esso petrol station on Exeter Street, Plymouth today.

The climbing clowns scaled the roof while others blocked access to the forecourt.
The atmosphere was celebratory in a doomed planet kinda way! — music and dancing, lots of leaflets given out and a surprising number of positive hoots from passing cars.

There were seven arrests, both the roof team and those blocking the forecourt.

Climate scientists are warning us to make immediate and massive reductions in our carbon emissions or face the end of life on earth, and yet profit-driven corporations and governments are dragging us deeper into climate chaos! We have got to cut ourselves free! We have got to organise ourselves to lead localised low-carbon lifestyles and we’ve got to leave the fossil fools behind!

Action video

PRESS RELEASE 1.4.2008 — For Immediate Release

Fossil Fools Day — Climate Activists Target Irresponsible Esso.
(The U.K. arm of the American oil giant ExxonMobil)

Climate activists from Rising Tide[1] have today occupied the Esso petrol station on Exeter Street in Plymouth.

The demonstrators are calling for ExxonMobil to acknowledge the urgency of climate change, to cease funding think-tanks and lobbyists that are committed to blocking internationally agreed policies on global warming,[2][3] and to start investing in renewable energy.

With banners, leaflets and costumes — this peaceful protest aims to focus attention on Esso as a major obstacle to those seeking solutions that address climate change.
This protest is part of Fossil Fools Day, a nationwide day of action called by Rising Tide for April 1st. While the fools at the head of the fossil fuel empire continue to plunder the earth, climate chaos threatens our very survival.

Despite high-profile campaigns by Greenpeace and Friend’s of the Earth,[4][5] Exxon continues to funnel millions of dollars to groups identified as misleading the general public on global warming science and policy.[6]

In 2006 The Royal Society called on Esso to withdraw their support for groups that have “misrepresented the science of climate change by outright denial of the evidence.”[7]

As the world’s largest private oil company,[8] ExxonMobil has the power to direct the energy industry and policy makers towards a sustainable future. However it continues to invest solely in fossil fuels.

In March of this year Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson promised record levels of fossil fuel investment. From 2008 to 2010 alone the corporation plans to fund 19 new projects which, at peak, will add more than 725,000 oil-equivalent barrels PER DAY to ExxonMobil’s production. Mr. Tillerson also proposed to approximately double production of liquefied natural gas (LNG).[9] While combustion of this fuel produces 16% less CO2 than oil,[10] the energy required to process and transport it result in LNG being a major source of greenhouse gases.[11][12]

Last year temperatures in the U.K. were 1.3 degrees warmer that the 1961–1990 average.[13] If we reach two degrees of global warming the rise will trigger carbon-cycle feedbacks from soils and plants — instead of absorbing CO2 they will start to release it. This could tip the planet into runaway global warming by 2050. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 60% over the next 10 years to avoid this. If we do not, scientific evidence suggests that climate change will result in the end of life on earth.[14]

The warning signs of climate change are all around us; massive storms, devastating flooding, uncontrollable forest fires. We must make a stand against the lunacy and greed of corporations like ExxonMobil[15] before it is too late!

Notes for editors:

[1] Rising tide is a global network of local groups, taking action against climate change and building a movement based on social and environmental justice. Rising Tide activists from Devon and Cornwall took part in recent actions to highlight the climate impact of the Royal Bank of Scotland and to protest about the environmentally destructive expansion plans at Newquay airport.
[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/sep/26/climatechange
[3] http://www.exxposeexxon.com/facts/Smoke-and-Mirrors.pdf
[4] http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/exxon-still-funding-climate-ch
[5] http://www.exxon-files.eu/
[6] http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/assets/binaries/exxon-secrets-analysis-of-fun
[7] http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/sep/20/oilandpetrol.business
[8] In 2005, ExxonMobil made an all time record profit of $36.1 billion — more than any corporation in history. In 2006, the company exceeded its own record with another $39 billion in profit.
http://www.exxposeexxon.com/facts/failedpolicies.html
[9] http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-eventDetails&c=115024&eventID=1746215
[10] http://earthtrends.wri.org/updates/node/188
[11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquefied_natural_gas#_note‑1
[12] http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/liquified-natural-gas/
[13] http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/2007/seasonal.html
[14] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article1480669.ece
[15] ExxonMobil also deserves to be shamed for its continued involvement with Arctic Power, the single-issue lobby group intent on plundering the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and for its refusal to pay the punitive damages it still owes for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
http://www.exxposeexxon.com/facts/faq.html#1

plymouth@risingtide.org.uk

———————————–

Press Release: 7AM — 01/04/08

Email: media@thecoalhole.org
Tel: 07876753254 or 07775654500
PROTESTERS SHUT OPENCAST COAL MINE
Direct action exposes ‘black hole’ in climate change policy

Tuesday, 1st April, 2008: At 7am this morning, protesters halted work at one of the biggest opencast coal mines in Europe, on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil. They intend to remain on the site for several days.

One group of protesters have chained themselves to large excavation machinery, while a second group have blockaded one of the main entrances to the site.

The protest at the Ffos-y-Fran site highlights the hypocrisy of a government that claims to be taking climate change seriously, while approving new coal mines and coal-fired power stations. Coal has the biggest impact on climate change of any fuel — despite opposition from the world’s leading scientists, the Government is supporting an outdated and dangerous technology that has no future.

Merthyr residents have opposed the scheme for many years. The mine comes within 36 metres of local homes — in England and Scotland, the scheme would have been rejected due to legislation requiring a 500 metre buffer zone between opencast mines and residential areas.

The action coincides with Fossil Fools Day, an international day of climate change protest.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: The coal washery and protesters are clearly visible from the Bogey Road, east of Merthyr Tydfil. Other protesters on the edge of the mine are available for interviews and further information.

INTERVIEWS available in both English and Welsh.

More details and live updates from the site are available on www.thecoalhole.org

Ends.

—

UPDATE: Protesters leave coal mine after successful demonstration

Press release

Email: media@thecoalhole.org

Tel: 07876753254 or 07775654500

Successful protest exposes ‘black hole’ in climate change policy

Tuesday, 1st April, 2008: At the finale of today’s occupation of Ffos-y-Fran opencast coal mine, Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, a group of protesters unfurled a 36 metre banner across the main building stating “Coal: the black hole in UK climate policy.” Thirty-six metres is the distance between the mine and local residents’ homes.

Protesters occupied the mine since 6am this morning, barricading the main entrance to the site, climbing on the roof of the coal washery and chaining themselves to machinery. The action halted work at the mine, one of the biggest in the country, before protesters left this afternoon.

Protester Esther Tew, who sat on top of an eight metre high Komatsu digger for most of the day, said: “We just want the Government to take its own climate policies seriously. By supporting opencast mining at Ffos-y-Fran and encouraging the building of new coal power stations, Gordon Brown is undermining any chance the UK has of making the 60% cuts in emissions the Government is currently committing to, let alone the 80% target the climate change committee is likely to recommend at the end of the year.”

The protest at the Ffos-y-Fran site highlights the hypocrisy of the UK Government, which claims to be taking climate change seriously while approving new coal mines and coal-fired power stations.

Coal has the biggest climate impact of any fuel – despite opposition from the world’s leading scientists, the Government is supporting an outdated and dangerous technology that has no future.

Local residents have opposed the scheme for many years, and invited protesters to Merthyr last December to support their campaign. In England and Scotland, the scheme would have been rejected due to legislation requiring a 500 metre buffer zone between opencast mines and residential areas.

As the team leave the mine for the pub after a hard day’s work, others around the world are picking up their banners and getting ready to expose the ‘fossil fools’ making a mockery of climate change policy. In the US there are at least 100 ‘Fossil Fools’ protests planned later today.

PHOTOS: A wide range of high resolution, high quality images are available. Contact us on the numbers above for more details.

INTERVIEWS available in both English and Welsh.

More details and live updates from the site are available on www.thecoalhole.org

Ends.

—

Background & news of sabotage
———————————–

Eastside Climate Action blockade E‑on workers as part of Fossil Fools Day

At 7:30 this morning 30 people blockaded the entrances to E‑on’s offices on Mount St, Nottingham City Centre. People covered in green paint to represent E‑on’s greenwash, locked onto the front entrance to E‑on’s office and stood in front of other entrances preventing E‑on workers from getting to work.

At E‑on’s offices today, Bob Castle said “We are here today because despite E‑on publicly claiming green credentials, it is trying to build a new generation of coal fired power stations. It is trying to build the first new coal fired power station in the UK in 50 years, at Kingsnorth in Kent, and wishes to continue its expansion with a new power staion at High Marnham in Nottinghamshire. We are here to tell E‑on that they will not suceed and the only real solution to climate change is to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Coal is the dirtiest Fossil Fool and to build new coal power stations in the face of climate change is collective suicide.”

Fossil Fools Day, called by the international Rising Tide network and its allies, has seen over one hundred actions take place around the world. Protests have focused on the companies responsible for runaway carbon dioxide emissions, as well as complicit governments and those promoting false solutions.

Groups who have taken action today in the UK include Eastside Climate Action, Rising Tide, the Camp for Climate Action, World Development Movement, People and Planet, the Network for Climate Action and Earth First!

While Eastside Climate Action were visiting E‑On in Nottingham, other groups around the UK were in Parliament Square (where People and Planet built a coal power station complete with 12ft cooling towers), Porsche HQ in London (where a public apology was issued on behalf of Porsche), the Department for Enterprise, Business and Regulatory Reform (where WDM held the world’s first laugh-in over plans for new coal at Kingsnorth) and Manchester City Centre (where a parade toured the city’s biggest fossil fools).

“We are taking action to prevent the fossil fuel industry from destroying our future,” said Bob Castle from Eastside Climate Action. “Vested interests in business and government are bent on pursuing economic growth at all costs. We need to shrink, not protect, the fossil fuel economy if we are to survive climate change.”

For interviews and more information about today’s action at E‑on contact 07880 937511
** Updates will be available throughout the day at www.fossilfoolsday.org **

Notes to Editors:

1)E‑on own Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station the site of protests by 11 people who locked themselves to machinery to prevent coal entering the power station. The judge in the trial agreed that the 11 defendants had acted to prevent death and serious injury from the release of CO2 from Ratcliffe into the atmosphere.
2)Ratcliffe is the largest CO2 emmitter in the East Midlands and 2nd largest in the UK
3)Despite E‑on’s green claims they only produce 9% of their energy from renewable sources. http://www.eon.com/en/unternehmen/8559.jsp
4)E‑on’s infrastructure investment fund is 95% for non-renewable energy projects. http://www.energyrisk.com/public/showPage.html?page=449443
5)E‑on plan to build the UK’s first new coal fired power station, plans that are opposed by groups from Greenpeace to World Devolpment Movement.
6)The Climate camp, (which previously held camps and did actions at Drax and Heathrow) plan to target Kingsnorth this year. www.climatecamp.org.uk
7)E‑on also plan to build a new Coal Fired Power Station at High Marnham near Retford in Nottinghamshire.
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=133965&command=displayContent&sourceNode=133948&contentPK=20117809&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

—
As some e.on staff tried to enter the building past the painted protestors, one woman took it upon herself to abuse the painted ones. This is shocking behaviour and I would like to point out that most of the staff I encountered were pleasant and mostly indifferent or sympathetic.

Later on in the recording, you can hear a security guard, who was trying to push his way out of the building responding to an activist who claimed assault, saying: “Assault? I’ll give you assault in a minute”

More photos here, here and here.
———————————–
Climate Change Activists Blockade Major Gas Terminal

Earth First! UK activists today blockaded the UK’s largest off shore gas terminal at Bacton in Norfolk. 40% of the UK’s domestic gas comes ashore here, is processed and distributed by pipeline. Activists blockaded the main road outside the site at 6.30 am this morning, preventing construction workers and shift owrkers from arriving.

Environmental activists have today disrupted work at a major North Sea gas installation as part of the Fossil Fools Day international day of action on climate change.

At 6.30am, around 25 activists from Earth First! UK peacefully blockaded the North Sea gas installation at Bacton on the North Norfolk Coast. The Bacton installation, operated primarily by petroleum giants Royal Dutch Shell & ExxonMobil, includes a gas-fired power station, processing plant and distribution point for domestic gas. Shell estimates that over one third of domestic UK gas comes ashore at Bacton.

The protest is also in solidarity with protestors at Rossport in Ireland, who have been trying to prevent a similar installation being built in their community.

Catherine Lewis, one of the activists at the Bacton blockade, said: “The fossil fuel industry is the single biggest driver of climate change, and gas is no exception. Switching from one fossil fuel to another is not a solution to climate change – the only real solution is to keep fossil fuels in the ground.”

Banners proclaiming “Shrink of Sink” were stretched across the road, giving the message that we need to shrink our economy and consumption to cut carbon emissions.

—

Press release
1st April 2008
For immediate release

Climate Change Activists Disrupt Work at Major Gas Installation

Environmental activists have today disrupted work at a major North Sea gas installation as part of an international day of action on climate change. “Fossil Fools Day” 1 aims to draw attention to the role that fossil fuels play in carbon emissions, a key component of climate change.

At 6.30am, around 25 activists from Earth First! UK 2 peacefully blockaded the North Sea gas installation at Bacton on the North Norfolk Coast. The Bacton installation3, operated primarily by petroleum giants Royal Dutch Shell & ExxonMobil, includes a gas-fired power station, processing plant and distribution point for domestic gas. Shell estimates that over one third of domestic UK gas comes ashore at Bacton.

Martin Jenkins, another activist, said: “All around the world today, people are taking action to prevent the fossil fuel industry from destroying our future. Vested interests in business and government are bent on pursuing economic growth at all costs. We are here today to say no more – we need to shrink, not protect or expand, the fossil fuel economy if we are to survive climate change. This means shrinking our consumption and even our economy.”

The activists at Bacton shut off part of the B1159, preventing all movements outside the gas installation. Banners stretched across the road read, “Keep fossil fuels in the ground” and “Shrink or sink”.

Notes to editors
1.
Fossil Fools Day has been called by the international Rising
Tide network. For more information about Fossil Fools Day and the other
protests taking place today: www.fossilfoolsday.org.uk
2.
Earth First! UK is a network dedicated to environmental
direct action. Further information can
be found at www.earthfirst.org.uk
3.
Bacton is one of the largest gas terminal complexes in the
UK. Gas is piped onshore at the three producer terminals from the Southern
North Sea and from the Shearwater Elgin Area Line (SEAL) and is then
distributed to UK customers or to Belgium. When in reverse flow mode, Bacton
Terminal is used to import gas into the UK. Information on Bacton terminal can
be found at www.shell.com or via
www.interconnector.com.
4.
Contacts for the Bacton Blockade are: office: 0795 144 454;
at the blockade 07507095345
5.
Print quality photos available on request.
—

Early on Fossil Fools Day over 20 Earth First! activists paid a visit to Bacton Gas terminal. The road was blockaded (using steel and concrete arm tubes) for over 4 hours — disrupting the smooth functioning of the terminal. Banners were stretched across the road, which read — “Keep fossil fuels in the ground” and “Shrink or sink”.

Police, some of them armed Ministry of Defense officers, were on scene, diverting traffic around back roads. The action ended voluntarily just before 11am. Three people who locked on were arrested for obstructing the highway, but then police decided to arrest everyone for the same offence — despite the fact that others were not positioned in the road and had left the scene.

Background – Bacton is a major energy hub for the UK, handling around a third of the nation’s gas supply, coming in from the North Sea and European pipelines. The gas is handled by a range of oil and gas companies (Shell and Exxon among others) before being sent into the national grid.

In total nine women and ten men were arrested and taken to three different police stations. All were released, after about 5 hours, to return in early May.

—

19 were arrested after a four hour blockade, and have now been released, on bail till the beginning of May. Two blockades were set up, one within 30 yards of the MOD police station on site. Two cops were sitting in a car there, watching people set up the blockade, and another police patrol arrived shortly afterwards. The site is protected by 2 high fences with space and razor wire between, plus is covered by SOCPA due to its national strategic importance. Protestors used a cunning combination of steel and concrete lock-ons, with extra secret ingredients, plus speed & skill. Local residents applauded. The policing policies kept changing, with a confusing combination of MOD & Norfolk plod; eventually the Gold Command lost it and decided stupidly to arrest everyone for obstruction of the highway. Apart from some of those locked on, all the other alleged obstructors were arrested some distance away. Unfortunately camera, photos & other useful items are currently in the custody of Norfolk Constabulary.

norfolk@earthfirst.org.uk

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London Rising Tide played a spoof game of football outside the Football Association’s headquarters in Soho Square with a coal ball, demanding that the FA end their sponsorship deal with E‑ON.

At closing time today London Rising Tide played a spoof game of football outside the Football Association’s headquarters in Soho Square with a coal ball, scoring own-goals and with the slogans ‘Climate FU Cup’ and ‘E‑ON: No new coal’ emblazoned on their football shirts. On the backs of their shirts were the names of the proposed new coal-fired power stations.

A member of the group handed in a formal letter to Jonathan Hill, Director of the FA’s Commercial Division, to complain about sponsorship of the culturally iconic game by a fossil fool. E‑ON are aggressively promoting a return to coal, the dirtiest of all fossil fuels, despite the urgent need to drastically cut climate-changing emissions.

Some police, and FA security attended the match, supporting from the front doors of the FA headquarters. The match went on for over an hour, only stopping for oranges and a team photo at half time.

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Manchester’s Fossil Fools got up to all sorts of tricks today, visiting some of their idols in the city centre… unfortunately in our efforts to congratulate the best fossil fools a few mishaps occurred…

Some clowns got stuck in the revolving doors at RBS and a human pipeline was escorted from the city centre building by security. Some members of the parade got confused and chalked messages on the pavements, and people trying to escape the beating of drums ran to hide in the Flight Centre while the samba band, who really had no idea, blocked the entrance! Some policemen came along looking for Spartacus but couldn’t find him anywhere.

This was a wonderful day where fossil fools in all their many guises could come together, from old men (we think?!!), to young dinosaurs, in shades, masks, face-paints and suits to worship at the altar of commercial climate denial. To encourage people to consider whether or not they too may be fossil fools there were free vegan cakes, and leaflets with guidance about making Manchester a cleaner city (another little slip up).

On a positive note banners reading ‘OIL,GAS and COAL the jokes on US! Happy Fossil Fools Day! were hung on the walls of RBS, out of respect for their hard work contributing to climate chaos. Placards saying ‘Mr.T says “I pity the fuel” were waved. The parade ended triumphantly outside Manchester Town Hall to recognise the vital role Manchester City Council play in the area, damaging the climate every day. Just before the end a charming man did a short but inspiring solo on the spoons.

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The mung bean trick*
*basically, the activist places a mung bean in the dust cap of a car tyre, and then screws the cap back on. repeat x4. this depresses the valve, releasing the air in the tyre gradually while the activist escapes.

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Clowns take on Food Mile Freaks on Fossil Fools Day

Today the Edinburgh battalion of the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) marched into Sainsbury’s and Tesco to point out the absurdity of squandering limited fossil fuel resources on flying strawberries to Scotland so we can eat them in the middle of winter.

As part of International Fossil Fools Day ten clowns burst into supermarkets between 4 and 6 o’ clock in the afternoon, in time to salute shoppers on their way home from work. The red-nosed army marched into the new Sainsbury’s on Middle Meadow Walk, where they acted out the carbon intensive process of transporting food from farmer to plate. The clowns then scattered throughout the store in search of an elusive ‘Scottish banana’, encouraging fellow shoppers to find (if they could) any produce in the store which was actually from Scotland. The battalion placed flyers in shopping baskets and amongst pineapples, peaches and pears reminding shoppers that 50% of vegetables and 95% of the fruit eaten in the UK now comes from overseas.

Under the watchful eyes of the police, the clowns then navigated their way through the streets of Edinburgh and stumbled into a Tesco on Nicolson Street. Here they discovered the latest invention of green supermarket spin, ‘carbon labelling.’ Shoppers seemed surprised, but amused by the presence of the tricksters who were going about their normal shopping routine. The clowns were eventually forced to leave by security at both Sainsbury´s and Tesco.

At Tesco today, Clown combatant Major Look said, “We are here to draw attention to supermarket food mile freaks such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s who adopt extremely harmful practices in order to sell food from all over the world, all the year round. Instead of promoting local Scottish produce and seasonal fruit and vegetables, big supermarkets air-freight food into the country from far away, contributing tons of CO2 to the atmosphere. Transporting food by plane is one of the fastest growing methods of distribution, and also the most polluting.”

When asked to comment on the tactics of the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army, Kernel O’Truth commented,

“It’s better to be foolish than fossil fuelish!”

Edinburgh battalion of the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army
edinburghrebelclowns@riseup.net

More photos

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I’m happy to report that here in Hull we successfully staged a Fossil Fools Day action;

Dressed in high visibility jackets reading “Climate Crisis Prevention”, hard hats and boiler suits, we hung a banner in the town centre, below the large TV screen, reading;

MONEY WELL SPENT?
2007 = 17,000 HOMES FLOODED
CLIMATE CHANGE = MORE FLOODS

We then proceeded to hand out flyers to local residents, of whom the VAST majority were very supportive. Local media conducted interviews, with BBC Look North promising to do a live TV news feed, until a ‘breaking story required their camera men to go elsewhere.

Our experience of successfully making the transition for ‘talking’ to ‘doing’ was very positive for everybody involved, and having now completed our first ever action, we’re looking forward to planning the next on the 1st May.

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EV-EON Unnaturally Carbonated Water : The Planet is Saved!

EV-EON Unnaturally Carbonated Water was launched today on the streets of London. Using all new climate-saving technology we can save the day and keep burning coal for ever more. Well done Carbon Capture and Storage!

Today saw the launch in London of EV-EON Unnaturally Carbonated Water a new carbon capture technology (CCS) to be used at E.ON’s Kingsnorth Power Station.

Burning coal to generate electricity produces Carbon Dioxide (CO2), a green house gas that contributes to climate change. However by capturing the CO2 before it is released into the atmosphere and piping it through natural spring water we at E.ON are able to create carbonated drinking water that is bottled and sold in Italian restaurants under the brand name EV-EON.

Although a simple solution, the implications are huge. With over a hundred years worth of coal deposits left and with massive growth in energy demand CCS will allow E.ON to continue to burn coal for decades to come. EV-EON’s Chief Executive Taton Rebfluw says, “climate change had turned coal into a dirty word, but carbonated drinking water could be the silver bullet we have been looking for” a quick sip of EV-EON bottled water and he continues “the water tastes great and drinkers have the added bonus of helping combat climate change – the more water they drink, the more CO2 they store, and the more coal can be used to generate electricity, this really is symbiosis at its very best”.

EV-EON is available now in restaurants and cafes. Please drink responsibly and refrain from burping or breathing the CO2 back into the atmosphere otherwise you may be responsible for causing climate change.

Please visit our website to watch our fantastic animation and learn more.

info@ev-eon.com
http://www.ev-eon.com

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Welsh Opencast Mine protest in London on Fossil Fuels Day

The demonstration by the Campaign Against Climate Change at the offices of Argent Group PLC in Piccadilly on April 1 was one of many actions as part of the global ‘Fossil Fools Day.’

Argent form half of Miller-Argent who run the UK’s largest opencast coal mine, Ffos-y-Fran in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. Just 36 metres from the nearest houses, extraction will continue for more than 15 years (perhaps as along as 40 years), producing coal that will add at least 30 million tons of CO2 to to our atmosphere.

Scottish safety standards demand a minimum gap of 500 metres from housing, but the implemention of a 350 metres limit by the Welsh office has been delayed — allegedly to allow the Merthyr working to go ahead.

Despite the misery and health hazards through air-borne dust, diesel fumes and noise to the 70,000 or so who live in Merthyr (the authorities set up a Health Impact Study — then refused to accept it when it gave a damning report) and the dangers of possible disaster to those living on the edge of the ‘black hole’, no offers have been made of compensation or relocation.

Thinking globally, the carbon dioxide will add significantly to the world-wide climate change which already threatens massive disasters, in particular with densely populated low-lying countries such as Bangladesh likely to become largely untenable in the medium term future.

This opencast coal mine has only been allowed to go ahead because of close cooperation between the government and commercial interests backing ‘new coal’ and new coal-fired power stations such as Kingsnorth. You can read more about it on the web sites http://www.campaigncc.org, http://www.thecoalhole.org and http://www.stopffosyfran.co.uk

Around a dozen demonstrators turned up at 4pm in in Albany Courtyard, a private street off Piccadilly where Argent have their London office and set up behind barriers watched by rather more police from three vans and a police car, with a police photographer taking extensive video and photographs. A manager from the Albany came and talked to the demonstrators, taking a document about the mine and promising to deliver it to his tenants at Argent Group PLC.

A steady stream of pedestrians walking along Piccadilly took leaflets and quite a few expressed their support for action against climate change (only one stopped to argue against it while I was present,) and passing motorists hooted in support.

A few more pictures on My London Diary, http//mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/04/apr.htm shortly.

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Fossil Fools Day protest against Kingsnorth coal-fired power station

Students from ‘People and Planet’ along with other climate activists came to Parliament Square, London on April 1 as a part of the international Fossil Fool’s Day protest.

Around a hundred came Westminster to protest about the plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent, the first of eight such major carbon-emitters being planned. Students brought with them three large white cooling towers, each with a large message ‘NO NEW COAL’ and one with rather nice grime dripping from its upper lip, and erected them on Parliament Square in front of the Houses of Parliament.

Many of the students also held cutouts of Gordon Brown’s face as they shouted advice to him that this programme makes a nonsense of the government’s policy on carbon emissions, and several held posters showing the Draft Climate Change Bill, one of which, held by a jester, was set alight with the help of some lighter fuel.

Students went on to lobby their MPs, and a couple, including the Labour MP for Reading West, Martin Salter came out into Parliament Square to meet students from their constituencies.

More pictures on My London Diary shortly : http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/04/apr.htm#kingsnorth

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Fossil Fools Day action at Y&R advertising.

Yesterday April 1st, which as you all know is international Fossil Fools day the offices of Y&R advertising were paid a visit by London Rising Tide. Outside the Camden HQ activists did a spoof marketing campaign by Y&R who are currently trying to convince the public of Landrover’s green credentials…!!?? One of their employees was initially quite angry ansd bewildered by what was happening. Though in fairness he did calm down and see the funny side making numerous cigarette breaks to come outside and chat to the activists and their polar bear.

Meanwhile inside the building some other people posing as corporate clients gained access to Y&R and barricaded themselves inside one of their offices. The Police eventually showed up in force and nicked those inside. Which is exactly what they wanted as any charges will bring a nice big PR disaster to Y&R. Nice sunny day for it too….

Spoof Press Release which some gullible outlets actually fell for:
** 9am, 1.4.08; for immediate release ***

AD AGENCY Y&R TO LAUNCH CIVILIAN JUMP-JET MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Leading advertising agency Y&R is proud to reveal that it will be spearheading a major advertising and overall branding campaign for the new Harrion® Civilian Jump-Jet. The Harrion® — the civilian version of the Harrier — is the centrepiece of HarrionProjects, the newly-privatised wing of the UK Ministry of Defence.

The campaign will be modelled on Y&R’s hugely successful work for Land Rover, which combined rugged locations, spectacular photography and a prominent claim to ‘offset’ the CO2 produced from the first 45,000 miles of driving. The company which arranged the offsets, ClimateCare, is also on board to offer the same service for the Harrion®, (which has an even healthier thirst than its land-based brother!)

Y&R’s Bernard Donovan said “This is a dream come true for us, and not only because so many of our lads grew up ogling Harriers back in the Seventies! Seriously, we see a great future looming for the Harrion®, and we can’t wait to get out there and help mould public perceptions of it.’

Mimi Santoria of HarrionProjects added ‘There’s nothing to stop the Harrion® becoming the world’s most iconic personal transportation solution. And with ClimateCare part of our team, there’s every chance it will come to be regarded as a zero-emission 21st Century green zeitgeist machine!’

Mick Martin of ClimateCare said ‘CO2 offsets are literally taking off throughout the western world. We’re ready to jump into action and carbon neutralise the Harrion®’s admittedly challenging 0.3 miles per gallon in the same way as we have for Land Rover. This is our first major deal since being acquired by JPMorgan, so we really are flying high with the big boys!’

For interviews, pictures and more information as it happens:
Tel: 07513 341970 or 07513 335777
yr_worldbeaters@yahoo.co.uk or
harrion_launchpad@yahoo.co.uk
www.fossilfoolsday.org

Press Release form the occupiers:
*** 9am, 1.4.08; for immediate release***

LAND ROVER AD AGENCY OCCUPIED BY LONDON RISING TIDE ON FOSSIL FOOLS DAY

Activists from climate justice direct action group London Rising Tide (LRT) have occupied the offices of Y&R, the ad agency behind the current Land Rover campaign, and a new campaign for arms giant BAe Systems. This is one of many actions taking place worldwide on Fossil Fools Day, a day of action called by the Rising Tide network. Outside the office, climate street theatre is also underway.

The LRT activists are posing as executives from a newly-privatised wing of the MoD called HarrionProjects, a spoof company whose centrepiece is the Harrion®, a civilian version of the Harrier Jump-Jet. LRT has issued a spoof press release saying that Y&R has agreed to launch the Harrion® marketing campaign, and also that ClimateCare, the CO2 offsets company which is working to ‘offset’ Land Rover emissions, has agreed to do the same for the Harrion®, even though the Harrion® only manages 0.3mpg.

LRT’s Sam Chase said: ‘It feels good to be joining other climate justice activists around the world on a day when traditionally the world is turned upside down. Fossil Fools Day is about using foolery to reveal the insanity of the current fossil-fuelled market madness, an insanity whose intensity is stoked to a great extent by the advertising industry.

LRT’s Mimi Santoria added: This is the first time an ad agency has been targeted by climate justice campaigners – it’s long overdue, and it certainly won’t be the last.’

For interviews, pictures, a copy of the spoof press release and more
information as it happens:
Tel: 07513 341970 or 07513 335777
london@risingtide.org.uk www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
www.fossilfoolsday.org

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On 31st March, Norwich Rising Tide started the fossil foolery early.

Step One — we sent out a spoof press release (see below) announcing that Norwich Unions would be withdrawing all of its £6.1 billion investment in the fossil fuel industry – yes they really do invest that much is fossil fuels! You name it – BP (£1.4 billion — 2% ownership of the company), Shell (£1.1 billion), Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Chrysler, British Energy, Centrica, Eon, BMW… the list goes on and on.

Step Two – we organised a press conference to spread the word further, outside the front entrance of the Norwich Union HQ. This really set the cat amongst the pigeons and Norwich Union emailed all there staff to say “Rising Tide are planning possible action against Norwich Union … the group will carry our disruptive activities … and will possibly attempt to interact with employees”. Heaven Forbid … actually interaction! Won’t that require extra, extra back up policing. Sure enough when we arrived at Norwich Union we were greeted by numerous police (including some of the Forward Intelligence Team who had decided to come from London to Norwich for a day out).

At the press conference ‘Norwich Union Communications Director, Sarah James’ gave a beautiful speech (see below) explaining the change in Norwich Union investment policy, which thoroughly confused the press (they very nearly bought it!).

All that remained was to give out the 50 Norwich Union ‘Apology Sandbags’ which had been delivered and to handed out over 300 leaflets to passers by (see below).

On a personal note – it was a fun day out and best of all our research into Norwich Union revealed who the biggest fossil fool in Norwich truly is! Watch this space.

Norwich Rising Tide.

SPOOF PRESS RELEASE

Norwich Union to announce £6.1 billion withdrawal from fossil fuel industry

Embargo: 00.01 AM, Monday 31 March

On Monday, Norwich Union will announce a dramatic change of company policy.

In 2007 Norwich Union invested £6.1 billion in the fossil fuel industry, £1.4 billion in BP alone. After last summer’s heavy flooding, the company’s Chief Executive, Mark Hodges, has decided to withdraw Norwich Union’s investments from this sector.

Norwich Union Communications Director, Sarah James, announced: “The company has realised that investing £6.1 billion worth of insurance premiums in BP, Shell and other major oil, coal and car companies is unsustainable in the current climate. In the past we have been indirectly exacerbating the flooding and other extreme weather events that are now making homes increasingly uninsurable.”

Norwich Union will mark the announcement with a period of public apology for past investment decisions, by issuing ‘Norwich Union Apology Sandbags’ free to all home owners who now face greater flood risk as a result of fossil fuel induced climate change. Members of the group Norwich Rising Tide will be on hand to help Norwich Union distribute the first 60 ‘Apology Sandbags’ after the announcement on Monday.

Photo opportunity: Monday, 31 March, 12.15 PM, Norwich Union (Marble Hall entrance).

Can This Be True?
Has Norwich Union come to its senses? Or does this event mark the start of Fossil Fools Day (1), a day of direct action against the fossil fuel industry and its financial backers?

David Watson, of Norwich Rising Tide, today said: “Financial institutions like Norwich Union that funnel money into the fossil fuel industry have stood in the shadows for too long. Today, we are joining with thousands around the world in taking creative direct action to prevent the fossil fuel economy from destroying our future. The only real solution to climate change it to keep fossil fuels in the ground.”

The photo opportunity is real, and the apology sandbags are ready to go.
The only question is — will Norwich Union accept its responsibility for climate change and help us to distribute them?

Contact: norwich@risingtide.org.uk, 0795 144 4545
www.risingtide.org.uk/norwich

SPEECH GIVEN OUTSIDE NORWICH UNION ANNOUNCING THE DECISION.

Welcome ladies and gentlemen.

I am here today to announce a landmark decision that puts Norwich Union at the very forefront of responsible business practices and, we believe, makes it a world leader in the financial sector. This announcement will change a lot about the way Norwich Union does business, and will impact our customers, investors, and all of our corporate partners.

Before I go any further, I want to tell you a story. It’s about Mark Hodges, the CEO of Norwich Union Life.

Last summer, Mr Hodges’ wife had a baby, their first child. They planned a holiday to their summer home to spend time with their new baby. But their summer home was in Tewkesbury, and it was flooded last summer. Mr and Mrs Hodges arrived, Mr Hodges cradling the new baby in his arms, to find chairs floating, carpets sodden, and photo albums full of family memories destroyed. Over the course of the next few days, as news of the damage across the country spread, the inevitable finger was pointed to climate change. Watching his new child in her bassinette, Mr Hodge had an epiphany. He did not want his legacy to his daughter to be a world ravaged by climate change. He began to devour everything he could find about the effects climate change might have, here in the UK and around the world. He read about more floods, more droughts, more families’ lives ruined. He read about the destruction of the Amazon and the loss of wildlife. He read about the millions of people who would lose their homes, or their lives. And on his first day back at work after the birth of his daughter, Mr. Hodge made a vow to do everything in his considerable power to prevent these dreadful things from happening – starting with the company he is responsible for.

Mr Hodge looked with new eyes at Norwich Union’s approach to its investment of insurance premiums. He looked at fossil fuel industry – a surefire winner when it comes to return on investment – in a whole new light. And he looked on the Norwich Union investment portfolio with growing horror: Shell, BP, Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Chrysler, British Energy, Centrica, Eon, BMW… the list went on and on. In total, Norwich Union’s investment in the fossil fuel industry added up to 6.1 billion pounds. Mr Hodge realised that if his company was 2% owner of BP, it was as complicit in the damage to the climate as BP was. And here, he realised, is where the change must start.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I am extraordinarily proud to stand here today and announce, on behalf of Mr Hodge and the Board of Directors, that from today, Norwich Union will be withdrawing the entirety of its 6.1 billion investment in the fossil fuel industry. [shock horror in the audience]. Please, remain calm. We realise this will come as a major shock to our shareholders and corporate partners. We want to enter into a dialogue with all of our partners about this decision, and Mr Hodges will be making himself personally available to all those with concerns. I will be on hand following this presentation to arrange meetings, and distribute contact details. However, going forward, I appeal all those listening to look to the bigger picture. Norwich Union has always been about protecting our customers’ futures. Today, we are making a policy change that will protect our collective future. I’m sure our shareholders, and indeed all of you here today, will agree with me that protecting our common future, is certainly more important than protecting our bottom line.

But today is not all about the board room and the shareholders. Today, as every day, is about our customers. We realise that the decisions we have made over the past decades have already caused irrevocable changes to our climate. We also realise that many of our customers in the Norfolk area are finding that their homes are now at greater risk of flooding. Therefore, as a token of our deep regret for the role we have played in placing our own customers at greater risk, today we are offering everyone free sandbags to help protect their homes from future flooding. We especially encourage those homeowners who have recently discovered that their homes are now uninsurable to make use of this offer, and it is to them that we extend our greatest apologies.

However, I hope that you all join me in seeing this day not as a day to regret, but a day to celebrate, and a day that we all can be immensely proud of.

Thank you.

I would now like to invite my colleagues to help me distribute our Apology Sandbags.

norwich@risingtide.org.uk
http://www.risingtide.org.uk/norwich
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2.4.08
Police Searches Houses After Arrests At E.On Blockade

Nottinghamshire Police searched 2 houses yesterday afternoon after it had made two arrests at the blockade at E.On offices on Mount Street. The searches were ‘authorized’ under section 18 of the Police And Criminal Evidence Act 1984. Under this act; “A constable may enter and search any premises occupied or controlled by a person who is under arrest for an arrestable offence, if he has reasonable grounds for suspecting that there is on the premises evidence that relates to that offence”. Both people arrested were released early in the evening and were charged with Section 5 public order offences. They are to appear at Nottingham Magistrates Court on April 14th.

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Fossil Fooling in Glasgow

A bunch of Fossil Fools took to the Streets of Glasgow today, trying to persuade people to up their carbon emissions by putting more petrol in their cars, applauding SUV’s and urging pedestrians to Stop Walking — Start Driving!

The stupid suited Fools, some sporting bowler hats, facepaint, pin stripes and briefcases, and glasses adorned with dollar signs, went to a nearby Shell garage where customers were urged to guzzle more gas, and big cars were slavered over. One driver refused to drive over a hand-painted Planet Earth as he left the scene of Climate Crime, but sanity prevailed as the next guy in a Jaguar (JAAGGUUAORRRGASSMMMM!!! er
sorry) gleefully put his foot down on the rubbish planet and sped off, to the delight and applause of the Fools. The car is mightier than the planet! The confused Fools then unfurled a giant Award to Shell for its contributions to climate change.

Next they applauded more 4x4s at traffic lights, before inadvertently stumbling into a branch of Starbucks to play – and Starbucks are a well known model employer and sell Green Coffee! The Fools, having realised their mistake, then took to the Street again, and lit upon a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland. One of the slightly more sane looking Fools, more of an idiot really, planted lots of leaflets about how the RBS is financing climate change on a massive scale, in amongst the others in the bank
telling you how good money is. When told he shouldn’t be doing this, he merely smiled and was left alone. But not for long.

A grotesque of Fools suddenly appeared in the bank, causing noise and mayhem and laughing at some insane joke, before unfurling their large Award banner, applauding the RBS’s contribution to climate change. It seemed that these idiots would stop at nothing to show how Foolish they were!

Having somehow negotiated the crossing of a Sauchiehall Street, after frolicsome times with some road workers, the Fools socked toward, then into, a Flight Centre. Here they enquired about getting a holiday with the biggest, guaranteed CO2 emission. Then they presented the flight centre staff with another huge banner Award for their contributions to climate change, and had a fun game of ‘Chairs’, before turning into helicopters and flying out of the shop.

Here they learned that many BIG SUVs were to be seen at a local private school, so they scrambled up there to drool over all those beoooootiful gas guzzlers. At one point, some of them, understandably, lost control of themselves over a specifically Big Beautiful Carcar, slavering and licking at it. Then, the ‘owner’ showed us how big a hard-on he has for his guzzler by pushing a Fool, who had produced an old feather duster from the depths of his bag, and shouting ‘Get away from MY CAR!!’. Said sane man then proceeded to get on his mobile, more of that later.

As they went down the street, lots of children were pleasantly surprised by this strange Frolic of Fools as they progressed, Then — THE COPS! Gasp! The sane man had called them because his carcar had been dusted off and ‘touched’, but they soon realised what a harmless bunch of Fools confronted them, and went away smiling.

So the Fossil Fools struggled off into the late afternoon sunshine. What a confusing day it had been. Fortunately, the rest of the world went on being sane.

Thinstanley
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Dear Car-Driving Commuters

This banner was sighted on Charing Cross motorway intersection in central Glasgow this morning.

“Climate change doesn’t exist. (APRIL FOOLS YOU FOSSIL FOOL!)”

It had the following note attached…
“Dear Car-Driving Commuters.
Who stack yourselves up one by one.
Grid-locking our city Glasgow in high carbon, low health, grrr- noise / eurgh-air and catastrophic climate chaos.

GET OUT OF YOUR CARS YOU FOSSIL FOOLS!

From Cyclists, Pedestrians, Health Workers, City-Dwellers,
Low-Carbon Lifestylers Wanting Radical Change Now,
Grounded Non-flyers Who Want to Grow Vegetables on Your Land.”

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Newcastle activists blockade 4x4 dealership!

People from Tyneside concerned about the effects of climate change paid a visit to a 4x4 dealership which sells hum-ve or hummer style 4x4’s.

The entrance to Vroom car superstore was blockaded and a banner proclaiming “kill car culture before it kills us” was stretched across the road.

The activists hoped to highlight the fossil fool car culture which is so dominant in all u.k cites and the unsustainable capitalism which fuels car culture.

The workers at the garage didn’t take the protest very well and responded aggresively to our presence,at one point a worker rammed his car though the blockade which left two of the protest group on the bonnet of his car and lucky to avoid serious injury!

The police soon arrived and broke the blockade up and let the over zealous workers in to the garage. Despite the fact two people had been assaulted by a motor vehicle the police chose to ignore this and proceeded to arrest the two people that had been struck for criminal damage of the car that was driven into them!! The police then seized the video camera belong to one of the group as it contained evidence of the alleged criminal damage (so no pics.. sorry)

The blockaders encourage other groups or individuals to take action against the climate criminals in your area.

Happy fossil fools day.

for further info on events and actions in Newcastle and the North-East contact; whydontyou@post.com

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Free public transport for all? Liverpool activists are having a laugh!

Early on the morning of April 1st, a group of Liverpool activists carried out a banner drop and distributed leaflets and dummy tickets outside Lime Street Station, telling the public that they could travel for free.

A banner reading “FREE TRANSPORT FOR ALL – DON’T BE A FOSSIL FOOL” was hung from scaffolding above the station, and fake tickets marked “Free Travel” were given out, accompanied by a leaflet entitled “Only Joking”, which called on people to take the decisions on improving public transport into the hands of those who run and use the service, not the companies who profit from it.

“Prices are going up massively,” says the leaflet, “at a time when the government says they want people out of their cars so they can cut down on the use of fossil fuels! Instead, the government are cutting price subsidies and letting companies charge what they like!” It questions the 3.8% price hike implemented by Merseyrail last year, pointing out the lack of a corresponding improvement to the service or to the pay and working conditions of Merseyrail’s employees.

It was not long before two Transport Police and a Community Support Officer took an interest, and upon reading the leaflet they initially seemed satisfied (provided one activist moved a full five inches to her right in order to be clear of the station boundary.) Five minutes later, though, they returned, with the realisation that, though it had slipped their minds beforehand, the activists were, in fact, breaking the law. One of them wore a trenchcoat, and slapped his forehead with the heel of his palm before turning back and announcing there was just one more thing (I may be making that up). What had suddenly occurred to them was that some commuters may not properly understand the phrase “Only Joking” and try to use a clearly home-printed joke ticket as if it were the real thing, which would make the activists guilty of “Making or supplying articles for use in frauds”, under Article 7 of the Fraud Act (2006) and mean they had to be arrested; as nobody wanted that kind of paperwork, the police advised that it was best for all concerned if they moved on.

After consultation, the activists decided to take that risk, and the rest of the leaflets were distributed without incident. Amusing as this is to recount, it is yet another example of the disturbing rise in police harassment of peaceful protesters and campaigners in the city centre.

Meanwhile, carbon emissions rise along with public transport prices and it is cheaper to drive to Manchester than to get the train. How long are we going to suffer these fools?

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Totalitarian Fossil Fools Day took place at the Dorest House Total Petrol Station 170–172 Marylebone Rd, London on April 1st. Joining in with the events of http://www.fossilfoolsday.org the 5 protesters demonstrated against the French oil company’s fossil foolishness causing climate change and pollution as well as the usual protest against Total’s support of the brutal Burma junta. Total funds the evil junta with 500 million dollars a year and its gas pipeline in Burma was built with slave labour (see http://www.totaldenialfilm.com).

The heavy Marylebone Road traffic beeped in support of the “BEEP 4 BURMA BOYCOTT TOTAL” banners and many taxi drivers visiting the station requested leaflets about the protest. One passer-by made a point of vowing to the protesters never to get petrol from Total ever again.

In January 2008 Total’s fossil foolishness was recognised by the French courts as they convicted Total of France’s worst oil disaster over the sinking of the tanker Erika off the coast of Brittany in December 1999. The disaster leaked 20,000 tonnes of oil into the sea, contaminating 400km of coastline. Having tried to deny responsibility Total was fined 375,000 euros (£280,000) and ordered to pay a share of nearly 200m euros in damages. The fine was the maximum penalty allowed. See BBC news article

Cavendish Square Protest
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On April 2nd, totaloutofburma.org also protested outside Total’s offices at 33 Cavendish Square. We were pleased to speak to one passer-by who had read our leaflet from a previous protest and said she had switched her home gas supply from Total due to Total’s support of the military regime in Burma.

Total and Burma

A detailed report on Total Oil’s involvement in Burma, written by Burma Campaign UK, can be downloaded at http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.html

Total is in a joint venture with the dictatorship in the Yadana gas project in southern Burma. [1]

The gas project funds the junta with hundreds of millions of dollars a year and represents a major source of foreign currency for the regime to buy weapons and finance the army.

Burma has the world’s worst health care [2], the most corruption [3] and the most child soldiers [4].

Protests are held weekly but locations may change. For information and reports on protests in London and around the country please see
http://totaloutofburma.org

Burma Videos

Burma Campaign UK’s video channel on YouTube:

- New to Burma? Watch these videos for a brief introduction
— This is Burma Music — U2, REM, Damien Rice, KT Tunstall…
— This is Burma: News and Documentaries — including Burma’s Secret War
and Inside The Crackdown

http://www.youtube.com/burmacampaignuk

Get TOTAL OIL out of Burma group on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6833508763

Recent Burma news: (see http://myamarnews.blogspot.com — read links for the full versions of stories)

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Engen the focal point of Fossil Fools day in Durban, South Africa

Countries around the world observed Fossil “Fools” Day — which is an international day of protest focused on climate change and energy issues.

In Durban, petrol giant Engen became the focal point for residents who have long focused their anger at the refinery, holding it responsible for causing various lung diseases among the community.

The protesters laid floral wreaths signifying deaths in this community due to lung infections. Asthma has been one of the main problems here. The general prevalence rate of the lung disease worldwide is between 10% and 12% and this area has over five times the norm.

Solutions to pollution
Dennis Brutus an Environmental Activist says: “If Engen and other corporations chose the best technical solutions you would end up minimising the amount of pollution. The problem is that it would cut into their profits so they choosing to put profits ahead of people.”

Industry bosses say there has been a reduction in air pollution over the past 10 years, but admit more can be done.

Willem Oosthuizen of Engen says: “We will certainly try to keep on working on our environmental performance, reducing the flaring, becoming more reliable, we care for the community and we going to do more.”

Engen has also accepted a memorandum — delivered by university students and ill children from the area. They’re calling for, among other things, transparency. The community has vowed to follow up on their demands.

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Pranksters attempt to Purchase Goods with Coal in Newcastle, Australia

A group of people from Rising Tide Newcastle went to a large indoor shopping mall armed with a fist full of leaflets, two bags full of coal, and a large colourful banner which asked the question “How does buying stuff fuel climate change?” and directing the reader to a website for the answer. While a few of the people headed up to the roof of the building with the banner, the rest of the group walked towards the K‑mart in order to swap their bags of coal for some cheap consumer products (thereby cutting out the middle man).

The small group of pranksters was met by a stiff line of about 20 humourless police officers in crowd control mode, and a similar number of security guards. No, they were informed, they would not be entering K‑mart today. The pranksters explained what they were doing, and how rampant consumerism was one of the root causes of climate change, and would it be okay please if we just did our little prank of trying to buy products with coal, and then we could all go home? No, replied the humourless authorities, you may not. Not only that, but trying to buy products with coal was one step away from theft, offered one of the police officers.

So some of the pranksters began talking to the shopping public about the climate change impact of cheap imported consumer items, and handing out flyers with more information. A couple of others snuck off into the nearby Toys ‘R’ Us and tried once again to spend their coal. Alas, just as our pranksters approached the checkout they were rumbled by security. Finally, a few minutes later, the pranksters were finally offer to make an offer to a nearby fashion shop. Unfortunately, the deal was knocked back.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the building, things were going better. A big banner was successfully hung off the building, facing two main roads and covering the massive shopping centre logo on the corner of the building. The banner had a picture of a shopping trolley with a plume of smoke coming from the back of it said “How does buying stuff fuel climate change?”. A newspaper photographer caught the action from down on the street below.

Eventually, all those involved were rounded up and kicked out of the building, at threat of arrest. While some of the shoppers they had spoken to were just cranky, some were supportive, and some of were interested to know more. Unfortunately it seemed none of security guards or police officers were interested in consumerism fueling climate change, and they certainly weren’t interested in a bit of light-hearted pranktivism.

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8 Arrested as North Carolina, USA Residents Shut Down Construction at Cliffside Coal Plant

At 6:30 this morning, North Carolina residents locked themselves to bulldozers to stop the construction of Duke Energy’s massive Cliffside coal-fired power plant being built 50 miles west of Charlotte, NC. “In the face of catastrophic climate change, building a new coal plant is tantamount to signing a death sentence for our generation,” said local farmer Matt Wallace, while locked to a bulldozer. The concerned citizens also roped off the construction site with “Global Warming Crime Scene” tape and held banners that read “Coal Fuels Climate Change” and “Social Change, not Climate Change.”

Shortly after activists locked themselves to construction equipment, police arrived on the scene and used pain compliance holds and tazers to force them to unlock themselves.

The act of civil disobedience is one of over 100 protests taking place around the world on what climate activists are calling Fossil Fools Day, a confrontational day of protest targeting companies responsible for runaway carbon dioxide emissions. The day of action was organized by the international Rising Tide network and its allies to demand an end to the extraction and burning of fossil fuels and a just, rapid transition to sustainable ways of living. In Nottingham, UK, climate activists blockaded the offices of E‑on, a company trying to build a new generation of coal-fired power stations, while another group in Wales halted work at one of the biggest opencast coal mines in Europe.

The new Cliffside plant is currently in legal limbo for being in violation of the Clean Air Act. While Duke CEO Jim Rogers publicly paints Duke as a “green” energy company, he has refused to install the best available pollution controls on the new coal plant, as is required by federal law. The plant would pump 6 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually in addition to toxic heavy metals such as mercury.

“The Fossil Fools in government and industry are playing games with our future: the time for lip service and half-measures is over. Direct actions like this one are necessary to stop people like Jim Rogers, who watch the planet burn while counting the money they make from the fire.” said Charlotte resident Jane Calhoun.

Climate change warning signs abound: countless plant and animal species are being pushed to the brink of extinction by warming temperatures; low-lying islands are evacuating due to rising sea levels; droughts, tornados, and floods are on the increase. “Climate change is the greatest threat humans have ever faced. We should be tearing down coal plants, not building new ones,” said Clare Jones of Asheville Rising Tide.

Public opposition to the Cliffside plant, including lawsuits, public protests and acts of civil disobedience, has been growing steadily. “Jim Rogers won’t have to live with the consequences of global warming. Our generation will. We aren’t going anywhere until this plant is canceled!” said Calhoun. A rally this Saturday in Charlotte is expected to draw hundreds of demonstrators.

This action was organized by Asheville Rising Tide and Earth First!

Street Mr Rogers

Contact:
On-site: Liz Veazey, Southeast Climate Convergence (919)619‑5964
Off-site: Abigail Singer, Asheville Rising Tide (828)280‑3462

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25 Billionaires for Dirty Energy Blockade Citibank Headquarters; 2 Arrested

In Celebration of Fossil Fools Day — Citi takes heat for coal financing

New York, NY — At 12:30pm today over 25 Billionaires for Dirty Energy blockaded the main entrance of Citibank’s Upper East Side headquarters, 2 were arrested by NYPD after chaining themselves to the front doors. NYPD officers eventually had to cut through their chains.

Dressed in tuxedos and top hats, Billionaires are demanding Citibank shift their large-scale investments in coal-fired power plants due to coal’s increasing investment risk. “Coal has lost its appeal as a predictable investment; it is fraught with uncertainty” said Billionaire, Lauren Valle, prior to being arrested by NYPD. “Bottom-line, CITI is mortgaging our future and compromising their own long-term competitiveness.”

Billionaires held large signs reading: “Coal=Too Risky, Citi We Want our Money Back.”

“Climate change will be a major investment theme of the future” said Scott Parkin of Rainforest Action Network. “You don’t have to care what global warming will do to the climate to make a bucket load of money by preparing.” Other notable billionaires that have turned to clean energy for their investment potential include, CEO of GE Jeffrey R. Immelt, Walmart CEO H. Lee Scott, and maverick oilman Boone Pickens.

By all accounts coal is becoming an increasingly risky investment. In the last three months alone, the federal government indefinitely suspended a loan program for new coal-fired power plants in rural areas because of uncertainty about climate change and soaring construction costs. The decision came shortly after three major Wall Street investment banks, including Citi, announced new rules requiring utilities to show that coal-plant proposals factor in the cost of future carbon regulation. In addition, the federal government yanked funding from their expensive, fantastical FutureGen plant.

In conjunction with today’s Citi event, Fossil Fools Day activities are happening from North Dakota to New Zealand. There are over 100 actions planned including Fossil Fool award deliveries to some of the most damaging CEOs and politicians, green job rallies, protests and civil disobedience at power plants, energy companies, and banks. Actions aim to express opposition to dirty energy and show support for climate justice and corporate responsibility. Fossil Fools Day is being organized by the Energy Action Coalition and a number of international allies including the International Rising Tide Network, Rainforest Action Network, and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition.

For more information visit, www.dirtymoney.org

CONTACTS:
Nell Greenberg, 510.847.9777
Sam Haswell, 415.659.0519

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Activists Blockade Bank of America to Protest Funding of Coal, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Boston, MA – Copley Square, April 1, 2008. April Fools! As of 9:00AM, in conjunction with a downtown rally, four activists have locked themselves to the front entrance of the Bank of America branch in Copley Square. They are protesting the bank’s funding of coal and energy companies who are among the worst contributors to climate change, and directly responsible for innumerable human rights abuses in communities where coal is extracted and burned.

Update: Four arrests in Boston, some lock boxes were cut, but others were loaded into the police wagon still locked to each other.

The April Fools prank took place as part of the Fossil Fools Day of Action, in coordination with over 100 rallies, protests, and acts of civil disobedience around the world. These actions are intended to challenge and disrupt the fossil fuels industry, which scientists say is primarily responsible for global warming.

Bank of America has lent over $144 billion to companies like Massey Energy, Arch Coal, and Peabody Energy, who are infamous for their human rights violations, strip mining, and mountaintop removal coal mining. The demonstrators are demanding that Bank of America stop providing funding for coal companies engaged in all forms of surface mining and cancel all loans to new fossil fuel burning power plants.

“Without the financial support of large banks like Bank of America, the fossil fuels industry could not continue destroying the earth and our communities,” said Elise Ansel, who locked her arms to other activists in order to prevent the bank from doing business as usual.

Coal-burning power plants are responsible for 40% of U.S. greenhouse gases that cause global warming, and are a leading cause of asthma and lung cancer, causing over 24,000 premature deaths a year. “It’s not just an environmental issue. The people who are most affected by the coal industry are already disadvantaged by this economic system,” said Laila Murad of Brighton, who also locked down to the bank, “Coal plants are often built in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, and the coal is most often mined in poor areas and on indigenous land. Coal mining is just another chapter in a long and bloody story of colonialism and injustice.”

The Fossil Fools Day of Action was called for by Rising Tide North America, Rainforest Action Network, and the Energy Action Coalition. More information on the actions taking place around the world is available at www.fossilfoolsday.org.

Boston Fossil Fools Day Media Contact:

Colleen Cronin
781–308-2458 / bostonfossilfools@gmail.com

National Fossil Fools Day Media Contact:

Monica Vaughan, Rising Tide North America
541–521-1832 / fossilfools@risingtidenorthamerica.org

More photos
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At the University of Kentucky, USA, students protested the university’s coal-fired power plant by climbing atop the coal stockpile, and raising giant wind turbines. Raising a mock wind turbine on top of the UK power plant’s coal fuel pile was designed to show the futility and myopic vision of the University’s current energy policy. While happy to learn that UK does not use coal from mountaintop removal sites, the State of Kentucky’s flagship university is a fossil fool and it must demonstrate leadership and a far-thinking approach to its energy sourcing and usage.

April is Earth Month, and as students of the University of Kentucky and Bluegrass Community and Technical College we are obliged to point out the areas where our public institutions need improvement.

Given the gravity and immediacy of global warming as a preeminent issue of our lifetimes, we believe that the University of Kentucky’s continued reliance on coal should be lambasted, and what better way to do so than in the spirit of April Fool’s Day?

Raising a mock wind turbine on top of the UK power plant’s coal fuel pile was designed to show the futility and myopic vision of the University’s current energy policy. While we are happy to learn that UK does not use coal from mountaintop removal sites, the State of Kentucky’s flagship university is a fossil fool and it must demonstrate leadership and a far-thinking approach to its energy sourcing and usage.

Fossil fuel use is unequivocally bad for the environment at large, as well as all of its denizens; however, it is through obstacles of our own making that we continue on this short-sighted and harmful path. Kentucky needs to rethink the destruction of its mountains and its coal use, and groups like the Energy Action Coalition, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, UK Greenthumb, and The University of Transylvania’s TERRA are great leaders and resources for those wishing to become educated or involved.

We wish everyone a Happy Earth Month, invite everyone to UK’s Earth Day Fair Tuesday April 22nd, and look forward to a continuing dialogue to meet the concerns and needs of everyone here in our great state.

Cordially,
Concerned Students and Citizens
Ukgreenthumb@googlegroups.com

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For further details of more actions in North America, check out http://actions.energyactioncoalition.org/fossilfools/reports/list and
http://www.fossilfoolsdayofaction.org/category/north-america/

London Critical Mass visits the Chinese Embassy on its March 2008 ride.

Despite wet and windy conditions more than 100 riders started, accompanied by about 20 police cyclists and the usual police van. Police have a habit of blocking the front of the ride at some intersections and traffic lights which tends to make it slower than otherwise and holds up traffic. Under the notorious SOCPA law, which might soon be repealed, Critical Mass sound systems are not allowed to be played near Parliament.

The ride, which has no pre-planned route, just happened to pass by the Chinese Embassy where some riders expressed indignation about the treatment of Tibet.

http://criticalmasslondon.org.uk

Video http://www.archive.org/details/cml28‑3–08

19 April Sheffield: Climate Action Movement Building Day

A date for your diary!

Climate Action Movement Building
Network for Climate Action
Saturday 19th April, 10am — 5pm
Friends Meeting House Sheffield
Map — http://home.btconnect.com/sheffieldquakers/hire.htm

A date for your diary!

Climate Action Movement Building
Network for Climate Action
Saturday 19th April, 10am — 5pm
Friends Meeting House Sheffield
Map — http://home.btconnect.com/sheffieldquakers/hire.htm

Are you involved in local climate action or would you like to be? Climate Chaos is getting real and we need to act now — building a vibrant grassroots movement taking action all over the country.

The Network for Climate Action is a Uk network of local groups and and national networks with the aim of sharing skills and providing support for each other as well as organising for action.

We’d like to invite you to a day of networking, skillsharing and organising!

What’s going to happen?

1) DAYS OF ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Review of Fossil Fools Day and planning the next round!
1 May: Invasion of the Climate Snatchers (day of action against false solutions to climate change)
3 June: Day of Action on Food and Climate Change
(for more info see: http://www.daysofclimateaction.org.uk)

2) NETWORK FOR CLIMATE ACTION
What do we want the Network to do? How should it function? What needs improving? How do we organise skillsharing, support, information sharing, direct action training, outreach etc?

3) BUILDING MOMENTUM for the Climate camp and beyond
Ideas for building momentum for the climate camp locally

4) WORKSHOPS
on topics such as getting a local group going/keeping momentum, planning actions and local press work. Let us know if you could contribute to a workshop, or even offer to run one.

We’re still in the planning stages — please get in touch if there’s something you’d like to see happening on the day!

PRACTICAL INFO
Saturday 19th April, 10am — 5pm
Friends Meeting House Sheffield
Map — http://home.btconnect.com/sheffieldquakers/hire.htm

We aren’t able to provide lunch, but there is a fantastic vegan/veggie cafe nearby or you can bring your own food.
We’re asking people for a donation of £2–3 towards the cost of the room. Some accommodation will be available (please email us if needed).

The venue is wheelchair accessible. Please let us know if you have any special requirements.

Please let us know whether you are planning to come, so we can get an idea of numbers! Email us at contact_NO@SPAM_networkforclimateaction.org.uk

Check out our website with hundreds of resources for climate action and a directory of local groups! http://www.networkforclimateaction.org.uk

For info about the days of climate action check out http://www.daysofclimateaction.org.uk