London – Page 40 – Earth First!

How to Fitwatch

Fitwatch meeting – Saturday 8th March at the LSE (Connaught House, Aldwych) at 2pm. Room H103.

Fitwatch has proved to be a highly effective tactic against surveillance by public order police.

Although really, it is better described as a range of tactics. Some are as simple as taking a picture, or making a note of police numbers. Other tactics are more confrontational and actively prevent the police accumulating the data they use for their ‘preventative’ public order policing. There is a tactic for everyone, and all of them are very effective.

Fitwatch meeting – Saturday 8th March at the LSE (Connaught House, Aldwych) at 2pm. Room H103.

Fitwatch has proved to be a highly effective tactic against surveillance by public order police.

To get involved, you need only bring a camera, placard or banner to your next demo or meeting, and get fitwatching. But you would also be very welcome at the Fitwatch meeting on Saturday so that we can share experiences, develop tactics and create an effective response to FIT and public order policing.

Just as an aside, it seems that even security firms have taken notice. The following testimonials are taken from a Group 4 Securicor briefing, and from the website of the security outfit Inkerman, who make it their business to protect companies from the attention of trouble making protestors. According to Inkerman, we are ‘counter-surveillance’. Sounds posh innit?

8 March 08 – London – The anarchist group, Fitwatch, is arranging a series of meetings that begin in London to discuss the nature of policing at protests and demonstrations. Fitwatch are an active group that prevents Police Forward Intelligence Teams (FIT) from gathering information during protests and demonstrations. Fitwatch insist FIT are an oppressive reflection of the state’s attitude towards protest groups. Fitwatch aim to use the meetings to discuss ongoing tactics and to attract support. The first meeting is to take place at the LSE (Group 4 Securicor)

Another protest group against the use of cameras and surveillance of activists has been established and holds growing weight within activist movements. FITWATCH is a counter-surveillance group, who take photos and try to obtain the personal details and identification numbers of the officers in FIT. Photographs of the officers concerned have been posted on activist websites.”
(Inkerman. See http://www.inkerman.com/static/files/1197479765-theinkermanmonitorecoterror.pdf for their report on ‘eco-terrorism’.)

defycops@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com

Camp for Climate Action to target Kingsnorth power station

3.03.2008
Today it was announced that E.ON’s Kingsnorth power station in Kent will be the site of this summer’s Camp for Climate Action, running from 4 th to 11th of August 2008.

Coming on the back of last week’s actions against the proposed third runway at Heathrow, with activists occupying the tailfin of a jet and the roof of the houses of parliament, climate activists promise that 2008 will be “the year of direct action on climate change”.

3.03.2008
Today it was announced that E.ON’s Kingsnorth power station in Kent will be the site of this summer’s Camp for Climate Action, running from 4 th to 11th of August 2008.

The protest will begin with a one-day event at Heathrow, the site of the previous year’s camp, before marching across London to Kingsnorth. This is one of eight climate camps targeting coal across the world this summer.

Climate change activists will converge on Kingsnorth power station where owners E.ON plan to build the UK’s first coal fired power station in 30 years. Saturday 9th August has been named a ‘day of mass protest and direct action’ against Kingsnorth to highlight its impact on climate change.

Moving from Heathrow to Kingsnorth highlights government and corporate collusion to expand the fossil fuel economy when the scientific consensus demands the opposite. The camp will bring together thousands of activists for several days of workshops and direct action. The camp will also challenge businesses set to profit from false solutions to climate change such as agrofuels. A day of action targeting the agrofuel industry will be an integral part of the week long camp.

Natasha Edleman said: “Building a new coal-fired power station in the middle of a climate crisis is madness. The science shows that we only have a few years to avert catastrophic climate change. If we let this happen then there are seven more power stations coming. This must be stopped.”

Charlie Owens said: “Biofuels have been proposed as a solution to climate change. But new studies confirm that they are just as dangerous as fossil fuels. And they create the illusion we can carry on as usual. In the end we can only stop climate change if we challenge the growth economy and start putting people and planet first.”

For more information see:

http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/
http://www.StopKingsnorth.org/

* Like Heathrow, Kingsnorth is awaiting the approval of the government. The decision on whether to hold a public inquiry into the power station will be taken by John Hutton, at BERR, in the next six weeks. As with Heathrow, there are accusations of collusion between EON and the government. For more information see: www.greenpeace.org.uk

* Kingsnorth will produce twice as many climate-harming emissions as a third runway at Heathrow. According to the World Development Movement, flights from a third runway at Heathrow will produce as much greenhouse gas as the whole of Kenya.

* If Kingsnorth is built it is likely to open the way to new build coal. Up to seven other similar projects are planned. Growth in coal-power will undermine investment in renewable energy.

* Last year’s camp was on land which is intended for the building of a third runway at Heathrow. The eight-day camp brought together 2000 people on land next to the village of Sipson and shut down BAA’s headquarters for 24 hours. The camp also organised up to 20 smaller actions on other aviation and climate change related targets. There were 70 arrests over the week.

* E.ON has tried to greenwash their plans to build a new plant at Kingsnorth by claiming that it might one day be upgraded to use carbon capture technology. Even by the most optimistic standards, such technology will not be ready until 2020.

* In the weeks before last year’s camp, BAA applied for an injunction to stop the camp taking place. The injunction covered two million members of environmental groups from the RSPB to Greenpeace. The injunction was successfully defeated in the courts.

* In addition to the camp, days of action on climate change are planned for the 1st April (Fossil Fools Day), 1st May (Mayday), 3rd June (highlighting issues to do with food and climate change)

* “Agrofuels” are liquid fuels produced from agricultural crops. These are also referred to as “Biofuels”.

Parliament rooftop protest against Heathrow 3rd runway

27th February 2008

27th February 2008
Climate campaigners hang ‘NO 3rd RUNWAY’ banner before PMQs

Campaigners opposed to Heathrow expansion have scaled the roof of the Houses of Parliament and hung protest banners from the building before Prime Minister’s Questions is due to begin.

The three men and two women from climate action group, Plane Stupid, opened an outside door before walking along the roof and dropping two banners. The non-violent direct action comes on the day a government consultation into Heathrow expansion ends. The protesters are making paper aeroplanes out of confidential Whitehall documents that reveal the process is fixed, and gliding the planes into the MPs’ car park below.

The documents – obtained under the Freedom of Information Act – prove that airport operator BAA wrote parts of the consultation document and that the government has already decided to build a 3rd runway and 6th terminal at the world’s biggest international airport.

One of the banners, facing Parliament Square, brands the House of Commons ‘BAA HQ’ while the other says ‘NO 3rd RUNWAY’. Richard George, 27, from London is on the roof. He said:

I’m standing on the roof of Parliament because the democratic process has been corrupted. The aviation industry has taken full advantage of a weak Prime Minister to get the Heathrow consultation fixed. It doesn’t even consider global warming, despite everything Brown has said about the environment and despite the massive impact that aviation has on the climate.

He continued:

This Prime Minister doesn’t even have the courage to ask Londoners the very simple question, do you want a third runway? Instead his government published a consultation document full of gobbledygook and industry spin. Now the consultation is over we can safely ignore the fixed result and get on with the job of stopping this new runway being built. A huge coalition of local residents, Londoners and environmentalists is coming together, supported by all the major mayoral candidates, to stand against Gordon Brown and say ‘no more’.

BAA and Brown want to see a sixth terminal and third runway built over homes, schools and churches in the villages of Sipson and Harmondsworth. This would increase the number of flights from 480,000 a year to at least 702,000. Two million Londoners face increased levels of noise, while CO2 emissions from the airport would shoot up despite claims by Brown that he’s committed to fighting climate change.

The rooftop occupation comes two days after Greenpeace protesters scaled an Airbus A320 which had just touched down at Heathrow from Manchester.

The protesters have branded Parliament ‘BAA HQ’ because of the extraordinary level of collusion between the aviation industry and government. Secret documents obtained under Freedom of Information legislation reveal the existence of a previously unknown body called the ‘Heathrow Delivery Group’ – comprised of government and BAA officials. The group is charged with getting the new runway through the consultation process and neutralising ‘risks’ to the project such as Londoners who oppose Brown’s aviation policy.

BBC news video 1

BBC news video 2

http://video.publico.es/videos/0/4705/1/recent

15 Actions to Topple the Fossil Fuel Empire

Rising Tide has just finished producing two new resource booklets …

1 – 15 Actions to Topple the Fossil Fuel Empire – perfect to help plan your action for up and coming Fossil Fools Day – more on that at http://risingtide.org.uk/node/241

Rising Tide has just finished producing two new resource booklets …

1 – 15 Actions to Topple the Fossil Fuel Empire – perfect to help plan your action for up and coming Fossil Fools Day – more on that at http://risingtide.org.uk/node/241

2 – Climate Action Popular Education Pack – packed with tools to help you run engaging, interactive workshops on all aspects of climate change for a wide range of people.

Both resources can be downloaded from http://risingtide.org.uk/resources/other

Paddy´s Day of Action Against Shell

This year´s St Paddy´s day, 17th March, has been called as an International day of action against shell, in solidarity with the people of Rossport.

People from all over Ireland are set to join forces and show their united strength by going all the way to London to demonstrate on shell´s front door step.

This year´s St Paddy´s day, 17th March, has been called as an International day of action against shell, in solidarity with the people of Rossport.

People from all over Ireland are set to join forces and show their united strength by going all the way to London to demonstrate on shell´s front door step.

Gluaiseacht, the Irish environmental network organising the trip, are calling for people to join them at the shell head office in London, or there is also a call out to take solidarity actions at shell garages and offices, St Paddy´s day parades and Irish embassies all over the world to coincide with the visit from 15th-17th March.

The shell centre is located on the South Bank in front of Jubilee Gardens (SE1)
right next to Waterloo train station and across from the London Eye.

What´s Wrong With shell? – The Corrib Pipeline Project

Since 2000 the small rural community of Rossport, County Mayo, Ireland have been engaged in an epic battle trying to prevent Shell, Statoil, and Marathon from building a potentially devastating toxic onshore gas refinery and high pressure pipeline in their remote and environmentally sensitive region.

Shell are the biggest stakeholder and beneficiary of the project, so have therefore been the main target of protest.

Community Strength

From the summer of 2005 mass pickets shut down the refinery construction site after five Rossport residents were imprisoned for refusing to allow Shell’s
sub-contractors access to their and their neighbours’ small farms which the pipeline is to go through. But in October 2006 the Irish state came to the aid of shell by bringing in a massive two hundred strong police unit to physically force a path for Shell to commence work. A large police presence, consisting of Gardai (Irish police) from all over Ireland, has stayed at the site to aid the work to continue undisrupted.

The costs to the Environment, Community & Health

Since shell started building the refinery, Carrowmore Lake, which is a Special Area of Conservation as well as the local water supply to 10,000 people, has been polluted with dangerously high levels of aluminium coming from the building site.

The gas pipeline is to operate at such high pressure that according to the
government’s safety study if ruptured could potentially kill people and destroy buildings for hundreds of metres around.

The waste from the refinery is to be dumped into Broadhaven bay, where 220 sightings of seven whale and dolphin species, plus sightings of two seal species have been recorded.

This is all not to mention the irreparable damage fossil fuels, like gas, are having on destabilising the global climate.

Although the resistance to shell in County Mayo is strong, the Irish state & shell´s tactics of brutality, repression and intimidation has paid a price on the people fighting the pipeline project.

So mark St Paddy´s day by showing solidarity with their fight!

For more info:

http://www.indymedia.ie/mayo – Reports of news and actions about the pipeline
http://www.struggle.ws/rsc – Rossport Solidarity Camp setup to aid the campaign against shell
http://www.corribsos.com – Campaign group Shell to Sea

http://gluaiseacht.nologic.org/wordpress – Gluaiseacht website

Weird Load visits leafy Chiswick

23.02.2008
After January’s thousand strong meeting against Heathrow expansion, protest continues apace.

23.02.2008
After January’s thousand strong meeting against Heathrow expansion, protest continues apace.

This week saw a 50,000 leaflet doordrop, and today local campaigners were joined by Baroness von Reichardt, partner Mr Spunky and members of her World Famous Treatment Rooms.

WEIRD LOAD

Saturday morning shoppers – more accustomed to bumping into Richard Briers or Ant’n’Dec than an anarchist art troop – were handed leaflets headlined “Last Chance to Stop This”, encouragement to turn up and show their opposition at Westminster’s Central Hall this Monday at 7pm

A straw poll outside Marks and Spencer indicated a likely showing of around 500 residents promising to meet up at Turnham Green Station for a mass move on Westminster. Past experience of active opposition in W4 however means that might well be an underestimate.

They join residents from all over London and the Heathrow villages – 6 coaches have been reserved from Sipson already – traveling to hear speakers as diverse as Lib Dem top banana Nick Clegg, Green MEP Caroline Lucas, Climate Change guru Mark Lynas and Plane Stupid’s Leo Murray.

This is a battle that can and will be won by the people, but only if the people act together. Do everything you can to be there on Monday and show the government and the corporations what they’re truly up against.

‘Not An Eviction Party’ at the secret social centre

21.02.2008

Today, the backup venue for the rampART social centre faced a court hearing as the owners sought an interim possession order which would have seen the occupiers given just 24 hours to back up and leave. However, as luck would have it, only the squatters turned up to court so the case was adjourned. No eviction tomorrow and we guess not for at least another week…

21.02.2008

It was intended that we’d be having a day of resistance on Friday to see off the bailiffs, starting from 2pm with a vegan cafe and transforming into an all night party to get at least one big event out of the place we’ve put our blood, sweat and tears into since the new year. However, now there is no eviction threat tomorrow we’ve decided to party anyway with the RAMpart2 ‘Not An Eviction Party’

If you don’t already know the address, phone a friend. Anyone who regularly attends the rampART should know the address by now but we’re not posting it here.

Wanna perform or DJ? give us a call (you’ll have to be very self sufficient in terms of equipment).

This won’t be the last event at RAMpart2, but almost.

Free Paper War – LONDON LITtEr

15.2.2008
Ten tonnes of waste per week is generated by the free newspapers in Westminster alone, which is not a problem that can be solved just by recycling. The only solution to the problem is to remove it – stop printing the papers.

In an attempt to get this message out, a group of intrepid paper boys and girls decided to use the tactics of The London Paper and London Lite, putting their own pro-recycling anti-waste propaganda into copies of the papers then aggressively and relentlessly forcing them on the public.

At approximately 5pm sharp, paper distribution began. The London Paper and London Lite teams competed for the attention of commuters, pointing out the numerous differences between the papers and the quality of their contents. The teams, while obviously agreeing that they were both giving away highly sophisticated and intellectually stimulating publications, didn’t agree on which one was in fact superior. Sarcasm aside, this is another issue with the free newspapers – that they are filled with second rate celebrity gossip, inane half-stories, and above all, advertising. Really, do these newspapers contain any actual news? Is what they have to say so important that it’s worth 10 tonnes of waste paper a week?

As the competition grew more intense, war paint was smeared and the battle began. Papers were given and replaced and given again, with distributors from each team competing over individual members of the public, leading to violent confrontations with each other. The official employees of both free papers seemed baffled but amused, taking photographs of the event. However, an employee of The Evening Standard, driving up in his van, seemed to be less than impressed, attempting to take away some of the papers and generally behaving in a rather ungentlemanly fashion.

Then, as two opposing team members were locked in combat, a policeman on a horse appeared and politely and calmly requested that all the students just stop that and come and speak to him right now. As only a couple of the group were students, the action mostly continued until he got a bit upset. When all the paper boys and girls were gathered around the horse, they were told “You just can’t do that!” “Stop it!” “I’ll arrest you!” “Just stop it!” and “Calm down!”.

After agreeing that it was indeed rude to force newspapers on unsuspecting pedestrians, but that they would calm down, the paper distributing continued a little less violently. Passers-by were offered ‘The London Litter’, ‘free rubbish’, and ‘news’ (though unfortunately there was no news available), and were assured that they could throw it away whenever and wherever they liked. In fact, the more they threw away the better. Some people seemed quite keen to get their free rubbish, some were irritated and a few were genuinely interested in what was being said.

Sadly, some more policemen (who didn’t have horses) turned up and told the paper girls and boys that really it was time to stop it now. Moderately aggressive at first, they were won over by the charm of the paperers, reportedly even taking some (100% recycled!) leaflets for their colleagues. By this point all the newspapers had gone and it was at least half past beer o’clock, so after a little chat with the police (and picking up any litter that may have been left), it was declared a victory and they headed off.

http://www.spacehijackers.org

Charges dropped against 14-year old & dad who tied themselves to Japanese Embassy

A 14-year-old anti-whaling campaigner arrested at the Japanese embassy has condemned a decision to drop charges.

Sophie Wyness was arrested with her father Martin, 50, after tying themselves to a staircase inside the London building on 24 January.

Criminal trespass charges against the pair, from Hereford, were dropped for “evidential reasons”.

However, the schoolgirl claimed the case was dropped to avoid damaging commercial ties with Japan.

Sophie said: “If they have resources to spend on trivial prosecutions like this, they should really be putting them into the fight against Japan’s barbaric whaling industry, which is illegal under international law.”

A spokesman for the CPS said it had dropped the charges for “evidential reasons”.

He said: “After further review it was decided there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.”

But Mr Wyness, a shop worker, said he and his daughter were guilty and had gone to court expecting to be sentenced.

“This is clearly a travesty and is bringing British law into disrepute.

“They’re saying lack of evidence and yet we were guilty. They have all the evidence they want for a conviction.”

District Judge Quentin Purdy lifted an order at the City of Westminster Magistrates Court banning the publication of Sophie’s name, after legal representation from the BBC.

After the court hearing Sophie and her father delivered a letter to the Japanese embassy asking the ambassador to put pressure on his government to end whaling.

Security staff at the embassy stopped the pair entering the building, but agreed to pass the letter on.

Hackney Social Centre Opens!

15.02.2008
London’s newest autonomous zone opened last night with a free cafe, music, and a series of short films.

After three weeks of resisting illegal forcible evictions, the Hackney Social Centre opened last night for an evening of food, music, films – including one, Trainsquatting, about squatters and resistance to evictions in Slovenia.

The social centre grew out of meetings through the Northeast Squatters Network, which seeks to strengthen solidarity and skill-sharing locally between the squats in north-east London. It is a non-commercial social space and plans to be home to activities such as free language lessons, a donations-only cafe, a free shop, meetings of local groups, skill-share sessions and a bike workshop.

General Meetings for the social centre are open to the public, and begin this Sunday, February 17th, at 3pm. Anyone interested in getting involved, or learning more, is welcome. The social centre is located at 231 Lower Clapton Road, in Hackney.

Here you can download TRAINSQUATTING and its subtitles >
Enjoy

http://www.kiberpipa.org/video/Frontline/TrainSquatting/