Scotland (Central & Southern) – Page 34

Climate Camp To Target Heathrow (& new videos: Another End of the World is Possible)

Last summer, over 600 people converged outside Drax coal-fired power station for 10 days of sustainable living and collective education, culminating in a day of mass action against Drax. This year, the Camp for Climate Action will pitch its tents near Heathrow airport.

There will be a day of mass direct action aiming to disrupt the activities of the airport and the aviation industry, but in the interests of public safety there will be no attempt to blockade runways.

Although the location is different, the philosophy of the camp remains the same: to be a place for the burgeoning network of people taking radical action on climate change around the country to come together for a week of low-impact living, education, debate, networking, strategising, celebration, and direct action. The camp will feature over 100 workshops covering topics such as climate change impacts, carbon offsetting, biofuels, peak oil, permaculture, practical renewables, campaign strategy, skills for direct action, and much more. Run without leaders by everyone who comes along, it will be a working ecological village using renewable energy, composting waste and sourcing food locally.

Aviation is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, and all our efforts to tackle climate change in other sectors are undone by the massive growth in air travel. Holding the camp at Heathrow aims to highlight the lunacy of the government’s airport expansion plans, target industry giants profiteering from the climate crisis, and raise awareness of the need to fly less. The camp will also support local residents in their long-term struggle against the building of a third runway and the destruction of their communities.

It all comes down to us, now. We are the last generation that can do anything about climate change. In 20 or 30 years time, should we not change our ways, we’ll be committed to emissions increases that will see forests burn, soils decay, oceans rise, and millions of people die. If we don’t get this issue right, so much else is lost too.

We still have time, but not for long. Make it count.

Camp for Climate Action, 14th – 21st August 2007.
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk

To celebrate the announcement of the location for this summer’s CAMP
FOR CLIMATE ACTION – Heathrow Airport, we present:

ANOTHER END OF THE WORLD IS POSSIBLE
7 Video portraits of radical climate activists

“Apocalypse is always easier to imagine than the strange and circuitous routes to what actually comes next.”
Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power, Cannongate 2005.

Another End of the World is Possible is a series of captivating video portraits of people taking radical action against the root causes of climate change. Ranging from an activist who occupied an airport’s
taxi way, to a teacher working with kids on a deprived housing estate, the portraits demonstrate the wonderful diversity of those who will be taking part in this years Camp for Climate Action in the UK : 14th –21st August. see the all at www.climatecamp.org.uk

The 7 – 5 minute long portraits are also posted on numerous video platforms including youtube,archive.org, daily motion,v-social – Quicktime copies can be downloaded from http://www.guidedurenard.org/bm/library/7 . If you want a dvd copy contact john@labofii.net

Interviewees are: Catherine – Climate Camp; Duncan Law – Transition Town Brixton; Pauline – Rite2No; John Stewart- Airport Watch, Julie – Growing Communities; Leo – Plane Stupid; Kevin Smith – Carbon Trade
Watch.

South Gate Block at Faslane

Peace loving folk from the north-east/newcastle visted Faslane Navel base on the clyde on monday, Faslane is home to the Trident nuclear weapons system.The blockaders beleive that trident is a gross pollutant on our planet and our humanity, as well as costing a big heap of cash which profits big arms makers( B.a.e. rolls royce etc…)
The group laid in the access road to the south gate late in the afternoon on monday, this was to cause as much disruption to the base but not the local population(its exam time for the kidz in scotland! so avoid b4 9am blocks)
Due to the success of Faslane365(www.faslane365.org) the police have been very quick to react and it is getting difficult to lock-on, two of the group opted to superglue their hands together in advance to ensure disruption.
The group encourages other indivuduals and groups to stop the criminal activity at faslane,coulport and aldermaston.

If not you…then who???

International Day of Direct Action Against Climate Change and the G8 – UK events: Haringey… (& Jeff Luers solidarity callout)

Friday 8th June 2007
Direct Action for Climate Justice – Resistance is Self Defense!

We all know the terrifying statistics: a million species extinct by 2050, 19 of the 20 hottest years on record since 1980, Greenland and Antarctica melting, droughts, floods, famines … the G8 have had over 30 years to address climate change and only succeeded in providing trillions in subsidies to the very industries that are destroying our planet and our future. And while the G8 continues to line their pockets, island states disappear and hundreds of thousands die as a result of the freak weather conditions caused by their irrational and uncontrollable obsession with never ending economic growth.

Friday 8th June 2007
Direct Action for Climate Justice – Resistance is Self Defense!

We have a ten-year window to act. As the megalomaniac G8 leaders meet in Germany, masked behind a barrier of fences and soldiers, intent on leading us further towards catastrophic and irreversible climate chaos, we must shout, scream and roar ‘no more’. Now is the time to take direct action and shut them down, them and their climate criminal industry friends!

The 8th of June International Day of Action Against Climate Change and the G8 has been called by the International Rising Tide Network. This is a call for autonomous, decentralized actions appropriate for your town, city, or local area. Use this international day of action to support local struggles against oil refineries, gas pipelines, strip mines and coal-fired power plants. Disrupt the financial backers of the fossil fuel industry. Organise workshops to spread sustainable post-petroleum living skills. Find a weak point in the infrastructure of resource exploitation and throw a literal or symbolic wrench in the works. It’s time to visit your local polluters and give ’em hell!

We already know of actions planned across the UK, North America, Germany, Canada and Australia and that’s just the start! By 8th June actions will be planned around the world. Pass this call out on to all environmental justice, climate action, radical sustainability and related movements in all the G8 countries and the Global South.

Rising Tide will create a collection of outreach and agit-prop materials (including this call out in five different languages) that can be used by groups around the world to organise locally. These materials will be downloadable from www.risingtide.org.uk and http://risingtidenorthamerica.org.
Direct action and civil disobedience are the rational response in this time of crisis. Support the 8th of June International Day of Direct Action against Climate Change and the G8! Tell us about planned actions for climate justice being planned in your community. Contact us – info@risingtide.org.uk and contact@risingtidenorthamerica.org

In June 2007 the G8 will understand the meaning of rebellion, revolt and revolution. Their recipe for catastrophe will be met with our worldwide resistance!

*G8 Day of Action Resources – Downloadable G8 day of Action flyers and posters.
*Organise a Critical Mass Bike Ride on the 8th of June – here are some leaflet ideas to help you.

————————–
You could link your event in with Day of Solidarity with Jeffrey Free Luers, June 9, 2007:

June marks the seventh year that our friend and comrade, Jeffrey “Free” Luers has been imprisoned and held captive by the state. Sentenced to an outrageous 22 years and 8 months for burning three Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) at Romania Chevrolet in Eugene, Jeff has continued to be active in prison and fight back with his words and inspiration. Although Jeff recently won his appeal and is expecting a reduced sentence, this case is not over:

“I have spoken with my attorney and there are still many battles ahead. Hard choices will have to be made. I am by no means close to walking out of prison, just one step closer. This is a victory, and while my own personal struggle is making headway others are just beginning.”

We encourage people to organize events for Jeff and other political prisoners, uniting struggles for human, earth, and animal liberation. In Jeff’s own words:

“This June, show your solidarity with me, and all those who have struggled, past and present, to make this world a better place. Struggle with us. Hold demonstrations or gatherings at federal buildings or US embassies and demand change. It doesn’t matter what cause or issue you fight for – we are all connected. What does matter is that we stand united and make our voices heard.”

More at http://freefreenow.org/june2007.html

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ANNOUNCED UK EVENTS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

HARINGEY CRITICAL MASS BIKE RIDE 2007

Can’t make it to Germany? Sick of the all those cars getting in your way on the autobahn! Don’t despair…join us on Saturday 9th of June for the 2007 Haringey Critical Mass. A leisurely ride down the Green Lanes to reclaim our streets and send a breath of fresh air to those meeting in Germany.

Saturday 9th June • Assemble 12 Noon @ Manor House
• Finishing at Chestnuts Park for a picnic •

All Welcome: especially cycles, scooters, wheelchairs, skateboards, rollerblades, pedestrians…
Supported by Haringey Solidarity Group www.haringey.org.uk

FOR CLEAN AIR AND A GREEN G8

WHY HAVE A CRITICAL MASS BIKE RIDE IN HARINGEY?
We are joining together on a Critical Mass Bike Ride through Haringey as a colourful and fun way of highlighting environmental and transport issues in the borough. In the week when the G8 are gathering in Germany and the day
after the International Day of Direct Action Against Climate Change we should also be focusing on the global crisis of climate change and the environmental impacts of oil dependency.

• It’s time we reclaimed our streets from the traffic and congestion that causes toxic levels of pollution and injury and death.
• We want cycle lanes on Green Lanes and all over Haringey to make cycling a safer, more viable form of transport.
• We want measures in place to reduce traffic speeds on all roads in Haringey, where dangerous driving regularly puts cyclists, children and pedestrians at risk.

WHAT’S THE G8 GOT TO DO WITH THIS?

• The G8 (Group of eight, most industrialized nations) Summits are hosted, on rotation, by the group’s member states. In 2007 the summit is to be held on 6-8 June in Rostock, Germany.
• While it seems to be in the news a lot, Climate Change is perhaps the issue that has received least attention compared to the scale of destruction that life on earth is facing. It is the most serious problem facing the world, more serious than international terrorism, according to the UK Government’s chief scientific advisor.
• Climate change needs to be higher on the G8 agenda. However, we cannot leave it just to the scientists and politicians to dismantle the carbon machine.
• This bike ride aims to highlight this issue through action and the promotion of cycling.

Let’s celebrate the freedom and pleasure of travelling by bike – it’s much more fun and much healthier than being stuck in a car in a traffic jam. This will be a fun day out for everyone in a safe, supportive, positive atmosphere, showing how much safer and more pleasant our streets can be.

COME AND JOIN US!

If you feel it’s time to promote cycling and encourage a more sustainable Haringey, or if you would like to get involved, visit the Haringey Solidarity Group website: www.haringey.org.uk

CRITICAL MASS – friday, London – may be the biggest ever? Plus Bristol & Glasgow call-outs

police have won a high court appeal. it means that ‘organisers’ of the critical mass bike ride have to inform the police ahead of time and negotiate a fixed route. since there are really no organisers, the mass will have difficulty complying. it is simply a get-together of cyclists to go for an unorganised but synchronistic ride. a large turn-out will complicate the enforcement of this repressive decision.

back in october 2005, after the introduction of SOCPA (serious organised crime and police act) section 132, controlling protest around parliament, police handed out their leaflets warning the mass may be controlled.

in response, around 1500 cyclists took to the streets in november, bringing central london to a standstill, and making it impossible for the police to enforce their crazy repression.

you don’t have a lot of time to organise, but if you want to build a similar event, it’s up to everyone to spread this news far and wide – leaflet, poster and recruit your local cycle shop, write to your local newspaper (“local person intends to defy police ban by cycling on friday”), swamp your mailing lists, and so on and so on.

remember, the critical mass is not an ‘organised’ event, and so cannot notify the police in advance of its route. since it’s not organised by any one person, it means everyone who wants a mass needs to do something this week to make it happen large! no-one will do it for you.

so start acting, and think positive and huge – if 1500 can come out on a cold november night over this issue, think how many might turn up on a pleasant may evening?

——

“One of the three appeal judges hearing today’s case did rule in favour of the cyclists. Lord Justice Wall said a ruling that the event fell within the Public Order Act was “potentially oppressive”. “The police, in my judgment, know what the cyclists are going to do. They are going to ride around the Greater London area. “That is a perfectly lawful activity, and if, for any reason, it ceases to be so, the police have ample powers to intervene.The judge said it was a valid argument that not only is the Critical Mass rally a part of London life, but that none of the bodies responsible for public transport in London had ever felt it necessary to ask the police to consider using the Public Order Act against it.”

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This Friday – 25th of May – Critical Mass

THIS FRIDAY – 25th of May – Critical Mass from the Fountains @ 5:30pm

Critical Mass isn’t BLOCKING traffic – We ARE Traffic.

Critical Mass is a monthly bicycle ride to celebrate cycling and to assert cyclists’ right to the road, happening on the last Friday of
every month in hundreds of cities and towns around the world. We meet at 5.30pm outside the Fountains near the Waterfront to set off by 6pm.

We take a leisurely ride through the city of Bristol for 30 mins to an hour allowing us to make our point and communicate effectively with other road users and authorities.

By getting cars to slow down for cyclists we hope to raise awareness for:

the benefits of cycling
the need for more buses
the need for more cycle lanes
cut down your driving
car drivers need to chill out
cycling is fun and there are lots of like minded people willing to do
something fun to help the environment.

Critical Mass isn’t BLOCKING traffic – We ARE Traffic.

for more info see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass_%28bicycle%29
http://www.scorcher.org/cmhistory/howto.html
http://bristolcm.pbwiki.com/

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BIG BIKE BLESSING – A Mass for Glasgow Critical Mass

Come all, come many …see you there with holly oil.

www.glasgowcriticalmass.org.uk

May 25th, 5:30pm, George Sq, !!Bring your Bike to be Blessed!!

Who do you turn to when you no longer can cycle safely in the city?
The police? The Council? The Prime Minister?
No … we need something bigger. We need the most powerful force to protect our bikes on our journey through the city on the next Critical Mass bike ride. This is why we will be calling upon the All Mighty Lord to bless all of our self-propelled vehicles. Amen! A Divine Intervention will ensure our safety so we will be blessing the bikes with our holly waters, chanting holly hymns from the holly Bike Bible. Hallelujah! For it is the bikes that have been sent down from the heavens to save us and our burning planet. Amen!

Come all, bring your children and your parents, join the merry sounds of the Critical Mass.

Why?

There is a growing cycling culture in Glasgow that is not being addressed by the Glasgow city council. Although the bike is by far the quickest, most efficient and environmentally friendly means of getting around in the city, there are hardly any bike facility, bike lanes are paired up taxis and buses and the list goes on.

Although the city council claims that there are up to “375km of identified cycle route” (www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/GettingAround/Cycling/) the majority of them are no longer than a couple of hundred meters before they get cut by a road, a building, or a parking lot.

Who?

Critical Mass, Urban Playground, Glasgow Kiss, The Weird Bike Show, and more

What to expect?

Well you should expect a safe and peaceful bike ride with other jolly cyclists, spontaneous interventions and a safe look into experiencing the city on a self propelled vehicle. As well a, a Giant Priest, a sound system on wheels, some weird bikes, a rickshaw, and much much more.

The What?

There is also a fancy dress party organized by Bedlam Boudoir and their incredible costumes. We will have the bicycle stamp on the ride which will allow you a special discount for the party later on. Special points for coming as a religious figure to bless bike and dance at party.

www.critical-mass.org
www.urban_discomfort.com
www.the-swarm.co.uk
www.glasgowkiss.org.uk

http://www.glasgowcriticalmass.org.uk

Earth First! summer gathering – Wednesday 18th July until Sunday 22nd July 2007 – location & programme announced

What is the Earth First! Summer Gathering?

* Are you fed up with bare-faced lies from politicians, big business and the media?
* Have you had enough of a world where corporate profit comes before life and dignity?
* Do you want to see an end to mindless consumption>
* Then this Gathering is for you! Read on…

What is the Earth First! Summer Gathering?

The Earth First! Summer Gathering is the place where people involved in radical ecological direct action – or those who want to be involved – get together for five days of time and space to talk, walk, share skills, learn, play, rant, find out what’s going on, find out what’s next, live outside, strategise, hang out, incite, laugh and conspire.

The gathering is also a practical example of non-hierarchical low-impact living in action.

We are a diverse community with a wide range of approaches to our action, so there should be plenty to interest and inspire everyone whether you have been active for years or are completely new to it all.

More info at earthfirstgathering.org.uk

Plane Stupid Callout for Local Groups

Plane Stupid (www.planestupid.com) is calling out for local Plane Stupid groups to form to fight the fastest growing cause of climate change (aviation) in your area. Plane Stupid thinks that local groups taking action in their area but within a wider network of Plane Stupid activists is the best way to fight the unsustainable growth of the aviation industry. If you would like to set up a group in your area all you need is a few enthusiastic members committed to using direct action to fight climate change.

The 2003 Aviation White Paper outlines plans for between double and triple the current number of passenger flights. This involves massive airport expansion all over Britain at rate equivalent to the building of a new Heathrow every 5 years. The UK’s top climatologists predict that aviation’s emissions alone are predicted to exceed the government’s target for the country’s entire output of greenhouse gases in 2050 by around 134%. (Tyndall Centre for Climate
ChangeResearch)

Plane Stupid has become one of the direct action groups of the emerging grassroots climate movement in Britain. Our dramatic impact has come by means of a series of high-profile direct actions and a near obsessive focus on clear, basic demands that people understand: the scrapping of airport expansion plans, a tax on aircraft fuel and
plane tickets, and an end to unnecessary and unsustainable short haul flights.

Since we formed in less than 18 months ago; we have disrupted the world’s largest international aviation industry conference in Central London; grounded planes through the occupation of a taxiway at the short-haul East Midlands Airport; blocked the entrance to BAA’s headquarters at Heathrow twice; staged a roof-top protest at easyJet’s corporate headquarters in London, temporarily shut down tens of travel agents across the UK and helped angry Heathrow residents disrupt the transport minister’s speech. We also inspired and oversaw Britain’s first national day of action against short haul flights, which saw local groups hold demonstrations at six regional airports and outside Flight Centre travel agents in cities across the UK.

Government and industry’s profiteering from creating catastrophic climate change will go unchecked unless YOU do something today! Join us by setting up a local group with some like minded people in your area to help us scrap airport expansion, get aviation fuel and tickets taxed and ending short haul flights.

Contact info@planestupid.com or call 07948 219 493 for advice on setting up a local group or for someone to come and speak in your area about Plane Stupid. Also on the 12th and 13th of May we will be at the Campaign against Climate Change conference in London (http://www.campaigncc.org/) where you can come and speak to us.

www.planestupid.com
info@planestupid.com

SHAC TAKES THE FLAK: FLIMSY PRETEXT FOR COUNTRY-WIDE ARRESTS OF ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

4.5.07
In yet another hammerblow aimed at the animal rights movement, police made 32 arrests across the UK in the early hours of Tuesday morning in ‘Operation Achilles’. Assistant Chief Constable Adrian Leppard of Kent Police says the arrests are “one of the largest, if not the largest, police operation that has targeted animal extremism in the UK.” Three properties were also searched in Belgium and the Netherlands.

700 police were involved as homes and animal sanctuaries were raided, with police seizing computers, mobile phones and cash. The whole operation was designed with maximum publicity in mind – the press were tipped off in advance and dutifully reported on the latest crackdown on animal rights ‘extremism’. Almost all those arrested had some connection with the SHAC campaign

Of course what didn’t hit the headlines was the number of properties raided without arrests being made and the fact that 24 hours later only nine of those arrested had been charged – two with blackmail and the other seven with ‘conspiracy to blackmail’. Twenty were released on bail and one without charge. Two of those nicked, main organisers in the SHAC campaign, have been held for further questioning.

Crucially, the police investigation – in a nod to corporate martial law – used intelligence and forensic support from the private sector. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry greeted news of the raids with glee: “News of today’s operation will act as a great fillip to the medical research community across Europe,” said a statement issued by Aisling Burnand, chief executive of Britain’s BioIndustry Association.

One source close to SHAC told SchNEWS, “This has all the hallmarks of a fishing expedition, designed to cause massive disruption to animal rights campaigns and show Big Pharma here and abroad that the police are making strides against the animal rights movement.”

NETCU CLOSES IN

As details emerged of the botched raid on Freshfields Animal Sanctuary in Liverpool, sanctuary head Dave Callendar told SchNEWS, “At 5.30 they kicked in the door and seized three staff members. At 6.20 they seized two others as they turned up for work. There were about sixty coppers – they set up a cordon and refused access to anyone. Those seized were held in vans but not arrested. My farm manager had his collarbone broken after he was grabbed by three police when he climbed the back wall to check on our pigs. He was held in a van for three hours and refused access to medical attention. Although the police brought an RSPCA inspector with them it was clear that when we regained access to the site that nothing had been done for the animals. Also they allowed animals to escape, which we’re still looking for. They took every single piece of hardware, mobile phones, photocopiers, you name it – but they didn’t take a single piece of paperwork. It’s difficult to see it as anything other then deliberate intimidation and disruption – nobody here is involved with the Huntingdon campaign. We’re a pro-active community organisation and we’re not going to let them walk all over us.”

The raids come against a backdrop of a decline in criminal incidents related to animal rights and demonstrate that the National Extremism Tactical Co-ordinating Unit’s (see www.netcu.org.uk) efforts are now aimed firmly at the ‘legitimate’ above ground animal rights movement. With SHAC once again able to conduct demos outside HLS (see SchNEWS 581) and activism spreading across Europe, Britain’s political police seem intent on decapitating the A.R. movement, by any means necessary.

* See www.shac.net for more
* Freshfields Animal Sanctuary see www.freshfieldsrescue.org.uk

Call for Submissions: Zine on Property Destruction

Entering the radical community, many quickly find themselves constantly hearing about debate over property destruction. Is it violence? Does it matter if it’s violence? Is it effective? Is it alienating? And on and on. I’ve been hearing this argument pretty much since I regularly started attending protests. At this point, I almost don’t want to deal with the subject. Naturally, you’re asking, “Then why the hell do you want to make a zine about it?”

The answer is simple: I may be sick of the debate, but that’s just me. As the war in Iraq drags on (dragging bloodied Iraqi corpse upon bloodied Iraqi corpse with it) and discontent and disillusionment with this whole socio-political-economic system increases, more people are getting involved in the fight against capitalism and its machines of war (both the armies abroad and the police at home). For many, when they start going to protests and demonstrations, they have at best mixed feelings about things like property destruction, violently resisting the police, or even just marching in the street without a permit. And some apprehension about these tactics is completely understandable. After all, everything in this system is designed to teach us that property (or perhaps more accurately, corporate property) is sacred, that police should always be obeyed (or else) and that breaking the law, even small laws, is morally and ethically wrong and can never be justifiable.

And so, this is a call for articles, stories, art, or anything else about the tactic of property destruction and its merits for a zine that seeks to give those on the fence about this issue a gentle nudge (and maybe convince them to rip down the fence!). Since this is meant to be a zine for people new to social movements, I respectfully ask that the tone of the articles keep that in mind when choosing their words. To put it plainly, please no anti-liberal rants–they piss me off too, but this is supposed to be the case for property destruction, not the case against liberals (maybe next time!).

When I say articles, I mean previously published or unpublished articles arguing for the validity or effectiveness of property destruction. It doesn’t even have to be something you wrote. If there’s an article that you think is really great and think that it should be included, tell me about it (things like, where I can find it, who wrote it, and how I can get ahold of them). There’s two kinds of stories that would be really great to have for this zine: personal accounts and “historical” accounts. Personal accounts would be something talking about witnessing or even committing an act of property destruction, how it made you feel, what impact it had, etc. Obviously this is very sensitive, so trying to be relatively vague is best (and also see the next paragraph for the best way to submit things like that). A “historical” account would be more of a general story (preferably contemporary) of how property destruction put pressure on an institution to win a concrete goal. Art would be anything that would be an image. A cartoon, a cool drawing, whatever.

If you have anything to contribute, please send an email to tacticaldiversity@gmail.com. I may want to edit some of your submission for various reasons (most likely space). Any edits or cuts will be run by you first. If for some reason you can’t or don’t want to submit something online, send an email and we can discuss other methods of submission. As was said above, sending personal accounts about property destruction over email is not necessarily a good idea. In fact, for both our sakes, it’s a bad idea. Any personal accounts should be submitted will an anonymous email service like www.willselfdestruct.com (be sure to make it at least 1 view). If you want me to respond somehow, you can leave an email address in the willselfdestruct message and I can respond in kind. If you don’t leave a way to respond to you, I may make edits without running them by you first. Also, a major goal is to make sure that every piece published is published with the creator’s permission. This zine isn’t going to be sold anywhere and will be distributed for free, but I still don’t want to use other people’s stuff in this zine without their express permission. So yeah, don’t submit other people’s work acting like it’s your’s and get people pissed at me. If you run an infoshop or any other radical space that could distribute this zine upon completion and are interested in receiving copies, drop a line and you’ll be kept in the loop when it comes time to publish.

In love and rage,
Casey Ford

Critical Mass reports

Police charge cyclists at Glasgow Critical Mass
29.04.2007

Last night the police committed a surprising u-turn in their approach to dealing with Glasgow Critical Mass. The Mass has previously been accompanied by cycle officers “to ensure the safety of the cyclists” however there has been no police presence since last September. This changed dramatically with the April Critical Mass; the 50-70 cyclists were tailed by a police van for the majority of the ride with the police stopping some of the riders at the front of the mass and warning them not to continue else they may face charges. In the midst of the cycle run, while the Mass dutifully waited at a red light, the two officers (A303 and A628) made their way to the front of the mass and selected three cyclists, apparently at random. It should be noted that these three were not the cyclists spoken to by the police earlier. These arbitrarily chosen cyclists have been charged with “Cycling without due consideration for other road users” under section 29 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act (exact wording: If a person rides a cycle on a road without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road, he is guilty of an offence.In this section “road” includes a bridleway). They were informed that a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal for further consideration. Watch this space.

http://www.glasgowcriticalmass.org.uk

Critical Mass London 13th Anniversary ride.
16MB film – mp4
The very well attended Mass got off to a good start, despite a spelling mistake on the kindly donated t-shirts. There was the usual large police presence with its usual intimidating videoing of riders. Pity they can’t take their own medicine and try to conceal their faces.

The police returned to their previous tactic of blocking the front of the ride, thus adding to traffic congestion. At the entrance to Parliament Square the front of the ride was blocked for several traffic light cycles. Finally, in frustration, and after some booing at the blockers, riders decide to go around on the pavement to enter the Square. At some point the ride split into two but managed to join up again in the Strand. Videoing stopped at the couriers’ pub, while the ride continued on into the night heading Eastwards.

All in all very enjoyable and merry ride.

Autonomous Environmentalists Bockade RNAD Coulport

On Thursday, 26th April, a group of autonomous environmentalists shut down RNAD Coulport, the MOD munitions depot where Britain’s nuclear weapons are stored, for a two hour period. The activists used two 15 ft tripods each with a concrete lock-on round one of the tripod legs, to blockade the two roads leading to the main gate of the base. The action was part of the Faslane 365 Environmentalists Block, commemorating the 21st anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, and in protest at the upgrading of Britain’s Trident nuclear system.

The two activists on the tripod blockading the northern access road were eventually arrested after the cutting team had removed the lock-on, and the climbing team had removed the activist at the top of the tripod, and charged with obstruction of the highway, part of the Roads Scotland Act 1984. They were held in the Faslane police cells for a three hour period before being released outside on the North Gate on caution and pending court dates.

The two activists on the second tripod blockading the shore road eventually unlocked after the northern access road had been cleared, although the activist locked on around one of the tripod legs had time to create additional disruption by unlocking only to super glue their hand to the tripod leg. Circular saws and pneumatic drills were replaced with a bowl of warm, soapy water.

In response to requests from local residents and school children preparing to sit exams, and a local MSP Jackie Baillie, Coulport was chosen as the target of the blockade instead of Faslane to maximise disruption to Britain’s nuclear programme and minimise disruption to local people. It is the opinion of the activists that the policing is responsible for long traffic delays and that police tactics are exacerbating and even capitalising on the disruption caused by the ongoing blockades.

The activists encourage other autonomous groups to take decentralised direct action against Trident and all military operations throughout the UK in order to hold back the growing tide of militarism and the environmental destruction that goes with it.