South East England – Page 17

Plane Stupid issues 48hr subvertising challenge

It’s that time of year when every airline starts aggressively advertising for your business. Well, we’ve had enough. Plane Stupid is inviting all of you to take part in its very own subvertising competition. From Thursday 22nd April – Friday 23rd April, we’ll be launching 48 hours of sticker-whacking, subvertising, adbusting pandemonium.

The aviation industry spends millions every year telling us that we’re no good to anyone unless we keep flying with them. So it’s time to hit back! Like tobacco adverts, aviation advertising needs to become a thing of the past. But until then, let’s subvertise. Any poster, advert or billboard is fair game.

Whether you’re a first time activist looking for an easy way-in, or an old timer looking for some light relief………it’s time to take to the streets and reclaim some public space. Taking part is easy:

1. You can download a choice of designs from our Flickr site, or use your design skills to make your own.
2. Print them out on standard, non divided, A4 sticker paper (available from most printers and stationers).
3. Then find your nearest aviation advertisement.
4. Stick ’em up punk!
5. Take photographs, set up a new temporary email address in an internet cafe (under a pseudonym) and email your images to info@planestupid.com.

The group who stickers the most adverts in the 48 hour period wins. Wins what? Prizes! We got the bumper crop of 5 spray cans, Culture Jam by Kalle Lasn, Do It Yourself, A handbook for changing our world, by the Trapese Collective and Scribbleboy by Philip Ridley to give away.

Of course don’t feel limited to individual stickers, think big! You can write your own message on large stretches of blank wall paper to cover whole bill boards. Make up some wall paper paste, get a paint roller, a stick it up. If necessary – attach the roller to a broom handle for those hard to reach places. Helpfully, there’s some great how-to guides on t’internet.

One last point. Please be respectful about where you sticker. Corporate nasties are fine…..but the local old people’s homes may not appreciate your art on their walls!

Use your head, and remember to dress well for the occasion – caps and scarves are the in thing this subvertising season. Some officers of the law may be convinced that subvertising is borderline illegal, so take a friend as lookout, keep an eye open for CCTV and don’t get caught.

Camp Cuckoo taken to court, and trees later felled

15 March 2010
Legal action has been started to try to evict “Camp Cuckoo” campaigners who are fighting a road scheme in Essex.

Protesters are camped on Priory Crescent, Southend, opposing a £5m Cuckoo Corner road improvement scheme on the burial site of a Saxon King.

15 March 2010
Legal action has been started to try to evict “Camp Cuckoo” campaigners who are fighting a road scheme in Essex.

Protesters are camped on Priory Crescent, Southend, opposing a £5m Cuckoo Corner road improvement scheme on the burial site of a Saxon King.

Southend Borough Council said court papers had been served on protesters.

The king has been dubbed the “King of Bling” after archaeologists found gold at the 8th Century site and an earlier protest camp was named after him.

Protesters have put up six tents at Cuckoo Corner roundabout – at the opposite end of Priory Crescent where the previous camp, dubbed “Camp Bling”, was set up five years ago.

‘Significant disruption’

The council said the Cuckoo Corner scheme aimed to improve the flow of traffic at one of the town’s worst bottlenecks.

Lorraine Butler, interim head of enterprise, said: “The aim of the legal proceedings is to take back possession of the land so we can begin work.

“The protesters have no right to be there and their actions have already caused significant disruption.

“Peaceful protest is everybody’s right in a democratic society but any action that hinders the progress of the approved scheme is not acceptable.

“Their actions have left us with no alternative but to resort to legal proceedings to ensure we can progress with the scheme.”

18th March 2010 – possession order granted to council in the morning, protestors leave site in afternoon.
Mainstream videos: 1 | 2

20th March 2010 – trees felled from 8am-noon, with bailiff team present but no opposition to deal with in trees, and Chargecrest Security to keep people away

-> “Saturday was horrific and we are still trying to come to terms with what we saw and the way we were goaded and ridiculed and physically and verbally abused all day by the Council’s hired yobs. However, we know that we reached a great number of the public who were driving past and seeing the terrible things that the Council and its thugs were doing and they way in which we were conducting our peaceful protest. We had so much support from the public and we are still standing and will re-group and fight on even stronger than before. If it hadn’t been for SKIPP and our protest, the Council would’ve got away with this terrible destruction relatively scott-free so I really believe that we turned a terrible tragedy into a small victory and we are even more determined now to continue our fight to get those evil, corrupt “people” out of power.”

Video from tree-chopping day – protestors tractor-dive

Titnore Woods – amazing victory! But…

IN A TOTALLY unexpected move, Worthing borough councillors have thrown out the 875-home housing scheme threatening Titnore Woods.

They had been recommended to approve the plans and there was little suggestion that the Tory-run authority had any thought of saying no to the property developers.

IN A TOTALLY unexpected move, Worthing borough councillors have thrown out the 875-home housing scheme threatening Titnore Woods.

They had been recommended to approve the plans and there was little suggestion that the Tory-run authority had any thought of saying no to the property developers.
Maybe it was the vast wave of opposition in the town that swayed them, maybe the ongoing presence of the protest camp after nearly four years, maybe the articulate and knowledgeable speeches against the development, maybe the tangible seething anger in the hall from a wide spectrum of the town’s population, maybe it was something to do with the forthcoming elections…
It is also very likely that the developers’ consortium will appeal, of course. But that’s a fight for another day.
This is the moment to celebrate the winning of a massive local victory – and the reprieve, for the time being at least, of the woods and fields of West Durrington from the powers of greed and destruction.

Here’s what the local paper put up on its website:

Elation as councillors reject West Durrington development

WORTHING Council’s planning committee has rejected the controversial West Durrington development, which would have eventually featured around 1,200 homes and a school and led to the destruction of ancient woodland.

The council’s development and control committee unanimously voted against officers’ recommendations that the decision be referred, with their backing, to the Secretary of State, and instead rejected the plans outright.

Around 180 people attended the meeting, which was held at the Assembly Hall to accommodate the intense public interest in the scheme.
Many cheered and hugged in the aisle when committee members voted against the scheme.

Others shouted “thank you” and gave the committee a standing ovation.

Violent scenes at previous meetings meant numerous security officers monitored public access and patrolled inside the hall and a heavy police presence kept order outside.

But disturbances inside the hall were limited to a few vocal interruptions and any threat of disorder evaporated once councillors’ opposition to the plans became apparent.

—–

Titnore Protester begins hunger strike in response to wrongful arrest

On the morning of the 5th March ten police officers entered Titnore woods protest site in west Durrington brandishing cameras and gathering footage of the site. One man, Jack Rumbold was arrested and charged with “obstructing a police officer.” Mr Rumbold’s stringent bail conditions forbid him from entering the Titnore woods site where he had been living peacefully for some time, effectively rendering him homeless and unable to contact the other protesters he required to give evidence about the arrest. On the 17th March Mr. Rumbold walked into Centenary house, Durrington’s local police station demanding that he be re arrested and held on remand. Mr Rumbold’s actions were made in an attempt to force the authorities to reassess the situation regarding his disproportionate punishment. Jack maintains there is “no case to answer” regarding the incident. This comes at a time when camp Titnore should be celebrating it’s recent victory in Worthing town hall as the local planning committee rejects plans to devastate over a hundred acres of Goring’s ancient woodland. However, for the camp the relief is all too fleeting, with preparations already being made for the upcoming appeal against the democratically made decision. As the reality of the battle ahead sinks in the camp’s thoughts are with Jack, who will be on hunger strike in a prison cell in Lewes.
For more information contact Titnore Wood’s protest site at 0791353408

Social Centres in a Time of Crisis

A weekend of workshops, discussions and socialising for everyone with an interest in radical autonomous social centres.

• How can a new generation of social centres learn from the successes and failures of established ones? What are the ways in which we can best face up to the challenges?

A weekend of workshops, discussions and socialising for everyone with an interest in radical autonomous social centres.

• How can a new generation of social centres learn from the successes and failures of established ones? What are the ways in which we can best face up to the challenges?

• How can we sustain energy and dynamism? Can we stop the daily grind of actually running a social centre from eclipsing the politics and passion behind it

• Is there a way in which we can capitalise on the current widespread disaffection with mainstream politics? What is the role of social centres in a time of crisis?

• What is the current situation with your social centre? What’s going right, what’s going wrong, and what support do you need?

At the Common Place, Leeds 17-18th April 2010
http://www.thecommonplace.org.uk/

Saturday: 10am – 6pm, followed by dinner and entertainment
Sunday: 10am for brunch, 11am – 4pm

Lunch available on both days.

socialcentres2010@googlemail.com

New Tescos at Titnore, Worthing Attacked

In the early hours of Monday morning, the new Tescos by Titnore Woods protest site was attacked. The locks were super glued and the messages “TESCOS SUCKS” and quite simply “Go away” were spraypainted accross the windows of the front entrance.

Shortly afterwards one person was arrested and is waiting to be charged. Most likely to be joint enterprise of criminal damage.

Tesco now controls over 30% of the grocery market in the UK. In 2009, the supermarket chain announced profits of over £3bn. Growing evidence indicates that Tesco’s success is partly based on trading practices that are having serious consequences for suppliers, farmers and workers worldwide, local shops and the environment.
In recent years tey have been building more and more site of ecological interest.

Another Shell recruitment event disrupted

9.03.2010
Corporate sleaze-merchants trying to recruit graduates in Oxford got another rough ride at the hands of local activists.

This evening, at the University’s Ashmolean museum, the oil multinational Shell attempted to hold a talk on ‘The Challenges of the Future’ and how bright young graduates can help. We had other ideas…

9.03.2010
Corporate sleaze-merchants trying to recruit graduates in Oxford got another rough ride at the hands of local activists.

Despite noticeably increased security (police, museum security, Shell staff and even the head of University security), a mixture of blatant blaggery and student infiltration got most of us inside. As usual, we had our own alternative presentation ready, but when they suggested that it would be accommodated at the *end* of the event it was clear we were being fobbed off. So the heckles and awkward questions started.

As more and more of the troublemakers dropped their incognito cover to lambast, interrogate or politely-but-pointedly-query the presenters, it became clear that at least a quarter of the relatively small audience were involved. A wonderful moment came when those of us who already knew each other were pleasantly surprised to discover more undercover allies who we didn’t know, intervening at the perfect moment with a human rights report on Shell’s crimes in the Niger delta.

Eventually many of the ‘genuine’ audience members just got up and left, despite the event not being over… until we were left with pretty much just us, Shell, and security. At which point we got to tell them they could expect resistance everywhere, and that their company would ultimately be shut down whether they liked it or not, and left.

Favourite anecdote of the night: the door security guy who, on hearing my name wasn’t on the list and I didn’t have ID, told me to go and ask his superior if it was OK. I went off in the direction indicated, asked the cops the time to pass a moment or two, and then went back and:
‘She said it’s fine’
‘OK, in you go then’…! 🙂

BP Fortnight of Shame

The BP Fortnight of Shame is a call to action from the UK Tar Sands Network, Rising Tide and the Camp for Climate Action to force BP to reverse their crazy plans to move into Canada’s tar sands.

The BP Fortnight of Shame is a call to action from the UK Tar Sands Network, Rising Tide and the Camp for Climate Action to force BP to reverse their crazy plans to move into Canada’s tar sands. It runs between the annual Fossil Fools Day on April 1st, which in recent years has seen a flurry of action against the fossil fuels industry, and BP’s Annual General Meeting on April 15th. Grassroots groups across the UK, in solidarity with First Nations indigenous peoples, will be taking action to stop BP’s deadly plans in their tracks. This will include a global day of action on Saturday 10th April. All are encouraged to get involved.

Why Tar Sands?

Attempts to avert the planet from sliding into climate crisis are being threatened by a single massive project in the Canadian wilderness. Already, millions of barrels of tar sands oil are being extracted every day, producing three to five times as many greenhouse gas emissions as conventional oil. The extraction process is immensely resource-intensive, currently using enough natural gas every day to heat 3.2 million Canadian homes. Add to this the mass deforestation the projects are causing, ridding us of desperately needed carbon sinks, then it becomes clear this project cannot be allowed to continue if we are serious about preventing runaway climate change.

The effects tar sands are having on local First Nations indigenous communities are devastating. The tar sands development in Alberta covers an area the size of England, with toxic tailing ponds so huge they are visible from space, leaking poisons into the local water supply. Not only are indigenous livelihoods and futures being destroyed, but communities on land where tar sands extraction has been imposed are experiencing disturbingly high rates of rare forms of cancer and auto-immune diseases.

Why BP?

BP are the only major oil company with no tar sands extraction projects currently in operation. This is about to change. Since 2007, BP have quietly ditched the ‘Beyond Petroleum’ sham, because investing in renewables simply wasn’t making them enough profit. They have decided to go Back to Petroleum, with a vengeance, under the leadership of new Chief Executive Tony Hayward.

Moving into tar sands was one of the first steps Tony Hayward took, acquiring a half share in the Sunrise Project with Husky Energy. The Sunrise Project will be huge, producing 200,000 barrels of filthy oil a day, and using Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), an extraction process even more energy and water intensive than the more visible surface-mining operations.

The recession has given us a window of opportunity. BP have been forced to postpone their final decision on whether to go ahead until the second half of 2010. This means it is not too late for us to stop this outrageous project. BP are desperate for Sunrise to go ahead, and will certainly not go down without a fight, but with effective and sustained action we can win this one.
What can I do?

Local groups across the UK, from Brighton to Scotland, are already engaged in plotting and planning for the Fortnight of Shame. If your local group isn’t already planning something, then get suggesting ideas. If you haven’t already got a local group, then check out the local groups that form the Camp for Climate Action network. All are open to everyone to join.

Coal Action Scotland InfoTour dates

The Mainshill Solidarity Camp is going on tour! Check our list of dates below to see if we’re coming anywhere near you. If you’d like us to to a talk where you are and its not on the list, email us at mainshill [at] riseup.net and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

10th March
Brighton
7pm at the Cowley Club
London Road

12th March
Leeds
7pm at the Bandstand Community Allotments
Woodhouse Ridge, Meanwood Road
15th March
Bradford
7pm at the 1 in 12 Club
21-23 Albion Street

16th March
Lancaster
7pm at the Lancaster Action Resource Centre
78a Penny Street

Transition Heathrow turns wasteland into community garden

1/3/2010
Community activists from the group Transition Heathrow have taken over an abandoned market garden threatened by the third runway. Around lunchtime, 20 people “swooped” on the land in Sipson, one of the villages due for demolition if the third runway at Heathrow goes ahead.

More photos on Transition Heathrow’s Flickr stream.

After securing the site, the group immediately informed their new neighbours and local residents of their intention to reopen the old market garden for the benefit of the local community. The ‘Grow Heathrow’ project aims to encourage and support locally grown produce in an area that once had some of the most fertile soils in Britain.

Transition Heathrow has launched the project to highlight the need for a community controlled food supply in order to remain resilient to the impacts of peak oil and climate change. It intends to use the old market garden not only for growing, but also for activities such as bike workshops, clothes making, solidarity support for local workers and direct action workshops for people trying to stop the third runway.

Transition Heathrow member and local resident Joe Rake, described the events of the day. “Around lunchtime, a group of us walked onto the site. Once we had secured the gate, we set about telling local residents why we were there and inviting them to join in. We also had to start tidying up as it appeared to have been used for scrapping cars. Since the last tenants were evicted, the site has attracted unsavoury characters, so we wanted to restart the market garden for the good of the local community.”

Many of those involved in the ‘swoop’ see today’s action as a positive way of resisting the third runway whilst building an alternative community solution in its place. Heathrow resident Amy Summer said “We’ve been fighting the threat of the third runway for years, and its blighted our community. This kind of action not only helps stop expansion but also helps regenerate the area, providing local skills, green jobs and organic produce instead.”

“This form of direct action is just as important as sitting on a runway, blockading the bulldozers or striking for more green jobs. There’s no point in growing your own veg if it’s going to be covered in tarmac by BAA. At the same time there’s no point in community resistance if there’s no community left to defend. We have to do both,” she added.

Climate Camp Invades Lewes Tesco

28.02.2010

28.02.2010
Climate change activists teamed up with local residents to invade the Tesco superstore in Lewes, East Sussex on Saturday in protest at plans to increase the size of the supermarket by 50%. More than 80 protesters took part, entering the store and embarking on a game of Tesco Whirl. The idea is to grab a trolley keep it empty and form up with others to create a giant conga chain.

The point of not actually shopping was to highlight that for every £3.00 spent on retail in Lewes, £2.00 is spent in Tesco.

By increasing the size of the store, money will be drained from the independent shops, harming the town’s local economy. But police had received a tip off about the action and were on hand to prevent some protesters entering the shop while ejecting those who attempted to form a chain. Still a chain of 10 trolleys at a time did form.

As activists were thrown out of the store a party formed at the entrance with music and dancing from activists in endangered animal masks.

Climate Camp activist and Lewes resident Marina Pepper said: “Tesco is more expensive than people realise, thanks to their misleading advertising campaigns. They also rip off farmers and destroy local communities by undercutting and bankrupting competition leading to high unemployment and boarded up town centres.

“Tesco has a strong foothold in Lewes. It’s only the robustness of the local economy that has saved it so far. But these expansion plans are madness and could spell the end, destroying so much that our town holds dear – namely our independent shops which provide us with choices as to how we shop and what we buy.

“This action today was only the launch of a campaign that will see Climate Camp working side by side with community groups to ensure one way or another Tesco’s growth plans are thwarted. We implore people to contact their local councilors, especially those on the planning committee and tell them a bigger Tesco is unwelcome here. Ever y little extra will hurt.”

The activities of massive supermarkets like Tesco involve scandalous waste, pollution and environmental degradation.

Supermarket food travels vast distances, products are over packaged and customers travel ever greater distances once local shops are driven out of business. This leads to an increase in road congestion, accidents, noise, air pollution and CO2 emissions which contribute to climate change.

Supermarket demands are also behind the continuing industrialisation of agriculture. Big farmers are getting bigger to survive while small farmers are going bust. This leads to increased disease among livestock and cruel factory farm practices.

Further information.

Tesco stores erode local choice as smaller, independent shops struggle to compete. Independent stores in the UK shut at the rate of 2,000 a year in recent years. Over 17,000 independent shops closed in England and Wales last year.

Large supermarkets like Tesco also:
• Siphon money away from local communities and towards distant corporations
• Increase traffic and congestion from lorry movements and customers
• Destroy local jobs and undermine local job markets
• Every large outlet causes the net loss of 276 local jobs on average
• Generate waste and over-package their products
• Exploit suppliers and damage the environment
• Cynically manipulate prices to fleece shoppers

Tesco is the largest retailer in the UK:
• Over £1 in every £7 (14.3%) of UK retail sales is spent at Tesco
• It has takings of more than £1 billion a week
• It made profits of over £3 billion last year
• It has £30 million turnover in Lewes compared to £17m for all other shops

southcoast@climatecamp.org.uk
http://climatecamp.org.uk/get-involved/local-groups/south-coast