Page 203 – Respect existence or expect resistance!

Plane Stupid turns Southampton Airport into climate refugee camp

17th January: A group of activists from local anti-aviation group Plane Stupid Southampton have just chained themselves to the entrance of Southampton airport and erected tents at the main entrance in a bid turn the regional airport into a climate refugee camp. In addition to setting up camp today, activists have formally submitted a planning application with Eastleigh Borough Council to turn the airport into refugee housing.

The planned expansion of Southampton airport, along with 34 other regional airports in the UK, will do enough damage to the climate to force an estimated 1.3 million people in impoverished parts of the world to flee raising sea levels, flooding, drought and famine.

Increased flying is one of the main culprits of climate change. While the government has committed the UK to reducing CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050, the expanding aviation industry alone would destroy any hope of hitting this target. BAA hopes to increase passenger traffic for Southampton Airport form 1.5 million passengers a year to 3 million by 2015.

In order to get flying under control, the government needs to halt all airport expansion, and encourage people to take the train. Train journeys are ten times less damaging to the climate, and Southampton has excellent rail links to the rest of the UK, making flying unnecessary.

“People in the UK fly more per capita than anyone else, so the UK aviation industry has the greatest responsibility for the consequences of climate change. It makes perfect sense for Southampton to take on the burden of housing some of the world’s climate refugees”, said Pete Barker of Plane Stupid. “It’s crazy to imagine that we can tackle the serious threat posed by runaway climate change whilst still allowing airports to expand.”

info@planestupid.com
http://www.planestupid.com

Photographers turn out in solidarity against new “terror law”.

Reposted: 16.02.2009: everyone knows Indymedia’s a copper’s favourite read, but after a couple of hundred snappers turned up outside the yard this morning they’ll be queuing up today to see whose mug’s on the wire.

Because snuck in today under the usual cover of the war against terror came Section 76 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.

This criminalises anyone ‘eliciting, publishing or communicating information on members of the armed forces, intelligence services and police officers which is “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.

But given the police’s regular and blatant misuse of other laws such as Section 44 of the existing Terrorism Act and Section 1 of PACE, photographers feel it’s a racing certainty that it’ll get used to suppress evidence the police don’t want used against them.

“I can see it now”, wrote photographer Marc Vallee in Thursday’s Guardian ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/11/police-terrorism-photography-liberty-central) “If you don’t stop taking pictures of me hitting this protester on the head, I’m going to nick you under section 76 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.”

At least three legal cases are currently pending relating to such police over-exuberance at last year’s Climate Camp in Kingsnorth, Kent. Almost two thousand cops from 26 forces assembled at a cost of over 6 million quid and – having first harassed and delayed the press – chose to lay in on a regular basis on campers with steel batons.

Sadly for them these attacks were nevertheless filmed and photographed and this evidence stands ready to disprove the lies they make in justification for that behaviour. Imagine how much easier life will be for them in future if those newsgatherers can be taken away from the scene under threat of a ten year stretch.

High up behind the mirrored windows of New Scotland Yard the Forward Intelligence Team will have been at work photographing the photographers for their records.

And they’ll have noticed something new – as well as the usual twenty or so photographers they always target for “reporting the news the wrong way” there were a couple of hundred new faces: working news photographers who’ve had it up to the back teeth with being pushed around illegally on threat (and sometimes the reality) of arrest.

It’s no longer just an activist minority that sees through this sham of repression presented almost as a health and safety issue (keeping us safe from the bad men). Political police intrusion is becoming ever more invasive, is affecting all our lives and fucking up the freedoms we’re supposed to believe are (were?) our right.

This new law is just one more subtle tool in the armoury of public repression and this extraordinary turnout by what is normally an apathetic and politically careless bunch of photographers sends a clear signal that the worm is finally turning.

Thousands of mink freed from cages in Italy

Local newspapers report that late on February 9 as many as 3000 mink were freed from cages at the Italo Rossi fur farm in Fossoli (Modena). Lighting and alarm systems were disabled during the raid, and “ALF” and “Close down this concentration camp” was painted at the property.

http://www.directaction.info/news_feb15_09.htm

Insurgents blockade highway with flaming barricade in Mexico

“We have blocked a major highway in Mexico State with a barricade made by the Luddites Against Domestication of Wild Nature. The fire lit up the dark night of peace and tranquility for those people who carry in large trucks ‘raw materials’ extracted directly from the earth. The chaos was again before the eyes of the police who arrived on the scene to put out the incendiary fiesta.

We break their precious social order with our wild, insurgent and radical methods of struggle.”

anonymous report – http://directaction.info

Demonstrators target Graff Diamonds in Solidarity with Kahlahari Bushmen (11.2.09)

Survival’s campaign targeting Graff Diamonds over its involvement in a diamond mine planned on the land of Kalahari Bushmen in Botswana has stepped up a gear.

Survival’s campaign targeting Graff Diamonds over its involvement in a diamond mine planned on the land of Kalahari Bushmen in Botswana has stepped up a gear. Thirty protesters gathered on the 11.2.09 outside Graff’s flagship London store holding placards saying ‘Boycott Graff’ and ‘Botswana diamonds: Bushmen despair’.

The store is based in the fashion epicentre of London surrounded by shops from Yves San Lauren, Chanel etc. The diamond industries main product is high image and thus has shown itself to be sometimes more susceptible to pressure than other resource sectors such as mining and oil. Previous pickets by Survival International and public shaming of fashion houses and top models resulted in De Beers pulling out of the planned diamond mining in the Kalahari.

There are 100,000 Bushmen in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Angola. They are the indigenous people of southern Africa, and have lived there for tens of thousands of years.

In the middle of Botswana lies the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, a reserve created both to protect the traditional territory of the 5,000 Gana, Gwi and Tsila Bushmen (and their neighbours the Bakgalagadi), and the wildlife and ecosystem of which are a part.

In the early 1980s, diamonds were discovered in the reserve. Soon after, government ministers went into the reserve to tell the Bushmen living there that they would have to leave because of the diamond finds.

In three big clearances, in 1997, 2002 and 2005, virtually all the Bushmen were forced out. Their homes were dismantled, their school and health post were closed, their water supply was destroyed and the people were threatened and trucked away.

They now live in resettlement camps outside the reserve. Rarely able to hunt, and arrested and beaten when they do, they are dependent on government handouts. They are now gripped by alcoholism, boredom, depression, and illnesses such as TB and HIV/AIDS.

Unless they can return to their ancestral lands, their unique societies and way of life will be destroyed, and many of them will die.

Although the Bushmen won the right in court to go back to their lands in 2006, the government has done everything it can to make their return impossible. It has:

Banned them from using their water borehole,
Refused to issue a single permit to hunt on their land (despite Botswana’s High Court ruling in December that its refusal to issue permits was unlawful),
Arrested more than 50 Bushmen for hunting to feed their families,
Banned them from taking their small herds of goats back to the reserve.

Its policy is clearly to intimidate and frighten the Bushmen into staying in the resettlement camps, and making the lives of those who have gone back to their ancestral land impossible.

More information on the Kalahari Bushmen can be found on their own website : www.iwant2gohome.org or the website of Survival International (which is updated more often): www.survival-international.org/tribes/bushmen

Plane Stupid activists accuse Ed Milliband of plane hypocracy

12th Feburary 2008

12th Feburary 2008
Plane Stupid Brighton Activists have interrupted a public meeting during a speech by Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, unveiling a banner highlighting the hypocritical actions of the government in relation to aviation and climate change. The action exposes the contradiction between the government’s stated aim to cut 80% of CO2 emissions by 2050 and their plans to massively expand the aviation sector in the UK. The banner accuses the government of becoming a “Hypocracy” – a democracy governed by hypocrites.

The Plane Stupid activists dressed in t-shirts reading ‘Ed’s Popular Mobilization Team’ referring to Miliband’s call late last year for ‘Popular Mobilization’ on the issue of Climate Change[2]. Flyers listing the 34 airports planned for expansion within the UK[1] were handed out to the audience, demonstrating the apparent lack of government resolve for tackling the environmental issues that are crucial for safe-guarding our future. Demonstrating their disapproval of the governments un-democratic pandering to corporate interests, the audience made paper aeroplanes, which took flight in the direction of Ed Miliband.

“It is all very well for Ed Miliband to request the public to take action but it is time for the government to provide real leadership in tackling climate change.” Said Larry from Plane Stupid, “passing the buck is not an option if we are to avoid the chaos and loss of life Climate Change is predicted to bring.” The activists feel that their actions demonstrate their willingness to take responsibility in mobilising around the issue of Climate Change, and expect the government to similarly accompany their rhetoric with strong action.

“The government’s farcical plans for airport expansion are incompatible with meeting the required targets for preventing runaway climate change. We are engaging with the democratic process in every way we know how, but at the same time the government has hypocritically supported continued airport expansion.” Said Clare, one of the activists Brighton Plane Stupid.

Last year Ed Miliband championed the Climate Change Bill, yet in January he undermined this by supporting a Third Runway at Heathrow. The actions of Plane Stupid at this meeting highlight the incompatibility of these two positions, and challenge not only Ed Miliband but the Labour government in general to be held accountable for their commitments. Their actions similarly challenge Nancy Platt, Labour Party candidate, who will potentially perpetuate this style of government which is so full of promises, and yet so devoid of conviction. The democratic structures in place have been worryingly bypassed not only during the government’s decision on Heathrow, but also on Stansted’s second runway; where BAA has had more say than both local councils and respected scientific organizations, who oppose the planned expansions. There is a concern that these rigged consultation procedures may become commonplace, and this is what the activists do not want.

Brighton Plane Stupid activist Lucy stated “Anyone with as much access to science as Ed Miliband knows that the aviation industry cannot continue to expand. Miliband and a host of other MP’s have failed us on Heathrow, proving their words to be as reliable as quicksand, the global environmental situation does not allow us enough time to see this track record of deceit and hypocrisy grow”.

Mr Milliband was interrupted but not obstructed from making his speech in support of the Labour Party candidate Nancy Platt at the Brighthelm Centre in Brighton.

Ends

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[1] Taken from the Government’s White Paper ‘The Future of Air Transport’ Decenmber 2003
http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/air/utureofairtransportwhite5694.pdf
Accessed Feb 1 2009

[2] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/3681149/Ed-Miliband-urges-popular-mobilisation-to-tackle-climate-change.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/08/ed-miliband-climate-politics-environment
Accessed Feb 1 2009

Philippines: with 5 Members Missing, the Mamanwa Hold Strong

February 12, 2009
At least 400 members of the Mamanwa tribe in Surigao del Sur, northwestern Mindanao, are in their second week of a blockade against four mining companies: Taganito Mining Corporation (TMC), Oriental Synergy Mining Corporation (OSMC), Case Mining Company (CMC) and Platinum Group Mining Company (PGMC).

The Mamanwa previously sent notices of termination to the companies, informing them that they will longer be permitted to mine their ancestral territories because the companies have never paid them any royalty fees.

Under the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), Indigenous People in the Philippines are entitled to “a royalty payment… which shall not be less than 1% of the Gross Output of the mining operations in the area.”

Only recently has the Mamanwa learned of this.

In a statement dated February 4, day seven of the barricade, Datu Joel Buklas from the Taganito Mamanwa Association, notes that TMC has been operating in the region since the 1960s, and recently “got a new contract to operate for another 25 years in the red mountain of Surigao del Sur.”

“The moving truck loads of nickel ore is a regular scene for motorist passing along the Claver highway.”

“Literally, the red mountain of Claver is moving inch by inch every day. Sumitomo Metal Mining Company together with TMC planned to start this year the construction of a 30,000 ton-a-year smelting plant which would start its operation by 2012.” Meanwhile, Sumitomo is “determined to start the construction this year of the one-billion dollar project.”

“This is our land even before these mining companies came, we were already here, we were forcibly ousted from these lands against our will and we hope concerned government agencies whom we have been asking for years will wake up.”

“Today, 4 February 2009, is our seventh day of human barricade along the highway of Taganito, Claver, Surigao del Norte to demand before the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) on our share agreed for allowing the mining companies to ruin our lives and our ancestral domain.”
SURFACE THE MAMANWA FIVE

With the blockade still standing, the Mamanwa report that five of their carpenters, who helped put the blockade together, have been missing since they left the site to harvest food for the protesters on January 29.

Nobody knows what happened to them, however the Mamanwa point out that in December they informed the Philippine National Police, the local government and the NCIP that a blockade was in the works – “after repeated attempts of sending out notices of termination of mining operations as well as demands for just compensation proved futile,” says a February 12 statement from the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center – Kasama sa Kalikasan/FOE- Philippines (LRC-KsK).

The LRC-KsK is calling upon the Arroyo government “to exert all its efforts in locating the five IP protesters and put to justice whoever caused their disappearance,” and that “the Arroyo government do away with its obsession for mining generated revenues in the face of overwhelming rejection of IP communities who have long borne the brunt of the destruction, displacement, discrimination and disempowerment that mining operations bring with it.”

They also request that people take a moment to Call on the government:

* To surface the five missing Mamanwas;
* To respect and protect the barricade of the Mamanwt;
* To scrap the Philippine Mining Act of 1995; and
* To make sure that mining companies in Mamanwa ancestral domain respect indigenous peoples rights, give just compensation to the Mamanwa community and stop all mining operation.

You can send your appeals to:

The Chief of Police
Chief Director General Jesus Verzosa
Philippine National Police
Email: pio@pnp.gov

The Chief of Staff (Armed Forces)
Gen. Alexander B. Yano
Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines
Email: via website: http://www.afp.mil.ph/ghq/csafp/index.htm (follow link on left-hand side to guestbook)

The Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Jose “Lito” L. Atienza, Jr
Email: web@denr.gov
Email add: osec@denr.gov

The Mines and Gosciences Bureau Regional Director – Region 13
ALILO C. ENSOMO, JR.
e-mail: mgbrxiii@philcom. ph

With copies to:

The Chairperson of the Philippines Commission on Human Rights
Email: drpvq@chr.gov, atty_delima@yahoo.com

The Chairperson of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
Atty. Eugenio A. Insigne
Email: resource@ncip. gov.ph

“Car-lofts” attacked, porsche, bmw & upperclass cars torched, Germany

07/02/09: Attempted arson on cars
01/02/09: „Car-Lofts“ attacked with stones and color
31/01/09: Again two arsons against upperclass cars
30/01/09: Porsche torched
28/01/09: BMW burned

07/02/09: Attempted arson on cars
01/02/09: „Car-Lofts“ attacked with stones and color
31/01/09: Again two arsons against upperclass cars
30/01/09: Porsche torched
28/01/09: BMW burned
27/01/09: Again a car burned in Berlin: state security investigates

Attempted arson on cars

Berlin, 7 of February 2009
Unknown persons tried again to burn several cars in Kreuzberg.
The fire device, placed under a car in the Sebastianstraße, could be stopped by passer-byers, declared the police.
One found three device more under three other cars which did not burn.

Source: Morgenpost

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„Car-Lofts“ attacked with stones and color

Berlin, 1 of February 2009
Unknown authors demolished the windows of a building in Kreuzberg.
After the first investigations, one attack must have happened already in the night to Saturday, with bottles full of color.
Since a political motivation can not be excluded, state security investigates.

Source: Polizei Ticker

note for english-speaking reader: the building is the notorious „car-lofts“, a yuppie project builded in Kreuzberg, victim of several militant attacks since its beginning.

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Again two arsons against upperclass cars

Berlin, 31 of January 2009

Arsonists undertook again two arsons on upperclass cars in Friedrichshain and Prenzlauerberg.
Policemen could prevent higher damages on a BMW, by extinguishing the fire with antifire powder they had with them.
A Mercedes CLK got instead completely damaged.
Already 26 cars have been burned following 18 arsons attacks undertaken by unknown persons.

Source: Morgenpost

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Porsche torched

Berlin, 30 of January 2009

On friday morning people torched another cars, probably out of political reasons.
This was a Porsche Cayenne parked in the Chorinerstraße corner Zehdenickerstraße, Mitte.
Passer-byers noticed the flames and alarmed the fire brigade.
The car got completly damaged, state security investigates.

Source: Morgenpost

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BMW burned

Berlin, 28 of January 2009

A car got burned today early in the morning in Mitte.
Inhabitants noticed a „BMW“ going on fire in the Fehrberlinerstraße around 3.30am and called the fire brigade.
A car parked next to it got also damaged.
Since a political motivation is not excluded, state security investigates.

Source: Polizei Pressemeldung

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Again a car burned in Berlin: state security investigates

Berlin, 27 of January 2009

In Berlin another car got set on fire, probably out of political reasons.
An inhabitant discovered the fire in the Netzestraße, Neukölln, in the early hours of tuesday and called the fire brigade, as the police reports.
It is already the number 22 car burned in Berlin this year.

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direct action news from greece
http://directactionde.blogspot.com

spike social centre eviction in progress – London

12.2.2009 9am
the spike surplus scheme of 39b consort road, peckham, London is being eveicted as we speak. bailiffs, cops, pcsos and “community wardens” are on site.

after a ten year project in the building which has been in community use for 150 years, the property division of soutwark council have decided to end the project. though they promised to give notice to clear the projects equipment before eviction, southwark council gave instructions to get a special court order so as not to give any notice at all.

Jeremy pilgrim of the southwark council lead the police operation, visiting the project for the first time this morning after many previous invites to visit the community centre.

people have been told to liase with bailiffs in order to collect the thousands of pounds worth of equipment still there.

www.spikesurplus.org

www.myspace.com/spikesurplus

Manchester students occupy roof of Royal Bank of Scotland

Around 35 students held a climate change ‘Eviction Demonstration’ outside (and on top of) a Royal Bank of Scotland branch at the University of Manchester Students Union on Wednesday 11th February 2009. The group from People and Planet have submitted a motion to the Union General Meeting proposing that the Union does not renew the lease for RBS’ branch when it expires in January 2010.

The demo began on the steps of the Student Union at noon. RBS had hired in extra security, and the campus cops were sniffing around. So a group went to the front of the RBS and talked loudly of their plans for ‘rapid information dessimination’.

Whilst this distraction ensued, tieing up security, a second group snuck round the back and climbed aboard the roof. From here they dropped banners advertising RBS’ fossil fuel investments and advertising the Union general meeting the following week.

Meanwhile the rapid information dessimination went ahead with everyone racing off to speak to as many people as they could in 20 minutes before returning back to the RBS branch to compare scores.

The Royal Bank of Scotland provided $16 billion for coal companies and exploration projects from May 2006 to April 2008. This has included some of the dirtiest and most dangerous oil and gas projects including the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline in Tiblisi, Georgia which has been criticised by Amnesty, WWF, and Friends of the Earth for its human rights and pollution impacts. The embedded emissions from RBS loans total more than those of the whole of Scotland.

Toby Brett, 19, Physics Student at Manchester University says; “We hope to send a clear message to RBS that if they continue with their irresponsible investments then they will not be welcome to rent branch space from our student union.”

This action was part of a wider national campaign calling for a boycott on RBS in September 2009.

Manchester People and Planet have previously staged a flashmob protest against RBS at a University recruitment event
(http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/21650)

And awarded RBS a spoof greenwash award at their regional headquarters in Deansgate.
(http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/21907)

For more detail on RBS’ climate crimes please visit:
www.peopleandplanet.org/ditchdirtydevelopment
www.oyalbankofscotland.com