Tasers in Nottingham and elsewhere
25 Aug 2010
Tasers are becoming an increasingly prominent tool in the arsenal of police in Nottinghamshire and elsewhere. This should raise important questions, regardless of whether you accept the anarchist critique of the police as a tool of state control, view them as a necessary evil or actually regard the boys in blue as good for society. However, these questions do not seem to be asked. Despite a number of high profile incidents when tasers have been deployed, we continue to creep towards a situation where police are routinely armed without any public debate on whether this is actually what we want or not.

Climate Camp: Breaking the Bank
19 Aug 2010
The Camp for Climate Action is happening now on a site right next to the Gogarburn Headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland near Edinburgh. RBS is one of the world’s largest investors in oil, gas and coal and recipient of a 50 billion bailout from public funds. Climate Campers secured the site on Wednesday night in advance of the announced ‘swoop’ and the camp is now well underway. Everyone is invited to join in four days of training and direct action from 21-24 August.Reports on the newswire: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Photos: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Other camp links: | Website | Call-out | Twitter | Directions | Timeline |

Climate Camp Cymru
13 Aug 2010
Evicted Climate Camp Cymru now on new siteClimate Camp Cymru, which was due to continue until Tuesday 17th August at Glyn-Neath in South Wales, was evicted by the police on its second day (Saturday 14th) over alleged complaints about possible damage to the site chosen by the campers, a Roman Hill Fort. The camp was re-established by Sunday 15th on a new site on the Gower Peninsula near Swansea.

Nottingham Pride 2010
12 Aug 2010
Nottingham Pride continues to go from success to success, this year’s event was for the first time held at the Forest Recreation Ground, a step-up from the Arboretum where it has been held previously. Following on from last year, the event was preceded by a well-attended march. Encouragingly this year, there was an explicitly political fringe event, with a number of speakers including prominent gay rights activist Peter Tatchell.On the newswire: Nottingham Pride: more than a walk in the park? | Nottingham Pride 2010 | Nottingham Pride – Political Speakers | Nttm Gay Pride now underway on Forest Rec Ground | Nottingham’s Gay Pride Parade | Anti-gay Bollocks, stickers appearing in townPrevious Coverage: Pride 2009 | ‘My Big Gay’ LGBT Nottingham photo | Pride 2008: 1 | 2 | Nottingham Gay Rainbow Heritage Exhibition | Pride 2007: 1 | 2 | Pride 2006: 1 | 2 | Pride 2005: 1 | 2 | Pride 2004

PFI Turns Into Ongoing PR Disaster for Barclays
12 Aug 2010
Having spent 25m on the branding rights to London’s new cycle hire scheme, the bright sparks in the Barclays marketing department have started a dialogue with the public and which could last for several years. The scheme is part of a private finance initiative providing thousands of rental bikes in return for painting London’s roadways in the bank’s corporate colours.Only minutes after the bank unveiled the bikes-for-rent in partnership with the city’s Conservative administration, situationist guerrilla teams struck in the night to add their own mobile advertising messages under the Barclays logo. One of the messages, “Funding depleted uranium birth defects in Iraq”, was particularly timely. New studies suggest that the ongoing genetic damage caused by the U.S. attack on the Iraqi city of Fallujah in 2004 may be worse than that caused by the atom bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 65 years ago.Barclays was also targeted in Cambridge on Friday 30th July 2010.

Dissident Island Radio’s 3rd anniversary
11 Aug 2010
Mostly from London Action Resource Centre the capital’s most cheeky radio crew have netcasted a lively radio show every other Friday for the past three years.On Dissident Island’s ”>third birthday, the crew brought a nice mixed bag of happenings from the UK and beyond.In the History corner this week we have Martyn Everett discussing the life and work of revolutionary Frechwoman Louise Michel.We hear about the upcoming anniversary of Sean Rigg’s death in police custody as well as some of the inspirational and defiant speeches from last week’s vigil for Ian Tomlinson.Finishing off the talking we had an exclusive follow up with members of the Belgrade 6 on their acquittal. Ronin rolled up to the studio at around 10 to help us celebrate our birthday in style – raise a toast to three years of radical radio!Check it – click here to download (132 mb),D*Iwww.dissidentisland.org

Detained migrants on hunger strike
8 Aug 2010
“Today we raise our voices until liberty is ours. [...] We deserve to be heard and until such time, we fight.”Around 150 migrants held at Campsfield migrant prison near Kidlington are on hunger strike “as a result of the treatment of detainees in detention centres especially for people who have been detained for a long period of time”.“Our lives incidentally have been stalled without any hope of living a life, having a family or any future [...] some of us are tortured and even face death or mental distress [...] We are issued removal directions without given enough time for an appeal. [...] On a regular basis, we are tortured, restrained, strapped like animals and beating to effect removal.”Local campaigners have responded by immediately organising several solidarity demos and calling for people to write to their MPs. At least one detainee perceived as a ringleader has been transferred to another detention centre and placed in solitary detention.The next demo is Monday 9th August, from 7pm, at Campsfield, Langford Lane, Kidlington. Cyclists will meet at St Giles at 6pm to ride there together. There are also regular buses from Oxford.[ First detainee statement | Second statement | Reports of loud chanting | Friday demo + other updates ][ Campaign to Close Campsfield | Oxford No Borders | Barbed Wire Britain ][ Previous Campsfield detainee actions: June 2006 hunger strike | March 2007 riot | August 2007 riot and escape ]

Making Our Own Media – public meeting
7 Aug 2010
Oxford Indymedia will be having a public meeting on Thursday 26 August at 7.00pm in the Oxford Action Resource Centre, East Oxford Community Centre, Princes St, OX4 1DD.We’re really keen to involve more people in Oxford Indymedia. If you’ve got an interest in grassroots camapigning and activism, we would love to see or hear from you. There are many roles within Oxford Indymedia – from writing feature stories to writing computer code; from writing your own news to moderating other people’s news; from designing graphics to promoting Oxford Indymedia – everybody has something they can contribute.Oxford Indymedia is the grassroots alternative to the mainstream media. Unlike most news outlets, we don’t have any hidden agendas, corporate sponsors, or owners that we have to appease. Our website (which you’re currently looking at) allows you to publish your own stories in your own words and with your own pictures. And we have an events calendar so you can promote your events to get more people involved in grassroots actions in Oxford.

SchNEWS 734: Grassroots Struggle
5 Aug 2010
Yet another independent festival has been cancelled after a concerted campaign by bureaucrats, nimbys and the fun police.The Grassroots Feastival is a small volunteer run event due to take place in Cambridgeshire in early September. Organisers had lined up three days of revelry, running from poetry to Drum ‘n’ Bass and culminating in a communal banquet replete with juggling waiters.The Feastival faced determined opposition from the very start. According to one of the organisers, Mooney, when the application process began in January the council made it clear they would do all they could to stop the festival taking place. Martin Ford from the police licensing board went one step further and told organisers, ?I’d rather put pins in my eyes than have this festival in my county.?Links: www.thegrassrootsfeastival.co.uk

Crown Court rules against Surveillance of Meeting
28 Jul 2010
The Crown Court cleared three activists of the charges of “obstructing the police” on Friday.The Inner London Crown Court ruled that police surveillance of a public political meeting had not been proved to be lawful and that the police had failed to provide any evidence that they were pursuing a “legitimate aim”. The three activists were arrested at a meeting called by London NoBorders in June 2008 when they protested against the surveillance of the meeting by “Forward Intelligence Team.”

Ian Tomlinson death: police will not face charges
28 Jul 2010
The Crown Prosecution Service has announced that the police officer who was caught on video striking Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests last year who later died will not face criminal charges.London Class war have called for people to gather outside the offices of Keir Starmer the DPP next Friday 30th July from 12-2pm. Ian Cameron of the George Davis Defence Campaign will be speaking there.Read a personal account on the events relating to Mr. Tomlisnon’s death.

No more democracy village
28 Jul 2010
80 days ago the democracy village set up on parliament square. Now it has gone. After losing the court hearing on 16th July (press release), and sending a call out to stand up for democracy, the eviction started just after 1am on Monday night. The public square was fenced in and democracy out (pics | video), and the two people in D-locks couldn’t stop this. No one was arrested, but calls were made for a day of non-violent direct action today and a people’s assembly this Saturday 1pm.See the democracy village newswire at london.indymedia.org/about/democracy_villageReport

Campaign launched to close down German dolphinarium
28 Jul 2010
“Not only do we have to fight criminal operations and cruelty to animals on the high seas but also take responsibility and direct action to help those who are imprisoned in concrete pools, doomed to entertain us.”Palawas, Nando, Kite and Rocko. Those are the given names to four bottlenose dolphins who are currently performing at the dolphinarium in Mnster, Germany. Built in 1974 as part of the local zoo, the dolphinarium remains one of the last three of its kind in Germany. From the original nine facilities keeping dolphins in captivity, only Nrnberg, Duisburg and Mnster are still blocking and ignoring concerns of animal welfare groups, conservationists, politicians and the public.Links: The Black Fish | Save Japan Dolphins

Call for action against escalating house demolitions in Jordan Valley, Palestine
27 Jul 2010
Brighton Jordan Valley Solidarity have called for international action to stop the house demolitions, harassment and attempted ethnic cleansing of Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley.Within days of video footage being released showing Netanyahu’s stated intentions to declare the entire Jordan Valley as a closed military area,the Israeli army destroyed 26 homes in the small village of Al Farisiya.The call for action was launched in Brighton on Tuesday, with the establishment of a Palestine Solidarity Settlement in Waitrose. Brighton Jordan Valley Solidarity is calling on others to:* Call local demonstrations against companies that sell Israeli produce, and Zionist organisations that support settlement expansion in the Jordan Valley* Donate to the fund to rebuild the demolished houses (email brightontubas@gmail.com)* Write to those responsible for the house demoitions* Go to the Jordan Valley to support the local community

Sheffield Indy Radio Show #2 – Deportations, The EDL and Divide and Rule
24 Jul 2010
The second Sheffield Indy Radio Show, Deportations, The EDL and Divide and Rule, features a discussion about the recent EDL confrontation at a Sheffield Indymedia meeting, the campaigns to oppose the deportations of two women from Sheffield, Odette Sefuko and Lem Lem Hussein Abdu, a listing of upcoming events from Alt-Sheff, news about the BP gulf oil spill via Democracy Now.Read on to listen to the show and more details about what is in the show, Intro, Deportations, the BP Oil Spill, the EDL and some Chat. If you missed it the first Sheffield Indy Radio Show came out on 17th June 2010.

SchNEWS 732: Getting Away With Murder
22 Jul 2010
?After 16 months of waiting, to hear nothing is being done is a complete joke. Today they gave us no hope. This experience has broken our family apart. The DPP has told us there was an unlawful act, yet no charges are to be brought. This is no justice – everyone has failed us.? – Ian Tomlinson’s son Paul King.Ian Tomlinson, a 47 year old news-vendor was killed at the G20 protests in April 2009. His family have waited until now to find out what action the justice system was going to take. The Director of Public Prosecution Keir Starmer stated today (Thurs) that there would be no charges brought against any police officers involved in the death of Ian Tomlinson. This astonishingly bare faced whitewash prompted the director of INQUEST Deborah Coles to say ?The eyes of the world will be looking on with incredulity as yet again a police officer is not facing any criminal charges after what is one of the most clear-cut and graphic examples of police violence that has led to death. This decision is a shameful indictment of the way police criminality is investigated and demonstrates a culture of impunity when police officers break the law. It follows a pattern of cases that reveal an unwillingness to treat deaths arising from the use of force by police as potential homicides?On the Newswire: 1 | 2 | 3Family Campaign Fighting Fund | Picket of DPP 30/7In SchNEWS: 508 | 647)Links: www.inquest.org.uk | www.iantomlinsonfamilycampaign.org.uk

SchNEWS 731 – GM: Against the Grain
15 Jul 2010
This week sees GM firmly back in the spotlight. On Wednesday the EU took a huge step in pushing forward the genetic modification agenda by copping out of regulation and putting the decision on whether to GM grow or not back into the hands of national governments. The European Commission approved changes to the rules which may break the deadlock that has prevented any significant cultivation of GM crops in Europe. What does this mean for GM production in the UK and other nation-states? And where does this leave the resistance movement?On the Newswire: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4In SchNEWS: 622 | 583 | 346 | 319

SchNEWS 730: The Hole Truth
11 Jul 2010
As SchNews reports from the new Rossport frontlineThere is still plenty of ire left in Ireland as campaigners ready themselves for another summer of action against Shell and their plans to despoil the coast of County Mayo with a new gas pipeline (see SchNEWS 719). The project is already a decade late and three times over budget; pretty impressive for a small community fighting one of the biggest multinationals in the world.

Birmingham?s Spy Cameras: TAKE THEM DOWN?or we will!
8 Jul 2010
George Orwell writes: That was the message coming loud and clear from the community at a meeting about the Spy Cameras that have been put up in the Balsall Heath and Washwood Heath areas of Birmingham under the name ?Project Champion?. Without any public consultation, ?Project Champion? saw the positioning of around 150 ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras and 72 covert surveillance cameras. These cameras happen to be sited in two predominantly muslim areas in Birmingham. These cameras record all vehicle movements and have the capacity to photograph front seat passangers. The meeting was attended by about 250 people and any suggestion of taking down the cameras was greeted with an ever increasing roar of approval. The temperature is rising and West Midlands Police have created a powder keg of anger and resentment primed with a fuse of mistrust.Related Feature: Campaign Against CCTV Camera Surveillance in Balsall Heath

Democracy Village
8 Jul 2010
The appeal by Democracy Village after last week’s High Court ruling will be heard at 10.30am this Friday (9th July) at the appeals court. In the meantime the camp is still going on strong, having started ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’, more ? an ongoing programme of non-violent direct action. The village is calling out for people to come down and help on multiple fronts: to come and do actions, to help with the site, keep it tidy and maintain the gardens. There is a particular call-out for those with direct action skills and experience.Previous newswire postings: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Photos: 1 2

SchNEWS 729: They Think It’s All Over …ITT Is Now
2 Jul 2010
Decommissioners walk free after unanimous acquittals in trial which ended on Friday (2nd) in Hove Crown Court. Is it all over for EDO/ITT in Brighton? It might be now…

Sea Shepherd Frees 800 Endangered Bluefin Tuna
1 Jul 2010
Sea Shepherd recently returned from a campaign in the Mediterranean in search of bluefin tuna poachers. During the month long campaign the conservation group patrolled south of Malta and in Libyan waters. On the 17th June they encountered two tuna vessels towing cages full of fish, destined for the tuna farms in Malta. Looking at the time of interception and the distance the vessels were from the fishing grounds, the catch was taken after the closure of the season and thus illegal. Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson decided to intervene.One of the vessels rammed the M/V Steve Irwin as activist divers prepared to enter the floating cage to inspect the fish. “With two fishing vessels containing angry Italian crews, there were risks involved with getting into the water to assess the bluefin catch. But if the catch was illegal, Sea Shepherd divers knew they must cut the nets and free the bluefin tuna. Sometimes it is necessary to do what needs to be done despite the risks. The risk of losing the bluefin tuna as a species is far more important than the risks to our own lives and freedom. And so we decided to free the tuna.”Articles: Eye witness: Sea Shepherd frees 800 endangered bluefin tuna | Failure to protect bluefin tuna has huge consequences | Direct action? On a boat? Sea Shepherd’s got it… | Paul Watson announces aggressive campaign to clear Mediterranean of illegal fisheriesLinks: Sea Shepherd Blue Rage website | The Bluefin Bonanza – free booklet (PDF 3MB)

New Nottingham Indymedia site launched
1 Jul 2010
It is nearly 5 years since the launch of the original Notts Indymedia website. There have been a lot of developments on the internet since then. We want to stay at the forefront of future innovation, as Indymedia was before the popularity of blogging and social networking. We want to make sure you, the users, get the most out of the site.As such, we have launched our new Nottingham Indymedia website. We think that it’s easier to use and has better features than our old site. The new site runs using the Hyperactive content management system currently used by London, Northern and Denmark IMCs. Many thanks are due to Northern, London & Sheffield for giving us loads of help in getting up and running.The old site hasn’t disappeared – it will stay archived here – but you won’t be able to publish to it any more.

Smash EDO solidarity in Nottingham
27 Jun 2010
In the early hours of 17th January 2009, during Israel’s ‘Operation Cast Lead’ offensive against Gaza, six people broke in to the EDO/ITT weapons components factory in Moulsecoomb, Brighton, and, allegedly, caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage to the production line.The EDO decommissioners? court case finally kicked off at the start of June. EDO CEO Paul Hill has been extensively cross-examined about his company’s arms deals and one of the defendants has already been acquitted after no evidence was produced to prosecute her. A solidarity demo has been organised to take place outside Hove Crown Court on the day of the verdict – expected to be some time next week.In Nottingham, anti-arms trade activists showed solidarity with the EDO decommissioners by targeting the Radford premises of EMICS, a company involved in the global arms trade. The gates were chained shut and graffiti saying “SMASH EMICS” was sprayed on the walls.Newswire: EMICS offices in Nottingham targeted | EDO decommissioners trial update and verdict date demo | EDO Decommissioners Round 2. | Smashingly good start at Decommissioners trial.Previous feature: Hammer Time: The EDO Decommissioners go on trialLinks: Smash EDO | Support the EDO decommissioners | UK Smash EDO Newswire

Nottingham responds to budget
25 Jun 2010
On Tuesday June 22nd, ConDem Chancellor George Osborne revealed the contents of the “emergency budget.” As expected, this included a pay freeze for public sector workers (except the lowest paid) along with cuts in housing benefit and an increase in VAT.The SWP-initiated Right to Work campaign called for protests across the country against the budget. These were supported by Unison and, locally, by the Nottinghamshire and Mansfield Trades Council. Trade unionists and others demonstrated outside the Council House from 5.30pm. There were also protests by the PCS (the civil service union) at lunchtime.On the newswire: Budget protest: Nottingham | No Austerity Budget: Market Square ProtestPrevious features: Action against cuts in Nottingham | Protests against county council cuts | Nottingham City Council workers protest job cuts | Credit Crunch Hits NottinghamLinks: Right to Work | Notts Indymedia workers movement topic page