InJustice
11 Jul 2007
Last Tuesday (10 July), Indymedia Birmingham, in conjunction with the Mikey Powell Campaign, screened Injustice, a powerful film about deaths in police custody and the the victims’ families’ struggles for justice. The screening, which was held at the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham, was preceded and followed by talks by Tippa Naphtali, a cousin of Mikey Powell, who died at the hands of police in Handsworth, Birmingham, in 2003.The film was preceded by a short interview with Romana Africa, the sole adult survivor of the FBI’s bombing of the MOVE organisation’s home in Philadelphia in 1985. The only justice, she stressed, is to bring down the “vicious, rotten system” that caused and continues to cause such injustices. Last month Indymedia Birmingham had shown a new documentary about MOVE at the Drum to galvanise support for the MOVE 9 and Mumia Abu-Jamal [Mainstream media ignore the plight of MOVE 9 and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal | Radio interview with Ramona Africa and Fred Riley from MOVE].Links: Mikey Powell Campaign | 4WardEver | MOVE

Carry On Camping!
8 Jul 2007
CAMPAIGNING and camping seem to be one and the same thing this summer, with a string of outdoors protest events happening across the South of England. Crucial issues such as climate change, border controls, war profiteering and destruction of woodland all be tackled with the help of tents, sleeping bags and a strong spirit of adventure.

United against (the real) terrorism
7 Jul 2007
On 7 July, 2007, following the failed attack on Glasgow Airport, some 2,000 people gathered in Glasgow to protest against the war of terror at a Scotland United Against Terror rally, which was called by a few young folks from the the Muslim community and was quickly backed by the city’s mosques and Islamic organisations. Speakers ranged from religious and union leaders, Stop the War Coalition, to police and government representatives [report].Meanwhile, four men convicted of the 21/7 bomb plot in London have been jailed for life, while four other were sentenced each to 6 years in prison for ‘inciting terrorism’ following the Muhammad cartoons protest in London last year. At the same time, a second jury in the trial of two BNP ‘non-terrorists’ accused of plotting explosions has ‘failed to reach a verdict’. The police, meanwhile, continue to use a considerable chunk of their resources to monitor activists.Related posts on the newswire: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Latuff Cartoons: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Pride in London and Beyond
6 Jul 2007
This years London Gay Pride saw one of the biggest turnouts ever despite two factors that would have all but destroyed other events. Firstly unknown persons planted two ‘devices’ on the route of the march two days before. This could have led the Police to cancel the procession or a least reroute it through a less glamorous part of town. Then there was the rain that tipped down by the bucket full from beginning to end and the pathetic little protests by the National Front and their brethren from the Christian Right. Fortunately the LGBT community and their supporters are not so easily put off and beer and broll’ies were the order of the day, with the pink pound ensuring plenty of both flowed through the damp streets of London.However, marchers carrying banners with the word ‘queer’ displayed on them were forbidden from displaying them at yesterday’s Gay Pride event in London. Blundering cops decided that the word was ‘offensive’, and someone wearing a t-shirt which read ‘anarchists make better lovers’ was also ordered to cover it up as this was also deemed ‘offensive’ by those arbiters of good taste the London Met. Politics is not allowed at Pride it seems, leaving more room for corporate back-slapping about how right on companies like Lloyds Bank and British Airways are.Reports and Photos: Pride 2007. Pitiful counter demos. | Pride 2007 photos and report. | Queers Banned at Pride! | British Airways Shame London PridePride 2007 Reports Elsewhere: Dublin Gay Pride 2007 | Gay Pride in Riga, Latvia 2007 | Chicago’s Biggest Pride Parade Ever! Gives Warm Welcome to Progressive Contingent | 2007 Pride Weekend in San Francisco | Israel – we are all queers

Two arrested at the annual ‘Independence From America’ protest
6 Jul 2007
The Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases’ (CAAB) annual Independence From America demonstration at NSA Menwith Hill was the first where protestors were not allowed to circumnavigate the base due to a Section 12 order. There were two arrests, one for wearing a shirt with the word “fuck” on it and the second for arguing against the arrest. The rally at the start was addressed by Alan Bennett and Mark Steel and the marchers from Footprints for Peace [ 1 | 2 ]. A Declaration of Independence was read out, “we… do solemnly demand the return of the land, once within the boundaries of the ancient townships of Birstwith, Felliscliffe, Norwood and Menwith, now occupied by the United States National Security Agency and their military forces.”. There was a heavy police presence, food was provided by Veggies and Yorkshire CND had a stall.Report | Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2006 Feature

Strident students blockade at Faslane
3 Jul 2007
Students from Nottingham have been involved in the Strident (Students Against Trident) blockade of the Faslane nuclear weapons base over the weekend.On Fri 29th June, at 6:30am, 6 students from Nottingham and Bradford Universities arrived at the North entrance, superglue-ing their hands together to blockade the main entrance at shift change (Report and pics). They were all removed after around 40 minutes and arrested for Beach of the Peace. At the same time, 3 more students from Nottingham were arrested after blocking the South entrance using a concrete blockade.On Sat 30th, six Nottingham students were arrested following blockades at the North and South entrances of the base (Report).Photos: Students Against Trident blockade North and South gates at Faslane nuclear baseReports: More Nottingham students arrested at Faslane | All Notts Students releasedPrevious local involvement in anti-Trident actions: Nottingham folk successfully blockade nuclear submarine base in Scotland | Protestors take action at Derby nuclear plantLinks: Faslane 365 | Faslane 365 Students | Faslane Peace Camp | Trident Ploughshares

Lebanon War protesters – Not Guilty!
2 Jul 2007
On Thursday 28th June two anti-militarist activists were found not guilty of Aggravated trespass at Brighton Magistrates Court During the bombing of Lebanon last Summer the two campaigners had entered the property of EDO MBM in Brighton, a supplier of weaponry to the Israeli military, scaled the walls and hung a banner from the roof reading ‘16 CHILDREN DEAD IN QANA LEBANON, EDO PROFITS FROM MURDER’ The Protest came was in response to Israel’s bombing of Lebanon, which claimed over 1000 lives last Summer and devastated an entire country. In Brighton the Smash EDO campaign held a series of protests against the invasion including a blockade of the factory, a day of rage, an art installation and a demonstration in Brighton. Activist in Brighton also held a picket of the Israeli Tennis team’s match in Eastbourne.

Two Arrested at Cambridge GM potato picnic
2 Jul 2007
Sunday July 1st. Fifty anti-GM campaigners take their protest directly to the test site in Girton near Cambridge. One protester is arrested scaling the fence erected to protect the GM potato crop and another is arrested later on for alleged criminal damage (they will be in court on Tuesday morning[ 1 | 2 ]). The crop are GM potatoes developed by BASF, who have already dropped their one other potato trial in the UK [ 1 | 2 ].Pictures [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] Criticism of tacticsBackground : GM back on agenda | sabotage promised | detailed talk report | audio interview re victory and protest 1st julyCampaign links : Mutatoes | Hedon Against GM | Cambridge GM Concern

A Taste Of Things To Come
30 Jun 2007
Over two weeks ago, the government’s chief scientist warned that for the UK, flash floods were likely to be the biggest immediate problem caused by global warming. Sir David King told a committee of MPs that the country would have to prepare for extreme weather such as heat waves and “torrential downpours”. Two weeks later, large areas are counting the cost of worst flooding this country has seen for over 50 years. Five people are believed dead as a result of the flooding. The army has been mobilised to help emergency efforts and two more rivers have broken their banks as waters continue to rise. Experts agree that the severe storms and flooding will become more frequent as temperatures rise.Photos: Did Climate Change Cause Floods around Nottinghamshire? Pictures 1 | Pictures 2 | 25th June 2007: Sheffield FloodsOther Articles: Wet and wild, a taste of things to come | Floods hit York | Climate Chaos – read (and weep) all about itLinks: Sheffield Indymedia | Notts Indymedia | Climate Indymedia | UK Indymedia Climate Chaos page | June 2007 United Kingdom floods on Wikipedia | Notts Indymedia Weather Page | Slideshow of Floods in Nottingham in 2000 | Climate change and flood (Environmeny Agency) | Cool Kids For a Cool Climate

Postal workers walk out over planned pay and job cuts
29 Jun 2007
Up to 130,000 postal workers took part in a 24-hour strike on Friday the first in 11 years to stop the Royal Mail’s cost-cutting plans, which the Communication Workers Union (CWU) says would only mean cuts in members’ pay and pensions, job cuts and more post office closures. Picket lines were mounted outside sorting offices and mail centres across the country from early morning, disrupting mail deliveries for the day.In Birmingham, two picket lines at the front and back gates of the main mail centre in Newtown saw, on and off, tens of postal workers and their supporters, while ‘Royal Mail police’ were trying to break up the picket lines, intimidating and threatening picketers. There was also another picket line in the city centre. [report and pics]Last week, a well-attended march took place in Gloucester, followed by a rally in the docks, as part of a campaign against the planned closure of the Gloucester Mail Centre. A similar march and rally were held in Coventry city centre last March to protest against the planned closure of Coventry’s sorting office.Links: CWU’s Save Postal Services campaign

Anti-war greeting for Tweedle Brown
26 Jun 2007
Gordon Brown is facing an anti-war welcome during his first week in power, with little sign that he will break with Blair’s disastrous foreign policy. A War Is Still the Issue camp has been in Parliament Square since Saturday [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 ] (that it has been allowed is a sign that SOCPA will be repealed?). There was a demonstration outside Brown’s Labour leadership coronation in Manchester on Saturday [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] , and a Military Families Against War demonstration is taking place on his first day as Prime Minister on Wednesday. Tweedle Blair and Tweedle Brown figures will make an appearance outside after Tweedle Blair’s last Prime Minister’s questions.Links: War is Still the issue | Voices in the Wilderness | Justice Not Vengeance | Stop the War Coalition | Military Families Against the War

Birmingham’s 2007 Refugee Week(end)
25 Jun 2007
Besides the annual high-profile Celebrating Sanctuary ‘festival’, this year’s Refugee Week in Birmingham saw a candlelit vigil, organised by the Birmingham Anti-Racist Campaign (ARC), in the grounds of St. Philip’s Cathedral on Friday, 22 June, to remember asylum seekers who took their own lives and to protest against the government’s racist policies [call]. This was followed by African, Kurdish and Iranian live music, then the annual Refugee Sleep-out to highlight the problem of destitution that many asylum seekers suffer from. The following day, the end of Refugee Week, saw a rally in Victoria Square, organised by ARC as well, to highlight the bitter realities suffered by refugees and asylum seekers in Britain and to protest against the Home Office’s war on them [call].Meanwhile, Birmingham NoBorders issued a statement on the much-talked-about asylum amnesty, pointing out that, even when not based on racist criteria, it is not a long-term solution and often causes great suffering for those who do not ‘fit in’ and leads to stricter immigration controls.Related: Celebrating Sanctuary?! What Sanctuary?! | Birmingham NoBorders and The Angel Group at Celebrating Sanctuary | Refugee Week 2006: ARC vigil | Solihull picket | “party without borders”

Anti-GM Victory : One down, One to Go!
24 Jun 2007
It seems there are not often victories to celebrate so it’s strange when they occur seemingly unnoticed. That’s exactly what’s happened regarding the news that the chemicals giant, BASF have abandoned plans for a GM potato trial in Yorkshire this year, despite government consent. Back in April there was an action in Hedon near Hull[1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | audio | video]to demonstrate public opposition to the first GM trials in the UK proposed in three years. Taking action before the trial began, the protesters planted their own organic spuds in what they thought was the field earmarked for the GM variety. The aim was to invalidate the experiment before it was even started and while it turned out that they had picked the wrong field they did successful demonstrate that public opposition to GM crops is as strong and militant as ever. The planting of the other trial, located in Cambridge[1 | 2], went ahead despite local opposition and protests but campaigners say that it’s not too late to drive home the message that “there is still no future for GM in the UK”. There is a national call out for a ‘potato picnic’ announced for Sunday 1st July near the site of the Cambridge trial. Background : 1 | 2 |

Indigenous Woman from Ontario, Canada visit Nottingham to voice their struggle in defend of land
22 Jun 2007
Women representatives from the Six Nations on the Grand River community in Ontario, Canada will be touring England, Ireland and Scotland at the end of June to give talks about taking back a piece of stolen Indigenous land from development and struggling for Indigenous Sovereignty. The speakers will be a representative from the site of an ongoing (since February 2006) land reclamation and a Oneida Nation Clan mother- a representative from the traditional government. They will speak about the experience of reclaiming and defending a piece of land from development. Their action has been incredibly successful, having prevented the development and protected the land from an armed police incursion. The woman will talk at the Sumac Centre, Forest Fields, Nottingham on Wednesday the 27th of June at 7.30 pm.

Ramona Africa of MOVE talks in Brighton
22 Jun 2007
A SURVIVOR of a notorious FB bombing of a radical black US eco group will be speaking in Brighton on the evening of Wednesday June 27.The 7pm event at the Cowley Club, at 12 London Road, will also feature a video documentary on MOVE and its dramatic history.Ramona Africa was the only adult survivor of an attack on her family home on May 13th 1985 when the police shot 10,000 rounds of ammo, dropped three firebombs on the house and then shot at those who tried to escape. 11 members of her family were killed, including five children.

Camp with No Borders
21 Jun 2007
2007 is witnessing a resurgence of No Border Camps, which were instrumental to the No Border movement from the late 1990’s onwards. Three No Border camps for 2007 have recently been announced. The first will be in the Ukraine at the intersection of five countries and at the border of Fortress Europe. In September, it is the turn of our very own Gatwick airport, where the government is planning to build yet another prison for migrants. Finally, in November, there will be another No Border camp at the Mexico/US border, where every year hundreds of migrants die trying to cross the desert or at the hands of the vigilante ‘border police’, the Minutemen.Links: No Borders UK | No Borders London | Global No Border | map of European migrant camps

Four decades of occupation – Enough!
19 Jun 2007
Over 20,000 demonstrators showed their support for the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in a march and rally held in London on 9 June, 2007, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War and the ongoing military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The rally, which took place in Trafalgar Square, was organised by Enough!, a coalition of over 50 charities, trade unions, faith and other campaign groups.Reports and pics: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | MP3s of all speeches | Enough! report | Innovative Minds report | Call for actionAll around the world, thousands marked the anniversary with a week of actions against the Israeli occupation (see this round-up). In Germany, G8 protesters responded with a mass demo at a Caterpillar plant in Rostock [Video]. An unconfirmed report claimed that the plant was fire-bombed that night, destroying Caterpillar machinery.Related: This Week In Palestine – Week 23 2007 | Taking Aim: The Destruction of Palestine | Co-op Radio: Palestine – 40 years of occupation | The Six Day War Deceptions | Israel’s Attack on the USS Liberty Revisited | John Pilger: Resisting the Empire

A Tale Of Two Gardens
18 Jun 2007
“They left the land to rot, covered in trash and needles. They hope the buildings will fall down, so they can justify flogging to the highest bidder [...] Reading Borough Council call it development, regeneration. We call it gentrification, exclusion.” In Reading, a group of local activists and residents have reclaimed a plot of land left to rot by the local council, transforming it into an attractive community garden. After months of hard work, they went public with banners and door-to-door flyering, advertising the opening day and encouraging the neighbours to see the garden as common land for all to enjoy. The councils response? Injunctions and threats of eviction. Undeterred, the group pushed ahead with the opening day, which was a great success. A few legal hearings later, the council have their eviction orders, and are expected to try and evict the garden and adjacent squatted building on Wednesday 20th June. Help is needed to resist the eviction – meet 9:30am at the garden. Meanwhile, in Oxford, locals have turned an area of derelict garages into a similar community space – in this case, with the permission and help of the local council (undoubtably because access issues make the site unsuitable for developers). They held their official opening on Saturday 16th, also a varied and wonderful community event. In a sickening counterpart to events in Reading, council bureaucrats and the local Blairite MP used the project as cover to prop up their own crumbling reputations, to the discomfort of many of those present. [ Reading: eviction callout | eviction hearing | detailed report | injunction hearing + demo |opening day report + pics | opening announcement | local mainstream coverage ] [ Oxford: opening day pics | opening announcement ]

Climate activists glued to doors at East Midlands Airport
16 Jun 2007
On the afternoon of Saturday 16th June, climate campaigners glued themselves to the doors of the short-haul East Midlands airport to draw attention to the environmental impacts of flying as part of a European day of action on short-haul flights called by pressure group Airport Watch.Two men from climate action group, Plane Stupid, have caused disruption by supergluing themselves to the passenger entrances to the airport. Supporters are there handing out leaflets to airport customers encouraging them not to fly next time, and a banner carried by helium-filled balloons was also released in the departure lounge bearing the slogan ‘Let’s fry’.Photos: Climate activists glued to doors at East Midlands Airport: Pictures 1 | Pictures 2Links: Plane Stupid | Airport Watch | East Side Climate Action | Climate Camp | Green Economics- Climate and aviation campaign | BBC NEWS UK Politics Living under a sky of sound | Open Skies | Hacan ClearSkies | Climate activist ‘super-glued to door’ of lastminute.com | The year of Aviation | Nottingham Plane Stupid group formed | Nottingham East Midlands Airport – Watch this Airspace! | Protesters occupy runway at East Midlands Airport | Protestors shut down Nottingham East Midlands airport: Earth First Action report

Reporting back from the G8 protests
10 Jun 2007
FIRST hand reports of the anti-G8 protests are to be presented at a meeting in Brighton on Wednesday night, June 13.The session is to be held at the Cowley Club at 12 London Road from 7pm. The G8 will also be the theme of the next Worthing Alliance meeting at The Rest, Bath Place, Worthing on Thursday June 28.Below is the text of a leaflet distributed to the public by Worthing Anarchists at the weekend:

Liverpool Demonstrator Nearly Blinded by G8 Police
10 Jun 2007
A British demonstrator at the G8 summit was badly injured by German police water cannon on Thursday 7th June.

G8 Protest: Summit Blockaded From All Sides
7 Jun 2007
Friday 8th June:On Friday the blockades ended and a few thousand people assembled at Rostock train station for a march down to the harbour. Many were returning from spending the night camped out around Heiligendam. It was unbelievably hot and the occasion had a party atmosphere. Following the demo a few hundred people headed down to the prison to show solidarity with those still being held. The Police stopped them from getting up close to the prison so a main road was occupied nearby for a few of hours.Report and Pics. To see the full picture of what happened see: Breaking News (en) for updates.Read more for previous daily summaries, overview about mobilisations, infopoints, protest agenda etc …Follow the continuous flow of latest updates in english at IMC Breaking News (also available in 5 other languages: de, it, fr, es, gr) and check Indymedia Germany in English for latest reports.Information Resources: Listen Live! – 4 radio streams | G8 TV - daily video stream | Flashradio – daily podcast (en) | G8 Global Infopoint Network | IMC UK Topic G8 2007Websites: dissentnetwork | Dissent! UK | Interventionist Left | all for all | antig8.tk | Gipfelsoli | people global action | heiligendamm2007.de | Alternative Summit | Camps

Nottingham G8 Delegates Report From Germany
5 Jun 2007
From June 6th to 8th the “representatives” of eight of the most powerful states from the global north are planning to meet in Heiligendamm near Rostock in Germany. Without any legitimacy to decide about global politics they will coordinate their decisions and therefore stand for the continuation of the state the world which for the majority means hunger, misery, war, and exclusion. Despite police repression and political propaganda, the summit will face one of the biggest mobilisations ever to shut down the G8.People from Nottingham report:Nottingham folk report from G8 in Germany #1Nottingham folk report from G8 in Germany #2Nottingham folk report from G8 in Germany #3Recent news: Reports of over 10,000 people involved in blockades of the summit yesterday. Pics 1, 2, 3, 4Indymedia: IMC Timeline of Events (eng) | Indymedia Germany in English | UK Indymedia featureLinks: Dissent! (Germany, in English) | Dissent! (UK) | G8-TV | Anti-G8 Action Faction

John Bowden: Prisoner Support is not Terrorism
4 Jun 2007
On Saturday May 25th, activists held a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament, as part of the growing Hands off John Bowden campaign. The demo was called by a group of Friends of John Bowden as an International Day of Solidarity. John Bowden is a long-term prison resister, who has spent more than a quarter of a century fighting for prisoners’ rights, and is now being kept in jail because of his politics rather than because of his original conviction. Brighton Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) has called for another demo outside the London Parole Board HQ on Friday 8th June at noon.Articles by John Bowden: | Uprising at Shotts prison | Brutality at Full Sutton | When is a Prison Reformer Not a Prison Reformer? | David Blunket Sanctioned The Machine Gunning Of Rioting Prisoners | “Riff-raff” prisoners? | Investigation into racist abuse at Whitemoor Prison

Rostock: Tens of thousands protest against the G8
2 Jun 2007
In the run-up to the G8 Summit next week, tens of thousands of anti-G8 protesters, with several thousands on the Black Bloc alone, took part in the international demonstration in Rostock on 2 June, 2007. With colourful banners and puppets, protesters of different backgrounds tried to draw attention to the bigger problem of capitalism and the ‘empire’. Police was very aggressive and provocative, using batons, water cannons and tear gas, not only against the ‘bad protestors’ but ‘normal’ ones as well. Violent confrontations were taking place while, on stage, the concert and speeches were trying to continue. Over 100 people were arrested and many injured on both sides.Reports: [en] 1 | 2 | 3 | [de] 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | [it] 1 | 2 | 3] Pics: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 Video: 1 | 2 | 3 Audio: [de] 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ] | [en] 1