 |
 |
|
||
|
Home
| 9th August
1996 | Issue 85 ALL TOGETHER NOW!BIKERS BACK STRIKERS IN PEDAL-POWER PROTEST
"The concept of a single issue group
is now meaningless. Campaigns about transport, housing, jobs, local
communities' needs, civil liberties - they 're all linked up because they're
all about people standing up to a system that offers most people very little
indeed. Direct action protesters know this and are making more and more links all
the time". Imagination was the name of the game last
Wednesday as the Reclaim The Streets posse took to the streets of London to
show solidarity with striking tube workers. As the tubes were brought to a standstill in another one day strike,
500 activists got on their bikes for an early morning jaunt round London. The
bike riders came from four points in London, meeting in Trafalgar Square at 9am
for breakfast. The rush hour traffic was so bad that cyclists often found it
difficult to go as slow as the cars! The protest did, however, bring
traffic to a standstill white the Met blocked off a bus lane in an attempt to trap the demonstrators.
Events moved on as 40 protesters headed
for the offices of London Transport. The activists were able to invaded the room
of LT chairman Peter Ford, who was rudely interrupted just five minutes before
he was to do an interview with the BBC. Nine people were arrested as banners
proclaiming 'Don't Squeeze the Tube' were hung from the windows in
solidarity with the tube workers' demands. While LT profits and managers'
salaries have been rising sharply, tube workers have faced increases in
continuous driving spells, 'flexible fostering' (having shifts changed at short
notice) and getting sacked for being sick. One tube worker said, "Of
course I feel sorry for the travelling public. But in the last few years our
conditions have got worse and worse and management has become more and more
draconian. It's not about money - we want our lives back." An RTS spokesperson told
SchNEWS, "The
aim of this action was to encourage as many people as possible not to come into
work by car. By cycling instead of driving, Londoners can show their
concern about the chronic underfunding of public trans port, a result of placing profits before
the needs of the environment, the health and safety of workers and everyone's
quality of life. Hopefully those caught in the traffic congestion will think
twice about driving the next time." INTIMIDATION - NO THANKS!Last
month's RTS street party on the M41
motorway in London - when up to 10,000 people spent eight hours dancing,
partying and peacefully protesting against the destruction of communities by
profit-producing car culture - showed that support for actions like those
carried out by Reclaim the Streets is massive, and growing. The Met, beaten on
the day by sheer force of numbers, have responded to the growing support for RTS-style actions with intimidation and victimisation. On Friday, the RTS
office was raided and intelligence-seeking police took away a computer. On the
same day the police arrested an RTS activist - who was told he could face the
ridiculous charge of 'conspiracy to commit criminal damage' in connection with
the M41 street party. No doubt all 10,000 people at the party were guilty of
'conspiracy to obstruct the highway' as well! Over-the-top charges like conspiracy are
nothing new when it comes to intimidating successful protests. John Wadham of
Liberty told SchNEWS, "As a charge conspiracy should be abolished
because you only need to prove an agreement between people. It is too vague a
law and it is used to target people simply because of their political
activism." With Wednesday's highly successful action
in support of the tube workers RTS have shown they're not about to give in to
intimidation - and that the fight to defend public transport, the environment and communities will continue to grow and grow. NON-CONSPIRACY
II
"So, what I'm charged with in plain
English is that "Somewhere in the world over a five year period (they're
not sure when) I conspired with people (most of whom I don't know) to incite
other people (they don't know who) to commit criminal damage (they don't know
what) and that the conspiracy continued into the day after we were charged...."
Robin Webb, Animal Liberation Front (ALF) Sounds like some legal nightmare from a
George Orwell book? Well
actually it's for real and it's a charge six people are facing after dawn raids
on January 16th by Hampshire Special Branch. Along with Robin Webb, Simon Russell (ALF
Supporter's Group newsletter editor) and four alleged editors of 'Green
Anarchist' (GA) magazine were also nicked. The pre-trial began yesterday
(Thursday 8th) in Portsmouth. So what's it all really about? A flyer
from GA explained "We're accused of inciting an arson wave by the
Animal Rights Militia on the Isle of Wight in 1994. We didn't write a damn
thing about the Isle of Wight until after the event..." Both magazines have been regularly
targeted and raided by the police. GA continues. "The Thought-Police
bust of GA is just the thin end of the edge and you are their targets... They want to criminalise direct action across the
board, not particular groups, and conspiracy/incitement laws are massively more
effective than the Criminal Justice Act in this, not least because they can do
everyone that writes about or is associated with a breach of the law as though
they were the ones that actually did it." They need support - moral, physical and financial - for a speaking tour to raise consciousness about the case is scheduled for the last two weeks of January 1997. Drop GA a line if you organise a meeting BCM1715, London WClN 3XX or the ALF Supporters' Group, BCM 1160, London, WC1
ROAD ROUND UP
An average of 196 people have been killed
and 462 injured every day in road traffic accidents in China so far this year. This Tuesday work began again on the
Newbury Bypass. The security and policing costs are now sky high and all
they're doing is building big fences to lock away their big toys. They've set
up 3 compounds as we go to press, and the new security company Pinkertons (well known union bashers in the U.S.) have bought
up Rothsay Hotel to keep security all nice and cosy. Go and visit Newbury on Sun 25th Aug when
Friends of the Earth are having an Art Bypass Festival (pieties and sculptures
along the route) followed by a week of Direct Action. 01635 550552 24 hr info.
or ring Joanna on 0171 566 1612 if you want to steward. * Balfour Beatty have been awarded the
contract to build the A30 at Fairmile, as always more bodies are needed; also rope & handcuffs. Tel
01404 815729. * In Weymouth, Dorset
protestors have set up in Teddy Bear Woods
against yet another relief road .. this time its two SSSI's under threat
contact c/o Fairmile - as above. GERMAN
ANTI-FASCIST THREAT
The largest trial against Autonomist
Antifascists in Germany's history is set to begin on August 14th. 17 Gottingen
antifascists will be tried for being members of the Autonome Antifa (M),
charged with being a criminal organisation according to ss 129 in German law, a
law intended to fight organised crime. The Autonome Antifa (M) grew out of the
autonomist movement of the 80's. They used coalition demonstrations, AgitProp
theatre, historical and art exhibits in order to bring revolutionary
antifascism into broad circles of society. 131 trial dates have been set by the state
attorney's office in the first year of the trial alone. Each defendant must
attend every date with his or her two (compulsory) lawyers. The trials will be
held three days a week, in a town over 300 miles from Gottingen. He travel
expenses and lawyers costs for this is estimated at over 4 million DM (approx.
£1.7 million). The importance of the trial goes beyond
the fate of the Gottingen 17. This trial could herald severe implications for
all grass roots organisations in Germany. If found guilty all antifascist and
other political organisations will be under a massive threat of serious criminalisation and
crushing by the state. They are asking for international
solidarity, and need funds to legal campaign SCHOOL
SIT IN
Direct action goes into the schools as a
team of 40 parents sleep in at St Paul's primary in Ayrshire - to protest about
it's closure, where a quarter of it's pupils have special needs. They have
blocked access to the school with a tractor and a rota system ensured six
parents are sleeping over each night, and have set up their headquarters in the
staff room. The group have been occupying the school since Government cuts
forced it's closure. The St. Paul's protesters have evidence to suggest the
council plans to close another eleven schools over the next year. East Ayrshire
Council are 'monitoring the situation' but have no plans
to evict the protesters. THE
LAND ISN'T THEIRS - YET
The Land is Ours occupation in Wandsworth
is facing eviction by the owners of the land Guinness, who won a possession
order on Friday at the High Court. Those who thought
-against all evidence to the contrary - that a scumbag multinational like
Guinness PLC would put the interest of local residents and sensible land use
above the pursuit of profit (the site is worth millions to Guinness - have
inevitably been proved wrong and, equally inevitably, the site will now have to
be physically defended. "We have built lock-ons and have set up a night
watch - we want people to come down and defend the site against the bailiffs
when they come". Site number 0171 223 8557. FIT
UP
An 18 year old American anarchist Jason
Moreland has been charged with advocated the overthrow of the US Government -
by allegedly writing & distributing a subversive self-published leaflet!
Moreland turned himself into Atlanta police after a warrant had been made for his
arrest in a fit up connection with the bombing of Centennial Olympic Park.
Police Lt. Larry Gibson said, "Whatever he was up to, we wanted to nip it
in the bud." The charge carries a sentence of one to 20 years in prison
and a fine of up to $20,000. SMOKEY
BEARS PICNIC
The Picnic is more than just an
opportunity for toking and chilling with like minds. The Smokey Bears Picnic is
about liberty, freedom and common sense. Be there. Sunday 11th August 2pm,
Southsea Common, Portsmouth * SOS Unless the Legalise Cannabis
Campaign receive an offer of office space, a cash injection and people
willing to help out with office duties on a regular bias, this long running
campaign group will be do more.
HELP! Contact LCC at BM2455, London, WC1N 3XX 0171 739 9155 * TIM EVANS was jailed last year
for growing his own. At only 38, he is wheelchair bound, awaiting a hip
replacement operation and used the smoke as a natural pain relief. Now banged
up in the prison hospital wing, he would appreciate letters of support to TH
240, Walton Prison, Liverpool * DARREN ROBERTS HG0461 is doing 3 years for
possession of the weed and asks SchNEWS "Could you please print my number
and that, so someone can pass a bit of happiness my way and spread the good
vibes." Write to HMP Wellingboro' NN8 2NH * If anyone can help with organising a march in Brighton
for "Turn Yourself In Day" due for the 28th Sept, aimed to show the hypocrisy of the anti-cannabis legislation and how it would
be impossible to arrest everyone who toked, please leave a message in the
Justice? office for Laura. BOOKSHOPS IN LIBEL FIGHT
Bookmarks and Houseman's bookshops are
facing libel action because they sold a copy of Searchlight, the anti-fascist
magazine. Under current legislation anyone claiming to have been libelled in a
publication may not only sue the author, editor and publisher concerned, but
can sue libraries and shops that stock the publication. So far three writs have
been served against Searchlight. In the case of the first two writs, bookshops
and others ended up settling out of court, since the legal costs of a defence
would have threatened their survival. This time however, Houseman's and
Bookmarks have the support of bookshops throughout the country and have decided
to make a public appeal for funds for their defence. If the defence is not successful it will
set a precedent for future cases. Small radical bookshops will have an
increased threat of bankruptcy intimidation etc. *For more info, messages of support or
donations contact; Houseman's Bookshop Tel. 0181 832 4473, 5 Caledonian Road, Kings Cross, London, N1 2DX or Bookmarks, Tel 0181 802 6145, 265 Seven
Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, London, N4 2DE SchNEWS
in BRIEF
Interested in anarchism? There's a one day summer school in Glasgow on Saturday 24th August - discussions include anti-election campaigns, JobSeekers allowance, egoism & anarchy, community & education cuts campaigns, computer nerds, ethnological despotism - as well as a social and a day trip round the city on Sunday. Info from R. Lynn. 151 Gallowgate, Glasgow, G1 5AX 0141 226 5066 *** Courthouse Bookshop broken into Tuesday night, the owners are now finding difficulty raising the building insurance. The bookshop on Edward Street has loads of decent books both fiction and non-fiction especially political material, they also stock everything from Class War, our very own SchNEWS Reader, SQUALL to The Squatters handbook. *** Plus Sony TR2000 Hi-8 video camera
stolen from house of Conscious Cinema bod on Wednesday. This fucks CC's work up big time. Seen it? Call 01273
278018. AND
FINALLY...THE BLAG
Guess what? We're skint, nothing new in
that 'cept this time we've got a cunning plan... Are you in a band? Theatre company? DJ? Fancy reading
the SchNEWS live? Or just want to help organise some much needed fund-raising?
If you wanna donate your services for the evening to SchNEWS drop us a
line/tape 'cos we're trying to start up a fortnightly SchNEWSnight in the
Brighton area (any ideas for venues?) and need you talented lot to put the
dream into reality.... (why not turn up
to Tuesday's meeting if you can help?) While we're on the blag anyone fancy
making a weekly standing order of £4 so we can join the information
superhighway and go on-line? Really and finally... has anyone got Mac System 6 or some computer memory
going spare? Please call us for a
friendly chat at the office. * Next Justice? meeting 'Newbury - Wars of
the British Tree People'. 50 minute film produced by Journeyman Pictures, not
shown in the UK. Tuesday 13th August 7.30 pm at the Albert Pub, Trafalgar St
50p donation would be nice.... disclaimer
Subscribe! Keep SchNEWS FREE! Just send 1st Class stamps (eg 20 for next 20 issues) or donations (payable to Justice?) Mark Original if you plan to copy: SchNEWS c/o on-the-fiddle PO Box 2600 Brighton East Sussex BN2 2DX SchNEWS is free to prisoners tel/fax: (01273) 685913 nice one - to the person who handed in Emily's bracelet
|
||||
|
@nti copyright - information for action - copy and distribute! |
||||
