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WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S YER SUPER-SCOOPIN'
Issue 161, Friday 3rd April 1998
DON'T JUST READ ABOUT IT. DO IT!WE WON'T SHUT UP!
JAILED EDITORS FREED! * BRAKES PUT ON CORPORATE GREED!
"I'm delighted with their release. Their imprisonment was
disgraceful in the first place. But I find it very curious it has passed yet
again without comment from our mainstream media."
- Judith
Vidal-Hall, Deputy Editor, Index On Censorship
In the week that The Sun began a national campaign to free the fictional Weatherfield One - Coronation Street's Dierdre - a conspiratorial silence greeted the sensational release of three UK editors jailed last November.
High Court Appeal Judge, Mr Justice Smedley, shocked a court on Friday by signing the papers for their immediate release - effectively undermining the original ruling - just four months into their three year sentence.
At lunchtime on Friday Saxon Wood, Noel Molland & Steve Booth, the 'GAndALF 3', were told they could pack their bags and were free to go. Their lawyers had simply put in a standard bail application to push for a (still unknown) appeal date.
The journalists, branded 'terrorists', had been jailed for reporting the facts of direct action protests. Although the three maintain they didn't even know each other, they were found guilty of "conspiring to incite persons unknown" on unspecified dates over a five year period to commit unspecified criminal damage. Hello, Orwell?
This clear case of denial of free speech was not lost on Index on Censorship which reprints samples of the 'offending' copy, from the radical journal Green Anarchist (GA) and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) supporters newsletter, on its website http://www.oneworld.org/index_oc/
The move has led to hope that their convictions may be quashed, but that will have to wait for the appeal, and even possibel retrial. In the meantime, the trial on the same charges of the main target Robin Webb (ALF's press officer) - with possibly Paul Rogers - is going ahead, starting on 27th April at Portsmouth Crown Court. The whole saga has so far cost the taxpayer over £4 million!
Steve Booth told SchNEWS: "When I was told I could go the lads in the cells were cheering. People inside have a defeatest attutude - but this time it was like "Yes! You've fought the system!". I'm completely shocked and stunned by the whole thing. The guard said he'd never heard of this happening before. We've heard a rumour that the reason we've been let out was that Amnesty in the US was about to list us as political prisoners.
"I went into prison with bar of soap, biro and toothpaste. I came out with four huge binbags of letters and books!"
"They've not heard the last from me - jail is no deterent. Don't do it folks! The next Lancaster Bomber, Issue 20, will be out as soon as I can do it! "
Saxon Wood told SchNEWS: "I think it had become too much of a hot potato - so thanks to SchNEWS and everyone who supported me. I'm writing lots of thankyou notes - if anyone needs a spare organ they can have one of mine!"
Noel Molland told SchNEWS: "If they uphold the conviction on appeal we could go back inside. The whole freedom of speech and implied conspiracy is crazy. Maybe our release is the whole case starting to unravel and hopefully Robin will walk."
- Some of the freed men will now join the Liberation Tour, a speaking tour of the two outstanding defendants, Paul & Robin, from April 6th-17th. Call 0956 694922
- A demo will take place outside the court on the first day of the trial: Mon 27 Apr @ 10am, Winston Churchill Plaza.
- London Gandalf Support Campaign meets on April 28th @ 7pm, Conway Hall.
- For full coverage of the GAndALF case, see the SchNEWS website (address above).
- The most infamous case involving the underground press were the Oz trails. This week marks 25 years since their first issue - Happy Anniversary from SchNEWS!
- HOORAY! Congrats to everyone.
CRAP JOB OF THE WEEK
Receptionist/Admin assistant wanted (16-18 yr old)Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm
WAGES: £40 a week!
This job was on offer at Pinnacle Office Equipment, Cardiff (01222) 363738 and advertised by Career Paths (Cardiff and Vale) Ltd, a part of the Welsh Office that sends job details out to schools and colleges.
Have you got a crap arrest/sentence/job? Why not ring the SchNEWS desk!
MAI-DAY DELAYED
Activists campaigning against the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) (SchNEWS 141) were celebrating this week, as the Chairman of the Negotiating Group Franz Engering said that the agreement would not now be signed on April 27th as planned. This could mean up to a year's delay for negotiations, and gives everyone plenty more time to expose what has been described as the crudest form of globalisation yet.The treaty would give multinationals the right to sue countries which refused their investment, regardless of domestic law on labour rights and the environment.
Lack of flexibility by the US was cited as one of the main obstacles, but public awareness campaigns forced a constiutional issue across the world from New Zealand to Canada, but not the charter-less UK where Margaret Beckett backed the monster free trade treaty and the press stayed silent. This is despite the 29 richest countries boasting that they were "writing the constitution of a single global economy".
However, this is a bit of a red herring - with even Engering admitting whether or not the MAI gets the green light, the pressure by multinationals for a MAI-like investment treaty will remain.
- World Development Movement 25 Beehive Pl London SW9 7QR 0171 737 6215 E-mail: wdm@gn.apc.org
- Corporate Europe Observatory E-mail: ceo@xs4all.nl
- RECLAIM EUROPE! CARDIFF, JUNE 14-16 1998 Info: 0171 272 9333
PEACE DIVIDEND
Faslane Peace Camp are back in court next Monday (6th) thanks to their solicitors arguing that some of the caravans have been their so long they now count as homes (instead of what...doughnuts?).The camp, which has been stationed outside the Trident nuclear base for the past 16 years was expecting eviction from April 1st before the loophole was discovered. Fools! The whole of the UK's nuclear arsenal is now stationed there, despite 83% of Scots opposed to Trident! The local authority Argull and Bute are currently closing schools and cutting jobs and services because of budget problems - but can still apparently find the £400,000 estimated to evict the camp. Get up there now - directions and info ring 01436 820 901
- People in Lancaster have been demonstrating every Friday about nuclear waste trains going though their town on its way to Hesham power station, asking 'what would happen if a train had an accident?' Guess what happened last week...Yep, a nuclear waste train fell off the tracks. More info BookCellers: 01524 849 313
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Acme Tat Suppliers of Leeds can supply activists with their every needs. Their catalogue includes: 10mm Alloy Maillon Rapide lock gate £4.50; a Petzl Zoom Head torch £19.50; Wire cutters-folding, heavy duty & pocket sized £5.00; Operation Solstice - The Battle of the Beanfield £10.00; EcoDefense - a Field Guide to Monkey-wrenching £9.50 and 100s of other useful campaign stuff. Get a catalogue from Box R, Cornerstone Resource Centre 16 Sholebroke Avenue, Chapeltown LEEDS LS7 3HB Tel: 0113 2629365 E-mail: cornerstone@gn.apc.orgAn awesome list of who to find on UK scanning frequencies can be found at http://www.chubs.demon.co.uk/ukscan.htm Tune into the Formula One Racing Ligier Team Voice Link, 457.3125, or check the vodka party aboard Space Soviet Mir Space Station, 142.4000. Disrupt studio production with some obscenities on the Thames TV Production Talkback channel 86.8250. Of course you can also pick up the internal chat of all police, army and airforces countrywide - like 78.0250 RAF Greenham Common USAF Security Foot Patrols , 76.5000 Ruislip MOD Police and 30.5000 London US Embassy Security - but that'd be illegal. This info is for fun only. Really good fun!
WRITE IT!
The release of the GANDALF 3 is important to SchNEWS. It sends a signal that the underground press cannot be silenced, and shows why the underground press is so important. (We were the first to report on the trial, the jailing and the release of the three UK editors). It's a strong reason why we should continue. But we can't without your help. We are victims of our own success and we need office help before we drown in news! Even if you can only spend an hour a week (we can train you), writing & phoning it'd save some poor scribes from an early grave. Thanks. That's all. You can read the funny bits now.INSIDE SchNEWS
A Chronology of Injustice published by 'Legal Action for Women' (£4.00 ISBN 0 9517775 7 2) records the events that led up to Winston Silcott's stitch-up for the murder of P.C. Blakelock in the Tottenham riot "From the age of 14 the police started on Winston, for riding a bike without lights - from that day on they never stopped". Winston's mother. The book is available from L.A.W. Crossroads Womans Centre PO Box 287, London NW6 5QU 0171 482 2496.- 'Cause For Concern' is a new book detailing corruption, stupidity and injustice in the courts. For a copy send £4 to N Scarth, c/o Gledhow Park Ave, Leeds, LS7 4JL (Tel/Fax: 0113 2620449)
SchNEWS IN BRIEF
- Everyone arrested during the Dead Woman's Bottom
evictions (SchNEWS
151) have had their charges dropped. Could it be, as lawyers believe,
because the eviction contravened articles 6 &8 of the European Convention
on Human Rights? Campaign continues with a walk to the Home Office. Contact:
01749 880 114
- Congrats! The second of the Manchester airport cake hole
babies has been born to pink Lizz. Ysobel Harmony was 17 days late
(the same length of time the tunnel lasted for) and at the last moment she
'locked on' by wrapping the cord round her neck!
- Two more animal rights activists have been arrested under the
Anti-Stalking-law during a candle-lit vigil at Cornyhaugh Mink
Farm (SchNEWS
159). The magistrates then imposed bail conditions including home residence
and a 7.30pm-7.00am curfew!
- This years Sex Maniac's Ball is on Thursday 9th April at the
Powerhouse, Waterden Rd., London E15. It's pretty expensive and dress code is
Spanish, fetish or sluttish. If interested ring 0171 460 0044. They are now
online as well:
http://www.sfc.org.uk/
The Greenwich Green Party are having a meeting about the Millenium
Dome on 7th April at Charlton House, Charlton Village, London SE7 7pm
0181 850 4187
- Check out Infonet, now on its seventh issue with articles on
things like, 'how protests hit company shares' and a 2 year hemp printed
calendar. They're looking for contributors. PO Box 9228 London NW10 5WB
- London Greenpeace are at it again. They have produced a
leaflet called 'What's wrong with the Body Shop?' which points
out that promotion of cosmetics etc. is unethical and that even claims made
about animal rights and vegetable ingredients are seriously overrated. For a
copy of the leaflet and a big bumpf of anarchist info send an A4 sae with a 31p
stamp to: 5 Caledonian Road, London N1
- London-based group "People Like Us" have done a nice little booklet about the
anti-conscription movement in Spain. It gives an account of the movement's
actions and victories (yes indeed!) over the past few years, focusing in
particular on the Insumision Total way of changing the world as the
movement goes further than just fighting conscription, but building up a
culture of resistance. An inspiring read, it costs £2 from BCM People
Like Us Publications, London WC1N 3XX
- Don't forget SchNEWSnight @ The Lift, Queen's Rd this Saturday (4th). Music from Kyra's Tortoise. Buy Saxon a pint (& meet the Zombie Chef?!) £1 B4 9pm £3/2 after.
WAITING LIST
The Hillingdon Hospital workers who were sacked over two and a half years ago for refusing to take a £40 week wage cut (SchNEWS 136) are organising a lobby outside Granada Headquarters, Golden Square, W1 Wednesday April 8th 12 noon - 2pm. Granada have now taken over the contract at the hospital and are advertising the women's old jobs despite Granada's Stephanie Monk being on the Low Pay Comission! The women recently won their appeal tribunal for full re-instatement, but the hospital are appealing the appeal! They have refused to be bought off for £6,000 a striker, and have led the struggle against low pay.They are desperate for donations, send to c/o 27 Townsend Way, Northwood, Middx, HA6 1TG Tel: 0956 135311
AGAINST REASON
In a very unusual move Channel 4 are going to make a TV apology about the Against Nature series, which amongst other things accused the environmental movement of being like the Third Reich! The Independent Television Comission condemned the series as distorted and misleading. Peter Melchett from Greenpeace said "I have never experienced in more than 20 years, a TV interview in which I said one thing, then had it cut to make it seem as if I had said something else. The programmes were inaccurate, anti-environmentalist propaganda."DOG FIGHT
Another protest camp has been set up outside Huntingdon Death Sciences, that nice firm that gets by paid by other cosmetic and medical companies to vivisect monkeys, cats, dogs, rodents etc. The Camp for Justice is the fourth one outside Huntingdon, and was set up on the one year anniversary of the showing of C4's 'Its a dogs life'. The programme caused the companies share price to drop dramatically, and campaigners are hoping the camp will help to act as another nail in the coffin. This week in the US Huntingdon have been fined for violating animal welfare laws. HDSC PO Box 325, Cambridge, CB1 2UF 0589 026 435FARMYARD POSSE
Exodus, the Luton based party crew have bought Long Meadow farm for £150,000. They now have 42 people living on the commune and intend to work towards self commune anmd intend to work towards self sufficiency over the next year.Brighton's Innerfield soundsystem have finally got their rig and records back after the New Years Eve party - so a great big thank you from Hellish!
AND FINALLY
'Is your tap water veggie?' asks animal rights magazine ARCNEWS. Apparently Yorkshire Water have started to use animal bones to filter their water. So far around 1,750 homes are getting the meaty aqua and ARCNEWS advises its readers "anyone living in the above named areas should not use tap water if they are veggie." Pardon us for being ignorant, but SchNEWS would like to know just how much it would cost to have a regular bath in Perrier water?YE OLDE DISCLAIMER
The SchNEWS warns all readers not to attend any illegal gatherings or take part in any criminal activities. Always stay within the law. In fact please just sit in, watch TV and go on endless shopping sprees, filling your house and lives with endless consumer crap. Then you will feel content. Honest.SchNEWsers' bike stolen, urgently needs cheap one (£40-60) ring Kit at office.
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Last updated 3 April 1998
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