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WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S YER YER HOT CROSS FUN...

SchNEWS

FROM THE HIGH STREET TO THE HIMALAYAS EVERY WEEK

Issue 162, Thursday 9 April 1998


SHIP SHAKE!

A Canadian, German and two Belgian Greenpeace activists were last week beginning a prison sentence in Canada. The four were sentenced to 21 days and two years probation after they prevented International Forest Products clearcutting an ancient rainforest valley by locking onto machinery (the valley is home to high populations of grizzly bears and the runs of endangered coho salmon)

They had gone to the valley at the invitation of the Nuxalk First Nation hereditary chiefs and took part in a nineteen day blockade in June of last year. 14 other defendants had the same sentence suspended, whilst six more, including chiefs, will stand trial in May.

They were the first Greenpeace activists to be imprisoned since the blockage of the radioactive discharge pipeline at Sellafield ten years ago.

Meanwhile in Europe, Greenpeace have been giving Saga Wind, a ship bringing timber from the British Colombian rainforest, the runaround.

At Greenock Harbour in Scotland, four activists occupied the ship's crane.

An injunction, served after a three day stalemate, spelt out the cheeky technique activists used to occupy the ships cranes "Four men approached the vessel dressed in yellow oilskins, wearing hardhats and carrying clipboards, whereby they announced themselves to the captain of the ship as from the Department of Trade and Industry.

"The master believing the declaration true, allowed them board the vessel. They said to him they understood from information from Canada there was a potential problem with the cranes on the vessel, and that they wished to inspect those cranes. The master admitted them to ascend the crane over the hold of the vessel..."

One of the men, Al Baker from Greenpeace told SchNEWS "I hit the crane's emergency stop button. The driver came out of the cabin wondering what the hell was going on. I said "Hello, we're from Greenpeace', and walked past him and locked myself in the cabin."

And that's where the activists remained for three days and two nights preventing any unloading.

During this time, Magnet - the UK's largest buyer of British Colombian timber - agreed to stop buying anymore.

The ship next met a Greenpeace team at Antwerp, where they tried to paint slogans on the ship but were fought back with water cannons, and barges which threatened to squash them in their inflatables, against the ship.

Next stop, Brake in Germany on the 7th April where 6 more activists attempted to mount the same crane that had been occupied in Scotland. However, they were removed on the same day.

Eighty per cent of the valleys in the British Colombian temperate rainforest have already been logged, and Greenpeace are calling for a moratorium on the remaining intact valleys. The government meanwhile has announced more than 500 changes to the Forest Practices Code, many weakening environmental protection.

In the UK several smaller buyers are now using sustainably supplied wood, but Harcross and Jewson are dragging their heels, although following the crane antics have now agreed to meet Greenpeace. If they can be persuaded to pull out, the end of the UK trade is nigh, as any remaining smaller purchasers will not be enough to warrant delivery here.

  • Contact Greenpeace, Canonbury Villas, London, N1 2PN 0171 8658100

  • Good to see Magnet Kitchens getting all ethical about wood. Pity it doesn't extend to the 350 workers they sacked 19 months ago after they voted to strike over worsening conditions at work. (Don't buy their kitchens).

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GANDALF LIBERATION TOUR

The GANDALF Liberation Tour comes to Brighton next Thursday, 16th April at Brighton Unemployed Centre, Tilbury Place 7pm - entrance is free. Editors of Green Anarchist and the Animal Liberation Front will be speaking about the 'conspiracy to incite' trials (for simply reporting about direct actions) a move which has profound implications for free speech and the alternative press.

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CRAP JOBS

Monday was the Big Day for New Labours New Deal and we've heard rumours of free alarm clocks for lazy gits in Nottingham, hypnotherapy in Hampshire for those too scared to go to work, and free cosmetics from Boots for those to smelly to get a job.

Let the SchNEWSdesk know about your experiences of New Deal.

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CRAP ARREST

For smelling of cannabis. A girl was nicked in Kingston during the recent eviction. She was later released without charge.

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TURN IT OFF

"Television does not relax the human mind. it subdues it."
-
White Dot magazine

A study by Roger Putnam at Harvard University revealed that the generations since 1950 have stopped 'participating'. People know less and join in less. From bowling clubs to national politics, people are staying home and doing nothing. The study isolated a single cause: television.

"Let's stay at home and watch it on TV."

Did you know that most people in Britain, spend four hours a day watching the box. Media is very big business.Program makers are constantly telling us how educational and informative TV is, but, just who is informing us and about what?

"We insist on a broadcast environment that reinforces our corporate message."
- General Electrics Manager

We are 'educated' by the 'soaps' to buy into the lifestyle of the characters, documentaries are hi-jacked for multi-national's interests (Channel 4's Against Nature) and large amounts of the 'News' we watch is often an "opinion from an expert". SchNEWS gets countless calls from TV researchers desperate for, "anyone who can sound like they know what the're talking about". Television's priorities aren't to give you what you want but to make profits, "We are a company geared to increasing revenue for our shareholders every six months."
- Granada TV.

Recomended Reading: Test Card F - Television, Mythinformation and Social Control £4 from AK Press, 22 Lutton Place, Edinburgh, EH8

It's International TV Turnoff Week from 22-28 April. Last year four million people turned off their TVs during the week - to find out more contact White Dot, PO Box 2116, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 3LR E-mail: turnoff@mistral.co.uk Web: http://www.tvfa.org/

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STREET PARTIES GO GLOBAL

"To reclaim the streets is: to take back our public everyday space from the deadening stranglehold of the car, giving the city a breath of fresh, festive resistance."

On May 16th tens of thousands of people all over the world will take back their streets. So far the tally stands at 27 towns and cities in 18 countries and counting.

Welcome to the Global Street Party: Bogota, Berlin, Bielefeld, Thuringen, Lyon, Birmingham, Sydney,Tel Aviv, Geneva, Turku, Madrid, Ankara, Brisbane, Melbourne, Berlin, Gothenburg, Dublin, Derry, Seattle, New York, San Francisco, Prague, Olympia, Turin, Toronto, Vancouver, Athens...

May 16th is also the day that leaders of the eight most industrialised nation-states in the world will meet in Birmingham, helping to increase the pace of the global market economy. But as the system is global; the resistance, if it is to be effective, must also be global.

Birmingham Reclaim The Streets May 16th Meet 4pm New Street Station. Bring: clown gear, face paint, custard pies, noisy instruments and plenty of imagination.

Don't forget Cambridge Reclaim The Streets on Saturday 25th April Meet 1pm outside the Railway Station. Transport should be going from Brighton - ring SchNEWS to book a place.

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DOCKERS MARCH FOR JUSTICE

The sacked Liverpool dock workers have organised a second March for Social Justice on Saturday 30th MayMeet 12 noon at Thames Embankment (take tube to Temple). Tel 0181 4420090 . To subscribe to the Dockers Charter send cash to 19 Scorton St., Liverpool, L6 4AS 0151 2073388.
  • Docker Re-belly-on! During the 28 month dispute, the picket line munched its way thru, amongst other things, an anazing 1600lbs of black pudding, 7000lbs of sausage, 22,922 eggs, 3,213 loaves and 700 lbs of sugar...

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BANGOR EVICTED

The protest camp near Bangor, was evicted last Tuesday involving over 50 cops and bailiffs using pressure points and quick cuffs to force protesters out of lock-ons at the Eithinog housing site. There were 9 arrests, and 6 required hospital treatment. A new camp is being set up this weekend to continue resistance to the greenfield development. A Day of Action takes place on Monday 13 April Contact: 01248 351541 Site mobile: 0836 563980 E-mail: jimk@undeb.bangor.ac.uk

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FASLANE SAVED

Faslane peace camp scored a great victory this week, when the sherrif threw out the Argyll and Bute Council's eviction order against the camp outside the Trident War base. The council said in their statement that the camp was a business (selling what?), and not a home. The judge said that it was obviously not a business, and rejected the application! The council have 14 days to appeal, or they will have to go through the whole legal process again 01436 820901

STOP PRESS:

PEACEHAVEN GREENBELT SAVED!
MORE NEXT WEEK

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SchNEWS IN BRIEF

  • The Lindis Percy vs The National Security Agency trial (SchNEWS 160) has been referred to the 24th April, when Lindis will find out whether or not she faces prison for exposing the activities of the Big Brother spy station at Menwith Hill in Yorkshire. The NSA are so desperate to see Lindis imprisoned for removing "illegal by-law signs" around the base, that they sent 17 MoD Officers for a day's outing to the High Court as witnesses for the prosecution

  • An extortionist has threatened to bomb Germany's railways unless the operating company, Deutsche Bahn, pays 1.5 million marks ( half a million quid). In a letter to newspapers the man said his actions would be 'revenge' for the train transport of nuclear waste to Ahaus two weeks ago (SchNEWS 160).

  • Computers! An animal rights group has come across a supply of very cheap 486's. They will support Windows '95 but come with no software. Phone: 01271 830 842.

  • The Welsh Socialist magazine Y FANER GOCH celebrated its 100th issue in March and is a cracking good read for anyone who hasn't come across it. Look out for the "Shit of the Month' column and SCALP (Socialist Campaign Against Low Pay) exposures of evil cowboy bosses. Subscription is £6 for 12 months, write to: Cymru Goch, PO Box 661, Wrecsam, Cymru, LL11 1QU

  • Every last Friday of the month there is a CRITICAL MASS bike ride in Cardiff at 1pm. Meet at the museum steps near the Cardiff university union (Park Place).

  • Likewise, on the first Saturday of every month, starting on May 2nd, Birmingham CRITICAL MASS will be taking a leisurely ride round the inner ring road. Meet at midday, Victoria Square, city centre

  • There's also a benefit for the anti northern relief road campaign on April 16th at the Adam and Eve, Bradford St., Digbeth featuring Bleeding Hearts, Raggerty Anne and comedian Mike Parker 07970 932224

  • Don't forget the demo at Hillgrove cat-breeding-for-vivisection Farm on WORLD DAY FOR LAB ANIMALS, Saturday 18 April. Meet 1pm at the Farm gates or call 0171 2783086 for a place on the coach from London - £5/£3 concs

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CROP CHOP

Fife Earth First! have been targeting theAgrEvo oilseed rape test crop in Scotland. First they marked the test site with a large red X and signposted the field as a biohazard. Then they held a festival and protest march to the site, where under the gaze of local coppers, proceeded to pull out the mutant plants to stop them flowering and spreading genetic pollution! 01334 477411
  • Global Days of Action against Genetic Engineering 15 - 30th April. Contact GEN 0181 374 9516
  • 'What Next' have produced some interesting sticky 'product' labels for dodgy mutant foodstuffs 0171 865 8222

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NEXT SchNEWS TRAINING DAY

Wednesday 15th April 12 Noon, ring now to book your place

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STATELY ROAMS

Lots of interest from you chaps in our little 'Visit the Rich' item! Former Defence Sec. Nicholas Soames was so upset after Mark Thomas took a posse to his buffet that he payed up £8,000 in taxes. His dear old mum (also involved in the scam) paid up before any oiks came calling, and his bro' Rupert paid up after displaying his bits in a carpark. We will continue to print the list but if you want your own, write to: Dispatches - The Lie of the Land, PO Box 400, London W12 8UF (£1 post) Web: http://www.channel4.com/news/dispatches/index04.html
  • This week's potential host is Lord Cavendish, ex-English Heritage commissioner and Director of Nirex U.K. Ltd (nuclear waste) drop in to Holker Hall, Cark-Over-Sands, Crumbria, LA11 7PL Tel: 015395 58328 March-October daily except Sats.

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INSIDE SchNEWS

Merle Africa from the black radical ecological group MOVE died in Cambridge Springs Prison on Friday 13th March. The prison authorities at first said that the 40 year-old woman had died of 'tumours', but this was later changed to natural causes.

Merele was one of the MOVE 9, found guilty of murdering a police officer in 1978. After a siege lasting nearly four months (because of a housing code violation!) over a hundred heavily armed police surrounded their home.When the twelve adults and eleven young children took refugue in the basement, fire department water cannons were used to flush them out. Cops then began a "mad minute" exercise wildly firing their weapons despite the fact that they were in positions directly opposite one another. As the smoke cleared they realised they had killed one of their own, and injured six other cops and fireman. Police swifly bulldozed the crime scene, then charged all the MOVE adults with murdering the cop - despite the bullet entering the back of his head at a downward angle. If MOVE members had fired he would have been shot in the front of his body.

Contrast these sentences to the scene in 1985, when another one of the MOVE homes was bombed by the Philadelphia authorities using a helicopter, killing eleven adults and children. The people responsible were eventually brought to court - and let off with a one dollar a week fine. Friends of MOVE, PO Box 14129, London, England, W12 8GR

'Dark Night field notes' - is a highly recommended magazine on the privitisation and brutilization of the American prison system. Send £5 which should also cover postage, cheques payable to Dark Night Press, PO Box 3629, Chicago, IL 60690-3629

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AND FINALLY

A Sri Lankan man charged with theft, who threw a plastic bag at a policeman when asked to step into the witness box, gave the court more than they bargained for. The bag, filled with human faeces, hit one of the court fans, got entangled and showered the entire court with shit.

The man, Subhasinghe Premasiri, was remanded by the chief magistrate for insulting the dignity of the court, which had to be cleaned before proceedings could continue.

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DISCLAIMER

Even though this activity will help bring change in an evil world I am forced to state that I do not condone illegal acts because it might get me in trouble with the authorities. Honest!!!

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CHEERS TO LOUISE FOR THE XMAS CARD WE'VE JUST RECIEVED
WHEN DO WE GET OUR EASTER EGGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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Last updated 11 April 1998
@nti copyright - information for action - copy and distribute!
SchNEWS Web Team (schnews-web@brighton.co.uk)