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Oil Drums of War | Spin-U-Like | Crap Arrest of the Week | SchNEWS Annual 2003 | War Briefs | Better Profits | SchNEWS in Brief | Drop us a Pipeline | Let Them Eat Soup | and finally... |

OIL DRUMS OF WAR

Spin-U-Like

While the ‘weapons of mass destruction’ façade has well and truly fallen off the oil war in Iraq, last year’s oil war in Afghanistan was far better dressed up as something else, allowing the good work to go ahead…
The latest US ambassador to Afghanistan - a senior executive of US oil company Unocal - along with the current Afghani president Hamid Karzai (once employed by a Unocal subsidiary) – are oiling the wheels for a lucrative pipeline to carry oil and gas across the country from the Caspian sea. And who’s building this pipeline? Er… Unocal.

As the BBC reported on September 18, 2001: “Niaz Niak, a former Pakistani foreign minister, was told by senior American officials in mid-July 2001 (pre 9-11) that military action against Afghanistan would go ahead by the middle of October. It was Naik’s view that Washington would not drop its war against Afghanistan even if bin Laden were to be surrendered immediately by the Taliban.” As journalist John Pilger puts it “One of the reasons the Americans attacked Afghanistan was not to liberate women but to liberate the pipeline deal.”
Pilger continues, “This is the hidden agenda of the “war on terrorism” - a term that is no more than a euphemism for the Bush administration’s exploitation of the September 11 attacks and America’s accelerating imperial ambitions. In the past 14 months, on the pretext of “fighting terror”, US military bases have been established at the gateways to the greatest oil and gas fields on earth, especially in Central Asia, which is also coveted as a ‘great prize.’”

Meanwhile Donald Kagan, who served as co-chairman of the 2000 New American Century Project, embraces the idea that the United States should establish permanent military bases in a post-war Iraq. “We will probably need a major concentration of forces in the Middle East over a long period of time. That will come at a price, but think of the price of not having it. When we have economic problems, it’s been caused by disruptions in our oil supply. If we have a force in Iraq, there will be no disruption in oil supplies.”

* For the past 10 years one of the world’s dirtiest wars has been fought out in Algeria, between “Islamists” and “security forces”, in which almost 200,000 people - mostly civilians - have been killed. Groups such as Human Rights Watch have accused the Algerian Government of “arbitrary arrest, disappearances and torture” and even America has been critical of the country’s human rights record. That criticism changed after September 11th, thanks to Algeria support for Americas so called ‘war on terror’ and as a thank you they got promises of increased military aid. US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns, during a visit to Algiers, even went as far to say “Washington has much to learn from Algeria on ways to fight terrorism.” Incidentally, Algeria is the second biggest natural gas exporter in the world and ranks fourteenth in oil reserves.

* To read more about the Project for the New American Century report visit:
www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/
opinion/bookman/2002/092902.html

* To see the leaked UN report www.casi.org.uk

Crap Arrest of the Week

For hanging a placard on a statue!
When a woman activist from d10 (antimilitarist, non-violent directaction collective) saw a statue outside the Ministry of Defence of “Boom” Trenchard (father of the Royal Air Force) she decided to hang a sign round his neck saying “Boom no more!” She was arrested, held face-down on the pavement and handcuffed with such force that she suffered serious injuries to her wrists. She was released seven hours later without charge. www.northwood.cjb.net

SchNEWS Annual 2003 Shout Out

Believe it or not we are starting the next annual, due out for the summer!!
So - send us in yer ideas, articles, photos, cartoons, subverts and news of stuff that’s going on local or global. There’s a theme about sustainable futures and another about childrens’ annuals - so if anyone can think of anything sustainable you can make with sticky-back plastic that would be handy....
send/email yer stuff to us now

War Briefs

• With even Neo Labour becoming shaky about the war, now’s the time to step up the protests. There will be a meeting about taking direct action against the war in London this Saturday (11) after the Stop the War Conference. It’s being hosted by our good selves 6.30pm in the Cock Tavern, on the corner of Phoenix Road and Eversholt Street, London, five minutes from Euston Station.
  
• Two Scottish train drivers yesterday refused to move a freight train carrying ammunition destined for the Glen Douglas base on Scotland’s west coast, Europe’s largest weapons store. Railway managers had to cancel the Ministry of Defence service after the crewmen, described as “conscientious objectors” by a supporter, said they opposed Tony Blair’s threat to attack Iraq.
• There will be another weapons inspection at USAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on 26th January. Fairford has just had a £100 million refit so it can house the “new” smaller bunker busting nuclear weapons firing B-2 bombers. Assemble in Fairford village 12 noon www.gwi.org.uk
• Get along to Northwood in London on the 18-19th January the command post for British rapid deployment forces. Northwood would play a key role in directing British forces in any attack on Iraq and officers from the base spent much of December in Qatar participating in a US wargame preparing for the invasion of Iraq . The weekend of action – Operation Internal Look (OIL) - coincides with the anniversary of the 1991 Gulf bombing and will include a tour of the base, a mass blockade, a mass breaching of the Official Secrets Act, non-violence training and autonomous affinity group actions. To find out more call 0845 458 2564 www.voicesuk.org
• Fancy going to Iraq as part of the ‘Human Shield Convoy’? It’s leaving 25th January from London. www.uksociety.org 07799 650 791 donations and help needed.
• Just before Christmas three people from London Catholic Worker were arrested and charged with criminal damage after pouring red paint from baby bottles (symbolising blood) on the two main gate signs at Northwood
• 15 anti-war protestors were arrested by US military police at the US airforce base in Mildenhall on Sunday after cutting through the fence and getting onto the site. They were later released without charge.
• To find out about planned protests if war starts visit...
  www.schnews.org.uk/pap/ifwarbreaksout.htm

Better Profits

The Baku-Ceyhan pipeline is a BP led project to channel Caspian oil and gas reserves to western markets. It is key for BP’s growth, and for the strategic interests of the US who wish to secure non-OPEC oil supplies. Oil coming from the pipeline will also end up fuelling the key US Air Force base in Incirlik, Turkey. The pipeline would create a 1,750km militarised corridor through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Under the BP-Turkey host government agreement the consortium running the pipelines will have no liability whatsoever in the event of a spill or any other form of damage. What’s more BP expects the pipeline to be largely financed by tax-payers money!

To find out more come to a teach-in Saturday 25th January, 10am - 5pm, London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate St, London, E1 contact info@risingtide.org.uk or tel 01865 241 097. www.baku-ceyhan.org.uk

SchNEWS in brief

• Cops in Genoa are in trouble after admitting fabricating evidence against protestors including planting petrol bombs during investigations into the policing of the G8 summit last July. Italian media have been publishing transcripts of the inquiry. 77 officers are under investigation for alleged brutality and three police chiefs have been moved to other jobs
• Brighton’s premier pirate station Radio 4A is on air again this weekend (9pm Friday till midnight Sunday) on a new frequency 101.4FM. For listing and audio-streams visit www.radio4a.org.uk
• Activist Allen O’Keefe couldn’t believe his ears when magistrates in Newbury ordered him to pay £750 compensation for cutting a tiny piece of fence at Aldermaston during the Trident Ploughshares disarmament camp there in May 2001. Courts have so far imposed fines and compensation orders totalling £52,000 on protestors but hardly anyone has paid up! 0845 4588366 www.tridentploughshares.org
• Check out a new Legal issues website for UK political activists (especially animal rights and environmentalists). www.freebeagles.org offers info on your rights re police tactics and intimidation.
• The Radical Dairy social centre is one year old next weekend and is celebrating with a birthday party next Friday 17th from 8pm onwards. There’s music and food – and it will be probably be the last party as they’ve been served with eviction papers. They’re at 47 Kynaston Rd, Stoke Newington, London N16
• There’s a meeting for people interested in restarting the campaign in the UK for the release of Mumia Abu Jamal after 21 years on Death Row. It’s next Wednesday (15) 7-9pm. Somerstown Coffee House, 60 Chalton Street (off Euston Road) London NW1. mumiauk@yahoo.co.uk
• Yet again unaccountable, unelected representatives from the corporate world of industry and media moguls will mingle with political leaders and decide the future of the planet and its people at Davos, Switzerland. International demonstrations against the World Economic Forum take place 25 – 28 January. www.antiwef.org
• Meanwhile in Brazil at the same time the World Social Forum meets to look at alternatives www.worldsocialforum.org Extensive reporting on www.zmag.org
• At least 15 000 people turned up for the Asian Social Forum in Hyderbad, India at the beginning of this year under the banner “another world is possible.” www.wsfindia.org
• There’s a call out for anarchists and anti-authoritarians to get involved in the European Social Foum. Read about it at www.squall.co.uk. Get along to the next meeting this Wednesday (15) 6:30 pm at the University of London Union Student Union Building, Malet Street, London www.mobilise.org.uk
• Injustice the film about deaths in police custody is being shown in Hackney on Jan 18th, along with live music at a squatted venue (ex-community centre) on White Post Lane, just round the corner from Hackney Wick Station. 07770 432 439. The film is also now available for people to buy www.injusticefilm.co.uk.

Drop us a Pipeline

After years of human rights abuse in Turkey it looks like the EU are finally taking notice. By doing exactly the same! On December the 11th last year 7 activists were arrested in London and detained for five days before being charged under the 2000 terrorism act, not for doing anything, but with “membership and fundraising for a prescribed organisation”. The protesters were supporting the DHKP (Turkish Peoples Revolutionary Front) led ‘deathfast’ in protest of human rights abuses in Turkish prisons.

So, as we suspected, people are already being arrested under the banner of ‘terrorism’, not for doing anything, but for what they believe. According to Terry Harkin of the Irish solidarity group the IRSP “This is another example of how this war on terror is being used to tighten the control of America over the world”. He also points out that “there is a direct correlation between Tony Blair’s meeting with the Turkish premier and George Bush’s pressure on Britain”. Strange how we should be doing Turkey’s dirty work right at the time we need their air bases!

There will be a picket outside Bow Street Magistrates Court on January 13th at 10am organised by People Against terrorism Act. For info call beth 07810 397268

Let Them Eat Soup

‘Inhuman’, ‘cruel’, ‘downright evil’ .. and that’s only what MPs have said about Blair and Blunket’s latest assault on the human rights of Asylum Seekers which came into force on the 8th January.
Thousands of Asylum Seekers, including pregnant women and people with disabilities and special needs, will be forced to sleep rough under the draconian section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act (NIAA).

This section states that if a refugee does not apply for Asylum immediately on arrival at the port of entry they will receive no support, no accommodation, no food... ever.

Statistically, 65% of Asylum Seekers (around a hundred a day) do not present themselves to immigration officials on arrival... for obvious reasons. Many don¹t know who they can trust, typically being abused, often tortured, victims of ‘the authorities’. Many are totally traumatised both by what they are fleeing (genocide for example) and the possibility of being put straight back on the next plane ‘home’. Others do not speak a word of English.

Quite apart from the fact - as upheld in International Law - that many refugees are forced to travel clandestinely to avoid punishment by the regime they are fleeing.

But who cares about International Law, or Human Rights or the recently agreed EU minimum standards of support for Asylum Seekers? Not Tony and Dave.

Nor Peter Lilley (remember him, he was the ‘right-wing’ one) who introduced similar measures back in 1996. Appalled by the sight of homeless, starving refugees, often inadequately dressed and begging on the streets, charities and support groups set up soup kitchens and emergency shelters. Lilley’s policy was successfully challenged in the high court under the 1948 National Assistance Act and stopped.

But Neo-Labour have already thought of that - their new Act specifically debars refugee agencies from going to court and trying the same thing!

Nevertheless Liberty intend to press ahead with a Human Rights case against section 55, stating that the policy is “incompatible with our fundamental human right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”.

0207 654 7700 www.refugee-action.org
Check out the act www.asylumsupport.info

...and finally...

Jumping on the ‘terror’ bandwagon, an enterprising London firm is offering specially designed gas masks for use by tube-travellers in the event of a chemical attack – a snip at just £188. Ozonelink also plan to offer the British public “chemi-hoods” and “polytection suits” in the near future.

Disclaimer
SchNEWS warns all readers when Bush talks about essential oils he ain’t talking about aromatherapy. Honest.

SchNEWS Annuals

SchNEWS Round issues 51-100 - nearly sold out - £5
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SchNEWS and SQUALL’s YEARBOOK 2001 - bargain £5
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