Home | Friday 6th January 2006 | Issue 526

WAKE UP!! ITS YER TWO'S UP ON YER BREW

SchNEWS
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Story Links:
Carry On Camping | Crap Arrest of the Week | Whale Meet Again | Runway Success | Inside SchNEWS | SchNEWS In Brief | CFC Free | Lights Camera Reaction | BAE-utiful | New Hackney Empire | ...and finally...


CARRY ON CAMPING

A DECADE ON FROM NEWBURY WHAT’S CHANGED?

Remember when we were young and had flowers in our hair? Dig out yer climbing harness and dust off yer silly name 'cos this weekend there's a reunion to commemorate a decade since the beginning of the 'Third Battle Of Newbury' - the biggest road protest of the lot (See SchNEWS 56 to 66…and wonder where all those years went).

The Newbury bypass was a £101 million, 13km trail of destruction which saw the felling of 10,000 trees, trashed 3 Sites of Special Scientific Interests, damaging the habitat of numerous animals and destroying the last remaining colony of the Desmoulin Whorf snail. If that wasn't enough it also ruined twelve archaeological sites, including two civil war battle sites and an ancient stone-age settlement. Occupied for nearly two years, the eviction became an 85 day battle which involved 29 camps along the route with hundreds of treehouses. Over 700 arrests were made, and the security bill topped £1.5million. Thousands of bailiffs and police were defied. Although this road was eventually built, the resistance put up along with that at many other sites around the country caused the government to shelve its £23 billion road programme.

The first Reunion Rampage, a year after the final eviction, ended with a mass site invasion and the torching of caravans and machines belonging to the contractors (for more see SchNEWS 103).

There will be a gathering and demonstration this Saturday (7th) at 2pm meeting at Middle Oak (A4/A34 junction), followed by a candle lit vigil at Donnington Castle. Bring everything you will need from camping gear to food. For more info contact 07963 648762.

And Now Back To The Future...

Protest camps stopping a road cutting through Dalkeith Country Park face imminent eviction. Today (Fri 6th Jan) there is a safety meeting between bailiffs and protesters at the Dalkeith Park protest site, near Edinburgh (See SchNEWS 522). The eviction company (Richard Turner, who gained infamy at Newbury and Stanworth Valley for providing climbers to evict tree dwellers) have come up from Wales and could be eager to start work - the protesters fear that the site could get 48 hours notice making next Monday an eviction red alert day. In early December several protest camps were set up along the proposed route of the northern bypass cutting through the middle of the 850 acre park, and there was a reprieve because Conservation laws protected trees with bats entered their hibernating season. Despite this more trees were cut, turning a blind eye to the bats. Camps are protecting further damage and urgently need more people - this could be a matter of days not weeks. Site mobile 07743 495582 and see www.save-dalkeith-park.org.uk

* Also in Scotland, JAM74 - stopping the building of the M74 northern extension - a 6 lane motorway on concrete stilts - which is to cut straight through Glasgow's southern suburbs, and recently won the 'Pock Award' for worst planning decision of the year. (See SchNEWS 501 for more) Donations are currently needed to mount a legal challenge to the Scottish Executive www.jam74.org.

* Bilston Glen camp is going into its fifth year - protecting an ancient SSSI woodland just south of Edinburgh they want to re-route the A701 road through. For more see www.bilstonglen-abs.org.uk

* Camp Bling protest camp was set up in opposition to a road being built on Priory Park in Southend, Essex. It's now heading for its fourth month. As part of their campaign to stop the F5 (A127/A1159) road scheme, activists have constructed and occupied a tree camp right in the heart of town (See SchNEWS 519). Road work starts this year and eviction could be pending as soon as the council get enough dosh. A visitors centre is being planned for people to check out the site. Informal meetings with Parklife on third Wednesday of month starting 18th January 7.30pm upstairs at The Spread Eagle, Victoria Avenue, Prittlewell. The first of regular informal meetings with Parklife. Camp Bling line 07817 182394 www.savepriorypark.org

GOING DUTCH

Meanwhile over in Holland, there is an expected eviction on Monday 9th Jan as a protest camp with treehouses and tunnels faces up to 1000 military and police in the Schinveld Forest in south east Holland near Maastricht. The camp - under the banner of GroenFront! (Dutch Earth First) - was set up on December 4th to protect six hectares of woodland being flattened to be used by NATO for AWACS military radar planes to land. GroenFront! are urging people to get there - but bring everything you'll need. www.groenfront.nl.

CRAP ARREST OF THE WEEK

For heckling, by heck......

No sooner had the words “Hooray for the lesser of two evils” left their mouths when 3 hecklers at a John Kerry rally in California felt the long arm of the law on their shoulders. Grabbed by local secret service men, the 3 young men are being charged with trespassing, resisting arrest and assaulting a cop. All this for just shouting a slogan. Imagine if they had thrown a pie at the fucker. The case has been going on for well over a year now (with one guy on remand for the entire time) but a hearing to have the charges dropped is due this week.

WHALE MEAT AGAIN

All hands on deck as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s flagship the Farley Mowat pursues the Japanese whaling fleet in Antarctica. Together with two ships from Greenpeace, the Esperanza and the Arctic Sunrise, they initially made contact with the Japanese factory ship the Nisshin Maru on Christmas Day. The factory ship fled the area and any attempts to continue whaling have been shut down. Sea Shepherd’s Captain Paul Watson has vowed a showdown, promising to “do everything we can with the resources at our disposal to shut down their illegal slaughter of these gentle and intelligent creatures.” Despite reports in the Guardian, Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd have not rammed each other - (Get yer facts right Jon!)

Despite pretences of abiding by an international ban on commercial whaling, the Japanese continue to slaughter over a thousand whales including endangered fin and humpback whales every year, under a program of “scientific” whaling. Meaningless tests are carried out on a selection of the whales and the meat is openly sold commercially. The five ship fleet is currently inside the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary around Antarctica.

“The Japanese fleet will have to be wary of every iceberg they see from here on in. We may be hiding behind one of them ready to ambush the bandits as they pass by,” said Captain Paul Watson. “We intend to make this dangerous ground for whalers. We intend to enforce the law.”

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has long been in the forefront of marine mammal protection, ramming and sinking whaling ships since the eighties. Check ‘em out on www.seashepherd.org

RUNWAY SUCCESS

So it looks as if the government is hell bent on constructing a third runway at Heathrow. In Gordon Brown’s pre-Budget report heavy hints were dropped about the need to build the third runway regardless of its environmental impact. The government is talking about ‘streamlining’ the planning process i.e smoothing over any little local difficulties caused by those whose lives are gonna be made a misery as the world’s busiest skies just get a third noisier.

Activists and local community groups have already begun a direct action campaign to halt aviation industry and government plans for expansion. Late last year a team of Earth First! protestors disrupted the world’s biggest aviation industry conference in London, (see SchNEWS 522) using rape alarms attached to helium balloons. Meanwhile, airline industry bosses required a police escort to attend a gala dinner on Tower Bridge walkways as residents from ‘HACAN Clearskies’ and ‘No Third Runway Action Group’ (NOTRAG) joined to protest against expansion plans. Transport Secretary Alistair Darling copped a pie in the face from an Earth First! activist at the launch of industry lobby group, “Future Heathrow.” (Sorry about that, Darling).

One activist explained, “The lines are drawn. The government is showing a blatant disregard over the dangers of climate change by flying in the face of the scientists’ warnings, and pushing ahead with plans for airport expansion. Aviation is the fastest growing cause of climate change and they won’t succeed without a fight. Let the battle commence.”

Email planestupid@hotmail.com or jet off to www.earthfirst.org.uk and www.hacan.org.uk

INSIDE SchNEWS

Chris McIntosh has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment, for admitting causing just $5,000 damage to a McDonald’s. Send letters of support to Christopher McIntosh 30512-013 c/o FDC Seatac Federal Detention Center, P.O. BOX 13900, Seattle, WA 98198, USA

SchNEWS In Brief

• 12 Indian tribal people and one policeman were killed on Monday after police opened fire on crowds demonstrating against a planned steel works. The demonstrations are part of the continuing resistance against the industralisation of their tribal land in Orissa state (see SchNEWS 499). The day after the shooting, hundreds blocked a main road in Orissa state, bringing traffic to a standstill. In a statement, the tribespeople said they would not “give up a square inch of land”. See www.survival-international.org
• Interested in getting involved in the Camp for Climate Action happening this summer? There’s a planning meeting in Manchester next Saturday (14th) Manchester Environmental Resource Centre, Bridge 5 Mill, 22 Beswick St, Ancoats, Manchester M4 7HR www.climatecamp.org.uk
• Banish those winter blues with a noise demo at EDO MBM next Tuesday 10th January at EDO MBM, Home Farm Rd Brighton, meeting at Moulescoomb station at 4pm. www.smashedo.org.uk
• National demonstatration for the British residents in Guantanamo Bay. Sat 21st January, 12 noon. Tothill St, London nr St James’s Park tube. See www.save-omar.org.uk

WE’RE SchKINT!

Fancy making a late New Year’s resolution to set up a standing order for SchNEWS? We are really skint and even a schquid a month would really help us out. Or if you’re feeling flush why not make a one off donation thru paypal? Details here: www.schnews.org.uk/extras/help.htm

CFC FREE

Not content with owning the media, bribing politicians and pasting propaganda on our every street corner, greedy corporations are now busy setting up fake Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to give a more benevolent and ‘activist’ image to their activities. Although there are more than 10,000 lobbyists in Brussels, big business has decided that activism is the best way to put their side of the story across! Take the ‘Campaign for Creativity’ (CFC). They’ve just won an award from the Corporate Europe Observatory for being the Worst Lobby firm in Europe. That’s because CFC are in reality a front organisation for a multinational software industry which is determined to maintain a monopolistic grip on our computers, wiping out any competition in the process.

CFC lobbies to persuade Members of the European Parliament to vote for software patents. “Intellectual Property theft is everywhere” warns their website, “Music. Design. Filmmaking. Software Development. Inventions. Branded Products. Fashion.” - it’s all being faked and it’s just not fair to the people who invent things, especially such useful and profitable things such as Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Software used to be covered by copyright, but company bosses want patents because they provide much stronger protection. That makes it much harder to use existing software to provide free ‘open source’ alternatives to corporate crap like Windows.

CFC is run by Campbell Gentry, a London-based public affairs firm whose boss is one Simon Gentry. He’s usually obtaining biotech patents for the likes of SmithKline Beecham, but has clearly seen how much cash software firms are willing to splash out to keep their share of the market. His colleague, lobbying veteran Daniel Guéguen, told reporters that “in the future we will tend to adopt ever tougher lobbying strategies that will probably involve practices such as manipulation, destabilisation or disinformation.” SchNEWS reckons the future’s already here, but see what you think of the blag by visiting www.campaignforcreativity.org and get the low down on corporate propaganda at www.corporateeurope.org.

* Global Exchange have just produced a report the ‘Most Wanted Corporate Human Rights Violators of 2005’ www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/corporateHRviolators.html

Lights Camera Reaction

Austrian activists have been trying out techniques that infiltrate CCTV cameras after the government there have passed a law to allow their installation in public places without a court order. The activist group ‘Quintessenz’ have disrupted the cameras using devices such as balloons and lasers in their determination to avoid the big brother phenomenon which is ever-present in Britain.

The UK is the most-watched nation in the world, with more than 4 million surveillance cameras monitoring our every move - in a city such as London, people can expect to be monitored by CCTV cameras up to 300 times a day. And this is only the start. After 25 years of development the government are set to install a new national surveillance network that will track the movements of cars by number plate, and information on journeys made will be stored for years. Face recognition by camera is also in the pipeline, as The Home Office Scientific Development Branch in Hertfordshire is currently working on ways of automatically recognising human faces by computer. Here’s looking at you kid.

* For more info on the use of anti-surveillance devices www.naimark.net/projects/zap/howto.html

* For more on Quintessenz see www.quintessenz.at if you read German (or translate on your search engine).

BAE-UTIFUL

Ah, the New Year! Time for New Labour to turn over a new leaf? Er, no, don’t be stupid. (Big) Business as usual of course. And there’s no business bigger than the arms trade... Take for example the recently announced multi-billion pound deal for BAE Systems to supply Saudi Arabia with Typhoon fighter jets. Lets see how the deal might fit into the UK’s own rules on arms dealing.

The rules prohibit any sales which might unbalance regional peace and stability, and restrict deals involving countries which disrespect human rights and international law, or engage in excessive military spending.
Saudi Arabia continues to arm itself massively against Israel; military build-up in the Arabian peninsula is a further strain on the shaky peace efforts in the Middle East. Strike one.

Last year Amnesty International reported an escalation of the ‘already dire human rights situation in the country’, with increased killings by Saudi security forces, and routine arrests and torture of political dissidents. Strike two.

Saudi Arabian military spending from 1997-2003 was the highest in the Middle East, consuming an average 11% of its GDP (five times that of the UK and over 3 times that of the USA). And you’re out!

A perfect fit (up) then. So how did BAE get the go-ahead for this? And whilst The Serious Farce Office is also investigating BAE for operating a £60m ‘slush fund’ for Saudi officials involved in Britain’s previous major arms deal with the regime. Who could guess? New year, old New Labour.

It’s not too late do something - see The Campaign Against Arms Trade www.caat.org.uk/campaigns/
calltheshots/saudi.php

NEW HACKNEY EMPIRE

Having been temporarily evicted just before Christmas, on December 29th the squatters reoccupied Tony’s café (No.34) in Hackney’s Broadway Market (see SchNEWS 523), the site of a ongoing community struggle against gentrification. Whilst the property was vacant the developer’s henchman managed to knock down some of the building but undeterred, the spirited protesters have begun an ambitious rebuilding scheme, and claim to be planning to create as fast as the wreckers destroy. As of January 4th they are still there but face another imminent eviction attempt and urgently need as many bodies as possible to go down and help out. Anyone with building skills, or who can provide tables, bedding, food and gas heaters or anything else useful will be especially welcome - they’ll even come and pick stuff up if you can’t make it.

For more see http://34broadwaymarket.omweb.org Tel: 07939 333 465 / 07940 814 170 or look it up in the A-Z and drop by!

...and finally...

You’re nicked...no you are
Two cops protecting a nuclear waste convoy ended up fighting and threatening each other with arrest at an anti-nuclear demo in Germany recently. Apparently a special ‘conflict management policeman’ wanted to stop another copper from moving in on protesters because it was very crowded. They started arguing until the ‘conflict management’ cop hit the other guy on his helmet. A fight ensued and was only broken up when a local female protester held the arm of one of the policemen and calmed things down. Luckily most protestors are more experienced in conflict management than the boys in blue. SchNEWS hopes this trend catches on in a big way

Disclaimer
SchNEWS warns all readers - just resolve not to let them break your resolution. Honest!

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