 |
 |
|
|
|
Home
| 9th February
1996 | Issue
60 SchNEWS FIREBOMBED!PRESSURE MOUNTS ON LUTON FREE PARTY POSSEAnd so the latest episode in the Exodus saga continues... On Sunday afternoon, Exodus' Long Meadow Farmhouse, near Luton, was firebombed. One bedroom was gutted and the attic suffered extensive smoke damage. Luckily, the outer buildings and barns were undamaged and no people or livestock were injured. Witnesses saw two motorway maintenance vans driving away from the area, the type of vehicles police are known to use in their manoeuvres - apparently they were carrying out phone repair work! The torching arises from the malicious prosecution of Biggs by local police, who has been stitched up on a murder charge (See SchNEWS 54). The police suspect a local gang of youths of instigating the arson attack in retaliation for the death of one of their number after a fracas outside a local pub - despite the coroner's verdict of accidental death. A spokesperson for the crew said that in the face of the down pressure they bad suffered over the years, they will overcome this latest attack. "Whoever did it, we know that evil breeds evil. We shall overcome." Initially squatted, Long Meadow Free Farm is now managed by a local housing association. Rebuilt barns house goats, chickens, Vietnamese pot bellied pigs, geese and a horse. It is open to school parties, and the animals are frequently displayed at local fundays. With the success of HAZ Manor - which has rehoused 40 people - they have set a precedent by showing what can be done through unity, persistence and determination. Are these latest manoeuvres indicative of local politics, we wonder? Luton is a brewery town, dominated by Whitbread's. Licensed premises experience around 40% loss of trade on the nights of the parties. Figures show alcohol related offences drop on these nights. The brewery is also subsidises the local media - who have run smear campaigns against Exodus over the years. Luton is a hotbed of freemason activity. Police chiefs in the area are of the 'nod, nod, wink; wink; mine's a mason, please' variety. Makes you think, don't it...?! POLICE ACTIVITY AGAINST EXODUSJune- Nov 92- Five raids on the Farm. Attempts to confiscate sound equipment drug raids and allegations of printing counterfeit money (!) all unsuccessful. DC Farrel, local officer involved in the raid, conceded that "the bosses have got it in for them". Jan 93- Riot police pile into Exodus' first squat, Oakmore Hotel, resulting in two charges of violent disorder. Collective member Captain suffered a crushed femur nerve at the hands of a sledgehammer wielding copper. All charges dropped after Old Bill fail to produce notebooks of raid. Glenn, Richard and Biggs charged with mass disorder caused by police blocking the car park of a party. Charges are dropped. Operation Anagram storms the farm, confiscating equipment on a party night and arrest 36 Collective members. After non violent protest by 4,000 ravers, all members released and equipment returned. Feb 93- Leaflets distributed by police to local residents asking whether they've been frightened by Exodus' activities. The response from the community was to 'leave them alone'. Nov 92-Jan 93.- Biggs arrested on drugs charge resulting from Operation Anagram. Glenn and Richard charged with public order offences. All charges later dropped. March 93- Oakmore Hotel evicted with half an hour's notice. Biggs, Glenn and Richard charged with Public Order offences. Case thrown out of court by judges due to inconsistency of police evidence. Sep 94- Local Council go ahead for public inquiry into police operations against Exodus. Decision reversed at later meeting. Inquiry referred to Police Complaints Authority which consists entirely of police! Dec 95- Police reduced to framing Biggs on an ABH/murder charge, a fortnight after coroners record incident as accidental death. Currently out on bail. Jan 96- Glenn, Richard, Elaine and Biggs served with injunction forbidding them from holding free parties. Injunction extended to forbid Glenn acting as spokesperson, attending unlicensed parties in Beds., and being held responsible for activities of other Collective members. Glenn arrested for non-payment of fines dating from August '93. He refused to pay.
NEWBURY NEEDS YOU!RALLY AND ROUTE WALK
SUN 11th FEB - 12NOON, NEWBURY STN Newbury Info. Line 01635 550552, 3rd Battle Office: 01635 45544 Brighton lifts & Info. from Justice? : 01273 685913 or 01273 604765 London lifts 0171 2814621 - 0171 249 9114 "When you live daily with the sight of up to 700 guards moving like an organism through the woods, destroying everything in its path, it is hard not to think of a dinosaur state crashing out of control, bulldozing aside civil, human and legal rights." The battle with the tree-cutters continues with protesters still using the tactic of taking the action to them. Yesterday (the 8th) start of work was delayed by a couple of hours, when the convoy of security and workers was ambushed outside the police station. People d-locked them tail back and hassle. Work finally did start but was interrupted a few times by a couple of white hats defecting to our side and joining the protests. Also a red hat (little boss geezer) was sacked for filming a yellow hat (big boss geezer) assaulting one of the crusties! "In public, the guards keep quiet about their conditions; in private they complain bitterly and dismiss Reliance as yet another employer taking advantage of them." The police have now started arresting people under a trade union legislation law, which is pretty much the same as aggravated trespass but applies to public not private land. These two laws are so vague that anyone being effective in disrupting work is nicked. Security still out number us so much that we can't stop work for a whole day but the National Day of Action will hopefully change all that - especially if the article in the Guardian on Wed 7th, criticising the hypocritical green liberals and telling them to get off their arses and down to Newbury, has any effect. And if you are up there on Sunday or Monday make sure you take a portable radio. To beat the lorry drivers fucking up CB communications, a temporary radio station has been setup TREE FM 87.7.
BIKE BASHERSBrighton police have been going completely over the top with the Critical Mass cycle actions since they began last June. From individual video surveillance and police helicopters to undercover coppers, they have used every trick they can think of to put a stop to the monthly traffic blockers. Despite the efforts of 'Operation Eagle', the event has grown, with around 150 cyclists every month. On January's outing however the police had a field day, as winter weather (and everyone forgetting about it) meant only about two dozen cyclists turned out Police arrested the first row of cyclists for obstructing the highway and have kept their bikes 'for evidence' ever since. They are now completely taking the piss by applying for a destruction order for the bikes under section 69 of the CJA 1988! Do motorists who commit driving offences have their cars confiscated and destroyed? Support the poor sods whose bikes could get trashed, by turning up to their court case at Brighton Magistrates, Wed 14 Feb. at 9.45am. Then on to a.... VALENTINES RECLAIM THE STREETS!RTS is holding a busy Brighton street to ransom until every car is a flowerpot and every road an allotment! Soundsystems...Drummers...Belly Dancers...Bingo..Gasmasked Ballerinas...Cheap Food...Candy Floss MEET 12.30 CHURCHILL SQUARE PHONE (01273 685 913) SNOGS NOT SMOG INSIDE SchNEWS"I'm encased in a cage of steel and concrete, surrounded by high prison walls topped with gun towers and rows of razor wire... the silence is eerie, a lot of prisoners can't cope with the constant lock-down. They deteriorate mentally." These long term isolation units- now featuring in 36 of Americas States are called Control Units where prisoners are only let out of their cages - not much bigger than a bathroom- for two hours within a 48 hour period, for exercise. They have virtually no privileges, limited telephone use, controlled visitation and censored mail. A short term international campaign against these torture chamber units is taking place the whole of February with a blitz of postcards, telephone calls, faxes and letters. Please write to Governor Christie Whitman, State House, Trenton, New Jersey 08625, USA Tel 001 609 292 6000 Fax 001 609 292 3454 and Commander William Fauver, Dept. of Corrections, CN863, Trenton, New Jersey 08625 Tel 001 609 292 9680 Fax 001 777 0445 demanding an investigation into the amount of time that New Jersey prisoners endure enforced isolation in the Units and for the development of a definite exit criteria. Once in the Control Unit, how do people 'earn' their way out? So far, in New Jersey, there is no way. 'NOBODY WAS SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE' - Ramona Africa MOVE was an organisation active in the US whose aim was 'to stop mans system from imposing on life. To stop industry from poisoning the air, the water, the soil and to put an end to the enslavement of life-people, animals, any form of life.' They did not meet with official approval: 'It is Monday, 13th May 1985. At approximately 5:25pm, a Pennsylvania state police helicopter hovers sixty feet over 6221 Osage Avenue. Harnessed securely on the inside of the chopper's cabin, Lieutenant Frank Powell, commander of the Philadelphia Bomb Disposal Unit, the 'bomb squad', leans outside and hurls a green canvas bag towards the roof below. Extending from the bag is a lit 45 second fuse attached to a bomb. Inside the house are thirteen MOVE people, seven adults, six children. On impact the bomb kills eleven.' (Harry M. 'This is America', 1986) The only adult survivor of the massacre was a young black woman named Ramona Africa. This week she is in the UK as part of the fight to save fellow MOVE member Mumia Abu Jamal who remains incarcerated on Death Row for a crime he did not commit. She will be speaking of her experience of police brutality and injustice in the US this Tuesday (13th) at Brighton's Unemployment Centre, 6 Tilbury Place, from 6.30 onwards. Show your support. Be there! Send letters of support to Mumia AM 8335, SC1 Green, 1040 E. Roy Furman Hwy,Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, PA 15370 SchNEWS in BriefW Lee Jasper, of the National Black Caucus who spoke out against deaths in black custody prior to the Brixton riots is to be the subject of an enquiry by Michael Howard. He regularly gives lectures on race relations to police, which according to the Mail on Sunday means: "RIOT LEADER PAID TO TEACH COPS". The riots took place in December last year. The Evening Standard reported at the time "the presence of police carrying semi-automatic carbines and shotguns .. as firearms were openly deployed for the first time during a riot in manland Britain." *** Kent chief constable, Dave Phillips, was being driven home from a lecture about the 'right to silence' (which he argued against because it favoured the guilty) when his chauffeur was stopped for speeding. In court, his driver said Phillips had ordered him to put his foot down, but surprisingly the police constable didn't turn up to confirm or deny this. *** The Home Office's publicity for the new codes for 'open government' amounted to just 5,000 leaflets to inform the public of the changes. That's less than the distribution of the SchNEWS!!! *** The Legal Defence and Monitoring Group help to keep a check on police behaviour at demos and pickets, give unconditional support to anyone nicked or injured, provide sympathetic solicitors, assist with suing the police and so on. They've published an annual report - copies from BM Box Haven, London, WC1X 3NN. If you're flushed for cash why not send this worthwhile group some or ring 0181 802 9804 and get trained up us a legal observer *** Last Friday's memorial demo for Jill Phipps at Dover Port was marred by serious police misbehaviour. 17 arrests were made during ugly scuffles in which police were seen to be throwing punches. Those arrested were taken miles out to Evesham police station, in the middle of nowhere, and not released until the early hours when no public transport was available. Nice one you 'Kents'. Live export protests are on the rise again. After the last two massive actions at Dover Port Saturday shipments have been suspended. This is a tremendous victory and attention now shifts to Friday night shipments. Next big action is late night on Friday 16th plus a national rally the day after, both at Dover Port. For info and transport pop along to the Shoreham group meetings every Tuesday + Thursday evenings at Hove Lagoon Cafe. 7.30 start. Pressure on! and Finally "Is oral sex vegan?", asks a puzzled American writer to the EF! Journal. "No animal is, presumably, being hurt, but vegans don't eat animals that die of 'natural causes', or animal products like eggs and milk." It's a difficult argument to swallow. The Journal replies: "Surely one is vegan if the body fluid consumed is from one's own species. Consider that most new-born human infants eat only their mother's milk. Oral sex is an excellent, vegan way to prevent the appearance of more of these beings on our overpopulated planet." Which leads SchNEWS to suggest the vegan fellatio fellowship take immediate membership of another American club - the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT). Motto: "Thank you for not breeding". Suckers! Write to: Earth First.' Journal POB 1415, Eugene, OR 97440 USA DisclaimerThe 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 Xmas shopping sprees filling your home and lives with endless consumer crap. you will then feel content. Honest.
Subscribe! Keep SchNEWS free! Just send 1st class stamps leg 20 for 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. Tel: (01273) 685913. Next Squatters Estate Agents Meeting February 13th, Unemployed Centre, off Carlton Hill behind Amex 3pm Justice? have a vehicle - nice one Dan... and now we're brassic and our phones ready for the chop... donations please @nti-copyright information for action - photocopy! distribute! contribute!
|
|||
|
@nti copyright - information for action - copy and distribute! |
|||
