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Home
| 23rd February
1996 | Issue
62
WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S
YER UNCOMPROMISING...
SchNEWS
GOTCHA!
As Peace activists
have smashing time with genocidal aircraft
On 29th January this
year, three women entered a hangar on the site of the British Aerospace
(BAe) factory in Warton, Lancashire, armed with household hammers
and wrote off a £13 million Hawk jet fighter. They were acting to
protest against the planned export of BAe Hawks to Indonesia, a
repressive dictatorship that has invaded and occupied East Timor
where a third of the population have been killed since 1975.
The Hawk, endowed with
the Indonesian flag and serial number, sat invitingly on the tarmac
with a ladder leant against it and the cock-pit open. They disarmed
the cockpit weapons systems, radar controls, the nose cone and wing
parts from which bombs are hung. They continued to paint the plane
with slogans and peace symbols. The three danced gleefully around
the hangar for two and a half hours then rang the Press Association
to tip off the world of what they had done.
"The panels were surprisingly
weak and it wasn't difficult to actually make a hole when you thought
you 'd just be denting it", commented Andrea Needham in a letter
sent from prison.
A fourth woman attempted
to issue a summons for the arrest of Ian Lang MP, the President
of the Board of Trade. She was later approached at a public meeting
in Norwich by plain clothes police, arrested and charged with conspiracy
to commit criminal damage, after a hammer was found in her briefcase.
Bnrish Aerospace are
due to deliver the 24 Hawks to Indonesia later this year. The situation
in East Timor, you could say, was just another 'occupation' except
for the weird parallels with Kuwait, which is virtually the same
size. America and it's allies decided that 100,000 Iraqi's needed
to die for Kuwait to be 'liberated', but strangely in the case of
East Timor America, Britain and Australia - along with major banks
like Lloyds and Midland - are all too happy to finance Indonesia's
genocidal occupation of East Timor. Workers in BAe plants in Preston,
Farnborough, Stevenage and other British towns work daily to manufacture
the means to murder and maim Timorese women and children. Advocates
of the British armaments industry defend the trade by saying that
it creates thousands of hi-tech jobs. In fact, these jobs are only
viable through immense government subsidy paid for by you and me,
the taxpayers. British families spend on average £50 a week on food
and drink, and over £40 on arms. When was the last time you went
down to the High Street to buy that anti-personnel carrier?
Stop this plane injustice:
* A new campaign of open direct action against BAe called 'Hawks
into Doves' was launched on the 6th February at BAe Brough (near
Hull). Twenty holes in the perimeter fence of the plant were cut,
symbolising the twenty years of genocide. Police looked on and did
nothing to stop the fence cutters. On Thursday 29th February there
will be another action at Brough. For further details contact Jen
on 0181 888 4795.
* Yet more info - Hawks
Rapid Response Network on 01865 714036 or Stop the Hawk Deal, 6
Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS (0161 834 0295).
* A Stop the Hawks video
documentary is available from 55 Queen Margaret Grove, London, N1
4PZ (0171 923 9511).
* On Sat. 23rd March,
from 10am-5pm, the Ploughshares Support Network are organising "If
I Had a Hammer" - an Introduction to the Ploughshares Movement in
Oxford. (01865 714 036 for more details)
* The four women remain
imprisoned on remand for four weeks at Risley Prison in Warrington.
The trial is due to commence on March 7th at Lytham Magistrates
Court
* Write to Lotta Kronlid
(VD0087), Andrea Needham (VD0088), Jo Wilson (VD0089), and Angie
Zelter (VD0184) at Risley Prison, 617 Warrington Rd, Risley, Warrington
WA3 6BP. Big, colourful cards and lots'o'lurve for our imprisoned
comrades!
LAMB CHOPS
Next Thursday (29th Feb.),
the Lloyds and Midland Boycott (LAMB) campaign is conducting a day
of direct action against the Midland Bank because of it's role in
financing the arms trade, with particular focus on their part in
the Arms to Iraq affair and the Scott Enquiry.
"Leap Into Action", will
entail occupations of branches and offices in over twenty towns
and cities across the country, from Brighton to Dundee.
Midland Bank are, according
to David Hellier of the Financial Times, "the most enthusiastic
of all the banks in its pursuit of defence export financing". It
isn't just activity in the arms trade that LAMB seeks to counter.
Lloyds and Midland have the largest stock of Third World debt of
all British Banks. These huge debts, (in 1994 Lloyds held £2,736
million and Midland £1,702 million) largely built up in the 1970's,
were caused by irresponsible lending to countries such as Brazil,
Mexico and Peru, many of which were governed by military dictatorships
at this time. Today, it is the ordinary people of these nations
who are impoverished so that the extortionate rates of interest
can be repaid. According to the World Development Movement, for
every £1 given to UK aid charities, the banks extract £11 from the
Third World in the form of debt repayments. Every year, hundreds
of thousands of children in the developing world die directly due
to the knock-on effects of the debt crisis.
This doesn't bother the
banks of course - they make most of their money out of starvation
and genocide in the poor countries of the world. They're also very
keen on making money out of projects which cause substantial environmental
damage, thinking nothing of financing dams, mines and other 'developmental'
projects that result in deforestation and destruction. Lloyds' policy
document on 'green finance' stretches to one page of A4. Perhaps
they were trying to save paper!
* LAMB 0161 274 4665
c/o Grassroots, Manchester University Student's Union, Oxford Road.
Manchester M13 9PR.
*The Annual General Meeting
of the Lloyds TSB Group is happening on 11th April. LAMB have got
shares that can get activists into it. For several years now the
meetings have been heavily disrupted by audacious actions. Call
the office if you want a share.
*LAMB have produced a
fab resource pack, filled with information and ideas on how to make
the 'Listening Bank' sit up and take notice, and improve the pedigree
of the 'Thoroughbred Bank'. They are available for a suggested donation
of £2. There is also a LAMB web site on the internet http://www.unet.com/manchester/lamb/home.html.
This has links to lots of other useful green sites, including SchNEWS.
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'sentiment without
action is the ruin of the soul'
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M66 EVICTED
The Daisy Nook camp at
Oldham was evicted on Wednesday. Sixty activists were present, three
arrests were made and a caravan belonging to a pregnant woman was
trashed. The campaigners are suing the council for £25,000 damages
- a local under sheriff is willing to vouch that the council acted
illegally. Undeterred, more camps are being set up and people are
desperately needed for the campaign. which has been overshadowed
by the Newbury action Further details: 0161 627 4862/ 0161 628 4727
/ 01457 834 355.
INDIAN FARMERS ATTACK
KFC
102 Indian farmers were
arrested and charged with looting after the KFC outlet in Bangalore
was ransacked. They were protesting against the multinational's
invasion of India, concern over depletion of the country's livestock
and the nutritional quality of the food sold. Activists have been
blocking roads in protest at the arrests.
On the first day of opening
last year, workers surrounded the outlet and the store was later
temporarily forced to close by the authorities for selling products
with monosodium glutamate above the permitted level, associated
with hyperactivity.
When the fast food chain
opened a store in Delhi, there were immediate protests by a coalition
of farmers, vegetarians and environmentalists. Undeterred, KFC (owned
by PepsiCo) has said it will open six more outlets in Delhi by the
end of 1996.
* Vandana Shiva, Indian
Director of The Research Foundation for Science & Ecology has
been silenced by the BBC. After an invitation by Radio 4 to discuss
the multinationals' impact on Indian culture and agriculture, BBC
lawyers later told her she couldn't participate in the debate for
fear of libel charges.
*McDonalds are opening
stores in Delhi and Bombay this month. They will sell mutton burgers.
Tasty!
TRAVELLERS
Gypsyman Tussle was forcibly
housed by Carmathon District Council fourteen years ago. His daughter
Margaret is dying of liver cancer. For the last year, he has been
asking the Council for space on a local site so she may claim her
cultural right to die in peace, in a trailer. The council have so
far refused to consider his wishes. He has suffered constant racial
abuse and attacks on his home by locals. The council seem to think
that by ignoring Tussle's continued requests the problem will disappear.
We think that refusing to allow someone to die in the manner they
wish is a violation of their cultural rights.
Complain to the Chief
Executive, Carmathan District Council. Council Office, Stillman
St., Carmathan, Dyfed.
Friends and Families
of Travellers 01458 832 371
SQUATTING IN TAHITI
Tahitians who have been
squatting the beach front were evicted by police last month. The
local government claimed ownership of the land in 1990 and rented
it to the hotel chain Forte Meridian. The site is of primary ecological
significance to the indigenous people and houses a vital pre-European
archaeological site. They plan to start development on the area
in the immediate future on a 350 room hotel, complete with Japanese
restaurant and twelve luxury bungalows. The development will demolish
traditional fishing ground and affect the livelihood and culture
of locals. No environmental or socio-ecologicai survey has been
undertaken on the area. Promoters have consistently refused to discuss
the consequences of the project.
*Homeless men were dragged
from a Tokyo shantytown last week in a harsh crackdown on squatting.
The cardboard city is being cleared to build a moving walkway underneath
a bypass.
*Closer to home, the
Selar Farm opencast mine protesters in South Wales have been given
another eviction notice for next Monday. Last weeks predicted eviction
didn't take place due to disorganisation of the security firm. Support
them if you can. Call Norma on 01639 720 884 for directions, or
Cardiff Action Update on 01222 383 363.
INFILTRATION?
The friendly face of
Inspector Barry Norman was spotted at last week's Dover Live Exports
protest, dressed as a demonstrator. Norman is a fronts man of the
Forward Intelligence Team, recently formed to gather information
on 'potential troublemakers' and identify key activists (See SchNEWS
54 for photo). When challenged and asked his number he simply froze
and looked blank. Nothing new there, then!
NEWBURY NEEDS YOU!
Various camps in Newbury
are under imminent threat of eviction - and need people NOW!
* On Wednesday, ten buses
due to take security guards to the site, all mysteriously broke
down, simultaneously. Shame.
Isn't it time you
got down to Newbury?
Third Battle
of Newbury: 01635 45544
Travel from London - ring Reclaim The Streets: 0171 281 4621 / 0171
249 9114
From Brighton:
01273 685 913 /01273 604 765
party and protest
Saturday 25 February
March against the Immigration and Asylum Bill. Ring 0171 729 1264
Buses from Brighton 9am St Peters Church
Thursday 29 February
- Release Satpal Ram benefit. 7:30pm at the Red Rose Club, Seven
Sisters Road, Islington, London. Features Banner Theatre's debut
of Criminal Justice. (£5/£3)
Saturday 2nd March -
Legal Defence Monitor Group at the New Kensington 11:30am for briefing
for independent witnesses before Critical Mass.
We need more of Ya!
MOTHER FESTIVAL
The Advance Party have
had all conspiracy charges dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service
over last year's planned anti CJA 'Mother' festival as there was
insufficient evidence to prosecute. Defendants are expecting property
to be returned by courier, at the CPS's expense. A spokesperson
said, "Brilliant. Gotcha bastards!' But, Hampshire Police have summonsed
another free party spirit for aiding and abetting the use of a truck
on a road, stealing the aforesaid (hired) truck, and using the truck
for her own purposes! She is due to appear at Andover Magistrates
Court in the second week of March. Obviously Hampshire Police aren't
after her at all!!
* Black Moon sound system,
the first crew to be charged under the rave sections of the CJA,
are in Corby magistrates at 10am on Tuesday 27th February. They
are being charged for preparing to play at the Mother festy - the
one that wasn't! Turn up and give them some support! 01298 27475
for more info.
and Finally
As homelessness continues
to grow. different ideas about how to fight it are emerging. On
the one hand SHELTER (the national campaign for homeless people)
are urging people to 'make a donation, attend an event, write to
your MP. or even wear our badge' during their forthcoming Homeless
Week. That'll make the government see sense, eh?... On the other
hand, Justice? along with thousands of people throughout the country,
are being a little more practical and saying to people sleeping
on the streets - squat those empties ! Next Thursday Justice? will
be opening a Squatters' Estate Agents in Brighton where you can
get lists of empty properties around town and a low-down on the
law. If you wanna help set it up give the office a ring before Wednesday
and we'll tell you where it is.
They thought we'd take
it lying down - but over 150 'outside agitators' crammed into ours
Justice? public meeting last week to discuss the police attack on
the Valentine's Day Reclaim The Streets in Brighton - and what to
do about it. No one at the meeting seemed too surprised by the police
violence on the day or the local rag's bizarre distortions afterwards
- but what came through from the meeting was that the police should
not be allowed to get away with such blatant violence without being
challenged. Anyone attacked or wrongfully arrested at the party
was urged to sue 'em - we have lots of video footage which might
help your case and a friendly solicitor who will help you do the
business. Contact Justice? if you want to sue, put in a complaint
or were a witness to any police nastiness. Defend the defendants!
- people nicked at RTS are up in court on March 6th, 9:45pm, Brighton
Magistrates Court so come along and give them your support!
LIMITED EDITION SchNEWS
POSTCARDS NOW AVAILABLE!!!
In glorious
Technicolour, 21 humorous designs by SchNEWS reader David Owens,
spreading the word. Only £2.50 for 10, £5 for full set (21) available
from SchNEWS address. Cheques payable to Justice?, please. Be cool
and get 'em while they're hot!
Disclaimer
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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.
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Next Squatters Estate
Agents Meeting February 29th, Unemployed Centre, off Carlton Hill
behind Amex 3pm
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prisoners - just send us your address
@nti-copyright information
for action - photocopy! distribute! contribute!
Why did the chicken cross
the road? - poultry political postcard answers to Justice? The chicken
revolt has started.
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