CO-MUTINY SERVICE

The great ship Co-mutiny sailed into Bristol last week, taking over an abandoned cathedral deep in the heart of consumer paradise. The banners proclaiming “another world is possible” hung next to chi chi wine bars and Asian fusion restaurants. The squatted cathedral provided a free shop, daily cheap vegan meals, workshops, prop making, music and meeting space. The Co-mutiny convergence project was designed to provide a space for those working for social change in Bristol to gather and work together, and for other people to come into contact with alternative ways of organising and living. Elsewhere in the city Susie Darlington and company set up a squatters estate agency - “Places for people”.

The squatted space and themed days of action opened to the public with an estimated 700 people attending the Bristol Anarchist book fair. Thousands of copies of a spoof newspaper, The Evening Pest hit the city and were distributed around the city advertising the week of events - ranging from radical knitting and song writing to daily themed actions covering animal rights to climate change.

Monday saw a critical mass bike tour of Bristol anti-militarist targets, followed on Tuesday by a well-attended No Borders rally and workshop outside Trinity police station, where migrants are processed.

Bristols inaugural Anarchist Games were staged on Wednesday with a variety of feisty events, all to reclaim some space in the vast private shopping centres that blight central Bristol.

On Thursday a group of confused penguins invaded Bristol Airport wondering where all their ice had gone while on Friday a carnival toured the banks of Bristol chucking custard pies at the credit crunch baddies and handing out thousands of leaflets arguing to repossess banks not houses. Angry lumps of coal then headed for RBS where they demanded to be put back in the ground.

While Co-mutiny have may failed to sink the entire good ship capitalism, the hearty crew certainly shivered a few timbers during the week, and we hope those involved will continue the raiding parties...arghhhr!

* See http://comutiny.wordpress.com