FIGHTING FRACK ADDICTION

Over the weekend of 17-18 September local protesters from Lancashire joined forces with activists from across the country to attend Camp Frack- a two day camp focussed on networking, planning and skill-sharing at a site only a couple of miles away from the cabbage field where Cuadrilla Resources (the company currently leading the field in UK fracking) are conducting test drilling operations in preparation for an onslaught that could see 800 wells drilled in Lancashire alone.

The Campaign Against Climate Change joined forces with the newly formed direct action network Frack Off to organise the event which culminated in a march and rally attended by 150 protesters. This was the first organised act of defiance against an industry which is threatening to transform our countryside into a vast network of frack "pads" where millions of gallons of harmful chemicals will get pumped into the ground as condensate tanks vent poisonous gases into the air.

Gary, an activist from Frack Off, worked closely with the local protest group REAF (Ribble Estuary Against Fracking) in the run up to the camp: "What I've been most impressed by is how some of the local residents here have reacted to the threat of fracking in their back yards. They're organised and empowered and are up for taking the fight to Cuadrilla. Unfortunately they're a small minority at the moment. It seems like the majority of local people have bought Cuadrilla's PR story hook, line and sinker. This sorry state of affairs is partly a result of local papers regurgitating Cuadrilla's PR line, that the gas rush is going to transform the local economy, providing thousands of jobs, millions in revenue and billions in taxes."

Last week Cuadrilla announced initial findings from their first round of tests, claiming to have discovered an unprecedented amount of gas in the Bolland Shale beneath Lancashire, a statement that has been widely criticised by many commentators who pointed out that such claims are impossible to back up with findings from only two test wells. The announcement also coincided with a emergency refinancing deal of one of Cuadrilla's major investors AJ Lucas.

Despite the announcement threatening to overshadow the huge environment questions currently being asked about fracking, Gary is excited about the energy that Camp Frack has catalysed: "The camp was a huge success. In the ten days since it finished a national campaign network has formed with groups in Scotland, Wales, Bristol, Brighton, London and of course Lancashire. The UK anti-fracking movement may have started with a fairly low key march, and there will be plenty more protests in the months to come, but direct action is also very much on the cards. Like REAF, Frack Off plan to take the fight to Cuadrilla".

For more information or to get involved visit frack-off.org

SMASH EDO ON TOUR

Smash EDO, Brighton's long-running anti-militarist campaign (see nearly every SchNEWS since 2004), will be hitting the road this winter. The aim of the tour is to raise awareness of the campaign and get more people involved – building towards next years 'Summer of Resistance'.

Smash EDO have called for a series of actions over the course of summer 2012, starting on May Day with a demonstration in Brighton. Apparently a variety of scale and tactics will be welcomed – from peaceful pickets to vegan organic Molotov cocktail sessions, there'll be something for all the family.
 

INSIDE SCHNEWS

Schnews has heard that prison life has got even more shitty than usual for some of those inside. Denied not only his freedom, Pete Simpson had his copy of SchNEWS confiscated by an overzealous (ie- complete arsehole) screw. After a brief scam he decided that it “Wasn't suitable for prison”, and Pete was left without his weekly fix of direct action news and typographical errors.
Pete told us that the problem was that he received his copy with a parcel rather than as a letter on its own. Whereas letters are opened by the normally more liberal staff of the post room, rather than the warders on the wing, who are more likely to relish abusing what little authority they have.

Pete was nicked for possesion of a craft knife and documents that weren't in his name. Unfortunately his arrest came during the riots, and so what would have otherwise been a minor matter earned the guy 6 weeks on remand in HMP Brixton.  

Several zines were also confiscated, but his copy of Freedom (Whitechapel's Freedom Press anarcho monthly) got through without problems. Since then Pete's been bailed out of jail (and exiled from London) until his trial in December or January.

As already overfull prisons get even more crowded, and post-riot sentancing spirals even further into reactionary lock-em-up hell, prisoner support is more important than ever. More than anything else, prison is a lonely, boring experience. Writing letters to prisoners offers a ray of  glimpse of the world outside of the prison walls and let's prisoners know that just because they're in prison doesn't mean the rest of us have forgotten about them.

http://www.brightonabc.org.uk/support.html

SABS SABBED

In the past few weeks two established Hunt Sab Groups have had their vehicles stolen and then set on fire within hours of the thefts. The vehicles belonged to the Croydon and Sheffield groups. At the first theft we were willing to believe that this was a normal crime but the duplication at Sheffield leads us to suspect that these are planned attacks by the Hunting community. At this stage we cannot prove anything and feel it is unlikely that the police will come up with anything, but it seems obvious to us that these arson attacks on vehicle right at the start of the season are an attempt to curtail the activities of Hunt Sabs in the respective areas. Needless to say this tactic will not work and both groups will be active in the field in the weeks to come.

The Hunting community is desperate. Following the ban they pinned their hopes on police inaction and a Tory government. It seems that the many new Tory MPs do not want the return of Hunting, even with the pro-Blood sport leader in power. They are becoming desperate as their numbers of supporters drop each passing season. This is the latest attempt to hinder their opponents, one in a long line of illegal activities, from violent attacks to property damage. Needless to say their tactics will not work and we will continue to fight them in the field until their sick and barbaric sport is finally ended.
 

ISRAEL-PALESTINE: STATING THE OBVIOUS

The Palestinian Authority's bid for recognition as a UN member state has barely left President Mahmoud Abbas' lips (see SchNEWS 798) and already the over-zealous elements of Israel's right-wing have kicked into action. This week leaders from several political factions, including chairman of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's Likud party, called for the annexation of West Bank settlements in response to Abbas' move in New York.

In a letter to Netanyahu they also urged cutting Palestinian aid money, accelerating settlement expansion, and the prohibition of any Palestinian construction in areas controlled by Israeli security forces. These intrepid politicians have obviously never been to the Jordan Valley (or any other part of the West Bank classified as Area C) otherwise they would realise the last recommendation is already a policy of the Israeli occupation forces.

Such ideas have also been aired across the pond. A group of 25 Republicans attempted to introduce a bill in the US Congress supporting Israel's right to annex the whole of the West Bank should Abbas follow through with the statehood bid. The idea is apparently not popular in Israel itself – presumably because it would mean over one million Palestinians being absorbed into the Israeli state altering the demographic balance.

An idea which is gaining traction in Congress, however, is legislation to cut some or all of America's $600 million (approx) annual aid to the Palestinian Authority as punishment for daring to seek statehood. This has been met with unlikely opposition from the pro-Israel lobby with J-Street and even the American Israel Public Affairs Committee calling it counter-productive.

Back in the West Bank settlement expansion is insatiable and this week Egypt's Foreign Minister, Mohamed Amr, criticised Israel over plans to construct 1,100 homes in the Gilo neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem. An estimated 6,000 settlement housing units have been given the green light in the last two months. Whilst Hilary Clinton meekly called the plans for Gilo 'counterproductive', there is, unsurprisingly, no Congressional plan to cut US aid to Israel; which in 2010 totalled more than $2bn.

Despite the guarantee the the US will veto Palestine's statehood a final call from the UN Security Council is likely to take weeks. On Wednesday the Council announced it will delay any decision in order to give more time for international efforts to revive direct peace talks. Considering the Palestinians have said, quite rightly, they are unwilling to come to the table unless settlement expansion is frozen it looks as though we are in for a long wait.

Not that peace talks are likely to bring any respite to the millions of Palestinians suffering daily under the barbarity of Israeli occupation. The 1994 Oslo Accords carved up the West Bank, gave Israel control over most of it, and did nothing to prevent subsequent Israeli military incursions into both the West Bank and Gaza that killed thousands of innocent Palestinians. Even the normally pliant PLO leadership now openly refers to quartet envoy Tony Blair as “the Israeli ambassador”. How things are going to get any better is any ones guess.
 

AND FINALLY

Shocking news from this years DSEi (see SchNEWS 788) – a gun was stolen from one of the exhibition's stalls on Friday 16th, worryingly the identity of the thief is unknown and the handgun has not been recovered. Though the Metropolitan Police are 'continuing their enquiries' the weapon could be anywhere. It is feared that if it falls into the wrong hands it could be used to kill people.

Unfortunately potential witnesses were too busy torturing political prisoners to death to notice anything unusual..