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| 15th November
1996 | Issue
99
WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S
YER WAITIN' FOR A TELEGRAM...
SchNEWS
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THE PLOT...
...is this. You lot
were gonna get a double dose of trouble this week but a late night
electrical fault (i.e. we had none) means Issue 100 will be arriving
early next week. Doubling up as a programme for the Conference,
subscribers might not receive this 'official souvenir' for a while
due to excessive workload. After the Big 100 we're having a bit
of a break, but we'll be back on Friday 13th December with an issue
all about the media.
After that well be on
our Yuletide holidays. During this time we'll be stroking our collective
bulbous beer guts and watching Noel Edmonds on the telly. Then on
the 10th January we're back with an issue on the Zapatistas... (this
of course with the proviso that capitalism is not brought to its
knees during the Xmas period). Normal (or as normal as it ever gets)
service will resume after this. During the next few weeks
though, we're not going to sleep. Anything but! We've got the Direct
Action Conference to organise (coming your way Saturday 23rd November),
the play to assist with and SchNEWSround to produce, print and distribute.
In fact we're all as busy as Michael Howard's defence lawyer right
now.
This also means we need
all the help we can get so please ring the office to volunteer your
services.
At the Conference there
will be workshops on subjects as diverse as the dance scene to genetics.
There will be discussions such as 'who will really save the planet?'
and 'Building for the Future'. There will be practical workshops
'a' plenty, fab food and a cracking crèche, and live entertainment
galore...
We also need you responsible
types to help us distribute the SchNEWSround book. Can you help
get it into bookshops onto your University's reading list, or maybe
nominated for the Book of the Year? Selling SchNEWSround helps keep
SchNEWS free. As far as SchNEWS is concerned, please don't ring
in with stories right now, because we will ignore them. Either post
them in or wait a week or three. Apologies for the serious tone
of SchNEWS 100. We won't do it again. Honest.
On the Sunday after the
conference there will be a meeting for everyone who wants to discuss
the future of the SchNEWS. What will issues 101-200 hold? where
are we going? Why are we here? (and even bigger questions). 1997
is, obviously, a new year. A time for a new broom, and some new
people to start do doing things. A SchNEWS training day will he
held on Monday January 6th. See you there, We're off down the PUB...hold
that door open barman...
Well Oil be Damned
A group protesting a
year after Ken Saro-Wiwa's execution locked themselves into a Shell
garage in Newcastle, bringing it to a halt for 29 hours.
One plucky chickster clambered onto the roof of the garage, then
dropped onto the top of a tanker. A High Court Judge had to be specially
hired in order to take out an injunction against her at 9pm. Local
pissheads climbed up in order to try and get the woman down, and
they were charged with a breach of the peace.
The protester was unfortunately
arrested too. Group 4 has been employed at the station since. Around
the world the first anniversary of the executions were marked by
loads of actions. For example, ten Shell stations in Vancouver were
blockaded, and thirty actions occurred in Britain. Church congregations
around the world remembered the 9 Ogoni who were killed on Nov 10th
last year.
In Nigeria itself there
is a nation-wide curfew banning demonstrations while another 19
Ogonis are currently in jail in appalling conditions (see SchNEWS
95). No more than two people can gather together in Ogoni land until
December. The military occupation of Ogoni has increased and loads
of people are still being beaten, murdered and tortured. For more
info ring Delta on 0116 255 3223, otherwise ring Shell (you find
the bloody number for once, we can't do everything for you) and
give 'em hell.
Red Herring
of The Week
At the recent COPEX
arms exhibition at Sandown Racecourse, four people ran onto
the racetrack pretending to be horses. Seven vans and dog
handler were deployed to stop them hoofing about. They
were nicked for breach of the peace and 'imitation of a racehorse'.
Not really but thanks to the person who left this amusing
little tit bit on our answering machine. We do check
our stories!
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Beanz Meanz Genes
(A.K.A. not another
naked protest)
British activists are
leading the way in Rome at the world food summit by... getting
their kit off again.
A press conference on genetically modified food held by the USA
Agriculture Secretary was nipped (sorry) in the bud. Bottoms up.
MORE BEANZ: as
the genetically engineered Soya beans are just about to come over
from the States, companies are starting to announce whether or not
they will use these perverted pulses. Freezer store Iceland have
come out against them, calling the suicidal Soya "Frankenstien's
Bean". Unfortunately, Cadbury's have announced that they will be
using them. Perhaps it will be a case of "Hey, Mr. Beaver.
Why are you Beavering around? Haven't you heard of Species
Jumping Mutations?"
BP
On Wednesday
10th December, 'Revolution', the working class youth newspaper,
are organising a picket at BP's Head office in Finsbury Circus.
They are are protesting about BP's involvement in Colombia, where
BP have passed confidential videos and photographs of protesters
to the 16th Brigade of the army, a notorious death squad. £39 miIlion
has been paid by BP to the army to set up an elite military unit
to assist the 16th Brigade in their work...
* Meet at Britannic House
at noon. Contact: 0171 357 0388.
Crap Arrest
of the Week
Pity the poor geezer
who was boozing it up at his birthday bash in Yorkshire. On
spying a woman in full police uniform he leered, "You must
be my strip-a-gram" as he lunged her breasts. Unfortunately,
she was the real thing and now the birthday boy faces an indecent
assault charge!
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"Tatting
Down" Squatting Play, 27-30th Nov @ Nightingale Theatre (Nr
Station)
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Who ya gonna call...?
Sanction Busters
Brighton Against the
JSA are sanction bustin', as Part of the fight against the new benefit
regime. Every time someone is sanctioned for refusing a JSA Directive,
a storm of people are set to storm the Job centre where it happened.
"We aim to challenge every single attempt by the Employment Service
to cut people off their benefits", a spokesperson said. Information:
01273 671213.
* A woman from Yorkshire
was threatened with having her dole cut off completely if she refused
to take a job as a secretary with a male escort agency.
* Staff are working 70-hour
plus weeks to iron out problems with the implementation of the JSA,
and some Job Centres are considering emergency retraining for their
staff. Yorkshire's Benefits Agency director said, "My managers..
are hoping for no serious incidents in any of our job centres that
could have a major impact on staff goodwill." We wouldn't want to
upset them, now would we, boys and girls?!
* Thanks to the friendly
copper at this week's JSA demo.
Party & Protest
7th Nov - Benefit
for Festival of Freedom, Richmond Pub, Fog HMC, Tragic Roundabout
and DJ's, £2.50/£3. Help pay the debt.
*** 18th Nov -
Benefit for the Brighton K Rig People's Sound System. 10-3am at
the Volks Tavern
*** 19th Nov -
Reclaim The Campus, 2pm @ Falmer House Square. Calling a halt to
education cuts
*** 20th Nov -
Mad Meat Trade, speakers & videos, Conway Hall, London 7pm.
*** 20th Nov -
Demo against Tuition Bills. Meet 12 noon Uni of London, Malet St.
*** 23rd Dec -
Alternative Winter Fayre, Corn Exchange, B'ton, 11am-5pm, Contact
01273 625580 (after 6pm)
*** 23rd-24th Nov
- CND Annual Conf. Uni of London, £25/£8 unwaged. Contact 0171 700
2393
*** 24th Nov -
National demonstration against the Smithfield Show, Earls' Court
Exhibition Centre, London SW5. 9am - 6pm, Details: 0171 837 7557
*** 28th Nov -
Picket of Toxicol labs, Ledbury. Contact 0121 680 2833 / 01562 700086
*** 29th Nov-
1st Dec - Taxes for Peace Not War Conf. Info From Kiri Smith, 175
Bellhagg Rd Walkley, Sheffield, S6 5DL
*** lst Dec -
Xmas without Cruelty Fayre, 01732 364546
*** 2nd - 6th
Dec - CAAT Week of Vigils & Actions outside the DTI to stop
Indonesians Weapons Trading. Contact 01603 611953.
*** 6th Dec -
Music for Mumia Benefit @ School of Oriental & African Studies,
9-1am £3 (in advance) 0171 272 5368
*** 7th Dec -
Vegan Society AGM, Conway Hall, London
*** 14th Dec -
March and Rally with the dockers, Hyde Park, London, 12 noon. Details:
0151 207 3388 or 0181 442 0090
*** 14th Dec -
National day of leafleting about Genetically engineered products.
Contact Women's Environmental Network: 0171 345 8823
*** 19th Dec -
Vigil for Political Prisoners, 12 noon outside Maidstone Prison;
Kent
*** 21st Dec -Winter
Solstice Celebration, Stonehenge, 8.l6 am.
*** 25th Dec -
Pay Bernard Matthews a visit. Details 01553 617521.
*** Boxing Day Anti Hunt
Demos, Contact HSA, 01273 622827.
Watch Out!
This week, plans were
revealed for a £1 billion computer data bank to centralise personal
details. The introduction of this will mean a change in law to allow
Government departments to access personal information about citizens.
Ministers hope that within a year people will be able to call up
information and forms within the home via PCs. It will also mean
the introduction of a smart card, to combine access to records and
payment, doubling as a banker's card, blood donor card, driving
licence and inevitable identity card.
SchNEWS in Brief
*** The Green Party
have compiled 'Green, Briefings', a series of useful resource
booklets, ranging from Land Access and Housing to LETS schemes and
permaculture. Green Briefings guides are available from Greentrade:
Birch Kill House, Clehoneger, Hereford HR2 95Y. 60p inc p&p.
*** Big shout going out
for back copies of cannabis publications for the Cannabis
International Campaign - who lost £7,000 worth of office and computer
equipment after their offices were fire bombed last month. The Norwich
based organisation - who had planned to stand Howard Marks as candidate
in the General Election - are making an appeal for donations of
money and office equipment to help get 'em back on their feel. They
were not insured Contact: webbook@paston.co.uk
*** Did you see Cathleen
Muller or Nigel Storey (Red) get nicked at the Pure Genius eco-village
eviction last month? Both are now facing contentious criminal charges.
Cathleen was arrested after trying to recover her belongings before
her house was bulldozed, and is charged with assaulting a police
officer. Did you see the incident when Bailiff 110 hospitalised
a protester after pulling him off the roundhouse roof? Please contact
Mike Schwartz at Bindmans Solicitors: 0171 833 4433.
*** Wanted! Have you
seen a UFO? Think you've been abducted by alien forces? Info
wanted for a study of extra terrestrial phenomena. Contact:
CCA c/o Eccentris Directions, 294 Holloway Road, London N7.
*** Nice one to the 4,000
Spanish dockers who brought ports to a standstill on 28th
Oct in solidarity with the sacked Liverpool dockers
*** Join the Uncaged
campaign to boycott Proctor and Gamble, in an attempt to force
them to stop funding animal experiments: Uncaged, 14 Ridgeway Road,
Sheffield S12 1SS
*** Transform
are a recently formed group dedicated to the legalisation of all
drugs. Contact: 0117 972 7428
*** The Villa Varvara
Centre in Greece faces immediate eviction. The centre, in
Thessaloniki has been squatted for almost three years, and provides
a space for autonomous non-commercial groups. Contact Villa Varvara,
TO 50868, TK 54014 Greece
*** Grand Re-opening
- The anarchist Teapot re-opens at 43 Trafalgar Street this Friday
at 6pm.
What a Dope!
The brother of a Tory
Councillor was arrested for unwittingly seeding 13,000 cannabis
plants... by chucking pigeon food onto his land. The quality bird
seed contained hemp seeds, which sprouted into £500,000 of weed.
A relative said, "He's one of the most anti-drugs people I know.
We thought the plants were weeds." Exactly, dear.
Join the Work Farce
This week's Euro-court
decision to outlaw working a week of more than 48 hours may have
got Tory MPs in a lather, but it could well be welcomed by one goup
of
workers... Britain's
activists. Largely unpaid, sometimes unloved, weekly workloads of
filthy hours are not unusual for the hardcore. Neither Parliament
or the Department of Employment seem to recognise the volume of
Voluntary work done in the DIY sector... even though we are one
of the few growth sectors of the economy (the word growth here is
used advisedly)
SchNEWS does not have
any figures for how many hours the average MP works but even if
such stats were available, they would have to be adjusted to allow
for certain activities done whilst on duty... bedding secretaries...
coke parties... 'lobbying'. You know the score.
Nice Guy Eddie
Police condemned pixies
that pinched a tractor to trash fencing, lighting and a portacabin
at Newbury this week. "We have always been very concerned about
[protesters'] safety..."
said the Chief Inspector. Sure! Newbury police announced that they
are looking for a short, blonde haired chap with glasses called
Eddie.
* Newbury supplement.
To commemorate the first anniversary of the start of clearance work,
"Cuddle the Compound" will be held on the 9th, 10th & 11th of
February. It will be a couple of days of festival style activity
and we'll try to recreate that week in January '96 when we stopped
work for four out of five days." 01635 45544/5
and Finally
If you ever wanted to
punch a politician straight in the gob, but lack the time for the
custodial sentence, we have the ideal solution: the virtual smacking
gallery, (http://www. urban75. demon.co.uk) It's easy, simply click
on the faces of Messrs Major, Portillo and Heseltine, and watch
in delight as their faces contort and a really satisfying sound
is emitted. A net mag this month had the site as one of its top
10 faves. The author of the site is delighted "We've had
a great response and there are plans to put up other peoples' faces.
The favourite requests we've had are For Tony Blair, Richard (This
Morning) Madeley. We'll try to oblige in the near future."
and FINALLY
Derby County FC caused
mayhem in a pants factory when they tried to stop foxes digging
up the pitch. Perimeter Fences at the ground were sprayed with a
strong chemical which drifted over to the Undies Workers. Ten women
were hospitalised.
disclaimer
The SchNEWS advises all
readers to take disclaimers seriously. Oh yes. They are never to
be used to obtain cheap laughs, nor extract the ol' kidney residue
(piss to you mate). Always include the words 'Always stay within
the law', and always heed these wise, wise, words. The you will
feel conned. Honest.
Subscribe! Keep
SchNEWS FREE! Just send 1st Class stamps (eg 20 for next 20 issues)
or donations (payable to Justice?) Mark Original if you plan to
copy: SchNEWS is post free to prisoners. SchNEWS c/o on-the-fiddle
P0 Box 2600 Brighton East Sussex BN2 2DX Tel/fax: (01273) 685913
e-mail: src022@abdn.ac.uk e-SchNEWS: http://www.cbuzz.co.uk
Nice One to the projectionists
on Boot's Wall! London, Rd, B'ton.
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