Nothing To See
Merrick, 22nd June 2009
The proof of the police's commitment to injustice comes in their response to crimes committed by officers. Instead of wanting to understand what happened, to see perpetrators punished and future crimes averted, they close ranks and use lies and aggression to discourage further inquiry.
Their campaign against the documentary 'Injustice' about deaths in police custody, and a strikingly similar one against 'On The Verge', about police harassment of peace campaigners, show that they regard justice as an enemy if it challenges their authority.
Read more… | Features Index
Their campaign against the documentary 'Injustice' about deaths in police custody, and a strikingly similar one against 'On The Verge', about police harassment of peace campaigners, show that they regard justice as an enemy if it challenges their authority.
Read more… | Features Index
Earth First! Summer Gathering, 18-24 August
1st June 2009
Every year in the UK a bunch of people get together in a field to share ideas, thoughts and plans for action to help people and planet.
The Earth First! Summer Gathering is the place where people involved in radical ecological direct action - or those who want to be involved - get together for five days of time and space to talk, walk, share skills, learn, play, rant, find out what's going on, find out what's next, live outside, strategise, hang out, incite, laugh and conspire.
Earth First! isn't an organisation, it's just a name used by those with common aims. It's a diverse thing with a wide range of approaches to action, so there should be plenty to interest and inspire everyone whether you're a seasoned eco-nutter or completely new to it all.
It's for people who understand that hierarchy and high technology are not going to solve it all, that the solutions will involve grassroots, human-scaled approaches.
The gathering runs for five days, but even if you can't make the whole gathering it's still worth coming for a couple of days. There's usually about 500 people there.
Entry is £20-30 (it's a totally non-profit thing, everyone pays the entry fee including all the organisers), and good cheap food is available on site.
The gathering is also a practical example of non-hierarchical low-impact living in action.
This year it's 18-24 August in the Lake District
What's happening?
Over 80 workshops, discussions, planning, strategy and 'where next' sessions
*Share and learn skills for kick-ass actions on land and water!
Small boat handling and blockading using kayaks / Direct action training – Tripods, lock-ons, Fences / Climbing skills / Action Reconnaissance / Security for Activists / Impacts of G20 and Nottingham 114 / Winning your climate campaign / How to research corporations /
*Network current campaigns against ecological destruction
Open-cast mining / Genetic engineering / Agrofuels / Saving Iceland / Climate actions / Pipeline resistance in Rossport / Anti-nuclear/ Airport expansion/
*Think about eco-centric ethics and alternative ways of organising
Deep green ethics / Anarchist economics / Anarchist history / Radical Politics / Working without leaders/ Consensus decision-making
*Practical skills for ecological restoration and sustainable living.
Introduction to Ecology / Restoration ecology / Flora and Fauna identification / Vegan Cake making / Power from solar and wind / wild food / Squatting / Bike maintenance
The programme also includes...
*A full day of water based direct action skills training on FRIDAY 21st August
Loads of campaigns are taking to the water in defence of the planet, like at Rossport where Shell are trying to lay onshore pipelines and the Great Rebel Raft Regatta at last summers climate camp. This summers EF! gathering will be building on these tactics with training in water based actions.
*An excursion to visit communities in the North East threatened by an expansion of coal mining on Monday 24th August. Visit beautiful valleys and strong spirited communities and make links for ongoing resistance.
As well as international campaigns round-up, networking and planning for future actions.
Cost and practical things
£20-30 according to what you can afford. Vegan food provided by Anarchist Teapot for £4 per day. The gathering is in Cumbria, the exact location will be announced the week before. Book your trains to Penrith now! More info available soon on the website
http://www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk/
summergathering@earthfirst.org.uk
News Index
The Earth First! Summer Gathering is the place where people involved in radical ecological direct action - or those who want to be involved - get together for five days of time and space to talk, walk, share skills, learn, play, rant, find out what's going on, find out what's next, live outside, strategise, hang out, incite, laugh and conspire.
Earth First! isn't an organisation, it's just a name used by those with common aims. It's a diverse thing with a wide range of approaches to action, so there should be plenty to interest and inspire everyone whether you're a seasoned eco-nutter or completely new to it all.
It's for people who understand that hierarchy and high technology are not going to solve it all, that the solutions will involve grassroots, human-scaled approaches.
The gathering runs for five days, but even if you can't make the whole gathering it's still worth coming for a couple of days. There's usually about 500 people there.
Entry is £20-30 (it's a totally non-profit thing, everyone pays the entry fee including all the organisers), and good cheap food is available on site.
The gathering is also a practical example of non-hierarchical low-impact living in action.
This year it's 18-24 August in the Lake District
What's happening?
Over 80 workshops, discussions, planning, strategy and 'where next' sessions
*Share and learn skills for kick-ass actions on land and water!
Small boat handling and blockading using kayaks / Direct action training – Tripods, lock-ons, Fences / Climbing skills / Action Reconnaissance / Security for Activists / Impacts of G20 and Nottingham 114 / Winning your climate campaign / How to research corporations /
*Network current campaigns against ecological destruction
Open-cast mining / Genetic engineering / Agrofuels / Saving Iceland / Climate actions / Pipeline resistance in Rossport / Anti-nuclear/ Airport expansion/
*Think about eco-centric ethics and alternative ways of organising
Deep green ethics / Anarchist economics / Anarchist history / Radical Politics / Working without leaders/ Consensus decision-making
*Practical skills for ecological restoration and sustainable living.
Introduction to Ecology / Restoration ecology / Flora and Fauna identification / Vegan Cake making / Power from solar and wind / wild food / Squatting / Bike maintenance
The programme also includes...
*A full day of water based direct action skills training on FRIDAY 21st August
Loads of campaigns are taking to the water in defence of the planet, like at Rossport where Shell are trying to lay onshore pipelines and the Great Rebel Raft Regatta at last summers climate camp. This summers EF! gathering will be building on these tactics with training in water based actions.
*An excursion to visit communities in the North East threatened by an expansion of coal mining on Monday 24th August. Visit beautiful valleys and strong spirited communities and make links for ongoing resistance.
As well as international campaigns round-up, networking and planning for future actions.
Cost and practical things
£20-30 according to what you can afford. Vegan food provided by Anarchist Teapot for £4 per day. The gathering is in Cumbria, the exact location will be announced the week before. Book your trains to Penrith now! More info available soon on the website
http://www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk/
summergathering@earthfirst.org.uk
News Index
Vote Against The BNP
25th May 2009
The recent furore over MPs expenses means many people will either abstain from voting in the European elections, or else will cast a protest vote against the mainstream parties.
The British National Party stands to benefit greatly. Unlike a general election, there is a system of proportional representation in place. A share of the vote of 8 percent could see the BNP get a seat. If they get seats, they get hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money.
Last time turnout was 38 percent, and the BNP scored between 6 and 8 percent in the four main constituencies they're targeting. So it's easy to see how they could break through 8 percent this time, but would probably fail to if everyone voted.
Under the voting system - explained in this short animation - it's important to vote for a party that will score higher than the BNP. That's going to be Labour, Conservative, LibDem, UKIP and Green.
Especially crucial is the playoff for the final seat awarded in each constituency, likely to be between the parties coming fifth and sixth; ie likely to be between Green and BNP. An extra 3 percent on the Labour vote will probably make no difference, whereas that 3 percent going to the Greens would probably be the difference between a seat going Green or BNP.
If it sounds fiddly, or like the Greens are trying to scam for votes, check it out yourself. Here's last time's results.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2004/euro_uk/html/front.stm
Here's an online calculator that can translate any breakdown you type in into seats.
http://www.remy.org.uk/dhondt/dhondt.php
In the North West, BNP leader Nick Griffin is standing. Griffin has made an excellent job of changing public perception of the BNP. Like the party itself, he has his roots in the National Front. The party prohibits non-whites from membership.
'All black people will be repatriated, even if they were born here,' Griffin told Wales on Sunday in 1996.
In 1997 he produced a publication called Who Are The Mindbenders, alleging that the media is run by Jews. He proved the BBC was Jewish controlled by naming 17 Jewish employees from a total of over 23,000.
During his 1998 trial that saw him convicted of inciting racial hatred, he compared the belief that six million Jews died in the Holocaust to the belief that the earth is flat.
The BNP are not just a little bit right of UKIP. They are a party of extreme white supremacism and racism. Many of their officials, including Nick Griffin, have convictions for racially motivated crimes. A seat in the European Parliament will massively boost their funds and their platform.
A vote for a party likely to score more than the BNP is a vote against the BNP. Please - especially if you live in their target areas of North West, East Midlands, West Midlands or Yorkshire and the Humber - make sure everyone you know who's registered votes against them.
Nick Griffin's march needs to end here.
News Index
The British National Party stands to benefit greatly. Unlike a general election, there is a system of proportional representation in place. A share of the vote of 8 percent could see the BNP get a seat. If they get seats, they get hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money.
Last time turnout was 38 percent, and the BNP scored between 6 and 8 percent in the four main constituencies they're targeting. So it's easy to see how they could break through 8 percent this time, but would probably fail to if everyone voted.
Under the voting system - explained in this short animation - it's important to vote for a party that will score higher than the BNP. That's going to be Labour, Conservative, LibDem, UKIP and Green.
Especially crucial is the playoff for the final seat awarded in each constituency, likely to be between the parties coming fifth and sixth; ie likely to be between Green and BNP. An extra 3 percent on the Labour vote will probably make no difference, whereas that 3 percent going to the Greens would probably be the difference between a seat going Green or BNP.
If it sounds fiddly, or like the Greens are trying to scam for votes, check it out yourself. Here's last time's results.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2004/euro_uk/html/front.stm
Here's an online calculator that can translate any breakdown you type in into seats.
http://www.remy.org.uk/dhondt/dhondt.php
In the North West, BNP leader Nick Griffin is standing. Griffin has made an excellent job of changing public perception of the BNP. Like the party itself, he has his roots in the National Front. The party prohibits non-whites from membership.
'All black people will be repatriated, even if they were born here,' Griffin told Wales on Sunday in 1996.
In 1997 he produced a publication called Who Are The Mindbenders, alleging that the media is run by Jews. He proved the BBC was Jewish controlled by naming 17 Jewish employees from a total of over 23,000.
During his 1998 trial that saw him convicted of inciting racial hatred, he compared the belief that six million Jews died in the Holocaust to the belief that the earth is flat.
The BNP are not just a little bit right of UKIP. They are a party of extreme white supremacism and racism. Many of their officials, including Nick Griffin, have convictions for racially motivated crimes. A seat in the European Parliament will massively boost their funds and their platform.
A vote for a party likely to score more than the BNP is a vote against the BNP. Please - especially if you live in their target areas of North West, East Midlands, West Midlands or Yorkshire and the Humber - make sure everyone you know who's registered votes against them.
Nick Griffin's march needs to end here.
News Index