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Thursday, 24 July 2014
Green gathering and upcoming green events please support and network
Industrial Revolution Squatters Recycle a Recycling Plant in Calais www.Schnews.org.uk
Industrial Revolution
Squatters Recycle a Recycling Plant in Calais
This week, migrants and supporters marched in Calais, France, where police persecution of undocumented migrants reached a climax earlier this month with violent mass arrests and evictions of living spaces.
Around 500 people – Including migrants, solidarity activists, humanitarian associations, lefties, antifa and more – assembled in the town square and then made their way through the main streets, following a samba band and chanting in support of refugees and exiles.
The cops took a rather laissez-faire approach to the unregistered demo, with only one car front and rear making half-hearted attempts to redirect traffic. The local fascists, Sauvons Calais, failed to appear in force after bigging themselves up on social media and the few stragglers that appeared on a side street were easily seen off by the antifa.
So far, so predictable. The march, however, didn't eventually disperse. Taking an unexpected turn into a side street, it stopped in front of an old metal recycling plant.
With hundreds of people blocking the road and no police in sight, activists took to the microphone to explain that the plant was being squatted and that those who wished to enter could do so. Materials sufficient for maintaining up to two hundred people for days inside the squat were swiftly unloaded from a waiting van.
Inside, the marchers marvelled at the size of the place: 12000 square metres to be exact. Outside, nearly enough space to make a football pitch and surrounded by cop-proof ten metre high walls of rusty metal, an apocalyptic sight described by one as “an industrial wet dream”.
People then set to work creating barricades for a small patch of low fence and arranging cooking and washing areas, temporary toilets and sleeping spaces. After two days, the immediate threat of eviction had passed and some 300 new residents of many nationalities settled in.
POST-RAFLITE BROTHERHOOD
The march and action came one week after the horrific 'rafle' of the 2nd of July: the systematic rounding up and arrests of over 600 people and the destruction of their living spaces. Previous evictions had left hundreds of people sleeping in the open air of a food distribution yard near the port.
The morning of the raids, tear gas was used to prevent anyone escaping arrest, while European supporters were violently removed. At the same time, two other squats were raided and evicted. Space in detention centres across France had been cleared in preparation, although days later people were gradually freed and returned. As with other attempts by the authorities to harass and persecute refugees, the whole charade was both brutal and utterly pointless.
As well as repressing migrants on the ground, the municipality has issued new 'anti-vagrant' and 'anti-gathering' decrees aimed purely at the repression of migrants and those organising in their support.
The action was not just a No Borders stunt Рvarious associations and groups came together: A communiqu̩ was released with around 35 signatories stating the squat's objective as a practical response to the humanitarian emergency, and as a political statement to denounce the violence and call for the authorities to respect people's dignity and their obligations to refugees.
So far there has been no official response to the occupation. Activists are urgently needed on the ground to help run and defend the space, as the threat of illegal eviction by the police remains.
See: http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/
Climate Mobilisation and march September 2014 http://peoplesclimate.org
PEOPLE'SCLIMATE MOBILIS
Climate Mobilisation and march
A weekend to change the course of history
In September, heads of state are going to New York City for a historic summit on climate change. With our future on the line, we will take a weekend and use it to bend the course of history.
In New York City there will be an unprecedented climate mobilisation – in size, beauty, and impact. This moment will not be just about New York or the United States. Heads of state from around the world will be there, as will the attention of global media.
Our demand is for Action, Not Words: take the action necessary to create a world with an economy that works for people and the planet – now. In short, we want a world safe from the ravages of climate change.
We know that no single meeting or summit will “solve climate change” and in many ways this moment will not even really be about the summit. We want this moment to be about us – the people who are standing up in our communities, to organise, to build power, to confront the power of fossil fuels, and to shift power to a just, safe, peaceful world.
To do that, we need to act – together.
http://peoplesclimate.org
“The Street Store” is the First Pop-Up Clothing Store for the Homeless http://www.ecouterre.com/the-street-store-is-the-worlds-first-pop-up-clothing-store-for-the-homeless
“The Street Store” is the First Pop-Up Clothing Store for the Homeless
by Lori Zimmer , 01/30/14 filed under: Fashion Philanthropy
South Africa’s Street Store doesn’t just help to clothe the homeless, but also gives them the retail experience of choosing their own wares. With the idea to give the homeless the same dignity as customers who can pay, The Street Store sets up their pop up cardboard shops around Cape Town, inviting customers in need to peruse at their will. Customers in need are welcome to choose an outfit for themselves from the hundreds of donated items, giving the gift of self-assured style along with needed clothing.
Wednesday, 23 July 2014
Keith from the library great blog on Cat Hill Forest protection camp and the Barnet Enfield resistance
CAT HILL FOREST PROTECTION CAMP
The world of squats is a wonder of our age, principally because of the life choices made by the squatters.
This was demonstrated to me by Squatney Wick in 2013, and again today on my privileged visit to Cat Hill Forest Protection Camp. For both visits my invitation came from Phoenix, the saviour with his Occupy colleagues of Friern Barnet Community Library, which they reopened in September 2012 and which formed the plot for the documentary film A Polite Revolution, which received its world premiere in the fantastic world of Squatney Wick.
Today’s invitation followed ANY QUESTIONS at Friern Barnet Community Library on 18 July, after which Phoenix, one of the panellists, agreed to a meeting of minds at Cat Hill to progress ideas for reigniting in Friern Barnet the spirit of enthusiasm which the Occupy members had brought to the library in 2012 during their period of five months when they inspired the local community to follow their example and bring life to the library which Barnet Council had closed.
So I arrived outside the locked gate to the old site of the Middlesex University Cat Hill Campus. The buildings had been demolished in preparation for a massive housing development by London and Quadrant Housing Trust. Inside the gates were the squatters – among them Donny Vortex, Daniel Gardonyi and Petra Rakoczi who had come with Phoenix to ANY QUESTIONS. They were in an earnest discussion with a police constable, which I could see through the wire grille of the tall locked gate.
With me outside the gate were some members of the Cat Hill residents community who, I soon learned, had been waging a war for four years with the developers in protest against the threat of, as they described it,
“one of London’s last ancient forests, under threat of being destroyed to build luxury housing.”
The earnest discussion within the gates was because the policeman was asking the squatters to leave the site, despite their protestations that a court judge had given them leave to stay. One of the local residents telephoned his solicitor and asked him to come round quickly to acquaint the policeman of the legal rights of the squatters. The police constable, realizing that his bluff was being answered by coherent argument, became less aggressive, and Donny was allowed out of the gate. He and I sat down in a more relaxed manner and mapped out plans for the squatters to liaise with the library activists in meeting local schools in projects for the schoolchildren to research the background to the reopening of their local library.
The situation of the police threat to the camp precipitated the camp leaders then to call an immediate Peace Assembly. Here the tale really took off. I was privileged to receive an insight into how activists can and do change societies, by the power of determination and reasoned argument.
The Peace Assembly was convened at the camp of the squatters, in the wood behind the building site where the developers were laying the foundations for building what was designed to become a massive housing development. The residents led me through a gap in the fence, through this wood, and we arrived at the camp. Here veterans of Occupy camps from the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral, and of anti-fracking camps at Balcombe, calmly showed me what they had created at Cat Hill. A vision of a brave new world.
For three months they had cultivated the land; planted thriving allotments of vegetables and majestic sunflowers; planned how the settlement would blossom into
Community garden allotments,
a library,
a centre for workshops, classes, lectures, concerts,theatre and cinema, art studios, and youth and community activities.
I met and chatted to “Anon”, a “war artist” who showed me on his phone his sketches of the camp over their three-month occupancy. His anonymity was preserved by his face being covered by a mask and dark glasses. His manner was totally relaxed.
But the Peace Assembly needed to be started.
We sat in a circle in the wood. I had attended similar gatherings before. Phoenix had facilitated four Think Tanks in Friern Barnet Community Library in September 2012, at which he had calmly and methodically invited representatives of Barnet Council to explain to residents of Friern Barnet how the Council wished the community might run the library there. These Think Tanks had been so constructive that the Council, alarmed at the prospect of being persuaded to cede the running of the library to the community, had instead instituted proceedings for the eviction of the squatters. The eviction was averted by the Court direction to Barnet Council to negotiate a lease with representatives of the community, and the keys to the library under these conditions were ceremoniously passed from the squatters to the Council, and from them to the community trustees.
We sat in a circle in the wood, twenty of us.
From 6pm till 8pm.
The facilitator calmly explained how the debate would proceed. A piece of wood, held by each speaker in turn, would give that speaker the right to explain his or her thoughts without interruption. The piece of wood would then be passed to the next person in the circle, and this process could be repeated for a further round of contributions. We adhered to these rules and listened to each other.
The group was composed of a wide variety of members, with a wide variety of agendas and aspirations. The key to the proceedings was a joint respect shown to each other, which increased both our knowledge of these agendas and thereby our tolerance of a range of ideas and possible courses of action.
There had clearly, it became apparent, been tensions among the disparate elements in the camp. What was wonderful was that these tensions, by being discussed in an orderly, disciplined and tolerant manner, were released by the process of debate and dialogue.
The idealists who had set up the camp and planted and watered the seeds on the allotment.
The residents who had FOR FOUR YEARS mounted a campaign against the L and Q plans for a massive housing development on the Middlesex University woodland site.
Nick, the bearded sage with visions of how the project would become a cultural centre for the community.
The Hungarians, veterans of squats at St Paul’s Cathedral, Friern Barnet Library and The Bohemia pub, whose recently offered expertise and enthusiasm had rekindled the activism of the camp.
Thus were the tensions discussed, and plans formulated for action.
1
Respect and tolerance for one another.2
Realisation of the strengths of the squatters and the weaknesses of the developers.3
Strengths of the squatters:Ability to harness the national media for publicity,
The judge’s ruling that occupation of the land was legal.
4
Weaknesses of L and Q:The actions of the police were a bluff andunsupported by legal documents.
5
A strategy was needed for future action:Lock the front gate,
Keep the developers out for a day by non-violent action,
Harness the views of a legal team,
Prepare for the day of action – harness media contacts, film the event from a helicopter.
Nick’s vision for Cat Hill to be built as an Eco-village began to be a realistic plan for the future. An alternative to global warming and a way forward for mankind.
Keith Martin
22 July 2014
Aliens Under The Sea - UFO Evidence
Aliens Under The Sea - UFO Evidence
A fascinating read,been cross referencing it with some old Russian files ,many sightings reported over sea or water.Whole worlds beneath the waves.
A fascinating read,been cross referencing it with some old Russian files ,many sightings reported over sea or water.Whole worlds beneath the waves.
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Utah: 21 Arrested After Blockade of 1st U.S. Tar Sands Mine
Utah: 21 Arrested After Blockade of 1st U.S. Tar Sands Mine
In Utah, about 21 people were arrested after activists locked themselves to equipment and blockaded construction at the first-ever tar sands oil mine in the United States. Utah Tar Sands Resistance said about 80 people joined the action against the mine in the Book Cliffs, which they say threatens to devastate land, water supplies and the climate.
In Utah, about 21 people were arrested after activists locked themselves to equipment and blockaded construction at the first-ever tar sands oil mine in the United States. Utah Tar Sands Resistance said about 80 people joined the action against the mine in the Book Cliffs, which they say threatens to devastate land, water supplies and the climate.
Detroit Temporarily Halts Water Shutoffs After Protests
Detroit Temporarily Halts Water Shutoffs After Protests
Water is a basic human right WTF Detroit
Water is a basic human right WTF Detroit
Saturday, 19 July 2014
Friday, 18 July 2014
Any Questions at Friern Barnet library tonight phoenix to replace Thor on the panel hope c u there
Hi library supporters
Attached is a poster for ANY QUESTIONS at the library at 7.30pm on Friday 18 July 2014.
There is a special emphasis on YOUTH this month, as you will see from the panel, and I hope lots of our younger supporters will come, armed with questions. As an incentive, you are welcome to come even if you cannot afford the fundraising donation of £5. Just give what you can.
Panel
Cllr REBECCA CHALLICE
Rebecca is nineteen years old and the youngest councillor on Barnet council, representing East Barnet ward. She is on the Children, Education, Libraries and Safeguarding Committee.
THOR (Luke Adams)
Thor was one of the occupiers with Phoenix who reopened the library on 5 September 2012 and whose enthusiasm and example inspired the community to continue running the library after they were evicted.
PAM EDWARDS BEM
Pam received her BEM award for services to the arts in Barnet. She has organised the East Barnet Festival for many years and been secretary of Barnet Borough Arts Council.
JOHN PLEWS
John owns and manages the Upstairs at the Gatehouse Theatre in Highgate. He spoke recently to the Finchley Society.
Chair
BARBARA JACOBSON of BAPS.
Questions, please, on the night or in advance to keith.martin18@btinternet.com.
The libary is gaining a reputation for lively debate and free speech.
See you there.
Keith
Occupy London Democracy Action meeting July 24th friends meeting house Euston.6-8 pm for mass action October 17th Parliament Network it
Date/Time
Date(s) - 24/07/2014
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Friend's house
Category(ies)
This is an organising group for a mass action outside Parliment in October.
We didn’t vote for the cuts. We didn’t vote to hand over the NHS to private companies. We didn’t vote for Fracking across the country.
If you feel the same and would like to take action yourself, come along and meet others to organise the fight back.
All welcome.
To join the mailing list, please contact us.
democracyactionwg@lists.riseup.net
For information:
occupydemocracy@riseup.net
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/action4democracy?ref_type=bookmark
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/occupydemocracy
PLEASE NOTE:
It has been agreed that whenever we can, all our meetings would be on livestream to reach out to as many people as possible. So if you cannot attend the meeting, you can always participate via the video chat.
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