Westside Action
a motley crew of anarchists and activists from Bristol, Bath and South WalesArchive for Uncategorized
Merthyr to Mayo Solidarity Bike Ride
Across the planet, in the places where fossil fuels are sourced, people are resisting new energy developments.
Communities are standing together to defend their homes, health, land and water, and our shared planet… This is localised resistance with huge global significance….
From the tar sands of Alberta, Canada to the woods of Mainshill, Scotland….
from the rivers and plains of the Niger Delta to the Amazon jungles of Peru….
and from the valleys of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales to the Northwest coast of Mayo, Ireland…The ride has basically started, if you want to find us, and if the technology works, you should be able to see where we are with the map on this page.
Latest Post:
his morning we opened our tent zips to the sight of the beautiful mountains surrounding Killarney.
The dinner group set off early to prepare a meal for fifty people with no kitchen or stove to work with. So, instead they arrived in Trelee, after some leg-boggling uphills and awesome down hills, to ride along a nature trail and set-up the people’s kitchen in a local park. After some relaxed mega-chopping a buffet of delicious salads was served as the sun came down, and some riders did yoga to stretch out post-cycle cramps.
As the dinner crew set off in the morning the rest of the group headed into Killarney for a critical mass. As the good weather continued; music was pumped through the town’s streets by Peddles the bicycle sound system and the cyclists filled the roads handing out newspapers as they moved round the town. On leaving Killarney the mass cycled round a Topaz petrol station and let people know that Topaz is a Shell re-branding. After ten minutes spirits were high and the drivers seemed amused and enjoyed the show.
Tonight we’re staying in a Taekwon-Do hall with a squidgy floor to sleep on. No sleeping mats tonight. Up tomorrow for an early ride, goodnight!
Westside/Rising Tide Blockade Merthyr-Aberthaw Coal Train
News from the frontline…
UPDATE: TUES 27TH 14.30
Massive respect to every1 involved! Alas, on account of all the press persons being nicked this story needs to be got out as much as possible! Not that much out there at the moment. Please help getting the story out if you can! My latest update is that absolutely every1 involved has been nicked up to about 17/18 people all told I reckon, including drivers, legal observers, etc. Vehicles believed to have also been impounded. 😦 A second wave lock-on with more heavy duty gear believed to have attached themselves to track shortly after 1st wave cleared; all arrested later that aft/eve. Lets get this story out there.
Chase x
Chase
PREVIOUS ACTION AT MINE
Bristol and Bath Rising Tide Stop Coal Train – Happening Now !
Today, people involved in the Rising Tide Network1 have literally puts their necks on the line by chaining themselves to the rails in order to block the rail link to the Ffoss y Fran Open Cast Coal mine near Merthyr Tydfil. They are currently blocking the movement of coal trains from the mine to Aberthaw Power Station2.
Please Call 07835366330 For on-site interviews and updates. Alternative number (off site): 07909172768
Kim Green from Rising Tide (UK) said:
“We are Protesting the continued extraction and burning of fossil fuels in the face of a global climate emergency. The failure of the Copenhagen climate talks to deal with this huge problem, and the obvious policy inadequacy the three main UK parties contesting the general election to take the necessary action to tackle the problem has highlighted the need for the people to take grass-roots direct action.”
Kim Green continues:
“This action is also in support of the local people of Merthyr Tydfil whose campaign ‘Residents Against Ffoss y Fran’ have been fighting the mine for over six years. The mine causes noise pollution for up to 16 hours a day, dust and dirt are carried into the town by the wind, and it turns the rain black.”
The process by which Miller-Argent3 were able to get the go ahead to exploit this resource at the social cost of both the local and global community, highlighting the democratic deficit in the planning process, which takes in to consideration the social-environmental impact of such projects. The newly formed quango “The Planning Commission” will only make these things worse, being able to ignore any consideration in favour of profit.
Miller Argent have been quick to pressure their small workforce into mobilising against local concerns – but their apparent concern for their workers is betrayed by the fact that they are actually looking to sell the mine as the quantity of high quality coal is only about as half as good as they initially believed. They are in fact making a loss on the project.
Notes To Editor:
1. Rising Tide is an international network of groups tackling the Root Causes of Climate Change and Climate Injustice .http://risingtide.org.uk/
2.Aberthaw Power Station is the biggest polluter in Wales. In 2006 it released 7.4. million tonnes of Co2. It is Projected to run until 2025 with NO PLANS to fit carbon capture storage (CCS) technology. 40% of the coal for the power station is supplied by Ffos y Fran. It was targeted by Bristol & Cardiff Rising Tide in 2008.
3.Miller Argent own and run Ffos Y fran. Argent are in turn owned by the BT Pensions Group. Both of these organisations make much of their ethical and sustainable practices But in this case they seem to be placing profits over and above any element of social responsibility.
From Our Women in Bolivia
Several Excellent Reports have already been posted by westsiders/bristol no borderers attending the Earth Summit in Cochabamba called by Bolvian President Evo Morales. There blog “ayya” can be found here.
march to commemorate 10 years since the water wars
They report on a immigration raid and the ‘co-opting’ of grassroots campaigns by the government , also report on local solutions to among other things sewage and composting and a commeration of 10 years of struggle for water rights.
B & B Rising Tide Show Solidarity With Rossport Campaigners
Activists from Bristol and Bath Rising Tide visited the Shell garage in Muller Road, Eastville at 8.30am this morning to highlight the repression experienced by communities in County Mayo, Ireland who are trying to stop Shell building an onshore high pressure pipeline and gas refinery.
The community in Erris, County Mayo has seen continued harassment and intimidation by Gardai and Shell security, as well as the unlawful arrest and targeted jailing of key campaigners. In February fisherman Pat O’Donnell was sentenced to 7 months in jail for convictions of “breach of the peace” and of “obstructing a Garda”. The community has been fighting this project for over a decade. Construction of the gas refinery has resulted in the pollution of the local drinking water. Untreated waste chemicals from the refinery, including lead, mercury, arsenic and radon would be pumped into Broadhaven Bay despite it being a designated Special Area of Conservation. 1
Today’s action is part of Fossil Fools Day, a global day of creative action against corporations who contribute to and profit from climate change. 2
It is also the lastest in a series of acts of Solidarity that “Westside” has taken in support of the local campaign in Rossport since 2006, including visits to Mayo itself. See links below:
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/689329
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/688933
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/688042
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/26833
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/25476
https://westsideclimateaction.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/rossport-solidarity-cardiff/
1 http://www.shelltosea.com/node/21
2 http://risingtide.org.uk/node/336
Letter From COP15 Accused, 19th March
Dear All,
First of all, Noah and I wanted to say a massive thank you for all the solidarity, the actions, articles, petitions and messages of care that have been organized in solidarity with our trial. Although we know that political repression of this sort targets all activists, it does feel very isolating being the people picked out and charged. Every single action of solidarity has made this process easier for us and reminded us that we are not alone. So thank you!
We have had several victories, some beautiful court moments, and a very stressful week in court. Our case was extended for three more days- which will not happen until August. Noah and I are both sad that the trial is not over but relieved to have not been judged yesterday. I have included english versions of some of the danish press coverage on the case below to give you a better idea of what has been going on in our trial.
We were originally given two days in court for our trial (the tuesday and friday just passed). We had been charged with organizing violence against the police, gross public disorder, systematic destruction of property and gross disturbance of public infrastructure. Two of these are charges associated with danish terror laws. The police said that we did this from the period of october to december 2009 but that these things were mostly to be carried out in copenhagen during the period of the 11th to the 18th of December. They said that the alleged actions we are accused of mostly failed because the police managed to stop them- in part by arresting Noah on the 11th and me on the 13th of December and keeping us in prison for the rest of the COP (and three more weeks- just to be sure!).
On the morning of the first day in court our lawyers argued for the case to be dropped. They explained that charges in Denmark usually have to include some description of what people are accused of doing, including things like how they were doing it, where, when…anything really. They successfully removed one of the terror charges (gross disturbance of public infrastructure) and got the police prosecutor to admit that none of the things we were accused of had any relation to what happened on the streets in Copenhagen during the COP 15. So now we are just accused of attempting actions, not actually carrying anything out!
It was at this point that the police prosecutor introduced the crystal ball defense. No more details than “something bad was supposed to happen at some point somewhere in Copenhagen” could be supplied by the police because they couldn’t look into their crystal ball when they charged us! In a spectacular display of confidence in the charges she then asked the court to note that she had not actually written them herself!
The court decided to continue with the rest of the charges regardless, but after two days in court I am wondering if they regret that decision. The ‘evidence’ for the non-specific things we are accused of organizing is spurious at best and in the worst cases produced bursts of laughter from both judges and spectators in court. They have trucked out tiny bits of conversations from tapped phones between other people and asked us to interpret them, radically reinterpreted what we and others have said on the phone (from over three months of our private conversations that they recorded) to the point where even the judge objected. They used notes from brainstorms, scribbled notes from media report backs, and outlandish conjecture to try to demonize us.
My personal favorite is a note i made about big bolt cutters. Instead of asking to interview her during her three weeks in prison (although they said one of the reasons i was kept was for further investigation), they chose to leave until court to ask what was meant by this note in my confiscated personal note book. I explained that it was prop for a demonstration that was a huge two meter tall paper mache bolt cutter. It was to be used on the day of the climate no-borders day of action as both a humorous and serious way to say it is illegitimate to cage human beings. The prosecutor tried to throw doubt on the honesty of my reply until two of the audience in court went to pick them up from a local social center and brought them in for the court to see. Everyone but the prosecutor laughed.
The state of the evidence would really be hilarious if the case didn’t carry such serious consequences both for us personally and for Democracy in Denmark. We are the first of a series of cases against people accused of organizing. It seems that the Danish state is using us as a test case for new anti-activist laws they have passed, the extension of terror legislation to cover any form of political protest and to establish the ability to try people for things that never actually occurred.
Noah and I were both picked up and arrested on the side of the road while riding our bikes by ourselves, threatened, isolated and kept in prison for over three weeks of ‘preventative detention’. The personal impacts of this have been huge. Even scarier though is the potential effect this has on everyone’s ability to speak up about things they care about in Denmark. If they manage to criminalize protest to the extent that going to meetings, organizing speakers for a demonstration, or being a media spokes person can land you in jail, then what sort of world will we be living in? If they manage to say intense surveillance and monitoring of activists and their lovers and friends is legitimate, and arrests should be made on crystal ball suspicions of potential actions- then we have moved from even the sham of liberal democracy to a society more reminiscent of 1984 than any of us would like to admit.
It is clear also that this is not just happening in Denmark. Since our arrests we have heard of countless political prisoners facing the hard end of political repression. After our experience of injustice and repression in Denmark we feel very personally that it is so important that all of us speak out and not let this repression continue.
Free all political prisoners, drop the charges for the Cop 15 defendants and all people arrested during the COP15, and end political repression NOW!!!
Love, solidarity and actions for a better world
tash and noah xo
Why We Don’t Like The Police (and Can’t Stand Coppers)*
The Cardiff 3 -Stephen Miller, Yusef Abdullahi and Anthony Paris
In a recent national-network meeting I recently attended, a young-ish person expressed his puzzlement and his anger at many of his fellow activists hostile attitude to the Police.
A recent newspaper story reminded me where a large part of my antipathy to the Police – and by extension – to The State grew from. It was an article regarding the case of Neil Hurley, convicted in 1994 and given a life sentence for the murder of Sharon Pritchard, who was bludgeoned to death and left naked in a playing field near her home in Croeserw, near Maesteg, South Wales. Several witnesses who gave evidence against him at trial subsequently claimed that they were coerced by officers from South Wales Police into making false statements against him. There was no direct or physical evidence linking Hurley to the crime. Despite this, the body supposedly responsible for ensuring that miscarriage of justices – The Criminal Case Review Commission – have not yet seen fit to review his case. This kind of thing isn’t supposed to happen anymore…
Of course, this brought back memories from the late 1980’s to the late nineties when case-after-case of miscarriages of justices were revealed – most infamously the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four – that were eventually “rectified” at the Court of Appeal. For many of those victim to the miscarriages, their conviction may have been overturned but many of them had spent anywhere up to 27 years in prison – for which there is no possible adequate compensation (not that the financial compensation offered to those was in any way proportionate to their suffering – and to add insult to injury around 25% of the compensation was normally deducted for “board and accommodation” – I kid you not).
While it was the West Midlands Crime Squad who became most infamous for their “fitting up” and torture of suspects, South Wales Police, as the case of Neil Hurley demonstrates earned them an equally bad reputation.
Despite the lack of any direct or physical evidence linking Hurley to the crime, South Wales police saw him as an obvious suspect – i.e. one that through fabricated evidence would be easy to secure a conviction, due to his previous (alleged) poor character. This is a pattern familiar to anyone with knowledge of the numerous false convictions that have been revealed in the last couple of decades. The number of people with learning disabilities, or mental illness who were stitched up and used to falsely convict others for high-profile murders is truly disturbing. Previous convictions, normally for minor offences may have also marked you out for a framing. Race and Class were of course also determining factors.
Another case, The Cardiff 3, shows how the Police used people in a vulnerable position to get false convictions. Over 13 Police Officers (Let’s name the scumbags: Police Constable John Howard Murray, Detective Sergeant Paul Stephen, Detective Constable Paul Jennings, Wayne Pugh, Graham Mouncher, Richard Powell, Thomas Page, Michael Daniels, John Brian Gillard, Peter Greenwood, John Seaford, Rachel O’Brien and Stephen Hicks) have been summoned to court for the fabrication of evidence used in the Cardiff 3 trial which resulted in Stephen Miller, Yusef Abdullahi and Anthony Paris serving four years for the murder of Lynette White.
However, so far only three people have actually been jailed for perjury which led to the false convictions. They are not coppers, but witnesses who were bullied into making false statements by the Police. There was evidence that one of them, Leanne Vilday had been subject to particular pressure from police who coerced her to give evidence against the Cardiff Three, and that she was threatened with jail, losing custody of her young child, should she fail to give the evidence the filth sought.
Despite the undisputed role of police bullying and intimidation – Gaon Hart, prosecuting, stating in court that “it is clear that the defendants were harassed into lying” – all three witnesses were convicted on the basis that duress was not available as a defence.
In the cases of Birmingham Six, Guildford Four no Police Officers have ever been convicted. We’ll see what will happen with this one, but we won’t be holding our breath.
There are so many things about these cases that makes the blood boil. As with many of the miscarriages that have come to light, the convictions are for some of the most revilled crimes – both inside and outside prisons. Sexually motivated murders, child murder, bombings of civilians etc. This of course adds to the agony of being in prison for what you have not done – as the rest of the prison population hates you and your family’s home on the outside is a likely target of attack. Even once freed from prison – the Police in these cases, rather than apologise have given ‘off the record’ briefings to the press that they were in fact the right people- they just didn’t have the evidence to prove it. – despite what the court of appeal had decided. On release, these people should live a life of unparalleled luxury and happiness. Sadly, this is far from the case.
Take the case of Ellis Hill, one of the “Cardiff Newsagent 3” (not to be confused with Cardiff 3). In 1987, Michael O’Brien, Ellis Sherwood and Darren Hall were wrongly convicted of the murder and robbery of Cardiff newsagent Philip Saunders in 1987.
In 2001, Ellis Hill two years after he was released and a few days before his first daughter Catrin was due to be born, he suffered a stroke.
The stroke was a result of the drug habit he picked up behind bars but has since shed. It has left him with epilepsy, impaired speech, limited use of his right arm and, according to social workers, unable to be trusted to look after his own children in case he suffers a fit.
Neither does he have full control of his compensation money. When South Wales Police paid him a measly £200,000 for his 11 years in prison, the cash was held by the Court of Protection because it was argued the stroke had left him unable to look after his own financial affairs. He now has to apply in writing through solicitors in Cardiff to access any of it. Because of his illness, his partner was told to leave him in day centre. Afterwards, when they were living in Barry, Yvonne was told to leave him at a day centre during the week. For a man who had just been released from prison after 11 years, a day centre was too close to another institution. He didn’t want to go. She didn’t want him to have to. Yet they were dubbed “uncooperative” when they said no.
Of course, some would say these cases are isolated, a quick trawl on the internet would say otherwise. The culture to cover-up for your colleagues, to issue false statements to the media about the character of people who have been wrongly jailed, or even killed by the police (e.g. Ian Tomlinson) is still widespread. How else would you explain that no British Police Officer has been jailed for the dozens deaths in custody?
No Justice, No Peace…
*A paraphrase of a ‘Rodney P’ Track
Rossport Fisherman Jailed For Defying Shell and Authorities
Pat
This weekend saw the first UK gathering of Shell to Sea activists and supporters. Many aspects of the campaign were discussed, but a dominant theme of the gathering was one of support for Pat O’Donnell, now serving 7 months in Castlerea Prison, and for his family. Pat has consistently spoken out against the Corrib Gas Project and the collusion between Royal Dutch Shell and the Irish Government and has refused to be silenced by violent attacks on him and his boat, and by numerous arrests.
People at the gathering spoke out against the travesty of justice that saw “The Chief” sentenced to the maximum sentences for minor offences, and at a judge and press that labelled this kind and honourable man a “Bully and Thug”. Instead Pat was hailed as a “Hero and Friend”, a Hero for risking his own life to rescue Gardai and civilians in a sea rescue in 1997, and a Friend, because for all those who had met him, that’s how they saw him.
The Gathering sent messages of support to Pat in Castlerea Prison, and to his wife and family, and intends to continue to support them throughout his sentence.
The campaign against Shell, the Corrib Gas Project, and the Irish Government’s support for it, continues to grow in determination and strength.
Shell to Sea UK Show support for the Chief
– Homepage: http://www.shelltosea.com/content/no-justice-shell-sea-campaigners-judge-jails-fisherman
Westside Round Up – Blackcat, Climate Camp Gathering, Rossport, Smashings
Blackcat Social Centre – on the prowl again
After a productive month at the Methodist vicarage, the Black cat has moved on to pastures new. We are at the top of West Avenue (just around the corner from the old building) and our address is 63 West Avenue,Oldfield Park,Bath.
We will only be in this building for a very short time (probably a week) and obviously have a bigger better place lined up for then, but for now, all Black Cat Calendar events are running as usual at the above address. For a full list of Black Cat calendar events, check out www.bathactivistnetwork.blogspot.com. To get in touch, email:bathsocialcentre@gmail.com
The next Climate Camp National Gathering will be hosted by Bristol over three exciting days during February 19th – 21st February. Timings The gathering will start from 11am on Friday 19th February through to 5pm on Sunday 21st February. The venue for the meeting space will be at The Island (Bridewell), Silver Street, Broadmead, Bristol BS1 2DL, which is in Bristol City Centre. Further details click here. Following a victory in the courts about the unlawful use of Section 1 of PACE to search people at the Kingsnorth Climate camp in 2008, Climate Camp are asking people to fill in a form, with a view to take further legal action, here.
A bit further a field, but close to many people hearts is the retrial of many locals who ahve been involved in long running and impressivethe Anti-Shell campaign in Rossport, Ireland. If their appeal fails, then many could face jail. Check there website to see how you can support them.
Everybody Benefits
There has been the usual glut of benefit gigs in Bristol and surrounds -and this coming weekend is no exception. Check Out French Melodic Punk “La Fraction” (in aid of Bristol ABC and Moscow Antifa) at the Croft this Friday (£6 in) and then at The Plough in Easton on Saturday, Kilnaboy and others make a noise in aid of some travellers in South Devon who are due to be evicted.
Meanwhile,on we think, last Sunday Night – Bristol “…magistrates court next to the bus station in the middle of bristol was attacked. all the reachable windows were smashed out and spray paint messages left on the walls “fuck the law not the poor!”. According to the BBC report (not a mention on the evening post website) 35 windows were smashed.
Also Check
Bristol and Bath Rising Tide – New Year Meetings
Rising Tide – Rises again !
Rising Tide UK is a network of groups and individuals dedicated to taking local action and building a movement against climate change.
After quite a pause since we last met – it was decided at the recent Westside Gathering to get regular meetings of Rising Tide happening in Bath and Bristol. If you are still up for tackling the root causes of climate change – come and join us.
So the next meeting is going to be at the Black Cat Social Centre in Bath at 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday 2nd February. This is currently in the squatted vicarage building at the back of the Methodist church on the corner West Avenue less than 20 secs from Oldfield Park train station (turn left when leaving the station go over the railway bridge and you are facing it). For Bristol folk there is a train from Bristol Temple Meads at 18.49 arriving 19.03 and trains back at 21.10 and 22.28.
The following meeting will be in Bristol at the Kebele Social Centre, Robertson Rd, Easton at 7.30 on Monday 15th Februay. Our proposal is that meetings will then continue on a fortnightly basis alternating between Bath and Bristol – lets give it a try.
Climate Camp Critique Reader
Drax, 2006
Excellent Range of Articles contained here: cca_reader
Yeah, I know it’s 52 pages long, but at least for those of you who arent getting out much at the moment or
A) Think Climate Camp is a “wizard idea” and don’t see why it needs to change at all
B) Think Climate Camp used to be good but now has been hijacked by liberals
C) Didn’t know Climate Camp was Started by Anarchists
It’s an essential read.
Editorial:
In January & February 2010, the Camp for Climate Action will go through a period
of introspection as it works out where it shall go next. While in some ways the Camp has been a success, it has also come under a barrage of criticism from some quarters within the radical movements that spawned it.
To help this debate we have put together a set of resources and relevant articles to inform and spark discussion relating to this criticism. Our bias is obvious, though the opinions expressed are those of the authors alone.
Whether you agree with them or not, we believe they are worth taking on board. We hope at least that you feel confident answering their challenges, rather than just dismissing them.
Now is the time for the Camp to examine its politics in more depth, to work out just what it stands for. This is a cross-roads in its development, to continue down a path of ever increasing liberal, reformist approach, or to be the noisy radical, pointing out all the white elephants in the climate change debate. The future of the movement around the camp is being shaped here. The decisions being made now will have profound impacts on who is and who is not involved in the future.
The Camp for Climate Action grew out of the radical anarchist and environmental movements, a synthesis of the organisational skills developed at the Anti-G8 protest camp at Stirling, and the ecological direct action movements such as Earth First! The perception that emerges from these criticisms is this has been lost along the way. We accept that this booklet makes challenging reading and that we offer little in the way of solutions. These, we believe, must come from within the camp itself. However, it is apparent that there is a need for two things. Firstly, a greater visibility for the anarchist roots within the day to day life of the CCA process and proposals.
Secondly, and just as important, a more open and explicit critique of capitalism and how it is the root cause of climate change.
If we do neither out of fear of a mainstream media backlash, then we are reduced to being another NGO. Yet, the power of the Camp has always been the promise of a genuine alternative action in the face of prevarication and obstruction from governments and corporations – now is the time to spell that critique out and use it to build real alternatives, not legitimising the system we complain of. It was the strength of the Camp‟s founding critiques that gave it the boldness its subsequent successes have rested on.
Ultimately, the message of the Camp is a very radical one – that radical social change is needed, especially if we are to tackle of the root causes of climate change. The answer is not to water down our actions and our messages, but to be bolder than ever. That is the excitement and power that gives the Camp its life.
Westside Action 