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News in Brief
Feature: Evictions of Sites Which Have Been Compulsorily Purchased
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Send Us Your News!Toytown camp was set up four months ago to defend woodland and playing fields in the centre of Cheltenham from a new supermarket, petrol station and 2 new roads. The camp is now digging in for the winter and gearing up for direct action against the builders Waitrose and Morrison Construction. The energy generated by the campaign has also led to the formation of the new Cheltenham Earth First! group. To get involved in the action contact: toytown@stones.com, http://come.to/toytown, mobile 0797 131 6597, phone box 01242 525280.
Pioneer Aggregates are currently expanding Durnford Quarry into Ashton Court Park near Bristol. A camp was set up several months ago and earth moving has been disrupted but high levels of security have now made it hard for any action to succeed at the quarry. This month the EF!AU received reports that the war had been taken elsewhere - to Pioneer's concrete depots at St Philips and Avonmouth where at least 10 cement mixing lorries were sabotaged!
Meanwhile in America... ELF activists burnt down 5 buildings and 4 ski lifts at the ski resort at Vail, Colorado, causing $12 million damage. The resort had been planning to expand into wilderness areas, threatening much wildlife including the lynx.
The second stage of the GANDALF trial starts on November 2nd.Although the Court of Appeal threw out charges against four defendants as "fatally flawed", the Crown Prosecution Service decided to press ahead with conspiracy charges against Robin Webb and Paul Rogers. A demo will be held at 1pm on the day outside the court. Support in court is also needed. GANDALF defence campaign 01442 240246.
Performers, musicians, speakers and everyone else! If you want to get involved in the EF! roadshow then contact Manc. EF!
The Rebel Alliance has been set up in Brighton to improve local networking between eco-activists and anarchists. For details of monthly meetings call Schnews.
Animal Liberation prisoner Barry Horne, serving an 18 years sentence, is on hunger strike demanding that the Labour government keeps its non-vivisection promises. For support actions contact 0181 208 3289 or Barry Horne, VC2141, HMP Full Sutton, York, YO4 1PS.
ASEED Europe are compiling directories of activist groups working on transport and genetics campaigns. To be involved, contact ASEED, PO Box 92066 1090 AB Amsterdam, Netherlands, +31 20 668 2236, aseedeur@antenna.nl.
There was more than usual consternation when the anti road and quarry protest camp at Dead Woman's Bottom in Somerset was evicted in spring 1998. Bailiffs arrived without any possession order having been served, evicted protesters, and destroyed their possessions. There was talk of it being done under some "Land Rights Act". There's no such thing. A lot of people thought it was illegal. It wasn't. The device used was: Section 13, Compulsory Purchase Act, 1965.
This law is rare but nasty. It applies only where land (with or without buildings on it) has been compulsorily purchased. When an authority which has compulsory purchase powers (there's quite a few of them - councils, government departments, public bodies, etc.) has been through all the compulsory purchase procedures and has eventually won against the owner, they can then serve a Notice of Entry. If that isn't complied with - i.e. the owner doesn't hand over the land or premises - they can then instruct the Sheriff for the county (the Deputy Under-Sheriff in practice) to steam in and evict without the need for the usual court order. The thinking is that there have already been exhaustive court procedures over the compulsory purchase (or, at least, the opportunity for them if the owner wanted to fight) so there's no need for the usual possession order. The fact that the people in occupation now might not be the owners but the likes of us wouldn't make any difference.
But the purpose of the procedure is to give the authority entry to the land or premises when they haven't been given it voluntarily. It doesn't enable them to go on evicting any new people who might occupy it after they've had their entry. So, the questions to ask are:
Has this place been compulsorily purchased from the owner?
If so, did the authority serve a Notice of Entry on the owner ages ago? If not, have they served one recently?
If it's the former, is there any evidence that they entered the land and took possession of it before our occupation started? If that's the case, they've had their entry once and can't have it again except with a possession order in the usual way. Arguably this is what's seen off attempted opportunist fiddles against squatters up to now, but we wouldn't want the issue to get to the Court of Appeal, which would probably "construe" - i.e. extend - the law so it could be used by authorities to keep possession, rather that just get it once. So please don't try any court heroics on this one. You could get the law changed to everyone's disadvantage.
With a squatted house or building, it's usually easy to tell if the authority has had its entry already. If there was a council steel door on it, for example, that's fair evidence the council has taken possession of the place. With land, some more detailed investigation might need to be made.
The time for investigation should be when you first occupy the CP'd land. When the Sheriff and heavies arrive is too late! The former owner might be a good place to start. If they fought the CPO, they may be helpful. If they didn't fight and were happy to take the wonga, a Notice of Entry may not have been served. What were the authority doing on or with the land before your occupation began? Were they acting like they owned it? Did they fence it, put up notices, get surveyors working on it, trash anything that was there? All of that would indicate they've already had an entry to it.
If they have served a Notice of Entry recently (e.g. after your occupation began) but clearly had their entry earlier, it should be challenged straight away. Again, when the Sheriff's heavies turn up is too late.
Further reading
ROAD RAGING from Road Alert, PO Box 5544, Newbury, Berks, RG14 7YB. or Acme Tat, c/o Leeds EF!, £3.50 + postage.
SQUATTERS HANDBOOK from Advisory Service for Squatters, 2, St. Pauls Rd., London N1 2QN. £1 + 39p postage.
Further advice
EARTH RIGHTS, 07071-225011.
ADVISORY SERVICE FOR SQUATTERS, 0171-359-8814 2-6pm Sunday-Thursday.
Excerpts from... A Gardener's Guide for Survival in the Modern World! by H.R.H. Prince Charles.
Appropriate Clothing and Preparation for the Shy Gardener Gardening by its very nature is a dirty job and you will obviously get covered in the soil of your garden, which is unique. To make sure you can get clean with the minimum of hassle it is recommended to wear either a set of overalls, or a complete set of old clothes (jumble sales are good). If you are to wear gardening gloves make sure they are cotton as all others will mark your work. Have some nice warm clean clothes and boots to change into before you get home. And in today's disposable society it is hoped that you would get rid of your dirty old clothes and boots in wheelie bins, industrial skips or an allotment bonfire.
The tools you use for gardening will vary, and for some crops you won't need any at all. If you do use any tools make sure they are clean, no greasy fingerprints, before you put your gloves on. The only thing that will shift them is warm soapy water. Be thorough: even the batteries inside a torch have been touched, and you wouldn't want to drop anything while you were out and about! On the subject of dropping things, it's easy to lose things such as jewellery and specs when working hard so take them off beforehand or fix them to your person.
If you need to use a vehicle, it's worth parking away from your garden and walking in, as tyres leave those horrible distinctive marks. Leave someone with your vehicle as there can be thieves and other unexpected people about. Splashing your number plate and around it with mud will mean no-one will remember it. Remember when you get home to vacuum and clean the whole thing. If you find yourself walking through the countryside early in the morning, go cross country or via footpaths, people walking on roads attract attention. Oh, and get rid of your directions before you go!
The best gardening time for the shy gardener is obviously at night. And at the new moon is better than when it is full. You have two main choices; around 3am is the dead hour, but remember how long the job will take - slightly earlier in the evening and you'll have more of an excuse to be out and about. Remember the countryside can be a busy place, especially in the autumn and winter, as gamekeepers and poachers are regularly about. At this time a light of any sort will draw attention. It is worth bearing in mind that only nutters and gardeners are out when it's pissing it down, and it will wash away any trace. Remember dew, you'll get drenched anyway.
First step is to get the six-figure grid reference for your release site - this is available from Joseph Pereira, DETR biotech unit, 0171 890 5277 (phone and ask for GMO public register and the GMO Grid Reference List), or from the internet at http://host.envirolink.org/shag/. Unfortunately most of the grid references you'll be able to get will be of the main farm building rather than the field itself. Don your wax jacket, bird book and binoculars, or take out a dog for a day in the countryside. Get yourself a "pathfinder" map and head for the fields. If you're lucky and they're being responsible (ha!) it'll be the only crop of that variety in the area. If not then check them all, a farm may have multiple release sites.
What does it look like? The release site will probably consist of several smallish rectangular areas of the crop (approximate sizes are listed in the register of the sites). Each area is separated by several feet of bare earth. The whole site is surrounded by a several yards wide strip of bare earth surrounded by a barrier crop. The barrier crop will usually be the same type as the release crop.
The different areas of the release crop will be marked out either by signs, or more likely just by small white rods. The different areas are for different things, at least one will be a control crop, i.e. non-mutant to use as a comparison. The other smaller test sites will be the mutant crops. The mutant plots may have even more markers to the extent of each individual plant having its own white marker rod. Also if a release site is to test pesticide resistance, the plots with weeds in are more likely to be controls and plots of the crop where no weeds are growing will be mutants. For release sites in greenhouses or labs, look for the paperwork.
Obviously the number of people you need will depend on the size of the release site. Most release sites can be done quite happily with a couple of gardeners, about four would be better, but it could take a couple of hours. Make sure you're suitably dressed and if possible go a little ahead to scout out the site. In Scotland police have staked out a test site, some sites have been alarmed with synthesised American voices booming out of the dark (unfortunately for them no-one responded to the alarm call), in Devon they hired security guards (the site was blatantly and responsibly decontaminated), and who knows what they're doing with private detectives. Paranoia, Boo! They who are careful stay free! Remember you are aiming to destroy the plants: you will either have to snap them off at the stem, or when uprooted pull them apart. At a release site in East Anglia, sugar beet was uprooted and left lying on the site, it was later replanted by the farmer (and later still dug up by concerned gardeners and removed from the site). Remember the release site is an experiment (with our future), if your aim is to disrupt this misguided experiment then you don't need to destroy all of the crop just 50 - 75%. Choose the plots with the mutant crops first; if you think you can identify the control crop then leave this until last. Spread the damage around, when you've done half a plot start on another, you can always go back to it later if there's time but you never know when you might be disturbed. It would disrupt the experiment if all the white marker rods were pulled up and scattered around, mixing the uprooted crops up in the remains of the crop. If it looks a mess it is less likely to be considered salvageable.
Oilseed Rape
There are two different breeds of oilseed rape that you might be gardening, winter and spring. The spring oilseed rape is sown between mid March and April, and harvested late September to mid October. The winter crop is sown late August to mid September, flowering during May and is harvested mid July - mid August.
The plant has erect branching stems up to 3 foot high bearing deep lobed, grass green, bristly lower leaves and lobed blue upper leaves, with distinctive yellow flowers. It may be harvested early by breaking the stalk of the plant. This can be achieved by holding a large disposable stick outstretched and falling onto a row of the crop.
Maize
Maize is usually sown in late March - early April and is harvested between late June and early July. It has a single main stem with irregular long thin drooping leaves. It can be harvested in the same way as oilseed rape.
Tomatoes
This crop is usually sown in seed beds at the end of May and then transplanted to the test fields between late March and early April. It is then harvested between mid-July and early September. They have a main stem which branches. Each branch produces five jagged weeping leaves. It produces a green fruit that turns red with ripening. To harvest early, pull or dig up the plant and snap the main stem.
Wheat
Winter wheat is sown between late September and early October and can be harvested between early January and late April. Spring wheat is planted in early March and harvested in August or September. When young it is difficult to distinguish from barley, both of which look like large leafed grasses, but as they grow you can see that wheat has a much larger head. To harvest when young, pull up, if older use a "grass hook" (a type of crescent shaped knife).
Barley
Spring barley is sown February to March and harvested mid-May to mid-August. The winter crop is sown September to October and harvested July to August Garden as wheat.
Sugar Beet
This crop is sown in seed beds in late February and then transplanted to the fields between late March and late April, and is then harvested in early November. It has a whitish conical root that produces a lot of stems each with a single irregular green and lobed leaf as well as a garland of flowers. It can be harvested early by pulling or digging up the crop and removing the root bit from the leaves and scattering in opposite directions.
Potato
There are a lot of varieties of potato grown in Britain, many of which it would be appropriate to garden. The description and the growing times of the plants will depend on the variety, but generally potato plants look like straggly tomato plants with either small yellow flowers or small green tomato-like fruit.
[ Contents ]Most test sites have now been harvested for the year but, with plenty of other targets to choose from, the campaign against genetic engineering continues unabated. As part of Global Geneweek, October 2nd saw actions at Tescos supermarkets across the country. Anti-GE street parades took place in Skegness, Aberystwyth and Southwark in London. Across the country numerous other banners were dropped and supermarkets picketed. Even in the winter there's still lots of fun to be had...
More GE articles inside: Toxic Planet, Taunton Safeway's, and a guide to genetic 'gardening'.
[ Contents ]Monday the 26th of October saw the occupation of part of the Biotechnology department of Leeds University in protest against genetic engineering. Twelve activists occupied two rooms in the department while climbers unfurled a banner reading 'Resist Genetic Engineering! Resist Corporate Rule!' outside. Other activists made it up onto the roof, where genetically modified plants are grown, but were intercepted by a worker and chose to back off to avoid a confrontation. The occupation lasted for just over an hour, during which time all the paper work was re-filed and, if reports in the press are to be believed, research was irretrievably deleted from computers. There were no arrests and rumour has it that the action has so worried the department that they have introduced a 24 hour security presence. This was the first of the 'Doin' it in the North' actions, the aim of which is to improve networking and analysis in the North of England whilst simultaneously increasing the number of actions done by EF! groups. Like future 'doin' it' actions it was followed up by a debriefing and 'what next?' discussion as well as a social event (in this case the eating of sosmix sarnies!) The next such action will be hosted by Manchester EF! (date to be confirmed).
[ Contents ]On Saturday 24th October, activists brought the genetics campaign to the John Innes Centre in Norwich. Despite torrential rain, over 20 people marched to the site to eat a picnic of organic food.
The John Innes Centre is possibly the UK's leading institute for the genetic engineering (GE) of crops. They have recently signed a L50 million contract with biotech company Zeneca to develop GE wheat, possibly modified with Zeneca's own version of terminator technology, which prevents farmers from being able to save their seed between harvests. Despite this, they portray themselves as publicly funded independent scientists, and put the case for GE foods when sitting on government regulatory and advisory panels. The event attracted good media attention, including a 5 minute article on the local television news.
Norwich Genetic Information Network: 01603 624021. Full details of John Innes and their corporate bedfellows: http://members.tripod.com/~ngin.
[ Contents ]One of the most powerful men in the world, Renato Ruggiero, Director General of the World Trade Organisation, had egg all over his face as he was awarded the prestigious VIP 'Pie in the Sky' award for services to global exploitation and destruction. Ruggiero, in London to deliver a keynote address to a 'Trade, Investment, and the Environment' conference, received a pie in the face outside Chatham House, to the cry, "This is a present from the dispossessed!"
There have been several top capitalists with sticky faces recently. Bill Gates, Robert Shapiro (Monsanto's CEO) and the monetarist economist Milton Friedman have all been targets of the American branch of the Biotic Baking Brigade. "In the face of the most profound financial crisis in recent history," an angry Pattiserista said, "the World Trade Organisation has insisted on speeding up the imposition of its neoliberal economic policies which have led to the suffering of millions around the world who are the expendable members of the global economy".
[ Contents ]The protest camp at Radstock, near Frome in Somerset, has been served an eviction order as of October 7th. The eviction is expected to follow fairly soon.
The campaign aims to stop Beazer Homes from building 5 high-cost houses on a green open space which local people want kept that way. But it is suffering from the shortage of activists which seems to be becoming the norm on protest camps. As one activist noted, 'With more activists and local support we could win. Motivating the general public is a challenge'. Campaign contacts: 01249 701667/ 01249 713742.
[ Contents ]Rolls Royce, in addition to making parts for Hawk fighter jets, gas guzzling cars for the rich and generally being corporate scum, also make the nuclear reactors and fuel which power Trident submarines. So, on the first of October, as part of an international day of anti-nuclear action, 70 activists took part in an action at their base in Derby. The action had the twin aims of publicising the base's activities and of disrupting them. On the first count the action was hugely successful: A large banner told motorists that 'Rolls Royce Drives Nuclear Weapons', while saturation coverage was gained in the local media.
Disrupting the base's workings was sadly far more difficult to achieve due to a heavy police presence (including members of the Forward Intelligence Team). However, some affinity groups blockaded the gate, one group locked on to the front gates, and two groups managed to get inside the compound itself. 12 people were arrested and held for at least 16 hours and charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage. Two were also charged with perverting the cause of justice for giving false names.
Following the action the homes of 10 of those arrested were raided by police who confiscated bank details, diaries and even one woman's university coursework as evidence. Fortunately the Crown Prsecution Service's attempt to impose repressive bail conditions, in the form of regular police station signings and 'non-association', were turned down in court the next morning.
The huge state clampdown is worthy of consideration. Their reaction suggests that they were particularly worried either by the choice of target or by the form of action, symbolising as these did, the sharing of tactics and targets by the ecological and peace movements. It is hard to know how to overcome such a police response, only that the need for rapid and co-ordinated movement on the day, and tight security in the run up to it, is more important than ever.
The 12 arrestees are in court for a Pre Trial Review on 4th December. Contact: Greater Manchester & District CND 0161 834 8301.
[ Contents ]On the 21st of October a convoy of nuclear warheads was stopped in its tracks on the Newcastle by-pass by activists from Nukewatch and Tyneside Action for People and Planet (TAPP).
The convoy was delayed for 20 minutes as 2 women locked on to a cab, and a man got on top of the carrier. Below him were live warheads on their way back from servicing in Burghfield. The action took place in a very public area and achieved lots of local media coverage.
Nukewatch keep track of the movements of nuclear convoys as they go up the country to Faslane every 4-6 weeks. Contact them on 01703 554434 (S. England), 01274 730795 (Midlands and Yorks.) and 01436 679194 (N. England and Scotland) to get involved with convoy following or stopping.
[ Contents ]This November 10th is the 3rd anniversary of the murders of the Ogoni 9, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the communities of the Niger Delta are appealing for action. Despite the recent release of 20 Ogoni hostages and other political prisoners, the poverty and the oil pollution in the Niger Delta, including Ogoni, remains. The corporations use unjust decrees and military force to continue their theft of resources and Shell has been co-responsible for over 2000 deaths in Ogoni alone since they were forced out of the region in 1993.
Resistance has been increasing across the rest of the Niger Delta. More and more indigenous occupations of oil facilities are putting significant pressure on the corporations, despite increasing state violence. And in Ogoni itself, people have started to organise and rally more, despite the continuing presence of the occupying force.
The Ogonis are one of the few indigenous communities in the world to have forced a transnational corporation from their land by concerted and sustained non-violent direct action, and we must not let Shell defeat them! Solidarity action with indigenous resistance is needed now to force Shell to end its environmental racism and plunder of resources in the Niger Delta. Please occupy your local Shell station on November the 10th. DELTA 0116 255 3223, MOSOP 0181 563 8614.
[ Contents ]A site has been set up outside Swindon in opposition to a proposed greenfield housing development. The £2.5 million scheme has been pioneered by Beaufort Homes and if it goes ahead will be a serious incursion into the greenbelt around Swindon.
Local opinion is strongly opposed to the scheme. The camp is now under a repossession order and activists are needed to defend the trees and tunnels. Site number 01793 783 040.
[ Contents ]On Tuesday 20 October, the date that the Multilateral Agreement on Investment negotiations recommenced in Paris, a group going by the name of DIS-MAI attempted to sell off parliament to the multinationals. Politicians are already under the thumb of the corporations but the MAI would further institutionalise their dominance. Some dressed up as corporations; Shell, Monsanto, McDonalds, News International, Nestle and British Aerospace. An auctioneer with his megaphone and gavel then proceeded to sell off various government departments which were represented by puppets having the faces of the, Peter Mandelson, Tony Blair, David Blunkett, John Prescott etc. The proud multinational owners of these government puppets were then able to manipulate them as they liked. Redundancy notices were also handed out to people going into parliament. They carried on for about an hour, even attracting a few coins from passing benevolent souls! DIS-MAI :0171 607 2302.
Meanwhile in Paris, 150 activists from around the world occupied the offices of the International Chamber of Commerce, which represents multinational companies and has been instrumental in pushing the MAI through. The good news is that talks on the MAI have now broken down irretrievably at the OECD, but expect an MAI clone to appear from the World Trade Organisation soon...
[ Contents ]Khmelnitsky 2 and Rivne 4 (K2/R4) are two partially built nuclear units in the Ukraine. They were left unfinished after the collapse of the Soviet Union but the Ukrainian government now intends to complete the reactors and put them into operation. This would be a tremendous threat to the whole of Europe, as the reactors are far below even the insufficient existing safety standards and would not be allowed to operate in any Western country. What's more the Ukrainian government has made the closure of the remaining reactors in Chernobyl dependent on getting loans from the West for the completion of K2/R4. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has been approached to finance this project, but are showing signs that they may not approve the loan. To help them make the right decision, on Monday, December 14th, protests will be staged at various EBRD sites all over Europe, as well as North America and Japan. The bank's head office is in London, and so an effective protest there is vital. As well as their involvement in this scheme, the EBRD also plays a crucial role in the whole globalisation process, since its main purpose is to finance infrastructure projects in the former Eastern Bloc so Western corporations can invest.
For more information contact jfrijns@antenna.nl or ASEED.
[ Contents ]
As the action update goes to press, campaigners at the site of the Birmingham Northern Relief Road are facing imminent eviction. Bailiffs and security have completed building a compound next to the squatted farmhouse on the route of the proposed 27 mile privately funded toll motorway and a repossession order has been served.
The nearby Greenwood camp has not as yet received any notice of eviction, although the water supply to the camp has been turned off. There is plenty of scope for new camps along the route and solidarity actions against Midland Expressways or its parent companies Kvaerner and Autostrada would be nice! Camp Mobiles: 07970 301978 / 932224.
[ Contents ]The protests against a proposed 32 acre quarry at Bestwood Country Park in Nottingham continue.On the 8th of October 200 local people attended a public meeting to organise against Tarmac. The proposed quarry (plus reopening an old one) will cause severe damage to the country park, one of the few remaining remnants of Sherwood Forest. The area to be destroyed is an unimproved acid grassland meadow with over 90 flowering plant species and associated fauna. If the quarry goes ahead, large areas of oak woodland would bethreatened by die back at the edge.
There is now a decentralised campaign of small friendship groups, 177 people on a bulldozer pledge, a video statement underway, and plans to visit Tarmac's AGM in June next year. Tarmac were involved in Twyford Down, M65, M77, roadstone to Newbury, Runway 2, Cookham Woods, the plans to build the new British spybase GCHQ, and plenty more. So, spot your local office/site, dust off your Robin Hood &apm; Maid Marion outfits and prepare to join other outlaws in getting Tarmac to back off! For further information, or if you'd like to get a crew together for the AGM contact Notts EF! on 0115 9585 666.
[ Contents ]Taunton was abuzz with class acting on the 16th of October. First the locals joined in the international McDonald's bashing with a street theatre exposing Ronnie's misbehaviour and publicly slapping the guy. Spectators became activists for a moment as they could not resist the chance to have a go at our "known felon". Later the same day a mutant carrot was quickly ejected by the "PR lads" at the local Safeway's, but not before releasing mutant genes (balloons) to join their comrades on the shelves. An expert in a biohazard suit appeared incapable of recapturing the renegade veg, who said "We are everywhere, we're uncontrollable and we're taking over! There's lots more where I came from. Mutant Power!" A quarantine line was set up and various trolleys filled with goods labelled "contaminated" and "biohazard" were left around the store. A very successful action, followed by a GMO free picnic.
For scripts etc. contact Somerset GEN c/o PO Box 478, Taunton, Somerset.
[ Contents ]The bleak future facing us with Genetech, and ways out of the dilemma, were the subject of the Toxic Planet project in Islington, London. At the grand opening, 3 banners alerted passers by to the issue, and while mad scientists and corporate baddies were driven away, folk on the street were invited in for a GE free cuppa & food and a tour of the toxic planet. The following days combined direct action, gastronomy, art and straight forward information to get people talking about their food and who is controlling it. Talks about various forms of direct action against GE were held, videos and displays shown and GE-free food and drink served. Toxic Planet provided a springboard for people of every kind to understand the issues involved, have a fun time and find out how to take positive direct action against the likes of Monsanto.
For more info on Toxic Planet ring 0117 226 8672.
[ Contents ]Following the day of action against open cast mining in October of last year, 19 activists were found guilty of 'besetting a place of work' after a two week trial. They now face probable sentences of community service, and in one case prison, when they return to be sentenced on the 2nd of November. No-one was arrested at the mine itself despite the huge amount of damage caused to its workings. All the arrests occurred some hours later in the office of HJ Banks (the mine owners) which was being occupied.
Despite the fact that none of the 19 are charged with any damage at the mine, the magistrate ruled that as they must all have been aware of the damage before they went to the offices, it is an aggravating factor in the offences they committed. They are effectively being punished for damage they did not commit.The magistrate also found that all individuals on the action, including some who did not enter the building, were guilty of the offence as they had the common purpose of disrupting work. In effect, all individuals are being held responsible for the behaviour of all other individuals present. This may have great relevance to future actions. One activist commented: 'This occupation was the equivalent of punching a large bully very hard in the face and then hanging around to tinker with his car 'till his mates turned up. This mistake should not be repeated.'
Contact: No Opencast 0171 603 1831.
[ Contents ]October the 16th was Anti McDonalds day, and as the corporation is close wherever you are on the globe, nobody had to travel very far to participate in the world wide day of action. Here are a few of the reports we received: Birmingham's central burger bar was visited by 16 activists who dropped a banner saying "Resist Globalisation - Boycott McGarbage", handed out leaflets and managed to disrupt business in the branch. School kids joined in the fun and many passers-by gave encouragement.
Nottingham saw pickets of several branches over lunch- and dinner time. A total of 25-30 activists were joined by a pantomime cow proclaiming that "Ronald McDonald butchered my babies!" Veggies cafe mailed out over 21 000 leaflets for the day to groups holding actions all over Britain.
In UmeZ, Sweden, about 150 people successfully forced their local branch to close but were unable to gain entrance due to an aggressive police presence. An activist in Llandudno climbed the roof of the branch in town to fly a banner reading "McD makes you sick" while others distributed leaflets on the ground.
In Ronnie's home patch the US of A, he was booed at by citizens of the towns of Chicago, San Diego and Atlanta amongst others, while two chickens hit CNN headlines for blocking off a store in Virginia whilst holding a banner "Did somebody say McMurder?". Sure somebody did! Other actions were reported from Croatia to New Zealand, with many more undoubtedly happening all over the world.
McSpotlight: Now out on CD-ROM, Details: http://www.mcspotlight.org/. Adopt Your Local Store: phone Veggies 0115 958 5666.
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