Latest Issue
Issue 766, Friday 8th April 2011
House Demolition
A police-escorted bulldozer razed the inside of migrant squat Africa House in Calais last Thursday (31st). In the early afternoon, large numbers of police descended on the site, home to tens of African migrants since the first Africa House was demolished last June.
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Other stories from this issue...
Rich Pickings
- Right-wing Tory-funded pro-cuts rally to march in London in May
Sick to the Gills
- Riots break out in Belgium after brutal police murder
Caught Off Gard
- Shell campaigners in Ireland continue work as Gardai sexism is exposed
Party & Protest April Roundup
- A packed schedule of protests and events for April
Zero Eviction Day
- International support builds as eviction looms for Dale Farm Gypsy site
Getting Their Fill
- Greek protests against landfill site heat up
Quaking in Their Boots
- Anti-fascist meeting in Brighton attacked by the far-right
Previous Issues
Issue 765, Friday 1st April 2011
Well - somebody had to do it. The TUC’s glad-hand fest was never going to change the ConDEMS course by even one degree. It was hijacked by anarchists and it deserved to be. The TUC mobilised its masses and did everything they could to make sure that genuine dissent didn’t rear its ugly head. The emphasis was to be on a family-friendly day out without frightening the horses. Quite who they think is going to hand out prizes for niceness in the shark tank that is global capitalism remains a mystery.
Issue 764, Friday 25th March 2011
It’s March, so it’s time for a new war. To no-one’s great surprise we’re bombing the Arabs again. A few facts for history buffs - not only did “Operation Defend Libyans From Bombs By Bombing Libyans” start almost exactly seven years after the start of the Iraq War, but 2011 also marks one hundred years of aerial bombardment. The target of those first ever bombs dropped from planes in 1911? Libya
Issue 763, Friday 18th March 2011
The terrifying situation in Japan has rekindled the debate over nuclear power around the world. While in the US, Obama has reaffirmed his support for nuclear power to protect the massive investment his administration has made in the industry, over in Germany and Switzerland the governments have jammed the brakes on plans to build and replace nuclear plants. In the UK, David Cameron has already declared his intention to push on with plans to expand the UKs nuclear capacity, with up to eleven new power stations.
Issue 762, Friday 11th March 2011
If you’re the type to buy food, rather than only get it from bins, you’ve probably noticed that food prices have been rising again. In fact, the international trading prices of major grains are 70% higher than they were this time last year, and in most cases near or above the levels during the price hikes of 2008. Demonstrations have already taken place this year in Tunisia, Jordan, Algeria and India. Should the problems continue many more can be expected.
Issue 761, Friday 4th March 2011
They came, they camped, they conquered (well, not quite). During a soul-searching Dorset retreat, Climate Camp have decided to suspend tent-centred activism - citing the “radically different political landscape” of 2011. Having been through Drax, Kingsnorth, Heathrow, RBS, Copenhagen and one helluva lot of hummus, the group are now turning their attention to coordination with the wider anti-cuts and anti-austerity movement.
Issue 760, Friday 25th February 2011
As Egypt and its martial law swiftly falls down the mainstream rolling news agenda it has been replaced by even more dramatic events in Libya. While the Libyan people continue their life and death struggle against brutal dictator/deflated blow-up doll Ghaddafi, all these tottering dictatorships are causing a few awkward moments for the government and UK plc.
Issue 759, Friday 18th February 2011
Egyptian dissidents (along with the masses) celebrated on Friday as Hosni Mubarak finally threw in the towel after the mass protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and across the country refused to abate (and presumably the Americans finally ordered him to load up the plane with gold and go in an attempt to ensure the power structures – and thus their influence – didn’t collapse completely). But the Egyptian revolution is not yet won as the military have stepped in, repressed protest and threatened to declare martial law.
Issue 758, Friday 11th February 2011
As noisy protests continued against tax avoidance by big business and cuts in education and benefits another, altogether quieter, national campaign took off this week at our most unsung of public services: the libraries. You can’t imagine that Waterstones, WHSmiths, Amazon and others mind too much that libraries were forged from great social ideals. Not only is encouraging universal education and literacy good econincally for society, it’s availability to serve as community hub, public space, creche and more to those without access to alternatives make it an all round force for social good.
Issue 757, Friday 4th February 2011
Thousands of protesters ran the police ragged in a hyperactive day of protest at the latest national demonstration against fees and cuts in London on Saturday (29th). Up to 10,000 people marched through the city towards Parliament Square, taking the route agreed with police. However, the crowd showed little interest in hanging around for speeches at the designated end point and most pushed on towards Milbank Towers – scene of the birth of the student protest movement in November
Issue 756, Friday 28th January 2011
Since last December Tunisia has been hit by relentless and transformative riots triggered by unemployment, food inflation, lack of freedom of speech and poor living conditions. The violent unrest eventually led to the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who fled the country on the 14th of January after a hefty 23 years in power. Daily protests have continued due to prominent figures in the Ben Ali regime clinging on to posts in the new interim government.
Issue 755, Friday 21st January 2011
For the benefit of anyone who’s been hiding in a hole wearing a tinfoil hat for the last fortnight (i.e most of our readership), it turns out that the U.K direct action/anarchist/environmental movement was infiltrated for number of years by undercover police. At least four cops have already been outed and its safe to assume there may be more. But while the mainstream media has focussed on the sleazy antics and dodgy love lives of these professional liars, SchNEWS can reveal that police attempts to disrupt our movement goes much further than a few unshaven plants in grubby t-shirts, and includes attacks on activist media and communications.
Issue 754, Friday 14th January 2011
Last week we covered the protests against the sell-off of the Forest of Dean. But the implications of the Public Bodies Bill for the Forestry Commission go a lot further than that. Essentially the Tory’s are planning (in time-honoured fashion) to flog off the family silver and privatise forests up and down the country. The sale is intended to raise £2bn - less than half of one years tax avoidance by Vodafone.
Issue 753, Friday 7th January 2011
The tragic death of an unarmed woman in Palestine has lead to a global cry for action against the increasing use of ‘non-violent’ weapons in the continued repression of the Palestinian people. Jawaher Abu Rahma died after inhaling the supposed ‘non-lethal’ fumes of a CS gas canister, a substance which has been banned in the UK since 1964 due its capacity to kill hours after inhalation.
Issue 752, Friday 17th December 2010
Tuition fees got you riled up? Wait ‘til you get a handle on what our Tory chums have got planned next - flagged up since the first announcement of spending cuts, the recent consultation paper entitled Universal Credit - is a massive demolition (sorry, overhaul) of the existing benefits system. With all benefits and tax credits being rolled into one system, the screws are gonna get tightened.
March
25th Mar to 29th Apr
I Bike MCR Festival 2011 - ManchesterThe 5th month-long DIY bike festival in Manchester - with bike rides, bike maintenance, bike art, full moon rides, wimmin's events, guerilla gardening, wild food eating, discussions, 3 day conference, workshops, kids events, bike film night, and more... kicking off and closing with a special Critical Mass events on March 25th and April 29th.
Address: see webites
Web: www.ibikemcr.org.uk/?q=node/5467 April
11th Apr to 17th Apr
International Week of Solidarity Action for Jock PalfreemanIn 2007 Jock Palfreeman, a 21 year old Australian, was involved in an incident in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he stepped in to protect two young Roma boys from being attacked by 16 fascist hooligans. He was himself attacked, and he responded by fighting back, killing one and injuring another. He has been sentenced to 20 years. The person killed had establishment connections, and the trial was a sham, only taking witness statements from the Nazis, and the CCTV footage went missing. There is a call-out to target Bulgarian embassies.
Web: www.freejock.com
15th Apr
Protest against Tesco opening in Stokes Croft, BristolRoll up roll up! Tesco is set to open at 138-142 Cheltenham road on April 15th - come down and show them your own personal welcome ... be sure to pop by and express how you feel about them ignoring all of our peaceful protests...
Address: 138-142 Cheltenham Rd, Stokes Croft, Bristol
Time: all day
Web: http://boycotttesco.wordpress.com
16th Apr
UK Uncut demo - GlasgowIf you're fed up with the cuts, bankers and tax avoidance then come along and bring your friends. Gather at statue and make way to chosen target for demonstration.
Address: Donald Dewar Statue, Buchanan Street, Glasgow
Time: 11.30am
Email: glasgowukuncut@live.co.uk
16th Apr
National Rally for Animals in LaboratoriesThe 2011 World Day National March and Rally will take place in Manchester, to mark World Day for Laboratory Animals, to call for an end to animal experiments.
Address: Whitworth Park, Manchester, (1.5mls south of Oxford Road Train Station on B5117, Oxford Road)
Time: 12 noon
Web: www.wdail.org
17th Apr
"Standing up to Surveillance" - A Network for Police Monitoring ConferenceA conference about the increasing use of state surveillance in political protest groups and minority communities. This includes everything from photographing people at demos through to covert cameras in Birmingham's Muslim communities, police databases about protesters and undercover police infiltration into the British protest movement. This conference will explore the reasons why this is happening, and will feature talks from people personally and politically affected by this including Tom Fowler (activist and editor of Radical Wales), Marc Vallee (photojournalist and investigative journalist), Jason Parkinson (videojournalist), Kevin Blowe (Community centre worker, writer and commentator), Sam Walton, (activist with green and black cross and climate camp legal teams), Emily Apple (Fitwatch activist) and others to be confirmed. Everyone is welcome.
Address: Rich Mix 35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road, London
Nearest Public Transport: Shoreditch High Street Overground Station
Postcode: E1 6LA |
View Map
Time: 10:30am - 5:00pm
Price: £5 (low income) / £10 (waged) - sugested donation to cover costs.
Web: http://standinguptosurveillance.wordpres
s.com/
17th Apr
London Zine Symposium 2011The 7th annual London Zine Symposium will be a day celebrating zines, small press, comix, radicals can DIY culture.
Address: The Rag Factory, Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ
Postcode: E1 5LJ |
View Map
Time: 12noon-6pm
Price: free/donation
Web: www.londonzinesymposium.org.uk
17th Apr
London SquatathonProtest against Tory plans to illegalise squatting, making 25,000 people in London alone homeless. There is currently around 250,000 empty properties in Britain - with more to come as the financial crisis bites landlords more. By the way it's the same day as the London Marathon, hence the '-athon' theme. See the FB page below for location and details of demo...
Time: 10am-1pm
Web: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154118774
647735 Click
for the whole Party & Protest guide
For those with an attention span of more than three minutes, here is a new collection of articles too long, analytical or high-brow to normally publish in the weekly newsheet.
A brief history of the Dragon Festival and Cigarrones travellers site, southern Spain.
The Cigarrones travellers’ site is one of several communities which have sprung up near Orgiva in Andalucía, Spain, in recent decades. Coming to the southern tip of Europe to escape the repression against travellers in Britain and elsewhere, they have carved out a life of avin’ it autonomous anarchy – despite increasing attention from tinpot local authorities who act like Franco is still in. Since 1997 the site has held the annual Dragon Festival - now arguably one of the most significant free festivals in Europe – but this is also under attack. Here is a brief history written by a resident of Cigarrones:
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SchNEWS interviews Canadian journalist and military historian Gwynne Dyer about the dire warnings for a post-climate change world in his book 'The Climate Wars'
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Report from US-Mexico border about the narco wars whose connections go right up to the president
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One year after the military coup in Honduras which ousted the leader and installed a neo-liberal cabal, grassroots groups across the country are aligning to create a popular movement.
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SchNEWS interviews Richard Stallman – hacker, founder of the Free Software movement and activist for digital-software-information freedom...
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From Kemp Town to Kabul, as SchNEWS interviews Al Jazeera journalist Medyan Dairieh about his take on the war...
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A special screening of the iconic post punk Hazel O'Connor film
Mon 11th April, 8pm, Cowley Club, Brighton. Free/donation.
A history of American Punk Rock 1980-1986
Wed 27th, 8pm, Cowley Club, Brighton. Free/donation.
OUT NOW - Part one of the collection of films produced
by SchMOVIES in 2009/10.
The story of the squatted Lewes Rd Community Garden on the site
of a disused petrol station in Brighton.
Smash EDO/ITT Anthology 2005-2009 - covering the Smash EDO/ITT's
campaign efforts to shut down the Brighton based bomb factory since 2005.
National demo in London in Jan 09 against the Israeli bombing
of Gaza.
Protests in Brighton against the Israeli bombing of Gaza in Jan
09.
Report from second national Smash EDO demo against Brighton bomb-parts
makers EDO/ITT in October 2008.
SchMOVIES 2008 DVD Collection including the saga of On The verge, Newhaven anti-incinerator campaign, Titnore Woods and others.
To view all SchMOVIES click here
We are updating our Contacts Database.
Our contacts database contains details of all sorts of activist, campaign and community groups.
Click Here to view the listing, or here to add a new contact.