“Save Vestas” 4th Plinth Protest, London – Pix-&-Vidz
Tim Dalinian Jones | 31.07.2009 13:15 | Climate Chaos | Energy Crisis | Workers' Movements | South Coast
Dateline: 4th Plinth, Trafalgar Square, London, UK, 05:00-06:00, Fri 31 Jul 09 – Gerry Byrne makes best use of her one hour stint on the 4th Plinth, as a part of Antony Gormley's One & Other art project, by staging a one woman “Save Vestas – Save Jobs – Save the World” protest, coping as best she can with a bunch drunk, abusive, foul-mouthed, profoundly ignorant, laddish twenty-somethings that comprised the majority of her audience.
A1. One Woman Protest in the Belly of the Beast
A2. Smiling in the Twilight
A3. Workers' Climate Action banner
A4. Inviting Ed Miliband to move beyond gesture politics
A5. Scrap Trident & Build Windfarms – it’s not rocket science
A6. The Blindingly Obvious Solution
A7. The Solution, overflown by part of The Problem
A8. The bigger picture
A9. Glimpsing a brighter, greener future
B1. WCA – DIY – AOK
B2. Big Brother is Watching Me!
B3. Abusive, drunk, foul-mouthed, woefully ignorant, self-professed “Trotskyite"
C1. Post Protest Interview (video still)
C2. Act in Solidarity Now – recount tales of our victories at your leisure
Vidz at YouTube
• “Save Vestas” 4th Plinth Protest – 1, 2, 3 etc.
» LINKs to follow shortly once editing & uploading is complete
Blessings be upon Gerry Byrne’s daughter, who posted the following to
savevestas@googlemail.com
“My mum’s on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square tomorrow morning from 05:00.
She’s taking some Save Vestas banners and leaflets.
If anyone can get down to take a photo and give out leaflets, apparently the early morning sessions get quite a crowd.
Solidarity,
R
• Being as how I’m an Indymedia photographer, with a bike, living 2.7 KM from Trafalgar Square (or so says my handlebar sat-nav), and a massive Vestas Occupation fanboy, that would be me then. I’ll set several early alarms, wrap up warm, and post to Indymedia London & UK plus savevestas@googlemailcom. Blessings be on that supporter’s Mum!
Victory to the Vestas Occupation,
Tim Dalinian Jones”
~ Vestas protest, Friday morning, the 4th plinth, Trafalgar Square
»
http://savevestas.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/vestas-protest-tomorrow-the-4th-plinth-trafalgar-square/
As my new kitten Rosa might say (in LOLspeak), “I wuv U, teh InterWebs!”
So here are those pix-&-vidz. Gerry did a grand job, despite lacking for an appreciative audience. Indeed, I made the mistake of engaging with, then getting harassed by, what turned out to be by far the worst of a bunch of pissed-up, insulting, scornful, woefully ignorant, obnoxiously disrespectful, laddish twenty-somethings – identified in B3 above – who eventually had to be led away by the security personnel, who attempted to constrain the worst excesses of his foul behaviour.
Not only did Gerry dispel some of the local ignorance regarding the Vestas Occupation, she also bigged up opposition to the BNP’s “Red White and Blue” Festival in Derbyshire, due to be held on fields off Codnor-Denby Lane, in Denby, for a third consecutive year, on Aug 14, 15 and 16.
• Stop the BNP’s Red White and Blue Festival
» http://nobnpfestival.wordpress.com
You can see the full hour of Gerry’s crowning glory at the One & Other website:
» http://www.oneandother.co.uk
• Video of Gerry Byrne's Plinth Protest
» http://www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/gerrybeee
Whatever Next?
All Weekend
• NEWPORT, IoW – Vestival, Vestas factory gates, Patrick Rolfe: 07 905 352 751 – pat.rolfe64@googlemail.com – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=36918891
» Vestival Event Posting – http://london.indymedia.org.uk/events/1810
Fri 31 Jul 09
• WARRINGTON – Vestas HQ, 302 Bridgewater Place, Warrington WA3 6XG, Protest, 12:00 noon
• GATESHEAD – Bridges Room, Gateshead Civic Centre, Meeting, 18:30-20:00, email: tynesidecacc@yahoo.co.uk
Sat 1 Aug 09
• LONDON – Unity House (RMT HQ), 39 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD, Workers Climate Action Public Meeting, 10:30-12:30, tel: 07 843 945 005, email: workersclimateaction.info@gmail.com
• MANCHESTER – Piccadilly Gardens, Rally, 12:00 noon, organised by Manchester Trades Council and CACC, tel: 07 958 535 231
• NEWPORT, IoW – St Thomas's Square, Rally, 13:00, Patrick Rolfe: 07 905 352 751 – pat.rolfe64@googlemail.com – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=36918891
Sun 2 Aug 09
• BRIGHTON – Cowley Club, 12 London Road, BN1 4JA, Solidarity Organising Meeting, 14:00, tel: John, 078 45 183 407
Tue 4 Aug 09
• NEWPORT – Newport County Court, 1 Quay Street, PO30 5YT, Isle of Wight, Mass Court Protest, provisionally 10:00, Patrick Rolfe: 07 905 352 751 – pat.rolfe64@googlemail.com – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=36918891
From Inside The Occupation
“Ian Terry, one of the occupiers, is asking as many people as possible to go to the IoW to support them at the court hearing on Tue 04 Aug 09.
Hello to everyone who has been supporting us. My name is Ian, I am an occupant of Vestas Blades. We need your help. We have the support of the RMT, FBU, POA, PCS. These forces, and the wider solidarity from workers, is what the government fears above all else. We need your support on Tuesday outside the Court in Newport. As this is not a realistic request for some people who are miles away, I ask you to email your union leaders and get a couple of ambassadors of your union down – to show the unity we have felt from the start. This is the key to telling the government we are not alone. Please email me personally with any ideas or info on the court site, but we need to be out in force, standing shoulder to shoulder. Let’s give our planet a fair chance.
Thanks for all your support – it has kept us all focused.
Ian Terry — killingcuriosity@hotmail.co.uk”
~ Message from Ian Terry: come to the IoW on Tuesday!
» http://savevestas.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/message-from-ian-terry-come-to-the-iow-on-tuesday/
Express YOUR Solidarity with the Vestas Workers Occupation
When your kids, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, etc. ask you, “What did YOU do in the Great Climate War?”, here are the things you can tell them about that YOU did to aid this struggle.
1. Go There: Join the Vestival solidarity camp and Newport County Court protest
• see above for details
2. Mutual Aid: Let’s put OUR Money where our Mouth Is – Donate to the Save Vestas Campaign
» By PayPal: from the campaign home page – http://savevestas.wordpress.com
» By Cheque: payable to ‘Ryde and East Wight Trades Union Council’, 22 Church Lane, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 2NB
3. Tell Vestas: Feed Them Properly!
This report from the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/30/vestas-factory-workers-food-union and Luke Paxton’s interview on BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8177197.stm present a grim picture of the food situation for the workers occupying the plant. Congratulations to those who got some food in today, but we also need to put maximum pressure on the company to stop… starving our boys!
• Email/telephone Vestas with a simple message: feed the Vestas occupiers properly or keep receiving these emails/telephone calls. There are Vestas offices all over the world:
» http://www.vestas.com/en/about-vestas/find-vestas.aspx
• Starting close to home, here are the details for Warrington, Vestas’ UK HQ:
» Email: vestas-celtic@vestas.com
» Tel: 01 925 857 100
• Vicki sent an email to these addresses – please join her, by copy-&-pasting the following to a "To:" field in your email app:
» vestas@vestas.com, vestas-americas@vestas.com, vestas-argentina@vestas.com, vestas-brazil@vestas.com, vestas-australia@vestas.com, vestas-newzealand@vestas.com, vestaschina@vestas.com, vestas-india@vestas.com, vestas-asiapacific@vestas.com, vestas-japan@vestas.com, vestas-korea@vestas.com, vestas-austria@vestas.com, vestas-france@vestas.com, vestas-centraleurope@vestas.com, vestas-hellas@vestas.com, vestas-italia@vestas.com, vestas@vestas.nl, vestas-poland@vestas.com, vestasiberia@vestas.com, vestas-mediterranean@vestas.com, vestas-northerneurope@vestas.com, vestas-mediterranean@vestas.com, vestas-celtic@vestas.com
4. Moral Boosting: Communicate YOUR Solidarity
» Send messages of support from yourself and/or your organisation to savevestas@googlemail.com
» Organise a visible demonstration of solidarity, take a photo with a placard that reads “Save Vestas” and email the photo to savevestas@googlemail.com
5. Do The Right Thing: Try to get “New” Labour in Ministries to back Real Labour in Struggle
• Petition UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown online via the petitions.number10.gov.uk website – very quick-&-easy:
» http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SaveVestas/
• Petition energy minister Ed Miliband – flood him with calls for the Government to take over the Vestas factory and keep it producing, under new management
» sample message: It's “Money Where Mouth Is” time for UK Wind Turbine Manufacturing http://dalinian.pbworks.com/It%27s-%E2%80%9CMoney-Where-Mouth-Is%E2%80%9D-time-for-UK-Wind-Turbine-Manufacturing
» Ed’s email – ps.ed.miliband@decc.gsi.gov.uk
» Ed’s Doncaster constituency – 01302 875 462
» Ed’s Westminster number – 020 7219 4778
• Call on the UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Lord Mandelson to save wind energy jobs
» http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/vestas_petition_20414.html
Up the Revolution,
Tim Dalinian Jones
Footnotes
All these photos and video clips are 'CopyLeft'
This means you are free to copy and distribute any of my photos you find here, under the following license:
• Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License
» http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
» Accreditation: tim.dalinian.jones@gmail.com
NB: These pix are edited and downsized versions (up to 800x800px, 0.64Mpx, typically 100-900 KB) for onscreen display. If you would like the free, edited, full-sized versions (up to 3072x2304px, 7.1Mpx, typically 1-2 MB) for print, poster, placard, banner, etc, please email your request to tim.dalinian.jones [at] gmail.com quoting the picture title(s) you'd like.
• “Save Vestas” 4th Plinth Protest – 1, 2, 3 etc.
» LINKs to follow shortly once editing & uploading is complete
Blessings be upon Gerry Byrne’s daughter, who posted the following to
savevestas@googlemail.com “My mum’s on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square tomorrow morning from 05:00.
She’s taking some Save Vestas banners and leaflets.
If anyone can get down to take a photo and give out leaflets, apparently the early morning sessions get quite a crowd.
Solidarity,
R
• Being as how I’m an Indymedia photographer, with a bike, living 2.7 KM from Trafalgar Square (or so says my handlebar sat-nav), and a massive Vestas Occupation fanboy, that would be me then. I’ll set several early alarms, wrap up warm, and post to Indymedia London & UK plus savevestas@googlemailcom. Blessings be on that supporter’s Mum!
Victory to the Vestas Occupation,
Tim Dalinian Jones”
~ Vestas protest, Friday morning, the 4th plinth, Trafalgar Square
»
http://savevestas.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/vestas-protest-tomorrow-the-4th-plinth-trafalgar-square/ As my new kitten Rosa might say (in LOLspeak), “I wuv U, teh InterWebs!”
So here are those pix-&-vidz. Gerry did a grand job, despite lacking for an appreciative audience. Indeed, I made the mistake of engaging with, then getting harassed by, what turned out to be by far the worst of a bunch of pissed-up, insulting, scornful, woefully ignorant, obnoxiously disrespectful, laddish twenty-somethings – identified in B3 above – who eventually had to be led away by the security personnel, who attempted to constrain the worst excesses of his foul behaviour.
Not only did Gerry dispel some of the local ignorance regarding the Vestas Occupation, she also bigged up opposition to the BNP’s “Red White and Blue” Festival in Derbyshire, due to be held on fields off Codnor-Denby Lane, in Denby, for a third consecutive year, on Aug 14, 15 and 16.
• Stop the BNP’s Red White and Blue Festival
»
http://nobnpfestival.wordpress.com You can see the full hour of Gerry’s crowning glory at the One & Other website:
»
http://www.oneandother.co.uk • Video of Gerry Byrne's Plinth Protest
»
http://www.oneandother.co.uk/participants/gerrybeee Whatever Next?
All Weekend
• NEWPORT, IoW – Vestival, Vestas factory gates, Patrick Rolfe: 07 905 352 751 –
pat.rolfe64@googlemail.com – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=36918891 » Vestival Event Posting –
http://london.indymedia.org.uk/events/1810 Fri 31 Jul 09
• WARRINGTON – Vestas HQ, 302 Bridgewater Place, Warrington WA3 6XG, Protest, 12:00 noon
• GATESHEAD – Bridges Room, Gateshead Civic Centre, Meeting, 18:30-20:00, email:
tynesidecacc@yahoo.co.uk Sat 1 Aug 09
• LONDON – Unity House (RMT HQ), 39 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD, Workers Climate Action Public Meeting, 10:30-12:30, tel: 07 843 945 005, email:
workersclimateaction.info@gmail.com • MANCHESTER – Piccadilly Gardens, Rally, 12:00 noon, organised by Manchester Trades Council and CACC, tel: 07 958 535 231
• NEWPORT, IoW – St Thomas's Square, Rally, 13:00, Patrick Rolfe: 07 905 352 751 –
pat.rolfe64@googlemail.com – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=36918891 Sun 2 Aug 09
• BRIGHTON – Cowley Club, 12 London Road, BN1 4JA, Solidarity Organising Meeting, 14:00, tel: John, 078 45 183 407
Tue 4 Aug 09
• NEWPORT – Newport County Court, 1 Quay Street, PO30 5YT, Isle of Wight, Mass Court Protest, provisionally 10:00, Patrick Rolfe: 07 905 352 751 –
pat.rolfe64@googlemail.com – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=36918891 From Inside The Occupation
“Ian Terry, one of the occupiers, is asking as many people as possible to go to the IoW to support them at the court hearing on Tue 04 Aug 09.
Hello to everyone who has been supporting us. My name is Ian, I am an occupant of Vestas Blades. We need your help. We have the support of the RMT, FBU, POA, PCS. These forces, and the wider solidarity from workers, is what the government fears above all else. We need your support on Tuesday outside the Court in Newport. As this is not a realistic request for some people who are miles away, I ask you to email your union leaders and get a couple of ambassadors of your union down – to show the unity we have felt from the start. This is the key to telling the government we are not alone. Please email me personally with any ideas or info on the court site, but we need to be out in force, standing shoulder to shoulder. Let’s give our planet a fair chance.
Thanks for all your support – it has kept us all focused.
Ian Terry —
killingcuriosity@hotmail.co.uk” ~ Message from Ian Terry: come to the IoW on Tuesday!
»
http://savevestas.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/message-from-ian-terry-come-to-the-iow-on-tuesday/ Express YOUR Solidarity with the Vestas Workers Occupation
When your kids, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, etc. ask you, “What did YOU do in the Great Climate War?”, here are the things you can tell them about that YOU did to aid this struggle.
1. Go There: Join the Vestival solidarity camp and Newport County Court protest
• see above for details
2. Mutual Aid: Let’s put OUR Money where our Mouth Is – Donate to the Save Vestas Campaign
» By PayPal: from the campaign home page –
http://savevestas.wordpress.com » By Cheque: payable to ‘Ryde and East Wight Trades Union Council’, 22 Church Lane, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 2NB
3. Tell Vestas: Feed Them Properly!
This report from the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/30/vestas-factory-workers-food-union and Luke Paxton’s interview on BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8177197.stm present a grim picture of the food situation for the workers occupying the plant. Congratulations to those who got some food in today, but we also need to put maximum pressure on the company to stop… starving our boys! • Email/telephone Vestas with a simple message: feed the Vestas occupiers properly or keep receiving these emails/telephone calls. There are Vestas offices all over the world:
»
http://www.vestas.com/en/about-vestas/find-vestas.aspx • Starting close to home, here are the details for Warrington, Vestas’ UK HQ:
» Email:
vestas-celtic@vestas.com » Tel: 01 925 857 100
• Vicki sent an email to these addresses – please join her, by copy-&-pasting the following to a "To:" field in your email app:
»
vestas@vestas.com, vestas-americas@vestas.com, vestas-argentina@vestas.com, vestas-brazil@vestas.com, vestas-australia@vestas.com, vestas-newzealand@vestas.com, vestaschina@vestas.com, vestas-india@vestas.com, vestas-asiapacific@vestas.com, vestas-japan@vestas.com, vestas-korea@vestas.com, vestas-austria@vestas.com, vestas-france@vestas.com, vestas-centraleurope@vestas.com, vestas-hellas@vestas.com, vestas-italia@vestas.com, vestas@vestas.nl, vestas-poland@vestas.com, vestasiberia@vestas.com, vestas-mediterranean@vestas.com, vestas-northerneurope@vestas.com, vestas-mediterranean@vestas.com, vestas-celtic@vestas.com 4. Moral Boosting: Communicate YOUR Solidarity
» Send messages of support from yourself and/or your organisation to
savevestas@googlemail.com » Organise a visible demonstration of solidarity, take a photo with a placard that reads “Save Vestas” and email the photo to
savevestas@googlemail.com 5. Do The Right Thing: Try to get “New” Labour in Ministries to back Real Labour in Struggle
• Petition UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown online via the petitions.number10.gov.uk website – very quick-&-easy:
»
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SaveVestas/ • Petition energy minister Ed Miliband – flood him with calls for the Government to take over the Vestas factory and keep it producing, under new management
» sample message: It's “Money Where Mouth Is” time for UK Wind Turbine Manufacturing
http://dalinian.pbworks.com/It%27s-%E2%80%9CMoney-Where-Mouth-Is%E2%80%9D-time-for-UK-Wind-Turbine-Manufacturing » Ed’s email –
ps.ed.miliband@decc.gsi.gov.uk » Ed’s Doncaster constituency – 01302 875 462
» Ed’s Westminster number – 020 7219 4778
• Call on the UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Lord Mandelson to save wind energy jobs
»
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/vestas_petition_20414.html Up the Revolution,
Tim Dalinian Jones
Footnotes
All these photos and video clips are 'CopyLeft'
This means you are free to copy and distribute any of my photos you find here, under the following license:
• Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License
»
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ » Accreditation:
tim.dalinian.jones@gmail.com NB: These pix are edited and downsized versions (up to 800x800px, 0.64Mpx, typically 100-900 KB) for onscreen display. If you would like the free, edited, full-sized versions (up to 3072x2304px, 7.1Mpx, typically 1-2 MB) for print, poster, placard, banner, etc, please email your request to tim.dalinian.jones [at] gmail.com quoting the picture title(s) you'd like.
Tim Dalinian Jones
e-mail:
tim.dalinian.jones@gmail.com
Homepage:
http://tinyurl.com/FB-dalinian
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