UK Indymedia

No Salute to Israel, 60 Years of Apartheid is Nothing to Celebrate

01-07-2008 15:18

Today, a series of non-violent protest actions disrupted the 'Salute to Israel' parade. The parade celebrated 60 years since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Activists wished to remind the public that since its inception, Israel has been maintained through the constant oppression of the Palestinian people, in particular through ethnic cleansing.

The 'Salute to Israel' parade was a shameful show of support to a government engaged in war crimes. Sponsors included the Jewish National Fund, an organisation deeply involved in the colonisation of Palestinian land as well in anti-Palestinian discrimination within Israel. Activists wish to stress that the British government's authorisation, protection and support of this event is entirely unacceptable.

En route, the parade was greeted by activists with red dye on their hands to symbolise the blood of Palestinians killed by the Israeli government. In Trafalgar Square, both fountains were turned red after activists poured dye into the water and a Palestinian flag was unfurled at the entrance of the National Gallery. An activist climbed up a big screen which had to be turned off for most of the event. Also, another group attempted to get onto the roof of the National Gallery in order to unfurl a banner but were arrested in the process.

Police responded by making a series of ridiculous arrests, assaulting and detaining a woman for singing anti-zionist songs and deploying Forward Intelligence Teams to monitor and follow those attending the counter demonstrations.

Several Counter demonstrations were held by Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Action Palestine and Friends of Al Aqsa while Palestine Solidarity Campaign and others drove three double decker buses draped with Palestinian flags and black balloons around the square and Rhythms of Resistance tried to drown out the Pro-Zionist hip hop gig.

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Carmel Agrexco's Depot Shut Down in Commemoration of the Nakba

23-06-2008 13:35

In the early hours of Saturday morning, activists occupied and shut-down the HQ and only UK freight warehouse of Carmel Agrexco - Israel's largest agricultural exporter from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The occupation held for over 6 hours until they were forcibly removed at 12 noon.

During the occupation over 10 loading trucks intended for the warehouse were sent away. British supermarkets - accounting for 60% of Carmel-Agrexco's total exports - had some of their orders affected. The Israeli government has a 50% stake in the company. Exports include flowers, avocados and herbs grown in illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

Newswire: Israeli Owned Agrexco Warehouse Shut Down | Carmel occupied! Israeli settlement exporter shut down| Video of Police Forcibly removing Activists but Failing to Make Arrests

Previous Actions: Fortress Carmel Agrexco breached by Peace Activists | Video - Carmel Agrexco protest during Camp for Climate Action | Weekend of Action Against Carmel Agrexco | Activists Blockade Carmel-Agrexco's UK Headquarters for the Third Time | International Actions against Israeli Apartheid

Further reading: Text of letter to Carmel-Agrexco | Report on Carmel's involvement in the Jordan Valley | War on Want's report: Profiting from the Occupation

Links: Palestine Solidarity Campaign | The Big Campaign | ISM London | ISM Palestine

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BNP Withdraw Festival Licence Application in the Face of Protests

12-06-2008 13:41

On Tuesday June 10, Amber Valley Borough Council met at the Town Hall, Market Place, Ripley to hear the premises licence application for the BNP's Red, White and Blue Festival, scheduled to take place on land owned by party member and former Tory-councillor Alan Warner at Denby, Derbyshire from the 15th to the 17th August 2008.

Security at the meeting was tight. Protesters gathering outside were greeted by several van loads of Derbyshire's finest, evidence gatherers and a FIT Team. Inside, the police, who had initially raised no objection to the licence, claimed to have received "significant intelligence" which had forced them to reconsider their position. Fearing conflict between the BNP and anti-fascists they wished to see the imposition of new conditions including the erection of a seven-foot high fence around the site and the installation of temporary security lighting. When invited to sum-up their position the BNP representatives withdrew their application and stormed out of the meeting, insisting they would go ahead without the licence.

Newswire: Red White & Blue festival - Licence Refused | Red White Blue Festival licence refused | Protest Against the BNP: June 10 | Notts Stop the BNP objection to BNP licence application | Object to the BNPs "festival" | Notts Indymedia Anti-Racism Topic Page

Previous features: East Mids Campaigners Up The Anti as BNP Make Electoral Gains | Midlands and Yorkshire organise against the BNP | Broxtowe BNP Councillor Expelled From Party | Anti-fascists successfully blockade BNP meeting venue | BNP wins seat in Broxtowe

Links: Amber Valley Borough Council | Antifa | Stop the Red White and Blue Campaign

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East Mids Campaigners Up The Anti as BNP Make Electoral Gains

07-05-2008 21:33

On Thursday May 1, local elections took place in various parts of the country. While the far-right British National party (BNP) did not do as well as they had hoped, they were able to win one seat on the London Assembly, meaning that a fascist is now one of the twenty-five people running London.

While they made no gains in Nottinghamshire (where there were elections in Bassetlaw, in which the BNP fielded only one candidate), in Derbyshire they got their first two seats on Amber Valley Borough Council with Chris Roper taking Heanor East and Lewis Allestree winning Heanor West. In Heanor & Loscoe Paul Snell polled 512 votes, to the victorious Labour candidates 513. These results, while worrying in themselves, are of particular interest because it is within the Amber Valley area that the BNP are planning on holding their annual Red, White and Blue festival.

Newswire: Notts Stop the BNP objection to BNP licence application | Object to the BNPs "festival" | BNP take council seats in Amber Valley | Notts Indymedia Anti-Racism Topic Page

Previous features: Midlands and Yorkshire organise against the BNP | Broxtowe BNP Councillor Expelled From Party | Anti-fascists successfully blockade BNP meeting venue | BNP wins seat in Broxtowe

Resources: BNP and far-right election results: East Midlands | UK

Links: Antifa | Stop the Red White and Blue Campaign

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The Harmondsworth Four acquitted

22-02-2008 20:50

The four migrants accused of "conspiracy to commit violent disorder" during the Harmondsworth uprising in 2006 were today found not guilty. Relying on a clearly insufficiently indoctrinated jury, the attempt to single out and punish few individuals with violent criminal convictions and long sentences has been thwarted. Of course, all four have already served one year and three months in prison, on top of varying times in immigration detention. Now they will have to resume their struggle against the immigration system, which imprisoned them for seeking refuge in the first place, and will most probably be dispersed around Britain's detention estate until their cases are 'resolved'.

Today the Support the Harmondsworth Four Campaign held a protest outside Sodexho's London headquarters. There had been a solidarity protest outside the court every Monday [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5].

Background: letter from two of the Harmondsworth 4 to Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! | 'Report of the Investigation into the disturbances at Harmondsworth and Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centres', Robert Whalley | Chief Inspectors of Prison Report on Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre

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Midlands and Yorkshire organise against the BNP

21-01-2008 11:33

On Saturday, activists from across the Midlands and Yorkshire met in Nottingham to co-ordinate activities against the British National Party (BNP).

Around 100 campaigners met at the Queen's Walk Community Centre in the city for a conference organised by Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP.

Participants discussed the ways in which the BNP could be opposed, the formation of a regional anti-fascist network and the possibility of protests against the BNP's Red, White and Blue Festival.

Links: Midlands and South Yorks Activists Organise Against Racist BNP | Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP Event : Leaflet PDF

Newswire: Stop the BNP in Brinsley gains ground | Broxtowe BNP Councillor Expelled From Party | BNP threaten anti-fascist leafletters in Brinsley | Anti-fascists successfully blockade BNP meeting venue

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Broxtowe BNP Councillor Expelled From Party

12-12-2007 22:26

Broxtowe BNP councillor Sadie Graham appears to have been expelled from the party for setting up a "treasonous" blog, along with the party's Head of Administration, Kenny Smith. The blog, containing materials from anti-fascist organisations, called for the removal of Mark Collett, the party's Head of Publicity.

After a Stasi-like operation in which the BNPs 'Intelligence Department' (fronted by an ex-South African police official) recorded and spied on telephone calls of party members, stories are circulating on Nazi webforums that five BNP security entered Graham's house and ransacked it looking for further evidence. This is further bad news for the beleaguered fascist party who are already facing serious internal divisions and a revived militant anti-fascist movement.

Update: Sadie Grahams house raided by police | BNP threaten anti-fascist leafletters in Brinsley

Features: Anti-fascists successfully blockade BNP meeting venue | BNP wins seat in Broxtowe

Newswire: Sadie Graham Expelled from BNP! | 2nd Anniversarry of mums brutal murder by Kirkby Notts"freeSpeech"BNPcandidate | Nott's group go to BNP Conferance | Sadie Graham Shoots Straight| BNP threaten anti-fascist leafletters in Brinsley

Links: Lancaster UAF | Antifa (UK)

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Dignity Not Detention!

30-10-2007 11:08

Asylum seekers, refugees, trade unionists and supporters from all over the North marched from the Home Office in Sheffield to Lindholme Detention centre near Doncaster between 26-28th October. The marchers were demanding "The right to work for asylum seekers" and stating that "Seeking asylum is not a crime." They finished at Lindholme immigration removals centre, the nearest such centre to Nottinghamshire, where asylum seekers are often held without having committed any criminal offence. The demonstration there on Sunday 28th was joined by supporters from Nottingham.

A rally was held at the fence of Lindholme and the marchers could hear detainees inside chanting in response to them. A candlelit vigil for those who'd died in detention centres was held and speakers from many countries, including the Congo, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iran, Iraq and South Africa spoke. The demonstration is the latest in a series of protests at Lindholme making the demand to "Shut Down Lindholme!"

Links: "Dignity Not Detention" March on Lindholme | Photos from the start of the "Dignity Not Detention" march on Lindholme | The start of the "Dignity Not Detention" march on Lindholme (Pitsmoor) | Dignity Not Detention! march arrives at Lindholme | Dignity Not Detention! leaflet (pdf)

Previously at Lindholme: No Borders demonstration at Lindholme Immigration Removals Centre | Lindholme Noise Demo Photos | 10 Lindholme Detainees still free | Detainees held in 'filthy' conditions, Lindholme, nr Doncaster

In Notts: Nottingham demo called against deportation charter flight to DR Congo | Nottingham Congolese Community demonstrated against continued deportations | No Borders Nottingham 'National Day of Action on Asylum Rights' | Mayday in Nottingham (Round Two)

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"Dignity Not Detention" March on Lindholme

26-10-2007 00:19

The "Dignity Not Detention" 3 day march on Lindholme started on Friday 26th October with a demonstration outside the Home Office in Sheffield, and a march, via the Town Hall [photos] to Ellesmere Green, Burngreave [photos]. They stayed the night in Rotherham and spent Saturday marching to Doncaster. On Sunday 28th the march arrived at Lindholme where about 70 people demonstrated solidarity with detainees and called for the centre to be shut down.

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Anti-fascists successfully blockade BNP meeting venue

17-10-2007 21:17

Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, was scheduled to speak at Kimberley Parish Hall on Tuesday 16th Oct. The hall was surrounded by anti-fascists from well before the event was scheduled to take place. The anti-fascists massively outnumbered the police as well as the BNP and their supporters. Anti-fascists were responding to a callout from Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP for a mass demonstration against the planned meeting.

Police numbers were very low though and they did not really have the resources to make arrests. There were 3 arrests though, mainly around the chaos of a particular scuffle or other. All this resulted in was 2 cautions and 1 released uncharged. The evening ended with the anti-fascists agreeing to leave. It was only this gesture that allowed Nick Griffin to leave the building. No more than about 10 people managed to pass through the lines over a period of more than 2 hours.

Reports: tonight in Kimberley | Stopping the BNP in Kimberly

Previous feature articles: BNP wins seat in Broxtowe | Campaign against racism in Lincoln is gaining ground | Founder of British fascist gang stabbed to death | BNP Action in Loughborough