UK Newswire Archive
Extinction Festival at the Extinction Eco-Village near Combe Haven Valley
18-03-2013 18:27
Upcoming Events in Manchester
18-03-2013 18:23
Check our upcoming calendar for demonstrations, rallies, meetings and strikes!Eco-Warriors Defeat Tory Council Thugs in the Second Battle of Enfield
18-03-2013 17:24
Has the Sumac been 'non-intentionally' hijacked?
18-03-2013 16:55
In the last few years a number of activists/idealists have effectively ‘taken over’ the day to day running of various groups and activities at the forest fields social club, AKA Sumac Centre, a very well established hub of community, grass routes organizing with links around the country to long and well fought campaigns, including climate camps and animal lib projects, vegan campaigns, etc.
This clique, which is really the best word to describe it, numbers around a dozen at its core, with one particular individual (who will certainly remain nameless, as will others and would respect any trolls/commenter to regard that confidentiality) evidently taken up a subtle guru-leadership, effectively creating a very forceful clique in the centre and what can best be described as scaring away potential new comers to the scene and also ‘falling out’ with old school members, discussing the private lives and artistic endeavors of private individuals within their wider circle, (telling people what can and cant be displayed in their own private space) and basically sticking their nose in where it most certainly shouldn’t be, rather like anarcho-cops, if ever such a ghastly entity could exist.
The guru leader of the clique has had numerous complaints about them to many members of the Sumac’s wider community and because of that guru-leaders ‘status’ and influence (most of this has come about because of their own compelling personal history and political stripes earned on demo’s and within campaign groups, etc) there has never been any open self-criticism and analysis of the clique, who seem to hold themselves in the highest of regards when it comes to knowing what is best for the activist/alternative political scene in Notts, which is mostly based around the Sumac, or at least centers around its food kitchen, bar and its connection to housing co-ops in the area and one or two other ‘operations’ within the scene, libraries, print shop, etc.
I personally would not have written this article if, for the umpteenth time in a year, I had not had yet another ‘complaint’ about the ‘elite’, ‘clique’ and ‘gang’ (as they have separately been described) come to me by a member of the wider scene, i.e. Someone who has used Sumac for a number of years and has felt recently that the clique is taking their own status too far and has become the de-facto ‘management committee’ of the forest fields social club without consensus of all of the members or the wider community that use the place.
By operating like this, the ‘elite’ have scared people away by what has been described by witnesses and disaffected members as ‘looking down their nose’ behavior and a political attitude of ‘our politics is more sound than yours, so we’re right and you’re not’ atmosphere.
It is obviously the case that Sumac on the whole is a very anarchic place, it upholds anarchic ideals and that, to me, is fine, although the ‘clique now in charge’ seemed to put down those members and those in the wider community if their own view does not toe the line and when it comes to getting involved in peoples personal life, if someone’s art does not toe a particular line then attempts to censor it will take place.
For anarchists or anti-authoritarians to censor a person within their own community seems absurd, truly, and without defence, particularly when that censorship is of artistic materials, not political materials.
Off the top of my head, perhaps a dozen people have complained to me about the cliquey nature of the ‘clique’ involved in various aspects of the running of the Sumac and unless the attitudes of those people involved are confronted by the wider community as well as by their own self-analysis and critiscism, many people will continue to feel alienated by the very community in which they are supposed to feel the safest.
Worksop Town Tigers give Red Rebels a mauling
18-03-2013 16:55
Worksop town hosted fan-owned FC United of Manchester on Saturday in a game that had some FCUM fans wondering if the teams swapped shirts at half time.
FC’s Matthew Wolfenden scored the first goal on just 7 minutes and the visitors had several more chances in the first half but were unable to finish and at the break the score remained 0:1.
The battering for FC started early in the second half with Mettam scoring for Worksop Town just 6 minutes in and getting a second 4 minutes later. Things went from bad to worse for FCUM when Mettam was instrumental in Worksop’s third goal when he was brought down in the box by FCUM’s Adam Jones. Burbeary took the spot kick, and found the bottom right hand corner to make it 3-1 with 16 minutes left.
The win was secure on 79 minutes, with Burbeary nipping in to win the ball in a promising position, chasing it down as Spencer rushed out and lifting it over the keeper for 4-1.
The large contingent of visiting FCUM fans lived up to their reputation, creating a great atmosphere with their banners and constant singing and maintaining their good humour despite the attempts of a small group of youths who seemed only to have come to goad the FCUM fans into a ruckus. Clearly too young to be able to handle their alcohol or testosterone they chanted and gesticulated provocatively only to be met by FCUM fan’s responding briefly with chants of ‘does your mother know you’re out’ and ‘come back when you balls have dropped’, before returning to their extensive range of songs which drowned out the youngsters.
All very different to the scenes reported on Notts Indymedia last week when Wolves fans visited Nottingham. Especially as the Chairman of Worksop Town stood by the gate at the end of the match to shake hands with every FCUM fan as they left the ground, saying they were the best fans in the league.
And in a fantastic gesture Worksop Town will be donating all the proceeds from the match (about £5,000) to Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
Bedroom Tax Nottingham Demo
18-03-2013 16:55
Saturday 16th March 2013
2 - 300 people gathered for a static demonstration at the Brian Clough Statue / Speakers Corner.
In Nottingham alone, 4746 families will be affected by the Bedroom Tax. We oppose the Bedroom Tax in principle & in detail. Not one person should be forced to pay it. This is a peaceful demonstration to protest against the injustice of the Bedroom Tax that penalises the disabled, single parents, families of those recently deceased, foster parents and the parents of children in the army or at university:
Further campaigning: A meeting is organised by the Notts TUC at the Mechanics Institute, 3 North Sherwood St Nottingham 7pm Tues 19th March
Notts Bedroom Tax Campaign
http://www.facebook.com/groups/433271280090704/
Twitter: @BedTaxNotts
Notts Bedroom Tax Campaign: Event page
http://www.facebook.com/events/613425092006763
____________________________________________
ALAN LODGE
Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham. UK
Email: tash@indymedia.org
Web: http://digitaljournalist.eu
Member of the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]
____________________________________________
"It is not enough to curse the darkness.
It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"
___________________________________________
<ends>
Dance 'Flash Mob' event in Market Square
18-03-2013 16:55
Saturday 16th March 2013,
A dance event as part of 'Nottdance Festival 2013' was held on Saturday afternoon in the Market Square, Nottingham.
Onlookers look on a bit bemused as the participants danced, completly silently, since they were all listening to the same music over radio headphones.
They Say:
DANCE SO YOU THINK YOU CAN is a discussion project created by choreographer Matthias Sperling for Nottdance Festival 2013, taking place from March 7-17 in public spaces around Nottingham and online. The project uses text, social media and t-shirts worn by volunteers who are up for a chat, to provoke conversations about what dance is and about the relationship between dancing and thinking.
"Dance can be anything we want it to be - so what do we want it to be and why does it matter? Dance embodies how we choose to relate to ourselves and to each other, so I say that when we limit dance, we limit ourselves.
TV shows like Strictly and So You Think You Can Dance play a part in shaping our ideas of what dance is - this project invites you to expand your own dance-shaped ideas to include any activity that un-limits us.
What if dance is any activity that makes you feel ready for anything? I warmly invite you to join this space for discussion about what that means to you.
What's your DANCE SO YOU THINK YOU CAN?"
— Matthias Sperling
http://dancesoyouthinkyoucan.com
____________________________________________
ALAN LODGE
Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham. UK
Email: tash@indymedia.org
Web: http://digitaljournalist.eu
Member of the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]
____________________________________________
"It is not enough to curse the darkness.
It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"
___________________________________________
<ends>
Sheffield action against library closures and workfare, 23rd March
18-03-2013 12:59
This Saturday, we'll be taking to the streets to defend our libraries and take action against forced unpaid work. Join us!Climate Space: Rethinking Strategies to Fight For Our Future
18-03-2013 10:21
Planned attacks on saboteurs by Essex & Suffolk hunt supporters
17-03-2013 23:14
Extreme Energy Gathering, 27/28th April
17-03-2013 19:26
The Extreme Energy Gathering will bring together diverse campaigns and communities that are resisting extreme energy extraction methods for a weekend of networking, strategising and sharing of skills and knowledge.Whittington board plans rejected by thousands
17-03-2013 19:09
No progress for BNP in Skegness
17-03-2013 18:55
In spite of their hype, the BNP are failing to make progress on the issue of the Skegness halal slaughterhouse. Their last demo was disappointing, turning out only 30 supporters, some of whom were so disappointed with the local organisation that they handed in their membership cards afterwards. Local activists blamed the time of year and lack of advertising for the poor turnout.
No such excuses could be blamed for a similarly poor turnout (we counted about 30 in their photoshoot) yesterday. Thanks to the decision of Johnston Press to give the BNP an advert for their demo in the local newspaper, the Skegness Standard, the fascist party had had all the publicity they could hope for. So no progress for the BNP and, given the rumours suggesting that the slaughterhouse is being run into the ground by incompetent owners, the issue could soon be a moot point.
Thanks to some constructive dialogue with the editor of the Skegness Standard over his paper’s coverage of the issues, most of the East Midlands Anti-fascists’ statement, telling the truth about the BNP’s fake concern for animals, was published yesterday.
Lincolnshire Coastal Branch had better find another issue to exploit fast, because this one is turning into a dead duck.
BNP is exploiting slaughterhouse issue
The fascist British National Party will hold a demonstration outside Skegness’ halal slaughterhouse today. In the absence of a genuine animal rights movement, the BNP is exploiting the real concern of local people about the treatment of animals for its own racist and divisive political agenda.
The BNP only campaign against halal slaughter, not the almost identical kosher slaughter or animal rights abuses committed by white British farmers, because they have identified racism against Asian Muslims as a vote winner.(1) Genuine animal rights activists, such as Bristol Animal Rights Collective, have called the focus on halal slaughter “a sign of racial and cultural discrimination” and stated that they “hope [fascists] will be shown that they’re not welcome in Skegness or the animal liberation movement!”(2)
The BNP’s supposed stance against animal cruelty is hypocrisy. The party has given active support to fox hunting in the past. When the Hunting Bill banning the hunting of foxes with dogs was given the Royal Ascent, the BNP announced that “BNP supporters were devastated by the news” calling fox hunting “a sport which has an important role to play”.(3) The BNP is only interested in recruiting people and winning votes, not the plight of animals.
Unlike the BNP, East Midlands Anti-fascists are opposed to ALL animal cruelty.(4) We do not make distinctions based on the ethnic or religious background of the perpetrators.
Under the coalition government’s regime of austerity, ordinary people are suffering due to wage freezes, job losses and cuts to public services. Because, unlike the main parties, the BNP have no history of mismanaging the country, some people are tempted to give them their support. However, the BNP’s divisive policies offer no solution to the current crisis, only serving to divide the working class along racial and cultural lines and making it easier for bosses to exploit us.
East Midlands Anti-fascists oppose the BNP and other fascist groups because we believe the only way we can change our everday lives is by working together: workers and the unemployed, women and men and people of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is corrupt politicians and leeching company bosses who are holding us down, not immigrants or Muslims.
We want to shut down the Skegness slaughterhouse and all factory farming. We also want to shut down the anti-working class policies of the BNP.
Notes:
(1) The BNP has stated that “We reject both pro-Zionist internationalism… and the Islamification of our homelands. Which enemy is it in our political interest to be seen to be opposing more vigorously at the moment? To a party aiming to win seats in London, the West Midlands and the former mill-towns of Northern England, the answer should be pretty obvious.”
(2) See the full statement by Bristol Animal Rights Collective here.
(3) The Real Countryside Alliance also lists the extensive links between hunting and the far right.
(4) The East Midlands Anti-fascists blog is an independent website set up to monitor and oppose the far right across the region.
Dangerous Myths of Fukushima
17-03-2013 17:15
It isn't over. Danger to women, children, wildlife. Selections from symposium "The Medical and Ecological Consequences of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident" New York March 11-12 by Helen Caldicott Foundation & Physicians for Social Responsibility. Radio Ecoshock 130320
Brighton Council refuses to evict over Bedroom Tax
16-03-2013 14:55
Green Party controlled Brighton city council has confirmed it will refuse to evict those who cannot afford to pay the ‘bedroom tax’. The council is the first in the UK to take such a position.
More allegations of rape cover up in the SWP
16-03-2013 14:07
The end of the SWPAnniversary of innocent Kurdish chemical bomb victims
16-03-2013 13:52
also
During this Attack more than 100 communards of Kurdish- Left Group [ Komala ] got trapped and killed by Iran’s regime.
