UK Analysis Feature Archive
SchNEWS 744: To The Manor Osbourne
21-10-2010 21:36
Thousands have marched, a government department has been broken into, and a Scottish branch of Lloyds TSB has been occupied by pissed-off pensioners...It must be the (OK, somewhat quiet compared to France) start of the anti-cuts revolt!
Tasers in Nottingham and elsewhere
25-08-2010 21:45
Tasers are becoming an increasingly prominent tool in the arsenal of police in Nottinghamshire and elsewhere. This should raise important questions, regardless of whether you accept the anarchist critique of the police as a tool of state control, view them as a necessary evil or actually regard the boys in blue as good for society. However, these questions do not seem to be asked. Despite a number of high profile incidents when tasers have been deployed, we continue to creep towards a situation where police are routinely armed without any public debate on whether this is actually what we want or not.
Sheffield Indy Radio Show #2 - Deportations, The EDL and Divide and Rule
24-07-2010 11:07
The second Sheffield Indy Radio Show, Deportations, The EDL and Divide and Rule, features a discussion about the recent EDL confrontation at a Sheffield Indymedia meeting [MPEG video], the campaigns to oppose the deportations of two women from Sheffield, Odette Sefuko and Lem Lem Hussein Abdu, a listing of upcoming events from Alt-Sheff, news about the BP gulf oil spill via Democracy Now.
Read on to listen to the show and more details about what is in the show, Intro, Deportations, the BP Oil Spill, the EDL and some Chat. If you missed it the first Sheffield Indy Radio Show came out on 17th June 2010.
SchNEWS 732: Getting Away With Murder
22-07-2010 21:17
“After 16 months of waiting, to hear nothing is being done is a complete joke. Today they gave us no hope. This experience has broken our family apart. The DPP has told us there was an unlawful act, yet no charges are to be brought. This is no justice - everyone has failed us.” - Ian Tomlinson's son Paul King.
Ian Tomlinson, a 47 year old news-vendor was killed at the G20 protests in April 2009. His family have waited until now to find out what action the justice system was going to take. The Director of Public Prosecution Keir Starmer stated today (Thurs) that there would be no charges brought against any police officers involved in the death of Ian Tomlinson. This astonishingly bare faced whitewash prompted the director of INQUEST Deborah Coles to say “The eyes of the world will be looking on with incredulity as yet again a police officer is not facing any criminal charges after what is one of the most clear-cut and graphic examples of police violence that has led to death. This decision is a shameful indictment of the way police criminality is investigated and demonstrates a culture of impunity when police officers break the law. It follows a pattern of cases that reveal an unwillingness to treat deaths arising from the use of force by police as potential homicides”
Family Campaign Fighting Fund | Picket of DPP 30/7
Links: www.inquest.org.uk | www.iantomlinsonfamilycampaign.org.uk
Sheffield Anarchist Bookfair — 22nd May 2010
12-05-2010 22:19
Booked for the 22nd May in our lovely city is Sheffield's first ever Anarchist bookfair. If you're anarcho-curious come and meet some local Anarchists. The Greens have conferences, the Left have meetings, the Conservatives have tea parties. So what do anarchists have? Bookfairs?!
These events have run for years in cities from San Francisco to Zagreb. They're a great starting point into the ideas, activism, ethics, creativity and history of the contemporary anarchist movement, with publishers comix, zines, film, art, food and fun stuff. It's at Corporation, appropriately painted black for the event, no doubt with a buzzing after-party nearby.
Read on for the days programme of meetings and see the web site for the bookfair.
SchNEWS: Crash of the Titans
02-05-2010 15:09
AS PROPOSED IMF SOLUTION SPARKS RESISTANCE...
Greece is further troubled as government officials get ready to announce IMF imposed wage cuts that will resonate across the country’s entire public sector. Emergency demonstrations were held across the country (Thursday 29th April) in protest against the cuts by grass-roots trade unions, leftist and anarchist organisations.
In SchNEWS: 720 | 711 | 662 | 659
Links: IMF on Greece | Greek Indymedia
What's up with Notts Police?
05-02-2010 20:36
Concerned about underperformance by Nottinghamshire Police Force, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) have taken the unusual step of sending in an "elite squad" to review the force's practices. Zoe Billingham, the Inspector for the eastern region, explained: "We're concerned about the enduring issue of Nottinghamshire Police's under-performance. There has been improvement in the city, but crime is not falling as fast as in other areas of the county. People in Nottinghamshire don't feel safe in some areas."
The team's work will reportedly cost £75,000. The six person team includes two serving chief constables and, bizarrely, Tony Wilkinson, former chairman of discount store Wilkinsons Ltd.
This move comes at the end of what diplomatically might be described as a "difficult" year for Nottinghamshire Police.
On the newswire: Christmas Appeal - Spare some coppers for a Copper | Another shoplifting copper caught with their trousers down | Police dog handler on trial | Demo against Notts Police & £700,000 bill for arresting 114 enviro activists | Taser Frenzy in Nottingham | Another young, black man dies in a police cell | Police spent £700.000 on climate action bust operation | Heroes of law and order
Previous features: Notts Police Face Scrutiny | Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid | Tasers in Nottingham
Related links: Inquest | Nottscops: Unofficial Nottinghamshire Police Photo Archive | United Campaign Against Police Violence | Notts Indymedia Repression topic page
Notts Indymedia: Review of 2009
01-01-2010 13:21
BNP Membership Leak 2.0
22-10-2009 10:31
On 20th October 2009 a list containing personal details of BNP members was leaked for the second time by the whistleblowing website Wikileaks. According to Wikileaks the latest data reflects the state of the party membership as of April 2009. An analysis of the data alludes to the successes and failures of the antifascist movement within the UK.
The claims of a 'surge' in BNP membership since the European elections appear to be false. The figures show a unique paid annual membership of 11,811 which is significantly less than the 14,000 recently claimed by the BNP. The list leaked in November 2008 showed a membership of 12,802 names although this list was widely regarded to include non-members who had shown an interest in the party.
Wikileaks state that a total of 35,000 memberships appear on the list, but after this number reached 33,000, 100,000 has been added to all subsequent membership ID numbers. "It has the effect of making the BNP look larger to new recruits and those they talk to, since the numbers on their membership cards are all over 133,000" say Wikileaks. This was a tactic originally adopted by the German nazi party after 1919 who added 500 to every member's number to exaggerate the party's strength, and was regarded as a key propaganda tactic to increase support.
The number of lapsed memberships also appear to be significantly high which indicates the party is poor at retaining committed support. A member of the state-funded antifascist group 'Searchlight' stated "people join the party because they're angry, agitated or curious, but they leave in equal numbers out of the bottom". However most BNP supporters are unlikely to join a political party so the figures exhibit a skewed representation of the current landscape of fascism in the UK.
Birmingham Related Articles: Fash Get The Brum Rush | EDL is BNP front group | Birmingham kicks out EDL | Birmingham kicks out EDL.. again
Related Articles: BNP Threatens Free Media | Keep Question Time Nazi Free | No to the BNP! No to the Racist Labour Government! | Secret BBC Location
BNP Membership Leak 2.0
21-10-2009 11:50
On 20th October 2009 a list containing personal details of BNP members was leaked for the second time by the whistleblowing website Wikileaks. According to Wikileaks the latest data reflects the state of the party membership as of April 2009. An analysis of the data alludes to the successes and failures of the antifascist movement within the UK.
The claims of a 'surge' in BNP membership since the European elections appear to be false. The figures show a unique paid annual membership of 11,811 which is significantly less than the 14,000 recently claimed by the BNP. The list leaked in November 2008 showed a membership of 12,802 names although this list was widely regarded to include non-members who had shown an interest in the party.
Wikileaks state that a total of 35,000 memberships appear on the list, but after this number reached 33,000, 100,000 has been added to all subsequent membership ID numbers. "It has the effect of making the BNP look larger to new recruits and those they talk to, since the numbers on their membership cards are all over 133,000" say Wikileaks. This was a tactic originally adopted by the German nazi party after 1919 who added 500 to every member's number to exaggerate the party's strength, and was regarded as a key propaganda tactic to increase support.
The number of lapsed memberships also appear to be significantly high which indicates the party is poor at retaining committed support. A member of the state-funded antifascist group 'Searchlight' stated "people join the party because they're angry, agitated or curious, but they leave in equal numbers out of the bottom". However most BNP supporters are unlikely to join a political party so the figures exhibit a skewed representation of the current landscape of fascism in the UK.
Related Articles: BNP Threatens Free Media | Keep Question Time Nazi Free | No to the BNP! No to the Racist Labour Government! | Secret BBC Location
Largest HLS Investor Dumps All Shares As Buyout Approaches
18-08-2009 12:48
On August 1st, Win Animal Rights (W.A.R.) launched a campaign to influence the top Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) Investor, Morgan Stanley, (who recently bought LSR stock) to divest their large holding of LSR shares. With 679,225 shares, Morgan Stanley was a 5% owner of Europe's largest and most exposed vivisection laboratory, swiftly selling all their LSR stock within a week of the campaign against them.
Protests included W.A.R. visiting the homes of 5 senior executives, as well as the two co-presidents of the firm, and five days later demonstrating at the headquarters of Morgan Stanley in New York City. This was followed by visits to the homes of multiple senior executives of the company.
The divestiture comes as LSR/HLS CEO, Andrew Baker, moves forward with his plans to acquire HLS and make it a privately held company, therefore delisting themselves from the NYSE (a major target in the campaign to close HLS). The proxy statement makes it abundantly clear that activists have had a tremendous impact on LSR/HLS' financial predicament, causing them to have limited options for the future.
Previous features: Novartis CEO's hunting lodge destroyed | Highgate Farm Protest Camp | Operation Liberation: Highgate Rabbit Farm | Largest Shareholder Barclays and Top Investors Dump HLS | World Day for Animals in Laboratories March | SHAC supporter unlawfully arrested at Barclays Bank | SHAC Shakedown City Investors | Top HLS Investors Dump Shares | HLS Exposed - Yet Again! SHAC To Shakedown Financial Investors In The City | 50 Years For The UK SHAC 7 | Anti-vivisection campaigners convicted of blackmail | Largest HLS Investor Dumps All Shares | SHAC Prepares For National March & Rally | Victory for animal rights campaigners | Activist Imprisoned for Shouting | Fisher Scientific Embarrassed Over Links with HLS | SHAC World Day for Lab Animals | Asahi Glass Protesters Harassed by Police | "March Against the Murderers"
Secret City Council Report Now Public
12-05-2009 23:51
A damaging report into the 'culture and leadership' at Nottingham City Council has so far been kept hidden in a locked cabinet at the Council House. Classed as 'confidential', the city council has systematically tried every effort to keep the report out of the public domain. In February, Stephanie Pearson, the information governance officer of Nottingham City Council, refused to provide the information requested by a councilor and the Evening Post under the Freedom of Information Act. The Council argue that the information disclosed in the report is 'not in the public interest'. It is also claimed that those seeking exposure of the controversial documents have not demonstrated a 'need to know' of its contents.
We believe that it is not for the City Council to judge whether information concerning their activity is in the public interest or not. Council officers should remember that they are in their positions to serve the people of Nottingham. To ensure full transparency of the activities of our City Council and in the interest of accountability we have decided to publish a direct download link of the full report.
A Conspiracy too far?
17-04-2009 15:51
In one of the best reports on the incident so far, Daithai asks some pertinent questions about the police raid involving more than 200 officers from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and British Transport Police which saw 114 people arrested for conspiracy at the Iona School in Sneinton Nottingham shortly after midnight on Monday.
Parliamentary scrutiny of political policing
24-03-2009 11:46
![Police display a warning before attacking protesters (Photo: Tash [alan lodge])](/icon/2009/02/422684.jpg){kind=icon}
With only ten days to go before the massive protests against the G20 summit taking place in London, the Parliament's Joint Select Committee on Human Rights accused British police of being heavy-handed, misusing counter-terrorism laws and anti-social behavior legislation when dealing with demonstrators.
"The right to protest is a fundamental democratic right and one that the state and police have a duty to protect and facilitate," said Andrew Dismore, Labour MP for Hendon and chair of the committee.
After a year of inquiry, the seventy-page report raised serious concerns about the police forces ability to distinguish appropriate use of the powers they are given. The committee complained that police have been routinely using "legal powers not designed to deal with protests such as anti-social behaviour legislation and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997."
The report was particularly damning regarding the police's abuse of stop-and-search powers to intimidate, unjustifiable seizures of personal property, and improper detention and containment of protesters. The committee's chairman said: "The state must not impose restrictions unless it is necessary, and proportionate, to do so. That is a high threshold. The presumption is in favour of protest without state interference."
Related Indymedia Posts: Police 'turn themselves in' over abuse of power claims | Report into police tactics at Kingsnorth released | Video of police tactics at Kingsnorth | Summer of rage? It's a figment of febrile imaginations | Senior police officer warns of “summer of rage” | Protest against police state | Britain 2009 (are we in a police state?) | Climate Camp Cops feel the heat | Over Policing | Police maintaining special database | Whole TV series on this issue
What Does The Economic Crisis Mean For The Climate Change Movement?
19-02-2009 00:51
We are in the middle of two crises, the climate crisis and the economic crisis. Although we we seem to treat them as separate, it can be argued that they are completely entangled. Tackling one without tackling the other is impossible and fruitless, but the connections are complex and shifting. To intervene effectively, we need to look carefully at how we think about time and change, and how we relate to markets and the state. But first, let's look at how the economic crisis arose and draw some link between this history and the problematics of climate politics.
Other aspects of economic crisis: Leeds | Liverpool | Public services cuts | Evictions | Factory OccupationsFull article | 1 addition | 44 comments
How do you know that Indymedia does not keep logs?
19-02-2009 00:00
Indymedia UK (IMC-UK) is a network of activists who provide an open publishing platform. We are part of the wider Indymedia Network that started in Seattle during the protests against the WTO in November 1999, and the UK site was one of the first to join the network in early 2000. In common with all Indymedia Centres (IMCs) around the world, as designated in the (draft) Principles of Unity, IMC-UK does not log IP addresses - as detailed on the security page. Moreover, following on from previous requests by governmental authorities for logs, IMC-UK and many other Indymedia sites (e.g. the global website, www.indymedia.org) do not retain any logs related to the website. These facts are documented on our open mailing lists and on the open IMC documentation site, docs.indymedia.org. (here for example).
In the rest of this article, we provide some advice on how to improve the measures you take when publishing on the website if you want to do so anonymously. We also outline some legal procedures that could potentially be used to attack Indymedia and the right to free expression, as well as describing some of the technical points in more detail.
HLS Exposed - Yet Again! SHAC To Shakedown Financial Investors In The City
10-02-2009 16:07
For the seventh time in ten years Huntingdon Life Sciences have been infiltrated and exposed, revealing shocking cruelty and footage of animal experiments filmed inside HLS during 2007 and 2008. The investigation exposes the primate trade across three continents, including individuals captured in the wild and shipped over, enduring 30 hour journeys in small cages from as far as Vietnam.
An undercover worker inside a primate unit at HLS in Cambridgeshire filmed struggling monkeys strapped to chairs and forced to inhale products. Many were housed in one cubic metre cages and then taken out to be held down by workers as tubes are forced down their throats. 217 monkeys were killed in just five studies for customers including AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithkline and the Ministry of Defence. The company are a contract testing laboratory, testing any products, on any non-human animals, for any company; pharmaceuctical, household, beauty or otherwise.
In response to the horrific footage, the imprisonment of seven SHAC campaigners for 'conspiring to blackmail' the notorious vivisection laboratory and the business' falling share price, anti-vivisectionists will be taking to the streets of London on Friday 27th February during a global week of action against HLS' financials. The SHAC City Shakedown march and protest will be for the 70,000 animals imprisoned and abused inside the labs, targeting the financial institutions who profit from and delay the companies collapse.
As the value of Europe's largest and most exposed animal testing laboratory drops by over 80% in recent months, the New York Stock Exchange now have an extra reason to again kick the abusers off the exchange. Other reasons include the labs financial problems, serious debt, animal abuse, data falsification and scientific fraud.
Primate Trade Exposed: Full Documentary | HLS Footage | Photos | Reports: PDF | HTML | SHAC PDF
Demo Resources: SHAC City Shakedown Webpage | Why HLS? | The Protest | Download resources
Related Newswire: Bayer (HLS customer) painted in solidarity with imprisoned activists | Vegan Prisoners Updates; Greg, Gavin, Sarah & Dan W | Home visits for top barclays executives | Barclays has more demos in Birmingham | HLS Electronic Sit In: Make Friday the 13 bad luck for HLS Affiliates | HLS - new expose! | Solidarity from UC Berkeley Students | More Barclays cashpoints disabled | Suspicious package at Barclays | Is Recent Jailing of Anti-HLS Activists a Call to Action? | Barclays Demos in Birmingham | Financial Protests in the City | Pfizer Acquires Wyeth & Double Amount of Demos | South Wales Anarchists stand in solidarity with the SHAC 7 | UK SHAC 7 Heather Nicholson Speaks Out | Barclays cashpoints put out of action | Hackers target HLS suppliers | Letter from Shactivist/Veganarchist Prisoner Dan Wadham | Bayer Day of Action: West London / Hampshire | New York City | Cambridge | Chile | Sweden | Netherlands | More demos | More articles
Liverpool 2009: Capital of Crisis?
06-01-2009 21:55
Full article | 4 additions | 21 comments
BNP Threatens Free Media
28-11-2008 23:51
Indymedia is yet again facing legal threats to prevent the free flow of communication, this time from a political movement known for its hostility to free speech. On the 21st November 08 Indymedia UK received an email from someone claiming to be a legal representative for the British National Party, threatening to take legal action on a number of counts for publishing information on BNP members.
After the hilarity of the “little Fuhrer”, Nick Griffin, running to the safety of the Human Rights Act to try to prevent the publication of members’ details, Britain’s fascist party has resorted to threats.
The letter sent to Indymedia by Lee John Barnes LLB (hons), from the “BNP Legal Affairs Unit”, threatens to take legal action, on the basis of theft, data protection and contempt of court, unless the list of members is removed.
The “lawyer” also attempts to shoehorn his charges into the form of anti-terrorism legislation, “The use of this information we feel is being hosted on your site for use only to incite acts of harassment, incite violence and direct targeted attacks against our members in the Leeds area”. He then goes on to explain the sections of the Terrorism Act under which Indymedia would be charged.
Streets A Beach - The Indymedia Story
18-04-2008 11:21
Ever wondered just how indymedia started? or where it came from?
Free Event - Monday 5th May
As part of a season of events exploring the political and cultural legacies of 1968, this free Monday Love Special at the Roxy Bar & Screen will present the history of indymedia,
from the hills of Chiapas to Reclaim The Streets, Genoa and the G8
with guest attendant and Master of Ceremonies, MC Lee Harris, footsoulja of '68
Live music, DJ's and anarchy till 1am
Full article | 2 additions | 14 comments
Scientology's Corporate Exploitation Hurts People
04-04-2008 23:00
Scientology is a totalitarian, mafia-like organisation, which silences its critics by extreme intimidation and harrassment, claim thousands of Anonymous during their series of worldwide protests. About 8000 people picketed the institution in 17 countries and 108 locations on 10th of February, and on 15th of March they embarked on "Operation Party Hard". With "Operation Reconnect" on 12th of April protesters want to expose the brainwashing cult's disastrous effect on families with their "Policy of Disconnection".
Despite countless reports of members forced into bankruptcy, broken families and suicides, Birmingham City Council has endorsed the sinister Cult. There are also reports that Scientology's second biggest base in the UK will be established in Moseley Birmingham and there are protests against a Scientology exhibition in a shopping centre in West Bromwich.
Campaign groups:
[ BritLulz | Edinburgh | Manchester | Birmingham | London ]
UK-wide summary of protests against Scientology:
[ London 15th of March and 10th of February | Birmingham | Edinburgh | Glasgow | global summary of protest on xenu.net]
Reports:
[Scientology shuts down alternative news site | CoS operation manual leaked | The Censored film "The Profit" appears on Internet | Scientology given direct access to E-Bay Database | Scientology Injunction Denied Against "Anonymous" ]
Background Info:
[ Xenu.net | Wikipedia | Operation Clambake | theunfunnytruth | scientology lies | The scandal of scientology |
Newswire:
[ Bristol's Evening Post a front for Scientology? | The war on scientology | Scientology - what it is and why we fight it | Scientology's Gulags: inside the Rehabilitation Project Force | Fighting Scientology - an anarchist perspective | Scientology as Sci-Fi Fascism (corrected) | What's wrong with Narconon | Narconon off Southwark Council site]
