UK UK Newswire Archive
World Day for Animals in Laboratories 2011
17-04-2011 17:23
weather distributed Nuclear Fallout
17-04-2011 17:22
If we are going to be saddled with these dangers, shouldn't we have operations in place on a global level for these avoidable dangers. There is clearly a lack of output from the governments of the world, on this global danger and, the inevitable cost to the tax payer for the aid of the chemical brothers.Two UK activists send a report back from the front
17-04-2011 15:22
In the city of Misrata, the only city in the West of Libya not under control of Gaddafi’s forces, the situation is desperate. The whole of the city is besieged with no escape except by Mediterranean Sea, its only lifeline.
To come to the city and listen to its sounds is confusing to anyone with any preconception of war. The sound of bird song and the call to prayer from the minarets is accompanied by the new music of Misrata; gunfire and the sound of explosions. The story of war is one of confusion, any attempt to understand it seems to be ultimately futile. Every day that goes by in this city is a crime against humanity. The world cannot allow this siege to continue if it does not want to see a repeat of Sarajevo. Virtually nowhere in this city is safe, schools, hospitals and mosques have all been targeted by RPGs, SPGs and mortar attack, bread lines in the city have also been targeted and snipers hold the centre of the city hostage. There is no option left for the people of Misrata but defend themselves from annihilation.
The rules of war do not apply here, there is no exit strategy and no escape route, the motto of the people in Libya is “victory or death”. This is not a war of two sides, but a civilian population held captive by a well equipped military force. 42 years of dictatorship at the hands of Gaddafi has taught them the alternative to defense, if his military forces overrun this city it means nothing but certain death for everyone.
The organization for the defense of the city is manned only by civilians. Roadblocks on the streets constructed from scrap metal and sand, are controlled by the ‘Shabab’, the youth armed only with smalls arms and some only with Molotov Cocktails, to defend themselves against the possibility of invasion by tanks.
Today [13th April] on Tripoli Street, the epicentre of the city’s fighting that has now become a sniper alley, we met the rebels desperately trying to rid their home of threat. A number of Gaddafi snipers have taken up positions here, shooting at anything that moves. On a corner the rebel’s red, black and green flag flies, ridden with bullet holes it has become a surrogate target when humans are not available. At the position, we met ordinary people, teachers, engineers and students . They were eating chocolates captured from Gaddafi forces. “They eat sweets and drink Pepsi and bring us nothing but guns!” one fighter shouts. Most had never handled a gun before the insurrection started, they did not wish for this fight. While the Gaddafi forces indiscriminately shell the city, the rebels tell us that they cannot use all of the weapons that they have at their disposal.
”We have some weapons we have taken from the Gaddafi militias, like SPGs” says Muhamed Agila, a Misrata resident, “but we will not use them, it is not safe, people live here, this is our home we don’t want to destroy our home. We don’t want to hurt the people. They [Gaddafi's forces] don’t care what they use. You can see the destruction everywhere.”
Even a cursory tour of the city demonstrates the extent of the destruction here. In the western area of the city cleared a few days ago, almost every building bore the scars of mortar attacks and gunfire. However, buildings can be rebuilt, human life cannot.
Yesterday, we visited the city’s hospitals and spoke with a number of doctors who explained the impact that the fighting is having on the city. Tens of people die every day here under bombardment from Gaddafi’s forces most are injured by shrapnel from tanks, mortars and bullets.
Children are suffering in this siege with 20 children killed in Misrata alone, the youngest victim aged only nine months. We saw with our own eyes the body of a three year old girl shot through the head by one of Gaddafi’s bullets. Her father, a doctor working in one of the city’s hospitals had been kidnapped only a day earlier. Grenade rounds lie unexploded around the streets and children have been finding them and picking them up to play with.
The tactic of kidnapping and abduction is commonly practiced against the civilian population. One worker at the hospital had collected the names of 30 civilians from just one small area of the city, Zawiat al-Majohb, that have been removed from their homes and disappeared. The figures for the rest of the city are not known, but they are estimated to be around 2000. No one knows of their whereabouts.
As medical teams here struggle to save the lives of those caught in this conflict they also come under fire. Ambulances come under regular fire from troops, with snipers aiming for the petrol tanks in attempts to blow them up. We met one young driver from the Red Crescent, who was shot in the arm, he was lucky, with many of his colleagues having been killed.
Other than the hundreds of cases of people suffering from bullet and shrapnel wounds from snipers and shelling, a psychologist in one of the city’s hospitals tells us of other damage being inflicted by the conflict. The captive civilians are suffering numerous psychological disorders including insomnia, acute psychosis and epilepsy as well as psychosomatic disorders including diarrhea, vomiting and headaches.
The people of Misrata remain defiant in the midst of this chaos. At the candle lit vigil for two young men killed in yesterday’s fighting the whole of Zawiat al-Majohb’s population turns out to chant in a show of unity surrounding the two shrouded bodies in coffins. The people here do not have any clear ideological or political aspirations. The two most common chants, “Free Libya, Gaddafi has to go” in Arabic, along with cries of “Allahu Akbar”, “God is great” would encompass their principal motivations. The people here are religious, but they look more to western democracy for their political influence than to political Islam and Al-Qaeda. In Benghazi, people make their calls to NATO help them win their fight. For now, the people of Misrata must rely on their own resolve and faith to defend themselves as NATO seem to sleep while the people here cannot.
BNP exposed as liars - Scottish BNP leaflets full of lies
17-04-2011 13:34
The ever odious BNP stoop to a new low.Their Scottish elelction leaflets not only jumpon the anti-Islam bandwagon much favoured by far-right wankers like the EDL etc. but are also full of lies and have been exposed as such.Funeral Procession: Mourning the Death of Our Services
17-04-2011 13:27
In October 2010, the country learnt of the infliction of a terminal illness on its public sector.We will be gathering on the 29th of April to hold a living wake commiserating the demise of our vital sevices, and celebrating all that they have achieved.
Students Start Petition re. the Guardian's Reporting of the 26th March Demo
17-04-2011 11:55
Frustrated with how, after big protests, almost all major papers put out biased reports - acting as mouthpieces for the police and politicians, rather than telling people what really happened, students have started an online petition against the Guardian, calling for an apology for their reporting of the protest on March 26th.Palestine Today 04 17 2011
17-04-2011 10:32
Got the bastards! The two Fogel family killers apprehended at neighboring Awarta village.Chaos spreading in Greece
17-04-2011 07:49
Egos, Money & Factionalism by 'Malatesta'
17-04-2011 06:25
What is going on with the far right already?One different Easter
17-04-2011 03:57
And I see my brothers who sold our people to the enemy. Those misery brothers all around with the alcohol, they say it gives them pleasure...Tata Noah chief of Indigenous communities
17-04-2011 03:44
Campaign to save Hayward House daycare strengthens
16-04-2011 23:23
The campaign to save daycare at Hayward House is gathering force, as patients, volunteers, relatives and wellwishers are making contact and organising to work together.
Freedom of information requests have been made to find out more about the present/past, and about future plans. A website will be active shortly, and a paper petition is circulating. A web-based petition is intended. A meeting is planned for May.
Hayward House daycare is unique in the area, in that, alongside personal, social and emotional care, it also provides superb medical palliative care from a highly skilled team of doctors and nurses. Many patients have described how their pain had been unbearable, and was not treated effectively in an oncology ward, yet the doctors at Hayward House were able to do enough to bring quality of life back to their last months or weeks. Patients are naturally very upset and angry at the proposed closure, and this is doing their health no good.
Please print out and distribute and sign the petition, and contact me if you'd like to be involved in the campaign.
Campaign Agains Arms Trade
16-04-2011 21:51
Volunteers in Medway an Maidstone areasAmericans protest Saudi role in Bahrain - Saudis OUT of Bahrain !!
16-04-2011 21:01
More than 4,000 demonstrators attended the rally to show solidarity with Bahraini people and to condemn Saudi Arabia's involvement in the crackdown of protesters in Bahrain, on SaturdayWindscale-Never Again? Chernobyl-Never Again? F..
16-04-2011 17:22
Opportunity for Cumbrians to Mark Chernobyl Day
and instead of saying Never Again? say Never Again!
Fuck the royal wedding - mass black block demo planned!
16-04-2011 15:30
Thousands of black block anarchists will descend on central London on April the 29th to seriously disrupt the royal wedding celebrations. Spread the word and come down to central London on April the 29th. Get there before 11am before the royal procession starts.14/4-National day of protest against benefit cuts
16-04-2011 15:23
"As part of a national day of protest against benefit cuts, Liverpool Solidarity Federation picked the offices of ATOS Origin in the city centre. We were supported in our action by members of UK Uncut Liverpool.
We were there to raise awareness of the role played by ATOS in the governmens war against the disabled"
Nestle - London Marathon sponsorship deal referred to Charity Commission
16-04-2011 09:52
Nestlé, the UK's most boycotted company, is sponsoring the London Marathon and providing the ONLY water available to runners, forcing supporters of the boycott over its marketing of baby milk to break their personal boycotts or put their health at risk. The organisers have breached Charity Commission guidance on corporate sponsorship by refusing to be transparent about the charity's sponsorship policy.Qaddafi Unplugged and Uncensored
16-04-2011 08:50
An interesting little gem I spotted online a couple of hours ago, some reader may like, or not like and could spark a debate... the web address goes straight to the original as it appears. DaveRecollections Of My Life - Mu'ummar Qaddafi
By Col. Mu'ummar Qaddafi; Translated by Professor Sam Hamod, Ph.D.
Recollections of My Life: Col. Mu’ummar Qaddafi, The Leader of the Revolution. April 8, 2011.
