M32 demo 13th July 2002 : click here

 http://clients.loudeye.com/imc/uk/m32.ram

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EASTON-ST PAULS UNDERPASS RAPE: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

On the evening of Friday 7th June, a young local woman returning home from an event at Easton Community Centre, was raped at the Baptist Mills entrance to the underpass. The description of her unknown attacker - an African male aged 25-35 - means it is highly unlikely he will ever be caught. A young woman's life is shattered while we wait for politicians and council officials to have more meetings to decide what to do about this "problem area" - more time wasting, more daily muggings, and now, what we feared would be the result of this inaction - a murder or a rape - has now happened. So what now? Does the whole area become even more of a no-go area for women and a free for all for fucking rapists while the council does its usual crocodile tears? Do our local women councillors ever have to use the underpass? No, they swan around in their mayoral Rolls Royces! The rape didn't even warrant a mention in the Evening Post - so commonplace are violent assaults in the area! WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE FOR THE COUNCILLORS AND OFFICIALS TO FUCKING DO SOMETHING? HOW MANY MORE RAPES IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO NEED TO GET THEIR COMPLACENT ARSES INTO ACTION - HOW MANY MURDERS? That they can carry on for so long doing so little with no regard for human safety and human lives is beginning to make a lot of people so angry that they're ready to take the power away from them and reclaim it back: go on the offensive and say "Enough is enough. We live here, we're the ones who risk our lives walking around this area, and we're not taking any more".

Two months ago local people staged a trespass on the roundabout above the M32 underpass, to protest about the lack of a safe route between St Pauls and Easton. This was met with the usual empty promises from the council of yet more "consultation", formation of project teams led by highly paid community workers, and much expressed concern about women's safety and buck passing. There was even an offer to employ a consultant from UWE to do a two year consultation project to consult with mugging victims about how they felt! Councillors and officials were able to report back to their bosses and committees that they were responding to local feelings. There would be action maybe, someday, three years' time . in never- never land . cloud cuckooland. In the meantime high profile visits by Blunkett and Blackstone to consult with "community leaders" no-one has ever heard of gave a similar impression of action and concern. Needless to say in practical terms nothing was done. At the last trespass it was publicly warned that a murder or rape would soon take place in the underpass. Now it has happened. Another trespass is planned for Saturday 13th July. It needs to be bigger and more effective. We need to reclaim our streets, reclaim our subways, reclaim our safety. Prove to the council that we will tolerate no more rapes, no more muggings, and no more life- threatening delays to our safety. Make this the community safety issue the council can no longer duck. From wherever you live in Bristol - you are invited to come along. 11am SATURDAY 13TH JULY. Be there! ( The Bristolian )

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for more info see :  http://bristol.indymedia.org/

Yes, good hard working people of Britain. Its time to say enough is enough and demand that the eternal foe of society, the criminal, will be removed forthwith. This final obstacle to the creation of Our New Clear Dawn will not be tolerated. Public Fiend. Enemy of the People. Burn. Hate. Vote Labour.
WHAT is IMC doing headlining such a campaign as this ? Nobody likes muggers and burglars, but have you stopped to consider the political implications of what protests like this imply ?
Historically, campaigns against crime are usually at the lower end of the ideological spectrum, emanating from those who are most influenced by their immediate environment and least concerned with the wider world , in other words, low horizons. For governments, it says that they want to pretend all antgonisms in society, all fundamental contradictions, are removed, leaving only a remanant, the 'criminal', the cliched mugshot of the crimewatch maniac (note how some look do rather like politicians, oddly enough) . Was it REALLY necessary to mention that one of the muggers was an African male (why single him out if there are so many others? Does 'African' mean 'black' ? Or was he a white Rhodesian, for example ?)

citizens against the enemies of society, ever heard the term "think globally, act locally". i think like most people on the demo on saturday would love a global change. you`d be a fool to think we were all single issue locals.

you have all the big words, but not the brains. do something positive rather than slagging off the efforts of people who are actually trying to better their communities and lives, rather than whinging on the web. now get back to your office job.

whats the panic about 'big words ?' if you want to participate in political discussions, you might find you need them occasionally. in fact, few countries have a prejudice against big words, and its only the historical split between the normans and saxons which caused it here. your celtic near- neighbours in wales and cornwall will not have the same concerns.
as for bettering your community, try to ensure that local and global do indeed co-incide, but to do that, you must consider the nature of british imperial political power