The Bath Bomb Issue 2 has been released
B B Jenkins | 07.09.2007 02:54 | DSEi 2007 | Anti-militarism | Anti-racism | Ecology
“All the news the Chron didn’t choose!”
(For further info on any of our stories, see www.myspace.com/bathbomb)
Shocking Behaviour from Bath’s Authorities
Bath has just been given the honour of hosting the dress rehearsal of the cops’ latest
torture techniques. Starting in September, Bath cops will be tooled up with tazer guns
capable of delivering a 50,000 volt shock as part of a one-year trial. If the trial is
deemed a success (if enough of us get zapped!), the weapons look set to be thrown out
to any cop nationwide who wants one.
This move spells disaster for us, as the Metropolitan police, the most armed force in
the country, have already shown remarkable skill in murdering and wounding innocent
bystanders (see Jean Charles De Menezes – a Brazilian electrician murdered on the London
underground for looking “a little bit brown”).
Even without these new weapons, in 2006, cops managed to kill 63 people in custody, not
counting suicides – a statistic which looks set to rise this year. Will extra weaponry
stop crime and terrorism? Have any of the wave of repressive measures introduced by the
government in recent years stopped crime and terrorism? It is the oppressive, unfair way
the system works that creates crime, and the average copper is just as much a victim of
the system as anyone else, but we can’t cure this violent society with more violence. In
this journalist’s opinion, the cops at the top need to start putting more time and effort
into stopping muggers and rapists and less into compensating for their collective ‘small
man’ complex with big toys!
There will be upcoming protests against this worrying development – check out the events
calendar on http://www.myspace.com/bathactivistnetwork for more info. In the meantime –
let’s make sure it’s the cops who get a nasty shock, not us!
FCK KFC
There is an area of Southgate that the bulldozers have sadly not yet claimed.
KFC have been the centre of controversy in recent years because their chickens are
sourced from factory-farms. Factory farmed chickens are kept in extremely cramped
conditions which can cause them to suffer from broken bones. They suffer from brittle
bones because the fattest birds are often chosen for breeding to maximise meat production.
When animals are crowded and irritated they are likely to be aggressive, and due to lack
of exercise hens have been known to injure each other.
PETA and other animal rights organisations claim that the recommendations of the so-
called KFC 'Animal Welfare Advisory Council’ have been ignored and that, because of this,
five members of the council have resigned. Adele Douglass, a former member of the council,
claims that KFC “never had any meetings. They never asked any advice, and then they touted
to the press that they had this animal-welfare advisory committee. I felt like I was being
used.”
KFC also allegedly buy chickens that have been fed on soya from the Amazon. After a
successful campaign by Greenpeace many food chains have promised not to use soya grown
illegally in the rainforest, yet Greenpeace say that KFC have completely refused to
discuss their role in Amazon destruction.
If you reckon their outdated practices should kick the bucket, join the boycott outside
the Bath restaurant on Saturday the 8th September at 12.30 – bring banners, placards and
friends!
Propagandist Spiel of the Month:
“Like a cancer (Tesco’s) are, they creep up all slow, and then you can’t get rid of ‘em@
Carry on Camping
And now some breaking news from our Heathrow correspondent: “On the 14th August, I went
deep undercover to infiltrate the Camp for Climate Action, just north of Heathrow.
Smuggling myself in inside a wheelie bin, I waited till I got towed to camp, disguised as
an undercover reporter disguised as a protester.
However, when I got there, I found no eco-terrorist mastermind cell. Neither were there
any suspicious packages. All I could spy was a tent village housing around 1,000 campers
demonstrating low-impact living, powered by wind, solar and pedal power. Meals were
communal affairs, locally-produced and organic. Meetings too were communal, run without
leaders, as well as debates and workshops – covering everything from law, to agriculture,
to foraging, to electrics. Jobs on the camp were dished out voluntarily, whether cleaning
out the compost loos, child minding, or meeting and greeting newcomers. Local villagers
(more than 1,100 nearby homes being under threat from Heathrow) eagerly joined in.
Despite over-zealous policing, the protests went off to great effect – shutting down
executive flights, freight depots, and even BAA’s HQ, with a 24 hour slumber party!
Carbon trading companies were also targeted, accused of peddling dubious science.
All in all, this second annual climate camp proved an inspiring event for many, and next
year should be even better. But, unfortunately for the gutter press, there wasn’t a bomb-
wielding extremist in sight.”
Events Listing
Monday nights Bath Hunt Saboteur meetings 8pm back room of Bell
8th Sept Bath FreeShop Stall Street 12-3pm
8th Sept Anti KFC demo 12.30-3pm Henry Street
11th-14th Sept Disarm DSEI @ The ExCeL Centre in London. www.dsei.org
15th Sept ‘There is such things a free lunch!’ stall Stall Street, 11.00-1.00pm
16th Sept Christain Aid’s ‘Cut the Carbon’ march Abbey Courtyard 4.30pm.
19th-24th Sept No Border Camp in Gatwick. www.noborders.org.uk/
21st Sept Leftism benefit club night for Bristle magazine downstairs at The Crown on Bathwick Street
23rd Sept ‘Bubbling Under’ 12.30-3pm Porter Cellar on George Street
26th Sept ‘Nuclear, Unclear?’ debate BRLSI Queen Square 7pm
3rd Oct Bath Animal Action meeting 7.30pm back room of Bell
4th oct Bath activist Network meeting 7.30pm back room of Bell
Killers in our Communities!
On a recent trawl through the murky world of the arms trade (inspired by the upcoming DSEI
arms fair taking place in London on the 11th of September), the Bath Bomb uncovered an
uncomfortable truth - Bath is home to at least two arms companies. We have BMT on Lower
Bristol Road, who are in the charming business of selling warships and nuclear-capacity
submarines to any maniac with enough cash, and Horstman Defence Systems on Locksbrook Road,
who make trigger mechs and the wheely bits for tanks and other armoured vehicles.
In this climate of international conflict, attacking the arms trade has never been more
timely. While the rich make a killing from the arms trade, and we simply get killed, it
seems to us at the Bath Bomb that the thing that divides us isn’t race or nationality, but
class. The rich profit from wars – from the arms company who sells weapons, to the
government that plunders the losing country to the companies that move in afterwards to
pick the bones, while average people the world over get slaughtered and exploited by the
whole process from factory floor to battlefield.
Both of our local companies will be displaying at DSEI, selling to corrupt governments
such as Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Israel and the US. To find out more about the fair, check out
www.dsei.org, but in the meantime, let’s pull out our red paint and padlocks and get busy
with our own local death dealers! (Bath Bomb in no way advocates the padlocking shut and
covering in slogans of any arms companies... honest, officer!)
Who Are Bath Activist Network?
We are a local umbrella group campaigning on issues as diverse as development,
environmentalism, anti-war, animal rights, workers’ rights and more. Helping to produce
The Bath Bomb, we are open to anyone, and our members range from trade unionists to anarchists, liberals to greens, and people who just want to change Bath for the better.
For details on meetings, demos, or just to get in touch, ring us on 07949 611912, email
bathactivistnet@yahoo.co.uk, or see our website: www.myspace.com/bathactivistnetwork
The Only Good Border is a Text Border
Back in mid-August, the Cinnamon restaurant in Keynsham was raided by BIA [Border and
Immigration Agency] heavies, who arrested four members of staff. These so-called ‘illegal
workers’ are from Bangladesh, a country where political murder is rife, and floods are an
ever-increasing hazard.
Whilst the restaurant is currently struggling to find staff bi-lingual in English and Bengali, BIA jobsworths claim the men lacked the correct papers.
But who cares about silly little things like papers? Whilst the dignity and wealth of Bangladesh is drained by Western companies in the Export Processing Zones, some people are forced to move on just to survive. No one in their right mind would abandon their home and heritage lightly, risking their lives in border crossings, just to settle for Britain.
Whilst asylum applications are being processed, refugees are forbidden to work, expected to make do on £36.54 a week. Their only option is to try and find work in low-paying, often degrading jobs, whilst avoiding discovery, racist violence and deportation.
Are you bored of immigration control and nanny state fascism? If so, why not come along to the UK’s first ever ‘No Border Camp’ near Gatwick! From the 19th to the 24th of September, people will gather to fight the building of a new detention centre, as well as other kinds of state control, such as ID cards and constant surveillance. At this camp, no one is illegal, and all forms of division will be challenged: racism, sexism and homophobia.
In a world without borders, nobody will ask for papers anymore.
Foie Gras Campaign Update
Following on from last month’s issue, the Cavendish Restaurant have now also dropped foie
gras. Outlets in the city have since apparently gathered to meet and discuss in private their response to the campaign. That’s three restaurants now – follow this link for further info:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=211421146&blogID=296816530
The Bath Bomb ‘Golden Showers’ Appeal
On the night of July the 11th, KKK-wannabes barged in to the Mosque on Pierrepont Street and drunkenly pished over worshipper’s clothes and shoes. Please could any info as to their identity be sent in to your friendly neighbourhood vigilante hotline, at bathbombpress@yahoo.co.uk. Bath Antifa would ever so love to see the two proud British bulldogs poo themselves.
And if you are one of the guys in the picture, Mr Pee Pee “I can’t hold my pint” Pissypants, then isn’t it about time Mummy and Daddy had you potty-trained?
for images, see: http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/LocalPages/NewsDetails.aspx?nsid=9853&t=1&lid=3
FILMS THAT TELL THE TRUTH
A new season of activist films is opening in Bath. The ‘Bubbling Under’ lunchtime screenings will show films made by radical action groups and alternative news networks.
Showing at the Porter Cellar bar, the first session will be Sunday the 23rd of September, at 12.30: ‘V for Video Activist’ – SchNEWS DVD Collection for 2006. The event is free entry, and all are welcome!
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Contact us by e-mailing bathbombpress@yahoo.co.uk. Large print e-versions are available on request
B B Jenkins
e-mail:
bathbombpress@yahoo.co.uk
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
Good stuff
07.09.2007 09:11
FTP
events listing change
09.09.2007 21:05
B B Jenkins