Climate Camp launches Press Complaint over G20 article
camp for climate action | 24.02.2009 02:03 | G20 London Summit | Climate Chaos
Today, the Camp for Climate Action lodged a complaint with the Press
Complaints Commission (PCC) against the Evening Standard. The camp claims
the Standard's article regarding the April 1st event "Climate Camp in
London's Square mile", to be held during the G20, is misleading.
Complaints Commission (PCC) against the Evening Standard. The camp claims
the Standard's article regarding the April 1st event "Climate Camp in
London's Square mile", to be held during the G20, is misleading.
The February 20th article was written under the deceptive headline
"Anarchists plan City riots for G20 leaders' arrival in London," and
contained no evidence whatsoever that anyone was planning a riot. In
fact, the camp's website
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/g20 says "Bring a
pop-up tent if you've got one, sleeping bag, wind turbine, mobile
cinema, action plans and ideas...let's imagine another world."
The authors of the article, Robert Mendick and Nigel Rosser, have had
previous run-ins with the PCC and the Camp for Climate Action. Mr
Mendicks article "Militants will hit Heathrow" (13 August 2007) , was
judged "materially misleading" by the PCC, and an article by Mr Mendick
and Mr Rosser, "Eco-protesters target school run mothers" (31 March 2008)
has been retracted by the Evening Standard. [1]
"The Evening Standard is engaging in a campaign of misinformation and fear
against the Camp for Climate Action. We will not tolerate their smears,
especially in the run up to our April 1st, Climate Camp in the Square
Mile" said Alex Harvey, of the Camp for Climate Action Media team.
[1] The complaint, and background on the previous complaints can be found at:
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/fighting_the_smears
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/g20-complaint
"Anarchists plan City riots for G20 leaders' arrival in London," and
contained no evidence whatsoever that anyone was planning a riot. In
fact, the camp's website
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/g20 says "Bring a pop-up tent if you've got one, sleeping bag, wind turbine, mobile
cinema, action plans and ideas...let's imagine another world."
The authors of the article, Robert Mendick and Nigel Rosser, have had
previous run-ins with the PCC and the Camp for Climate Action. Mr
Mendicks article "Militants will hit Heathrow" (13 August 2007) , was
judged "materially misleading" by the PCC, and an article by Mr Mendick
and Mr Rosser, "Eco-protesters target school run mothers" (31 March 2008)
has been retracted by the Evening Standard. [1]
"The Evening Standard is engaging in a campaign of misinformation and fear
against the Camp for Climate Action. We will not tolerate their smears,
especially in the run up to our April 1st, Climate Camp in the Square
Mile" said Alex Harvey, of the Camp for Climate Action Media team.
[1] The complaint, and background on the previous complaints can be found at:
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/fighting_the_smears http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/g20-complaint
camp for climate action
Homepage:
http://wwww.climatecamp.org.uk/g20
Comments
Hide the following 14 comments
me thinks
24.02.2009 08:26
hildy
Going rate?
24.02.2009 08:34
BungWatch
evening standard is scum but...
24.02.2009 08:58
camper
the evening standard propaganda machine needs sabotaging
24.02.2009 09:46
On the eve of the mayday 2000 guerrilla gardening Reclaim the Streets action their headline was ARMY ON STANDBY FOR MAYDAY RIOT.. and we were organising a garden party !! and surely the army are ALWAYS on stanby !!!
In those days we just let them get away with it and put thousands of angry citizens off coming onto the streets because they were frightened of the army AND of riots !!! .. Now we have grown up and we challenge their spells - after all revolution happens in the mind and on the streeets and right not its people like the evening standard that are occupying our minds !!
so well done for doing another PCC on the bastards...
camper 2
Well said camper 2!
24.02.2009 10:57
another camper
Beware of splitting the movement...
24.02.2009 11:49
Just be aware that one of the main purposes of articles like this is not just to scare the public off, but to get elements of the political scene it portrays to run a mile from the 'anarchist rioter' idea (which, let's be honest, isn't entirely untrue) and so end up splitting the scene into radical/liberal elements, which they will then repress/accommodate depending on what suits them the best.
The trick is to stay radical, be proud and open of our politics, and not cower desperately trying to distance ourselves from any 'bad press' that might come our way and in doing so helping them to split and destroy the movement.
Anarchists... yup. Rioters... sometimes. Liberals... never.
Another camper
Another camper
Don't worry about it.
24.02.2009 13:12
Why bother about what a bag of shit newspaper like the Evening Standard say. ES reporters are an habitually dim lot at the best of times. The problem for them is that nobody trusts them enough to want to talk to them. These reporters live in an overworked bubble and very rarely understand anything they write about.
As for the police, well, they clearly are planning for violence so it seems reasonable to assume that the Police themselves are a threat to public order and the public safety. Articles like this simply illustrate that the police, media and government are playing guessing games. They are using a mix of exageration, threat and deception in order to get what they want...and that, clearly, is violence.
Police officers who give interviews to shabby little titles like the ES should be more careful in future. Giving interviews 'predicting' widespread civil disorder this summer to retarded tabloidians isn't freedom of speech, its incitement to riot....and that makes you, PC Pillock, a criminal and a subversive.
If the police and the media want rioting then why not have the courage to say so? The people will love you for it....honestly!
PC Pillock.
It's one way to
24.02.2009 18:22
*$*
More sinister than this
24.02.2009 20:26
Really - these fuckers are PR-clued up. Don't get misled by their BS. Stick to the agenda, raise a complaint, obtain a formal apology and retraction and that becomes a counter-image, some counter-evidence. This is laying down the preparations for the plod kicking off and making us look like the bad guys and them the good guys. Be aware, be forewarned and be smart!!
Take the little ES shitbag of political (fascist!) propaganda to the cleaners for being such a slut to the filth.
Cassandra
after being kettled& indiscriminateley baton charged,add agent provocatuers then
25.02.2009 00:07
James
Please, pursue the complaint
25.02.2009 08:39
Furthermore in civil courts press cuttings have been used in evidence against activists and successfully. At present video footage of peaceful protest is being used against AR activists in criminal trials placing in the public mind that ANY protest is terrorism. Some reporters will just make things up (I can think of a few examples) and because it is in print it gets regurgitated as fact and quoted as such by all sorts of people who have nothing to compare it with.
Be warned. Any violence, wrongful arrests and outright thuggery by police, animal abusers and courts against animal rights activists is now ignored, belittled and even encouraged. Leaflets and banners are described as "offensive" and "harassing". People have life sentences for running campaigns.Activists are hospitalised frequently, several have been killed and their killers got away with murder. Do not allow this to happen to climate change activists.
NETCU and co have made it clear that they want to disrupt ALL campaigning (yes including legal stuff), the Evening Standard article is part of that.
Lynn Sawyer
I personally know a respected care worker& AR activist who was attacked during a
25.02.2009 10:33
Things Ive seen on protests were a man agressiveley trying to run over shell fuel station blockaders infront of police who took his side & I heard a farmer was unconvicted for trying to drive his tractor into the kids block at the Drax climate camp. The police in that instant did temporarily restrain the farmer who they were hiring land off for parking during camp, but he was not convicted of attempted murder.
All of this is true & mostly verifiable in court+ would make a good story in any mainstream newspaper or on the telly.
Most activists I know are maybe too commendable in their restraint especially considering the repression we deal with. Some police do try to follow good legal pratice despite pressure from the politicians & the police. I'd be willing to write a article on this I am on some international journo pages, unless someone else does I'd be happy to help do one & maybe even get paid something
Green Syndicalist
Green Syndicalist
26.02.2009 10:50
Is a Nut case
Homepage:
http://Green Syndicalist is a nutter
@ Is a Nut case
26.02.2009 18:35
Unless you have evidence to support your blanket claims that the poster called Green Syndicalist is "the most continuous irrelevant boring poster on Indymedia", then I would suggest that you, yourself, take your ignorance, intolerance, and head-up-own-ass attitude and promptly "fuck off".
As for the poster called Green Syndicalist, might I suggest that you try to give some references to your statements (e.g. dates, times, locations, etc.). It gives your postings more credibility.
Put Up or Shut Up