Cambridge Anti-militarism Feature Archive
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Anti-Militarists take on Barclays
On Saturday 28th November protests took place in Brighton, Wrexham, Falmouth, Hastings, Tunbridge Wells and Cambridge [Pics] as part of a day of action marking the launch of Smash EDO's'Target Barclays' campaign.On November 30th an action took place in Plymouth.
Smash EDO have been calling for autonomous actions against Barclays Bank to force them to stop providing 'market maker' services for ITT Corporation on the NYSE. Smash EDO's site states 'Bankers and institutional investors are the glue that finances the state terror wreaked by the arms trade. Companies like EDO do not operate in a vacuum but are propped up by the networks of corporations and investors which constitute the global capitalist system which puts profit before peace, greed before people.'
As ITT’s market maker, Barclay’s acts as a ‘middle man’, purchasing shares from a seller and holding them until such a time as a buyer becomes available. This ensures the stability of ITT’s share price by allowing shareholders to sell off their assets at any time, even when a buyer is not immediately available, and vice versa. Barclay’s also profits from this enterprise, by selling ITT’s shares at a small markup, which nevertheless generates a considerable income when spread across large sales. Barclays is also the largest UK investor in the global arms trade.More.
Target Barclays webpage| Smash EDO Press Release| Smash EDO website| Anti-Militarist Network
Smash EDO's next big mobilisation is the REMEMBER GAZA SMASH EDO MASS DEMO JANUARY 18TH. Assemble at 1pm, Brighton, wear black.
Imperialist Invasion of Afghanistan Enters 9th Year
Billboards around the country have been subtly subvertised to display anti-war messages calling for the troops to be brought home and for Tony Blair to be prosecuted. As the imperialist occupation enters its ninth year, a YouGov survey found 62% of the public want British troops pulled out this year and 48% think that victory is impossible. Countless thousands of Afghans have perished and many Western soldiers have gone to Afghanistan, only to come home in body bags.
On Saturday 24th October, thousands of people gathered in central London to protest against the continuing conflict. Organisers, 'Stop The War Coalition', claimed there is growing resentment among the lower ranks who feel locked into a military occupation with no clear justification or exit strategy. Soldiers and their families joined the estimated 5,000 marchers who gathered in Hyde Park.
Links:
London March:1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Analysis: The Risks of Regional Conflagration
From the Archives: First Oil and Gas Licensing Round | Die-in for NATO's Victims | Wedding 'Die-In' Protest | Reading the names of the dead |
E.ON withdraws from careers fairs due to persistent protests
E.ON has withdrawn from University Careers Fairs run by AIESEC following a string of protests around the country. E.ON did not show up at Birmingham today (12th Nov). The protesters object to E.ON wanting to develop new coal fired power stations, such as at Kingsnorth - the target of this summers Climate Camp. However E.ON cannot avoid the protests by avoiding careers fairs - expect more fun during 48 hours of action against E.ON and new coal on the 28/29 November.
Students have visited careers fairs to protest about the presence of parts of the arms and fossil fuel industries. Climate chaos related companies targeted include RBS (the oil and gas bank), BP and Shell. The arms industry representatives include the Army, B.Ae, Qinetiq and Rolls Royce. Careers fairs have been targeted in Aston, Birmingham ( 2 ), Bristol, Cambridge ( 2 | 3 ), Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial College London, Kings College London, Leeds, Liverpool, Loughborough, Manchester ( 2 | 3 ), Nottingham ( 2 | 3 ), Oxford ( 2 ), Sheffield, Southampton, Warwick and York. More reports are available from People and Planet.
Full Story | 3 additions | 5 comments >>
Cambridge Reaction to the Carnage Inflicted by Israel
The Israeli wars of aggression in Lebanon and Gaza have been now been going on for almost four weeks and there have been three protests against it in Cambridge. On Friday (28th July), there was a small meeting in The Market Square, which was attended by about 30 people, followed by a larger demo on saturday (150-200 people). [report] Other activists conducted leaflet drops in the Grafton Centre and from Great St Marys Church (leaflet). On Sunday there was a vigil for the victims of Hiroshima [report].
Also in the region, it was revealed that US bombs bound for Israel have passed through Suffolk and Norwich people called for a ceasefire
Israel has been targetting civilians, journalists, the UN and ambulances using cluster bombs, depleted uranium munitions, bunker busters via Scotland and a catalogue of other illegal weapons. The USA is the main source of Israeli weapons.
Indymedia UK coverage of the attacks, demonstrations around the 22nd of July and the 5th of August.
Guilty of opposing the arms trade
Stuart Jordan, of Cambridge Campaign Against the Arms Trade, and Irene Willis, from South Essex CAAT, were in court on 23rd Jan. charged with "unlawful demonstration" for their role opposing the Dsei arms fair in September last year.
The police were at pains to state throughout the trial the significant size of the demonstration and how intimidating they found the "banners, dancing and bicycles" (!) The police were frustrated because they had set up a "pen" where they had decided protest was allowed to take place and some protesters had chosen to go elsewhere...
[Read More... | Donate to cover the fines at Wild Thyme, Feb 18th!]
Iraq-o-mat: Cleaning Dollars for Corporations
Much of the post-war corporate activity in Iraq has come under heavy criticism from many different fronts. There are accusations of corruption, bribery and nepotism as well as simple incompetence - the jobs just aren't getting done... So what is all the `reconstruction' activity in Iraq really about? Supposedly post-war Iraq is a neo-liberal utopia, an economy freed of the tiresome and inefficient burdens of government regulation. Yet an examination of this same economy may lead one to conclude that the system as it stands is rampant with inefficiency. Indeed Iraq's economy today looks less like an economic utopia than a giant money-laundering operation...
Protest Against Fallujah Massacre!
All over the UK protestors have been turning out to oppose the attack on Fallujah. As horrors unfold in Fallujah, many people want to make it clear that they view these attacks as appalling and murderous. In Cambridge this has also happened with a variety of different protests: Graffiti has appeared overnight in various locations around Cambridge, including Alex Wood Hall, home of the Labour Party. A rush-hour protest took place at Elizabeth Way, where a banner was displayed and leaflets distributed. At lunchtime on the day the assault started, CamPEACE called for people to protest in market square. While this protest was going on, two people climbed onto the roof of the Guild Hall [report | photos] and hung a banner saying "Fallujah: Stop the Massacre." Cambridge people have also published items on this newswire discussing the implications of the attacks on water supplies in Fallujah [short piece | full briefing | fax action]; the mainstream media coverage of the attacks and the Government's misleading response to the Lancet Iraq Mortality Survey. If you know of other protests that have taken place or are being planned please publish details on this newswire. We must oppose this assault in everyway possible.
Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki
"The appearance of people was, well, they all had skin blackened by burns. They had no hair because their hair was burned, and at a glance you couldn't tell whether you were looking at them from in front or behind. They held their arms bent like this, and their skin - not only on their hands, but on their faces and bodies too - hung down" - Hiroshima grocer.
 | It's almost 60 years since the nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on the 6th and 8th of August, 1945 (respectively). So far we have managed to avoid it happening again, though the USA is looking to build "usable nukes" or "bunker busters". To remember these tragic events, there is a peace camp at USAF Lakenheath and there will be two vigils in Cambridge. |
- US nuclear weapons are based at USAF Lakenheath. The peace camp runs through the weekend and is organised by the Lakenheath Action Group.
- In Cambridge, on Friday the 6th of August, there will be a vigil in Market Square from 1-2pm organised by Cambridge Women In Black.
- On Sunday the 8th of August, from 8:30pm there will be a vigil on Midsummer Common beside the Fort St. George, organised by CamPeace.
Newswire [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ]
Scream against war, torture and occupation
It has become clear that the British and American governments are guilty of serious abuses in Iraq. A leaked report from the International Committee of the Red Cross contradicts George Bush's assertion that Abu Grahib had been a scene of "...disgraceful conduct by a few American troops...". The ICRC director of communications, Pierre Kraehenbuchel insisted that there was "a broad pattern, not individual acts, there was a pattern and a system." Furthermore the occupying forces have not improved the humanitarian situation (Read more), and the number of Iraqi civilians killed is estimated to be between 9921 and 11071.
Targeting Civilians: Anti-Personnel Landmines
Anti-personnel, or antiman, landmines (APLs) are odious devices designed to mutilate or kill the person who activates the explosion mechanism. Antiman mines do not recognise the soldier's uniforms, they do not distinguish a child from an adult, a civilian from a combatant. They hit almost exclusively the civilian population, creating an army of mutilated invalids that weighs on the health system, the economy and the future of a country.
Some Hutton puzzles
The Hutton report has provoked an enormous debate about the culpability of the government and the BBC - a debate which has hinged upon the accuracy
and completeness of its findings. Much has been written about what Hutton
'didn't say'. Surprisingly little detailed analysis, however, has dissected
what he did say. The following, based upon an admittedly cursory reading of
the report, suggests that
1) the report's conclusions reflect a pattern of biased and selective
consideration of evidence 2) The report's avowed refusal to comment upon
the actual WMD issue conceals sufficient comment upon the issue to give the
government the opportunity to forestall further criticism.
Shaheedah in Nablus, Palestine
Mika is a Cambridge activist who has been based in Nablus, Palestine since the summer. What follows is an account of the killing of a young woman by the Israeli army as she tried to visit her husband near Ramallah. `Shaheedah' means female martyr. The roads from Asira Shamaliya to Nablus city, the regional capital, have been closed for some time. Those trying to brave the mountain trails or skirt around settlements risk military aggression. Kamleh Mohamed Asa'd Sawalha was a recent victim.
Campeace Forum and IMC Newswire
Low Tech Media Two new print projects in Cambridge are bringing non-corporate alternative media onto the streets. Campeace Forum is a not-for-profit volunteer run magazine devoted to independent and critical thinking on global and domestic affairs. The aim is to provide a Cambridge-based alternative resource to the dominant media in fostering a local-global peace and justice movement. The first issue, which was released a few weeks ago, also provides information about Campeace and other local peace and justice groups. The poetry and art included questions the way things are and celebrates the strengths of the peace movement. Also recently released in Cambridge is the Cambridge Newswire, the print edition of the Cambridge Independent Media Centre.
Notes from Occupied Palestine
Note: This article was written by a Cambridge resident who is currently working with the International Solidarity Movement in Palestine. Digging in the sand, late Wednesday night, outside Balata Camp. Four of us, crouched down near the mosque, next to the taxi rank. But there are no taxis - the streets are empty and silent. Everybody is inside, with the door locked - more soldiers are expected tonight. Two small piles of light brown sand lie at the entrance to the camp. We kneel around one of them, as Mustapha slowly sifts through the sand, turning over clumps and examining the underside of stones. 'Move the light here. Now here. What's this?' asks Mustapha. I try to ignore distant rumbles of military vehicles and concentrate on aiming the torch at his quickly roving fingers. Each clump or lump is examined with care. Some are discarded, others placed in a see-through plastic bag, with the top folded over to keep it open.
In Movement Towards the Abolition of NATO Bases in Europe
On Sunday about 60 protesters marched from Market Square to the De Vere's University Arms Hotel on Parkers Piece to protest against the NATO meeting taking place inside this premise. Speakers at the demonstration linked the Cambridge event with the DSEi arms-fair in London and denounced the immorality of the arms trade, the war in Iraq and the failure of the "road map" to peace in Palestine. The demo was organised by Stop The War Coalition and CamPeace (see pictures). The protesters also voiced their discontent about De Vere's involvement with arms dealers and armies. According to a demonstrator: "since early April 2003 the De Vere's Hotel in Cambridge has become an extension of the military bases in the area putting up soldiers from the US, the UK and other countries. In two instances civilian customers in the hotel's bar were harassed by soldiers after they dared to make some negative comments about President Bush. The incident had no serious consequences, but, according to the protester, it is indicative of the climate inside the hotel. Some people among the demonstrators talked about the possibility of a nation-wide boycott against De Vere, if the company does not reverse its policy of war profiteering.Today, as 168 delegates discussed war and the expansion of NATO inside the hotel, activists outside staged a colorful and effective protest with street theatre and music. In the two days of mobilisations local residents were made aware that war is being waged right from their doorsteps.
Cambridge firm targeted over DSEi involvement
A group of activists from Cambridge visited the offices of Cambridge Consultants today to deliver a letter requesting them to reconsider the decision to exhibit at this year's DSEi arms fair in London.