Cambridge Culture

Struggle and Repression for Social Centres and Autonomous Spaces

16-06-2008 14:31

Mill Road, a new squatted social centre in Cambridge, lost against Tescos in court last week but are confident about holding onto the place a while longer yet. They have however been experiencing violent attacks from anonymous cowards. There have been many reports of attacks on autonomous spaces recently. In Greece there have been heavy police repression and fascist arson attacks against autonomous space [more]. In Amsterdam, the Citex squat was attacked and illegally evicted by Police. Just a few days ago in Rome, fascists were caught planting a bomb in the front yard of Loa Acrobax. The tide turned briefly when hundreds of people from Berlin and elsewhere went on the offensive and instigated six days of diverse and often militant action in Berlin. In a city which has one of the harshest anti-squatting policies in Europe people showed they were undaunted and defiant [more].

London has seen the eviction of two squatted social centres recently (1, 2) but last week there was a report of a new space opening in Nunhead. Also in south London, the Spike is raising its profile as a community resource as part of a strategy to hang onto the site. At the heart of London's city fringe expansion, Bowl Court social centre lost a courtroom battle against property giant Hammerson and is now considering next moves [background]. Meanwhile, the long running rampART social centre in East London marked it's 4th anniversary but is considering voluntary closure as it has been suffering from neglect, theft and lack of energy since the owners were granted a possession order way back in January.

Gutter press followed the Tory party in inciting hatred towards squatters while squatters in Brighton enjoyed somewhat better press coverage relating to the occupation of a church on London Road in Brighton. In an attempt to promote autonomous spaces, a booklet called 'What's this Place' [PDF] has been produced by the UK Social Centres Network which will probably be having it's next gathering at the newly refurbished Kebele in Bristol, 14th Sept. Also being planned for late summer is a follow up to last months international 'interspace' gathering near Berlin which followed the April2008 mobilisations [more].

Websites of mentioned spaces: Bowl Court, rampART, Nunhead Chapel, The Spike, Mill Road,88 London Road, Kebele, Loa Acrobax

Portal sites : Squat.net | UK Social Centres Network website | Autonomous London

Immaterial Labour

28-04-2006 13:44

Ed Emery of the Universitas adversitatis has organised the "Immaterial Labour, Multitudes, and New Social Subjects: Class Composition in Cognitive Capitalism" Conference in Cambridge this weekend (August 28-30th). This conference will be feature a large international gathering of radicals and militants, with a focus on autonomous inquiry in the digital era and a keynote open to the public by Antonio Negri, co-author of Empire.

This diverse revolutionary current believes that the era of the "material labour" of the factory has been superseded by the "immaterial labour" that includes unpaid family work, "service with a smile" and the production of affects, and symbolic-linguistic production such as computer programming and entertainment. There is also an increased focus on the cybernetic communications of both capital, and as opposed to vanguard parties, the natural antagonism of labour to capitalism and their ability to subvert their own machinery - including the Internet (see texts related to the themes of the conference).

Antonio Negri will give his keynote in French on the evening of the 28th on the topic of "J.M. Keynes, Guaranteed Minimum Income and the Recent Events in France," an analysis of the recent revolt in France against the neoliberal CPE.

To make this conference as widely available, there will be live audio-stream available on www.radiovague.com and an IRC chat room at chat.indymedia.org#immaterial. This room will allow people, regardless of their location in space, to discuss the speakers and ask questions. A full archive will also be made.

Update: At the last moment, Negri had to cancel for personal reasons, but his paper will be delivered by his esteemed colleague Andrea Fumagalli at 7:30.

Community Radio on FM in Cambridge

09-02-2006 21:10

209 Radio is broadcasting on 103.5 FM for one week in Cambridge - the 10th - 19th of February. 209 Radio has been broadcasting over the internet since March 2003, building up its output - a range of specialist music programs with community and arts programmes being added all the time. And 209 Radio is hoping to hear soon about the results of its application for a long term FM community radio license.

As the Community Media Association say "Community Media is community owned and controlled, giving access to voices in the community and encouraging diversity, creativity and participation. Community media provide a vital counterbalance to the increasing globalisation and commercialisation of the media."

The shows being broadcast include local news and views on Newzone, local and global issues on So Far and Yet So Near, socially responsible technology on Brain Candy and traveller issues on Romani Radio.

Update 24/3/2006: Shows have been uploaded as additions to this article.

Community use for the Howard Mallett centre?

15-12-2005 19:37

Aiming at making effective community use of the soon to be empty Howard Mallett centre, a group has been set up to put forward proposals for the space.

The centre, in Cambridge’s densely populated Petersfield ward on Sturton Street, has a long history of community usage and features a gym, radio recording room, café area and further office and community rooms. However, it is soon to be vacated by current lease-holders Dawe Media and the new tenants, charity Citylife, will take a long time to carry through their plans of knocking the building down to construct a ‘social innovation incubation centre’.

The new group is connecting with people with ideas for how the space should be used, which so far include a range of community media, arts, youth, sport and soup kitchen proposals.

New group list: hmcwg@wereallneighbours.co.uk
and their website

Indymedia articles on the Howard Mallet Centre: [ 1 | 2 | 3 ]

Stop Ethnic Cleansing

19-08-2004 11:03

Travellers or Roma have faced oppression, murder, sterilisation and genocide from successive European governments, including the Nazis and the current regimes. In Essex, the situation is currently worsening for Travellers. The British Nationalist Party have won 3 seats on Epping Forest District Council with their neo-Nazi pledge to drive out the local Gypsy people.

A young mother with triplets and an elderly couple, who had lived on their own land at Paynes Lane, Lower Nazeing, Essex, for l4 years, along with other families were evicted in June. Another man was sent to prison for 28 days for living on his own land, and a judge is threatening to imprison his wife and children if they don't move from land they bought at Colney Hatch. The council now hope to evict the last remaining couple from Paynes Lane on 22nd August, despite the fact that they have been paying council tax for over 10 years.

Anti-racist and Gypsy Council campaigners are planning a rally to counter the eviction at Paynes Lane on the 22nd August. The rally will include the unveiling of a Memorial Field for Roma victims of the Holocaust, and will celebrate the survival of Romani culture with music and food.

Anti-racist campaigners also demonstrated last Saturday near Cambridge. Local residents protested against neo-fascists outside the Oakington Immigration Detention Centre.

Previous coverage: [1][2][3][4][Photos]
Links: [Traveller Support][East Anglia Social Forum]
Calls for rally at Paynes Lane, 22nd August: [1][2]

Space for Cultural Diversity in Cambridge under Threat

07-05-2004 15:56

One of the few spaces in Cambridge where cultural diversity is thriving - Café Afrika - recently had its public entertainment license revoked after a petition from 28 residents was sent to the Cambridge City Council, complaining of "anti-social behaviour" from people leaving the venue. The Council also claims there was "a consistent failure to observe licensing conditions". However, partly due to the more than 400 signatures collected on a petition in support of the Cafe, that decision has been reversed until an appeal has been heard.

Café Afrika is one of only a few venues in Cambridge actively pursuing a culturally diverse program and, as they stated in their original response to the council decision:

We are the only venue which consciously promotes community values, cultural diversity, and equal access to the arts. We fundraise regularly for charity organisations, we always welcome local talent and local artists, we provide a free space for many promoters, community groups, meetings and activities.

What happened after the war on Afghanistan?

15-01-2004 23:00

On 7 October 2001, the US and UK began air attacks on Afghanistan. At that time, so soon after 11 September, there was some support for military action (1). On 7 December 2001, Kandahar, the last Taleban stronghold, fell prompting those in the West to declare the war to be won. (2).

But what was the end result of this war? Certainly Osama Bin Laden wasn't captured, though some Al-Qaeda infrastructure may have been destroyed. In the immediate aftermath of the war, it appeared that the UK and US' most obvious achievement had been the overthrowing of the Taliban - harbourers of Bin Laden, supporters of Al-Qaeda and oppressors of the local Afganistan population. So what did this mean for the people of Afghanistan?

"Trading Freedom" Film Screening

29-09-2003 23:34

7:30 pm, Sunday 12 October @ the Locomotive Pub, 44 Mill Road, Cambridge

"Trading Freedom: the secret life of the FTAA" offers an explanation of the Free Trade Area of Americas, a proposed economic zone that will regulate the economic activity of one-sixth of humanity, overriding local democracy in favour of "rights" for multinational corporations throughout the Americas. This film is the story of those who resist - indigenous struggles, working-class organizations, women in rebellion, media activists, and a huge network of NGOs.

"Footage from Chiapas, Quebec City, Sao Paulo, Akwesasne and Tijuana, plus the combined efforts of over 100 videographers, photographers, free radio outlaws, writers, editors, techs, and rabble-rousers make this the perfect evening out." -- Luther Blisset

Suggested donation 2 squid.
Download and distribute a poster for this event. Read more >>

A report from the Pink Picnic

19-09-2003 11:27

On Saturday 30 August, the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall were transformed as people gathered to celebrate gay culture and diversity in the form of Cambridge’s first ever Pink Picnic.

Pink Picnic was a free event “where everyone can enjoy [...] gay culture by removing barriers and stigmas to promote tolerance and understanding of peoples sexuality”. The Picnic was non-commercial and aimed to cover its costs. There were many sponsors including the trade union UNISON.

Read more | 1 comment >>

"We Interrupt This Empire..." Screening

31-08-2003 16:04

7:30pm,Wednesday, 3 September 2003 @ The Locomotive pub, 44 Mill Road

The San Francisco Video Activists' Network and SF Indymedia presents the story you didn't see on the BBC: an unflinching look at the American radical resistance to an illegal and horrific war.

"We Interrupt This Empire..." is a collaborative work by many of the Bay Area's independent video activists which documents the direct actions that shut down the financial district of San Francisco in the weeks following the United States' invasion of Iraq. With the audio backdrop including the live broadcasts of SF Indymedia's Enemy Combatant Radio and the SF Police Department's tactical communications that were picked up by police scanners, the documentary takes a look at the diverse show of resistance from the streets of San Francisco as well as providing a critique of the coporate media coverage of the war and exploring such issues as the Military Industrial Complex, attacks on civil liberties, and the United States' current imperialist drive.

Suggested donation 2 squid

Trailer: [56k][Broadband]
Poster: [pdf]

Cambridge Culture

Struggle and Repression for Social Centres and Autonomous Spaces

Immaterial Labour

Community Radio on FM in Cambridge

Community use for the Howard Mallett centre?

Stop Ethnic Cleansing

Space for Cultural Diversity in Cambridge under Threat

What happened after the war on Afghanistan?

"Trading Freedom" Film Screening

A report from the Pink Picnic

"We Interrupt This Empire..." Screening

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