Cambridge Social Struggles Feature Archive
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Struggle and Repression for Social Centres and Autonomous Spaces
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
"No Tesco's" campaigners march on Mill Road
Several hundred people (estimates range from 250 to 800) marched down Mill Road in Cambridge today to show their opposition to Tesco's plans to open an "Express" store. Many sent reports on the event:
- Photos and short report by Poon
- Photos by manos | beverley | uug | Alan
- Photos and extensive comment on the event by Camera Boy
- Video by Sarah W
According to the campaign over 4000 people have signed a petition, and a remarkable 1100 people sent in written objections to the City Council regarding Tesco's planning applications. A poll in the local Cambridge Evening News suggests 75% of people across the city are opposed to the proposed increase in Tesco's dominant position in Cambridge. The multinational giant already controls 51% of the grocery market here - putting us in the top 10 Tesco-dominated places in the UK. According to a recent Competition Commission report such dominance - surprise, surprise - has a negative impact on the consumer.
Older feature | http://www.nomillroadtesco.org/ | Main campaign post with many useful links | No Chains on Mill Road | Tescopoly
The NHS in Crisis
Crisis can be an overused word, but in the case of the NHS it’s difficult to get across the scale of the problem without using it. Three quarters of the NHS trusts in the UK are reporting that financial deficits are forcing them to make some form of cut backs this financial year.
But, hold on. The government says it’s putting more money into the NHS than ever before. For once the government is telling the truth - they are spending far more on the NHS than ever, but the cuts are still taking place... how on earth can they both be true?
The answer is simple, it's not a question of how much money, but where it goes. Private companies have become more deeply entrenched in the health service than ever before, on a level that would have been unimaginable even under the Tories.
Keep our NHS Public, Indymedia coverage [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ]
Cambridge Support for Jerry Hicks
There has been active support in Cambridge for the campaign to reinstate Jerry Hicks. Jerry, a worker at the Bristol Rolls Royce plant, was "probably dismissed on trade union grounds", the employment tribunal found, for supposedly organising unofficial action, influencing the decision of the disciplinary panel (both to support two sacked colleagues), and standing in the way of normal working practices [more details].
Jerry Hicks has spoken at a public meeting in Cambridge [ Report | Photos ]. And there is now a call to action.
IMC UK feature on Jerry Hicks.
Radical Summer in Cambridge
Things seem to have slowed down in town, but not for those who want to change the world! Lots of traveller support, free spaces and cycle power activities are taking place over the next month.
Part of the Essex traveller community, Dale Farm, housing 1000 people, is under constant threat of eviction. A public meeting, and training session will be taking place on the weekend of August 13th for those who want to support the traveller community. There is a special need for human rights monitors and people with recording equipment (since an eviction is quite an ugly business, often unseen by most people). The Hoverfield community just got evicted [report, another report].
Meanwhile in Cambridge a group of people have decided to put empty buildings to use, and have opened a Social Centre in Fitzwilliam road [open letter]. A film screening of "The Mark Thomas Comedy Show" will take place there on the Sunday 7th, but much more is promised in the next few weeks.
Finally a Critical Mass, a spontaneous convergence of cyclists, skateboarders and skaters to celebrate life without cars took place in Cambridge. This is to become a regular event, with people meeting the last Friday of every month, 6pm, beneath Elizabeth Way Bridge.
[Looking for a radical holiday? : Earth First! summer gathering 17-21 August 2005]
Report on Cambridge Forum 'The Rise and Rise of Corporate Power'
This is a report on the Cambridge Forum from 19 October 2004 on the Rise and Rise of Corporate Power. The discussion was held in the CB1 Cafe on Mill Road on Tuesday, 19 October 2004 from 8 pm to 10:30 pm. About thirty people listened to the three speakers. Before the forum started, two people from the audience recounted their experience at the European Social Forum which just took place in London the weekend prior.CamBoater's campaign continues with open day
On Sunday August 22 the CamBoater association organized an open day to encourage people to visit the river boats and get to know those who live there. A festive atmosphere prevailed, with literally hundreds of people of all ages visiting the 20 specially decorated boats near the Jesus Green Lock. The morning was part of an ongoing series of events which aim to raise the profile of the Cambridge boating community and gain support for their campaigns.The association has been formed in the last few weeks by resident Cam boaters to campaign against new mooring rules recently introduced by the Cam Conservancy. Starting from October 1st boats will not be allowed to moor on Midsummer Common, directly affecting the approximately 22 boats that will have to move, but also causing overcrowding of the entire river. The Campaign has also highlighted other concerns, including the lack of waste disposal facilities and fuel supplies available for boaters, and the presence of just a single water point for tens of boats.
[Photos]
[Previous coverage: Barbecue, Boatpeople revolt!]
Who are the G8? -- A week of action and discussion in Cambridge
From June 8th-10th in Sea Island, Georgia, the world's 8 most powerful governments met. Next year, they're coming here.The eight most powerful men in the world are on the run. Rocked by the scandals of third world debt, growing global inequality and violence in the service of neoliberalism, the G8 have been chased around the world since 1998, when 70,000 confronted them in Birmingham (the last time they met in the UK). Nowhere is safe for these eight global superpowers, so they find themselves forced to retreat into brutally enforced 'red zones' (as in Genoa, 2001) or inaccessible mountains (as in Canada, 2002, or Switzerland, 2003). This year, the eight prime ministers and presidents were protected from protesters by the sea, on a small island of the coast of the US. Even so, in case the sound of the sea failed to drown out the sound of dissent, a state of emergency was declared in the state of Georgia, allowing police to halt any demonstrations. And next year, the eight most powerful men in the world will be coming to the UK.
[G8 2004 in Georgia: News (official) | Maps]
[Cambridge pre-event publicity: flier 1 | flier 2 | Forum | Peoples' Golfing Association | East Anglia]
[Cambridge event reports: Anarchist golf photos | street theatre | forum | G8 explanation-leaflet | Corporate media on anarchist golf]
[Background: Debt and the G8 (WDM) | Arms Trade and the g8 (Amnesty) | Unfair Trade Rules (Oxfam) | Iraq War and the G8 | Health (MSF) | Global Policy Forum Analysis | Toronto University Background | `Better World' G8 links]
Cambridge Drinking Ban
On Thursday night, Cambridge City Council agreed to introduce a bye-law which is intended to "control anti-social behaviour arising from the drinking of alcohol in our public places". The bye-law will give police the power to "stop people from drinking alcohol in public places if they are causing, or are likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to other members of the public." "Trading Freedom" Film Screening
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.