Leeds Bradford Social Struggles

Mersey May Day Solidarity Raises £300 For Sacked Visteon Workers

06-05-2009 01:42

£300 was raised on Merseyside this May Day weekend, in solidarity with sacked Visteon car parts makers who have now been blockading three UK sites for more than a month. Read more >>

Victory for wildcat strikers

12-02-2009 18:12

Thousands of workers in the construction industry who walked out in solidarity with workers at the Lindsey oil refinery run by Total in Killingholme, Lincolnshire, have won a significant victory. Strikers at Lindsey voted to accept a deal drawn up by union officials and the companies involved in the dispute and end their unofficial industrial action on Thursday 5th February.

The government and media have been keen to present this as a nationalist or even "racist" dispute and the ever-opportunistic BNP made efforts to capitalise on the struggle. Certainly there have been reactionary elements within the strike and the "British jobs for British workers" slogan, which echoes Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is unerringly reminiscent of the far-right. Nevertheless, the politics of the strike were complicated and at Langage Power Station near Plymouth, Polish workers joined strikers.

Regional Feature: Workers walk out at Staythorpe

Newswire: Strikes in oil refineries and power stations | British jobs for British workers - Green jobs for Green workers? | Oil and Power strikes: News, Resouces and analysis | Wildcat strikes in Newark | Today's wildcat strikes in the UK oil and now nuke business | Wildcat strikes - an open letter to the anarchist/anti-authoritarian movement | A 'Racist' Strike? | BNP activists agitating at wildcat strikes

Links: ConstructionWorkerUk | Unite the Union | Indymedia UK Workers Movements topic page

Resistance escalates with Airport 'Green' Light

12-01-2009 13:13

Both Heathrow and Manchester airports were targeted Monday with the domestic departure lounges of both airports simultaneously occupied by protesters. In London over 500 people defied airport bylaws by staging a sit-down dinner forcing airport operator BAA to close 18 check-in desks. In Manchester police used powers under Section 14 of the Public Order Act to contain up to 100 protesters on the ground floor of Terminal 3 and there was one arrest.

The Climate Rush actions were timed to coincide with MPs return to the house of commons with the government expected to announce the decision on the Heathrows airport expansion during week. Meanwhile, Greenpeace revealed that a plot of land within the proposed expansion site had been purchased in an attempt to delay the construction.

Despite media speculation that the announcement would be delayed, by Wednesday nght the media were reporting that the expanision plans have been given the green light. After the official announcement on Thursday, 'climate suffragettes' smashed the windows of the Department of Transport and on Saturday 500 flash mobbed at Heathrows terminal 5.

'i' the film - screening tour

09-10-2006 22:14

Touring the UK this week, 'i' the film expands on the explosive prequel, "Eye of the Storm" and examines the relationship between media and power as manifest by the worlds largest all volunteer network of media activists - Indymedia.

Tue Oct 10 - London - RampART - 15-17 Rampart St (starts 8pm)
Wed Oct 11 - Brighton - The Cowley Club - 12 London Road
Thu Oct 12 - Nottingham - The Sumac Centre - 245 Gladstone Street, 7.30pm (read article | report and audio from screening)
Sat Oct 14 - Glasgow - Document 4 Intl. Human Rights Film Festival
Sun Oct 15 - Edinburgh - Quaker Meeting House, Victoria Terrace, 7pm
Mon Oct 16 - Edinburgh - Forest Café, 3 Bristo Place, 7.30 pm

Hundreds demonstrate in Leeds against Zimbabwean deportations

15-09-2006 13:39

Zimbabweans from across the UK led a huge demonstration in Leeds on Saturday 16 September against the resumption of deportations of refused asylum seekers back to Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe [see report]. The protest, called by the Zimbabwe Refugee Community Organisation with the backing of the Refugee Council (Yorkshire and Humberside) and campaign group Leeds No Borders, began outside Leeds Central Library at 12pm. It was addressed by, among others Mafungasei Maikokera, one of the famous Yarls Wood hunger strikers who resisted deportation on a plane bound for Harare. Hundreds of people then spontaneously marched into the main shopping precinct to the sound of samba and song.

The demonstration was called in response to a legal ruling in August that 'refused' asylum seekers no longer automatically face persecution if returned to Zimbabwe - despite the UK government's own very public condemnation of human rights abuses by the Mugagbe regime. These Zimbabweans now face the possibility of imminent deportation. Only last Wednesday in Zimbabwe, the country's main trade union leader was arrested by police for attempting to hold a demonstration which the government had earlier banned. Wellington Chibebe was beaten with batons and rifle butts as the police arrested him and 15 others. Zimbabweans are not alone - the Home Office has recently stepped up its efforts to forcibly remove asylum seekers en masse back to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Photos: 1 2

Campaigners gear up to save Little London from gentrification

12-03-2006 18:44

After four contested ballots, £millions of taxpayers money spent and five years of resistance to Leeds City Council's drive to demolish 435 council homes and replace them with private housing, the moment of truth has finally arrived for tenants of the Little London housing estate. The Council has just announced in a press statement that tenants have overwhelmingly backed controversial plans for an £85m regeneration scheme under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) after a highly disputed door-to-door consultation process in February. Despite consistent opposition from both the Little London Tenants and Residents Association and the Save Little London Campaign, Council officers are now expected to make their recommendation to the Council Executive in April to go ahead with the controversial 'Comprehensive Regeneration Option'.

But the PFI scheme is far from a done deal. At a community action day last Sunday (5 March), local residents and campaigners vowed ‘to fight on and win’ regardless of the Council’s decision. Possible courses of action include standing independent candidates in the May local elections, a legal challenge to the alleged irregularities and bias of the Council's consultation process, and alternative proposals for regenerating the area. As part of the fightback, this Tuesday (14 March) at midday, a lobby of tenants and campaigners will march from Little London Community Centre to Leeds Town Hall to make their voices heard outside a Stakeholders Meeting between the Council and tenants representatives.

Full Story and background
Short campaign film 'Little London - the story so far'
Eye witness account of biased consultation
Campaign reports: January Picket of Council and Call out; Save Little London Community Day, 5 March
Anger of Leeds Council tenants at alleged corruption
Mainstream media reports: Council accuses 'left-wingers of misleading tenants'; Campaigners reply 'Tenants misled over Little London'
Related stories about Leeds City Gentrification: 'City Flats to Become Height of Fashion'

'The Revolution will be Televised'

05-11-2005 16:07

The Common Place Social Centre in Leeds has relaunched with an incredible 10 days of radical films, talks gigs and art. Called The Revolution will be Televised, the festival is also the main political fringe of the Leeds International Film Festival. Hundreds of people have passed through the building, a former disused factory in the yuppified Calls district of Leeds city centre .

[Over 100 people attend First Day] [Newsire Details and Programme] Download Programme (RTF format)

Leeds social centre bloom

20-10-2004 18:45

Leeds' brand new infosquat, Maelstrom, opened its doors on Thursday 21st October. It is located at the old Post Office, Hyde Park Corner, Woodhouse Street. Next week's events include talks on prison and the panopticon society, prisoner writing and card making, talk and discussion on biometrics, talk on nanotechnology, discussion on slipping through the systems cracks and much, much more! (click here for a full list).

Meanwhile, the opening of Leeds' social centre is only a few weeks away. If you want to get involved, simply contact leeds arc or pop into one of the social centre meetings: the next one is at at 7.30pm on Nov 4 @ the cafe in Holy Trinity Church, Boar Lane [map]

Dissent! meeting in Bradford, July 3/4

27-06-2004 10:17

Dissent!, a network of resistance against the G8, held a gathering at the 1 in 12 Club in Bradford, on the 3rd and 4th of July 2004.

'Dissent! A Network of Resistance Against the G8' was formed at the end of November 2003. Local groups and working groups are now forming to build a response to the G8 which it is hoped will exist well beyond the summer of 2005. Work has already started on producing publicity and information materials and putting together roadshows to mobilise people for action. Networking with social movements in Europe and further afield has begun, and across the UK solidarity actions were taken with those resisting the 2004 G8 Summit in the US.

The 'Dissent!' network is committed to taking a confrontational stance, calling for direct action. It is a Network without leaders or an official membership list. It is open to anyone who agrees to work under the hallmarks laid down by Peoples' Global Action (PGA) - to read them, click "read more".

See Dissent! website: www.dissent.org.uk Read more | 2 comments >>

Leeds Says No To War on Iraq: Round-Up

30-06-2003 23:00

The anger against the US-UK war on Iraq, which millions saw clearly as a war for oil and US empire, produced the monster international protests on February 15^th when up to 2 million people in Britain alone took to the streets of London. Over 40 coaches went from Leeds. Although a strong anti-war movement had already emerged, February 15^th inspired the biggest demonstrations that Leeds had seen for decades. Read more >>

Leeds Bradford Social Struggles Feature Archive >>

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