Skip Navigation | HOME | UK Indymedia | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

manchester Indymedia

Activists occupy Australian consular offices over logging

Robin of Sherwood | 14.07.2004 11:34 | Ecology

Activists have occupied the Australian Consular Offices in Manchester, England in a protest against old growth logging in Australia

Outside St Peters House, Manchester 1
Outside St Peters House, Manchester 1

Outside St Peters House, Manchester 2
Outside St Peters House, Manchester 2

Outside St Peters House, Manchester 3
Outside St Peters House, Manchester 3


After seeing the destruction caused by logging in areas such as Victoria and Tasmania activists in the UK decided to target the Australian consulate to show that this is an international issue as important as the logging of the Amazon. We aim to carry on this campaign and highlight the fact that Australia's claim to be a land of unspoilt wilderness is really just greenwash.
Australia is home to some amazing areas of “old growth” rainforest, which have remained relatively unaltered by humans for thousands of years. Now, it is being felled at an alarming rate, even in supposedly “protected” areas. And for what? In Tasmania, 90% of native forest felled is converted into woodchips for the Asian paper industry. Thus, priceless ancient forest is trashed and sold for $15 (less than £6) per tonne to make cardboard. This doesn’t even create forestry jobs, contrary to what the profiteering Australian forest fat-cats say.
This must stop. There are huge campaigns against this logging in Australia, involving direct action blockades, tree-sits, marches and rallies, lobbying, and more…we are in solidarity with these campaigns. And will be campaigning in Britain with the same simple demand – LEAVE THE ANCIENT FORESTS ALONE!
For more info on what’s going on in Australia, and for ideas of ways to support the campaigns, check these websites:

www.wilderness.org.au www.geco.org.au
www.tasforests.green.net.au www.ecorevolt.forests.org.au
www.discover-tasmania.com www.futurerescue.org
In solidarity. Robin of Sherwood

Robin of Sherwood
- e-mail: cattracker2004@yahoo.co.uk

Download this article in pdf format >>

Email this article to someone >>

Submit an addition or make a quick comment on this article >>

Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

more info please

15.07.2004 13:37

is this a banner protest or an occupation?
If an occupation how long did you last, how many, any arrests?

humanimal


Yes, it was an occupation....

15.07.2004 21:15

Yes, we did occupy the place (despite there being no consulate staff actually there, consular duties are handled by some building admin staff for 2 hours per day) and contacted the Australian embassy in London. There was also a banner outside and leafletting. For those of you with more than spelling mistakes to worry about, check the websites (on the original post) for info on the Australian forest / woodchips scandal....

Bobby Sox


LOL

16.07.2004 08:05

So let us get this straight. Somebody entered an empty building which is no longer used and this was an occupation ? Sounds like the joke protest outside an empty Spearhead office by the losers at the anti DSEI group.

What is it with you people, when will you learn this sort of empty geesture achieves nothing. I am surprised you had the cheeck to post it up as news.

LOL


so what do you suggest

16.07.2004 09:56

so what would you suggest doing then. the building in question is the consulate its just very small and the actual business done there is farmed out. While a small action ain't gonna stop logging in Oz, surely any action is better than inaction. And presumably those of us who care about issues don't just do "one off actions." This action acheived its aims which was to tell the Australian embassy (who were faxed that there consulate was occupied) that not everyone in the UK is ignorant of the issue.

mike


From Australia

17.07.2004 05:15

Anything that helps inform the public of this and any other abuses of the world can only be a good thing. Well done guys and thanks from Victoria .
Greg.

Greg


What did it achieve

17.07.2004 08:17

What did these people achieve by their occupation?
- well up until reading I knew nothing of this felling in auz - knew nothing of the website - am willing to directly support.
Im only one person, but hey

THERE'S AN ACHIEVEMENT

Beyond cheese butties


Australia at it again

02.08.2004 17:27

Keep at it guys. This sort of action gets published in Australia. Actions are starting up again here even though we are in the middle of snow season. The DSE (department of sustainability and environment) are at it again, logging a State Rainforest Site of Significance with 500 yr old trees being sent to the woodchipper and important ecological sites being trashed under the name of sustainable logging. If anyone is intrested in learning about the struggle here to protect our old growth forests check out our website www.geco.org.au
Thanks for showing your surport guys
Billy

Billy Dainja
mail e-mail: billydainja@yahoo.com.au
- Homepage: http://www.geco.org.au


Great Job!

01.09.2004 23:48

Thanx heaps for doing this . it all makes a difference.Go Hard! I live on the south coast of NSW and every day I go out I see log trucks with old growth and native forest heading to the woodchipmill . the government gets revenue of maybe 20 cents a TONNE for these logs, destined for japan to make paper. we are in the midst of drought , creeks are drying up and people ask why, when their water catchments are being logged to shit

rob
mail e-mail: sage@netspeed.com.au
- Homepage: http://www.chipstop.forests.org.au


Activist struggle for the Tuarts

10.09.2004 08:39

Hi Spikey Mancunians

Please check out the Perth, Australia indymedia site on Tuarts. Mass arrests in Western Australia, Govt propaganda rolling in.

Any chance of a solidarity protest at the Manchester Australian Consulate - burn the kangaroo because that's what they're doing at Ludlow.

Contact the Perth Crew - Al - for more details.

Bardi Grub

bardi
- Homepage: http://savethetuarts.org


Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Manchester Topics

Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Manchester Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Manchester Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Manchester Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Manchester Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Manchester Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Manchester Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Manchester Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Manchester Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

Languages

english

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech