Nottinghamshire Feature Archive

This week Europe’s largest Biofuels event took place in Nottinghamshire amid growing concerns about severe impacts on climate, biodiversity and food production. The exhibition, featuring over a hundred trade stands, ran alongside a conference which opened on Wednesday with a key note speech from BP Biofuels’ Europe & Africa Director Oliver Mace, but was quickly thrown into chaos when a number of people dressed in suits marched onto the stage and pied the BP’s CEO for the ‘dangerous and dishonest’ greenwash and protest at the catastrophic effects of replacing climate-stabilising ecosystems with arable crops for biofuel feedstocks.

Throughout the afternoon, people held a very visible protest outside the conference which was held at the Newark Showground, north of Nottingham. To coincide with the national Biofuels Conference, protestors from No Agrofuels UK blockaded the D1 oils refinery and offices in Middlesbrough to raise awareness of the detrimental impact of agrofuels. 18 Protestors chained the 3 gates to the refinery shut and 2 protestors were D-locked to the main gates. No vehicles were able to enter or leave the site and all work appeared to have been stopped. Several banners were tied over the gates including "No Agrofuels, Land 4 People, Food, Biodiversity" and "Climate Change Profiteers".

Listen to audio: Biofuelwatch Talk | Activists crash biofuel party | Interview with Richard Price: Conference Organiser

On the newswire: Activists crash biofuel party 2 [afternoon] | Activists crash biofuel party 1 [morning] | Photos from Bio-Diesel Expo banner demo | Banner Protest outside Biodiesel Expo in Newark | Blockade of D1 Oils - anti-agrofuel demo | BP Executive pied as Europe's largest Biofuels Event disrupted | Biofuelwatch talk at the Sumac Centre, Nottingham

Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, was scheduled to speak at Kimberley Parish Hall on Tuesday 16th Oct. The hall was surrounded by anti-fascists from well before the event was scheduled to take place. The anti-fascists massively outnumbered the police as well as the BNP and their supporters. Anti-fascists were responding to a callout from Nottinghamshire Stop the BNP for a mass demonstration against the planned meeting.

Police numbers were very low though and they did not really have the resources to make arrests. There were 3 arrests though, mainly around the chaos of a particular scuffle or other. All this resulted in was 2 cautions and 1 released uncharged. The evening ended with the anti-fascists agreeing to leave. It was only this gesture that allowed Nick Griffin to leave the building. No more than about 10 people managed to pass through the lines over a period of more than 2 hours.

Reports: tonight in Kimberley | Stopping the BNP in Kimberly

Previous feature articles: BNP wins seat in Broxtowe | Campaign against racism in Lincoln is gaining ground | Founder of British fascist gang stabbed to death | BNP Action in Loughborough

From the newswire: Stop the Nazi BNP in Nottinghamshire! | BNP Standing in Notts. Griffin Speaking | Anti-BNP demo in Beeston | BNP councillor's neighbour | Sadie Graham shoots straight | BNP morons hold 'national demo' | Griffin in court

Over 300 people came together in Nottingham today to voice their opposition against the city's gun crime and gang culture problems. The families of victims of violent crimes, such as the killing of Nathan Williams in the Meadows last year (read article) came together to call for 'Peace And Unity' and to put an 'End To The Killings'. A march started at the Forest Recreation Ground around midday and made its way to the city centre along Mansfield Road. The march was very loud and cheerful and attracted a lot of attention.

On arrival in the centre there was a rally in the Market Square, with talks and speeches by members of families that have been affected by violent crime as well as some of the organisers. Speakers included Paula Platt, who lost her 14 year old daughter Danielle in 2004 as she walked through the St Anns area after the Goose Fair in October 2004. Sarah Wallace, who lost her 20 year old son Daniel over a year ago in a stabbing in Radford, any so many others ..... The list of grieving parents is just too long. Added urgency to the proceeding, since there was yet another shooting in the St Anns area just this last thursday. As the crowds had gathered, silence was observed with thoughts of those, so affected.

Audio: Peace And Unity - a radio piece

Photo: Peace and Unity March : Nottingham 1 Demo | Peace and Unity March : Nottingham 2 Event in Square

Links: Supporting Communities | Azuka Nottz

Notts Indymedia has been going for over 2 years now and has grown into one of the most successful Indymedia collectives in the UK. We have an ever expanding dedicated group of contributors and many readers. The site has become an important resource which informs and inspires ourselves, our friends and others who care about injustice and wanting to create a better place for all. The site is now even listed by the BBC as an alternative local news source... The Demo Project helped us financially with a benefit night (see photos [1] and [2]) which enabled us to pay for priniting costs for leaflets as well as for a couple of us to attend an alternative media conference in Brighton last May (read announcement and listen to audio). We were also able to get ourselves a digital audio device, and have started building up a substantial audio archive.

There are various ideas about where the project should/can go from here. Website redesign, streaming online radioshow, producing (bi)montly printout, it is all possible. So where do we go from here? Are you able to commit some time for media creation? Help out with publicity? Able to donate some money? We are getting together for a meeting on Monday 8th October at 7.30pm at the Sumac Centre, Forest Fields, Nottingham. Everyone is welcome and we'd love to see you there.

Links: Notts Indymedia Documentation | How to get to the Sumac Centre

Protestors oppose the Government sham consultation on nuclear power. Gagged protestors handed out briefings to delegates attending one of the Government’s nuclear power consultation events on Wednesday September 12th, at the Hilton Hotel in Nottingham.

Local representatives from Friends of the Earth demonstrated outside the East Midlands consultation event to highlight the fact that the Government’s consultation on nuclear power is a sham. Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, WWF-UK, CND and the Green Alliance have withdrawn from the Government's public consultation on nuclear power because it is seriously flawed.

On Friday 14th September, an Indymedia activist from Oaxaca, Mexico came to the Sumac Centre to speak of the ongoing struggle in Oaxaca against the unpopular and corrupt governor and the repression that followed an annual teachers strike. Since the strike, the resistance in Oaxaca has turned into the largest popular rebellion in over a decade. The hundreds of illegal detentions, disappearances and injuries, and at least eighteen documented deaths mark an unignorable part of modern Mexican and world history. Around 40 people attended the talk which lasted about 2 hours and consisted of short films with talk in between. Please see the report and listen to the audio.

Report: An Evening With M - Oaxaca Talk At The Sumac

Audio: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Links: Oaxaca tour feature article (UK Indymedia) | Oaxaca Topic Page (UK Indymedia) | Indymedia Oaxaca

Previous talks at the Sumac Centre: Argentinian film makers screen Indymedia film | Indigenous Woman from Ontario, Canada voice their struggle in defend of land

V3 Power build small wind turbines and run courses teaching people how to make their own turbines. They put a couple up at various events, to inspire folks to get involved with such alternatives. The turbines they build are 'axial flux' turbines with a 2.4 metre blade in diameter and typically sit on top of a 10 metre guyed mast. They are mostly made from recycled materials

By running courses where people can learn how to build, install and maintain their own turbine they offer people and communities the chance to release themselves from reliance on the national grid while making a real difference to the climate change problem. So, get involved.

Pictures: Wind Turbine Workshop [ 1 ] | [ 2 ] |
Wind Turbines: Practical uses in Nottingham Area [ 1 ] | [ 2 ] | [ 3 ] |
Spring into Action :: Build your own wind turbine workshop | Sounds on the Downs - Wind Turbine Set-up

Links: V3 Power | Hugh Piggott - Scoraig Wind | Construction of Permanent magnet generator' (PMG). [pdf] | Wind rotor blade construction [pdf] | Small Wind Systems for Battery Charging [pdf] | Fieldlines: Wind 'Expert'discussion board [lodsa help here] | British Wind Energy Association | Wind power - Wikipedia | Centre for Alternative Technology | Engineers Without Borders [International NGO for engineering students] |

Slide Show Videos:V3 Wind Turbines + others [2:20mins mpg 6.2Mb] | Green's Windmill, Sneinton [3:02mins mpg 10.1Mb]

Campaigners representing “Planning Disaster” [1], a coalition of Britain's leading environment organisations, today drew up a spoof planning notice for a new nuclear power station to be developed on the current site of Nottingham Forest Football Club. The action was to highlight the Government’s proposed changes to the planning system.

The current planning system allows people to be part of the decision making process. They can have their say on proposals for major developments such as new roads or nuclear power stations. But reforms proposed in the Government's White Paper on planning will remove the public's democratic right to challenge projects at public inquiry. Planning decisions will also be taken out of the hands of accountable politicians and handed over to an unelected, unaccountable new body called the Infrastructure Planning Commission.

Links: Planning Disaster Coalition | Nottingham FOE | Planning for a Sustainable Future: White Paper: website or PDF | House of Commons debate on the issue on 21 May 2007

Undeterred by the very weak and limited injunction BAA has obtained, climate activists are busy making preparations for the Camp For Climate Action. Activists recently met with locals from around Heathrow to find a warm welcome in a community fed up with BAA's lies over an ever expanding airport. BAA have been putting forward their case for an injunction at the High Court in London. The injunction was served to individuals from certain anti-airport groups a couple of weeks ago and aimed at restricting protests happening in and around the airport. Read the reports from court: (1) (2) (3) (4)

And as things currently look, it won't have any effect on the actual camp at all. A spokesperson for the Camp For Climate Action said: 'This injunction is totally irrelevant to us. We won't be intimidated or bullied. The camp is going ahead!'. Meanwhile, in this article, UK Indymedia looks back on an inspiring year packed with climate action goodness...

Links: Camp For Climate Action | Location Of The Camp | British Airport Authority | Plane Stupid | Airportwatch | Climate Camp 2007 topic page | Heathrow Injuction | Heathrow Injuction Map | Heathrow's Injunction - What it means | NETCU Injunctions Page

About 30-40 people gathered at the UK headquarters of Heckler & Koch, the world's second-largest manufacturer of handguns, assault rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers. It was recently found out that their HQ is based on an industrial estate in Lenton, Nottingham so some people decided to pay them a visit...

There were about the same amount of police officers as protesters, in an attempt to keep them off the actual estate where the company is based. There was also the honour of the Forward Intelligence Team (FIT) who travelled all the way from London for the event. The demonstration was called by the Nottingham group of 'Disarm DSEi' which is a grassroots campaign against the UK’s largest arms fair, at which Heckler & Koch will be exhibiting their weapons later this year.

Photos: Protest at Heckler & Koch : Pictures

Audio: Interview with one of the protesters - mp3 3.4M | What are we here for? - short speech - mp3 1.8M

Links: Nottingham Disarm DSEi Group | Demo Annoucement | Press Release (PDF) | Heckler and Koch Q and A (PDF) | Wikipedia on Heckler & Koch

The Sneinton Festival took part for the 13th year running last week. The theme of this year's festival was Earth, Wind and Fire, with a focus on green energy. Schools and youth groups from around Sneinton have been working hard to make fantastic costumes for this year’s parade. Many feel this year's festival was one of the best one yet, creating a sense of pride within the community and involving local children increasing their self esteem, skills and confidence in art. The Caves had been opened up on Wednesday, while on Thursday the International Food Tasting Evening gathered hundreds in the Hermitage Community Centre. On Saturday a big parade took off from Sneinton Windmill, along the Dale and down the Boulevard onto the Hermitage Square. On the square performances took place all afternoon, with workshops and stalls. One stall showed people how to build their own wind turbines while elsewhere folk were informed about why they should make their way over to this year's climate camp.

On the newswire: Sneinton Festival: Some More Photos | Sneinton Community Festival: 2 Hermitage Square Festival | Sneinton Community Festival: 1 Parade | International Food Evening: Sneinton Community Festival | Sneinton Festival - Opening Of The Sneinton Caves | The Sneinton Festival Rolls On

Links: TRACS Neighbourhood Centre | Wikipedia on Sneinton | Sneinton related articles on Indymedia | sneinton.com

Students from Nottingham have been involved in the Strident (Students Against Trident) blockade of the Faslane nuclear weapons base over the weekend.

On Fri 29th June, at 6:30am, 6 students from Nottingham and Bradford Universities arrived at the North entrance, superglue-ing their hands together to blockade the main entrance at shift change (Report and pics). They were all removed after around 40 minutes and arrested for Beach of the Peace. At the same time, 3 more students from Nottingham were arrested after blocking the South entrance using a concrete blockade. On Sat 30th, six Nottingham students were arrested following blockades at the North and South entrances of the base (Report).

Photos: Students Against Trident blockade North and South gates at Faslane nuclear base

Reports: Nottingham Students Get Strident | More Nottingham students arrested at Faslane | All Notts Students released

Previous local involvement in anti-Trident actions: Nottingham folk successfully blockade nuclear submarine base in Scotland | Protestors take action at Derby nuclear plant

Links: Faslane 365 | Faslane 365 Students | Faslane Peace Camp | Trident Ploughshares

Over three weeks ago, the government's chief scientist warned that for the UK, flash floods were likely to be the biggest immediate problem caused by global warming. David King told a committee of MPs that the country would have to prepare for extreme weather such as heatwaves and "torrential downpours". Two weeks later, large areas are counting the cost of the worst flooding this country has seen for over 50 years. The floods have left seven people dead and over 40,000 homes damaged. The army was mobilised to help with emergency efforts as two more rivers broke their banks and water continued to rise. Experts agree that the severe storms and flooding will become more frequent as temperatures rise.

Photos: Did Climate Change Cause Floods around Nottinghamshire? Pictures 1 | Pictures 2 | 25th June 2007: Sheffield Floods

Other Articles: Wet and wild, a taste of things to come | Floods hit York | Climate Chaos - read (and weep) all about it | Sheffield: 'Cut the Carbon' Cyclecade | A new weather Front

Links: Sheffield Indymedia | Notts Indymedia | Climate Indymedia | UK Indymedia Climate Chaos page | June 2007 United Kingdom floods on Wikipedia | Notts Indymedia Weather Page | Slideshow of Floods in Nottingham in 2000 | Climate change and flood (Environment Agency) | Cool Kids For a Cool Climate

Two women representatives from the Six Nations on the Grand River community in Ontario, Canada toured England, Ireland and Scotland at the end of June to give talks about taking back a piece of stolen Indigenous land from development and struggling for Indigenous Sovereignty. One of the woman was a representative from the site of an ongoing (since February 2006) land reclamation and the other an Oneida Nation Clan mother- a representative from the traditional government. They spoke about the experience of reclaiming and defending a piece of land from development. Their action has been incredibly successful, having prevented the development and protected the land from an armed police incursion. The talk was very moving and incredibly inspiring.

Report with photos: Women representatives of Six Nations Territory Canada give Nottingham Sumac Talk

Audio of Event: part 1 | part 2 | part 3

On the afternoon of Saturday 16th June, climate campaigners glued themselves to the doors of the short-haul East Midlands airport to draw attention to the environmental impacts of flying as part of a European day of action on short-haul flights called by pressure group Airport Watch.

Two men from climate action group, Plane Stupid, have caused disruption by supergluing themselves to the passenger entrances to the airport. Supporters are there handing out leaflets to airport customers encouraging them not to fly next time, and a banner carried by helium-filled balloons was also released in the departure lounge bearing the slogan ‘Let’s fry’.

Photos: Climate activists glued to doors at East Midlands Airport: 1 | 2

Slide Show Video: Hi Band | Lo Band

Links: Plane Stupid | Airport Watch | East Side Climate Action | Climate Camp | Green Economics- Climate and aviation campaign | BBC NEWS UK Politics Living under a sky of sound | Open Skies | Hacan ClearSkies | Climate activist 'super-glued to door' of lastminute.com | The year of Aviation | Nottingham Plane Stupid group formed | Nottingham East Midlands Airport - Watch this Airspace! | Protesters occupy runway at East Midlands Airport | Protestors shut down Nottingham East Midlands airport: Earth First Action report

From June 6th to 8th the "representatives" of eight of the most powerful states from the global north are planning to meet in Heiligendamm near Rostock in Germany. Without any legitimacy to decide about global politics they will coordinate their decisions and therefore stand for the continuation of the state the world which for the majority means hunger, misery, war, and exclusion. Despite police repression and political propaganda, the summit will face one of the biggest mobilisations ever to shut down the G8.

People from Nottingham report:
Nottingham folk report from G8 in Germany #1
Nottingham folk report from G8 in Germany #2
Nottingham folk report from G8 in Germany #3

Recent news: Reports of over 10,000 people involved in blockades of the summit yesterday. Pics 1, 2, 3, 4

Indymedia: IMC Timeline of Events (eng) | Indymedia Germany in English | UK Indymedia feature

Links: Dissent! (Germany, in English) | Dissent! (UK) | G8-TV | Anti-G8 Action Faction

No Borders Nottingham held up its end of a National Day of Action for Refugees with a stall in the Market Square accompanied by the No Borders banner, today sharing the Square with the Farmers’ Market and a City Council awareness day for Fostering of children. For No Borders, it was a good opportunity to have conversations with passersby about the dire situation facing asylum seekers living in Nottingham and Notts, many who have been made destitute because of Home Office decisions to withdraw housing and money for food, or that their countries are safe to return to in spite of their experiences of torture and severe repression, or other fears of returning such as deaths of members of their family and friends.

Leaflets were handed out answering questions people might have about asylum seekrs, and showing what groups like No Borders, Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum (including Campaign and Food groups), Refugee Action and others are doing to improve this situation in spite of the difficulties. However, in what is no doubt becoming a tiresome story for some on Notts Indymedia, little more than 10 minutes after setting up stall we were approached to ‘move on’ by Community Protection Officers (numbered NW9963 and NW9944).

Upcoming: Nottingham Refugee Week 2007 - 16th–24th June

Links: No Borders Nottingham

Photo report: Nottingham demo against deportations to Congo |No Borders Nottingham 'National Day of Action on Asylum Rights'

On the newswire: Nottingham Refugee Week 2007 - 16th–24th June | National Weekend of Action For Refugees / 11 events - 19th May 2007 | Situation in the Congo is worsening as deportations continue | Demonstration against Congo deportations 12.04.07 | Our Square Isn't it? | Reclaim the Square! - Summer picnic

On 16-17th May a 'Nano Expo' took place at the East Midlands Conference Centre, University of Nottingham. Nanotechnology is hailed as the new technological fix for the world's problems by certain scientists, but there are serious issues with the technology itself and the way it is being developed.

The Nano Expo site says that the event is: "Designed to bring together key industrialists and researchers in the field of micro- and nanotechnology. Leading international speakers will contribute to parallel sessions targeted at both commercial and scientific audiences." There are some of us who are less excited about this new technology and think that such conferences should be protested.

Links Nano expo website | Institute of Nano Technology | Wikipedia on Nano Technology

Articles: Nanotech: Corporations make money, government ducks issue, public takes the risk | NANOTECHNOLOGY: What it is and how corporations are using it | Time to make your voice heard on nanotech regulation | Protest at Nano-tech conference, Oxford | Nanoparticle based spray recalled after 80 made ill | After GM Food – here comes Nano Food! | Nano Hazard Competition samples | Nano-Justice and Food Sovereignty | Resistance to Nanotechnology in France | products using Nanotechnology

On the 14th May, 4 activists, based at the ASBO Community Centre in Nottingham got on their bikes and set off for an epic journey to mainland Europe. The project 'Pedal Powered Clowns to Palestine' brings together performance, clowning, action and pedal power to raise awareness of the situation in Palestine as well as entertaining and supporting the Palestinian Community through play. In the last few months the group raised money through benefit events in Nottingham to fund their trip. The first leg of the journey will be by train to Hull and then onto the ferry to Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Once in Europe a few dates have been planned to work with other groups and visit some social centres. From then on the route will lead North into Germany to the G8 summit in early June. The idea is to join the G8 protests and add a creative element to the planned actions. At the end of June the group will set course for Palestine.

Audio: Indepth Interview with the Pedal Powered Clowns

Photo: Pedal Powered Activists from Nottingham set off for Palestine | Mayday Events at the ASBO Centre 1, Nottingham Day Events | Mayday Events at the ASBO Centre 2, Nottingham Night Events

Video: Short video taken by phone of the departure - video/quicktime 10M

Other articles: maydaymayday - have clowns will travel | mayday meltdown | ppc + scroat cinema presents.....

Links: Pedal Powered Clowns website | This Week In Palestine (audio) | UK Indymedia Palestine page

It has come to light that in the early hours of Thursday 10th May a convoy carrying nuclear warheads secretly passed through the Stapleford and Chilwell area of Nottingham. The vehicles were spotted driving into the Chetwynd Barracks in Chilwell at 6.30am for a rest stop. Heading for the Royal Naval Armament Depot (RNAD) in Coulport, Scotland, the convoy was spotted along the M1 and also the next day as it continued its route along the east coast and along the Edinburgh Bypass. According to a spokesperson for Nukewatch UK, who keep an eye on nuclear convoys around the UK, the route hasn't been used since the early 90's. She also mentioned that no convoys have been spotted entering the Chetwynd Barracks and it might be an indication of the convoys starting to use the Chetwynd Barracks for rest stops.

The convoy passed through dense populated areas in Stapleford and Chilwell before and after its rest stop at the army base on Chetwynd Road, Chilwell. According to campaigners each lorry weighs approx 44 tonnes and can carry up to 2 ready assembled nuclear warheads, which can contain up to 8 kg of plutonium and uranium each. Each of the modern warheads has the capacity of creating 8 times the impact of that of the bombs used in the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by America in 1945. The convoy was spotted leaving Burfield Atomic Weapons Establishment, 50 miles North of London around 12.30am on Thursday morning. At Burfield AWE the warheads and explosives get assembled into working nuclear weapons. There were people stationed along the route from Stirling to Coulport attempting to resist the convoy. Read report.

Links: Map of location Chetwynd Barracks | Nukewatch UK | Nottingham CND |Nuclear Warhead Convoy Routes | Video: UK nuclear warhead's on the move, November 2006 | Nuclear Warhead Convoy on the road today (report from Edinburgh)