Protest against secret Nato summit on Afghanistan
About thirty committed activists protested against the NATO meeting at the Craigiehall Army Barracks near South Queensferry in Edinburgh. The demonstrators blocked the main road to the meeting, which is attended by defence ministers from eight NATO countries, and other senior political and military officials who discuss the current situation in Afghanistan.
Protest:
[ report of early morning actions | report and pics | leaflets in NATO hotel | Indymedia Scotland feature | details of protest | announcing article ]
Background links:
[ The Senlis Council | RAWA on US worsening human rights situation | Taliban control more than half of Afghanistan: IMC Germany | Womankind: Taking Stock | Canadian Peace Alliance | Imc Germany: There is no end to Afghanistan | Le Monde Diplomatique french/german/english | icasualties | Why are we in Afghanistan? | Just Foreign Policy]
Full Story | 6 additions | 6 comments >>
Faslane Blockaded - All Gates Closed Down
Faslane, a Royal Navy submarine base on the Clyde, is the largest and deadliest military base in Scotland and home port for all four British Trident nuclear armed submarines. Nuclear weapons are the ultimate expression of militarism - only about 60 miles (90 km) away from Gleneagles.
Among those blockading Faslane is a broad spectrum of protestors, from Parliamentarians and Church leaders to anti-capitalists involved with the Dissent! network.
Updates :
12.55pm : All gates remain blockaded - people in high spirits. Clowns army has a presence there as well as many other groups. 10.30am : All gates remain blockaded
09.30am : Faslane is fully blocked - all entrance gates are blockaded with people locking-on. Numbers estimated at up to 2000. One person scaled the perimiter fence gaining entry to the base, and has been arrested.
09.00am : See Early report
[ Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 ] [ Video ]
See full time line
[Faslane G8 Blockade | Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament | Trident Ploughshares | Antimilitarism and the G8 Feature</8> | full time line | Maps: area, base]
Gleneagles Confirmed as G8 2005 Venue
Following months of speculation over the location of the 2005 G8 Summit in the UK, and reports that all police leave in Edinburgh and Scotland will be cancelled next summer, the Gleneagles hotel [official website] in Perthshire, Scotland has finaly been confirmed as the venue (G8 dates: 6th-8th July 2005).
The last time the G8 met in the UK was in Birmingham in May 1998. Then up to 70,000 people encircled the centre of Birmingham, forming a human chain and demanding an end to third world debt [pics]. On the same day up to 7,000 people took control of the centre of Birmingham for the second Global Reclaim the Streets Party [pics 1 | 2 | 3][video] - with actions and protests happening against the G8 in around 40 cities across the world, with over 400 social movements taking co-ordinated action under the banner of Peoples' Global Action (PGA).
Six years and many huge mobilisations later, people in the UK have been organising around the G8 for several months. A growing new network of local groups has been created called the Dissent! Network, with nodes across the country. Dissent! is planning a series of awareness raising events through the year and has been calling for both local and international participation. Many people and groups are now focussing on planning protests and direct action campaigns against the G8.
Recently many NGO organisations are also co-ordinating on a level unseen since the Jubliee 2000 drop the debt campaigns, and are set to try and take advantage of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's aim to pitch the UK presidency of the G8 as a positive step towards reducing third world debt and around issues of development and trade [see guardian article] - 2005 is also the 20th anniversary of the Live Aid concert. Several groups are expected to use the European Social Forum in London in October later this year as a platform from which to launch campaigns. Recently several Trade Union leaders, politicians and Globalise Resistance have also issued their first call for protests.
See also:
Recent UK Savannah G8 Solidarity Actions
The People's Golfing Association (PGA) [statement][pics]
"Anarchist Group's Gleneagles Website Exclusive!"*
Corporate Media Coverage of Gleneagles G8
For more on G8 - see the Indymedia G8 Reports Section
Blockade of BAE Systems in Edinburgh
BAE systems at Crewe Toll, Edinburgh is being blockaded by members and visitors of Faslane Peace Camp. All gates have been blockaded since before 7am this morning by about a dozen people. There are banners and leafleting outside BAE systems, reminding workers and passers-by of their awful humanitarian record in arms selling.
Protesters Stop Nuclear Weapons Convoy
May 9 2004: Anti-Trident protesters twice stopped a nuclear weapons convoy in Stirling and Balloch. 6 People were arrested. The protesters were from Trident Ploughshares, Stirling CND and Faslane Peace Camp.
Again a Nuke transport has been halted on the Scottish roads. The MoD regularly organises convoys to take Trident warheads to and from the Burghfield assembly plant to the Coulport store to be checked and maintained. Each warhead is believed to have the destructive power of 8 times the bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima.
A network of ordinary people called across the UK watch Nuke transports closely.[press release from Trident Ploughshares]
Nuclear sub out of control
A British nuclear-powered Trident submarine is out on patrol, submerged, ready, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to fire sixteen nuclear-armed missiles. Each of these 7,400 km-range missiles has three warheads. Now one of the Hunter Killer subs has run aground and the crew is under revolt unconvinced by the safety.
Lies, hypocracy and new labour in Lanarkshire
Two years ago Union Jack McConnell used the people of Greengairs to promote his newly found commitment to ‘environmental justice’. Two years on and his commitment looks as laughable now as it was unlikely then. Responding to the political pressure from the election of seven Green MSPs, New Labour in Scotland cynically exploited the community of Greengairs and surrounding villages by latching on to the latest environmental crusade. Now, as the Scottish Executive announce the latest approval for further dumping in what is already Europe’s largest landfill, McConnell’s political manipulation of this issue looks mean-minded and pathetic.
Scotland says No to Bush's War
Thousands took to the streets in Edinburgh and Glasgow yesterday, 19th November, to oppose the occupation of Iraq and Bush’s visit to the UK. Striking school students defied threats from headteachers and Education Authorities to walk out of class and head the demonstrations.
The Edinburgh and Glasgow daytime demos involved sit-downs and attempts to blockade traffic. In Edinburgh school students burnt an effigy of Bush in front of the US Consulate. The crowd chanted “Burn, Bush, Burn!” as a bonfire was lit on the road.
Demonstrators marched again in both cities in the evening. Protestors from round Scotland swelled the Edinburgh march to around 5,000. Marchers dismantled police barricades near the US Consulate but the police blocked the route to the Consulate building.
More on demos:
[Demo photos | Edinburgh evening demo report | More on Edinburgh evening demo]
Screening of film about Edinburgh Youth against the War activities
Sat 8th November 2003 Edinburgh Filmhouse“OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER”
A film about the youth anti war movement in Edinburgh 2003 made by Edinburgh Youth Against War with Pilton Video.
Unusually Large Movements of US Warplanes Overhead in Scotland.
Since Saturday, the 1st of November, people in the Highlands of Scotland have been witnessing large movements of US warplanes overhead. [1,2,3].
Experienced observers say the large numbers are reminiscent of those that preceded the bombing of Iraq in 1998 and military strikes on Libya in the 1980s as well as the first Gulf War.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or NATO,held a summit in Edinburgh, Scotland, the 6-7th of November. Spontaneous protests took place in small numbers. Increased security is in the area.
Read more here.
To get more impression of events in Scotland, please view the scotland events calendar and participate.
Protests at WMD convoy through Scotland
On Monday and Thursday a group of Citizens’ Weapons Inspectors harried a British nuclear weapon convoy as it passed through Central Scotland on its way to the Trident base at Coulport on Loch Long. It was forced into a lay-by on its return due to the breakdown of a nuclear warhead carrier. End the Occupation Demo 27th Sept
Between 10 and 100 thousand people (eleven ?) from all over Britain marched against the occupation of Iraq in London yesterday.
Pictures and comments: [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ]
Pictures, story and comments: [ 1 ]
Women contingent: [report and pics]
Video: [1 long clip, 1 short clip, 1 quicktime virtual tour of crowd]
Debate about coverage of demo on IMC: [ 1 ]
Simultaneously, in Edinburgh a banner drop and a rally took place, whilst it was streaming down with rain.
Legal Update: DSEi, Anti-War protests and others...
Legal Update 16th September here.
Samba player in deep trouble after having been badly beaten by police and spending two days at Charing Cross police station; Witness appeal.
Liberty are asking for reports from people who were stopped and searched, ASAP. An email list has been set up for people who were arrested / beaten etc..
Since the 1st of September, 144 people have been arrested in protests against the Defence Systems and Equipment international arms fair (DSEi) that has been taking place in East London. Policing tactics have been condemned by a wide range of people and Liberty is have won the right to seek a High Court injunction over use of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000; they have also offered to provide legal representation for anyone stopped or detained under this legislation. Bindmans Lawyers have also requested information or witnesses from DSEi.
- Legal resources:
- Activists' Legal Project
- Legal Defence & Monitoring Group
- free B.E.A.G.L.E.S. legal resource centre
- Urban75 legal page
Numerous requests for witnesses have been made on the UK indymedia newswire [1 2 3 4 5 6]. There have also been several videos posted showing police violence against demonstrators which may provide evidence [ 1 2 - more can be found on the full reports from the 9th, 10th and 11th September].
Meanwhile, Anti-War demonstrators are still being threatened with - and receiving - harsh sentences. Protestors from Fairford come to trial next week while some are still fighting to get the charges reduced before they come to trial (Background to the case). Yet others are still looking for witnesses and some, like Ulla Roder (who was arrested for damaging a Tornado war-plane), have had their trials delayed numerous times.
Further afield, Simon Chapman and the Thessalonikki 7 remain imprisoned in Greece (solidarity website). Simon's first appeal has failed (against the charges) and he is currently awaiting the results of a second appeal. Key evidence such as the video have been re-submitted. In the United States, webmaster of raisethefist.com Sherman Austin has been imprisoned for 1 year; he has since been subject to death threats and is being kept in solitary on the grounds of safety as a reason.
Aircraft Saboteur Bailed - Coulport Base Blockaded
Ulla Roder [1,2,audio] who last March disarmed a Tornado jet, has been released on unconditonal bail. She appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court near Edinburgh for a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday 12th August where a new date was set for her trial (22nd September), with another new pre-trial hearing on the 9th September (coincidently coinciding with the DSEi protests).
In related news charges have finally been dropped against four activists who on 20th February blocked the runway of RAF Brize Norton in an attempt to disrupt preparations for war.
Meanwhile, Coulport military base in Scotland has been blockaded several times, and an International Disarment Camp has been set up - actions continue with several swimmers breaching top-security areas: News Updates: 6/8/03, 9/8/03, 11/8/03, 12/8/03 (arrest total now at 34), 15/8/03 with videos and personal report. The camp is set to run until 15th August. Following on from this Reclaim The Bases will hold their summer camp at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston, from 22nd to 25th of August.
There has also been action taking place for Hiroshima day (August 6), with events in Sheffield and Faslane.
Links: Free Ulla Campaign | Trident Ploughshares | Faslane Peace Camp| Background to Hiroshima Day 2003 | Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarment
Trident Ploughshare activities
Here is a summary about current Trident Ploughshares activities.
2003: The summer of Resistance Camping
The summer of Resistance Camping is still ongoing. Starting of with the convergence of protesters against the G8 in Evian, tents and food kitchen have moved on to the noborder camps and various other activist gatherings in the sun, organised around particular pressing issues, such as computing (also see WSIS [1,2]), antinuke or ecology. Documentary Film: Jeremy Hardy vs. Israeli Army on tour in Scotland
'Comedians often get stuck looking for new material, but only Jeremy would get himself shot at ... well done.' Mark SteelJeremy Hardy v. The Israeli Army is a feature documentary about the International Solidarity Movement in Palestine as experienced through the eyes of British comedian Jeremy Hardy.
Leila Sansour, the filmmaker with a degree in philosophy, grew up in Bethlehem in the Occupied West Bank and will present the film in Glasgow on Sunday and Monday, the 28th at the Glasgow Film Theatre and in Edinburgh from Monday to Thursday in the Edinburgh Filmhouse.
Each screening will be followed by a question and answer session with the filmmaker.
Solidarity action with anti-war protester in Edinburgh
An anti-war protester called Simon is charged with incitement of racial hatred for carrying an upside-down modified American flag with 'Fuck Bush' written on it, and a swastika painted on, at an anti-war demonstration in Edinburgh at the 22nd of march this year. More background info: [prisoner report, pics, audio , spontaneous demo at police station, ], all 22nd of march.
On Thursday July,17th 2003, a more or less spontaneous solidarity action called by the comedian Mark Thomas and supported by Members of Scottish Parliament Mark Ballard and Colin Fox, took place in front of the St.Leonards police station, Edinburgh, with about 60 protesters ready to hand themselves in for displaying postcards with a similar design in public. pics [1, 2 ]
Solway's Silver Bullet
The Gulf War started a long time before we saw it on outr t.v.'s. Depleted Uranium contamination shows the contempt the British State has for the people of Scotland - and the time for opposition is now.
"Unborn children of the region are being asked to pay the highest price, the integrity of their DNA."
Ross B. Mirkarimi1
A new kind of nuclear war is being waged. It's already being fought in Scotland and the combatants are you and me. Our attackers are the Ministry of Defence, a force which has already poisoned its own soldiers and threatened the health of the civilian populations of the former Yugoslavia, Kuwait and Iraq.
Peace activist on trial.
On the 10th of march 2003, Danish peace activist and grandmother, Ulla Roder, was arrested for damaging a Tornado war-plane at RAF leuchers in Fife so it couldn't be used in an attack on Iraq.Other Tornados from Leuchers were involved in the bombing of Iraq using cluster bombs and radioactive Depleted Uranium.
Ulla is currently on remand in Cornton Vale Prison, and her trial will start soon.
More information under these links:
Free Ulla Campaign
Trident Ploughshares
Scottish CND
Pict Defence Force: There Is No Scotland - Only Aberforth!
The Latest News From Occupied Scotland1. Text of interview with Pict Defence Force spokesperson:
May 9th, 2003 (19 Pitn, 2542 in old money)
(Pict Defence Force spokesperson, flanked by members of its political wing, emphasises a point at an interview given to various press agencies at a secure location in Aberforth ("Edinburgh") on May 9th, 2003, corresponding to 19 Pitn, 2542
[ read more.. | picture ]
Nuclear Warheads Transport In UK
A nuclear transport is heading from a factory in Reading for a nuclear bomb store at Coulport - north of Glasgow, and expected to arrive on Monday 12th afternoon. Each of the 3 lorries in the convoy is thought to be carrying two nuclear warheads which, each of them, have a destructive capacity eight times the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.Civilian weapons inspectors from Scottish CND, Trident Ploughshares and Faslane Peace Camp will be monitoring the convoy as part of the UK Nukewatch network. The civilian weapons inspectors will attempt to stop the convoy for a close-up inspection.
[ Full report ]
Scottish human right observer under arrest and to be deported from Gaza!
Nick from Scotland, and his friend Alice, are currently held by Security Forces in Israel.They were arrested at 8:30 PM on Thursday evening, May 8, 2003.
Their phones were temporarily confiscated, giving them no means of contacting friends, activists, or lawyers.
However, the activists called the British Embassy to inform them of the detention.
No formal charges have been brought against them, but they were told to be under arrest, although there are no grounds for legal action against them.
Nick and Alice are being held as part of the overall execution of a plan to remove Internationals from the West Bank and Gaza.
Another condition to enter Gaza is to fill in a form, which absolves Israel of all responsibility in the case an International is injured or killed and in addition forces the Internationals to waive all basic rights.
[ report on Friday | update on Saturday | update on Sunday ]
For further info:
Palestine Solidarity
Faslane Trident Nuclear Submarine Base Blocked by Peace Protesters
see the timeline from the day and main IMC feature.
Indymedia / Camcorder Guerrillas have done a 4½ minute film for the IMC Newsreel
[report | another report | pics | more pics | even more pics | report in german]
Faslane Anti-Nuke/War Blockade
Faslane Nuclear Submarine Base in Scotland was blockaded by campaigners of all ages and from many countries for almost ten hours on Tuesday 22nd April. Starting before 7am the annual big blockade saw over 600 people taking part in the acion, many locking themselves together using chains and plastic tubing as they blocked the access gates of the base. There were over 170 arrests, including seven people arrested during breaches of the base.
Banners were hung on the fences and giant puppets danced in the street to the sounds of a samba band as three different waves of activists arrived at the base. One campaigner said: "This has been a great action with so many people with such a diversity of age, nationality and background willing to put themselves on the line to disrupt these horrifying weapons of mass destruction."
See Full Timeline of events
Faslane Film from day
Collection of 69 pics
Six different sets of pics
More pictures in big file size.
Report / Irish report and pics 2 and 3
Report in german
IMC public access point at Peace Camp (pics)
Peace Protesters still active!
In Scotland anti war actions are still taking place nearly every day, despite the police tactics getting more and more restrictive for the protesters. On Thursday 3rd of april the autonomous demonstration suceeded in blocking an Esso garage for about an hour, following on from the demonstration a week earlier on the 27th of april.On Friday the school students suceeded in blocking the traffic with a sit-in before marching of in a cordon of police to the American embassy. Friday saw also a mass mave-in of posters and postcards as a solidarity action for a protester, who was arrested alongside with others on the anti-war demo the 22nd of march for his design of the American flag.
An anti-war exhibition by local artists also opened on Friday, to be seen untill the 13th of april, in the Roxy Art House.
On Saturday, activists went to protest in front of the BP headquaters in Grangemeouth, Fife.
Peace Vigils were also held on Monday, 7th of april in front of the US consulate. The next women's vigil will take place on Saturday, 12th of april Night outside City Chambers on Royal Mile from 9-10pm.
More actions are also to take place on Wednesday,9th of april, when Glasgow activists have announced a demonstration, starting off at Kelvinbridge Underground at 5pm to march to BBC studios, Queen Margaret Drive.
On Saturday, 12th of april, another mass demonstration will take place in Glasgow and in London, following on from the one on the 29th of march.
Stop the War- Stop the City!
Direct actions and peace demonstrations took place again today. In Edinburgh, lots of speeches and a die-in in front of the Scottish Parliament started the anti-war protest, before school students speeded the demonstration off to Princess Street to block the traffic several times with sit-ins before marching to the US consulate followed by another row of speeches.
Then back to Princes Street with more Sit-Ins and Die-Ins to Charlotte Square.
Police until then has been astonishing relaxed, but become violent, aggressive and provoking when plain-cloth policemen brutally tried to arrest a protester for no apparent reason which kicked off the bystanders to intervene, resulting in more arrests and detention.
Whereas the speakers of the rally tried to support police tactics by asking demonstrators repeatedly not to bother, the police had to let the detained people go due to crowd pressure.
The crowd finally walked off to have a solidarity picket in front of St.Leonards police station, St.Leonard Street.
The demonstration broke through police-lines, when police tried to block their way.
The solidarity picket is still continuing after 10 pm on Saturday night.
In Glasgow there was a big demonstration, and protesters were boxed in for over one and a half hours by police.
Hoosie, from Faslane Peace Camp has been beaten up by police and is now hospitalised with bruised kidney and bruised liver.
He was arrested on Thursday at an action for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
More direct actions against the war reported
The British army building in Glasgow has been attacked by protesters on Sunday night. Resistance is also awakening in Galloway, where depleted uranium is tested. From Dundee, first independent reports and pictures come in about anti-war actions during the last week. In Dumfries pupils went out of school to demonstrate, too. For Edinburgh a big demonstration has been called for next Saturday, as well as for a critical mass on Friday evening and anti-war actions on Thursday midday.
No War!
As we are still waiting for incoming anti-war reports, there has been a pro-peace confetti action in Edinburgh.Anti-war confetti- action in the Scottish Parliament
