Sussex Village tells Cuadrilla to Frack Off
Join the ongoing resistance at Balcombe
Attempts by Cuadrilla Resources to begin exploratory drilling for gas at Balcombe, West Sussex on a temporary licence that expires in September have met with strong resistance by locals and environmental activists from around the country who have come together for The Great Gas Gala. The start of drilling, for which Caudrilla has a very small window, has been significantly delayed by the action in spite of excessive and repressive policing, a camp has sprung up, support by locals for direct action is reported to be over 80% and the resistance continues. Planned events at the camp include a 'meet the locals' tea party on Sun 4 August, a day of artistic resistance on Sat 10 August and a 'Gas Gala' on Sun 18 August.
On the newswires: Whose streets? Cuadrilla's streets! | No Names, No Frack Drill | Frack Free Somerset in Solidarity with Balcombe blockaders | Ongoing blockade of Fracking Site | Resistance Call-Out for Balcombe | Meanwhile, in Scotland
Other links: Frack Off: Extreme Energy Action Network | Background story to Balcombe Fracking Resistance | The Great Gas Gala | Frack Free Balcombe | Balcombe camp events listing
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SchNEWS 747: Gorle-Blimey!
Over 3,000 anti-nuclear protesters took part in the blockading of a shipment of nuclear waste into north-western Germany this week. After activists and local communities spent four days blocking them at every turn, the toxic containers finally arrived at their Gorleben destination on Tuesday (2nd).
On the Newswire: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
In SchNEWS: 2008 | 2001 | 1998 | 1996 |
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SchNEWS 726: Slick Publicity
In response to America's largest ever environmental disaster, Tony Hayward, CEO of BP, said, “I'd like my life back.” He seemed to have forgotten about the 11 workers who died on BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig when it exploded 40 miles off the Louisiana coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, on 20th April 2010.
Links: ragingpelican.wordpress.com
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SchNEWS: Squaring Up To 'Em
This Saturday (15th) people will be protesting at various places around central London to give the new 'stable, national interest' coalition a warm welcome.
SchNEWS gives a round-up of all the events taking place over the weekend to get your action-hungry teeth stuck into.
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SchNEWS 719: Giving the Green Finger
Bristol eco-village set up camp this week with huge support from the local people and activists from all over the country. The off-grid urban community kicked off last Saturday (17th) on a patch of waste land in St.Werburghs previously notorious for fly tipping, arson attacks and hard drug users.
On the Newswire: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Links: Bristol Eco Village - the Urban Centre for Alternative Technology Facebook Group | Kew Bridge Eco Village! Facebook Group
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Anti-Tar Sands Protests Gather Momentum
This time last year, few people in the UK had even heard of the Alberta Tar Sands. Now they are moving rapidly up the public agenda, thanks largely to a growing grassroots campaign of resistance and international solidarity. The latest example of this has been the national “Fortnight of Shame” (April 1st- 15th 2010) to oppose BP's planned involvement in the tar sands, which came to a head on Saturday 10th with protests in London, Oxford, Brighton and Cambridge, including a Party at the Pumps in Sheperds Bush, and which culminated on Thursday 15th April with the BP + Tar Sands = Climate Crime protest outside the BP Shareholders AGM at the ExCel Conference Centre.
IMC UK Newswire articles: [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 ]
For further information: [ UK Tar Sands Network | UKTSN Blog | Rising Tide UK | Camp for Climate Action | Indigenous Environmental Network ]
IMC UK: Tar Sands Topic
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Once You COP You Just Can't Stop
Going to COP15? Wondering which pair of socks to bring? A space-hopper and a peace flag or a gas-mask and a bag of transit wheel nuts? Ask no longer as SchNEWS brings you our prepare-for-action guide to the week long climate protest in Denmark, a country which professes itself to be a 'key developer of climate solutions'. Let's hope they're right. Read on for yer essential what's-what: border checks, police tactics, and probably most importantly, what will the weather be like?
See www.schnews.org.uk or click 'full article'
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Vestas workers occupation
Around 25 workers have occupied the second floor of the offices of the Vestas St. Cross factory in Newport on the Isle of Wight, the UK's only industrial-scale wind turbine blade factory, following mounting concern over its planned closure on the 31st July. They are calling for government intervention to save the plant, jobs, and to ensure fair redundancy packages. Since the first day of the occupation on the 20th July the workers have been besieged by police and private security, with 15 arrests being made (as of 28/07), mostly for 'breach of the peace' as people tried to join and get food to the occupiers. A large crowd of fellow workers, locals, and environmental campaigners from around the UK have gathered outside the factory gates to show their support.
Related: Support the Vestas factory occupation - what you can do | Vestas Factory OCCUPIED | Vestas Workers Speak Out | Vestas situation update - two arrests; mass walk-in gets food to occupiers | Vestas Sit In - Photos|Daring Action Gets Supplies To Vestas Workers Occupation
London Solidarity Demo, Wed 22nd July: Report, Pictures: 1|2
London Solidarity Demo, Tue 28nd July: Report: 1|2
Birmingham Vestas Solidarity Picket: Report
Links: Save Vestas
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New Coal Digs In
Climate Rush tackled more climate criminals last week when the UK coal industry got together for their annual 'coal awards'. In a protest timed to coincide with the UK Coal hosted awards, around 15 climate activists paid a visit to their Doncaster headquarters, dressed in Edwardian style complete with red sashes with the words 'No New Coal' written across them. A banner reading 'Leave it in the Ground' was suspended across the entrance.
In London, the dirty coal pushers shied away from confrontation with the modern day climate suffregette movement, abandoning their booking at the plush Landmark Hotel and scuttling off to Lords cricket grounds instead. At the hotel, around a hundred activists rushed inside through a fire exit and began an alternative awards ceremony to highlight the ecological damage that the coal industry is inflicting on the environment. After being ejected from the hotel, a couple more attempts were made to gain entry and one arrest was made before the alternate awards continued outside. The Landmark hotel management were less than happy about the righteous fury brought down on them by the climate criminals promised not to accept bookings from such damaging industries again.
Coal represent 50% of the electricity production in the UK and its greatest contribution to CO2 emissions so the coal industry has seen increasing attention from activists in the UK (and beyond). Last month activists and local resident disrupted work at the Rosewell open-cast coal mine in Midlothian, operated by Scottish Coal , and another protest stopped work at UK Coal owned Shipley open cast coal mine in Derbyshire. In the US capitol on Monday, 2,500 protesters blockaded the gates of a coal fired power plant for almost five hours.
Campaigns : Climate Rush | Coal Action Edinburgh | No New Coal | Capitol Climate Action | Coal Caravan
Newswire reports : Coal Rush 1 | 2 | 3 | Doncaster 1 2 | Rosewell | Shipley | USA 1 2
Previous Climate Rush actions : 'climate suffragettes' smash gov windows | chained to parliament | Heathrow 1 2 | Manchester 1 2 | Parliament 1 2
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