Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

UK Repression Newswire Archive

Full article

UK Screenings of 'The Pipe'

03-06-2011 19:57

Film about Rossport to be screened in UK over next few days.

Full article

Sat: Boycott-protest 2nd Cricket Test between Sri Lanka and England at Lords

03-06-2011 19:25

BOYCOTT PROTEST against the Sri Lankan government outside 2nd Cricket Test between Sri Lanka & England AT LORDS Cricket Ground Saturday 4th June - 10am!

Demonstrators are to meet outside the Cricket Ground at St John's Wood, London NW8 8QN at 10.00 am on the 4th June. The nearest tube station is a few minutes away at St. Johns Wood (Jubilee Line). BRING YOUR PLACARDS AND BANNERS!

Full article

Demo in support of Syrian protestors - Old Steine War Memorial in Brighton

02-06-2011 09:45

Old Steine War Memorial between 4-6pm on Friday June 3

Full article | 1 comment

Saleem Shahzad: your birth is mistake

02-06-2011 09:32

American journalists Chuck Palahniuk said “Your birth is a mistake you'll spend your whole life trying to correct.” It just came to my mind when I was going trough the news of a Pakistani investigative journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad.

Full article

Private/Public Space and Too Many Rules

01-06-2011 20:55

Following on from our previous Private/Public space projects which have focussed on the gentrification of London and the erosion of civil liberties that that entails, the Space Hijackers headed out to the Truman Brewery complex on Brick Lane to enforce the rules that are implicit, and perhaps not so implicit in such places. Stopping people from drinking, smoking, talking, loitering, laughing and even reading our sign!

 

East London is a massive building site with regeneration projects, the olympics, the encroachment of the city and more changing the face of our city. As Anna Minton pointed out in her fantastic book Ground Control, these redevelopment projects, often look positive on the face, but the net result is private corporations wrestling control of our cities from the people. The poor and disadvantaged are pushed out and regeneration often means moving in a new class of people. Public land is reduced and private shopping/living/working spaces are built withprivate police (link to canary wharf security) ensuring that only certain 'welcome' people are allowed to pass through without hassle. This, as you can probably imagine, is something we oppose.

The Truman Brewery Complex just off Brick Lane is a haven for cool and alternative east-end hipsters. With record shops, fixed wheel bicycle shops, galleries, eco & small designer fashion retail and bars it buzzes with creative energy. Walking in from brick lane market you can barely tell where one starts and the other finishes, the beautiful youth litter the streets in both areas drinking from cans and checking each other out.

As they say themselves "The Old Truman Brewery, East London's revolutionary arts and media quarter, is home to a hive of creative businesses as well as exclusively independent shops, galleries, markets, bars and restaurants. For fifteen years the Old Truman Brewery has been regenerating its ten acres of vacant and derelict buildings into spectacular office, retail, leisure and event spaces. The finely tuned mix of business and leisure has created an environment unique in London, making the Old Truman Brewery ;
a destination in its own right."

Alas it also borders one of London's poorest areas, so to keep the relaxed guilt free atmosphere, 24 hour security vigilantly patrol the entrances and spaces. The homeless, poor and troublemakers are kept out, bags are searched, people sitting on the wrong part of the pavement are moved on, only food and drink bought at high price on the premises is allowed to be consumed, and the hipster haven is preserved.

We thought it was high time that the exclusivity and hypocrisy of this 'revolutionary arts and media quarter" was a little more revealed. So with our new easily portable signs (unlike the beast we used to wheel around) in hand we set off to help the security keep the area safe and secure for everyone...

Dressed in black we set up first at the entrance facing Spitalfields Market. We popped up our banners and immediately started keeping the space safer.

 

 

 

"Oi you, no photography!"
"No Running, Slow down"
"Did you buy that drink on the premesis? You'll have to finish it here"
"I'm sorry, no phonecalls in this area, please hang up"
"No cycling! walk that machine"
"Do you have a job? can you afford to shop here?"
"No questions please"
"Move along please, nothing to see"
"No reading our sign sir!"

 

Before long we were joined by the regular security, obviously eager to help us out. 

"Who do you work for? What are you doing, this is private property, you can't do this here". 
"We're just making the area safe and secure, we're here to help"
"Do you work for the council?"
"We're just concerned that the wrong types might get through, and intend to keep this area safe"
"I'm calling my boss"


'The boss' arrived, and to be fair to him was a clever chap. I think he realised we were looking for a rise, so he simply turned around and said that if we moved 1m away, so we weren't in front of the door he was more than happy for us to continue. 
"I've been asking my boss for ages to make me some signs, like these. I can see it's very tongue in cheek, personally I really like what you're up to, I'm not sure about the No OAPs though, my gran wouldn't like that"

 

As always our issue is usually with the people who design, build and own such spaces rather than the people who are paid to work there. However we soon realised that there was a greater audience to be had at the main Brick Lane entrance.

 

Moving around we set up camp again to a much more receptive audience. The guard at the entrance had obviously been briefed to leave us alone, and so we were free to harass and berate the public for walking too slowly, running, smoking, drinking, holding hands, kissing, loitering, not shopping, asking questions, taking our photograph and more. Even the pretent police who turned up enjoyed the rigid law obiding.

 

Lots of people 'got' what we were up to, and started deliberately dancing, singing, smoking and taking pictures to break the rules. We had people join us in telling off the passers by, and lots of discussion about private/public space and regeneration. Some people took a little longer than others to realise the game, and so cigarettes we're put out, drinks put down and conversations stopped before they read to the bottom of our sign and smiled.

Next stops The Westfield CentreThe Olympic VillageOne New ChangeSt Martin's Court_Yard and Cardinal Place

 

 

Full article | 8 comments

Essex Tesco bin raid food woman admits charge

01-06-2011 17:42

"'This is a far more serious matter than I first thought" said Judge Rodger Hayward Smith.

Store managers had been forced to throw away about £10,000 worth of spoilt food after a power cut.

Full article | 1 comment

Atos 'quacks' homophobic rant at lesbian

01-06-2011 14:54

A Lesbian, with mental health problems, attending one of the Atos medicals claims the so-called doctor indulged in a homophobic rant during the assessment.

Full article

Coal Action Scotland Support for a possible CIA front organisation

31-05-2011 20:55

 

The group called Coal Action Scotland has been protesting in support of a group called the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center SMHRIC.

read more

Full article

Migrants and supporters demonstrate in Calais

30-05-2011 22:48

On Saturday 28 May around 150 people took to the streets of Calais in a demonstration against the brutal repression against migrants in the French border town. Despite a heavy police presence and smatterings of rain the event went well: no arrests or cop attacks, just lots of emotion and energy.

Full article

Justice for All - Sheffield says No Cuts to Free Advice

30-05-2011 21:27

Advice workers and Solicitors are demonstrating at a rally outside Sheffield Town Hall On Friday 3rd June at 5pm, at Government plans to cut two-thirds of legal aid to their clients.

Full article | 2 comments

Plain clothes FIT at #ukuncut protests. Cops use 'Breach of the Peace' strategy

30-05-2011 16:56

PC Tony Molina, 1174, on duty at the UK occupation of Cardiff Topshop
The 41 ukuncut demonstrations taking place around the UK yesterday resulted in only nine arrests, in Manchester. It is interesting that the arrests were for breach of the peace. Given that Ukuncut protesters elsewhere were also threatened with BOP arrests, it seems there was a bit of a tendency to deal with occupiers using BOP powers, rather than aggravated trespass.

The police have a good track record in abusing breach of the peace powers. The situation in Scotland is very different, but in England and Wales the arrest is preventative, so doesn’t result in charges or convictions. But it does give police a handy tool to get people out of the way, and in the process, get their names and addresses.

Full article

Kroll and Police spend £1m to Gag plumber Ian Puddick

30-05-2011 12:18

Abuse of Power - Kroll and City of London Counter Terrorism Directorate spent £1m of tax payers money to gag whistle blower Ian Puddick who exposed corruption and cronyism.

Full article

Facebook Twitter on Trial 15 June Westminster Magistrates Court

30-05-2011 11:33

Cuts Cuts - Kroll and City of London Police Counter Terrorism Directorate spend £1,000,000 in 'Operation Bohan' on a civil matter

Full article

Trouble at Brook House IRC

29-05-2011 10:55

Continuing harsh relation between staff and detainees, has once again lead to protest

Full article

Solidarity with prisoners in Greece!

28-05-2011 09:17

FILAKI – documentary film about prisoners revolt in greek prisons (2007)

 http://vimeo.com/11082111

Full article | 5 comments

Crackdown begins - Police attacking Real Democracy Ya gathering in Barcelona

27-05-2011 08:41

Its difficult to get clear information at this point but according to catalan radio the police started trying to clear the plaza de catalunya in Barcelona this morning.

Full article | 6 comments

Urgent Appeal From Libya

26-05-2011 20:23

Urgent Appeal From Libya
Hear this call on behalf of millions of Libyans now facing a new stage in the increasingly indiscriminate bombing of NATO that is now targeting civilian infrastructure with exponentially increasing civilian casualties. He only asks you to do a few simple things. Get organized! .........  http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=626909

Full article | 1 comment

NATO: Cluster Bombing of Misrata

26-05-2011 13:53

The cluster bombing of Misrata
On the 15th April 2011, during the day, sub-munitions of a MAT-120 cluster bomb were shown to Human Rights Watch (HRW) and C.J. Chivers, a journalist for the New York Times, in Misrata. On that evening, during ongoing clashes between rebel and loyalist forces, Human Rights Watch workers witnessed 3 or 4 cluster munitions landing in residential areas of Misrata. HRW attest to further subsequent such bombings. Civilians were killed in these attacks and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, condemned: .........

Full article

Poltical repression Italian style: students placed under house curfew

26-05-2011 10:44

We are not afraid
On Wednesday 25th May, police forced their way into the homes of 6 Padua University students. All have been active in the movement of recent student protests that have shaken several Italian cities, culminating in the December 14th mass protest in Rome. This follows the significant growth of the European movement fighting against attacks on labour rights, welfare cuts, and the marketisation of education, all under a common banner of “We won't pay your crisis”.

Full article | 1 comment

Starve the working unemployed Memo for DWP Robert Devereux

26-05-2011 09:59

Robvert Devereux is the top man at the United Kingdom Department called DWP. His apponytment was hgailed by the ever so adjustable Gus O'Donnel with a gushing tribiute to Robert's acheievemnts. Robert hisme;lf played the Reform card well and dediucatred the key soundbytes on his arrival to the concept of reform. So wehat has Robert been presidnering over for the first six monthsw followinmg his suiccession to Leigh Lewis at the Depratment for Want and Povertry?
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.