STOP FRENCH NUKE TESTS! - Interview with Greenpeace activist Al Baker
DIGGING FOR VICTORY - Heseltine gets it in the back (garden)
MOTHER 'UBBARD - CJA rave test case
DOVER DOCKED - 92 people nicked at Ban Live Exports demo
Party and Protest - those diary dates
Digging for Victory
Early Sunday morning and a motley collection of ex-miners, trade Union members and environmentalists are busy looking for coal with a pickaxe and spade. A sleepy Deputy Prime Minister pops his head out of one of the many windows of his manor house and sees 60 of them digging up his lawn!
The protesters decide to target the man accused of ditching Britain's deep-mine coal industry by putting the fork firmly into Michael Hestletine's beloved gardens. But not content with giving the wannabe PM such a rude awakening, this alliance of anti-opencast mining groups has also submitted a planning application to Northamptonshire County Council for permission to sink an opencast mine in Hesltine's garden!
This - said a representative, "was just a preliminary visit!". Now Hestletine will have to defend his land and state why he objects to the application. Whatever his words he will be accused of NIMBYism, and any arguments he utters about intrusion, pollution, noise, dust or destruction will be widely used by Britain's 40 local anti-opencast groups. Hestletine meanwhile, clearly miffed at the destruction of the garden he is so proud of, called down to a police officer, "I thought we had sorted out this trespassing....Clear them off!". Seven hours later, and after much digging, a picknick and a game of cricket, the protestors felt they had made their point and left. There were no arrests.
* Hestletine should be used to these in-yer-face methods. During the last pit closure program tonnes of coal was dumped outside the gates of his mansion with a little note UP YOURS Love Frickley NUM.
SOUTH WALES Anti-opencast protests at Cymgwrach and Brynhenlls could face imminent eviction. The application for Cwmgwrach was granted a week after the last deep cast mine in South Wales was closed. This mine, Tower Colliery, has since re-opened as a worker's co-op turning over a healthy profit. Cwmgwrach, if deep-mined, could create another 300 jobs. Instead the destruction company plan to trash 880 acres over seven years making �45 million. 0589 114899.
WEST YORKSHIRE A Camp has been established at Hawks Nest Wood in Garforth. The first tree houses are up but full-time residents are needed. LEEDS EARTH FIRST! 0113 262 9365
SUSTAINABLE WALES A gathering of all the groups campaigning against opencast mining in Wales on Saturday, Sep 23rd at the Environment Centre, Pear St, Swansea.
Arther Uther Pendragon, a Druid from Hampshire, was arrested for "trespassory assembly" (Section 70 of the Criminal Justice Act) for going to Stonehenge at the Summer Solstice this year. King Arthur has practised his religious ceremony there in previous years and felt he had every right to do so again. Whiltshire police, determined to keep the crusty element away from Stonehenge arrested him, as they had a 4-mile exclusion zone in the area for the occasion.
It was an excellent test-case for this new offence, which needs to have 20+ people assembled to be deemed illegal. Police evidence that there were 27 people assembled was complete bollocks as it included everyone standing anywhere near including a German TV crew, some legal observers and a couple of drunk Italians (and a partridge in a pear tree). King Arthur was acquitted mainly because of this fabrication.
Eight people allegedly involved in July's Mother Festival, have been charged with 'conspiracy to cause a public nuisance' - a common law charge which carries a maximum life sentence! The trial is set for Nov 24th, at Corby magistrates - apparently old copies of SchNEWS are being used as evidence!
Billed as the biggest free festival of 95 in direct defiance of the Criminal Justice Act, the police mounted a huge operation to stop it, including phonetaps, road blocks and confiscation of rigs. Despite this, four smaller parties took place. However, BlackMoon were the first people to be charged under the rave sections. Back in court on the 22nd Of September and could do with your support. If found guilty they face a �2,500 fine/3 months in prison as well as losing their �9,000 rig.
At a seperate party 123 people were arrested and drugs worth more than �10,000 seized (�2,000 of which were found in bins!) In Northamptonshire at the weekend. 15,000 people paid �25+ at the event organised by Dreamscape. Most were later released without charge.
Dover Docked
A total of 92 people were arrested during a sit-down protest against live animal exports through Dover to mark the 100th day of trade through the Kent port. A spokesperson from Dover Defence Union told SchNEWS "The use of powers contained within the CJA to place these bail conditions on people is clearly a tiactic of kent Police to diminsh the protests at Dover. For Kent police simply wearing a Ban Live Exports t-shirt outside the protest is good enough for an arrest of breach of the peace!." More worrying is the two people who have been charged with Section 14 of the Public Order Act for allegedly organsising the sit-down. 01342 303166
SchNEWS IN BRIEF
"This is a great day for cyclists". On Monday we heard the news that the Millenium Commision is gonna come up with �42.5m to build a national cycle network. The paths will run all the way from Inverness to Dover and should be completed in 2005 (only slightly after the millenium). Finally someones realised that cycling is a cheap, environmentally sound alternative to the car. The only criticism is that the money is coming out of the National Lottery. Yeah its excellent that lottery money is being used for something worthwhile, but shouldn't the government be paying for cycle lanes with all that change from their much reduced roads programme? ***Alan Davies has been stuck inside for breaking bail conditions. The naughty boy decided to fuck off his bail conditions and climb up a crane on the road site at theThanet Way in Kent. He was nicked for breach of bail and ag.trespass (again) and is inside till his case his heard next Tuesday ***Nuclear Electric is being prosecuted for a serious safety breach at a 2nd nuclear reactor - Hinckley Point. This follows their admission this week to 4 charges of safety neglect at their Anglesey power station, which could have resulted in a meltdown. And their gonna privatise these bastards - BOOM! ***Hampshire Police have arranged an exchange trip to France to examine (among other things) French riot police tactics. Perhaps protesters should arrange an exchange trip to Tahiti.... ***Strong rumours suggest shipments of live animal exports are set to return to Shoreham, possibly as soon as Sept 19th.Night shipments are possible and police have been briefed to 'go in hard'.Make sure you get down there if it kicks off, otherwise they'll get away with murder ***Michael Heseltine was on the radio the other day, praising his policies for cracking down on crime. Meanwhile, as he was on air, the studio was being burgled. ***We do seem to be cracking down on the real criminals recently - a Hertfordshire policeman was convicted of stealing �440 from an 83 yr old pensioners handbag. He commited the crime while interviewing her at her home about a burglary she had reported. Also police in Norfolk agreed to pay �10,000 to a man who had received 100's of nuisance calls. He complained to police about the calls but when they continued he got BT to trace the calls. After the next call was traced to the police station, an internal inquiry was started and the calls stopped.... ***That nasty MP who threatened protesters with a pickaxe at the No M77 campaign was charged with breach of the peace. Conservative Allan Stewart got a �200 fine and a slap on the wrist. ***MegaRIPolis - Justice? and the Conscious Cinema have pulled out of Megatripolis after hearing - and seeing - the actions of both the bouncers and the venue. Following allegations of muggings (by security) in the toilets, attacks both inside and outside the venue, all cold water taps being removed and beer going at �2.70 a can, we're steering clear - think twice before parting with your money.... *** SchOOPS! The Windsor tree protest is far from over, despite our report last week. Over 60 younger trees in Windor Gret Park have indeed been taken down but the 39 Oaks on Queen Anne's Ride - some up to 600 yrs old - still stand and are being protected. There is a permenant camp with massive local support. Prince Charles has condemned his father for the felling, saying it was an act of "vandalism", which "is ignoring green philosphies". Nice one, big ears. "Until we have written assurance that none of the ancient Oaks are being felled we will continue with direct action" Graham told SchNEWS. "We are getting bigger and stronger." Tel: 03741 52163 ***** 7 people nicked with 'aggravated trespass' while defending trees along the A3 - all walked free from court this week.
A week long peace camp @ British Aerospace factory in Lancashire resulted in two arrests - of security guards. Realising the Ministry of Defence were allowing protests to continue, the security guards decided to kidnap some protesters and dump them in the middle of nowhere! The guards have been nicked for false imprisonment. 0161 834 0295
@ Brighton Peace Centre, Trafalgar St. 692880
Demo High Court, London 9.30 - 10.30 am 0171 713 1269
@ Concorde, Marine Parade, Brighton. �2.49!
@ Booth Museum, Dyke Rd, Brighton. 7.30 pm
01132 629365
Travel Details CND 0171 700 2393
Music, entertainment including the Dongas play. 01225 444133
