Author Archives: anadl

So. There’s an anti-nuclear protest site at the west coast of Finland. And it’s holding an action week between 22th of April – 1st of May, 2016, while celebrating its first anniversary of existence. What’s all this about? To put it all in a simple nutshell:

Fennovoima is a Finnish nuclear power company established in 2007 by a consortium of Finnish power and industrial companies thinking it’s a mighty good idea to put up a nuke plant at Pyhäjoki, a small municipality at the west coast of Finland – by any means necessary. Fennovoima’s project nearly faced its much wished-for doom when German energy giant E.ON, the main investor of the project at that time, decided nuclear power is bad business and withdrew its money in 2012.

Rosatom is Russian state corporation: it’s the only vendor in the global markets that offers the nuclear industry’s entire range of products, both civil and weapons. It’s led in an authoritarian manner by a nine-person strong supervisory board, elected single-handedly by President Putin – and naturally, famous for projects riddled with mafia connections, massive delays and accidents.

Fennovoima-Rosatom was born when Rosatom marched in to save Fennovoima: after E.ON left, it was the only investor willing to participate. Fennovoima needed a financial saviour – and Rosatom aimed to polish its reputation with a project in the west. It’s all about the geopolitics, you know: it doesn’t hurt Russia to place a geopolitical footprint to a region close to Nato-favoured NEAT military test area in northern Sweden and of that much-talked about Arctic oil.

The Pyhäjoki protest camp saw daylight on April 2015, when first clear cuts started at Hanhikivi peninsula. While legally shady ”preparing works” advanced, the camp held its ground at the very construction site for five months, blocking the works, causing the local police complaining they haven’t got the resources anymore to deal with the protestors. At the same time newspapers were filled with news of sabotage and general mischief. In September 2015 the eviction of the camp took place, taking a full eight days to get the last climber out. After the eviction the camp relocated to a site offered by a local land owner, roughly 4 km outside the construction site. Direct action and general mischief – still in program.

We know its a bit of a madhouse here, as you get to face with one go the whole current Russian administration, Nato-West, a nuclear energy giant, private security firms and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy of Finland. But hey, ho told not to aim high? On April 2016 the camp holds its first anniversary – and it’s time to pump up the gear. To be mad enough to bring the concept of mass civil disobedience to Finland in this scale. The goal is simple: to flood the construction site with people – and hold it as long as possible. May the nearby regions also be filled with all sorts of anti-nuclear, anti-capitalism, pro-all-things-good actions. We tip our hats to diversity of tactics – and summon all of you ecofreaks, antimilitarists and others to join us.

Schedules and infobits:
22th of April – 1th of May: the action week. Pyhäjoki is accessible by public transportation, hitch-hiking and cars: check the map or contact us for details. We cook vegan. Accommodation mainly in big heatable army tents – but if you have a tent on you, bring it in! Remember to dress warm. Solidarity is a verb: we encourage folks to drop in a voluntarily donation for food and such. Yes, you’ll be able to wash: but it’ll be chilly. Before arriving we’d love you to drop as a post beforehand of when, how many, with or without tents etc. you’re coming. Questions will be answered at: stopfennovoima [at] protonmail.com

22-23th of April: Opening party! Music! People! Fun!

26th of April: Chernobyl memorial day – and the big action day. Along the week other activities possible.

1st of May: You get the drift. We bet you do.

For the whole week there will be workshops, lectures and skill sharing stuff to keep you busy.

More information in English

Reposted from Contrainfo

Join us on 27 February to show our solidarity with the ZAD occupation in France.

What is the ZAD?

The ZAD (‘Zone to Defend’), is the site in Western France of a 9+ year
occupation against the construction of the Notre-Dame-des-Landes
airport by French construction giant, Vinci. The occupation has a
become a focal point for anti-capitalism and ecological direct action
in France and has seen both repression from the French state and
militant resistance from the occupiers and local residence. The ZAD
has huge support across France, a recent day of action saw a protest
of 20,000 and solidarity actions across the country.

Why come on 27 February?

A Nantes court has recently made a decision to go ahead with the
eviction of the remaining official residents who refused to sell their
land. With this legal hurdle out of the way, it looks likely that
attempts will be made to evict the occupations in the coming weeks. In
response an international mobilisation is being organised for people
to support the ZAD on 27 February.

We are an autonomous group helping mobilise people from the UK to go
to Nantes on 27 February and also organise a rapid response if and when an eviction attempt is made.

Initial plans are to travel on Friday 26th Feb and return on Monday
29th. If you would like to go we may be able to help with transport
arrangements. Email ukzad@riseup.net and say where you would  like to
leave from and return to.

Also email ukzad@riseup.net if you would like to know more about a
UKZAD rapid response eviction resistance.

More information on the ZAD and the mobilisation:

http://earthfirstjournal.org/newswire/2016/01/22/notre-dame-des-landes-france-february-27-general-mobilization-for-the-abandonment-of-the-airport-project/

http://zad.nadir.org/spip.php?article3224

http://rabble.org.uk/get-ready-callout-to-mobilise-against-eviction-of-the-zad/

http://winteroak.org.uk/acorn

Love and rage,
UKZAD

Come to Cardiff on the 16th of March 2016 to take action against the DPRTE arms fair at Cardiff Motorpoint Arena.

According to its website, DPRTE (the Defense Procurement, Research, Technology and Exportability exhibition) is the “UK’s Premier Defense Procurement Event” and is now being hosted annually at Cardiff Motorpoint Arena. They hosted the arms fair in Cardiff for the first time in October 2014, with exhibitors including BAE Systems, the world’s 3rd largest arms producer. BAE has a very special relationship with the UK government & the Saudi dictatorship.
* BAE has sold equipment sells equipment to Saudi Arabia, which is being used in the current bombardment of Yemen.
* BAE supplied the tactical armoured vehicles, which were used by Saudi Arabia, in 2011, to brutally crush pro-democracy protests in Bahrain.
* BAE systems also supplies Israel with the tools to wage war on the Palestinians, and provides display units used to equip Israeli F-16 fighter jets.
* BAE is one of many companies at DPTRE which supplies weapons to Turkey. In 2015, people in towns across Turkey’s Kurdish region have barricaded their city centers and declared autonomy from the state. The Turkish army has responded by attacking residential areas with tanks, combat helicopters and mortars, killing hundreds of people.

BAE are just one of over 80 exhibitors set to participate in the arms fair. Some are giants of the international arms industry that might be expected; others have a more local dimension, including the Welsh Assembly’s National Procurement Service and the University of South Wales. Household business names like BT and Panasonic are also all over the programme. It seems that a lot of people stand to make a lot of blood money out of the various technological approaches to waging warfare that will be displayed.

There has been active opposition to DPRTE since 2013. The arms fair had previously originally been hosted at the UWE campus in Bristol, but was subsequently driven out by determined resistance; hence the move to Cardiff. The protests involved a variety of actions, including blockading the UWE north entrance, causing queues trailing back along the A4174.

Having been driven out of Bristol, DPTRE  relocated to Cardiff in 2014, South Wales Anarchists, Stop NATO Cymru and other groups and individuals resolved to show the arms dealers that there is no welcome for them in Wales either. Food Not Bombs Cardiff had a presence; people confronted the arms dealers and tried to get inside; and three arms dealers were covered in red paint as they tried to enter. Those arrested for this action had their charges dropped when it came to trial, due to insufficient evidence.

We urge all that can to come join the growing resistance in to Cardiff, to take action against this arms fair and all those taking part in it on Wednesday 16th March 2016. We know that when the rich make war, it’s the poor that die, and we won’t stand for business people profiting from racist mass murder death, displacement and torture.

Our website will be updated with news and information and we have an email address where we can be contacted by email on: stopcardiffarmsfair at riseup.net<http://riseup.net>

Stop the Cardiff Arms Fair / Na i Ffair Arfau Caerdydd supported by Anarchist Action Network, Smash EDO, Campaign Against the Arms Trade, South Wales Anarchists, Swansea Food not Bombs, Disarm DSEI, Stop the Arms Fair and Bristol Against Arms Trade

Pete Simpson was remanded on the 17th December 2015. He is awaiting trial for ‘violent disorder’ after being attacked & arrested by police at an anti-cuts mayday demonstration in Cardiff, South Wales. He is on trial with another co-defendant in January 2016. Pete has spent the last several months with an electronic tag, his freedom severely restricted, and a change of bail address led to the court remanding him to prison.

Please write to Pete at: Peter Simpson A6060CF, HMP CARDIFF, Knox Rd, Cardiff, WALES, CF24 0UG

Stamps, envelopes, writing paper & books are also welcome. As well as any donations. Banner pictures, dedicated actions & other forms of solidarity are also invited from comrades across the world.

We also recommend using emailaprisoner.com if you are writing from abroad.

For any queries please email bristol_abc@riseup.net

For the latest updates visit: https://bristolabc.wordpress.com/support-pete

What: Anarchist Action Network discussion on upcoming NATO summit: all welcome.
When: Sunday 17th March 2019, 2pm – 5pm
Where: London (tbc)

About Anarchist Action Network

The Anarchist Action Network is an autonomous network made up of local groups and individuals from the anarchist movement based in the UK. We came together after the 2013 G8 summit to help re-build an anarchist network for the UK and take action together against capitalism and militarism. The network currently meets every three months, in a different town or city, to make decisions for the network by consensus.

We organized two ‘Anarchist Traveling Circuses’, in Newport, south Wales and East London, as well as numerous other events, demonstrations and weeks of action, and we now plan more of the same!

We’d like to welcome you (except cops and journos) to be a part of this.

There were a few arrests during the DSEI protests. People are due to appear in court on the dates below. It would be great if as many people as possible could turn up to support those arrested.

Thames Magistrate Court
58 Bow Road, London, E3 4DJ (nearest station: Bow Road)

7th October, 10.30am (1 person)
9th October, 9.30am (5 people) : (FB event for one of the defendants is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/172… )
12th October, 9.30am (5 people)
13th October, 9.30am (1 person)

If you know someone who was arrested during the arms fair protests, ring Green and Black Cross on 07946 541 511. The Green and Black Cross website has a lot of useful information on knowing your rights; what to do if you get arrested, and how to support someone who has been arrested.

If you can be on-hand to offer court support, email info@stopthearmsfair.org.uk

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/505313172982275

What became a fortnight of actions against the DSEI arms fair has recently come to a close.

DSEI (“Defence Security Equipment International“) is one of the world’s largest arms fairs and takes part every two years in East London.

This year’s DSEI was scheduled for 15th-18th September, but a call to action to disrupt the setup of the event in the preceding week was issued by Stop the Arms Fair. From the first day anti-militarists continually conducted various actions to block the road and prevent large lorries destined for the event, including many carrying armoured vehicles and tanks.

The mobilisation opened with a day against Israeli apartheid. People blockaded access by holding the ground in front of the main entrance, jumping on the back of lorries and at one stage locking onto one with an arm tube. One person was arrested for alleged criminal damage of an armoured jeep. The first day also saw the establishment of an onsite camp and infospace at the front (East) entrance which lasted until the end of the arms fair. The week of action continued to disrupt the setup in similar ways and others that included pouring red paint across the entrance and breaching security to get inside the exhibition hall. There were No Borders actions, not just because of how wars create refugees but also the large amount of border security and surveillance equipment promoted at the arms fair.

The STAF week to disrupt DSEI’s setup culminated in a mass demo on the Saturday. People blockaded the front (East) gate of the fair with their bodies and three people locked on together with arm tubes that were so effective it took five hours for them to eventually be removed, with the cops having to use industrial grade angle grinders. At the rear (West) entrance the inner perimeter fence was blockaded by bike riders that had arrived in a critical mass. These people were then defended at the rear by individuals from Disarm DSEI who locked themselves by the neck to the Heras fencing which formed the outer perimeter, preventing any lorries from making deliveries for several hours, until MOD police arrived and the blockaders were cut off – one being arrested with a remaining D-⁠lock still attached to their neck.

With the setup over (despite persistent disruption), the actual fair kicked off the following week, opening its doors to the arms dealers. A series of attempts to breach security and/or disrupt the event continued.

A secret luxury arms dealers dinner at the Cutty Sark was discovered and picketed.

Kurdish activists and supporters demonstrated against repression in Kurdistan by the Turkish government (who came to buy and sell weapons at the event), curtailing the DSEI waterborne demonstrations and later confronting arms fair delegates as they sought to leave the event.

On the last day of DSEI an Anarchist hacker collective ‘Information Liberation Front’ (ILF) leaked documents to the Indymedia UK website, which show that they were able to gain access to Hacking Team’s company EZONE account on the DSEI arms fair’s website and register a fake exhibitor at the fair. They issued a communique stating “Hacking Team are war criminals, DSEI are war criminals, their security is shit…”.

The mobilisation against DSEI arms fair 2015 was drawn from a truly diverse mixture of groups but worked constructively towards a common goal of blockading and disrupting the arms fair. This year represented an increased shift away from the symbolic to the profoundly practical, with a diversity of blockading and disruption tactics employed.

This September, one of the world’s biggest arms fairs is coming to London’s ExCeL centre. Help us to stop it! Join us for a week of action at the ExCeL Centre from 7 – 12 September.

The DSEI arms fair is where arms companies showcase their weapons and make deadly deals with buyers from across the world, including those from countries with serious human rights problems. The arms fair, due to take place on 15-18 September, involves more than 1000 companies and 30,000 attendees.

We have to stop these companies profiting from conflict and repression. Join us from 7 September for a week of action in the run up to the arms fair to make it as difficult as possible for it to go ahead. Each day different groups will be organising actions highlighting the different impacts of the arms trade and repression.

Exhibition equipment and military hardware will be rolling (or sailing) into ExCeL – let’s stop it getting to its destination.

Monday 7 September: Stop Arming Israel
Tuesday 8 September: No Faith in War
Wednesday 9 September: Stop the Arms Fair: Arms to Renewables
Thursday 10 September: Welfare not Warfare!
Friday 11 September: Freedom of Movement for People not Weapons
Saturday 12 September: Big day of action!

On Saturday 12 September there will be a big day of action on the weekend before the arms fair begins to stop the arms dealers going about their deadly business.

For more info and a full list of actions: http://www.stopthearmsfair.org.uk