Bath Students in Show of Solidarity with UWE #FreeEducation Occupation

This afternoon, members of Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts travelled to the UWE Frenchay Campus Lecture Theatre 2B025 to show solidarity with Free Education UWE and drop off some goodies and bottled water.

Students from Free Education UWE have been occupying the lecture theatre since Monday, in opposition to tuition fees, police brutality towards student protestors in Britain and elsewhere, and in support of Free Education. They would also like to see an end to the university's connections to the arms trade, which has long been a cause for concern for UWE students.

Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts at the Free Education UWE occupation this afternoon

Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts found the UWE occupiers in good spirits. The lecture space is occupied 24 hours a day, however disruption to lectures in the theatre have been kept to a minimum. On Friday a day of free lectures is planned and is open to all.

We had a chat with one of the UWE occupiers about how things are going. They told us : "This has been a chance to get students together, particularly first year students, who make up the majority of the students involved. The occupation will end this week due to the Christmas break, but when we come back the campaign will continue with regular meetings, looking towards further action."

Members of Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts are intending to join with other Free Education activists from around the country at the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) conference in Manchester at the weekend, and promise to continue the fight into the new year, with plans for further actions in work.

Flyer from Free Education UWE

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UWE #FreeEducation Occupation

Following a national demonstration in London on November 19th and subsequent occupations, blockades and marches over the last week throughout the country, including Bath and Warwick, students at the University of the West of England (UWE) have occupied a lecture room in a demonstration in support of free education and an end to tuition fees as well, as an end to police brutality of protestors in America, Mexico and the University of Warwick. The occupiers issued a statement earlier this evening:

UWE Free Education statement of occupation 

Students at the University of the West of England have gone into occupation in support of Free Education for all. Education is a human right that has increasingly been annexed off by the political elite for the privileged few, for those able to take on the £44,000 worth of debt that an undergraduate degree incurs. In protesting this system over the past week students at Warwick University have been met with police brutality, pepper sprayed and threatened with tasers; students at Sheffield University have been illegally and dangerously locked into their occupation, with security blocking fire exits with the use of chains and padlocks.

Bristol’s students are united in solidarity with their comrades nationally and across the world that are standing up for their rights, and resisting oppression by the elite. We send our full hearted support to the students of Mexico who live in constant fear of being abducted and killed for demanding what is theirs and those in the United States suffering and resisting police brutality.

Join us in lecture room 2B025 to stand up for:
• Free Education
• Cancellation of student debt
• Unconditional student grants
• Our freedom to protest
• A living wage and fair conditions for all staff who work for UWE directly or indirectly
• Divestment of arms trade connections
• Police off campus
Universities are not factories, nor prisons. Knowledge is not a consumer product and we are not your clients.

Twitter: @UWEFreeEd
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FreeEducationUWE

In other #FreeEducation news, the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) have announced a conference for student #FreeEducation activists and supporters in Manchester this weekend. http://anticuts.com/register-2014/

Over in Bath, after a heavy week of campaigning, blockading and marching, Bath Students Against Fees And Cuts are holding an open meeting today (Tuesday, 9th December) at 7.30pm in The Westgate to discuss future actions.

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UWE Arms Fair, Bristol - Drop Beats Not Bombs Rally

Just in from campaigners against the arms fair at the University of the West of England, Frenchay, Bristol. The arms fair will be taking place on Wednesday this week. More info on the arms fair and plans for protests here: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/stop-uwe-arms-fair.html

Drop beats not bombs rally

4pm @ UWE, Frenchay campus

by the bus stops

Tuesday19th.

Listen out for the sound system!

The University of the West of England in Bristol is hosting an arms and 'defence' business fair on the 20th November 2013. This conference portrays itself as the main networking and business event in the UK for the MOD and the military community. See their website: http://www.dprte.co.uk

Students are coming together and welcome support to kick them off campus!

Students at UWE believe a decision to host this event is not in the interest of students or education but part of a wider shift towards profit-driven interests. We are calling on UWE not to invest itself into, promote, support or enable profit-making from/of/through wars, military uses of research, military networks, and violent approaches towards conflicts. Students also denounce the University's strategy of investing into large infrastructures which are largely useless to students and education, like the planned 20,000 seats 'UWE stadium' or UWE's massive Conference Centre, where this conference is to take place.
Please sign our petition here:

https://www.change.org/petitions/calling-the-university-of-the-west-of-england-uwe-bristol-not-to-invest-itself-into-promote-support-or-enable-profit-making-from-of-through-wars-military-uses-of-research-military-networks-and-violent-approaches-towards-conflicts

Our student newspaper, the WesternEye has published this article: http://www.westerneye.net/news/2013/11/uwe-hosts-arms-fair/

A student has written an open letter showing the related gaps between UWEs claims to sustainability and this military conference:
http://www.westerneye.net/comment/2013/11/open-letter-to-uwe-sustainability-of-the-bloodhound-scc-cars-rockets-and-forthcoming-arms-and-defence-fair-at-uwe/

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Stop The UWE Arms Fair

From campaigners against the arms fair at the University of the West of England (UWE), Frenchay Campus, Bristol:

STOP THE UWE ARMS FAIR

PROTEST OUTSIDE THE ECC ALL DAY. WEDNESDAY 20TH NOVEMBER.

BRING SOMETHING TO MAKE LOTS OF NOISE.

UWE will be hosting an Arms fair in the ECC on the 20^th of November. UWE is giving them the space to network and plan the selling and buying of weapons! This includes exporting to other countries, new technology in weaponry and manufacturing of these weapons.

Angry with this happening? Then come to the PROTEST. If you do not have enough time then email the vice chancellor at Steven.West@uwe.ac.uk to voice your complaints.

MONDAY- banner making and planning, core24 from noon.

TUESDAY- Drop Beats Not Bombs - rally/party against the arms trade, student village. Meet 4pm at the Frenchay bus stops. Bring people.

WEDNESDAY- PROTEST OUTSIDE THE ECC!

The UK is one of the worlds largest exporters of weapons, most of the arms sold go to middle east, and South & East Asia. There are very few legal restrictions on where arms can be sold, even exporting to countries with highly questionable human rights records is considered legal.

In 2010 the UK Government Human Rights Annual Report identified 26 countries “of Concern”,. Despite these concerns the UK approved arms exports to 16 of these countries, including Libya, Israel and Saudi Arabia. During the Arab spring uprisings in 2011, UK brought weapons were routinely used in the crack down against protesters. The UK often sells weapons to both sides of a war, prolonging conflicts to increase profits for arms dealers at cost of the lives of soldiers and civilians. During the Falklands war Argentina was legally sold weapons, which were then used against British soldiers!

War creates poverty, any African nation at war economy shrinks 15% each year. It looses infrastructure, spreads disease, makes land infertile and kills a lot of the population. Most war related deaths are civilian; around 90%.

At the same time we create stricter border control policies. We promote war to countries, sell them weapons, increasing their poverty, while decreasing their ability to live. We then refuse refuge to those who try to escape these terrifying situations we help to create.

If they do manage to get to the UK, refugees often face discrimination. Like the disgusting “go Home” anti immigration vans, that the government were proudly driving around earlier this year. Go Home and be shot at, by our weapons!

The Government has always had incredibly close ties with the arms companies.The Government’s UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) department is a vital element of the UK’s arms dealing. In 2008 it opened the Defence & Security Organisation (DSO) which promotes weaponry on behalf of arms companies. 54% of UKTI staff now only invested in selling Arms.

The Government’s main arguments to defend it's behaviour fit into three categories: arms exports are important for national security; they are vital to the UK economy and jobs; and they are stringently regulated.

These are all false

There is no “security of supply”. Arms production takes place across the globe and all significant Ministry of Defence purchases include hundreds or thousands of imported components and sub-systems. If we were to go to war with any of those countries, or run out of money, then why would those countries still supply us with weapons?

This argument also falls through in that it looks at the world through a military lens, It marginalises major security threats such as climate change, energy insecurity and inequality that are acknowledged by Government but absent in terms of meaningful policies and funding.

The arms trade is heavily subsidised to the tune of £852 million a year - that's more than £13,000 per job per year! Imagine what could be done if all those skills and resources were devoted to socially beneficial projects.

Selling Arms is a drain on the public purse, causes human rights atrocities and destruction of the environment, and is riddled with accusations of fraud and illegality – none of which the government has put much effort into investigating. The only reason to sustain the arms trade is to make the politicians rich mates even richer, and for those in power in our country to feel 'big' and important.

The companies which attend Arms Fairs are guaranteed potential customers in vast numbers, including military delegations and individual trade, government and armed forces representatives. They make contact, negotiate and sign contracts over the course of a number of arms fairs and interim meetings.

So don't even think a strongly worded letter to your local MP will change anything. It is time to take action into our own hands and Stop the Arms Trade. Lets kick the Arms Fair out of our university!

More info on the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NOWMDatUWE

More info on the Drop Beats Not Bombs rally at UWE on Tues 19th November here: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/uwe-arms-fair-bristol-direct-action.html

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National March Against the Badger Cull in London

Nation March Against the Badger Cull, London, 1st June 2013

With the mounting criticism of the government's policy of culling badgers to combat TB, it was only a matter of time before a huge demonstration took place in London.

A large group of badger activists set off from Bristol on a coach, stopping near Bath to collect members of Bath Against the Badger Cull, and headed up to London for the day. The atmosphere on the coach was vibrant as people got to know each other, and a team set about painting people's faces with black and white facepaint. Almost every was dressed appropriately for the day in black and white, with many "Stop the Cull" t-shirts and badger masks on board.

Arriving at the start of the demonstration outside Tate Britain, we were greeted warmly by a crowd of around 2000 people dressed as badgers. As some one put it - "There's never been so many badgers in London!". A range speakers from various organisations addressed the crowd, including Queen guitarist Brian May. See the video below for some of these speeches and footage of the march.

The march then set off with banners and placards raised, good spirits and lots of chanting, as well as sound system on wheels with a painted wooden badger on top.

The march was diverted at the end, and so we didn't go past parliament, due to a BNP demonstration taking place at the same time. Following the march, many headed to St James's Park for a picnic, while others, including Bath and Bristol activist, went on to picket the DEFRA office. On the way, we passed the pitifully small BNP demonstration, and some dressed as badgers chased a few of the fascists hanging around nearby.

For more on the badger cull, see: The Badger Cull - What You Need to Know

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EDF to sue Bristol Resident for £5m

Just in from Bristol Rising Tide...

A Bristol resident is being sued for £5million by energy giant EDF for his part in a week long occupation that shut down the company's newest gas fire power station in October of last year. He, along with 20 others, were protesting against the government's plans for up to 40 new gas power stations, as part of the campaign group No Dash for Gas.

There is to be a public talk at Hamilton House on Tuesday 12th March 7.30-9 pm where Daniel Quiggin, the Bristol resident being sued by EDF will discuss with others the implications on the right the protest and how the lawsuit is affecting him. The discussion will involve campaigners from various energy groups from around Bristol and Somerset. The move by Government and the Big Six Energy Companies towards extreme energy can be succesfully challenged if we act collectively, this lawsuit affects all of our attempts to speak out against those with the power!

See this video from Naomi Klein: "I am no dash for gas!" www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRvSjaz5PWg

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2013 Will be Remembered as The Year The People Fought Back

Now that you can all stop worrying about the end of the world, let’s focus our attentions on the year ahead – there are real things that are a threat to the planet and the people and other life-forms that dwell upon it, and the momentum is already mounting behind the various campaigns and initiatives dedicated to solving the social, political, economic and environmental issues that we’re all concerned about right now. Here’s a summary of what’s in store, with the odd prediction thrown in here and there…

The Big Fight Back Against Austerity

The warning shots have already been fired by a diverse range of groups opposed to the coalition’s austerity measures. Over the last couple of years we've seen actions and debates inspired by UK Uncut, Occupy, 38 Degrees and many other groups. This summer will see delegates from many of these groups, as well as opposition politicians, public figures and members of the public, gather in London for the People’s Assembly Against Austerity. And this is already looking like it will be BIG. No longer will these groups be working in isolation, if all goes well there will be one huge concerted effort to stop the government in its’ tracks. June 22^nd 2013 will be a significant date in British history – the moment the fight back gets serious. For more information, see the letter in The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/feb/05/people-assembly-against-austerity and if you want to attend see The Coalition of Resistance’s page: http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/2013/02/peoples-assembly-against-austerity-saturday-22-june/. There is a small booking fee.

The Bedroom Tax is likely to become a big issue this year – and it will probably affect you. See here for more info: http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/squaring-up-to-the-bedroom-tax-resistance-grows-around-the-uk/

The Badger Cull

The battles fought so far have been won by opponents to the cull on every level. Almost all of the environmental and animal rights groups are on board, the rock stars and TV naturalists have been talking about this at every opportunity, the House of Commons voted against it and even the government’s own scientists have found through previous trials that it will not work. But the Tories and NFU are winning the war and still plan to go ahead with the massacre this summer. In whom do you trust more? Natural History legend David Attenborough or (anti-) Environment Secretary Owen Paterson? The RSPCA or Defra? Top scientist Lord Krebs or rich farmer (who will profit from the cull) Jan Rowe? The war is far from over, and already activists, campaigners, celebrities and the general public are preparing to put a stop to this unethical, undemocratic and unscientific slaughter. Once the first of Britain’s Most Loved Wild Animal gets a bullet in the head, all hell is going to break loose. Owen Paterson, you won’t get away with this…

Sign the 38 Degrees petition here: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/badgers-petition

Standing Stone's Blog is working on a huge article on the badger cull for Head Heritage… watch this space for it!

The Re-Occupation of Britain

The Occupy Movement has been out of the limelight of late, but although the tents are gone it hasn’t gone away… In November last year, Occupy Bath returned with a camp to once again highlight the issues and picket Starbucks, and the Bath People’s Assembly they set up has gone from strength to strength, engaging with other campaigns and coming up with new ideas – one of which, a “Tax Kite Mark” that companies who pay their taxes properly can display in their windows, was recently mentioned in parliament. But that’s not all. Occupy London have been in the headlines of late, having squatted the recently closed Friern Barnet library and started lending out books again – the library has now been given back to the people due to overwhelming public support. In Bristol, people from Occupy Bristol squatted the disused All Hallows Hall with the aim of turning it into a community centre. They have now been given a lease on the building by the owner, who was impressed with their work. People’s Assemblies are being formed by ex-occupiers, providing their communities with real democracy and the chance to have their say and take action. Occupy may be finally finding its' feet and going places, and actions are inspiring other actions. Don’t write the movement off just yet…

Standing Stone's Blog will be covering the Bath People's Assembly's Visions for Change on 27th April - see here for the details released on 5th Feb: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/visions-for-change-2013-announced.html and here for the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/158627290953876/

The Return of the Road Protests

Road protesting was huge in the 90s, when the last Conservative administration embarked on a road building scheme greater than the Romans, and through the actions of protesters and campaigners at Twyford Down, Solsbury Hill, Fairmile, Newbury and other places, many of their road schemes were scrapped. Many of these roads were completely unnecessary and were sold to the public under false pretences – that they would keep traffic away from towns and villages – but the sinister reality was that they were all part of a massive Euro-route, and in many cases made the traffic problems that they were supposed to solve even worse, at the price of losing irreplaceable parts of the countryside. Although there have been road protests since then, none were quite on the scale of the Newbury Bypass. Now George Osborne has announced 191 new road schemes, including some of those scrapped at the end of the 90s. The first has begun already, and the Combe Haven Defenders along the route of the Bexhill-Hastings road have set up camps. Some camps have been evicted already, and media attention has yet to make a huge deal out of this, but when the road building scheme gets properly underway, it’s likely that the tree pixies and tunnel diggers will return en-mass to the countryside.

Frack Off

Rather than embark on a large-scale renewables programme, the government have opted for the cheap, nasty and environmentally destructive method of fracking. Now that the anti-nuclear lobby appear to have held back new nuclear power stations – for now – the government need to find other ways to exploit natural resources and mess up our planet in order to meet the energy demand AND make a tidy profit for the super-rich. Fracking (or shale gas extraction) has been known to pollute water systems, including drinking water, and cause earth tremors. You don’t want to live nearby. Already there are campaigns against this and the signs are that they are growing in numbers and activity.

Save the NHS

The NHS is NOT for sale. But the government are doing their best with attempting to privatise it. If the recent demonstrations and petitions are anything to go by, this is at the top of the agenda for an awful lot of people. The Tories will be committing political suicide for sure if they get their way, but that's not stopping them...

..................................................................................................................

Of course, no-one wants to be out protesting and campaigning against these issues – we’ve got other things we’d like to do. But the people, our planet and the creatures we share it with are under threat. We can’t let them get away with it. 2013 needs to be the year that we fight back. Or the things we take for granted today will be gone tomorrow. We need to not just put a stop to the things that threaten us, we also need to ensure that they don't happen again. Our society needs a complete overhaul - perhaps even a complete revolution. It's time to start thinking about how much better the world could be, and doing something about it. The fate of the this country and this world is in all of our hands.

 

See you on the picket line.

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We Are One NHS Demo, Bristol

We Are One NHS Demo, Bristol, December 2012

On Saturday 1st December, hundreds of people, including union members, anarchists, socialists, occupiers, anti-cuts protestors and other members of the public marched in solidarity against proposed cuts to the NHS.

"Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the Tories on the 
top... Put the Lib Dems in the middle and we'll burn the 
fucking lot"

- Popular variation on a chant sung widely during 
demonstrations in the era of the ConDem coalition, 
2010-present

The NHS that we know and love is under threat. One of the biggest challenges is the pressure to cut costs and make savings. This has resulted in 20 NHS Trusts across the South West, including University Hospitals Bristol Trust and North Bristol Trust, paying £200,000 of tax payer’s money to form the South West Pay Terms and Conditions Consortium which is proposing radical changes to pay and conditions and the creation of a regional pay system.

Plans published by these employers envisaging changes which could cut pay, terms and conditions for nurses and other healthcare staff by up to 15% demonstrate yet another example of how working people are being forced to bear the brunt of cuts to vital services.

This will be bad for the NHS, bad for patients and bad for all NHS staff across the UK*

Local pay hurts the local economy, compromises patient safety, seriously damages staff morale and creates instability in the workforce at a time when the NHS is going through unprecedented change.

The rally started at College Green at 11am. I travelled up with members of Occupy Bath and BARF, and we arrived just as people were starting to assemble. Marching under our usual BARF banner, we set off with chants, whistles, flags and a huge Unison ballon through the streets of Bristol. The editors of the Westcountry Mutineer, the finest anarchist paper this side of London (which I may or may not have contributed articles to), joined the march also, and gave out free copies, amongst all the other literature being handed out. The march ended at Castle Park, where flags and banners were planted in the ground and speeches were given.

The NHS has never been under threat as much as it is now. The rich Tories don't care, and would sooner see it abolished. We must fight the fuckers at every opportunity, at every corner, and make sure that it is protected.

*Note: Part of this article was taken from the Facebook event description

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Badger Cull - Protest Against Tesco in Bristol

Yesterday (13th October), around 25 anti- badger cull activists held a demonstration outside the Tesco Metro store in Broadmead, Bristol, and with many wearing black "Fuck the Cull" t-shirts or badger masks, we looked like we meant business. Tesco sell milk from the cull areas and the demonstration was intended to highlight this issue and ask people to buy their milk from stores that do not buy their milk from these areas, such as the Co-op, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer.

Badger cull demonstration outside Tesco, Broadmead, Bristol 13/10/12

Several hundred leaflets were handed out to shoppers, many of whom stopped to chat about the cull and find out more, or ask what they could to help. Few were undecided - many people expressed their disgust about the cull and some enquired about the scientific facts - which we had to hand and were able to answer their questions.

Signs outside Tesco

A further demo is planned for Tues 16th October at 11am outside the same Tesco (Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/365084693574574/366478960101814/), and a Bath demo is planned for Sat 27th October outside Sainsbury's Local in Kingsmead Square (Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/477853698915003/).

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EDL Outnumbered by Counter-Demonstrators in Bristol

The dreaded EDL march in Bristol on 14th July 2012 became the cause of much laughter and the butt of many jokes from counter-demonstrators when it transpired that their turnout was far lower than expected. That said, their march was not without incident, and the EDL took several swipes at counter-demonstrators and police. Here follows my eyewitness account of events admist chaos, confusion, projectiles, kettles, cordons and the occasional violent outbreak.

Standing Stone's Blog has made a short video showing many of the incidents documented below:

Stepping off the train at Temple Meads, myself and a small band of Bath activists were greeted by around 20 police, whom we were able to walk past without hassle. Some Bristolian friends we had arranged to meet near Temple Meads had been moved on, and we arranged an alternative meeting point. En route to meeting with our Bristolian friends, we took a look at Castle Park, where the police were under the impression the counter-demo would be starting from. The surrounding streets were lined with riot vans, but the only people in the park itself were a couple of dog-walkers.

We arrived at the pub around 10:50 and waited for the rest of our friends to turn up. While waiting, we were informed that around 30 EDL were in the pub next door, including Mickey Bayliss, the organiser of the EDL march. Shortly afterwards they left the pub and walked past the window. News came in that there were around 70 EDL at Temple Meads and around 150 anti-fascists, and news came in from elsewhere about a racially-motivated attack by the EDL. Our friends arrived just as we had decided to head to the fountains for the large demo, only to learn that they were being kettled. After a long round-a-bout hike, we ended up near Redcliffe Church, where we saw the EDL march for the first time. A large group of anti-fascists had gathered, but the two groups were separated by a blockade of police vans and a line of cops. We soon decided to head off and see what else was happening.

EDL marching in Bristol, 14th July 2012

Police cordon near Redcliffe Church

Soon we encountered the union march being kettled by police, with mounted police on standby close by.

Kettle of trade union march

Mounted police

We were able to get around the kettle and headed for the riverside, where we were able view the EDL demo from afar, moving very slowly across the bridge. As they were scheduled to finish at Queen Square, we made our way onto Prince Street to attempt to get close. Here we encountered the Pride anti-fascist demonstrators, dressed largely in pink and all holding placards. One of them was handing out free veggie burgers - much needed after a long morning of walking.

One of the Anti-racist Pride marchers

A large contingent of anti-fascists then made their way up Prince Street, and were soon confronted by riot vans and police cordons. Riot vans soon lined the entrance to the bridge, and a police cordon made its way towards us. We rushed into a nearby pub to escape trouble, and when we came out we saw an EDL member being dragged into a riot van to the sound of cheers and clapping from the remaining anti-fascists.

We had a call saying that there was a plan to block the EDL's exit, so made our way around, only to be confronted by a huge police blockade. Another meeting point was arranged, and after a long detour we met up with a large group of anti-fascists on the riverside, and soon mobilised to finally confront the EDL. We took a route that led us up to a cliff overlooking an area of waste ground into which the EDL were starting to pour into. From here we could see the whole lot of them, and people laughed and joked at the feeble turnout of around 250 morons. Shouts of "Racist scum" and "Equality" erupted from the anti-fascists. The EDL then sang us a song. The monsters, it seemed, were merely a tone-deaf third-rate street-theatre outfit. They unveiled a Pride flag to much laughter.

The EDL march was this small.

And then the pelting began - stones flew over our heads and several people were hit. Several highly-aggressive EDL members somehow made their way up to us and were stopped by police. The police then came at us with batons and formed a line to move us on. Several people were pushed and shoved against their will. Dogs and mounted police showed up. We moved backwards slowly until we came to a bend, at which point we left, went up the road and turned a corner. A girl was clutching a towel to her head after having been hit by a stone thrown the EDL. Bastards. We made sure she was ok and got her friend to call for an ambulance and wait with her. A huge soundsystem on a trailer rounded the corner heading in the direction we had just come from. Back we went, dancing to our new soundtrack. We soon got turned away again, so headed back onto the roads in order to catch the EDL on their way to the train station. On the way we passed a pub with a group of EDL members sat outside. Recognising us, they threw several glasses, one just missing my leg, and began to give chase. I ran as fast as I could, and myself and a few others dived into a hedge. Several EDL ran past, one with a large rock, which he kept throwing at the pavement. They were spreading out looking for us. Police came up the other end of the road, so we took our chance and ran again. We joined a large group of anti-fascists at a high point overlooking the EDL march. The EDL were fighting and struggling with the police, who kept them contained. From here we were able to launch a mini counter-demonstration, but soon the police came with dogs and forced us to move on. We stopped again and continued the demonstration, and again the police and dogs moved us on. We headed out into the road and a police cordon began to form around us. They moved us back and split us, and we were moved back towards Temple Meads. From here we were prevented from being able to reach the end of the march, but the video below shows what happened next. Our only option was to backtrack, and so we headed to College Green to show solidarity with the Pride festival, and celebrate with a beer.

With less than 300 people, the EDL showed Bristol that they were an insignificant minority, and their violent and aggressive behaviour towards counter-demonstrators and the police throughout the day put rest to their claim that they demonstrate peacefully. The police did their best to divide us, but even though we were separated into lots of small groups, we were united in our cause. People came out in force to make it clear that fascists are not welcome in Bristol, and I would like to congratulate all of those thousands who marched and lined the streets in opposition to them. Well done people. Let's hope they never come back.

There were many incidents of violence and aggression by the police. If you witnessed or were a victim of one of these incidents, please contact NetPol http://networkforpolicemonitoring.org.uk/

Bristol Indymedia article on the demo here.

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Anti-EDL Demonstration in Bristol - Information

This Saturday (14th July), the English Defence League will be marching in Bristol, and with it there will be counter-demonstrations by anti-fascists. "We Are Bristol" is a coalition of anti-fascist and activist groups, trade unions and other groups and individuals opposed to the EDL. See my previous blog post Anti-EDL Demo in Bristol this July for the statement from We Are Bristol.  The following is the most up-to-date information that I have on the counter-demonstrations, and I will update this post regularly up until Friday night/Saturday morning as and when I get any further information.

Last updated: 14/7/12 at 08:47 All info on this post was correct to my knowledge at 8.47am. I will not be updating this post anymore as i am off to the march. For latest updates, I recommend following the live updates at Bristol Indymedia. Please note that this post is not an "official" source and the information contained within has been collated from my contacts and information posted elsewhere on the web.

My detailed eyewitness account of the counter-demonstrations can be found here: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/edl-outnumbered-by-counter.html

• The EDL have agreed a route with the police and full details can be found on the Avon and Somerset Constabulary website here.
• There will be three separate counter-demonstrations. Currently two of these are planned to start at 11am, at Bristol Temple Meads and at the fountains opposite the Hippodrome. The third will involve a group of LGBTQI people marching as an Anti-Racist and Proud Block on We are: Proud Pride Parade. For this march, meet at Berkeley Square, just off Triangle at 10.30am (the march leaves at 11am)
• Several media sources have today printed a story saying that the demonstration has been moved from the fountains to Castle Park. My sources from the Socialist Party and Bristol AFed (part of We Are Bristol), along with this Indymedia article claim that this is not currently the case - Castle Park was not agreed upon in any meeting and the DEMO IS STILL STARTING AT THE FOUNTAINS. At 6.16am on Friday, Bristol AFed @BristolAF tweeted "the official ‪#wearebristol‬ position is still meet 11am at the fountains, we'll update if this changes. ‪#stopedl" I was informed at 14:50 today (Friday) by a member of Bristol AFed that this is still the case and that the Temple Meads demo is still happening. Bristol Anti-fascists tweeted the following around 16:00 today (Friday) "we've heard the police are having their own march against the EDL at castlepark. Try not to get mixed up in it yourselves though!" - follow them at @stopedl. BADACA have also stated today that the demos at the fountains and Temple Meads will still be going ahead. The Bristol Indymedia front page was updated at 19:48 clarifying that the fountains is still the meeting point. An article was posted on Bristol Indymedia at 22:38 on Friday,  apparently by We Are Bristol, advising people to stay clear of Castle Park. Despite all of this, Unite Against Fascism seem adamant that the demo has been moved to Castle Park, and that there will be trade union appointed stewards re-directing people from the fountains. In which case, the fountains still seem a sensible place to head for, at least initially. 
• A PDF of the We Are Bristol leaflet is here.
• We have no idea how many people will be attending the EDL march or the counter-demonstration. A Facebook event "UNITY Against the EDL + Racist Hatred in Bristol" has 1719 people confirmed as attending with 419 as maybe attending. Many more have not, and will not, advertise that they are attending on Facebook (including myself), and also it is likely that some will not show up. This article from the Bristol Evening Post gives a figure of approximately 500 EDL members and 1000 police (700 according to the BBC). From past experience with the BEP (owned by the Daily Mail), I wouldn't trust any figure that they publish. Whatever the figures are, this is going to be a big one.
• Police will be out in force. Street clothing (as opposed to obvious activist clothing) is advised, i.e. no T-shirts with Anarchy or other protest symbols, V for Vendetta masks, scarfs over face etc. Also, I would stongly advise not carrying anything that could be classed as a weapon, or any illegal drugs - you may be stopped and searched. The last thing we want is unnecessary arrests on our side. The more you look like an ordinary member of the public, the less likely you are to be stopped by the police.
• There will be legal observers on the day, according to Searchlight Magazine, however they can't be everywhere at once. If you see anyone being arrested, make notes of the incident, including the badge number and name of the officer, and a name and/or detailed description of the person being arrested, and notes of the incident itself. Use mobile phone/video cameras if you have one. It may just help to let an innocent person off (or convict someone who has committed a serious offence).
• A "Bust Card" has been produced with advice on what to do if approached or arrested by the police
• A list of significant people who have signed the We Are Bristol statement can be found here. Two local MPs have also publicy opposed the EDL march and the Bristol NUT and South West Trade Union Congress (TUC) have also thrown their weights behind the We Are Bristol campaign.
• Bristol Indymedia will be covering events on their website during the day, and also on their Twitter feed. Please inform them if you have any new information, prior to or during the demo.
• A camera has been installed in Queen Square and the police rapid response HQ is nearby. 
• Bristol Anarchist Federation have kindly created an anti-racist mix-tape for you to download to get you into the mood for Saturday http://bristolaf.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/turn-it-up-against-the-edl/. Also, a few of us have been raving about about this classic EDL spoof anthem (free to download here).
• Trains are likely to be heavily disrupted on the day, as the RMT railworkers’ union are to be on strike on ‘health and safety’ grounds, and taxidrivers will be refusing any EDL passengers  

•  Information on the accomodation used by the EDL this weekend has now been released: http://www.edlnews.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/latest-news/785-edl-bristol-demo-accommodation-details-leaked?eprivacy=1
• Advice for people wanting to film the demo is here. 
• Details of solicitors are here. It's a good idea to write a phone number on your arm, just in case you need it. 
• "Sikhs against the EDL" will be joining the counter-demonstration and will be starting at the fountains at 11am 

If there is anything that I have left out or if you have any further information, please contact me either by leaving a comment below or e-mailing standingstonesblog@hotmail.co.uk

Standing Stone's Blog will report back following the demo with an eyewitness account from the ground.

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Anti-EDL Demo in Bristol this July

The English Defence League (EDL) are planning a demonstration in Bristol on 14th July, according to this source (note that the original date of 21st July has been changed to 14th in the most recent sources).

Two separate counter-demonstrations are being planned, with events set up on Facebook. The first has nearly 700 people confirmed as attending and has attracted a lot trolling from EDL supporters, while the second, advocating a peaceful demonstration, has nearly 100 people confirmed as attending.

Unite Against Fascism has built up an alliance of groups in Bristol opposed to the EDL. Bristol and District Anti-Cuts Alliance have also stated on their website that they will be supporting action on the day.

The alliance, calling themselves "We Are Bristol" have put out the following statement (the original source is here):

The English Defence League (EDL) has announced its intention to hold a March and Rally here in Bristol on July 14th.

The EDL is a violent, racist group riddled with fascists, dedicated to promoting hatred and intolerance in society. We agree that Islamophobia -  bigotry against Muslims - is as unacceptable as any other form of racism. The EDL aims to create divisions in society by using diversity as a cause for hatred rather than celebration. The EDL is trying to create a street movement to terrorise ethnic minority communities and attack socialist and Trade Union organisations.

They have staged many provocative demonstrations across the UK over the past three years. Whenever the EDL march they bring disruption and violence. We do not want that here in Bristol.

The route they are planning is through the city centre and coincides with Bristol Pride – We are: Proud - , itself a celebration of diversity. Pride is a celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. It is organised by the LGBT community for the people of the South West. There is no place for the EDL here in Bristol's multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-faith community.

WE ARE BRISTOL is a broad-based network of local community groups, political organisations and Trade Unionists and, supported by Unite Against Fascism, will organise a counter demonstration to keep the EDL out of our city. We urge all decent people of this community - irrespective of colour, faith or beliefs to join us in opposing the EDL. They want to create hatred and division - Let's Unite to stop them.
Please add your name to the growing list of supporters.

WE ARE BRISTOL can offer speakers and publicity for your union branch, community group, church or mosque.

For more information or to send messages of support please contact southwestuaf@gmail.com

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Save the NHS March - Bristol 5th May 2012

At 11am, around 400 people from all walks of life congregated on the bland and sterile new grass on College Green for the final event in the May week of action for the Save Our NHS march.
Organisations and campaigns represented included various unions (including Unite, Unision and UCU), Bristol and District Anti-Cuts Alliance, South West Against Nuclear, Bristol Anarchist Federation, Bristol Fawcett, Occupiers from Bath and Bristol and lots of other members of the public.

A rally with a variety of speeches took place outside the council building. Although there were some great speeches, the highlight was a couple of smartly-dressed women with Virgin badges, posing as company reps and outlining exactly what they were going to do to the NHS.

Following the rally, banners were held up high and all assembled for the march. People joined in along the way, and we caused quite a scene marching through town to chants of "Whose NHS? Our NHS" and a selection of reggae, rock and punk from a stereo system in a wheelie bin, as well as an excellent cover of Pulp's Common People sung from David Cameron's perspective.


Will this march change anything? On its own, no. But if we don't want the NHS to be privatised by this sham of a government - made up of two parties that vowed to protect the NHS - then we need to keep showing that we're not happy. Keep it in the public eye, keep piling the pressure on and maybe someone will listen. But even if it changes nothing, I'm going to keep doing it. I'm here to change the world, not be changed by those trying to destroy it. Be the change you want to see.

Peace all.

Video here:

More reporting from The Shittro here: http://theshittro.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/pro-nhs-rally-bristol-saturday-5th-may.html

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The Ongoing War Against the Corrupt Financial Elite

Occupy LSX, outside St Paul's cathedral, has been evicted. With most of the camps gone, it might appear to some that the Occupy Movement has lost. Nonsense. Occupy is an idea, and the people involved haven't gone away. We're all still talking, and Phase 2 is taking off quite nicely. That's not to say that the loss of the St Paul's isn't a tragedy - as a friend of mine put it "why do things always have to end with a fence and bastards in hi-vis?".

Occupy LSX

Back in the mid-90s, occupying physical spaces was an almost as widespread form of direct action as in the last 6 months. Back then, the target was the government road schemes. Some occupations of the land made the national headlines - in particular the protests at Solsbury Hill, Twyford, the A30 and, of course, the Newbury Bypass. Their dedication to holding onto those physical spaces was much more than those trying to hold onto Occupy camps, for good reason - the woodlands and other important habitats were under threat. The pavement outside St Paul's and the land at Queen Square and College Green are not under threat, and not home to rare wildlife. It didn't matter so much where the camps were. The Newbury Bypass protest, and many of the other road protests, failed to achieve their primary objectives - protect the natural habitats faced with imminent destruction. But although those battles were lost, the protests scored some big wins in the long-term. The road protests caught the attention of the media in a big way, and turned a large proportion of the public onto the issues. By the end of the Newbury Bypass protest, scores of camps were set up along the route and many thousands of people had participated in some way in opposing the bypass. It's one of the biggest regrets I have, that I wasn't one of them. It was one of the most important battles fought in my lifetime. I visited Snelsmore Common (the site of several of the encampments) recently and was horrified by what I saw. The legacy of the road protests is that hundreds of proposed road schemes never happened, and that environment and wildlife laws are now enforced much more strictly at the planning and development stages. Another scheme like the Newbury Bypass would have a lot more difficulty getting off the ground today with the current planning laws and demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of direct action. As Swampy put it when evicted from his tunnel at Fairmile:

"I think it's the only way to get a voice these days. I mean if I had written a letter to my MP, would I have achieved all this? Would you lot be here now? I think not!"

The victories scored by those brave people who put their lives at risk deserve never to be forgotten, and their achievements need to be upheld and protected. The coalition government are now branding our wildlife laws as "red tape", are trying to make developments easier to get through planning and attempted to sell off our forests. They are eroding our right to occupy, with the squatting laws and enforced evictions. We need to stop them at all costs.

It's easy to overlook a one-day protest, but long-term high-profile protests get the media interested and, despite some media sources painting negative pictures, a chance to get the word out to the public. Occupy has started an international conversation. When we had the camps in Bristol and Bath, we were constantly on the TV, radio and newspapers. We were given the opportunity to get our message across to the general public and the people in charge, and they were listening, even if only to dismiss us. The camps were in central locations. We had so many people walk past, shouting at us to have a bath and, then go to the pub, start talking about why we were doing it and come back with questions. Already the politicians are speaking about "fairer capitalism". I'm not convinced they completely mean it, but there have been some positive outcomes - the government are now cracking down on tax avoidance by the banks, and the Move Your Money campaign has seen many people move to more responsible ethical banks and credit unions. People are now more aware than ever, thanks to the months of Occupiers using whatever means they can - from social media to newspapers, TV, leaflets, talks and tent city universities - to get the messages across.

But even though we're onto the next phase and few are still camping, I don't think it's the end of direct action. If things get worse, the protest side of things will heat up again. The UNITE union leader is calling for protests during the Olympics, and the 15th of May is a significant date for Occupiers (the Spanish Indignados - the pre-cursor to Occupy - started on this date last year). Both of these are opportunities to expand on showing the fat cats, the government and the rest of the world that we're not happy.

I see the Occupy Movement as the latest manifestation of an ongoing war against the corrupt wealthy elite of this world who are hell-bent on wrecking societies and the environment for the sake of profit. Newbury was part of this fight - some of the dialogue from the protestors in videos from the evictions could just have easily come from an Occupier - as were the war march, the G20 protests, the CND movement and countless other protests and movements. From my perspective, the way forward involves "joined-up thinking". We need to connect poverty, environmental degradation, wars, loss of public services, political oppression and human rights violations with corrupt corporations, bankers and governments. There are many organisations and individuals out there fighting different battles of the same war. We need to come together as one, and attack them on all fronts.

In other news, the Move Your Money campaign is gathering momentum - more info here: http://www.moveyourmoney.org.uk/. March is Move Your Money month - if you don't want the big banks to hold the power and want to support better alternatives, now is the time to do so. If you haven't signed it yet, the petition to get Bath and North East Somerset Council to move from NatWest to an ethical bank like the Co-operative is here.

Further Reading:

Occupy LSX eviction:
Guardian article - http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/feb/28/police-evict-st-pauls-occupy-protesters

Surprisingly neutral Sun article - http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4159319/Occupy-London-evicted-from-St-Pauls.html

Where next for Occupy?:
Guardian opinion piece on the next step - http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/29/occupy-london-represent

Road Protest Movement
Lots of resources on the Newbury Bypass here - http://www.ukrivers.net/newburybypass/factfile.html

Videos of the Newbury camps and some of the evictions here (not always comfortable viewing, but highlight how insanely vicious police and bailiffs can be when they want to) - http://www.kinokast.net/index.php/protest-videos/transport/the-newbury-bypass/raw-hi8-tapes/

Swampy's speech after leaving the tunnel at Fairmile (A30 road protest) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvSwc9ryKAY&feature=related

For an account of Newbury by one of the protestors, see Merrick (1996) "Battle for the Trees"

Also worth checking out the songs "Battle for the Trees" by Julian Cope and "Snelsmore Wood" by New Model Army.

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