solidarity – Page 173

Dale Farm: The human cost of racist prejudice

As the displaced residents of Dale Farm in Essex face another round of forced evictions, Elly Robson talks to some of the families and examines the discrimination they face

The storming of Dale Farm by hundreds of riot police at dawn on 19 October 2011 was the money shot that the press had been waiting for following weeks of legal proceedings; the next day they all went home. But three months down the line, the eviction continues for the Dale Farm community, unreported. Their former home has been systematically destroyed by Constant & Co. bailiffs, who have transformed this once vibrant and close-knit community into a sewage-filled bombsite.

With nowhere else to go, the vast majority of the displaced Travellers now live on the private road (owned by them) leading to Dale Farm and on their friends’ plots on the neighbouring Oak Lane site. Living in overcrowded conditions, they lack adequate access to water and toilet facilities, the only electricity supply is through noisy and expensive generators, and many of the young children and elderly people are ill. It is an unreported refugee camp, just thirty minutes away from London.

Arriving at the site last week, we were greeted by an elderly man who looked up at the remnants of the children’s rope swings hanging from the trees and said ‘What is there to live for? What hope do we have? My wife and I have talked seriously about ending it all. This is no way to live.’ While the trauma of the eviction is still vivid for the residents, it is what happens next that worries them most of all.

Kathleen, an articulate five-year-old with an acute awareness of the challenges facing her community, explained the situation to me: ‘Basildon Council and the police came and they broke everything. They broke the walls, and my granny’s caravan, and they broke all the ground, and even my mum’s back [Kathleen’s mother was hospitalised with a fractured spine during the policing operation]. We were crying and we were so scared. Now, Basildon Council want to move us again, but they can’t put us out on the road because where can we go?’…………………………..

READ FULL ARTICLE AND COMMENTS HERE (with thanks to Red Pepper

http://www.redpepper.org.uk/dale-farm-the-human-cost-of-prejudice/

Dale Farm: a tale of blighted lives for the evicted traveller families | This is Essex (worldwright.wordpress.com)
Dale Farm eviction: six months on – video (projectbrainsaver.wordpress.com)

Dublin Occupiers still EVICTED

The eviction of the Occupy Dame Street camp

A large force of Garda and council workers were deployed at 3.30am today, International Women’s Day, to clear Occupy Dame Street (ODS) camp. The camp was completely demolished in the course of the eviction, campers intimidated and their personal property stolen.

This was a level of force way out of proportion with the numbers in the camp (about 15 people) and stands in contrast with the lack of resources put into investigating what happened at Anglo, the collapse of which has left a debt of 26,000 Euro on every single person in the country.

The small Garda team ‘investigating’ what happened at Anglo only includes one forensic accountant. As far as anyone can tell they have yet to get into the computers that were encrypted and which the bank has refused to hand over the passwords for. This certainly tells us whose interests those in power protect and that the Garda will ‘just follow orders’ even if they are individually included amongst the 99% of us who have been screwed over.

Media coverage of the eviction suggests that it was a fairly low key affair with an overwhelming number of Garda (around 100) compared to campers (about 15) but commentary from the campers and a video interview published by the Irish Times suggests that a significant level of physical intimidation & force was used by Garda. Campers talked of pick axes being used to break into structures while they were still inside and of the seizure of mobile phones, lap tops, clothes, minutes & contact books and even bicycles that were chained on the square. This happened without warning, while people were sleeping. One of the campers said of the police that “they came like volatile bullies & terrorists .. they behaved like animals”

Updated 14.30: In a second video interview from this morning two women from ODS talked about how the Garda had arrived wearing balaclava’s, didn’t poduce the court order until they had dragged everyone off the site and had twisted their arms and stamped on their hands when they attempted to sit on the street. Just before lunch a small group were forcibly prevented from putting up tents. A number of witnesses have said that last night some of the Garda appeared to be carrying guns.

  Latest UPDATE
GARDAÍ IN DUBLIN city centre are preventing the protest group who had camped outside the Central Bank’s headquarters from 8 October until this morning from erecting any more tents at the property.

The camp was dismantled by dozens of gardaí at around 3.30am today and the area was subsequently cleaned by Dublin City Council workers.

ocupado y colectivizado,Somonte Finca, occupied and collectivized

Hoy domingo 4 de Marzo a las 11 de la mañana unos 500 miembros del Sindicato de Obreros del Campo – Sindicato Andaluz de Trabajadores hemos ocupado la finca Somonte en el término municipal de Palma del Río. Esta finca propiedad de la Junta de Andalucía sale mañana a subasta. Privatizan la tierra mientras la gente del pueblo sufre un paro extremo de 1.700 personas en Palma del Río y más de 4.000 personas paradas en los pueblos de alrededor. Están vendiendo más de 20000 hectáreas en Andalucía quedando aún unas 8.000 sin subastar. Ante este atropello el SOC-SAT se va movilizar durante estos días y el próximo jueves a las 11 de la mañana hará una manifestación en la Consejería de Agricultura de Sevilla pidiendo que se paralice esta venta de tierras y que en lugar de pasar a banqueros y terratenientes sean trabajadas por cooperativas de jornaler@s en paro.

Sunday March 4 at 11 am about 500 members of the Laborers Union City – Union Workers Andalusian Somonte have occupied the farm in the town of Palma del Río. This property owned by the Junta de Andalucía leaves tomorrow for auction. Privatize the land while the common people suffer extreme arrest 1,700 people in Palma del Rio and more than 4,000 people standing in the surrounding villages. They are selling more than 20000 hectares in Andalusia leaving about 8,000 still without offers. Before this attack the SOC-SAT will mobilize these days and on Thursday at 11 am will be a demonstration at the Ministry of Agriculture asking Sevilla to a standstill this sale of land and instead of going to bankers and landowners are farmed by cooperatives of agricultural laborers s unemployed.

A partir de esta ocupación unas 30 personas de Posadas, Palma del Río y otros pueblos se han quedado en esta finca con el objetivo de permanecer en ella y comenzar a trabajarla. Pensamos que esta es la única forma de llevar a cabo nuestras ideas consecuentemente ya que la tierra tiene que ser autogestionada por los propios trabajadores y trabajadoras para crear el máximo número de empleo y favorecer el desarrollo de la economía local y comarcal. El terreno de Somonte tiene 359 has. de secano y 41 has. de regadío. La parte de regadío podría dar en una primera etapa unos 50 puestos de trabajo mediante el cultivo de espárragos, cebollas y otras hortalizas. A medio plazo se podría generar mucho más empleo a través del cultivo social de todo el terreno, de agroindustrias y comercialización de los productos por medio de las inversiones necesarias

From this occupation about 30 people from Posadas, Palma del Rio and other peoples have been on this farm in order to stay there and begin to work it. We think this is the only way to carry out our ideas accordingly as the land has to be self-managed by workers themselves to create the maximum number of jobs and helping to develop local and regional economy. The field has 359 Somonte you. rainfed and 41 hectares. irrigated. The share of irrigation could result in an early stage about 50 jobs through the cultivation of asparagus, onions and other vegetables. In the medium term it could generate more employment through the social culture of the whole land, agribusiness and marketing of products through the necessary investments.

Desde el SOC-SAT hacemos un llamamiento urgente a la solidaridad de Palma del Río y los pueblos de alrededor y a todos los compañer@s de la provincia de Córdoba y de Andalucía para que apoyen estacausa viniendo a sumarse a la lucha y el trabajo en la finca de Somonte presionando a los órganos de poder, difundiendo la noticia y apoyándonos materialmente: comida, semillas, plantas, materiales, dinero y lo que se vea posible.

Esta acción debe ser el comienzo de la revolución agraria que en este momento de paro, penurias y estafa neoliberal tanta falta nos hace. Hoy en día cualquier alternativa para sobrevivir con dignidad debe pasar por la lucha por la tierra, la agricultura campesina, la soberanía alimentaria y el desarrollo que genera como ha pasado y vemos cada día en Marinaleda y otros pueblos de Andalucía.

Animamos a tod@s los trabajadores y parad@s de Andalucía a que luchen por la tierra pública o privada para su colectivización por parte del pueblo.

SI EL PRESENTE ES LUCHA, EL FUTURO ES NUESTRO

¡VIVA ANDALUCÍA LIBRE!

From the SOC-SAT we urgently appeal to the solidarity of Palma del Rio and the surrounding villages and all the comrades’ s the province of Cordoba and Andalusia to support this cause coming to join the fight and work in the estate of Somonte pressing the organs of power, spreading the word and supporting us materially food, seeds, plants, materials, money and see what is possible.

This action must be the beginning of the agrarian revolution in this time of unemployment, hardship and neoliberal scam we need so badly. Today any alternative to survive with dignity must go through the struggle for land, farming, food sovereignty and development that generates as has happened and see every day in Marinaleda and other towns of Andalusia.

We encourage tod @ s workers and parad Andalusia ‘s fight for public or private land for collectivisation by the people.

IF THIS IS FIGHT, THE FUTURE IS OURS

ANDALUSIA LIVE FREE!

veta La Palma. Aqua-permaculture in Andalucia (thefreeonline.wordpress.com)

ZAD cops tear gas themselves

WHEN PIGS CRY

The vache (that’s the French cops to you and me) scored a hilarious own goal last week at la ZAD protest site near Nantes: They tear-gassed themselves.

Around 100-150 cops had turned up to police a protest on Tuesday (14th) of around 40 ZAD occupiers and some local farmers whose fields were being valued. As the state and corporation Vinci press ahead with the long-awaited, and much-opposed, plan for a new international airport to be built on over 6km2 of the southern France countryside, the valuing of land for compensation agreements is one of the last remaining steps before imminent destruction.

Deciding the presence of the site riff raff (who may or may not have been planning on blocking the land valuers access to the fields…) justified riot control policing, one butterfingered cop pulled out a tear gas canister which, seconds later, inexplicably exploded behind the police line. Activists proceeded to piss themselves laughing at the sight of floundering, crying robocops while the bosses behind hogged the eye-drops. Their faces were even redder later as they struggled through muddy fields as nimble protesters gave them the run around.

The episode was the latest in the saga of the Notre-Dame des Landes airport. The airport is just one part of the meglomaniac ‘Grand Ouest’ project incorporating a new road system and the expansion of the Saint Nazaire port (“What’s climate change?”). Most land-owners have already sold their land to the government but a handful still resist, either wholeheartedly rejecting the devastating plans or just holding out for more dolla: the current offers stand at a meagre 16cents per square meter, while Vinci stands to siphon millions in public money to concrete the lot.

Some of the land expropriated by the state, meanwhile, has been re-appropriated by squatters occupying empty farm buildings and treehouses. Although a couple of squats, including the hub Les Planchettes, have been on eviction alert for several weeks ZAD inhabitants are busy with a timetable of workshops, building, riding the airwaves with the ZAD’s Radio Klaxton and planning for the upcoming True Substances week of demonstration, skill shares and action (5th – 10th March).

See zad.nadir.org, or get yer ass down to France for March 5th.

Jornades d’acció feminista autònoma /feminist action days

[CAT] ¡Se va a armar la gorda! Jornades d’acció feminista autònoma per a dones, lesbianes i trans (MLT), sense partits, sindicats ni banderes)

barcelona..Per segon any consecutiu se celebren les jornades d’acció feminista autònoma al voltant del 8 de març, “Se va a armar la gorda” per a dones, lesbianes i trans (MLT), sense partits, sindicats ni banderes.

Perquè pensem que cal abandonar les pors, la passivitat i la submissió, us animem a que, durant aquests dies però també la resta de dies, feu accions, prengueu eel carrer agiteu el sistema, us autoorganizeu per a crear xarxes i destruir el que ens oprimeix, canalitzant la ràbia, i fent-nos protagonistes de les nostres vides i dels nostres desitjos per tots els mitjans.

En un context de progressiva precarització en tots els àmbits de les nostres vides, de polítiques de privatització i negació dels serveis més bàsics-llei de l’avortament, desnonaments i desallotjaments, explotació laboral, desmantellament salvatge del sistema sanitari i educatiu,nosaltres -invisibilitzades, minoritzades, deslegitimades-vam decidir continuar endavant amb les nostres lluites, amb aquesta lluita, colze a colze contra el poder.

Tornem a prendre el carrer, un cop més, sense demanar permís i organitzant unes jornades feministes al marge de les institucionals, on visibilitzar sense concessions els nostres cossos, les nostres lluites, les nostres sexualitats i la nostra capacitat d’acció;posant coneixements i pràctiques autogestionàries en comú i agitant l’espai públic que se’ns nega sistemàticament, prenent nostre costat a la barricada dels conflictes socials.

Se va a amar la gorda!

+info
twitter @SE_VA_ARMAR #sevarmarlagorda

LEER MÁS AKÍ http://acampadadebarcelona.org/index.php/ca/compo

Occupy Monsanto Demo and Arrests

Protesters Occupying Monsanto Corp. Arrested

Anthony Gucciardi Activist Post

Taking a stand against the agricultural takeover of the United States and worldwide, a group of Occupy DC members began to protest outside the offices of Monsanto. Taking part in an attempt to help raise awareness over the atrocities committed by mega corporations like Monsanto, Occupy members as far away as Portland helped to organize the national protest.

In the call to action statement provided by Occupy Portland, the movement stated that the protest was to highlight the fact that “corporations buy off legislators and craft legislation that serves the interests of corporations and not people.” According to Occupy DC, about 12 members were arrested.

Protesters were told by D.C. police officers to remove themselves from the Monsanto office, where they formed a line around the building. One police officer, William Farr, said that around 50 protesters gathered around the building.
Police threatened protesters with arrest if they did not move away from the doors, and 12 were ultimately arrested.
According to the report, 10 were arrested for ‘blocking the entrance’ and 2 were arrested for crossing a police line. One of the individuals arrested was an American University student doing a report on police brutality.
During their protest at Monsanto corporation, protesters chanted things like ”Monsanto and ALEC, corporations are making us sick.”
Protesters were even quoted as saying that Monsanto ”is doing more to make a sustainable world impossible than almost any corporation on the planet.”
Monsanto was declared worst company of 2011 for their numerous acts against nature and public health.
In addition to running slave rings and controlling U.S. diplomats behind the scenes to push their agenda, Monsanto is also ensuring that you have no idea whether or not you are eating their genetically modified foods. Squashing labeling initiatives all over the nation through admitted influence, Monsanto wants to make sure you’re in the dark about their latest GMO creations.