The Free

from thefreeonline on 2nd Feb 2023 by The Bristol Activist

frpm The Bristol Activist January 31, 2023 James Ward Court, news, Top Story Leave a comment

A High Court judge has dismissed the appeal of climate campaigners and ruled that Bristol Airport expansion can go ahead.  

Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN) challenged the airport’s expansion plans in the High Court following their approval by planning inspectors at an inquiry in 2021. BAAN argued that the inspectors’ decision to discount climate change from their decision was legally wrong. 

However, in an announcement published today (January 31) Lord Justice Lane ruled that the inspectors’ decision was valid and that the expansion should proceed. 

Responses from campaigners 

The decision comes as a blow to BAAN who have campaigned to stop Bristol Airport expansion since plans for expansion were announced in 2018. There were tears amongst the members of BAAN and their supporters as news of the judge’s ruling broke to those waiting outside the courthouse. 

Hundreds gathered outside Bristol Civil Justice Centre, where the hearing was held in November, and cries of “shame” echoed out when the verdict was shared. 

Speaking for BAAN outside the courthouse, Steve Clarke said: ‘The Government has policies in place which are designed to encourage the growth of airports and the number of people wanting to fly. This shows a total disregard for the climate emergency we are in.

‘In addition, this case shows that no one is taking responsibility for the extra carbon emissions from the 2 million additional passengers because they will not have been taken into account at any stage of the process either locally or nationally.

The Planning Inspectors who presided over the Inquiry stated that the responsibility lay with national Government however the Secretary of State has chosen not to consider the impact of the additional carbon; either at Bristol or other regional airport.

‘The end result of this decision is that the overwhelming voices of opposition of local people and their elected representatives have been ignored.  This is despite the chaos that will be caused locally through extra traffic congestion, noise and air pollution and the fact that the airport is already the biggest carbon emitter in the region.’

Following speeches from campaigners, protesters from XR Youth Bristol sat in front of the courthouse as fake blood was poured over their heads.

How did we get here? 

Thousands of local people signed petitions against the expansion and objected to the original planning application, outnumbering messages of support many times over. 

Bristol Airport’s planning application to expand from 10 million to 12 million passengers a year initially went before North Somerset Council in February 2020. Councillors voted against expansion, many giving as their reason that airport expansion is incompatible with efforts to tackle the climate crisis. 

Since then, further planning applications have been objected to, and the West of England Combined Authority and Bristol City Council joined North Somerset in formally objecting to expansion, although Bristol mayor Marvin Rees has always spoken in favour of the scheme. 

Continue reading “Plane Wrong: Bristol Airport Expansion upheld in new Blow to Campaigners”

The notorious tanks are only a small part of all the military supplies that are continuously moving to Ukraine; but they became an important political reason for NATO to demonstrate its alleged cohesion and generosity.

In Russia, they responded to the upcoming arrival of German and American tanks on the Donbass front lines with their own media campaign.

Many public and private figures announced generous rewards for captured and destroyed tanks.

On January 29, a famous Russian actor, on behalf of “some representatives of a large Russian business”, announced a prize of 10 million rubles for each Abrams destroyed.

A couple of days ago, the Russian company FORES announced a reward of 5 million rubles for the first destroyed or captured American M1 Abrams or German Leopard 2.

The initiative was also supported by government agencies. The governor of the Trans-Baikal Territory will pay to fellow countrymen 3 million rubles for the seizure and 1 million rubles for the destruction of the German Leopard tank of any modification. US Abrams tanks are cheaper — 1.5 million for the capture and 500 thousand rubles for the destruction.

These are just some of the announced prizes. The hunt begins, and the stakes are rising.

from thefreeonline by thecollective at anarchistnews.org

Clashes and demonstration in Trastevere in solidarity with Alfredo Cospito on 101st day of hunger strike (Rome, Italy 28th January 2023)

From Act for freedom now!

We are publishing a short contribution on the demonstration held Saturday 28th January in Rome in solidarity with comrade Alfredo Cospito 101 days from the beginning of the hunger strike.

Alfredo Cospito: Hunger-striking Italian anarchist moved amid protests …A convicted Italian anarchist who has been on hunger strike for weeks has been moved to a jail in Milan amid growing fears his health is worsening. Supporters of Alfredo Cospito, 55, have torched…

Near the gathering in piazza Trilussa – which lasted several hours and from which a demonstration had been unable to set off – after some of those present had slipped out of the encirclement, there were some clashes with the repressive forces, they soon found themselves in difficulty due to being partially surrounded and to the determination of comrades to hold the streets (but they managed to stop a comrade near Piazza Trilussa).

After the clashes, a demonstration was held in the small streets of Trastevere.

At the end of the demo a few dozen comrades were stopped by the DIGOS, police in riot gear and carabinieri.

All 41 people apprehended during the day, taken to the police station and released without restriction from the early hours of Sunday 29, were charged with Article 337 of the Criminal Code (resisting a public official). Below is a brief informative note issued on 29 January itself.

In these days when the comrade’s health condition is rapidly and dramatically worsening, with this initiative the comrades present affirmed the importance of a presence and consequent conflictual practice to be held in the streets, in solidarity with Alfredo in support of the hunger strike. We continue the struggle with rage and determination Alfredo out from 41 bis!

*****

Yesterday in Rome struggle in the streets against 41 bis and life imprisonment without parole, with Alfredo Cospito 101 days on hunger strike.

The police wanted to surround the demonstrators, they were surrounded. The riot police in total confusion charged the DIGOS twice, managing to send one of them to hospital.

The boss of the square wanted to prevent a harmless demo, he got two hours of wild demonstration in Trastevere, which resisted by barricading itself and repelling numerous charges in the alleys.

While it is true that most of the 41 arrested could have been avoided if it had been realised a few minutes earlier that the party was coming to an end, this does not detract one iota from the message of anger at the imminent execution of our comrade coming from the streets. If anything, it reinforces it.

A big thank you to all the rebels and solidarity with all those accused.

Long live anarchy

Alfredo Cospito – Wikipedia

Alfredo Cospito (born 1967) is an Italian insurrectionary anarchist convicted on terrorism charges. [1] He was sentenced to 10 years for kneecapping the head of the Italian nuclear power company Ansaldo Nucleare in 2012, and subsequently to life without parole for bombing a Carabinieri cadet barracks in Fossano………