This week sees the Camp for Climate Action: the perfect venue for DIY enthusiasts with an anti-capitalist streak or "for anyone who’s fed up with empty government rhetoric and corporate spin; for anyone who’s worried that the small steps they’re taking aren’t enough to match the scale of the problem; and for anyone who’s worried about our future and wants to do something about it."
The camp has been set up and has already been the subject of police raids taking famously subversive items like toilet rolls, soap, bicycles and board games. Cue press stories about dirty, shitty hippies I guess... it seems this is part of the price for trying to fuse demonstrations on how we can live a greener life, talks and discussions with upfront illegal, but non-violent, direct action. The cops just don't like it when people are thinking *and* doing.
Check out the climate camp link to know more about the event whilst George Monbiot, Chris Davies and Caroline Lucas sum up the issues at stake. If any further excitement were needed I should add that Arthur Scargill is due to speak. Well blow me!
One of the best places to watch for updates will be Indymedia. They even have their own TV station of sorts and you can keep up with the action on twitter, where all the cool kids hang out.
I'll keep a running tally at this post on press items and blogs I notice about the camp so if you see anything I've missed (and I'm sure they'll be a lot) just leave a message in box provided. Thanks.
Sunday's updates:
BBC coverage, Coventry Green Voice
photos and some
video of police,
five activists risk jail, anarchist piece on
UK Watch, blog post from
Stuart Jeffrey,
Bristling Badger,
John McDonnell (he gets to the camp further into the article) and
Two Doctors.
Monday's updates:
A note from Caroline Lucas'
blog and she's also in the
Guardian, the
Independent on police arrests, and in
The Guardian,
The Void on the same story,
video footage, but
Indymedia gives the best flavour,
Stuart Jeffrey update and pics,
Greenman has a good set of resources,
Climate Camp radio,
Red Pepper.
Tuesday's updates:
BBC "police find weapons stash" (!),
Jim Killock,
Monbiot,
No New Coal,
Stuart Jeffrey,
Channel Four report,
Scott on police repression,
Medway TUC,
Guardian on activist arrested for breach of bail and then the paper
criticises the police tactics. Article in
Socialist Worker,
Kent online describes over a thousand police from 26 forces.
Hippy Shopper reports.
Alice in Blogland.
Bob Marshall Andrews MP condemns the police,
Douglas Johnson comments, and
Monbiot again this time rather controversially saying "I have now reached the point at which I no longer care whether or not the answer is nuclear. Let it happen."
Wednesday updates:
The
Ecologist,
Scott lists the international movement,
Stuart Jeffrey,
Ali Gledhill moved by the arguments to support nuclear power.
Jeremy Dear on the harassment of journalists.
Thursday updates:
Monbiot "Hypocrites unite!", The
Independent on Scargill, the
man himself,
UK Watch on the police,
Green Party on the police,
letter to the fuzz,
Derek Wall on his experiences,
Sen seems to be hedging,
Lenin on the police, protest against biofuels
BBC, The
Lazy Environmentalist reports.
Saturday's updates:
Pickled Politics,
Stuart Jeffrey,
Alice in blogland,
Derek Wall, a Scargill
podcast (!), and on
CiF,
War on terror board game branded criminal by police.
Boats stopped near power station, showdown for
climate camp, and keep checking
Indymedia.
Sunday's updates:
Guardian:
arrests and
injuries,
Permanent Revolution,
Barkingside 21 on coal,
arrested for carrying vitamins,
Douglas Johnson,
Sunny on dismissing police harrasment,
UK Watch,
Noel Lynch,
Lewsham posse on the march,
Schnews,
Jonathon Porritt on coal vs Nuclear,
Let me know any I missed, look out for a couple of guest posts I'm hoping to recieve soon.
The camp has been set up and has already been the subject of police raids taking famously subversive items like toilet rolls, soap, bicycles and board games. Cue press stories about dirty, shitty hippies I guess... it seems this is part of the price for trying to fuse demonstrations on how we can live a greener life, talks and discussions with upfront illegal, but non-violent, direct action. The cops just don't like it when people are thinking *and* doing.
Annie Leonard and co. (
Adrienne Mayor (
Ed Howker and Shiv Malik
Floella Benjamin (
Mark Watson (
Tim Jackson (
David Wilson (
Clive Lord (
Nickie Roberts
8 comments:
Just saw Caroline Lucas against some big business guy on Channel 4. Is it me or does the party seem to be getting more and more media time?
I think it's hard to tell anecdotally. I go through phases when I see the party alot then nothing - and it's difficult to know whether it's just you.
What's good about climate camp (from a purely media/party view, and I'm not saying that's the important thing) is that it's something the party supports, and no one else does.
Often environmental issues get co-opted by the main two parties and make it all about tax or putting the word eco- in front their old policy - with this they don't want to touch it and so we get be the respectable wing for a change!
Climate camp is getting lots of coverage. I say this as a media junkie. I reckon the threat of trouble is the frame/attraction for at least some editors.
Caroline getting a pretty big chunk of time near the beginning of C4 news has to be a real success. The "big coal" guy was very much on the back foot with KG the anchor joining in with Caroline's line of questioning. Clean coal without CCS .... ??
I'm off down there tomorrow and presuming I don't get arrested I'll write up some impressions.
Now where did I put those wellies?
Douglas Coker
Enfield Green Party
I was just reading Caroline's piece on Comment Is Free. Good stuff, but some of the comments are bizarre, even for CIF. Why do these people spend their time commenting on the Guardian website - they all seem to be right-wing nutjobs. It totally mystifies me...they must know that 90% of the articles are going to be infuriating to them, and yet CIF seems to attract them like moths to a lightbulb!
That story about the weapons stash seems completely fabricated and when the police officer even said "oh they're gonna kill the police horses and police dogs with throwing stars" I died a bit inside..
They're vegans for crying out loud! How can people be so stupid? ._.
Yes, it's obvious non-sense. But I don't think it's stupidity.
It's BBC policy to repeat what the police say as fact, except in rare cases. It's police policy to make up stories to justify violating civil rights.
I think we need to take these things as facts and simply say - what are we going to do about it? I guess that means putting our side of the story and showing lies up for what they are - and demonstrating the pattern.
Matt, inviting free comment on what is supposed to be a real news media site is the world's stupidest idea. It's never constructive, and always brings out the crazies.
On that tack, though, have you all seen the excellent: http://ifyoulikeitsomuchwhydontyougolivethere.com/
Anyone else shocked at Monbiot's advocation of nuclear?
Pfft, and I was starting to like him.
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