A-Infos (en) SchNEWS, Issue 169

["Peregrine (David)" <peregrine@cybergal.com>]

 ________________________________________________
      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
            http://www.ainfos.ca/
 ________________________________________________


  Here's the latest SchNEWS, the direct action newsletter
  from Brighton.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S YER "MUM ME TOMATOES JUST RAN OFF DOWN THE
STREET"...

[SchNEWS]

FROM NORWICH TO NEW ZEALAND EVERY WEEK

Issue 169, Friday 29th May 1998

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

MODIFIED FIELDS FOREVER

"It now seems that direct actions of this kind are the only way left for
people to put this genie back in the bottle."

Last Saturday saw the UK's first occupation against the growing of
genetically engineered crops (GE). The occupation, in Kirby Bedon near
Norwich, Norfolk, promises to last a month and is on a field previously
used to test GE sugar beet. We say 'used to' cos the sugar beet was
mysteriously trashed a few weeks previous.

The idea of the occupation is to transform the land into a working
alternative to industrial agriculture, with organic gardens, compost
toilets and an information centre.

Genetic engineering basically means taking genes out of one thing and
splicing them into another. You can pick'n'mix genes with everything from
bacteria, viruses, plants and animals. Over 3,000 GE foodstuffs are poised
to enter the food chain around the world despite the fact that we don't
know what effects eating them will have on our bodies - or on those of
future generations.

On March 3rd an American cotton seed company and the US Dept of Agriculture
announced they had received a patent on a technique that genetically
disables a seed's capacity to germinate when planted again. So far only
cotton and tobacco seeds have responded to the new technique, but in time
it could mean that farmers would no longer be able to save their own seed -
and instead have to buy seed each year from the massive agribusiness
companies. The company in question (Monsanto) has now been bought in by
leaders in the frankenstein technology. Massive agribusiness companies like
Monsanto say this is all needed to help feed the world, and is of course
nothing to do with profit. They could be right. If they can patent
umbiliacal blood, why not sperm, then we will all have to pay to produce
more job slaves and if we don't... there will be a smaller world to feed!

There are currently 332 GE test sites in the UK, but resistance is blooming
- with around a dozen sites trashed in the past year. One of the occupants,
Chris Cooper from Action Against Genetic Engineering, explained: "By
seizing this land, our aim is to establish a working demonstration of the
alternatives to the genetic engineering of crops... The action is a protest
against genetic engineering and the companies responsible. It is certainly
not an attack on farmers... who are losing even more of their freedoms to
the big seed and chemical corporations."

Join the camp! The site is located near the sewage works near Kirby Bedon,
approx. ten minutes drive from Norwich with buses from the city centre
running nearby. They can be contacted on: 0831 332520 or 0961 517324. Web:
www.dmac.co.uk/gen.html

   * To find out where your nearest GE site is check out www.foe.co.uk or
     call the Biotechnology Unit, Floor 2/G9 Department of the Environment,
     Ashdown House, 123 Victoria St., London SW1E 6OE 0171 890 5275. Don't
     take no for an answer - they are required by law to provide this
     information to the public.
   * For an in depth look at genetics get a copy of New Internationalist
     issue 293 (August '97) PO Box 79, Hertford, SG14 1AQ Tel: 01992 822899

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CRAP ARREST OF THE WEEK

For getting yer kit off! Cast your minds back a year and a half ago, when
people stripped off at the World Food Summit in Italy, to draw attention to
" the naked truth about genetic engineering". They had thought the matter
dropped but now are in court in july charged with 'obscene acts'

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSES FROM $HELL?

Yet another new housing development is being proposed on contaminated land,
this time an old $hell depot in Wokingham. The depot was used for storing
aviation fuel, petrol, diesel, and paraffin and is acknowledged by $hell
and the council to be contaminated by Hydrocarbons and Lindane (a petrol
additive). A report in 1994 commissioned by Shell recommended restoration
of the site for industrial use, this was ok'd by Wokingham District
Council. But a second report has since been commissioned on behalf of
Persimmon Homes who now want the site for property development, but
unfortunately for Persimmon the report has "Identified significant
hydrocarbon contamination over most of the site", and says, "further works
would be needed in order to reduce contamination to levels acceptable for
residential development." The report also says that contamination could
have "migrated off site" but more tests are needed. One local man claims it
has indeed 'migrated off site', to his back garden via a pipe line
installed by Shell in 1961. He is now gathering enough evidence to sue
Shell for the illnesses he now suffers from (including Radiation
Poisoning!) After getting nowhere with doctors or Health Authorities he had
to go to Germany to find out what was wrong with him, and was told his body
contained fatal levels of Urainium and Plutonium There is more to this
story, to be continued when we have more space...

   * Reading Road Busters are begining actions on the site this Monday 1st
     June at 2pm at Wokinham Rd, Earley Tel: 0118 986 6362

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CRAP THREAT OF THE WEEK

A new twist of the screw is being attempted by Staffordshire Police, in
charge of policing protestors on the route of Britains first pay road in
Birmingham. On Thursday they called a press conference, and in another
attempt to persuade the press and public that all activists are terrorists,
started with a video of the squatted cottage evicted recently. As the
camera zoomed in on the various defences, a top-cop kept up a running
commentary, accusing the people who had lived in the house of booby
trapping it "This was a dangerously unsafe building that could have
collapsed and killed either a protester or anyone else who might have gone
into it. We felt it highlighted the risks and dangers that arise as a
direct result of what is termed a peaceful protest". They were also shown
footage of other evictions. According to an activist who attended, Mr. Plod
then delighted the assembled meeja whores with the news that if anyone, be
they a protester, a bailiff, or the police was injured during the eviction,
all of those on site would be arrested and charged with "conspiricy to
commit murder".

The old bill then spent the rest of the day nailing the following notice to
the trees at the site.

     "This land or building is being unlawfully occupied by
     tresspassers in order to prevent a proposed road scheme. It is
     believed that tunnels, shafts, fortifications and other devices,
     capable of causing harm to people, are being constructed on the
     land... By your presence as a tresspasser on this land... you can
     be assumed to be personally aware that such tunnels, shafts,
     fortifications... are being constructed. If you were not
     previously aware, by virtue of having read this notice, you are
     now. Although the role of the Police in dealing with peaceful and
     lawful protest is one of complete impartiality, the service does
     have a duty to maintain the Queens Peace and to protect life and
     property. You should be aware that any digging or tunneling...
     are bound to be highly dangerous... such works create an
     environment in which people can be asphyxiated, not to mention
     being a fertile breeding ground for disease. You should be aware
     that... a major criminal enquiry would be conducted by the
     police. Any person shown to have carried out such works or to
     have incited, conspired towards or aided and abetted such works,
     would be liable to arrest and prosecution..."

   * No Birmingham Relief Road Camapign 07970 301978
   * Every day in the UK 25 people die prematurely from air pollution - 20%
     of this pollution is caused by traffic (Source New Scientist) and 15
     die on the roads. (Government road accident stastic figures)

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

EUROPOL TAKEN BACK TO ITS ROOTS

30 activists paid a quick visit to the Europol Headquarters in The Hague
last Sunday. They attached two large banners to the entrance of the
building and spraypainted slogans on the walls. They also covered the front
of the building with posters and replaced the Europol logos on three large
garden boards by the word 'Gestapo' in gothic letters - all of which took
just four minutes! When the action was finished, the The Hague city police
started a hunt for the activists, eventually catching eight people, locking
them up for 20 hours, and charging them with suspicion of membership in a
criminal organisation.

"Who is waiting for a powerful, uncontrollable policeforce in an
undemocratic Europe? Probably the political and economical elites, that
want to protect their interests in a Europe which is marked by growing
social contrasts, growing poverty, pauperization and civil protests."
- From the group's statement

This is what they don't like about those decent Eurocops:

   * There is no parliament that controls Europol. National parliaments
     have nothing to say about it, and the European Parliament only receive
     a vague annual report afterwards.
   * There is no judge that controls Europol. Europol controls itself.
     Citizens for example cannot go to a judge when they feel badly treated
     by Europol.
   * Europol officers do not have to testify in front of a judge. In this
     way, no-one can confirm whether an investigation is carried out
     correctly.
   * Europol police officers have the same status as embassy personal: they
     cannot be prosecuted if they break the law.
   * Europol members can store data about someone's political ideas, sexual
     disposition, ethnicity and lots of other things of which Europol
     thinks may ever be of use.
   * Europol can store data of people they suspect maybe doing something
     wrong in the future.
   * All this information is being exchanged among European countries. But
     Europol also exchanges information with police forces from
     non-European countries. Also countries that violate human rights.
     Information gathered in torture chambers from befriended police forces
     can and will be used by Europol.

Before you know you will be registered in the Europol databanks as a
"threat to the state"!

   * For more info on dodgy Europol plans see the brilliant Statewatch
     magazine: PO Box 1516, London N16 0EW.
   * Also see: www.dsl.nl/eurodusnie

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHIAPAS

2000 indigenous people from 30 Zapatista communities marched on the 11th of
May to demand the release of their comrades who are hold in custody after
the eviction of the autonomous municipality Tierra y Libertad on May 1st.
300 police, backed by the Mexican army smashed up buildings, terrified the
inhabitants and arrested 53 people. Women were beaten when they tried to
defend their sons and husbands. This is the second municipality to be
attacked in this way. Foreign observers are becoming more central to the
struggle as civilian Zapatista organisations try to find a peaceful
solution; much to the annoyance of Mexican authorities who are deporting 80
Italians for breaking visa restrictions. Contact: Chiapas Link, Box 19, 82
Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5BB.

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

SCHNEWS IN BRIEF

   * Benefit gig for the Anarchist Teapot and Kate Evans Book launch with
     P.A.I.N., Headmix Collective and others at the Concorde, Thursday June
     4th, 9pm, £4/3

   * Barking Students who occupied their uni's finance department (SchNEWS
     168) are carrying on their protest and are about to serve the
     University management an injunction as we go to press

   * If there are any builders out there, the protesters at crystal palace
     (South London) are in need of scaffolding, concrete mix, sand and
     aggregate. The camp's been set up to stop a £56 million 20 screen
     multiplex cinema complex with 1,000 car parking spaces being built in
     the park. 0181 761 7826

   * The National March Against Vivisection and Cruelty-Free Exhibition
     takes place on Sat 6th June, and is this year in SHEFFIELD. The Rage
     '98 marquee opens 11am-5pm, with a carnival march kicking off at 1pm.
     Coach from Kings Cross and transport from many other areas arranged -
     call 0114 2530020

   * Apparently discussion is afoot about reintroducing the beaver into
     SCOTLAND - a move which would bring about other ecological
     restoration. Send for a consultation document to Design and
     Publications Section, Scottish Natural Heritage, Battleby, Redgorton,
     Perth, PH1 3EW or write to Scott Porter, 31 Bernard St, Edinburgh, EH6
     6SH (before 17th July) telling him what a great idea the restoration
     proposal is.

   * Take note: RevolutionFest, scheduled for 4th July is off, no new date
     has been set as yet

   * EUROSATORY 1998, protest against the arms fair in Le Bourget, near
     Paris June 1-3. Contact European Network Against Arms Trade, c/o
     Pesthuisalaan 39, 1954 RH Amsterdam, Netherlands. Tel: +31 (0) 20 61
     64 684.

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

ZERO TOLERANCE ON WORMS

Two weeks ago New York City's Mayor, Rudolph "Zero Tolerance" Guiliani
issued an emergency decree to eliminate all the city's 741Green Thumb
community gardens. In one of the most highly populated cities on the
planet, space is at a premium and these vital green oases sandwiched
between high rises, just ain't profitable enough.

"Which type of worm do you want in the Neighbourhood?" ask the flyposters
featuring a picture of an earth worm .... and a property developer. The
decree comes in response to community garden protesters disrupting the
Department of Citywide Administrative Services auction in late March and
reduces ALL community gardens to squatting status, like the Chico Mendez
Mural Garden in Manhattan's Lower East Side, which was bulldozed the day
before New Year's Eve (the garden was defended using tripod techniques
lifted from a photo in the SchNEWSround).

Gardeners from the Lower East Side, the Upper West Side, Harlem, Brooklyn
and the Bronx united as The New York City Coalition For The Preservation of
Gardens, mobilising thousands in defence of the 20-year-old gardens and
demanding their preservation as vital ecological treasures for generations
to come. "These gardens are more than open space, they are the pride and
soul of the people and the neighbourhood."

   * NYC's only anarchist bookshop, Blackout, will keep you updated on
     www.panix.com/~blackout/outrageous.html
   * Faxjam Mayor Rudolph (Sieg Heil) Giuliani, City Hall, New York, NY
     10007 Tel: +1 212 788 3000 Fax: +1 212 406 3587

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HISTORY CHECK

Did you know? Eighty five years ago those peaceful protesters The
Suffragettes set fire to the Royal Academy and Emily Davison sacrificed
herself under the hooves of the King's racehorse.

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATELY ROAMS

His Grace the Duke of Northumberland is not only raking it in at Syon House
with the Butterfly House, he's also getting his 40% tax break on the
property. He's also claiming land exemption on a castle. To rattle his
cage, visit: Syon House, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 8JF 0181 560 0881 or
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1NQ 01665 510 777

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

INSIDE SCHNEWS

"While out with my baby daughter (then aged just six weeks) and a family
friend, I was attacked by 15 drunken students...I was hit over the head
with a bottle or glass, punched, kicked, and cut with a knife. I was chased
150 yards and received a number of substantial injuries including a broken
nose, broken and damaged cheek, broken ribs, a number of open wounds to my
head, face and hands, and cuts and bruises covering my entire body, but in
the course of the struggle, to stop myself being stabbed, I managed to gain
possession of the knife produced by one of the attackers and five of the
students were injured with it...Despite the fact that every single
independent witness formed the clear view that I was the person being
attacked I was the only person arrested. After spending over a year on
remand, and following a trail characterized by...every dirty trick in the
book I was convicted on 2 of the 5 counts of GBH and received a sentence of
12 years imprisonment.

"My own 20 odd year history of revolutionary anarchism frequently brought
me to the attention of the police and I maintained a high Special Branch
profile for many years. It may be no co-incidence that the Special branch
Detective Inspector involved in my arrest in Dover in 1980 on an explosives
charge was in charge of the police station in Sheffield which dealt with my
prosecution 14 years later. Following the Pomona Incident (the attack took
place outside the Pomona Pub) they really pulled out all the stops to
secure my conviction and a lengthy prison sentence."

On Monday 8th June Mark Barnsley, will have been in prison for 4 years and
has called for an anniversary day of action on Monday 8th June. He will be
hunger-striking for 72 hours from Saturday till Tuesday, while supporters
will gather outside Sheffield Crown Prosecution Service offices (Greenfield
House, 32 Scotland St) @ 10am.

Drop him a line WA2897, HMP Full Sutton, York, Y04 1PS or Support Group, PO
Box 567, Sheffield, S5 OYS

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

AND FINALLY

The Low Pay Comission reckons the minimum wage should be a pocket bulging
£3.60 an hour! The bosses union the CBI say the level is workable - but
failed to mention anything about it being liveable. For a 38 hour week this
would mean £137 - just over £7,000 a year before tax. Take away rent, gas,
electric, phone, water rates, and luxuries like food...and you'll be left
with... Mind you, the figure goes down to £3.20 an hour if you're aged
between 18-21 - and forget it if you're on the New Deal. SchNEWS didn't
have the time to dig much dirt on the list of trade union big-wigs and
academics who come up with these figures but we do know one commissioner is
Stephanie Monk, of Granada Plc, the people who sacked the Hillingdon
Hospital Workers for refusing to take a pay cut. What we want to know is
just how much a week do these people live on?

Disclaimer: SchNEWS warns all readers not to turn into a mad scientist and
start sticking tomatos and scorpions, fish faces and bananas together.
People will only look at you strangely and your're never get a
girlfiend/boyfiend. Honest.

Top
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you're going to any festivals this year, why not get us to send you a
bundle of SchNEWS to distribute.

Subscribe to SchNEWS: Send us first class stamps (e.g. 20 for the next 20
issues) or donations (cheques payable to "Justice?"). Or £15 for a year's
subscription, or the SchNEWS supporter's rate, £1 a week. Ask for
"original" if you plan to copy and distribute. SchNEWS is post-free to
prisoners. You can also pick SchNEWS up at the Brighton Peace and
Environment Centre at 43 Gardner Street, Brighton.

SchNEWS, PO Box 2600, Brighton, BN2 2DX, England
Phone/Fax (call before faxing): 01273 685913
Email: schnews@brighton.co.uk Web: http://www.cbuzz.co.uk/SchNEWS/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last updated 29 May 1998
@nti copyright - information for action - copy and distribute!
SchNEWS Web Team (schnews-web@brighton.co.uk)



	***A-INFOS DISCLAIMER - IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE***

A-Infos disclaims responsibility for the information in this message.


			********
		The A-Infos News Service
			********
		COMMANDS: majordomo@tao.ca
		REPLIES: a-infos-d@tao.ca
		HELP: a-infos-org@tao.ca
		WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca/
		INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org