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GIVING the GREEN FINGER by the More Fringe Members of Society fl Ocking to the ‘Autonomous Safe Space’, AS GUERILLA GARDENERS SET up an ECO-VILLAGE in BRISTOL

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GIVING the GREEN FINGER by the More Fringe Members of Society fl Ocking to the ‘Autonomous Safe Space’, AS GUERILLA GARDENERS SET up an ECO-VILLAGE in BRISTOL WAKE UP!! IT’S YER DIGGING FOR VICTORY.. Friday 23th April 2010 Free/Donation Issue 719 owned by drinks giant Guinness. This camp was however plagued by problems caused GIVING THE GREEN FINGER by the more fringe members of society fl ocking to the ‘autonomous safe space’, AS GUERILLA GARDENERS SET UP AN ECO-VILLAGE IN BRISTOL... resulting in personality clashes and confl icts and a fl ourishing garden, then leave it for the of interest caused by - to quote SchNEWS local community to enjoy before moving on from back in the day - “people not willing, to another piece of derelict land which needs or able, to take responsibility for their own regeneration. The camp invites all visitors to actions”. Luckily this does not seem to be come for the day or to stay for longer - so grab an issue facing the recent eco-villages. your tools and gardening gloves and get down The action of squatting unused land based to help green-up an urban wasteland. on principals of harmony with the land and FIRST IN THE KEW equality goes back further to before anyone had even come up with the genius idea of ab- The Bristol project was inspired by green- breviating ecology into a soundbite, and when fi ngered activists in London who set up an villages had composting loos as standard. The eco-village at Kew Bridge in June 2009 (See Diggers movement from 1649, a network of Bristol eco-village set up camp this week SchNEWS 677, 679, 682). This provided an communes which reclaimed land after the with huge support from local people and example of post-peak oil, sustainable, urban English Civil War, has been heralded as the activists from all around the country. The living created from capitalist society’s waste prime inspiration for all of these modern day off-grid, urban community kicked off last - creating a thriving community space which actions. Following the execution of Charles I, Saturday (17th) on a patch of waste land in is still going strong nearly a year later. the Diggers started in protest against the treat- St Werburghs - previously notorious for fl y The two hectare site had been unoccupied ment of the common people who had fought tipping, arson attacks and hard drug users. for 23 years after failed development plans and died for a supposedly more egalitarian The ‘swoop’ to take the land started with for an eight storey block of fl ats were con- parliamentary system, while the MPs lived activists forming a walking block and cycle tinuously rejected at the planning stage. The in luxurious comfort (sound familiar..?). The block, trailed by an obligatory police pres- land has been left alone by the landowners, network however was quickly squashed by ence. After a wild goose chase to lose the cops who have not tried to evict the occupants, the military who went round smashing up all (who eventually got bored and wandered off), and by managing to keep the local residents the settlements (ditto). both teams took the site at about midday. and police sweet, the camp is now a hub of To get involved in this ground-up move- The fi rst day was spent clearing the site community interaction. There is a packed ment, go and visit for a workshop or a chat, of rubbish, yielding a plethora of waste weekly itinerary of workshops including or even better, start one up yourself in a building materials which have been put to permaculture, cookery and art, wild food neglected spot near you. walks around the local area, public meetings good use with tyre walls for an earthship * The Bristol Eco-Village is on land between and guided tour open days. The site is also being constructed, two composting loos on the M32 and Saxon Rd, Bristol, BS2 9SH a launch pad for protest with people getting the go and recycling facilities sorted. - for map see http://wtp2.appspot.com/wher- involved with demos like the anti-Counter St. Werburghs is known for being a ‘green’ esthepath.htm?lat=51.469250...oz=10%3E. Terror Expo action (See SchNEWS 718), part of Bristol with a city farm and a number For more info and contact details see the and the village is closed on Mondays as the of self-build eco-houses nearby, so the neigh- Facebook group: Bristol Eco Village - the occupants go and demo outside the MOD bours to the site have responded with gusto. Urban Centre for Alternative Technology. and ‘emanate love’ to promote peace. Residents have donated tools, a grey water * The Kew Bridge site is at 2 Kew Bridge system and polytunnel, as well as plants and With 30 permanent residents, nine of whom are original crew from the swoop at Road, Brentford, TW8 0JF, site mob seedlings, which were planted with help from 07967864370 see Kew Bridge Eco Village! the kids from the primary school opposite. the site, they also welcome visitors with a custom built guest house if you want to stay on Facebook and http://kewbridgeecovil- Police have reacted positively to the squat lage.wordpress.com. and offered their support to help prevent (though call fi rst to check if there’s space), and encourage all to come and help with * There are currently two other occupied a planned illegal eviction on Wednesday community gardens, both of which were (21st). Bailiffs had turned up the day before the community vegetable and herb garden or just chill out. toxic, disused petrol station sites, and are and served occupants with an eviction notice now thriving gardens and community spaces: (after which a fi re was mysteriously started in DIGGING DEEP The Lewes Road Community Garden the corner of the site), and a call out went out The eco-village phenomena is not a new in Brighton has been an oasis of green on for people to help protect the village. After concept, with a six-month long community a grinding high street since last May (See a good turnout of supporters, the bailiffs set up in 1996 (See SchNEWS 73, 95) by a SchNEWS 680) www.lewesroadcommunit- didn’t show, having been served notice that collective called Pure Genius, who occupied ygarden.org, see also Facebook group of the the eviction would be illegal under common a site in Wandsworth before being evicted to same name. In East Oxford, the Barracks and criminal law. Another attempt to evict is make way for a supermarket and fl ats (who Lane Community Garden has been running expected soon, so campers are urging people says nothing changes...). The land there had since 2007, with regular events see www. to continue to respond to call-outs. previously been empty for six years and was barrackslanegarden.org.uk One camper told SchNEWS that the col- Copyleft lective plans to set up the site with buildings Published in Brighton since 1994 CRACKDOWN AFTER DEATH IN DETENTION CENTRE THE FULL ENGLISH Asylum seekers in Oakington Detention Centre arbitrary arrests, including the detainees closest Back in SchNEWS’s local haunt, Brighton, have reported that protests over the cover-up of the to the dead man. They now can’t be contacted. March For England plans to demonstrate through death of a Kenyan man caused riot police to descend A number of those arrested were sent to prison in the city’s streets on St. George’s Day, this Sunday on the centre and make 60 arrests and removals. Birmingham. The sister of one of the men was told (25th). Meeting at 11.30 they plan to march to Detainees managed to contact Cambridge Mi- by his lawyer, who had been in touch with immi- the King and Queen pub on Marlborough Place. grant Solidarity following a solidarity demo on gration offi cials, that he and the others were in pris- Matters are somewhat confused at the moment Sunday (18th). They claimed on April 15th de- on because “there is nowhere else for them to go” - last years march was a fl ag-waving jamboree tention centre staff denied the Kenyan medical and they were there “just to calm the situation”. with a few racist remarks hurled at passers by. treatment and even turned away an ambulance Many of those still inside the centre say they have It was ignored by nearly everyone. The March called by the inmates. Trouble fl ared when the been handed the dates for their deportation. The for England does have links to the EDL on their detainees tried to prevent the removal of his ‘removal directions’ have been issued despite on- website (and they haven’t got a long list of links). body, fearful of a cover-up. going legal cases. So far so - unpleasant. In the confrontation that followed, police made * See www.ncadc.org.uk However this time round Unite Against Fas- cism have announced a counter demo, claiming that the English Defence League are on their way TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS SEIG HEIL-LYWOOD to the City-by-Sea. They’re holding a ‘celebration Migrant rights campaigners will take to the On Saturday (17th) members of NSM (National of unity’ opposite the pub from 10 am onwards. streets this afternoon to protest the collusion be- Socialist Movement) from Detroit rallied outside The EDL meanwhile have expressed surprise that tween a cleaning company and the UK Border the City Hall of Los Angeles due to the city’s they’re supposed to be in Brighton this weekend - Agency (UKBA). large population of migrants. The 50 strong fas- but some have now announced that they’re going Lancaster Cleaning Services, having recently cist group encountered hundreds of counter pro- to turn up because of the counter-demo.
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