LL0SG1 IW ’R UIWGATEB! Pollock Estate Biodiversity Fragmentation Bellamy Exposed Factory Burning in India Selar Opencast Critical Mass Bougainville Anarchy & 1 Revolutionnary Mercedes fa i Army American EF! ■ Ecological Police Raid ^ Restoration Greens
eclaim the * Streets M65 m Prisoners o f War
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SHAMANIC PRODUCTIONS. UNUMITED/'Puttmg the Primitive to Work for You* Welcome to the special bumper 'Apocalypse, Recuperation and Resistance’ issue of Do or Die. DoD was set up in December '92 to address the lack of discussion, analysis and news reporting from within the EF! move ment. At the time there had not been an edition of the EF! Action Update or a gathering since the previous April. We took on many roles which have since been filled by other EF! projects, (thank god!), so DoD has evolved along with the movement. Since EF! started in the UK in '91 there has been a massive growth in ecological direct action across the country, and this seems set to continue. Every issue we get more people submitting.. Many campaigners complain about the media, the media puts a view of our actions that fit into their agenda. It fits us and our actions into their categories, and their stereotypes. If we complain about the press lies and misrepresentations we have to do something about it, part of that is the creation of our own media. We aim to publish three times a year but this can only be done with your help. DoD is one of the few voices EF! has and it can only operate with your input. Deadlines really are deadlines. If you don't reach us by the deadline- it won't go in. DoD has not come out for about a year and this is mainly due to people not respecting deadlines. We received a report from India two days after requesting it, while some articles from U.K. campaigns didn't arrive until 8 months after the deadline. The opinions expressed in articles are not automatically the views of the editorial collective, the Earth First! movement, Earth First! groups or individual Earth First!ers. If you disagree with something in DoD write to us. We have NO funds, this magazine is literally run out of the editorial collectives dole money and donations. If you can spare it send it, made out to 'Earth First!'.
Submissions Groups that contributed to this Send your articles, rants, artwork, photos, poems, letters. amazing production! international news & reviews to: Do or DTP Editorial Colllective, c/o South Downs EF!. Prior House. Anti-Nuclear Network, Avon Gorge Tilbury Place, Brighton. E.Sussex. BN2 2GY EF!, Bougniville Interim Peace office (Solomon E-Mail- [email protected] Islands), Brighton Autonomists, CardifT EF!, DoD Regional Reporters Green Revolution, Belfast EF!, Reclaim The Due to the difficulty of gelling campaigns lo write reports Streets, DS4@, Ecodefense! (Russia). EF! Jour to deadline, we have set up a network of regional reporters. Groups nal (US). Eastern North American Native For should send action reports lo their appropriate regional contact. Mark est Network (US), Glasgow EF!, Green Action envelope- DoD regional reporter. The crime- lateness, the punish Zagreb (Croatia), German EF!, Justice?, No M65, ment* DEATH! Leeds EF!, Oxford Green Anarchists., Manches ter EF!, North Wales EF!, Northampton EF!, South East RR c/o South Downs EF! Road @lert!, Wozzie (Australia), Notts EF!, South West RR c/o Avon Gorge EF! Road Alert!, St.Just EF!, Love & Rage (US), Wales RR c/o Cardiff EF! Solent Spanners. South Downs EF!, Third World London RR c/o Reclaim the Streets Network (India), Vancouver EF! (Canada), The Midlands RR c/o Upper Nene EF! Verge (Holland). Worthing EF!, A30 Action Scotland RR c/o Glasgow EF! Thanks goes to the countless individu North c/o Manchester EF! als whom we can’t name. To the capitalist insti tutions we nicked tit bits from - Hey, Fuck You, Distribution and Orders HA, HA. HA!-Sue us. Dead Trees EF!, Box 25,82 Colston St, Bristol, BSI 5BB .
NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE February 5 th Send us editors a nice surprice, submit early!
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, No.5 Contents An Open Letter to the Minister for Transport 5
Regional Reports Scotland 7 North 11 Midlands 15 South West 17 London 23 Wales 27 South East 32
Other Islands Global Roundup 35 Report from Across the Atlantic 40 Vancouver EF! 42 Anarchy & Mercedes in Germany 43 This issue is dedicated Berlin Climate Conference 45 to Tim from Lewes Factory Burning in India 48 reA CTION. He died in Reprieve for Bialowieza Forest 50 July this year. May many diggers grow Feature Articles sick in his memory. Biodiversity Fragmentation 51 A Tragedy in Bougainville 59 David Bellamy Exposed! 63 n Critical Mass 65 o Climate Engineering 68 -a Sick Bastards 69
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, No.5 AN OPEN LETTER TO THE .MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT,
“I do not want to cncorage day-dreaming, we are in a world of practical realities...”- Brian Mawinney, Minister for Transport (1) “ My people shall never work. Those who w ork can not dream , and wisdom comes to us in dream s..”- Smohalla, Native American, 1887. “ Be Realistic- Demand the Impossible!”- graffitt, Paris May '68
Mr.Mawinney- Welcome to the Nightmare. sions and desires rule, an earth alive; can you offer us A fter three years of sustained direct action against that? O f course not! roadbuilding you wish us to sit down at the negotiation What CAN you offer us-A ‘rational reasoned de table, to be civil and polite to the very same people who bate on transport’? Why should we debate, we know what have sent riot police, security guards, spies and infiltra you are going to say, you’ve said it countless times be tors to destroy us. You called for a ‘ceasefire in the ster fore, we are bored of listening. The modem ecology move ile feuding over transport issues’, a, ‘fresh ment is over 30 years old; in the bowels of start...[a] move back to properly your office there is a whole forest of informed, rational argument, on the ecological stupid with respect for opposing ity of what you are doing, views, in a manner more know the situation. fitting to the demo Capitalism - and its pet cratic traditions of rochemical/car making our country.”(l) economy - must keep You issued this call moving. The need for on the 7th of De transport cember, exactly infrastructural devel one year after the opment is the need of eviction and de the multinational struction of the corporations. The Chestnut Tree at economy, (both na the M 11. It took tionally and interna the DoT over 400 tionally), must ex cops and 200 se pand or die. We curity to take the have consistently land and that argued that to build wasn’t the end o f more infrastructure it, things for the simply creates more govt only got traffic, that as greater worse. Daily site in capacity is produced it vasions, numerous acts is filled. More roads = of sabatage; no wonder more cars = more roads = you want us to sit down more cars, a disastrous spiral and talk- when we’re talking down into ecological we’re not fighting. collapse.You must maintain the de Let’s pretend for a moment that we mand for cars and petrochemical byproducts as could suppress our feelings of nausea and rage and sit an end in itself. You must preside over the ever increas down to negotiate; what in fact could you offer us? The ing centralisation of production and consumption - with end of the industrial system- can you offer us that? An the lorry on the motorway as the rolling warehouse - end to the assault against the life support systems of the making it progressively more difficult to get by in this earth, a society within nature, a life where only our pas society without a car.None of this worries you of course,
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 5 what we cal I a disastrous spiral you call economic growth. tion and the resurgence of our culture. That is the eco What worries you is the short term survival of the logical reality - your ‘political realities’, your ‘reasoned economy. Congestion is what worries you. debate’, is an ABSOLUTE irrelevance. What is congestion? On the whole simply the In short in return for us climbing off our barri process of earth destruction slowed down by its own mass. cades, destroying our emerging communities and halt Every morning hundreds of commuters arrive late for ing REAL resistance, you are willing to hold a debate work, contracts are broken and goods delivered late- all we have already had and make a decision that we are because of the jam. The CBI estimated it costs the already forcing you into making. If that were not bad economy around £15 Billion a year. Are wc meant to enough we would resign ourselves forever to be in effect feel distressed about this? Do you real ly expect us to sit a capitalist think tank whose aim would be the smooth down and work out solutions for YOUR problems? We running o f this genocidal, ecocidal system. Well thanks, want no more roads but we also know that the need for but no thanks! We will never join you. To negotiate is to most journeys is the need of those we oppose. We are not already accept the death of nature. The society which about to start doing your research for you, we are not you represent is a constant war against the earth. A cease going to let YOUR needs monopolise OUR imaginations. fire is the putting down o f weapons on both sides. You We have better things to do, defending the earth, build are not about to put down the weapons with which you ing communities, growing our carrots and dancing! fight, not the truncheons, not the factories. There will You illustrate your ignorance of natural processes only be a ceasefire, there will only be REAL peace when very well with your request for a ceasefire and debate. the earth is purged of institutions like that o f which you This nation state owes a massive carbon debt to nature, are presently a part. and apparently is committed to adding to this crisis Brian, why not dance the forbidden dance, redis through its pathetic ‘ reduction o f emissions to 1990 lev cover your humanity, rediscover your wildness, throw els by the year 2000 ‘ programme. On the basis of your all your files out o f the window, bum down your office, efforts so far it appears you will not even meet this dis smash up your TV, break free and join us, for we will mal target! You can try to negotiate with us but how do never join you! you plan to ‘negotiate’ with nature - with the nature that is going to flood your petty Parliament and destroy your Yours with love, fragile Economy as global warming - or any number of -Some @nonymous digger diving agitators. impending environmental catastrophes - come home to roost. You have nothing to offer nature - as an ecological “ O u r dream s arc becoming reality- we grow cretin you don’t even know what to say.The earth’s car stronger!”- Grafitti at Fillebrook Road, M il. bon cycle now demands the elimination of fossil fuel use and the massive reafforestation of the British Isles and (1) D O T Press N olicc no. 471, 7.12.94 (2) D O T Press Nolicc no. 54. 27.2.95 the earth - in other words, the extinction of your civilisa f We received a copy of this letter anonymously- it was we are told, sent to Brian Mawinney’s private fax\ number. Just as we were going to print, he was elcvated( maybe the wrong word to use) to the post of Chairman of the Tory party. During his stay as Minister for Transport some activists took his ‘great transport debate’ to mean that it was time for us to stop saying no all the time and put forward practical solutions to his society’s problems- this was often called ironically, ‘setting our own agenda’. In the last couple of hours of his post at the DoT nice Mr.Mawinney announced that the Newbury by-pass would go ahead. He may think that he had the last laugh but Brian, we know where you live! It matters little who the minister is, an individual in these cases is merely the role he plays out, therefore this letter equally applies to the new minister.-Eds (allegedly) v__ :______J
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 6 Pollock Free State Lives on!
Pollok Free State still stands despite two massive of protected land bequeathed to the people of Glasgow attempts by Wimpey construction and the police to evict by Sir John Stirling Maxwell and forming the first piece the camp. The last attack saw 16 arrests, major scuffles of land given to the National Trust for Scotland. The with the police and the use of cherry pickers for the first land was sold after Maxwell’s death to Strathclyde Re time in this campaign. Despite the attack, and the con gional Council, who planned to slice a motorway right nected road block, and school lock-in ,to prevent the lo through its very heart, destroying ancient woodland pro cal kids becoming involved .only 12 trees around the tected habitats, and funnelling S3,000 cars per hour past periphery of the camp were felled. One Scots pine was deprived communities. It was envisaged that such a route saved by a camper climbing to its bough for some 14 would bring prosperity to the sea-side town of Ayr lying hours, despite several attempts by security to yank him to the south o f Glasgow - but in reality it will only serve from his perch. The camp remains strongly defiant sur as a commuter corridor, taking all of 7 minutes ofT a rounded by fence, security and police - The fight contin journey into the city centre. No Environmental Impact ues. Assessment has ever been carried out. The M77 is in The campaign against the M77 has raged for breach of European law, andjustas this fight really be the past 30 years. The route of the motorway passes gins, Strathclyde, in its dying moments as a council, has through an area o f land known as Pollok Estate, an area pledged its support behind yet another new urban mo
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 7 torway the M74, needed to deal with the excess traffic spontaneously combusted. generated by the M77. We are ready and waiting. The In 1994 the battle again came to Pollok. Glas M77 will proveacrucial battleground. gow EF! formed in April and began to campaign with a The communities o f Pollok and Corkerhill lie vengeance, occupying Strathclyde Regional Councils next to the proposed M77 scheme, and their communi buildings in opposition to the road. Throughout the year ties have opposed the road for decades. Corkerhill has the campaign grew with raves, gigs and spontaneous ac the lowest percentage o f car owners in Europe and 1 in 5 tions. Occasionally the social events were marred with children there already has asthma. Glasgow has a long violence, that removed the media's attention away from history of community resistance, from the Red the road. The camp became an alcohol and drug free zone Clydesiders onwards, and Pollok formed one of the cen to attempt to counter violence and fights breaking out tres o f the Anti-poll tax movement in Britain, the M77 between drunks using the camp to doss, or the social protest will add to the long list of civil unrest seen in this events being used to settle old gang scores. area. The protest over the summer of 94 grew, with Work commenced 2 years ago and some 2 miles more and more local people becoming involved. The first of roadbed was lain. A series of crane and tree sits were march from Glasgow city centre, 7 miles to Pollok at organised and towards the end of 1993 Pollok Free State tracted hundreds. It felt like the war was won. A Glas was founded. The motorway project was hit with money gow paper conducted a survey that found 68% of Glas hassles and temporarily abandoned just as two cranes wegians supported the campaign, and Charlie Gordan, leader of roads in Strathclyde conceded that we had won the propaganda war, as the M77 became the issue in Scot land. The contract was awarded last October to Wim- pey Construction, an outsider whose bid was 8 million lower than the other bidders, hinting that Wimpey might aim to use the remaining trust land and the M77 to build an infrastructure for a series of MFI-villes and Wimpey villages. On February 1 st 1995,3 weeks after they were due to start, Wimpey moved in to fell trees. Immediately protesters began sabotaging their work chaining them selves to saws, trees and workers, with several chainsaws being mysteriously mislaid by the workers. Previously many trees had been spiked but to only limited success, as the cutters would fell the tree under the line o f spikes, and the low-paid cutters seemed oblivious to the dangers spikes would pose. But the spikes have stopped the contracters selling the wood on and making revenue from the valuable timber a 1 OOfoot, 300 year old Oak would have given them. Throughout February, Wimpey played a game of cat and mouse, driving huge distances to cut down a few trees whilst pursued by the protesters. Often the po lice would act as decoys getting between protesters’ ve hicles and allowing cutters to get away. Good commu nication links were desperately needed, although often our CB messages would be suspiciously jammed, and important phone contact would break down at crucial moments. Two more camps were set up at Patterton and Corkerhill. At Patterton a former MoD building was squatted and turned into a vegan cafe. Allan Stewart, Scottish minister for Trade and Industry, visited this camp The Pollock Emergency Phone Tree one Sunday and threatened folk around him with a pick-
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 8 axe, whilst two teenage boys accompanying him carried airpistols, neither of course were charged. Although the surrounding media furore led to Stewart’s resignation from his ministerial position and it gave us a great deal of local support, if anything though the scandal detracted from Che real issues about class, status and ecology that mark the campaign, but the resignation of a Tory Minis ter added a great boost to a growing campaign. Whilst enjoying much lobbying support from the local commu nity, until this point the free staters were often seen, thanks greatly to the right-wing Scottish media, as a bunch of outsiders - anarchistic English sent up to cause trouble. What happened on Valentine’s day coupled with the involvement of the local Militant group to a great extent changed perceptions and began to increasingly radicalise the nearby communities against the road. At 6AM on Valentine’s day 300 police and security sur rounded the camp, placing roadblocks on the surround ing road and cordoning off the area to al low tree cutting at the actual camp. 7 people were resident in the camp that moming and were effectively cut off from the out side world. The network of phone contacts suddenly went dead and plain-clothed officers watched a numberofac tivists’ homes. Word spread about the events at the camp, and the Police who were using a local schools playground as a base, alerted many of the pupils to the camps plight. 100 kids walked out of classes, charging down the road bed, breaking through police lines and saving the bulk o f the camp. 26 security resigned that day refusing to be class traitors anymore. One security guard said: “I have a wife and four kids to feed but I’d rather go back on the dole than this.” Militant were central in convincing many of the security to quit, knowing many of them from the local area. Wanted posters were to be made up of certain security mens’ faces who were known to live in the area and were in effect shitting on their own. The security that did not resign have begun to mask up, either because they will be recognised by the brew or their own commu nities, or to not risk charges when assaulting protesters. The pupils began to organise their own union, and three schools started to take part in the protests. Bellamine pupils demanded 2 hours offlessons per day to protest, and when their demands were not met began to strike. So successful were the childrens’ campaigns that the local media began to taint free staters and Mili tant as manipulating the kids into unrest. In an area with a high degree of truancy, the pupils need no encourage ment, and became a valuable asset to the campaign as they organised direct actions between themselves. Two days after Valentines, ‘To Pollok With Love’, ( a convoy of activists from England and Wales
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 9 who drove up in cars which were used to build a car- iar. A rally against the CJA marched from the city centre henge) arrived and provided a welcome relief. We finally to Pollok, and there 400 people overcame the fence into completed the car henge, and despite some whinging the compound and clambered over the machinery, the about the environmental impact of burning the henge by police were forced to watch. No arrests were made on Greenpeace, all the cars were torched, on the rainswept that day, but as we lose more and more of our activists to motorway bed. Spontaneous actions marked the week bail conditions, the nature of direct action will change end, and 2 English folk were unlawfully arrested and and become more covert. Attention has switched from held by the police all weekend. the construction site to Wimpey Homes, a subsidiary of Patterton was the same company, and finally trashed after 4 at where their minimal profit tempts, and after one 18 margins are made. Show year old lass had spent a homes make an easy tar week up a tree, with Wim get for occupations and a pey men setting fire to series o f homes have spon tyres below her to try and taneously combusted re smoke her out. Corkerhill cently. fell to a dawn raid, as se The No M77 cam curity dragged folk from paign has brought about a caravan before fencing the long spoken about al off the area and clear cut liance between Green and ting, supported by over Red and made it a reality. 300 police. During this Many environmentalists raid many protesters were began to see the campaign beaten by security and beyond wholly moral many valuable items were terms and saw the class stolen from the camp. and social implications of Sheep in Wolves Clothing A s tim e this fight. Militant defend The chairman of National Trust for Scotland is progresses into this cam ing trees would have been also acting chairman of Shanks & McEwan PLC, Glas paign more and more of unthinkable a few months gow. S&M (!) is ownerof Rechem and also wants to build our experienced activists ago but it’s happening, as a HUGE landfill + toxic waste site on the outskirts of Glas are being bailed or jailed. direct action is being gow, which the new motorway through Pollok Estate con The bail conditions com seized by the community veniently leads to. Now we can see why NT Scotland didn’t bine the criminal element as a tool of empowerment. object to the motorway. One of the other S&M directors is not to reoffend, with con With our desperately short also a director of NT Scotland ( listing hunting and shoot- ditions paramount to a numbers, we are forced ing as hobbies.) civil injunction disallow- into situations of consoli ing approach, or interference with work at the M77 site. dation and defence. However expect a return to the of Whilst elements of the CJA are law in Scotland, relating fensive -The struggle carries on... to aggravated tresspass, protesters in Pollok have had - Anon, Glasgow Earth First! the cover-all Breach of the peace related to all our ac -For more information read DoD 3 (Oct 93), ‘Land & Liberty' tions, from overturning wheelbarrows to shouting article. The author said of the Pollok campaign th at, ‘there's “shame” at contractors. Compulsory strip-searches, and going to be an outrage and were going to start it!', prophetic words indeed. being held overnight or all weekend is becoming famil
ATTENTION READERS FROM OUTSIDE THE UK Pollock needs International solidarity from the radical ecology movement. Below is listed companies owned by Wimpey Pic, destroyers of Pollock estate. Please take action against these companies it really makes a difference. Drop a line to Glasgow EF! about any action you take. France-Wimpey Commercialisation SNC, Spain-George Wimpey Iberia .Eire-Wimpey Minerals Portugal- Wimpey Portugal ltd, Czech rep- Wimpey Severokamen AS, Norway-Wimpol Norge Netherlands-Wimpey Property Holdings, USA-Wimpey Property Holdings USA-Wimpey Commercial Inc., Canada-George Wimpey Canada Ltd.
Do or Die- Voices of Earth First!, No.5 10 3>*c> v* 4 It’s (Not Really That) Grim Up North!
A
Humans can fly with walkways in the Sky It is really hard to write a regional round-up with- proximately 100 metre wide valley. High tension cable out making regionalist assumptions, so I thought I'd get walkways connected all the treetop homes and crossed one straight out of the way in the title, hopefully there over the River Ribblesworth, that surged ( due to the rain won’t be any more. Here goes. Definitely the major story cloud vortex over Lancashire ), through the middle of in the North o f England o f late has been the M65 the valley. extension.The campaign began in May 1994 at Cuerden After many false alarms the legal battle to save Valley which has now been totally devastated by Stage 1 Stanworth ended on April the 27th and that weekend more of the £142 million (!) 12 mile M65 road extension, than 300 activists gathered to defend the trees. Inadefi- which stretches from Junction 29 on the M6 to Blackburn, ant party mood, last minute preparations made way for There has been serious opposition since work began, with Beltane celebrations. With music all around and the forces constant Direct Action, squatting of properties en route, of doom and destruction gathering on the hill, the com- and tree-sitting. The most well publicised period of the pound was stormed by naked protesters who left Group campaign has been the recent defence of the Stanworth 4 in an embarrassed quandary not knowing what to do. Valley "Village in the Sky”, at the beginning of Stage 2 Monday moming-May 1 st( 1)- saw the start of of the motorway. A small group of people squatted the the madness. The Under-Sheriff had hired a team of ancient wood & despite the grim weather conditions, and climbers to do the dirty work. Andrew Wilson, Under lack of full time people over winter, they managed to Sherriff of Lancashire claimed that the climbers were construct the largest tree village in England if not the “trained to mountain-rescue standard”. This was simply world!!!! not true. Two climbers attempting to put a woman in a There were over 40 tree houses ranging between harness up a tree, shouted down lo another two “How do 30 and 70 feet in the air protecting both sides of the ap- you fasten this buckle?” !! They were recruited unknow- 11 Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 ingly through a vertical access company & an advert in a 53 vehicles pulled up that morning and a lot of costly climbing magazine, when they complained about what he-man power came to hack down the woods, they gained they had to do, they were threatened with the sack, and a pathetic amount of ground and were still unable to get had their wages upped to £300 a day. Upon entering the their cherrypickers in. treetops they were quite shocked to find that people were First light on Tuesday and you could already not just passive spectators to their own removal. A gentle feel the temperature rising. The dawn chorus was but firm push with the foot often kept them out of a tree- drowned out by the cry of Aruga!, followed by machin house. The activists in many ways had the advantage that ery. More madness on the walkways, absurdity on the as a body they knew the territory. Two climbers tried to ground, a helicopter in the sky, cameras nicely out of man handle an activist out of the trees, mistakenly think shot, and up the trees- a different world. The climbers ing they were alone. The moved in again and took calls for help were quickly The Youth o f Today anther 6 tree-houses, but answered and to the climb Two boys, 8 & 10 years old, asked i f we were still they hadn’t cleared a ers astonishment out of the the tree people “Could we come and see the valley?” way to the valley floor. The thick shroud of leaves they said. "And could we maybe, possibly, like,well, cargo nets which had been above, activists absailed join you?” we tried to talk them out of bringing their so effective at Claremont down, others painered up tools, what with the police and all. But it was ok, Road proved difficult to de from below and yet more they reassured us, “When I see the police, I put my fend and despite spirited at appeared from both sides tools down my trousers”! tempts to delay the bailiffs running along walkways with interesting knot work and branches. The climbers could be forgiven for think shops, they mauled and removed many of those on the ing they were caught in a spiders web. The police, climb nets. Wednesday night and Liz’s tree on the west bank ers and bailiffs throughout the eviction endangered lives was re-occupied and walkways replaced. After a hard with crazy stunts. People defending walkways, some 70- day’s struggling on the walkways, the climbers were vis 90 ft high, had them cut from underneath them. Without ibly exhausted but the planetarian resistance kept busy any warning people were grabbed and their harnesses cut. repairing and retaking the walkways. With over 50 ar Adrenaline flowed, tempers flared. Despite a brutal first rested by now, and some re-arrested for breaking bail day only 5 tree house were lost and 10 arrested. That conditions, they had made way for the big cherrypicker night some of the lost walkways were replaced. Although to get to the valley floor.
Martin, ( who was partially paralysed after falling from the trees at Solsbury Hill), fights off a bailiff who has removed his shoes & socks & is pulling on his legs. Later, a noose was put around one o f his ankles & used to try to pull him down.
Do or Die- Voices of Earth First!, No.5 Unleashed chainsaws ripped through the val cashire- Sad bastard!) was not amused. ley, carelessly ( or purposefully?) felling trees onto in Friday evening and it was done. It had taken habited trees to screams of ‘murderers'. Bulldozers five days. Over 120 people had been removed from the gauged the earth hitting roots of shallow rooted beech trees, over 60 arrested and all ( plus 13 arrested in Feb trees, also inhabited; more screams, then silence. ruary whilst defending 6 houses further along the route) Thursday morning and what seemed like secu invited to a SERIOUS PARTY in, on, outside and around rity, but later turned out to be police, were cutting walk Blackburn courthouse on June 13th. This resulted in a ways with blades tied to poles. This was part o f a police marauding crowd of around 70 causing chaos in the court, operation to isolate and capture certain people who had banners hung, files thrown out of windows. A number of instinctively resisted more enthusatically when grabbed. people were arrested for public order oflenccs. Who said Before the chcrrypicker arrived for that day’s work, many court proceeding are boring! walkways had been replaced and improved. The walk Many of the population of Balckbum have been way leading out of the compound was held and well de won over. Support came flooding in from local people. fended but now the system was considerably reduced. It Free bus rides, led to free chips and free beer. Visible remained an effective proof that YOU CAN’T means of delaying the It s da Pigs! KILL THE SPIRIT eviction however and pro Panic spread outward from the camp one night beamed out of the woods; vided escape routes for as the cops turned up. Someone shouted ‘i’ts a raid’, people made the connec those who needed to get and all the little elves, busy demolishing security fences, tion that this was not just a out. That morning protest tried turning into toadstools, failed and ran. So the po game. Lives were put at ers visited the Undcr- lice ran after them.Through a combination of diversion risk because lives are at Shenriff of Lancashire’s of and that old trick of lying down very still, a bail-braker risk; at risk from big busi fice. The poor undersheriff got away. What did the cops want? A couple of locals ness ravenously consum had to leave his beloved to make an example of. Don’t join the tree people what ing the environment, creat eviction, because this time ever you do and, kids, dont take drugs! ing more transport chaos, HIS space had been in more polluting in the pur vaded. If this was not enough, he found activists squat suit of profit. ting HIS roof and the treehouse in HIS garden. His fa So far the NO M65 campaign has added an ther had been Under-SherrifTbefore him, so was the tree extra 12.2 million onto the cost of this senseless road. house there as a training ground for his kids?. Andrew Stanworth Valley may be down, but it's spirit gets ever Wilson of The Cottage, 483 Garstange road, Broughton, stronger as hundreds of people across the country learn Preston, Lancashire- Red Audi number plate A2USL to build tree houses and walkways and then pass these (Personalised plate Andrew the 2nd Under Sheriff of Lan skills on to more and more people: It's easier than you
13 Do or Die-Voices ofEarth First!, No.5 think.... so just do it! The Resistance at the M65 contin The traditional mining areas around Garforth are, ues with the occupation of'Jacks Bam' in the village of like other coalfield areas such as South wales and Dur Guide near the end of the M65's path of destruction, with ham being ripped apart by opencasting. actions every day! Leeds EF! are taking direct cation to try and stop To the South of the M65, the final link to the these quarries. On Tuesday 30th of May 30 activists in Outer Manchester Ring Road is the proposed M66, which vaded the worksite at the Garforth Opencast mine. Work will completely encircle Manchester with motorway. was stopped until the cops arrived. 20 riot police ap Work has started on sections of it, but is already faced peared, quick cuffed people and dragged them away. with uncertainty and delay- and that even before the Di "Quick Cuffs" are basically plastic tags (that used to be rect Action is thrown into the equation. used for electrical stuff) that if placed around someone's Locals set up camp in Medlock Valley, Site of wrists or thumbs tighten everytime they move causing Special Biological Interest, in the path of the Hollinwood severe pain. !9 protesters were arrested under the CJA to Dention section of the road, due to be started mid- and bailed off ALL opencast sites in the country!! September. Also on the route house have been squatted, A camp has been set up on an island of trees sur and tree-house building started. The enthusiastic local rounded by opencast. The owner of the land is on our campaign needs help to build tree houses and maintain side so their should be little danger of eviction. en-route camps over autumn & winter. Human resources Demonstrations, actions etc. are happening con permitting, local campaign plan to take on the destruc tact Leeds EF! tion of nearby Beale Valley, due to be landfilled so that a Several northern towns including Manchester, golf course can be built! Get on down there. York and Lancaster al I ben staging Critical Masses. Much Liverpool EF! scored a notable victory when, fun was had by all (except irate motorists behind the velo- combining with other local groups, they stopped a mon centric convoys, who wouldn’t have got home much faster ster incinerator from being built at the University hospi anyway!) Critical Mass seems to be taking off big-time. tal. This would have spewed out dioxins by the shed- Let’s hope these monthly celebrations of the joy of cy load onto the people of the City. The company that was cling can be one further nail in the increasingly nailed going to build it, AEG (a subsidy of Norwest-Holst), down coffin of the car culture. identified Liverpool as a place where there would be the The EF! gathering is near Lancaster this Septem most apathy to their heinous plans. How wrong they were. ber so we will see you then. AEG then tried to get an equally big poison generator We’ve only just begun... built at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Manchester EF!, Yours sustainably again within an alliance, sent the bastards packing in -A collective of anons January. AEG will be lucky if they can even bum a match (1 )May 1 st is the pagan festival beltain and also in the North West for some time to come!! Ring the Emer a holiday in many countries, this is due to it being inter gency Dioxin Alliance on 0161-274-4665 ifinterested/ national workers day, created to commemorate the mur inspired. der of Chicago Anarchists in the last century.
Security Guard with knife at Stanworth Valley
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No. 5 Midlands Report
L. So just what have we been doing in the Midlands. on the CJA. There will be more anti-McMurder actions Derby soon. We were involved with two anti-CJA marches, one Just cos there isn’t a Derby EF! listed on the which had a few thousand people. We’ve also been taken back of the Action Update doesn’t mean Tarmac can get up with sabbing at weekends and a few o f us have been away with getting paid over £ 127 million to trash a whole down to Coventry to take part in the live export block load of badger setts, archaeology, ecology, trees and the ades. A city centre building was opened as an anti-CJA rest. They call it the ‘Derby Southern Bypass A564- we squat, it was great while it lasted- but unfortunately lasted call it a fucking disgrace and a viable target. Actions have only a few days. We’ve also been doing anti-mahogany been going on, and will certainly continue, a camp has trade ‘ethical shoplifting’ (Isn’t all shoplifting ethical- been set up.. The actual road forms a shadow M62, link ed.), which got us on telly. 150 people 'reclaimed the ing the Ml to the M6 as well as passing suspiciously streets' on a Birmingham dual carriageways. The fun close to a new Toyota car factory. The thing is even be lasted five hours. The sun shone and the bands played ing built as a Dual 3 lane with hard shoulder in places, whilst the kids played 'on the beach' or in the paddling with a spur into Derby itself to make sure the local resi pools that mysteriously appeared. A good time was had dents get the full benefit o f the fucked up air. contact 0 1 - by all and, hey there were no arrests. 332-204-097. Notts. Upper Nene/Northampton People from Notts EF! have been down doing For a change, we did an action on home turf on actions at the Derby Southern Bypass and we have been a local issue. No, really, the Midlands most notorious having our own Critical mass bike rides. We also did a eco-commuters have finally organised a home match. The April 15th Mcdonalds hit, (does anyone know how many opposition- Baron St.John of Fawsley, or Norman StJohn branches got hit?). In May the " Land is Ours" move Stevas as was. The Cup- A coveted area of wetland miles ment" reclaimed the land at Radford, Nottingham. The from anywhere. They, (Norman team, Stock Lands & six acre site was occupied for a week. It was cleared of Estates), want it for a rich git commuter village. We don’t. rubbish and the camp provided a glimpse of sustainable, Match report- Upper Nene EF! FC field a side of local low impact living. The land is set to become a car park talent and national stars and two childrens’ playhouses but the camp showed that there are better uses for it. in a 5;0;6 formation and control the midfield until the And that’s about all for this time, there’s prob opposition sent in the groundstaff. Venue- Normans Front ably shit loads happening that I didn’t get to hear about, Garden!. Final result- Said Norman has resigned and Bor but that’s the way it goes, in future, if you want your ough planning committee are split on the issue. Replay stuff in Do or Die you could always D1Y. Ta, expected. Lesley de Railiuer, Birmingham middle of the island. We hit McDonalds on International Mcdonalds - Upper Nene EF! Day, (didn’t everyone) and have been doing loads of stuff . 4 , 3 , 1 6 , 32 . 64 1 28 . 256 . 1 024 ...... REPRODUCTION IS POLLUTION
15 Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 DS4A - DISTRIBUTION WITH ATTITUDE BOOKS, MAGAZINES, MUSIC AND MUCH MORE FOR CATALOGUE SEND SAE TO : DS4A, BOX 8, 82 COLSTON ST, BRISTOL, BS1 5BB Meanwhile down in the Westcountry
Avon Gorge Earth First! on the Attack, (Wimpey, Bristol) This year protest has been growing in the west. aded and locked up by around 30 activists from Yeovil The main action has been directed against roads. The FN and Avon Gorge EF!- all before 9am. A number of road building programme could hit the west badly, open people invaded the quarry and work crews frantically ing up its wild parts to industrial development. However gathered laid explosives. At one point 73 trucks were the concentration on roads must not let us forget the other waiting to get in, and around half that number trying to crisis’s being created for the west by its economic devel get out. The convoy o f activists left before lunch only to opment. pop up at the Wells Relief Road. The clearance contract had yet to be let out and the marauders were met with Mendip Hills, Not Mendip Holes just one digger, many relieved the boredom by pulling One of EF!s longest running campaigns has survey stakes, creating a cute little bonfire. been against quarries in Somerset. Actions in early ’92 At 3pm, just as a bus load of councillors en and ’93 by (the now defunct) South Somerset EF! and tered the quarry for a field visit, the convoy appeared many local people resulted in an application to expand once again. Activists invaded, occupying a drilling ma Whatley Quarry being turned down. The application chine, which was making holes to lay explosives. The would have meant the Quarry ending up twice the size councillors got the message that people would not let this of Shepton Mallet. As per usual the company, ARC, has quarry be expanded. waited until things cooled down and then reapplied. They hoped that protest would not kick off again. Wrong again. Solsbury Hill In late June the Quarry entrances were block With the end of the full-time resistance last sum
17 Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 mer the campaign has been based around occasional days they were building a fuck off road!. Thirty people from of action and weekend gatherings at Solsbury Hill. Dur Bristol and Bath invaded the site and stopped work for a ing the winter months there was no need for actions as few hours. Apparently they had decided that there was rain flooded the constrution site. Most of the workers were no longer much threat to the site and they were even con laid off for a month until the (very well sidering firing some more security slaves. Amey’s main vanadlised)drainage mechanisms could clear up the wa man looked as though he was having a seizure when he ter. saw that we were back. There were a number o f office occupations; at August 11 -14th saw around 100 people return Alfred Marks - the employment agency that vetted the to the hill for an action packed gathering. On the Satur security guards (2), Withy King and Lee - the Solicitors day an excellent Critical Mass took place through the responsible for sorting out evictions and employing Brays streets of Bath. Around 200 people very slowly made Detectives for the D.O.T. their way along the main roads - cycling, walking, danc The one year anniversary gathering in mid ing holding up traffic for about 2-3 hours. On the Sun March ‘95 went ofT with a bang. A few days before an day people left the hill to travel to Siston Common on Anti-CJA event on the Hill ended up with lots o f fencing the edge of Bristol to hold a demonstration against the pulled down, trashed machinery and security thugs in planned ring road. Monday saw a site invasion with about hospital, (I guess people had had enough ofd being used 80 people occuyping machinery on a number of sites. as punch bags). There were only a couple of arrests. A The bad news is that there is a new threat to the more peaceful day was had when 200 people gathered ecology around Solsbury Hill. Wessex Water have ap on the hilltop on Tuesday 14th March and then invaded plied to use the old Batheaston Reservoir as a dump for the construction sites for the anniversary celebration. Lit spoil from the construction of the bypass. If this goes tle work went on the rest of the day much of the machin ahead an access road (yet another fucking road) will be ery being occupied. One security guard, Eddie, jacked built along Chilcombe Bottom, the valley at the back in his job after being jeered on. He had been campaign (north) of Solsbury Hill. Chilcombe Bottom is a desig ing against the CJA and eventually decided his job was nated area of outstanding natural beauty, home to rare not justified, or worth the stress. There was one arrest for wildflowers, butterflies, insects and mammals. The dis assault. used Batheaston Reservoir is a breeding ground for birds. The next day-time activity on the hill was an The access road will be double width and run from up action on June 19th during the council’s Green Trans per Swainswick to the reservoir. As this is an obvious port Week and the day before No Car Day in Bath. We invitation back....see you at Chilcombe Bottom if the pro wanted to point out what hypocrites they were being when posals get through!
Solsbury Hill, March '95
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 18 For more info contact the Solsbury Hill Action LUDDITES ON THE MARCH Group or Avon Gorge EF! From The Bath Chronicle, 18.7.1776 “Last Wednesday in the evening a riotous Bristol Report mob of weavers, Sheermen, etc., assembled together Ashton Court is a large park in Bristol well and preceded to the town of Shepton Mallet with an known for a numberofcommunity and national events. intent to destroy, under the cover of night, a spinning It is used by the people of Bristol for recreation and is a machine lately erected by the clothiers, for the advance designated area of public space. ment and benefit of the manifactory, and to pull down Pioneer Aggregates U.K. has put in a planning the houses and take away the lives of those persons application to extend their existing 63 acre limestone who encouraged and promoted the use o f it. The mob quarry that lies on the edge of the park. They have ap attacked the poor house where the machines were plied to extend the quarry by 34 acres into Top Park worked, and before the soldiery could be had out to Field. This is a calcareous meadow with rare wild flow oppose them, broke into the same, and not only de ers including Green Winged and Common Spotted Or stroyed the particular objects of their resentment, but chids, Yellow Rattle, Greater Knapweed and Harebell. committed other injuries to a very considerable Near the meadow are a number of 400 year old Oak amount. They had scarcely effected their purpose, trees that will also be affected by the developments. when the military, proceeded by the magistrates, ad Pioneer have said to prevent damage to the vanced, and secured five of the ring leaders, but in meadow they are going to cut it up into 32,000 pieces conveying them to the prison they were attacked by and move it to another part o f the estate! This idea has the whole body, with an intention to effect a rescue. generally been laughed at. It will destroy Top Park Driven to the extremity, no alternative was left- the meadow and affect the land where it is to be command to level their pieces was given, and one man ‘translocated’. was killed on the spot, and six were wounded, some of Avon Gorge EF! got hold of the company's them it is feared mortally. This intimidated the mob annual report and found they were telling a few fibs. and they retired with the utmost preoipitation." They had said that they were a local company with local From the Bath Chronicle, 13.3.1995 interests etc. when in fact they are part of the multina “Protesters and security guards clashed re tional Pioneer Group, who have assets of £ 4.2 billion peatedly as fences were brought down around the by from destroying land all over the world. pass route. Around 150 people gathered in Alice Park From the Council meetings that we attended in for what was billed as a ‘mass tresspass’. They walked great leary numbers, we found out that the Council had along the London Road to the southern entrance of made a deal with Pioneer. This meant that they could the construction site, where security guards were wait quarry another 21 acres. Bristol Council seriously con ing for them. While half the protesters attacked the sidered challenging this agreement until Pioneer threat gate, others pulled down an undefended part of the ened legal action making councillors personally liable. fence and streamed onto the site. Within minutes, they So it was passed on to Avon County Council to decide were wandering around the half built road near the whether planning permission should be granted - we are watermeadows, lights were ripped off construction ve still awaiting their decision. hicles and their windows were smashed. Demonstra Meanwhile we leafieted the areas of Bristol that tors then turned their attention to the gate on the north would be affected by the quarry and its lorries. We dem ern side o f the A4. They hurled rocks at the guards at onstrated at the council, in Pioneer’s offices, in the ex the other side, slid under the gate and shook the gate isting quarry, through Ashton Court and organised a pro until it collapsed. Chief Inspector Paul DennisofBath cession with FoE through the city centre to oppose the police said: “ Criminal damage was caused on some quarry...even though it had been banned by the police! o f the machinery. They then set about damaging fences The most fun was had, however, chasing the quarry’s and some were throwing rocks at security guards”. site manager and Pioneer’s regional manager through He added that one protester had been arrested for crimi the streets of Bristol, joined by fellow concerned citi nal damage and one for assault. Last night, 20 other zens, shouting to everyone that they were trying to take demonstrators were occupying Bath police station, de our land, until they reached the safety o f their hotel where manding to see their friends.”. we pushed out by security. After much embarrassment, public and press
19 Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 ridicule, Pioneer have now changed their application to One local resident had noticed all the trees be a slightly smaller area of 21 acres, although the 34 is ing chopped down...she also had a contact number for still a threat as they have offered the council a few nice Avon Gorge EF! We went up to the woodland and im deals; including more money (per tonne of aggregate) mobilised the bulldozer used for clearing. Sadly many towards the upkeep of the estate, and turning the old trees had got the chop but work was stopped and the next quarry into a “wildlife centre” !!!!!!!!! day a representative from the Forestry Commission met Two large marches to oppose the CJA have enraged local residents, councillors and cmsties. The For taken place in Bristol, with a few thousand people on estry Commission were trying to make sure that they each of them. The last Anti-CJA event was a party on made the most money out of the land by cutting the wood College Green to oppose the law that clashed nicely with for timber. There would then be no trees, the application the local election count at the Council House, on Col would go through and they could then sell the cleared lege Green! A few hundred people turned up, the Coun land to the country club. Sadly for them some trees were cil House was surrounded and a few bottles were thrown. saved and the application was turned down on ecologi There have been a number of free all-night par cal grounds once again. ties held in a warehouse in Bristol with no hassle from There have been a number o f actions in Bristol the police (so far) and thousands of people enjoying them in solidarity with other campaigns. We have seen this to selves. be a very valuable tactic. Wimpey Construction U.K. Bristol Housing Action Movement have man were surprised and upset when their ofTices in Bristol aged to house a number of homeless people in squats in were occupied three times because of the M77 in Glas the city, the CJA has not yet been used to evict anyone gow. Many companies, even if they are not multination and Bristol City Council says it does not intend to use it, als, at least have offices in major cities near YOU. unless it is to evict travellers ofcourse, (which they have In Bristol we even met two Wimpey employees been busy doing). that had just arrived back from the Glasgow office - what Contact: Bristol Housing Action Movement, Box a nice surprise for them. Wimpey were even more upset 56,82 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5BB when we stumbled into their more than private confer Siston Common is another area of public open ence at the snobby, out of the way, Red Wood Lodge. space threatened with destruction in Bristol (there ain't Here they were seen mingling with delegates from Tar many left). The meadows and remaining woodland on mac and other such nice guests, (we’ll leave the con Siston Common would be destroyed if Avon County spiracy theories to you!). They quickly hid paperwork, Council go ahead with plans to build stage 2 of the Avon and turned off the projector. We were dragged out leav ring road (Shortwood - Warmley). ing only enough time to rant at them. They couldn’t work This dual carriageway will cost at least £13 out how the hell we had got there...”where have you come million to build and has enraged many because it will from?”...’’how did you know?”...etc. destroy part of the Bristol and Bath Railway path. This With such hyperactivity it is not surprising that is used by hundreds of cyclists and walkers every week. AVEF! have engendered secret-state interest and intimi Members of Bristol Cycling Campaign have held sev dation. AVEF! were blessed with a phone call from a eral well attended demonstrations at the Common. They leading copper asking about their future actions. He are also challenging Avon County Council on the piece claimed he had received a copy of a limited circulation of land that is being offered in exchange for the loss of AVEF! action list from the Southern Intelligence Unit, the Common land. For more information contact the Save (keepers of the infamous Operation Snapshot traveller Siston Common Campaign, 84 Colston Street, Bristol intelligence gathering operation). Around the same time BS1 5BB. or Avon Gorge EF! a mysterious couple appearing at a action meeting point Shock Horror we ahd a sucess. An application over anxious to find out the location of the next hit., (due had already been put through the council by Country to security targets of actions are sometimes not published). Club Hotel group to build a golf course at Abbott's Leigh. One activist followed the woman of the couple into the It had been turned down on ecological as there was semi bogs, only to hear her talking on a mobile phone telling natural woodland where they wanted to build it This time someone the suppoed location of the action, (we had given as the application was going through the council, the her false information). These characters disappeard when Forestry Commission decided that that part of the wood the police arrived. Coupled with obvious phone tapping needed “thinning” or “extensive thinning” in fact you and security trying to wind up activists by telling them could call it “CLEARING” (anyone still under any illu where they had been the previous day, ( on one occasion sions about the Forestry Commission - get a life!). a boast that proved that someone had followed an activ
Do or Die- Voices of Earth First!, No.5 20 ist over 30 miles). We can only presume that in combi frequency than Vodaphone or Cellnet, their towers have nation with a sophisticated information gathering opera to be situated closer than other masts. 11 such masts tion the forces that be are obviously trying to intimidate (aprox.) are planned for South Somerset and neighbour us into inaction. If they didn’t want us to know we were ing parts of North and West Dorset. Because of weak being watched they could have done so with great ease. ened planning legislation, councils have to pay large com Surveillance’s role as a deterrence for ‘less hard-core’ pensation costs if they oppose applications. Therefore, activists is often more important than the information we are likely to see a proliferation of towers on hills across gathering itself.. South Somerset, and elsewhere if/when Orange expand I expect Willy thought that he would escapeacross the the country. confrontation against the veal trade as he lived in a nice Service 80 was a bus service that ran between big house in the country and is an M.P. for Bristol where Yeovil bus station and the two railway stations; Yeovil there are no animal exports. B ut- Penhill and Yeovil Junction. It was jointly funded by On Sunday 15th January about 200 people de Somerset County Council and Dorset County Council. cided to visit Willy’s country retreat in Chewton Mendip, The service has now been withdrawn much to the pub Somerset. There was some initial confusion as people lic’s disapproval. Yeovil Freedom Network held a dem weren’t too sure which ofhis numerous properties to visit. onstration involving some 35 people against the with However when official government documents were drawal of the service, highlighting increased car use; the sighted through the window of one ofhis houses it was dangers of walking the road between Yeovil Junction and reckoned that one would do. While some people played Yeovil town (1.25 miles) and the decline of public trans football in front of a line of Police dogs on his nice lawn, port. This was a success the bus route is back! others decided to play with his hosepipe, it ended up through an open window. A week and a half later 20 No Wells "Relief Road" people attended a picket outside Waldegrave’s surgery, Somerset County Council are building a £14 organised by Bristol CJA Solidarity in support of the port million "relief road" through Wells. Though not part of demonstrators. Police prevented the activists from enter the governments trunk road sytem this scheme is being ing the building. heavily opposed.This road comes within 100 yards of a On Fiday 3rd February Willy had a day out at primary school and two playgroups, these will only be a St. Werburgh's city farm in Bristol. He was mobbed while flimsy fence between the road and the kids... so no dan- enjoying his stroll and forced to hide in the community building. Unfortunately for him, he only has one secu rity guard and one cop for protection. By this point Willy was scared. He turned a funny sort o f grey colour. The building was surrounded by shouting protesters for about half an hour. Waldegravc was impotent, able to do noth ing but stand and listen. Two riot vans then turned up in an attempt to rescue him. On his way out with his new band o f protectors he was nearly punched in the face by one person and was kneed in the bollocks shortly after wards. His car was blockaded but eventually he fled to his freedom after a long struggle. The next month Waldegrave’s surgery was picketed again. This time he had police to protect him. He and his car were still blocked by angry protesters. The Bristol Animal Rights Network have organsied a number of demos outside restuarants selling veal and more are to follow. Yeovil Freedom Network Orange communications, based in Almondsbury near Bristol, plan to build a network of radio masts for car phones throughout South Somerset to service the A303. Yeovil Freedom Network picketed their office and have been busy leafleting and holding information stalls on the issue. Because Orange rely on a shorter
21 Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 ger there! The road will also trash two school's playing plenty o f work for us to do. The two original sites at fields, despite a 55% vote against this section of the road Fairmile and Allercombe are in the path of the proposed by the people of wells. This so called relief road will also road, and both are protecting beautiful trees and land. increase the number of lorries going through Wells by Walkway and treehouse construction, barricading, veg 500% etable growing and all the usual aspects of protest camp Christin Neilson Ltd have now started work on life are daily activities (even washing up!). There is a the road. Attempts to build a fence around this part of the floating population of around 40 with most people at the road was prevented by protesters and by 300 school kids two Fairmile sites, and less at the vegan bender commu who left school and chained themselves together. The kids nity at Allercombe. An office is just being opened in were brutally treated by the security. The protesters ar nearby Ottery St.Mary, and if the sight and sound of grey rested have been given restrictive bail conditions severely men and suits doesn’t provoke you to violence, people limiting their ability to take part in actions on site. are needed to attend the ongoing public enquiry for the 2 squats were set up (through one has sincenext been section o f the road at Yarcombe village hall ( Trans sneakily evicted!). There was a demo on the 25th of port provided from Honiton). Direct actions are as and August but activists and equipment etc. are urgently when our imaginations and numbers coincide, to date needed all the time. The Wells address is in the contact including: Weekly actions against the destroyers/ con section tractors. A Rooftop demonstration and picnic at the house Cornwall of pro-road junior agriculture minister Angela Cornwall- legendary hiding place from dissent. Brownings. Carmageddon road blockade’s on the exist This traditional refuge, like all others, is under total at ing A30 and an occupation of Highways Agency offices tack. Having survived the tin mining, its brief regenera in Exeter (with about 70 people!). Much, much more in tive respite is now almost over as the hordes of the pipeline. The road is being put out to private tender roadbuilders turn their greedy eye towards the west. as part of the governments new, and to date unworkable 20,000 new homes will be needed to fulfill future pro ‘Destroy Bum Fell Obliterate, (Design Build Finance jected growth, (sound familiar?). A mega-port is planned and Operate) policy (1). The state don‘t have the money for Penzance, along with a dual carrigway A30 link dis to build this road, and seem reluctant to spend the money guised as an 8 mile ‘bypass’ of a small village. When all to evict us immediately. So we can take advantage of the long outfalls for sewage are finished soon, another this time to: Protect the remaining trees. Reassert our oc obstacle to growth will be out of the way. cupation of the land, Re-plant what they have destroyed, If we must have 20,000 new homes, lets fill grow our own food, start a tree nursery, permaculture them with EF!ers, move down here before the all con site, sculpture park, herb garden, healing space, exhibi suming scum do! Cornwall is not a wilderness, but it tion, ecological education etc., etc., etc., etc., etc. Sim could be! Forwards to the destruction of the tourist in ply, to make active, campaigning sites where we can live dustry! Further info from St.Just Earth First!, well together, put our ideas into practise and replace their No A30 desolation, lies, violence and isolation with love and re Further west the government plans to expand spect for each other and the earth. Go to the camps and the A30 in Devon. There are now 3 road protest sites turn your dreams into reality. Exeter are showing that along the Exeter-Honiton section of the Folkston- we really are making a difference. Contact: Allercombe Penzance superhighway, part of the EU ‘s Trans Euro -0385 278156, Fairmile- 0385-278157. pean Road Network (TERN). The proposed route is 15 - Complied by Anon, Avon Gorge EF! miles long- so there is room for plenty more! Most of the “pre-works” contract is completed ( I ) Corporate Walch, the research wing of EF! has produced a guide to the contractors involved in DBFO, see Recourses. with land desecrated and trees murdered. Construction is not expected to start until summer 1996, but there’s
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 22 London Regional Report
Reclaim the Streets, launched in early ’95, ex ing all of the ‘changed priorities ahead’ put into action. ists to act as a catalyst for social revolution, to resist car A plethora of entertainment followed including live mu culture and to end the domination of that representative sic, fire breathing, juggling, and uni-cycling displays, and of global Capitalism- the car. It will act as the London the rinky dink bike powered sound system, the police contact for EF! A reclamation of that bastion of con admitted ‘fete accompli’ and the eco-rave rolled on till sumption; Camden High street began what promises to 6.30 when as smoothly as began the party ‘vanished’ be a long, hot summer of discontent. On Sunday 14th of and as the metal machines invaded the street once more May around 1.30 two respectful old bangers entered the the vision remained of what could and will be, of the high street and to the astonishment of passing shoppers joys of life without the car and of the power of direct ceremoniously piled into each other- CRASH! This was action. followed by 30 radical peds rushing into the street and Critical mass, that spontaneous eruption of cy jumping onto said bangers, continuing trampoline cling empowerment showed itself worthy of its name here like...tyres were slashed, decoration added in the form of in the centre of the ‘smoke’. After winter numbers of 20- flying paint and a rather large banner unfurled a top, pro 200 people and incidents including one cyclist involun claiming ‘ Kill the Car, free the City: RECLAIM THE tarily taking a 200 yard ride on a car drivers bonnet, STREETS’ thus commenced the sister of all street par numbers are pushing above 1,500. They assemble to as ties. sert their collective selves, in a sight for literally sore eyes An instant cafe was set up distributing free food (and a respite for sore lungs) swarming into the city, stop to all and sundry, rainbow carpets unrolled, smothering ping the traffic in its tarmac tracks. The passing pedes the tarmac, and a host of alternative street decor inform trians applaud, the drivers fume and the cops show their
23 Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 usual incompetence by doing not much at all. after sending in the demolition squad to trash most of the Last time after completely bicycling parliament 6 houses, knocked off leaving the defenders in occupa square ( allegedly joined by a pedal powered Lord who tion. Found amidst the rubble were national newspaper enjoyed himself so much he went around 5 times!), the clippings from 1977 including The Scum which had a mass headed off to London cyclists nightmare, park lane, large picture captioned, 'The Squatters and the where a much needed cycle crossing complete with card Smasherball’, showing squatters sitting on top of those board cut-out’ crossing lights’ was swiftly installed be same houses. Over 20 years of successful resistance. fore continuing. The usual warm discussions with driv Tufnell Park, N.London recently played host ers occurred ( toot if you support us?) and at least one to the spectacular new sport o f'c a r bouncing’. 50 radi bicycle found a car taking a liking to its reerwheel! All cal pedestrians gathered to assert the power of the pave in all an amazing show of cycling solidarity and a 'breath ment by 'gently bouncing’ the tyrannical machine off of of fresh air’ for London. them! After 2 such removals the police arrived and an Various capitalist baddies have had their offices nounced ’you’ve made your point, two more and that’s ‘visited’ recently by an assortmentof-activists determined it’ They soon realised that their real function was re-di- to show that ‘destruction is not anonymous’, it has an recting the waiting traffic! In all about 30 illegally parked office address’...The British Road Federation, the um vehicles were ‘bounced’ and once again the pavements brella group for many of those working together to trash were safe for passing pushchairs. Coming soon to a street the planet was due for such a visit but upon arrival at the near you... meeting place it was found that welcoming committee of Shell Oil experienced an extraordinary general dozens of police had been arranged at the BRF building. meeting on May 18th. Their annual self congratulatory Being flexible and undogmatic, the protesters sent a small exercise at the QEII centre, Westminster was severely delegation to meet the police there while the rest of us blocked by 100-150 eco- activists protesting against sauntered off to arrive instead.... at the Highways Agency, Shells genocidal activities in ogoniland, Nigeria. While the glossy front for the Dept of roads. After walking representatives enlightened shareholders inside, those through a locked lobby door, representatives were dis gathered on the outside, on the stroke of Big Bens 11 patched to various parts of the building. Some found O ’Clock, stormed the building completely blocking the themselves on the roof, hanging banners. Others found lobby area. themselves crashing into computers and a large contin Meanwhile others climbed the flagpoles fronting gent found themselves ‘talking’ to Laurie Haynes the the building ripped down the Shell flags and unveiling a chief executive in his office. After much palaver the po 50 foot banner declaring SHELL MURDERERS. The lice escorted our heroes from the building. A few days police ofcourse reacted with their usual display of mini later the BRF found themselves discussing ecology with mum force, pressure pointing and arm locking all with some anti-roaders in their office while a huge banner hung equality. Soon after two activists climbed onto the cen from their rooftops.... tres canopy , with the aid of a parked police van and Wimpey who are trashing Pollock estate were proceeded to drench a Shell flag in lighter fluid before subject to two such visits to their London offices. The setting light to it! The Police were dour faced, Shell were first, unexpected by them, resulted in activists launch extremely pissed off and the protesters were delighted. ing a take over bid during an executive board meeting. There were 6 arrests (including Criminal Damage) but The second found mounted police waiting, but unable to the action was a success and SHELL will continue to stop a lobby occupation and the usual rooftop demo. Stu receive HELL for their murderous activities. pid enough to hold their AGM in London Wimpey share On May the 5th we experienced what the pen holders including Pollock free Staters covered all the ac alty for hijacking live TV is- possible death. We were tion angles including pertinent questions, rants, banners, invited onto the LWT Richard Littlejohn programme. and drenching the directors in their own drinking water, Littlejohn is a right wing tabloid journalist, and his only while other activists kept the security busy. Total disrup reason for asking us onto the show was to set us up to be tion and a fun filled day for all. Except maybe Wimpey. humiliated. Also present on the programme was Michael St Agnes Place, Kennington recently saw the Steven, MP for Shoreham. Shocked that his constituency attempted eviction of its then occupiers the Offshore State had erupted into mass protests and sometimes all-out Circus, tipped off to the bailiffs imminent arrival they, street fighting with the cops, he has argued that all urban along with assorted M 11 ers in support took to the rooftops demonstrations should be banned. His campaign surgery to defend their homes. Not reckoning on much resist has been invaded by anti-CJA protesters in turn. Under ance the bailiffs found themselves unable to evict and standing that it was all a put up job he was patiently ar
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 24 Rave Against the Machine, 23rd o f July gued against until at a present time we all invaded the action at the launch of the new Alfa Romeo. ‘ Tonight stage, we unfurled a banner while two masked activists you will not witness the launch of the new Alfa Romeo, sprayed Littlejohn with sillystring. He was totally un you will witness its demise’, one activist declared as flour, prepared for such action. After a few seconds the pro stinkbombs and yellow paint flew in all directions. The gramme was cut to adverts. We then played cat and mouse Rev Peds scarperd but four were arrested. The RPD - with the grope 4 guards and eventually we left. coming to a showroom near you? Waiting for us on the forecourt was a squad of Hundreds of police hung around various parts riot cops from Kennington TSG, they pulled out their o f the tube system, it was the 23rd of July- Reclaim the truncheons and started laying into us with them. One ac Streets 2. Around 1,500 people caught the tube from the tivist, Pob, passed out after she was hit on the head, meeting place at Kings Cross to Islington High Street. pushed against the wall and then thrown to the ground. They swarmed across the dual carriageway as five 25ft She was unconscious for 15 minutes and it was only when tripods were erected blocking all the access roads. Half a she puked up that the police called an ambulance. This ton of sand was dumped on the tarmac for kids of all sort of brutal policing is not an unusual aspect of ages to build sand castles with. An Armoured Personnel Kennington TSG’s ‘beat’. On the same night Kennington Carrier blasting out rave set up, fire hydrants were opened TSG attacked a young black man named Brian Doug up- spraying the ravers dancing in the sunshine. In this las, he received similar injuries to Pob and was treated in case at least, on top of the cobblestones was the beach. the same ward o f the hospital as her. He was not so lucky. All the cops could do was stand to the side and sweat. Two days later he died of the injuries. Another name to The raging festivities lasted for 6 hours, remarkably the add to the hundreds of names of black people killed by sound system wasn’t impounded. By around 7.30 most British Police. Like those who bound and gagged Joy people had gone home or off to another gathering in Hyde Gardner, Brian’s murderers will probably not be charged Park, the police took advantage of the lack of numbers with anything. The list o f near deaths in the British radi truncheon charging those who remained. HOW MANY cal ecological movement is getting quite staggering. were arrested and HOW MANY were injured. If you Every time something like this happens we must take witnessed any arrests or police violence contact us. Our action. Do not let these events go by without a massive exploding creativity had blocked one of the machines fuss. Remember in the lottery of state murder ‘It could main arteries. This was the largest single radical ecologi be you!’ cal action in this country EVER! On Friday the 2nd of June a new group calling - Anon London regional reporter, d o Reclaim the Streets itself the ‘Revolutionary Pedestrian Front’ had its first
25 Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 Do or Die carries no article on the M il this issue. This reason for this is that Dead Trees will be publishing a pamphlet 'Boom Creation: A History & Analysis o f the Campaign against the M il link' just after Christmas.
26 Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 Be’ Si’n Bod Yn Gymru?
..... or what’s going on in Wales?
The South Wales valleys are one of the most de prived areas in Western Europe. Living standards are of cast for clay or road stone too? ficially the lowest in Britain. These communities were The disastrous effects are not subtle. 100s of created by 19th century Capitalism's dash for growth. acres are ripped away for every quarry. The life that once Industry needed coal and South Wales was the place to lived there is ripped away with it. Villages are now being get it. A massive population boom occurred as labour surrounded by these giant holes that look like a moon was brought in from surrounding rural areas and from scape on bad acid. Dust from the quarrying is sent into further afield. These new communities were treated like the air and into peoples’ lungs. Roads and heavy traffic shit and a fine tradition of resistance to their has increased for ease of access. Centuries industrial masters began. The last ma old habitats that somehow made it jor attempts at insurrection in through the 19th century are fi mainland “Britain” happened nally killed off. Mountain in the Valleys, the Merthyr sides are literally disap and Newport risings be pearing. The locals ing the most famous re aren't even offered the bellions. As late as the bribe of employ 1920s and '30s ment, just a new troops and tanks had community centre to be sent in to qui or two, the knowl eten the population. edge that their The Great Strike in former bosses still the '80s saw troops control the land and on the streets of are “keeping the tra South Wales again, dition of coal alive” albeit in Cops’ uni i.e. still making a nice forms. (1) fat profit out o f it. O f Now, however, course promises are the mines are gone. The peo made to put the land back ple and communities created as it was, when the quarrying have been dumped and left to rot in is finished. Grotesque patchworks barren concrete estates and collapsing of dead and dying grass are now a com terraces surrounded by the devastation of the In mon sight. dustrial Revolution. Pollution from the disused Pits has However whilst the ex-managers of British poisoned the rivers that carved the valleys & the moun Coal et al and their lackeys on the councils and planning tains. boards keep up the tradition of trashing South Wales the Although deep mining has past it sell by date as tradition of resistance is being kept up by the communi far as British Capitalism is concerned some bold entre ties. Stories of sabotage and broken machinery are not preneurs have realised that there is a “cheap” way of uncommon. The people living in the shadow of the quar wringing the last few pennies of profit from the coal fields ries need no lessons from “ecodefense” on If you can’t mine down to the coal why not just tear off monkeywrenching. Unfortunately all too often the main the earth’s surface leaving the coal exposed? Open cast. focus of resistance has been the “usual channels”- peti Open cast for coal, and while you’re at it why not open tions, lobbying, public enquires, the occasional rally or
27 Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 demonstration. Sometimes these tactics have worked, if lice. As the makeshift barricades thrown across the road only temporarily (e.g. CaerfTili) but they are usually ig had failed to stop the diggers more careful work was put nored by those in power. These ultimately futile tactics in over night in preparation for the next day’s assault. are used not because of any lack of desire to fight (re Alaska arrived early the next morning, accom member the Miners’ Strike was only ten years ago) but panied by their inseparable bodyguards from the con because of generations of being shat on by their “repre stabulary to be confronted by a vast and complex wooden sentatives” and a general feeling of cynicism and lack of structure with built in people blocking the way. They hope. also found that the only access road now had a small The resistance at Selar and C wmtwrch has been ravine and stream where a bridge had been the day be welcomed with openarms by the villagers searching for fore. Someone had stayed up all night and pickaxed the ways to fight back. Whilst not everyone is willing to live bridge!. The barricades were tom down and to avoid the in a tree the communities are adopting the protests as “non-bridge” a JCB tore a new way of access through their own and are pissed off by repeated media attempts some oaks forming a hedge. More arrests followed dur to divide the protests into two camps, between extremist ing the day as work got under way again. Protesters tried “Eco-warriors” and moderate villagers. all sort of methods to stop the destruction. A legal squat When activists first moved onto the site at Se was set up in the entrance to the meadows in an attempt lar and started to build treehouses, benders etc. the local to block the diggers - it was tom down. Celtic Energy’s population immediately got involved, or ofTered help and HQ. in Aberdare was occupied and the company flag support where they do anything else. For several weeks was burnt on the roof. Work struggled on. Eventually the main activity consisted of “fortifying” the site, ex after a week Alaska left. They left behind them a half tending walkways etc., as well as holding an openday trashed meadow, they never bothered “relocating” the where a special kids treehouse/walkway area was set up whole meadow, and about 40 arrests. Those bailed off for local children to play in. Celtic Energy (formerly Brit site at Selar moved to the next valley and set up another ish Coal Opencast) were helpless as Alaska ( the com camp in way o f another of Celtic Energy’s opencast sites pany brought in to rip up the water meadow) were pre at Brynhenllys. vented from working During the week the struggle at Selar had been Eventually Celtic Energy, who had been pay headline news in Wales. Coverage had been o.k. but the ing Alaska £400 a day to sit idle, could take no more. media seized every opportunity to try and divide the pro The turf removing machines came back accompanied by testers into two factions. The constant references to “eco- nearly a dozen vans full of police. After all why pay warriors" proving highly annoying. Claims that local Group 4 if the cops will do the job? The sight of convoys people felt that some protesters had gone too far were of riot vans revived unpleasant memories for the com met with angry phonecalls from both the villagers and munity of the virtual police state that the valleys had been people from other valleys who saw the struggle in the during the miners strike. All the feelings o f solidarity and Neath valley as their struggle too. One incident that the rage could be seen returning to the community. The last T. V. tried to use was the ambushing of a Group 4 car. It remaining pit in the coalfield, Tower colliery - now un seems that Group 4 were paying the site a visit to see der a form of workers’ control, sent help and coal for the whether it would be worth their while taking over from protesters. Angry protesters, whose ranks were swelled the police. However upon their arrival “persons un by those locals who could get there, blocked the road known” (but rumour has it a mixture of local kids and repeatedly, jumped on diggers, harangued the “outside some people from the site) surrounded the car, slashing agitators” from Swansea and Cardiff in the blue uni it’s tyres and pouring brown paint all over it (rumours forms (i.e. the police - they did not dare use local police), that “We’ll keep a welcome in the hillsides” was sung and did all they could to prevent work from restarting. are probably untrue!). Eviction notices have been served People leapt out of trees onto moving vehicles (that kept on both sites but as yet Celtic Energy have yet to work moving), sat in the way of the vans etc. The police got out how the hell they are going to enforce them! very frustrated with the strength of the resistance they Whilst quarrying at CaerfTili has been halted and faced. People, including local children, were punched, the trashing of Selar and Brynhenllys are being vigor thrown against barbed wire etc. Over 20 arrests were ously resisted there are dozens more planned quarries in made. Including some for aggravated trespass. The use the Valleys. There are not enough “professional” activ of the CJA proved to be a major blow to the protesters as ists to initiate direct action at them , we can only hope any move towards the machines resulted in arrest. Even that we have provided some inspiration to the communi tually work restarted surrounded by a solid ring of po- ties to take control of their own struggles and to resist the
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 ° y » ‘ i - l . latest in a long line of attacks on them and the environ ment that they live in. Barrage Struggle Goes on Recently the fight against the construction o f the Cardiff Bay Barrage has taken something of a backseat as the emphasis has shifted towards Quarries. Sporadic actions do take place and defaced and damaged billboards belonging to Cardiff Bay Development Corporation are still a common sight. They must be quite nervous about what might happen as the site is now protected by a sweep ing searchlight and cameras safely located in the water! The beginning of 1995 saw a number of ac tions that sent a few slight jitters up the backs ofthe bar rage builders. Regular (ish) actions were occurring on site that at times managed to delay or even on odd occa sions stop preparation work on the beach. Their work structure was forced into taking the tide more carefully into account as activists sat on JCBs and watched the tide come, lapping around their wheels. After this the merest hint of an EF!er would send the diggers scurrying for high ground. Away from the site, a lecture given by the chair of Associated British Ports to the South Wales Institute of Engineers was turned into a farce as Sir Keith Stewart’s knowledge of Cardiff Bay was found to be somewhat lacking by rude hecklers. South Wales Police’s (S. W.P. for short, ha ha) knowledge of the law regarding Breach of the Peace was also rather embarrassingly inadequate much to our merriment. eCostain one of the major com panies involved had a rough time, not only were they suffering severe financial problems but theirCardiff H.Q was “occupied” by apx. 40 activists who rumour has it decided it would be only fair to ring everyone in eCostain’s business contacts and inform them ofthe situ ation . A rather worried looking official from Balfour Beatty (the other major company involved) complained to an Earth Firstler on the site a few days later that eCostain were a little unhappy about the amount of crimi nal damage done and that their office wouldn’t be able to function properly for weeks. According to Construction News, the cost to eCostain, because of damage caused during the occupation and two break-ins elsewhere in the country, came to £tens of millions. eCostains AGM was also disrupted, van loads of Group 4 trolls (but in posh uniforms) were hired, enough for them to claim “Er, no we’re here for our own conference or something”. Vans o f police were also called because the half a dozen pro testers who had taken a dislike to the directors’ BMWs, Mercedes etc. weren’t taking the couple of police that remained after Group 4 had got in on the act very seri ously. The moral of the story? eCostain, who may also Come & meet the dredgers at Cardif Bay be doing Newbury (oops) are shitting it, they are broke
29 Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 and they are scared - TARGET COSTAIN! centuries. There were mass demonstrations, sabotage and Live Exports - Send the Army in! a wave of bombings. The protests saw the birth of the There were attempts to send veal calves out to armed groups of the Free Wales Army and the Mudiad Europe via Swansea Airport. Protesters immediately set Amddiffyn Cymru ( movement for the defence of Wales). up camp. One attempt was made to get the lorry through Nearly a decade of armed struggle followed, first against the gates - this failed. Despite promises made by Igor water pipelines and later against the British State in gen (Bob Parry) head o f the Farmers Union o f Wales ( a more eral and the investiture of Charles Windsor as “Prince of “militant” rival to the N F U ) that it was a legitimate trade Wales". It was recently announced that Welsh Water were and the lorry WOULD get through, it never did. Farm thinking of extending the reservoir, however as the story ers became increasingly annoyed about the “threat to their spread and people geared up to oppose them it seems livelihood” and held demos of their own. Making all sorts that Welsh Water remembered their history and backed of idle threats about how they would escort the lorries for fear of “protest”. However it is possible that they may through themselves, they never did - couldn’t they be just extend a different reservoir and flood yet more of bothered or are they chickenshit? In frustration Igor rural Wales to power industry. Yr Eyri is, one of the wailed “The Government has lost control [If only!] it’s wildest and most beautiful places on this island, we can time they sent the Army in!” As yet no live exports have not let it be trashed anymore. If any plans are announced been made since then. Rumours were floating around it is hoped that a direct action campaign can be launched about the farmers plans to buy an airfield but nothing -contact Cardiff EF! for more info. has come o f them. Free Sion Aubrey Yr Enfys Sion Aubrey Roberts is a Welsh political pris Yr Enfys was Cardiff’s anti CJA squat/commu oner. He was framed in the late 1980s to hide police/ nity centre. Although there were problems, particularly MI5 embarrassment that they could not catch anyone in towards the end when few EF!ers felt able to help volved in Meibion Glyndwr (2). Several other attempted anymore, it had its positive moments. Yr Enfys received frame ups had gone wrong and the state really wanted to some positive coverage and was welcomed by members scapegoat someone. Sion is in jail in England and has of the local community, even the owners of the Church reportedly had hassle from fascists who found themselves that formed the squat gave the project a cautious approval in the same nick as the “Welsh IRA”. Despite Sion first at first. A cafe was (eventually) opened and a regional language being Welsh he is not allowed to be sent Welsh gathering -’’Severn Seas”, was a great success. Yr Enfys language videos etc. With the “Saoirse” campaign to free has now been evicted. By the end of its short life it had Irish political prisoners gathering momentum it is im lost sight of its original purpose as the various people portant that we do not forget all the other prisoners in involved’s aims began to diverge. Mistakes were made side for fighting back or because of frame ups. Sion is and hopefully learnt from. important because the State is trying to isolate and in Roads timidate him by using his language and his culture. Im As yet Wales has not had any major anti-roads agine being thrown in a foreign jail where you could campaigns. The A55 in North Wales is as good as fin hardly speak the language, could get few visitors and ished as is the Second Severn Crossing (SSC). The SSC were prevented from receiving “normal privileges” sim saw one high profile Greenpeace action, but work was ply because of your language. That is why we cannot more effectively delayed when workers building it went allow Sion to be forgotten. on strike against the dangerous conditions they were Write to Sion at: Sion Aubrey Roberts, BJ3795, HMP Full Sutton, Moor Lane, York, England. forced to work in, dangerous?-part ofthe bridge fell down at one stage delaying work perhaps most of all. Protest is No Justice No Peace! A young, black Cardiff man called Mark Harris building up against the M4 extension across the Gwent was murdered by the police in Trinity police station , Levels and it looks like a major direct action campaign is on the cards there. Bristol. The same police station that some ofthe arrested Cofiwch Tryweryn from Solsbury Hill have been taken to. He was arrested under SUS. Precisely what the CJA has re-legitimised. ...remember Tryweryn. In 1963 the valley at SUS means that the cops can arrest you because they Tryweryn, near Bala in North Wales, was flooded to make suspect you of a criminal offence, i.e. because your face a reservoir to provide water for industry in Liverpool. doesn’t fit. Because you are black, Irish, a traveller, a The village of Capel Celyn was evicted en masse. This “known politico”, scruffy, or simply in the wrong area. kicked off the most violent protests in rural Wales for SUS kicked o f the riots of 1981 because black kids were
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 30 harassed by the cops. The CJA has allowed to happen all Selar “quirkily known as TWAT”. over again. Paul Condon has justified mass harassment The Earth First! Action Update is now produced of black kids by saying that the majority of muggers are in South Wales, it now comes out monthly and has all black. The campaign by Mark Harris’s family and friends the up to date news as it happens. So if you don’t get it, has been the subject of intense intimidation by the po get it. lice. Mark’s brother, Paul and his girlfriend have been What does the future hold? More quarry stuff - arrested and assaulted and people from the campaign they’re planning to extend slate quarrying in North Wales doing stalls have had loads of hassle from the cops. Maybe too, more beach actions at the Bay (if you’ve got a spare people from Green Anarchist know what I’m talking boat let us know), stopping the M4, more police harass about? The CJA is law and it is being USED. At Selar ment and maybe some actions in the mountains...oh yeah, people were charged with aggravated trespass, SUS is and more fuckin’ pollution from Sellafield, Hinckley, back in action. Get involved in fighting police harass Trawsfynydd, Wylfa, Rechem etc. not to mention ment because we’re all in this together. Chernobyl fallout - still. Ho hum. Monkeywrench A Fascist! No Compromise, mae’n cwl i dorri pethe’! Anyone who came to Severn Seas might have -Anon.CardiffEF! noticed on the night of the party a bunch of very stressed people running around with sticks, Lucazade bottles etc. (1) Sec ‘Come wet my truncheon', Dave Douglas. Cardiff Anti Fascist Action got a little jumpy that night. (2) See issue 3 of DoD for further details. About 40 Fascists (including heavy bastards from Lon don) had shown up to attack an Anti-Nazi League march, but were put off by the march’s size and quite possibly the presence of an AFA block at the back (including heavy bastards from London!). They managed to attack and injure several ANL stragglers afterwards and then moved on to scout out the possibilities of an attack on Yr Enfys. It was noticed that they were keeping the squat under observation so Cardiff AFA got a little worried about the damage 40 tooled up fash could do amongst a crowd of unprepared, happily drugged up revellers. Luckily they must not have fancied attacking what had the illusion (thanks to AFA's frantic eflbrts) of being a defended squat. Fascists have a problem with EF!. After the eviction of Claremont, protesters still stunned from three days on a roof were attacked by C 18. Cl 8 had organised two pre vious attacks on No- M 11 ers, one attempted firebombing and an attack on a house which left a number of squat ters badly injured. During the struggles at Jesmond Dene in ’93 the fash threatened activists and Tyne & Wear AFA came and helped protect the camp. In Cardiff we’ve had our meeting place shot at. So you sec why we get a little worried. Still we’re not that worried ‘cos if our local Nazis had bothered asking we could have told them that airguns don’t do that much damage to windows, a half brick would have been much more effective! Pethau...... things. Getting media coverage in Wales is piss easy, (whether you want media coverage is a different matter! - that’s how grateful we are...).The Welsh media '‘Taffia” are so desperate to prove to themselves that they are a “national” media that they produce countless docu mentaries etc. in which we’ve found ourselves much loved stars. They even covered the story about the protester at
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 31 South-East Report
Squat eviction at Thanet Way, Kent Originally the birth place of British EF! the around SO turned up. The plan was to blockade the courts South-East has been outshone recently by developments in the morning to fuck up the schedule. The police do not in other regions. However this looks like its changing. like demos being organised against them, and they called One of the main campaigns in the south-east of in cops from 4 towns under the name Operation Grain late has of course been against live exports. Months of (?). The doors to the courts were locked so most of the daily direct action by the local community led to the trade crowd moved onto the dual carriageway. After a bit of a being halted at Shoreham, (See ‘Shoreham Harbour: Live dance with the cops everyone pretended to disperse while Exports & Community Defence’ in this issue), but since in fact they regrouped down at the McDonalds. It was much of the export has moved to Dover protests have lunch time and the restaurant was significantly more not been hal f as effective. Shoreham's success lay in the empty than usual. One twat got arrested after climbing fact that the port was right in the middle of the town, at into the cab of a Shell tanker in the traffic jam and alleg Dover it is at the bottom of the cliffs. Although the Live edly locking himself in. The battles at the port itself are Export direct action at Shoreham is over, the battle still far from over. Shoreham is ranked second or third in the continues in the courts. Hundreds have been arTested and national hierarchy of timber importers. Carrying timber a number are presently on remand. A revenge action from the Baltic, Scandinavia, Brazil, British Columbia, against the Courts and the police was organised and Russia and many other wildernesses. Shoreham hosts
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 32 Petrol storage bays for BP and Texaco. In protest against 3rd mass. In Lewes ( a much smaller town) things have oil exploration in Ecuador (and everywhere else), two been rather different with a fewer arrests and numbers activists chained up the entrance gates to the Texaco Bay averaging out at just over a dozen. Numbers have been and promptly scarpered. Watching from the road above the same in Hastings but so far there have been no ar they were happy to see 5 tankers line up trying to get in rests and 3 trying to get out. The blockade only lasted for about Primed to be the next Twyford, (let’s make it twenty minutes, (by which time the guard had located a the next Oxlees), the campaign against the Newbury by pair of bolt croppers), but was very cost effective- cost pass has set up two camps and is growing. This road will ing South Downs EF! nothing at all. They had cut the destroy three Sites o f Special Scientific Interest, an AONB chain from a car park. SDEF! are planning a major dock and hordes of rare wildflower species populations. Local action in the near future-Oct/Nov. This will be a national campaigners scout the entire route everymoming before mobilisation. The Details will be in the October edition work and over 1,000 have pledged to get in front of the ofthe EF! AU. bulldozers. The British Road Federation have chosen it In Lewes on WHEN around 100 people gath as their set piece battle with anti-roaders and as usual ered to ‘reclaim the land’. The land in question was be have been spewing mininformation from every orifice. hind Lewes Prison and was used by many for morning Their campaign has succeeded in turning many locals strolls, dog walking and picnics. The ‘landowner’ (may against us, but many others are actively involved in the they all bum in hell!), fenced off the land and chased resistance. Though the contractor is not yet known bets walkers off in his landie. Among the local community are on Costain, (contractor for the Card iff Barrage), and there was widespread anger about this so reACTION the campaign is asking for solidarity actions at their of (supposedly I^ewes campaign against the CJA but in re fices & sites. In a surprise attack on the 2nd of August ality a revolutionary nucleus without parallel), amassed demolition contractors destroyed five houses. It is es their forces and with a large dollop of Justice? activists sential that we stop this road and not just because o f the marched on to the land. While people sat in the sun pic threatened ecology. This campaign could be a massive nicking others spent the next 4 hours cutting down vast show of our strength or a massive show of our weakness. swaths of the fencing. The fence posts were gathered to We must send a clear message to the road lobby- even in gether and set on fire. A police helicopter hovered over the torrie heartlands we can still kick your ass. Contact head, (supposedly looking for a lost cyclist), and eventu the local group ‘The Third Battle of Newbury’ and get ally 3 police waddled up the hill. Accusing the crowd of down their. Their address is at the back of this issue. criminal damage they were surrounded and informed that Not only is Cissbury Hill fort under threat from it had all be carried out by giant purple moles. With a the “M27 Honiton-Folkestone Trans Highway”, so is the ratio of over 30-1 they didn’t make any trouble. After north of Worthing. Alliance & Leicester Building Soci vowing he would put up the fences the next day, the ‘ land ety is hoping to build a private dual carriageway through owner’ has yet to dare-3 months later. a residential area taking down trees and spaces; it will be Critical Mass has hit the South Downs. Masses fought for. We’re STILL waiting for a decision on the are now held in Brighton, Lewes and Hastings. The or A27/M27 "by-pass” to be made, we expect the decision ganisers of the Brighton CM’s, SDEF!, were more sur by the end o f the year. Contact Worthing EF! prised than anyone when over one hundred turned up to If we don’t want cars on the road we sure as the first one. As the cyclists and skaters were going at damn don’t want them on the downs. With this in mind walking speed the transport system of central Brighton reACTION organised an action against the Sussex leg ground to a halt. Amazed shoppers and tourists observed of the Eorochallenge Onyx Championship on August the the disappearance of cars and an invasion of whooping 19th. 136 4 wheel drive offroaders intent on ripping the cyclists. Viva La Revolution! The Police tried patheti downs to shreds were confronted by around 50 activists cally to intervene by putting their cars across the road- from Lewes & Brighton. Route flags were pulled out, Starsky and Hutch style- but apart from 5 arrests the Mass the racetrack was invaded and a gate was blockaded. This just cycled around them. At the end the Mass converged stopped them accessing half of their track. Some drivers around the cop shop and some cyclists even drove through had come all the way from France, Holland, Belgium the Foyer. After 20 minutes of hanging around occasion and Germany. A crowd shouting scum at them on the ally chanting ‘release the prisoners’ the prisoners were finish line was not to their liking. With their racing ru released. The police haven’t dared to show their faces at ined and half of the area due to be destroyed saved they subsequent Masses, (which by the third reached over packed up, not even bothering to return for the second 300), except for arresting one cyclist after the end of the day.
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 33 After two years of legal wrangling East of July when they were visited by 100 London police Grinstead Town Council voted overwhelmingly to build with cherrypickers and an army of security guards. So the East Grinstead Bypass through Ashdown Forest and far 43 activists have been arrested, many under the CJA. as part of the same project build around 1,000 new homes. A wood has also been occupied and its eviction is imma The road will go through some of the places (100 acre nent. On August the 10th a party was organised around wood etc.) immortalised in AA. Milnes Pooh Bear books the site. The police reaction was predictable; police road and the storm is rising. Locals (including councillors) blocks were put up and ravers were swept out of the area. have declared ‘We will go under the bulldozers’ and it Many had to take refuge up trees to avoid the cops. Con looks like its going to be all kicking off in tact ‘The Blue Route Action Group’- see contacts in the Commutersville. For more info contact South Downs EF! back pages. The CJA has woken up the traditionally lethar “Hundreds of years ago you had animals like gic alternative culture of Brighton (Herbal tea anyone?) bison, boar, wild horses, deer and oxen crashing around and there has been a number of high profile squats. Late in the woods, making natural clearings and creating last year an old Registrars Office was squatted (marble glades and scrub areas through grazing. If we reintro arches and all), followed by a Church, an empty Kebab duced some o f those species we could allow the land to shop, an empty Jeans shop and finally the council's aban revert to woodland and let them do the rest.” (Brighton doned Brighton Housing Advice Centre- renamed the Leader, 8.6.95) No this isn’t a raving Earth First!er, but Brighton Squatting Advice Centre. Free raves in empty Tony Whitbred of the Sussex Wildlife Trust. They are supermarkets and on the downs have been happening seriously talking about re-wi Iding a 25,000 hectare chunk every couple of weeks. Being one of the most organised of the South Downs. They believe, in direct opposition (Ha!) Anti-CJA groups in the country, and authors of to most UK conservationists, that the best way to protect the Weekly sshNEWS Justice? has already had its fair ecosystems and their biodiversity is to let them grow suf share of publicity. The most recent squat has been - A ficiently large, so that they can regulate themselves. For Pier. The dilapidated west pier, which is no longer con economic reasons large areas of the sussex countryside nected to the land, was squatted (independent of jus are being taken out of production and it looks like the tice?) by a community who swam out after being evicted wilderness could return to the Downs. Unfortunately they from the beach huts they had been living in. Brighton haven’t as yet announced any intention to join SDEF! ’s woke up to see one of its major landmarks taken over by campaign to simultaneously ban cars and reintroduce squatters with banners proclaiming ‘We’ll give you your wolves into towns and cities. pier back, when you give us our houses back! ’ and ‘ An- -Anon, South Downs EF! archy- Don’t you think it’s time for social change! ’. The owners, the West Pier Trust have announced that they do not intent to evict. The question begs asking of course- how the fuck could they evict a falling apart metal island anyway! Down in Southampton a Hotel was squatted by ‘Solent Spanners’, this lasted considerably longer than most of the Justice? squats. In Hastings a ‘ community arts and action centre’ was opened up but was evicted after a couple of weeks, and in Lewes reACTION have organised two squats. The temporary tendency of most i « ^ 2 of these was sometimes a problem, but also it has been *♦ Wf* f #T" 4 their greatest strength. Not existing long enough to fall into a quagmire of inaction, they have been character ised by an explosive exuberance unparalleled in the squat scene for many years. Those people who have come to gether in the squats have become a family and after the squats are evicted the community lives on. Yet another road scheme is destroying the ecol ogy of the S-East, but not without resistance. The A299 road at Thanet Way has been plagued by regular direct action since it started in May. Three squats were taken ( including the site office!) but all were evicted on the 21 st Meet liberal Sussex cops
Do or Die-Voices of Earth First!, No.5 34 All over the world people are fighting back. In this issue alone stories of resistance are heard from Aus tralia, Russia, Canada, Poland, France, the Solomon Islands, Bougainville, Mexico, America, Germany, Eire, the Czech Republic, Italy, India, Norway and Holland. Reading these accounts two things strike you immediately. Firstly, we are not alone - we are part of a movement that spans the globe. Whether your barricading a house, stealing some food from your local mega-store, locked on to a bulldozer, or for that matter trashing the damned things, you can be certain that in numerous places around the globe, people are doing exactly the same. Wherever there is oppression, exploitation and destruction there is resistance. The second thing that strikes you is that whenever we take back land to defend it, there’s always a seemingly endless supply of men & women in uniforms who, under orders from the state or the companies, will happily bludgeon us, destroy our homes, throw us in the clink and/or kill us. The financial interests that now undermine the life support systems of the earth and make our lives increasingly miserable work intemationally-so should we. Let’s start talking and acting with our brothers and sisters around the world. By communicating with activists in other countries we can realise the srengths and weakneses of our own tactics and ideas. As a movement, let us not be tied to national boundaries, after all the earth recognises no such borders. By realising ourselves internationally we can start to be a serious threat to the system.
BURNINGDIGGERS Sy lvania ( One of the most notorious symbolises capitalism and money. of all the Malaysian ‘timber beasts’ . “I’ve been a fireman for 30 INTHESOLOMONS ) The rivers the people drink from are years and I’ve never seen such van Last year a government running with mud that is choking the dalism,” said Gerald came to power in the Solomon Is reefs. According to Ezekiel Nilson.”Everything was smashed.” lands, (just across the water from Padakana, a local tribal, reefs are be The 400 rioters smashed Bougainville and Papua New ing irreparably damaged as Sylvania windows, computers, tables and of Guinea), that was supposedly com mines live coral to surface its logging fice equipment in nearby banks and mitted to ending log exports and safe roads. Padakana says that if his tribe shops. They hurled cobblestones at guarding the environment. This year, do not regain their land and if the de police dispersing the crowd with tear log exports from the islands are set to struction of reefs and forests do not gas. Since the early 80’s, regular double. stop more bulldozers and other com clashes have broken out in Copenha Nowhere is the logging pany property on Vanguna will go up gen on January 1st.’ more intense than in the Western in smoke! -Associated Press Province, an archipelago of rainforested islands ringed with clear ‘RIOIERSRANSACK RIPPING UP coral lagoons. Scorned by the govern ment and the Malaysian- owned MCDONALDS RAILWAY LINES Golden Spring logging company, vil Hundreds of rioters broke ‘German anti-terrorist po lagers in Northern Marova have de into a McDonald’s restaurant, two lice said they suspected anti-nuclear cided to fight back. Five of the com banks and several shops in the Dan activists were responsible for sabotag pany’s bulldozers were set on fire on ish capital, Copenhagen, and smashed ing railway lines near Hanover on New Georgia island, causing damage their interiors on New Year’s Day ri Monday [ 12th November], seriously estimated at more than $ 100.000. ots. They emptied the hamburger res disrupting rail transportation of radio In southern Marova, the for taurant's furniture and threw it into a active waste.’ est in the mountainous interior of bonfire on the street, police said. Source- Reuters Vanguna island has been leased out Leftwing Anarchists have targeted to the Malaysian logging company McDonald’s in the past because it Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 35 Germany and the Nether green party to autonomen. The Fri many people were badfy beaten u '[T lands. In Leiden all travel agencies day before the demo the town was al Eye-witnesses reported that a for were bill posted with posters declar ready dominated by an amazing eigner was punched and kicked by ing that all flights were cancelled due amount of police, who routinely five policemen who then dragged him to the environmental crisis. In Frank stopped and searched cars on the mo along to a wall, he was already un furt all McDonald’s toilets were filled torway and in the urban streets, pe conscious. Here 10 cops carried on with conrete. In Nijmegen some meat destrians and even people in buses attacking him. As is usual in these industry trucks were sabotaged to and trams. situations immigrants were picked draw attention to increased traffic due On the Friday night police out for special treatment. Their details to long-distance transport of fodder. stopped in psuedo-military fashion a were taken and they were bused out car from Berlin. The Ber of the city and banished from FLYINGTV’S IN liners were forced it for two months. out o f the car BOMBAY at gunpoint and sacs In Bombay families have p u lle d taken to heaving their TV’s out of over their windows, burning them or sim t h e i r ply hacking them to splinters of glass heads and plastic. b e “Destroying the television is f o r e sweeter revenge than jumping chan b e in g The ex nels or just switching off,” said Safira t a k e n plosives Ali Mohammed, one of the first to to the g e n i u s rebel. “One night I and my husband cells. w ho has and my two children went to the bed They were been behind room, disconnected the wires and car charged with numerous as ried our television to the edge o f the conspiracy to build sassinations oflead window. All o f us pushed it out of the Molotov Cocktails, be ing scientists and industri window together. Since we live on the cause the cops found bottles of min alists over the last 17 years has writ third floor there was a tremendous eral water, an oil canister and a toilet ten to the New York Times outlining crashing sound. We set the trend for roll in the boot o f the car. his anarchist beliefs and offering to throwing out the televisions and many On the day of the demo end his bombing campaign if the followed!”. 3,000 people ignored the ban and newspaper publishes, unedited, a long tried to take action in various loca article by himself on the state of the 918+ARRESTEDAT tions around the city. The police ap earth and the need for revolutionary peared almost immediately at nearly change. The Unabomber.on whom AMI-EUMMOS all locations and surrounded the pro the FBI admits they have no leads In mid December 94 the testers. after 17 years o f investigation, is be government leaders of the European Those encircled by the cops lieved to have sent the device which Union countries met in Essen. To were quick-cuffed, put into buses killed a leading timber industry lob counter this an anti-EU summit was rented from the city bus company and byist in Sacramento, California, on organised which was planned to cul driven to a police school where they the 24th of April. He wrote to the minate in a mass demonstration. Fear were processed; details, fingerprints, newspaper the day before and said his ing a repeat of the ’91 anti-G7 dem photos etc. All together 16 buses ultimate goal was “the destruction of onstrations in Bonn, the government brought people to the school, 75 peo the world-wide industrial system”. banned the demonstration at the last ple fitted in each bus. In the evening minute. By this time over 1000 peo all those arrested were released. The VALLEED’ASPE ple had arrived in Essen to participate police announced that they had cap in the counter summit, which was or tured 9 18 people. This arrest count Resistance to the construc ganised by a broad coalition from the is a post war German record. tion ofthe road through the Vallee D’ During the police operation Aspe in France, (see previous issues of DoD), shows no sign of abating. Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 36 lo j ~ h e r 0 j T B - A sw».
Countless incidents of bulldozer div important area from destruction. One On July 6th police in ing, site occupations and the like have Stroud EF! activist came away with Cherpovets, Russia, destroyed a camp led the builders to take extreme meas a souvenir gas canister which only set up by eco-activists and @narchists ures. Once our campaigns become just missed his head! who were fighting against Chetpovets effective the state is forced to ‘pull its Oxford EF! have made a Metallurgic Enterprises, (AO fistofiron from its velvet glove’ -on video about the campaign, it lacks SEVERSTAL). Before obliterating at least two occasions the machine coverage of the resistance but gives the camp 5 activists were arrested. gun touting Presidential Guards have an overview o f the issues behind the Two received five days in prison while tear gassed crowds attempting to take campaign. Seeing the mountainous the others were fined 100,000 Rubles, over the site. Last August just the woodlands makes one understand (about £30). The camp composed of threat o f an action led the authorities why people are prepared to defend Russian and Ukranian activists, was to remove all machinery for fear it this place to the last. set up outside the Enterprises’ gov might get petrol bombed. Their fear For more information contact: CSAVA, La ernment offices. The Russian radical became a reality a few weeks later Goutte d’Eau, F-64490, Cette-Eygun. Tel. ecologist group ‘ Ecodefense! ’ reports when 8 machines spontaneously 59 34 78 83, fax. 59 34 53 18. that since the camp’s inception, they combusted. In retaliation the police were constantly harassed by police raided the protest centre, ‘La Goutte RUSSIAN ECO- and security. This year they are plan d ’Eua', but no evidence was found to ning occupations of gas plants. The convict any activists. Many British ANARCHETCAMP presence of Westerners can usually EFIers have made their way over in lower the state violence, so if you the last year and helped to defend this TRASHED fancy a change of scenery you know
A Palastinian attempts to stop the demolition o f his village for the construction o f a Dam.
37 Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 cal and temperate forest in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Action camps are being set up to blockade the 3K03AUUMTA! building of logging roads into pristine areas, the first being at the old growth karri forest known as Sharpe Block in W. Australia. Actions at Embassies etc would be of great help. Contact Native Forest Net work Southern Hemisphere Clearing house, 112 Emu Bay Rd, Deloraine, Tasmania, 7304, Australia. Tel/fax (003) 62 2713. E-mail: [email protected]. AUSTRALIAN ZABVITSTA 5 e3 KOMIipOMMCCOB S0UDARIIY On February the 28th activ ists from Earth First!, Native Forest B 3 A 1HHTE Network Melbourne, Industrial Work ers of the World, and the Barricade Collective occupied for two hours the MATEPH 3EMJ1M Mexican Consulate in Melbourne, Austrailia. The occupation was or Translates from Russian as ' Ecodefence! No Compromise in ganised to support the indigenous Defence o f Mother Earth!' communities in the Siena Madres and the Zapatista army in Chiapas. Activists negotiated exit where to go! the area’s forests began in 1989 and without arrest after being swamped by contact:e-mail- [email protected] more than 1,000 people were ar cops. In a 15 minute conversation be rested trying to halt the chainsaws tween Anthony Amis from Native For AUSSELOGGING in the following two years. est Network Melbourne and Ambas sador Enrique Buj Flores the Ambas EQUPMENTSABBED AOKDNNEEDED- sador was told that if the situation in $ 100,000 worth of damage Chiapas and the Sierra Madres wors was inflicted on a bulldozer and a ALCTRAUAN ens, activists in Australia will be fur loader located at the Dampier State ther demonstrating at Mexican embas Forest, New South Wales, Australia. FORESISUNDER sies, consulates and trade organiza Employees of logging contractor FUKfflERIHREAr tions. “The Mexican Government will Philip Mathie arrived for work 20km not be pressured by any group,” Flores into the forest to find a beautiful scene. Due to increasing public stated. Ha Ha! Holes were speared in the vehicle ra anger environmentalists expected diators and fuel lines, electrical wires this year’s logging licenses to have ‘WEAREIJKETHE and hydraulic hoses were cut, and been reduced. In fact they have been gear levers wrecked. Mud and water INCREASED. 1995 licenses will PLANTS:WECANN0T had been poured into the engine. lead to the export of over 6 million Intensive protest to protect tonnes of woodchips to Japan and UVEWTIHOUnHE the destruction of tropical, subtropi
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 38 EARIHWriHOUr land, and we cannot accept this hu miliating and inhuman situation.” ACI1VISISFACE OURLAND5 The Guarani have consist JAIL ently waged battle to defend their Two hundred and fifty Turkish greens are facing lands, but with the indigenous terri Guarani-Kaiowa indigenous people prison sentences of 1.5-3 years for an tory halfed in the last decade, many in Jaguapire, Brazil, have threatened Anti Nuclear action in Turkey on have decided to end their lives on this to kill themselves in a collective sui November 11, at which they held unjust pillaged earth. If the court de cide if they are forced once again off banners outside the main electricity cision goes the ranchers way, then the their legally recognized territory. board office. Ecological protests are community of Jaguapire have de Ranchers from the area are waiting very new for the Turkish officials and clared that they have “decided to die for a decision from the state court in as you might know, every opposition before abandoning Jaguapire." an attempt to achieve the final legal is being attacked in Turkey, (See Brazilian groups are re expulsion of the indigenous. Marta DoD4, pi 9). The first part of the questing that we use international Silva Vito Guarani of the Kaguateca trial was on February 16, but noth pressure to force Judge Rotto to rule Association for Displaced Indians ing was decided. We must show soli in favour o f the Guarani. Write to: said: “ The cattle ranchers always win darity with our comrades in Turkey. Exmo. SR., Dr. Pedro Rotto, Tribu in the courts, while they violate the Further info-GrecnPeace nal Regional Federal da 3a Regiao, rights of the Indians on the land. We Rua Libera Badaro, no. 39 Centro, are like the plants: We cannot live 01009-000 Sao Paula, SP, Brazil. without the earth, without our land. For more info contacl: More than 7,000 Indians are work Amanaka’s Amazon Network, 584 ing in the coal mines, and in the sugar Broadway #814, NY, NY 10012, US ( See cane processing plants. They are liv Love & Rage Jan/Feb 95) ing in slavery. This is the integration that white society offers us. But we TURKEHECO- are Indians, the original owners of this
Street battles to defend the Squat zone in Milan, Itlay
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 39 -C2>“r~ &—4 EZ F & Report from Across the Atlantic
trum, a good guy who was on the electronic monitoring device on his by Orin Langelle, Native FBI’s Most Wanted list,suspected ankle so the authorities always know Forest Network ALF activist and Earth defender Rod his whereabouts.[ed.-see prisoner Coronado was captured while work page] Solidarity and greetings ing for an indigenous community in More positively, from south from the USA; stolen land from the the southwestern US. Coronado is of the border, the EZLN (Zapatista invasion and occupation that started now out on bail but has to wear an Army of NationalLiberation) retook 503 years ago. The farce of so-called de mocracy in this country has taken a further swing toward perfecting fas cism with the installation of a right- wing Republican majority party. The “liberal” Democratic jokes lost con trol of both the House and Senate in the past November elections, leaving their figurehead Clinton as El Presidente. Clinton’s leadership has already pushed and gotten approval for an insidious Crime Bill (more prisons and cops on the street) and GATT (Gangster’s Agreement on Tariffs and Trade). GATT furthers the New World Order with the multina tionals and their puppet governments here and elsewhere. It doesn’t matter who peo ple vote for as its business as usual— same shit, same pile, siegheil! More cops on the street hasn’t stopped vio lent crime. Not long ago a nut case pro-lifer, allegedly John C. Salvi III, let loose semi-automatic gunfire at two abortion clinics in the Boston area, killing two and wounding five women. He was captured the next day ready to wreak carnage at another women’s clinic. Salvi says if he is convicted he wants the death penalty and if he is freed he wants to become a Catholic priest. On the other end of the spec
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 40 over 39 municipalities in the Mexi was the scene of the famous “Scopes in a traditional Innu Peace camp can State of Chiapas before Christ (o r‘Monkey’) Trial.” Scopes, a high which blockaded an HQ access road mas. The indigenous uprising in school teacher, was tried and con to the St. Marguerite 3 Project. The Chiapas is a struggle by the people to victed for teaching the theory of evo blockade and Peace Camp lasted 17 take back their lives, their power and lution. days before being overrun by pro their land from the multinationals and Out west in the Wild vincial police and HQ private police land ‘owners’.[ed-See articles and Rockies, activists had a brief respite forces. communiques from the EZLN in last summer as a court injunction Starting this year off right, D oD 4.] stopped roadbuilding and logging in we had a demonstration in Vermont’s Cecilia Rodriguez, from the the Cove/Mallard timber sale area. State House, playing havoc with the National Commission for Democracy For the past two years prior to this festivities of the state of the state ad in Mexico and US representative for summer, the Cove/Mallard area was dress and innauguration of guv the EZLN, was the keynote speaker a hotbed of civil disobedience which Howard Dean. Vermont buys elec at the Second International Temper resulted in many arrests and lawsuits tricity from HQ and we were there to ate Forest Conference hosted by the leveled against the activists. What’s tell our white rich politicians that the Native Forest Network (NFN). This at stake here is the largest roadless people don’t want electricity from the conference held in Missoula, Mon area in the lower 48 states. Unfortu likes of HQ. tana, brought together 500 activists nately, that same injunction was lifted Besides getting in the way to the theme of “Focus on the Multi on 5 December. The state of Idaho offool’s progress, the radical environ nationals.” Representatives from the (where Cove/Mallard is located) has mental movement here in the states US, Canada, UK, Russia, South Ko recently passed a law prohibiting log is always looking for better ways to rea, Australia and other countries, ging protests or the encouragement subvert the dominant paradigm. One participated along with many differ of people to come to Idaho for anti of the things that seem to be preva ent indigenous First Nation’s. It was logging activity. This summer activ lent on the minds of the revolution recognized that the multinationals op ists didn't heed the state’s advice and ary ecologist folks whose circles I in erate globally to gobble up the re have to be out in full force to protect teract with is, “How do we educate maining “resources” without regard this wild ecosystem from the the average person to understand our to the health of ecosystems or to the chainsaw. points of view?" people who are effected by Judi Bari assures everyone It’s not an easy task with the transnational industrial civilization. that protests will soon be in full swing brainwashing techniques employed It was a time o f sadness to hear the in defense o f the redwoods in north by the corporate state. Mindless tel international reports concerning the ern California. Her lawsuit against evision. Shallow yellow journalism. destruction of our Earth, but it was the FBI concerning the bombing of Buy. Buy. Buy! The New World also a time for reinvigoration to carry her and Darryl Chemey in 1990 is Odor of the day. If anyone out there on with the necessary campaigns making headway. It appears that the has the answer, please let us know. when people returned to their pro feds may be caught with their pants Until the next time: Organize. Edu spective communities. down. cate. Agitate. Oh yeah, and fuck the Here in capitalist consumer Our Eastern North Ameri criminal justice act! country, many campaigns are taking can Resource Center here in (Orin Langelle is a revolu place.Here’sasmall sampler: Burlington, Vermont, has been con tionary ecologist who works with the Immediately after the Earth tinuing the on-going campaign Native Forest Network. He can be First! Round River Rendezvous against the Quebec (Canada) utility reached at the Eastern North Ameri (RRR) held on the east coast last Hydro-Quebec (HQ). The largest can NFN Resource Center, POB 57, summer, the largest post RRR arrests wilderness area in eastern North Burlington, VT 05402 USA tele: in EF! history occurred. Fifty-nine America and home to the indigenous (802)863-0571 fax: (802)863- people were apprehended while the Cree, Inuit and Innu is in jeopardy 2532 email: Watts Bar Nuclear Facility was shut due to the hydroelectric dam(n) [email protected]) down by the protesters. It was an projects that HQ has dreamt up. The ALARM (a voice of ironic twist that the arrestees ap Last summer the NFN, revolutionary ecology) Women’s Is peared before the judge in the Rhea along with the Innu Support Commit sue now out, available from Dead County Courthouse in Dayton, Ten tee, helped organize a contingent of Trees EF! nessee. In 1925 the same courthouse international observers who took part
Door Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 41 VANCOUVER EARTH FIRST! NEWS
Ed.note. Vancouver is part of British Columbia, Canada. The area has a long tradition of ecological resistance.Most of what is called British Columbia is land beyond the treaty boundary. Land which was and contin ues to be taken by force from the native peoples and given to the multinationals. For the tribals of the Nuu-chah- nulth Nation ecocide = Genocide. For the past 12 years a concerted campaign of resistance has included road blockades, tree sits, land occupations, marine blockades, tree spiking (24,000 in one stretch alone), bridge burning, digger burning, numerous imprisonments, boat sinking etc. This campaign has been waged jointly by native peo ples and groups like EF! Hundreds were arrested last year defending the old growth forests. The campaign has been taken to Britain with numerous actions such as mill closures, supermarkets actions, office occupations and dock actions, ( A good text to read is ‘Stop Destroying Native Lands: Corporate Scum Get The Fuck Out!’, by Terra Prima!, available from Dead Trees EF!). Bums Bog is the largest re research on the diversity of this frag media attention, and tons of support maining green space in greater Van ile ecosystem, we are also doing ac (including financial) from the public. couver. It is a ‘domed bog’ with moss tions. We parked a truck in the drive Vancouver EF!ers include up to 4 feet deep. Some of the critters way to the dump, pretending it was and work with members of Friends of who make it their home are black broken down. A huge 18-wheeler the Wolf and a newish animal rights bears, cougars, coyotes, beavers, and dump truck stopped to see what was group, Animal Allies. This has been carnivorous plants which are nor going on, and as they did, 2 Earth wonderful, as there just aren’t enough mally not found so far North. The First!ers locked down to the truck. activists for us not to work together! small scrubby trees in the bog are As 50-60 trucks and cars normally As a result, we are growing very hundreds of years old. enter the dump each hour, this caused quickly both in numbers and in But it’s the same old story: quite a disturbance. There were gar strength. Many other actions have not Bums Bog is threatened by corporate bage trucks backed up for miles. The been described in this letter, includ intrusion. Firstly, it is the main gar road is too narrow for them to turn ing a lock down to the doors o f the bage dump for Vancouver. It’s tech around. 10 people were arrested, 6 Ministry of Environment, that stopped nically illegal to dump on unsteady let free, 4 with later trials. We are also their workers from entering the build ground, but somehow it is allowed in hanging banners about Bums Bog by ing. At that action we also hung dead the bog, since the dump is so old and highways. animals from a post to show passers long established. The second threat to Other actions include pro by what the poison the government the bog comes from a proposal for a testing raw log exports by climbing uses to kill wolves does to all golf course which includes a road into the crane of a large loading boat. 2 critters. We’ll keep in touch. Feel Free a hitherto inaccessible and roadless people climbed and hung an EF! ban to Contact us. area. Ocean Spray Cranberries could ner. The sad part is they are facing With love & Support also be damaging the delicate ecosys up to 6 months jail. As we have no -Vancouver Earth First! tem, as they gather their berries from laws as horrendous as the CJA this Contact: Vancouver EF!, P.O. Box 16071, the wild Cranberry plants found there. comes as quite a shock. 3017 Mountain Highway , North Probably the only real way to protect Members of Friends of the Vancouver, BC V7J 2RO, CANADA .Terra Bums Bog is for British Columbia’s Wolf B.C. and Vancouver EF! did a Primal/West Coast Earth First!, #618-620 View Street, Victoria, BC V8W IJ6, provincial government to apply a hunger strike. We striked and had a CANADA,Animal Allies, #424-1195 ‘ protected area strategy ’. booth and huge banner on the lawn We are fighting for its protec Davie Street, Vancouver, BC V6E IN2, of the provincial legislature in Vic CANADA .Friends of the Wolf B.C. P.O tion. As well as putting pressure on toria for 9 days. Though the wolves Box 2983, Vancouver . BC V6B 3X4, the government by doing our own are still being poisoned, we got good CANADA
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 42 ANATOPIA ANARCHY & MERCEDES IN GERMANY
Since 4/7/91 the site where a ditions ( e.g. no electricity, no water wards follows: gigantic Test track ( 12 kilometres taps, no cars, low consumption, us long, 3 km w ide) was planned by the ing stoves, etc ). They cooked to 6/10/94: The last council meeting to Mercedes company was squatted by gether, shared many things and led a evict Anatopia, in Papenburg, was youth. They built a village in the vegan lifestyle. The squatters had a loudly disturbed, involving fights moor landscape to protect it and all lot to do in their village, with visitors with the police. its rare plants and animals against the and with themselves. Moreover there 11/11/94: The final date fora volun diggers. But this protest should be was a lot of work to draw public at tary abandonment of the site is set understood as a kind of resistance tention to their anti-Mercedes protest, tled by the regional government. against all forms o f exploitation and to get money and to support other 19/11/94: A rally is held in as an attempt to live an alternative groups, projects and movements. A Papenburg with more than 100 par lifestyle. In 20 caravans and huts built small Held was cultivated at a farm ticipants. A big Mercedes sign is burnt from the garbage of society lived a near the camp. Tl\ere was a good symbolically. mixture of very different people com sorted Infoshop to spread repressed A small demonstration takes place ing from all over, different ages, vi information and make communica in Berlin. sions of life and protest, and different tion possible. End of November: Rally against animals, supported by many guests, At the beginning of this Mercedes in Stuttgart. friends and travellers. They promoted year, Anatopia was evicted, and soli 11/12/94: An incendiary bomb goes an autonomous struggle for the sur darity actions took place all over Ger off under a fat Mercedes car in vival of the moor, and for the quality many. A rough chronology of events Bremen. of life under absolutely simple con leading up to the eviction and after 13/12/94: Unknown people pour con
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 43 crete into the office of the Green Party 4/1/95: 15 masked people smashed painted at a Mercedes establishment in Hannover. The Green Party is re windows and cars in a Mercedes es in Wuppertal. sponsible in that the land was sold to tablishment - they painted “ If evic 7/1/95: Eviction of the hut village of Mercedes while they were part of the tion then war “. £20,000 of damage Anatopia. regional government in Lower in Hamburg. That night, 40 masked people riot in Saxonia. 6/1/95: 15 masked people painted Hamburg, they do damage to Others burned a big Mercedes sign at slogans for Anatopia in Oldenburg, Mercedes, smash windows and attack the market-place in Hannover. and a passing cop car was attacked. the police. Later the tyres of about 20 17/12/94: A Mercedes establishment Windows at a police station in Mercedes were punctured and one was is hit in Hannover; 2 cars are burned, Luthringhausen were broken and burnt. causing more than £30,000 of dam slogans painted. 8/1/95:30 people occupy a Mercedes age. Windows were smashed and slogans establishment in Lubeck. Near Lubeck some windows of a Mercedes establishment are smashed. 9/1/95: 40-50 people occupy a Mercedes establishment in Osnabruck. They block the street and bum the Mercedes flag after tilting its mast. This happened in Bielefeld. 10/1/95:7 people disturbed the busi ness in a Mercedes shop in Osnabruck. 11/1/95: 3 Mercedes are burnt at a Mercedes establishment in Wilhelmshaven. Windows are smashed at a Mercedes shop in Bremen. In the same week : Anti-Auto- Autonomen attacked a Mercedes es tablishment near Frankfurt - £ 10,000 of damage. 12/1/95: Rally against Mercedes in Bielefeld. That night the police defused fire bombs placed under Mercedes cars. 13/1/95: Rally with 300 people, it was the biggest one ever -the cops attacked it because a lot were masked up - 2 arrests. 14/1/95: Mercedes hit by fire in Greifswald: more than £60,000 worth o f damage. This list may not be complete - there was at least one action in Ber lin. Some weeks later, in February, there were three hits against Mercedes establishments at the same time in: Aurich, Wittmund and Leer ( small towns in the vicinity of Papenburg) - causing about £70,000 worth of dam Spanish Anti-Nuke protestor arrested by glow-in-the-dark age. military cop
Door Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 44 WHAT A JOKE! THE BERLIN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
Between March the 28th and states. They had obviously not learnt sumer of oil), it would be totally the 7th o f April over 150 govern the lessons o f the Rio ‘Earth Summit’. meaningless. Supporters of the mo ments and about the same number of This motion merely asked for a 20% tion wanted us to comprom ise and not multinationals came together suppos decrease in greenhouse gases. Con to disrupt the conference, attack the edly to discuss what to do about the sidering that the world’s leading cli leading delegations or bum UN flags worsening climate crisis. Despite the mate scientists in the International etc. This, they claimed, would make constant efforts of most of these bod Panel on Climate Change believe that environmentalists look bad, and lose ies to discredit those scientists and ac no less than a 60% decrese will stabi them influence over the world pow tivists who have exposed global lise the climate; this motion was stag ers. The idea that 50 predominantly warming; the public realise that some geringly pointless. It was however, middle class white Europeans in their thing big is happening and that some they countered, a realistic demand. early twenties could have any influ thing needs to be done. The world This was also nonsense. With Japan ence in these circles was pretty ridicu leaders know that to survive they and America openly opposing it, it lous. We were in the rather bizarre must wallow in greenwash. Resist was very unlikely that their client situation of having to defend direct ance to this giant piece of theatre was countries would support it either. If action at a ‘Direct Action Confer mixed, and reflected many of the in the motion had been passed without ence’. ternal contradictions of the ‘European America, (the worlds biggest con Seeing that ‘consensus de youth environmental movement’ (1). cision making’ and ‘process’ (3) was During the first week EYFA (European Youth For(est) Action) held its ‘Direct Action Conference' attended by over 50 activists from all over East & West Europe (2). This was a great opportunity to plan ac tion and carry out valuable interna tional networking. Very quickly the different perspectives of groups came to the surface. Those from Britain & some from the Czech republic and Germany argued that our actions should aim to expose the conference as a sham. That we should take ad vantage of the unique opportunity and target the assembled heads of multi nationals and economic bodies. This perspective challenged that of many others who had come intending to lobby, with demos and banner drops, the conference into accepting the mo tion put forward by many of the soon to be under-water, small pacific island
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.S 45 gening us nowhere, those of us into city was attended by about 6,000. ships were made. It finished the day organizing radical action simply or Riot police blocked the pavements of the march and a larger event called ganized it. In the end we won people and before they could get to the gath ‘the greenhouse gathering’ began over and nearly everyone came along ering point anyone who looked with over 700 participants from all and participated. We arrived at 8 in scruffy was searched for weapons. over Europe; there was even people the morning outside one of the hotels Armoured water cannons were sta from New York EF! This conference where many of the industrial lobby tioned in three locations on the route had a massive budget and was being ists were staying, and locked onto the and an underground car park oppo funded by the EU to the tune of buses that were due to take them to site the conference centre teamed with £ 100,000. Much o f this money went the conference. Some activists were thousands of cops. Not surprisingly on transport costs, but the majority arrested and treated very badly. In re then the march stayed quite passive. went on booking the conference hall taliation, and to wind up the riot cops The following day the largest ever and buying flash new CB’s, Comput who were stationed on every cycle action took place with over ers etc. (4) The gathering consisted streetcomer, on three occasions the 100,000 participants. of 5 days of talks and meetings-most buses were paintbombed as they The DAC although some of which were on exhilarating and drove down the route. Those respon times infuriating was very worth relevant topics such as eco-taxes. sible escaped into the underground while. Most of the participants were Most people were spectators and there system chased by police who were new to direct action and were was no substantive networking ses caught totally off guard. radicalised by it. Many good debates sions. Only one and a half days were A large march through the were held and contacts and friend actually set aside for taking action. When a large contingent of EFiers from the north and Glasgow arrived, many on the organizing committee complained that they had been de ceived. They had been told that those coming were from the Green Student Network. They were worried that Earth First! was going to hijack ‘their’ gathering and get people do ing action rather than attend the ‘real events’. This set the tone for the rest o f the week. Most o f us attended very few meetings. We met many people from other countries who believed much the same as we do- mainly around dinner and in the bar. British EF!ers and activists from the Czech republic were the main conference action co-ordinators. One reclaim the streets action was held with over 200 people. Numer ous press conferences were disrupted by activists with press-passes. On the final day after the conference decision had been announced (more talk, no change), over 300 activists d-locked themselves to the entrances of the con ference hall, occupied the foyers and stormed the UN stage. The idea be ing that the delegations should not leave until something had actually be done. Amazingly no-one was ar
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 46 ^o-ru-flE R 1 a o_ ^ ©>« rested. As well as the actions we were (1) Although it describes itself as and hand signals designed to liberate involved with, we also heard that the the ‘European youth environmental people, more often than not simply creates private coaches of the Japanese and movement’ it is more accurate to describe a new elite who feel confident in ‘the it as the ‘European student environmental process’. Bad facilitation and the language French government delegations had movement’. barrier can make this unbelievably their tires slashed; and on two occa infuriating. sions hotels full of delegations and (2) Although activists came from industrialists were emptied after fire many countries to the DAC, radical (4) One of the most interesting alarms were set off at 1 in the morn ecological groups from Germany were not things we discovered was the way many of ing, (it’s amazing where you can get represented; German EF! were not even W.Europes ‘youth’ environmental to when wearing a suit!). aware of its existence. This was not the movements are funded. Their main source fault of the organisers who miraculously of income seems to come from We made many new con managed to organise a gathering in Berlin government. When a network begins to tacts and this was invaluable. We in from Amsterdam and the Czech Republic. grow the state gives them ridiculous Britain who say we ‘think globally’ German EF! appeared at the greenhouse amounts of money to organise endless have far to much of an island mental gathering, although they had not been seminars and alternative conferences. The ity. Good actions were taken over the officially invited. There is a massive most active in the movement end up two weeks, but resistance to the con anarcho-punk squatting scene in Germany spending all their time organizing these ference could have been much larger. and especially in Berlin. On a number of things (and arguing about the money) rather occasions it has disrupted international than actually confronting those that arc Many mistakes were made, but if we capitalist gatherings with great success, and destroying the earth. This level of co-option learn from them, next time we can it can still mobilize thousands. Fearing that is non-existent (as yet) in the student green really make a difference. The next they ‘might cause trouble’ the organizers movement over here- never mind in EF! climate conference will be in Japan of the greenhouse gathering actively British Earth First! in four years has so I doubt many of us will make it discouraged them from being involved. By probably used less money than the over. However, as the crisis gets worse destroying any real link to the towns greenhouse gathering did in one week. If the industrialists need for such counter-culture the organisers undermined we need something more often than not we our ability to smash the conference, this beg, borrow, or steal it. Poverty is a great greenwash will increase, so we can was their intention. Due to their alienation radicalizcr, and lends to give you a different look forward to many more such con from local radicals they were unaware that slant on private properly. There was no ferences. Next time lets really expose they were holding their conference on the way we could have actually payed for the them for what they are, and make estate which is Berlin’s fascist stronghold. scaffolding that made the lower at them feel our anger at the destruction A few hippies walking around at night Claremont!!! For a banner drop during ihc of life and the continuation of their would have been an easy target. conference they actually rented a ladder, system. this when half of Berlin city is a building (3) When there are two radically site. The idea that they could just go and opposing views Consensus Decision steal one simply didn’t occur to them. Footnotes Making simply does not work. The jargon
Sym biosis
Several species of Pineapple Plant (Bromeliaceae) live in the flood basin of the Amazon in South America. In this region water levels rise regally by several metres, thus drowning large numbers of plants and terrestrial animals. These floods would certainly destroy the ant nests and undermine the ability of the plant to reproduce, and so the ants have developed a novel method of solving this problem. The ants have moved up into the trees. They search the ground for seeds of the pineapple, take them up into the trees and plant them in soil they have already transported from the ground. These seeds germinate and grow, attaching themselves to branches around them and forming a strong nest-like network of roots, stems and leaves. This plant provides the ants with a much stronger nest than the ant could make itself. Their new home means that they no longer have to risk the dangers of the water and can live their lives above flood water levels. The pineapple benefits from being rescued by the ants from the floods. It is also nearer to the sunlight, ground level photosynthesis can sometimes be very low in the tropical forest. Both species gain considerably from this association.
47 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 DuPont’s Plans in Goa Go up in Smoke
-By Claude Alvares, Third cided to move in to the site in an air- police got out and sprayed bullets di World Network conditioned bus, escorted by two po rectly at the women. In the space of a mere week lice vans. The trip was a serious act No warning was given. Two end, after a series of fast-moving de of provocation since the area was al girls fell, with bullet injuries on their velopments, DuPont’s proposal to set ready quite tense with the happenings thighs. Then a young man, Nilesh up A sia’s largest Nylon 6.6 plant in o f the days earlier. Naik, also fell to the first line of bul Goa, (India) has been literally burnt At Aria, 1 kilometre from lets. Eye-witnesses say he was shot to cinders. the site, a large crowd of in the chest at point-blank range. For seven years now, the vil The women, despite being lages surrounding the proposed site shot at, moved with determination have carried on a sustained agita towards the policemen firing at them tion on environmental and other who now panicked as stones be grounds against the project But gan flying at them from both the final denouncement com sides o f the road. The officials menced in late January after jammed themselves into a police police swooped down on eight bus, turned around and fled. The demonstrators and stripped other bus faced the fury of the and beat them up in the police crowd and so did the three jeeps. cells. They were burned to ashes. Sev The incident of police eral policemen suffered injuries. brutality had repercussions the — Some were kidnapped by the police and the administration could ^ Y crowd and stripped of their clothes never have imagined. It led to a large- in a return action for what had been scale demonstration during a public done to their fellow activists earlier. function organised by Eduardo were a l r e a d y A passing bus was requisi Falheiro, the Union Minister of State squatting in the middle o f the narrow tioned by the activists to rush Nilesh for Chemicals, at Farmagudi, Ponda, single road that leads to the site. They to the Ponda Hospital. However, the on 21 January 1995. Events snow refused to budge. The Americans had police impounded the bus 2 kilome balled rapidly after that leading to the to return to Ponda. They were furi tres down the road, broke up the ve movement taking over the plant site ous. They met the Chief Minister hicle in anger and took Nilesh with on 25 January. again and demanded more aggressive them to the Ponda police station On the evening o f 22 Janu action against the protesters. At 2 pm, where he lay for another 20 minutes ary village girls saw a truck moving a CID inspector visited the Aria before he was taken on a motorcycle to the site of the proposed factory; blockade site, told the women and to the hospital. He was pronounced they realised that the company would other activists to disperse and threat dead on arrival; the doctor said the be up to some activity the next day. ened them with dire consequences. He young man would have survived had The Americans had appar was driven away. he arrived just a few minutes earlier. ently met Chief Minister Pratap Singh At around 4.30 pm, three The other injured people were shifted Rane and insisted they be allowed to jeep loads ofofficials accompanied by to the Bambolim Medical College visit the proposed site and to begin tw0 bus loads of Police returned to near Panjim. preliminary work, with police protec- the site- After they had parked their The villagers next targeted tion if necessary. They therefore de- vehicles in a line along the road, the the public clinic set up by DuPont for
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 46 0— ^ the villagers at Querim and razed it which came into the city unescorted formed the press the company ‘was to the ground. was also burned to junk. Throughout completely shaken up over the past By this time anger against the day, the curfew was imposed on three days events’and expressed his DuPont and Thapar had reached a the police by the people, rather than disappointment that the Chief Minis- crescendo. The night of the police the other way around. They had now ter could not provide safety and se- murder, the Anti-Nylon Co- to remain within the precincts of the curity forthecompany’spropertiesat ordinating Committe announced a Ponda and Farmagudi police stations the site. Ponda strike for the following day for fear of being exterminated if they As the people began return- even as the administration imposed a ventured out. The strike ended at 8 ing home from the brightly burning curfew on the city. pm. pyre, it was quite obvious that the site The following day, how- On 25 January, the body of -acquired by the Government for the ever, before dawn could break, road- Nilesh was brought to the Ponda bus factory - had returned into the pos- blocks were already installed by the stand from the morgue where it was session of the villagers. Village ani- activists bringing all life to a grind- dressed with flowers by hundreds of mals including goats and cows, pre- ing halt. Police officials attempting to activists and taken in a kilometre-long vented for several months from en- approach the town were met by a rain procession to the village of Savoi tering the area, were now seen once of soda water bottles at Kundai and Verem. The procession took overtwo again freely browsing all over the had to retreat to Panjim. Several buses hours as villagers all along the 12- plot. and jeeps went up in flames. No hu- kilometre route, including hundreds The week’s events were an man beings, however, were hurt. of school children, insisted on pay- utter humiliation for DuPont, Ameri- In the morning, after they ing their respects to the fallen activ- ca’s largest chemical multinational, had taken control of Ponda town, the ist. In the evening, the body was ere- The militant and successful rejection activists went up to the local Thapar mated on a specially erected platform of the multinational’s factory is the DuPont office and brought out more just outside the factory’s gates. The first of its kind since the country be- than 700 files, piles of site plans and area was re-named Hutatma Nilesh gan the process of neo-liberalisation, drawings of the proposed factory, Pathar (plateau). and it presages more to come as mul- visiting cards, fax machines and of- Even as the funeral pyre was tinationals attempt to grab more and fice equipment including tables, are- lit, smoke could be seen billowing more Indian resources through the frigerator, three pistols and an illegal from the factory’s administrative agencies of the Indian state in the sten gun and burned these in the mid- buildings as demonstrators set fire to name of progress, die of the road. Twelve suitcases them. A stick of dynamite exploded For more info contact Third World stacked with 500-denomination rupee among the remains of the administra- Network 228, Macalistcr Road, 10400 notes belonging to the company were tive buildings. Penang, Malaysia. Email: also consigned to the flames. Later the same evening, (+604)2293511; In the evening, a fire engine Thapar DuPont MD, Sam Singh, in-
FACTORIES DON’T BURN DOWN BY THEMSELVES!
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 49 Reprieve for Polish Bialowieza Forest
this decision carefully but it seems that this is a big success for the Inter national Campaign. The next step should be national park status in the total forest area”. The document states that no Oaks, the most desirable hardwood in Bialowieza, over 60 cm in diam eter may be logged as well as Lime, Maple, and Ash of similar sizes. Rare species of trees descended from na tive species and appearing in fixed March to Parliament, Warsaw forms, such as fir, cherry, apple, and On July 5, the General Direc ters car and delaying his speaking elm received complete protection ‘re tor of the National Forests in Poland engagement before the Polish parlia gardless of age and condition.’ The signed a document declaring an im ment. Although several activists were Workshop for all beings had esti mediate moratorium on logging of old taken to the Warsaw police station, mated that the remaining old growth growth trees in the entire area of the none was charged. This action fol would have disappeared within three Bialowieza Primeval Forest. The de lowed a three day vigil and encamp or four years at current logging lev cision comes amid mounting pressure ment outside the Polish Parliament set els prior to the moratorium. from NGO’s, forest activists, and sci up after 100 marched on the Prime The logging moratorium is entists world wide to protect Europe’s Ministers office. Activists (some from the first o f two demands set forth by last lowland old-growth forest. Britain), visited the forest site itself the International Bialowieza Cam Bialowieza is the last wild habitat of and a debate was held with the local paign to be met by Polish Govern the European bison, it is also home villagers. However communication ment. The second demand is to set to wolf, lynx, beaver, masked shrew, between the villagers and many ac aside the entire area as a fully pro moose, crane, lesser-spotted eagle, tivists was limited due to the language tected national park. Currently, only black stork and all but one of the barrier. The actions set off large me a tiny portion of the forest has national European woodpeckers, (see DoD 4). dia coverage and were greatly respon park status.The logging moratorium In April the International sible for a political turnaround which gives us a lot of breathing room, but Bialowieza Campaign held actions at started on May 11 th when the Polish no one campaigning can rest until it the government buildings in Warsaw. Senate passed a resolution to protect is permanently protected as a national While just over a dozen activists the forest. After increasing internal park.. locked down the entrance of the Min and external pressure the government Faxes and letters demanding that the Polish government upgrade the WHOLE of the istry of Agriculture, three others signed the moratorium two months forest to a national park should be sent to: gained entrance to the plush office of later. The Prime Minister, Josef Oleksy Urzad StaanislawZelichowski- Minister of The Polish group, Workshop Rady Ministrow 00-902. Warsaw, Poland; the Environment. Refusing to leave for all Beings, has been a central or +48 2 6284222 they were dragged out by Warsaw ganiser of the campaighn for a log For info on the campaign in Britain write Policja. Outside the ministry, block- ging moratorium. Spokesperson to Avon Gorge EF!. The address for the aders were cut out after a long strug Janusz Korbcl reacted cautiously to Workshop for all Beings is in the contact list at the back of this issue. gle successfully trapping the minis the announcement. “We must look at
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 50 THE ETERNALTHREAT BIODIVERSITY LOSS AND THE FRAGMENTATION OF THE WILD
Throughout the earth wild habitats are being cut c) Habitat islands: Those ‘Natural’ or ‘semi-natu- up, cut down and cut off. One inevitable result o f this is raP habitats surrounded by a sea of human dominated fragmentation. By neglect, chance or design the conver landscape, like a copse of woodland surrounded by farm sion o f wild habitat to human dominated land leaves is ing fields or meadows surrounded by housing and road lands of wild habitat in an ever rising sea of inhospitable developments. terrain. The result is a very quiet, but huge, profound All three types act in very similar ways. and disastrous effect on the world’s terrestrial ecosys i) The smaller the island, the less spe tems and the species they contain. cies are present on it, see figure 1. This article will firstly take a quick look at the ii) The further away from a source of theory of why habitat islands and real islands have far colonizing species, the less species are to be found on the fewer species than more continuous tracts of land. Sec island, see figure 2. ondly look at three examples of the serious fragmenta i ii) The longer the length of time they have tion of the wild and resulting species loss from the U.K, been islands reduces the number of species found on the U.S.A and Brazil. Finally I will look at what environ island. This point is controversial but the few studies done mental groups, (FoE, Greenpeace and EF!), should be and the general theory seem to support it. doing. To account for these striking patterns seen over Islands can be thought of as one of three differ the whole globe, with virtually any plant or animal group ent types: , tw'o groups o f theories have been put forward .The first a) Oceanic islands :Those that have nearly al was proposed by the two mega-ecologists MacArthur and ways been islands, like the Seychelles and all those other Wilson in 1967 in their seminal work “The theory of ‘idyllic’ faraway holiday islands. Island Biogeography” [ I ] ( which is still used widely b) Land-bridge islands: Those that used to be at today by those responsible for drawing up the National tached to larger land areas, (usually several thousand Park / Reserve guidelines etc .) They proposed that the years ago-eg-Britain). area of the island sets limits on the number of individu
Figure I. The number o f different species o f amphibians and reptiles found on 7 different sized islands in the west indies.( MacArthur & Wilson 1967)
51 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 Figure 2. The number o f land and freshwater bird species on various islands and archipelagos in the Pacific Ocean. "Near” islands (open circles) are those less than 500 miles from a colonisation source (New Guinea). "Far" islands (squares) are those greater than 2,000 miles from a colonisation source. Dots without circles or squares are islands o f intermediate distance. (1) Wake, (2) Henderson, (3) Line, (4) Kusaie, (5) Tua Motu, (6) Marquesas, (7) Society, (8) Ponape, (9) Marianas, (10) Tonga, (11) Carolines, (12) Palau, (13) Santa Cruz, (14) Renell, (15) Samoa, (16) Kei, (17) Louisiade, (18) D'Entrecasteaux, (19) Tanimbar, (20) Hawaii, (21) Fiji, (22) New Hebrides, (23) Burn, (24) Ceram, (25) Solomons. (From Mac Arthur and Wilson, 1963.) als an island can support . They then said that the prob new roadbuiIding schem e) the more species we will lose ability (chance) of a species becoming extinct on an is from our island by increasing the probability of each spe land increases as the number of that species decreases. cies going extinct. Our forest island could also end up This is entirely sensible if you imagine having a with less species if sources of colonizing species are re square of forest surrounded by fields and you then de moved , i.e. our island will act a lot more like a far away cide to chop half of it dow n; the number of trees .b ird s, island with less species present .This means that destroy beetles or whatever will be reduced ; while the popula ing habitat islands affects other habitat islands that could tion of an individual species will also be reduced ( not be quite some distance away by removing sources of enough food Jack of breeding sites, fewer places to hide colonizing species With I ittle or no colonization the vast from predators). Some of this extinction is balanced by majority of species could be lost from that particular is colonization -new species arriving on the island - like land . Unfortunately this is precisely the direction we are insects blown in the w ind, wind blown seeds, birds fly racing towards in the late 20th century. ing , fungi spores in the air and other more chancey events The second group of theories are known as Spe- cies-area theories. These have sprung up to explain the The colonization of the island by new species is relationship between the area of a given place and the reduced the further the island is away from a source of number of species found there. This relationship is amaz colonizing species ( another island, or the “mainland”). ing as it is seen from ants through to zooplankton and The most important point about this theory is that the from the tropics to the arctic. The question then is why island reaches a new balance where it is stable, but with does area equal more species ? There are three basic theo a lot less species. ries. So thinking back to our imaginary forest island a) Species numbers should increase because the smaller our island gets (maybe some is taken for a larger areas will contain more types of habitat. A pretty
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 52 theory, and the increasing number of habitats in a given area probably account for most of the differences seen between “mainland” and island ecosystems. So to summarise this section ; making habitat islands by the expansion of agriculture, dam building, housing developments, industrial expansion and road- building reduces the number of species by: a) Excluding some from the area that re mains , particularly if rarely or patchily distributed. b) Increasing the likelihood of extinction of the species left in the new island habitat b e c a u se AREA (ha) of reduced population sizes. c) Decreasing or eliminating sources of Figure 3. An example o f a species-are colonization for other areas left intact. relation: the number o f breeding bird species d) Removing resources outside the area in different size plots o f North American left that species inside that area may depend upon for deciduous forest. (Data from Preston, 1960) their long-term survival. e) By the process of secondary extinc obvious conclusion, as most species are highly special tion's, these are dependant upon the ecological ized in at least some of their requirements for life. If we imbalances resulting from factors a-d. go back to our imaginary island the larger our forest is The question then becomes , yes reducing the the more likely it is that it will be growing upon more world to a series of fragments will lose a huge number of than one soil type which will mean different (more) plant species , but how widespread is the fragmentation and species will grow with new specialized insects living on isolation ? The short answer to that is VERY. Think about them, with different birds living off the insects, and so o n . b) A bigger popula tion of each species ( more woodpeckers or red admiral butterflies ) leads to a de creased chance o f extinction This is really just part of the McArthur and Wilson theory described above. c) Some have said that this striking relationship between area and species numbers is nothing more than an artifact of the way in which we study nature i.e there is no meaningful rela tionship between area and the number of species present. All the theories are plausible, with supporting Figure 4. Fragmentation and isolation o f Poole Basin, Dorset, evidence for each. The real England. Between 1759 and 1978 it lost 86% o f its heathland (40,000 world probably shows a ha to 6,000 ha), a change from 10 large blocks separated by rivers to mish-mash of them all , 1084 pieces, nearly half of these being less than 1 hectare, with only though in my opinion the 14 sites bigger than 100 hectares. (From Webb and Haskins 1980.) McArthur and Wilson
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.S 53 Depletion of the forest area in Sao Paulo State, Brazil.
Figure 5. Reduction o f tropical forest in Sao Paulo sate, Brazil, from year 1500 with 81.8% forest coverage to year 1973 with 8.3% forest coverage, by the year 2000, only 3% forest cover is projected. Sao Paulo sate is about the size o f West Germany or the sate o f Oregon. (From Oedekoven, 1980.)
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.S 54 the average nature reserve or national park , an area of Therefore by estimating the number of species that have natural habitat surrounded by anything but natural habi been lost since they became islands we can gain at least tat up to the parks edge ! Outside National Parks and some idea of the fate of any natural habitat surviving reserves there seems even less of the natural world left. well into the future. The method is simple in theory, but In an increasingly commercialized and industrial (for difficult to do in practice; firstly assume that when the developing countries) world with ever more people to island was connected to the mainland it had the same feed and multinational companies growing ever bigger number of species of a given group that the mainland and more powerful, the clamour for land gets greater has today. Secondly go out and find out how many spe year by year-big business wants it for its dividends for cies of that group there are on the mainland and how share holders, and peasants want it for subsistence. The many on the island now . Finally compare the species natural world becomes excluded. Where the pillage of lists - any differences should be due to extinction's, be land means wealth and power, the natural world is in cause of fragmentation and isolation . The results are real trouble . In the near future it is expected that the summarised in table 1 . This shows for m am m als, Bor only areas of natural habitat left will be in Nature re neo- the world’s second largest island - lost 20% (1 in 5 serves , indigenous reserves and National Parks. ) o f its mammal species in 10,000 years. Not bad , until When was the last time you saw a few thousand you realise there is only one National Park in the World or even a few hundred acres of fairly undisturbed British that is significantly bigger than Borneo . The unfortu woodland ? Well it is no surprise that there are NO large nate fact is that 97.9% of reserves are less than 10,000km wild mammals in the U.K-perhaps it is because all of the squared and 84.7% are less than 1,000 km squared. This fragments left in the U.K. are too small to support viable puts the vast majority of reserves on a par with Bali, population's of them . This is also one ofthe reasons why which in this study lost 71 % ( almost three-quarters) of 40% of British insect species are poised for local extinc its mammal species in 10,000 years . If, according to tion from the U .K , and our bird species see a decline in MacArthur and Wilson’s theory .all species are roughly numbers each year ? See figure 4 showing the fragmentation and iso lation of the Poole basin, Dorset, England, which be tween 1759 and 1978 lost ; 86% of its heathland ( 400,000 ha -6,000 ha ) a change from 10 large blocks separated by rivers to 1084 pieces, with nearly half of these being less than one hectare, with only 14 sites big ger than 100 hectares. Figure 5 shows the reduction of tropical moist forest in Sau Paulo State in Brazil, which is about the size of Germany . In 1500 it had 81.8% forest cover. By 1973 it had 8.3% with only 3% to be left in 3 years tim e. The havoc this has wreaked on the flora and fauna of the area is mostly undocumented, although figure 7 gives a pretty good, but shocking idea. AREA (km*) Figure 7 shows the impact on the forests of Green County , Wisconsin , North America . The continuous Figure 6. Percentage o f apparent extinction s forest in 1773 , was by 1978 (not in figure) reduced to during roughly the last century, based on 111 forest islands with an average size of 0.09km Obviously the fragmentation of the natural world presumed initial bird species composition in is well under way and we can expect that only areas where three Brazilian forest tracts in the State o f Sao serious exploitation is strictly prohibited will survive the Paulo. It is not known when the forest tracts next few decades unfragmented. What will happen to became isolated from the formerly continuos these areas ? Will they survive and constantly lose spe forest, though it could have been as recently as cies or will they “collapse”. a few decades ago. Note that all three tracts To look at what the future may have in store I seem to have lost species, the smallest at the will look at the islands of Borneo , Sumatra, Java and quickest rate. (From Terborgh & Winter 1980, Bali in Southern Asia. These islands were connected to the continental shelf up until about 10,000 years ago . based on data o f Willis 1979.)
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 55 pies given off within the eco system when a species be comes extinct. These ripples if large enough cause further o a ' ‘ =ftsSfc extinction's . A general ex ample might be a host spe cific parasite - once the host ( e.g. bird, beaver, or bee) be comes extinct, so does the parasite as it has nothing to live on . A classic specific ex ample concerns the famous >M I IM2 dodo bird, killed off by ex cess hunting. Now a tree spe »—I— »-s------cies is going extinct as its seeds must pass through the gut of the dodo before they ■ ■ . 1 ■ 1 - A . * will germinate. This new ex * • tinction will then cause fur S * . • «an ther ripples - any insects spe cialised to live only on that tree will also become extinct. I V . 4 This brings us on to a very p , » *i important point. We are not » ' • * a a • _ 1 seeing species going extinct 1902 in their droves yet as there is often , as in the case of the Figure 7. T/ie Fragmentation o f forest in Cadiz Township (94.93 km dodo, a long time lag -a long sq.) Green Country, Wisconsin, into habitat "islands " during the slow decline before extinc period o f European settlement. The almost continuos expanse o f tion . Therefore the rampant forest in 1831 was fragmented into 55 small forest islands by 1950. fragmentation and isolation There were 111 forest islands by 1978 averaging 0.009 km sq. in size going on now is stirring up (Sharpe et at. 1987). (From Curtis 1956.) serious trouble for the future - even if the ecosystems do not seem “ too bad” at present equal then the small reserves can expect to lose over half their plant, insect, bird , fungi and reptile faunas - to This interdependence of species on each other name but a few-within the next thousand years as area may bring whole suites of species crashing down to ex effects kick in . tinction . The trouble is these “secondary” extinction's The ecologist Michael Soule ( who has been are at present unpredictable, unforeseen and may or may called the father of conservation biology) looked at this not be of major importance to the future. But if the words “faunal collapse” for East African parks and came to the of the eminent ecologist John Terborgh are anything to conclusion that for the average reserve which has 48 large go by we should be mighty careful. He has said that the mammal species and an area of4000km squared, it will removal of half a dozen carefully chosen tree species lose 11% of these in 50 years , 44% in 500 years and (mostly figs) from the Amazon Basin could cause most 77% in 5,000 years . o f the rainforest and its species to “collapse”. The “biological meltdown” could then actually This is not to say that there will be no nature in become a reality - especially since all the above extrapo the future. There most certainly will be. Nature is above lation and speculation does not include factors such a s: all resilient, but it will be less varied, less exciting, less “secondary extinction's” , effects of the climate change, diverse, and possibly less stable. This coupled with cli hunting, pollution or further area reductions. “Second mate change, industrial pollution (e.g. acid rain), rising ary extinction's” are probably best thought o f as the rip- human population and “western” lifestyles may leave us
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5, 56 in a difficult and severely unpleasant w orld, but it will uninterrupted since the beginning of palaeontological almost certainly do away with between a half and a third time. o f all species we cohabit this planet w ith . We hope it is only a suspension- that the horrible If this is not bad enough Michael Soule and Bruce onslaught can be stopped before the regenerative powers Wilcox have a dire and scary prediction. ofecosystems are also destroyed.... This is the challenge “ The green mantle of the earth is now being rav of the millennium. For centuries to come, our descend aged and pillaged in a frenzy of exploitation by a mush ants will damn us or eulogise us, depending on our in rooming mass o f humans and bulldozers. Never in 500 tegrity and the integrity of the green mantle they inherit.” million years o f terrestrial evolution has this mantle we That is to say w e’re well on the way, if we don’t call the biosphere been under such a savage attack. Cer drastically change our behaviour, to drawing evolution, tainly there have been “crises” of extinction in the past, at least for larger species, to a close. Not only are we but the rate of decay of biological diversity during these killing species off in their droves, we are virtually stop crises is sluggish compared to the galloping pace of habi ping any opportunity for the evolution of new species. In tat destruction today. other words, we are participating in the largest, fastest Perhaps the hardest to grasp is the geological and and most severe mass-extermination episode the earth historical uniqueness of the next few decades. There is has everseen. simply no precedent for what is happening to the bio Why aren’t Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and logical fabric of this planet and there are no words to many within the EF! movement tackling what is argu express the horror of those who love nature...... the ably the issue of our time. They can’t because the issues relentless harrowing of habitats, particularly in the trop around habitat loss, fragmentation and isolation are so ics , will reduce rainforests, reefs and savannas to vul large, complex and mutually reinforcing that to accept nerable and senescent vestiges of their former grandeur and take action upon them would be a blatant attack upon and subtlety. But the loss of habitat and the loss of spe the whole o f the society they live within; the whole con cies is not the whole disaster . Perhaps more shocking cept o f‘owning’ land, of industrialisation, of the false than the unprecedented wave of extinction is the cessa separation between humanity and all other life. The only tion of significant evolution of new species of large plants act that would do any thing to avert this catastrophe would and animals. Death is one thing- an end to birth is some be the complete overthrow and dissolution of the indus- thing else, and nature reserves are too small (not to men trial-military machine we live in, a complete change in tion, impermanent) to gestate new species of vertebrates. the way humans relate to other forms of life and indeed There is no escaping the conclusion that in our lifetime, to each other. We are talking about opening a very big this planet will see a suspension, if not an end, to many can of worms here that could well alienate subscribers, ecological and evolutionary processes which have been funders and supporters and probably the majority o f the
fcxtincttons’* _ P ercent Initial number Present number Area of species* of species Number Island (km2) (S0) (Sp) (S-Sp) Borneo 751,709 153 123 30 20 Sumatra 425,485 139 117 22 16 Java 126,806 113 74 39 35 Bali 5,443 66 19 47 71 * Initial number of species, SQ, are estimated from the species-area relation of mainland M alaysia. ** Total species loss is assumet. to closely approximate or even underestimate extinc tions. See text for more discussion.
57 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5, Western public. If FOE etc brought up these issues they the earth’s surface. Conservation by segregation is the would be labelled ‘extremists’ and ‘out oftouch with the Noah’s Ark solution, a belief that wildlife should be con real world’. The measures required to tackle a problem signed to tiny land parcels for its own good and because of this scale and magnitude are massive; large scale land it has no place in our world. The flaw in this view is reform in both the developed and developing world, the obvious: those land parcels are not big enough to avert cessation of activities that reduce natural habitat and the catastrophic species extinction by insularization or safe large scale ecological restoration of this entire ravaged enough to protect resources from the poor and the greedy. earth. Which ever way you look at it unfortunately it is Simply put, if we can’t save nature outside protected ar going to take heroic and drastic action to curb the threat eas, not much will survive inside; if we can, protected of the virtual termination of much of the evolutionary areas will cease to be arks.” process- the mainstream environmental organisations are To finish this article which has focused prima not prepared to get involved. rily on biodiversity it is probably most fitting to finish This is where Earth First! should come in. We with a quote from the man who coined the term- should be taking action against the real problems we face- Ed. Wilson. howcver unpalatable it may be to admit what they are. “What event likely to happen during the next few Earth First! and other broadly similar groups should be years will our descendants most regret? Everyone at the forefront; they should: agrees... that the worst thing possible is global nuclear a) Get across the ecological issues of our time; 3 war.. With this terrible truism acknowledged, it must be parts per million too much lead in 10% of the UK’s drink added that if no counUy pulls the trigger the worse thing ing water is not a major issue, and certainly shouldn’t be that will probably happen- in fact is already well one o f FoE’s main campaigns. What is important is that underway- is not energy depletion, conventional war, or today there are over 100 less species on this planet than even expansion of totalitarian governments. As tragic as there were yesterday and a few thousand acres more for these catastrophes would be for us, they can be repaired est was wrestled from indigenous peoples by Trans-Na within a few generations. The one process now going on tional Corporations. EF! needs to tell it how it is-how- that will take millions o f years to correct is the loss to the ever unpleasant. genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natu b) In a region such as Britain which is severely ral habitats. That is the folly our descendants are least fragmented already, all habitat left becomes of serious likely to forgive us” value; be it a tiny piece of woodland on the M 11 or habi Earth First! should strive to get these ideas across tat threatened by the expansion o f a quarry. The removal and intensify its struggle. We should build a movement of even hedgerows around fields can remove important that can destroy the processes and institutions that are ‘wildlife corridors’ between bits of woodland. Resistance responsible for this huge attack on the life support sys to the further ‘development’ of the UK by the govern tems of the earth. ment and business is crucial. c) Earth First! should constantly address the place References of humanity within nature. This is probably the most (1 )Macarthur, R.H and E.O.Wilson, 1967, 'The Theory fundamental problem with the mainstream organisations. of Island biogeography. Princeton University Press. Their cry is ‘exploit, exploit, but exploit sustainably and (2)Soule M.E and B.A. Wilcox(eds), ‘Conservation Bi leave plenty of nature reserves for us to manage.’ This is ology: An evolutionary-Ecological perspective. not good enough. EF! and others need to push the idea of (3)Westem D. and Pcarl.M, 1989, p304-323, ‘Conser humanity as part of nature-inextricably linked. We vation for the Twenty First Century’, Oxford University evolved as part o f nature and we now divorce ourselves Press. from it. We rely on nature ultimately for our economic, (4)Wilson.E.O, 1984, ‘Biophilia’, Harvard University social, psychological and spiritual well-being. If we con Press. tribute to the loss of species and habitats, we destroy our own roots. With this view the conventional ‘parks cen tred’ view of nature develops several serious problems perfectly described by Western et al(3). “Protected areas are a seductively simple way to save nature from humanity. But sanctuaries admit a fail ure to save wildlife and natural habitat where they over lap with human interest, and that means 95% or more of
Do orDie-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 58 BOUGAINVILLE A SAD AND SILENT TRAGEDY IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC by Martin R Miriori, Bougainville Interim million tonnes of ore reserves remained when the mine Peace Office, Solmon Islands was forced to close. Bougainville was so named by the French ex The war fought on Bougainville today can be plorer, Louis de Bougainville, who sighted the island in seen as a by-product of the colonial errors arbitrarily made 1768. Bougainville is estimated to be approximately in the past, in drawing up boundaries within the territo 10,620 sq. km, with a population o f about 200,000 peo ries by the then colonial powers, without any due respect ple. It is approximately 1,000km from Port Moresby, the or consideration for the indigenous population's. An capital o f Papua New Guinea. It is divided by a narrow agreement was made in 1899 between Germany and channel of 4 -5km from the nearest point of the Solomon Great Britain which allowed for the separation of Islands, to the south. The main island of Bougainville is Bougainville from the rest of the Solomon Islands “ for approximately 210 km long and about 100 km wide. To the settlement of Samoan and other questions “. the north, lies Buka Island, separated by a passage 800 The two powers, competing to expand their metres wide, and there are several atolls further north. spheres of influence in the Solomon Islands, saw fit to Bougainville is mountainous, rugged and cov divide up the colony into two parts. The Germans, in ered with dense rainforest. It is rich in mineral deposits. return for concessions in Samoa, handed some of the Until the war broke out in 1988 Bougainville, largely Solomon Islands territory back to Great Britain, but kepi tlirough it hosting one of the largest open-cut copper mines Bougainville and attached it to its New Guinea territo in the world ( at Panguna), accounted for almost 45% of ries in the north for administrative convenience. After all Papua New Guinea’s total export earning. The total the defeat of Germany during the First World War in revenue from this mine over the 17 year period between 1918, the German territories, collectively termed New 1972 -1989 was about US$6 billion. An additional 500 Guinea, became a part of a League of Nations mandate and were placed under Australian administration, along
In November 1988 a handful o f islanders stole company explosives destroying electricity pylons, buildings and machinery. By using guerilla tactics they succeeded in bringing the mine to a standstill.
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no ^ 59 with the Australian territory of Papua. At this stage society. The above quotation from three leading Bougainville’s leaders began to object to being held as a Bougainvillean students in 1974 graphically demon separate entity from their traditional brothers in the strates its importance. Solomons. For ten thousand years they had been trading In 1966 the colonial administration of the Ter and marrying with the people from the Shortland Island ritory of Papua and New Guinea forced the and Choisuel, and they felt that the wrong of 1899 should Bougainvilleans to accept the opening of the Con-Zinc be corrected. During the Second World War Bougainville Rio Tinto CRA - Australian subsidiary of British min was the scene o f fierce fighting. The island was occupied ing giant RTZ mine in the heart of the island at Panguna first by the Japanese, then the Americans, and once again in Central Bougainville. The profits from the mine would was handed over to the Australian administration as a not only benefit the company and shareholders, but would United Nations Protectorate. be used by Australia to help fund the administration of In 1960 there was a discovery of rich mineral Papua and New Guinea. At this time self-government deposits, of copper, gold and silver, on Bougainville. The for Papua New Guinea was advanced, and again landowners on and around the site objected to the idea of Bougainvilleans reiterated their right to self determina the mine, and were dealt with harshly by the colonial tion as separate from Papua New Guinea, either to re Australian administration. They were forced from their turn to the Solomon Islands or to stand alone. traditional land, their homes and gardens were destroyed, On 16 September 1975, Papua New Guinea and no consideration was given to tradition, culture and obtained independence from Australia. Bougainville’s family life. The rivers and streams were polluted, fish pleas for the people to be allowed to exercise their right began to die and a process of tragic environmental dam to determine their own political future were ignored. age commenced. Panguna became one ofthe largest opencast mines in the ‘ Land is our life, land is our physical life - food world, and the only source of finance for Papua New and sustenance. Land is our social life, it is marriage; it Guinea’s independence. In essence, Australia gave is status; it is security; it is politics; in fact, it is our only Bougainville and her people as an independence gift to world. When you take our land, you cut out the very Papua New Guinea. heart of our existence’ The relationship between people Bougainville’s leaders are constantly being and land is perhaps the key relationship in Melanesian asked by their people why they have allowed the multi-
Marcelline Tunin After 20 years the mine had grown to huge crater half a kilometre deep and nearly 7 kilometres in circumference, creating over a billion tonnes of waste. This was dumped into the Java Valley creating a wall of waste several 100 metres high, turning one of the islands biggest river systems bright blue. “Our fish in the river sometimes we would find them dead, floating. Some times even fish in the sea. Each time we reported this to the health officers. Noth ing was ever done about it. Every time we complained they would say it’ll be alright. It'll be alright; you will get the money, but money compared to what we lost is nothing. In January 25th of 1990 my brother went to work as usual, the security forces went to him and told him not to say anything. He tried to ask them why they were taking him but he was bashed with the butt of the gun. He was beaten up, ripped off his cloths thrown in the back of the car where ten of the soldiers were sitting and he was driven off. He was still screaming when they got their gun and they somehow maybe they hit the side ofhis mouth with their gun and two ofhis teeth fell off. Then he was shot in his heart once and another time in his side. The PNG cannot win our hearts because we cannot forget our loved ones. We cannot accept it, they killed us in cold murder. We have never experienced things like this in our lives, the only place where 1 saw similar things was on TV”
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 60 national BCL and Papua New Guinea to not only steal o f germ warfare. It is highly illegal and inhumane. In their land, but to carry it away from the shores of the June 1994, the BRA and the Interim Government signed island. Why have they allowed the streams, rivers and peace agreements with PNG in the Solomon Islands. seas to be polluted and stained with foreign chemicals, Under the terms of the ceasefire, the PNG undertook to which pour unfiltered from the mine, poisoning the food allow the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid. How chain, killing the wildlife, destroying the flora and caus ever, despite the agreement and several UN calls, the to ing long term illness and death to the people. The island tal blockade remains in force. was raped and poisoned for 20 years, the people and the In this the sixth year of the longest and most environment left unprotected by Papua New Guinea. destructive war in the South Pacific Region since WWII, They failed to take action, so the people of Bougainville the human rights situation in Bougainville continues to have taken it for themselves. deteriorate. These include the destruction of villages, rape, Bougainville's actions in this bid for independ summary executions of minors, and the operation of con ence have been defensive. This is a popular revolution centration camps (‘Care Centres’). In most areas schools, which has grown out of an act of self-defence, hospitals, and factories are closed. Some blame the BRA; unpremeditated, without financial or military support. most blame the Government, but the real culprit contin Papua New Guinea has treated the people ofBougainville ues to be the past colonisation of lands without consid criminally. The Portuguese siege of Malacca in the 1700s eration for the indigenous. In the present blockade, the was seen at the time by other nations as a barbaric form immediate victims are always women and children. Vil of war, and yet Papua New Guinea’s siege against lagers have become the victims of disease and relocation Bougainville in 1990 has been sanctioned by Australia into ‘Care Centres’. Women die in childbirth, and other ‘civilised’ nations! unimmunised children remain at risk from the simplest By 1980 the people ofBougainville were deeply of curable diseases. After years of blockade, there is a disturbed by the environmental destruction of the huge lost generation. open-cast mine; by the increasing plantation of Papua The aftermath of colonisation, where a foreign New Guineans in Bougainville, by cultural breakdown, political system is imposed, results in a state where some by the lack o f government funding and the growing po are systematically deprived of their rights to life, to secu litical power of the papua New Guinean State, built with rity of person, to freedom of thought and expression, and Bougainville finance, over our own people and resources. the right to enjoy their ethnic cultures. This is the experi In 1988 concerns raised by landowners and the Provin ence the people of Bougainville have endured under cial government regarding the renegotiation of the min Papua New Guinea's domination. Bougainville is a tragic ing agreement, and the vast ecological damage to the area example of the consequences of an indigenous people caused by mining activities, were ignored by the CRA being denied the right to self determination, and the re and PNG government. These unsuccessful attempts to sulting human rights violations which so often typify correct the situation led to the open protests which de subjugation by alien peoples. veloped in to violent protest and the subsequent closure The human rights violations perpetrated by of the mine. This led to the formation of the Bougainville PNG against the Bougainvillians over the past six years Revolutionary Army (BRA), with its main objective of are well documented by Amnesty International, the In defending the people against all foreign exploiters, in ternational Red Cross, the Australian International De cluding Papua New Guinea. velopment Bureau, Medecins sans Frontieres, reliable In March 1990 the PNG military and civil serv media interviews, photographic evidence and in docu ice were forced to withdraw from Bougainville, leaving ments collated by the Bougainville Provincial Govern the island under BRA control, and on 22 April the PNG ment, and the Bougainville Interim Government. announced a blockade. In this vacuum, the people set up In 1989/90 in Central Bougainville alone, over an Interim Government, whose main task was negotia 6.000 village homes were destroyed by the PNG Defence tion with PNG. On 17 May 1990, after the PNG had cut Force, resulting in the displacement o f24,000 rural peo all communications, the Interim Government declared ple. Villagers were herded into ‘Care Centres’, plastic UDI, seeking assistance from other sources to serve the tents in market places and on football fields. Today the people’s basic needs. The use ofthe economic and social above figures are much higher. There are now over blockade demonstrates genocidal intent. Bougainville is 40.000 people herded into ‘Care Centres’ in areas occu a tropical island, a breeding ground for countless dis pied by PNG troops. In these military-run care centres, eases. To deny the people medical supplies is to condemn conditions are unhygienic, there is overcrowding, no free thousands of civilians to death. The blockade is a form dom, very little food, and often, contaminated water.
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 61 Women are raped and murdered in front of their own son or thing has been allowed on or off the island. families, families killed, children shot, civilians detained, Bougainvillians agree that environmental con tortures, murdered, and dumped from helicopters at sea. cerns cannot be disassociated from human concerns. “En Summary executions and torture have become a norm. vironment” encompasses both ecological and cultural What started as a localised environmental pro rights; the two are too often sacrificed side by side. Gov test has become a struggle in self-defence against racism ernment tactics such as forced evictions and population and exploitation. PNG has conducted a crippling siege. transfers are part and parcel of development policies that, Attempts at negotiation have resulted in broken treaties in the name of economic growth, justify ecological de and re-invasion by PNG troops under cover of a cease struction and the dispossession of peoples. The intent of fire. The siege has had catastrophic results for the civil the perpetrators of this evil siege is to create disunity on ian population; no humanitarian relief or communica the islands through suffering and death, to torture women tion has been allowed to or from BRA controlled areas. and children into submission, to steal back the mining The only activity on this once-prosperous island is hunt resources at the expense of society and environment, to ing and gardening., industry lies dormant, towns deserted, own the people and their island. the island has plunged back into the middle ages. The Solomon Islands form a distinct geographi PNG’s greatest weapon and worst shame has cal and cultural entity. Bougainville was cut off for the been the sacrifice of the lives of innocent people, with benefit of colonial powers and merged with a people from complete disregard for far away, from a land with Human rights conventions, “We wouldn’t stand idle and see our boys and different culture and differ the Geneva Conventions, innocent people being killed so we had to stand up and ent aspirations. This error and their own Constitution. defend somehow, and it was then that we thought of form of the colonial past must be The official approach, the ing a militant type organisation to contain what the se corrected in time and the indiscriminate killing, the curity forces were doing to us. people of Bougainville use of excessive force, de The Bouganiville Revolutionary Army hold have taken the first step. It nials of basic needs such as CRA entirely responsible for what has happened on the is time for all people of food, clothing, and medical island. Because when CRA wanted to come in, there was goodwill throughout the supplies, demonstrates an a lot o f opposition by the villagers, and also the amount world to bring pressure on intent on the PNG Govern of polluting and damage done to the environment.” the government of Papua ment’s behalfto destroy the - BRA, Spokesperson New Guinea to end this Bougainvillian population. criminal medieval siege, to These policies constitute genocide under the Convention once and for all end the colonial exploitation of of the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, Article Bougainville and to recognise Bougainville’s right to self- 2(c) of the united Nations on Human Rights. determination. Bougainville island has been under siege since Further Info: 17 April 1990. During this time over 8,000 people, of The video' Struggle', cul together by Dead Trees EF!, contains 5% of the population have died as direct result of the a 20 minute documentary on Bouganiville. See Resources. lack of medical supplies and facilities due to the block South Downs EF! is organising a tour by Martin Miriori ade. Thousands of children have been unable to receive possibly in September contact them for more details and up to dale info on the situation. immunization as PNG troops have repeatedly burned Read 'UprisingCloses Mine Since 1988' in EF! Journal Eostar supplies throughout the areas they occupy. All commu 1993. nication with BRA controlled areas has been cut. There Marlin Miriori can be contacted at: The Bougainville Interim is no economy. Farmers whose life-savings are invested Peace Office, PO BOX 1203, Honiara, Solomon Islands, Tel/ in cocoa plots have watched crops rot on the tree. They Fax.67720736 cannot pay other villagers to help clean them. The pri mary industry is choked and is 99% dead, as the jungle reclaims neglected areas. With few exceptions, no per
URGENT FUNDS NEEDED! The author of the above article is planning a speakers tour, in late September.. Funds are needed urgently. Send cheques to South Downs EF! and we will pass it on. L RTZ are based in the UK- Organise actions! A
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 62 David Bellamy Exposed!
Far from being the environmental advocate many would like us to believe David Bellamy has shown himself to be an ally- not of the ecological movement, but of the multinationals and the rich. This is all the more disgusting as Bellamy, ( a trained biologist), is neither ignorant of this system’s ecocidal path, nor of those who lead this process, those he now in fact allies himself with. Recuperation through Advertising Bellamy has in the past done many good things, educating the public on ecology and in fact taking part in numerous environmental protests ( notably the suc cessful Franklin Dam campaign, Tasmania 1983): how ever he is now more often seen advertising the wares of multinational companies than taking action against those same companies for their desecration of the earth. Bellamy consistently helps to obscure the fundamental conflict between the forces of industrialism and the eco logical movement. Presuming Bellamy is as intelligent as some ofhis older writings indicate, (maybe a large presumption), he must realise why international chemi cal companies like to be associated with him. It is not merely for his charismatic hand gestures and beard that they pay him; they value him because it confuses the public into believing that as Bellamy is a ‘leading’ envi ronmentalist then the product must be without ecologi cal blemishes. Dementedly jumping up and down for ICI and Detox, (among others), he helps the companies in their propaganda war to further still the great cause of global consumption, (the consumption of the globe).
Bloodsports & Conservation Bellamy has made numerous public statements ofhis belief in game keeping as beneficial for conserva tion, he is a patron of the ‘Moorland Gamekeepers As sociation' and is involved in a number of other similar organisations that put this idea across. His claim is en tirely false. Rather than beneficial, game keeping would be better understood as a constant war against nature. Grazing by deer kept for hunting is one of the major fac tors in the lack of regeneration of the Caledonian forest and as W.Pearshall explains in ‘Mountains & Moorlands’
‘Sporting values have led to an enormous in-
Door Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 63 crease in..[heather],..in the interests of grouse preserva “ An environment as beautiful and complex as this needs tion. Widespread drainage of the wetter moors has dis to be understood, so that it can be protected from harm. turbed the natural balance of the vegetation, and, because This book describes the fascinating animal and plant life the production of large numbers of grouse requires an patterns of the roadside and explores its ever changing abundant supply of young heather, frequent burning is world. “ resorted to, a practise which must have marked effects An old, overgrown track is described at some on the fauna and flora. There can be little doubt that this length. The first few pages describe the varied flora and treatment has profoundly modified even the original fauna to be found anywhere that has been left alone for haether-moors....Under modem conditions, moors are some time. However, one day some men appear with almost always overstocked for sporting purposes, and surveying equipment and we realise that the change Mr. hence very rapid spreading of... diseases takes Bellamy has in mind is something other than the flowing place Ruthless extermination has been the fate meted of the life force we expected. Ah! Perhaps we are about out to any bird or animal suspected of preying on either to be subjected to a tirade against road building; after grouse or grouse eggs. The result is that out of the long all, Bellamy is one of those whinging environmentalists. list of birds and beasts of prey that formally were to be Let’s read o n ... found on our moorlands, only two, the kestrel and the Sure enough, the whole place is getting trashed! merlin, are now to be seen regularly on grousemoors.’ Oh but, hang on a minute. The enclosure of the highlands was an essential “ By the summer, despite the upheaval.... some part of the industrial conquest of Scotland, which con plants and animals have made themselves at home... one tinues to this day. When the people have land, who will of the foxes even searches for food in the rubbish sacks.... work in the filth and monotonous boredom of factories? At last the Work is finished. So this is what it was all for! Colin MaCleod wrote in issue 3 of DoD , (‘Land & Where the old track used to wind, a great, straight six- Liberty: A letter from Scotland), that; lane road is ready for the traffic. Hedgerows have gone, ‘ The people of Scotland are landless as a result but the wood is still there and the verges are seeded with of historic coercion into the capitalist labour force... The grass and summer flowers that feed the butterflies again. wholesale eviction of the indigenous population [of the Where the hill used to rise above the old farmhouse, now highlands] was carried out with a blind economic total the road runs through a deep cutting in the sandstone. ity and is a matter touching our innermost The rocky walls on either side are already riddled with feelings..Glasgow was historically a slave camp of the the nest holes o f sand martins. Despite the cars roaring industrial era, doubling as a reservation for the dispos past only a few metres away, the vixen dozes peacefully sessed natives..’. in the sun. She knows that her cubs are safe to chase Bellamy knows full well the involvement of the butterflies .The road builders have done a good job [my families he mixes with in the destruction of Scotland’s emphasis]. They have laid a pipe under the road to carry great wildlands and land based communities. There con the stream to a big new pond on the other side. This also tinued occupation o f the land makes it, without their dis gives the toads a safe way through from their home to solution, impossible to create a green future and keeps their mating grounds in the pond ... A pair o f ducks are the poor in the slums and hellholes o f the city. People in rearing their first batch of ducklings. The road doesn’t Scotland view supporting the Highland landowners and seem to bother them at all, or the swallows, back again their lust for blood and money as something on a par for another summer. “ with supporting the genocidal land seizure by the USA In early March ’92 Bellamy gave a speech at of indigenous territory. the Winchester Guild-hall.He proclaimed, “I low could anyone have the stupidity to carve an obscene great hole Supporting Roads! in these downs? “ When Bellamy’s book, ‘The Roadside’, (1 )fell How indeed, David ? Could it be that they read into my lap even the cynical writer of this article was too much uninformed bullshit when they were children! astonished. This book was published in 1993 AFTER All in all Bellamy can be seen to be truly wor the Yellow Wednesday eviction on the dongas at Twy- thy o f a place in our ‘Sheep in Wolves Clothing’ col ford Down, at which Bellamy was PRESENT, (albeit in umn, David, we await your defence! an observing role - remaining ‘even-handed’, he remarked that “behaviour on both sides was bad”). (1 )”Thc Roadside” , David Bellamy, Macdonald (sic) and co„ London.No.3 in the scries “ Bellamy's Changing World “. This is a children’s book. The back cover says:
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5. 64 Critical Mass RECLAIMING SPACE AND COMBATING THE CAR.
“What a difference there was between the old and trucks. People are barley tolerated on the streets un and new parts of Mexico City only twenty years ago. In less they are on their way to a bus stop. If people now sat the old parts of the city, the streets were still true com down or stopped on the street they would become obsta mons. Some people sat on the road to sell vegetables and cles for the traffic, and traffic would be dangerous to them. charcoal. Others put their chairs on the road to sell te The road has been degraded from a commons to a simple quila. Others held their meetings on the road to decide resource for the circulation of vehicles.”- Ivan Illich, in on the new headman for the neighbourhood or to deter “Silence Is A Commons”, The Co-evolution Quarterly, mine the price of a donkey. Others drove their donkeys Winter 1983. through the crowd, walking next to the heavily-loaded beast of burden; others sat in the saddle. Children played As Ivan Illich says, it is about “making (our) in the gutter, and still people walking could use the road spaces liveable” - reasserting our control, in a myriad of to get from one place to another. Such roads were not different ways, over those spaces that once belonged to us built for people. Like any true commons, the street itself but have since been illegitimately wrested away from us, was the result of people living there and making the space through the process known as “enclosure”. This is what liveable. The dwellings that lined the roads were not pri happened to the Dongas at Twy ford Down on December vate homes in the modem sense- garages for the over 9th 1992, to George Green in Wanstead, and to countless night deposit of workers. The threshold still separated other places. two living areas, one intimate and one common. But nei This is where demos, or actions, come in - in a ther homes in this intimate sense nor streets as commons sense the issue that they are ostensibly concerned with is survived economic development. In the new sections of o f secondary importance to the feelings that our actions Mexico City, streets are no more for people. They are engender within ourselves and others - how much of a nowadays for automobiles, for buses, for cars, for taxis giaaft
65 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5, scene we make and the imprint that it leaves behind. The lethal force to defend what? - One of the supreme totems US anarchist writer Hakim Bey talks of “temporary au of our age- the private motor car, and the inalienable right tonomous zones”, and this is at the heart o f what every of the motorist to drive, without hindrances of any kind. demonstration is, or should be striving for - a glimpse of In one incident in San Francisco in April 1993, a driver the future (present?) society we long for. The best demos reportedly rammed a group of cyclists on the Mass, and are a gap opening in the clouds o f alienation, apathy and proceeded to run over one of its members. The police impotence, and a sliver of electrifying sunlight breaking present duly charged the victims and threatened to arrest through. The stranglehold of orthodox reality is broken- other witnesses. I’m sure such experiences will be famil to quote one example, it seems that at a recent Oxford iar to those who have participated in Carmagcddon ac Cycle action, the traffic was brought to a standstill by a tions in the U.K- or indeed, in anti-roads campaigns in prank that subverted police “public order” expectations general. and left them confounded- they were confronted by wait When death may be the penalty for enjoying an ers who had appeared out of nowhere and were causally innocuous pleasure such as communal cycling, your ideas serving tea at Oxford’s newest cafe, as if it were the most tend to become radicalised. Critical Masters now see “cars normal thing in the world. The street had been redefined. (as) embodying the epitome of American destruction” This brings us to Critical Mass- an idea and an (Maximum R ‘n R). Consequently, aggressive drivers attitude for bike actions that sprang up in San Francisco, are spat upon or blocked in for longer. The focus of the and has now spread to other US cities and international masses has broadened, with people biking through su locales, as the potential for mayhem inherent in bikes permarkets, McDonalds (stealing their flags and caus has been realised and refined. The Mass began as an “in ing the manager to lock himself in the process), and other formal ‘commute home together’ to show bike solidar temples of latter day capitalism. Most notably, hordes of ity with no real agenda” (Maximum Rock n’ Roll, Feb. cyclists attempted the world’s first “cyclotron”, surround 1994)- Just 50 riders cycling home in the dark. It has ing the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange in a bid to levitate since proved to have an irresistible momentum, as hun it. (Remind you o f anything?) dreds more cyclists have gotten involved in Critical Mass One o f the most recent events involved block manifestations, and the actions themselves have become ing a Berkeley motorway, which led to the worst police more conscious. Their experience has shown the will reprisal so far seen: some ofthe participants were charged ingness of police and motorists to resort to potentially with “felony assault on a police officer with a deadly
Q: Have you ever used your bike in the comm is ion o f a crime? A: Every good cyclist should!
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.S 66 weapon, to wit: one bicycle.", and sixty one bikes were actions in the UK, are thus also important because they confiscated, some of which “disappeared” while in po subvert this trend. A platform- a vehicle, even (excuse lice hands. The officer who masterminded this operation the pun)- is provided for people to act out their fantasies, hit the nail on the head in hilarious fashion when he ac to play, to let rip. One example is Xerocracy, another is cused Critical Massers of being “nothing more than self- that “often (the mass) is chaotic, and indecision in the proclaimed anarchists and local activists who have middle of the intersection can be annoying- or lead to adopted innovative tactics to create civil disorder in an outbursts of theatre and fun like die-ins and resuscitat attempt to carry out the ‘anarchist revolution’.” Give that ing people with bikes.” (Maximum R 'nR ) People exult manaD-lock! in the atmosphere and surprise themselves with their hith Two of those involved in Critical Mass make a erto neglected capabilities. The first time that the A33 at very significant point when they say it “above all builds Twy ford was blocked (March 1992) was such an occa community... at San Francisco Critical Mass in Septem sion- having stilled the ceaseless roar of the traffic ( the ber for its first birthday, people brought huge cakes and lifeblood of the cybernetic machine that we inhabit), we brownies and we all sang happy birthday, and had fun in revelled in our power and new found freedom. We ca Golden Gate Park.” (Maximum R ‘n R). Again, this feel pered about, danced, sang, hooted and grunted through ing of community, and, ideally, tribal links will be famil road cones as if regressing to primal selves, did an ab iar to many UKEFIers. If revolution is the festival of the surd Conga through the stalled cars, openly attempted oppressed, struggling for something you believe in helps rash acts of sabotage- possessed by an almost palpable to bind you together, restoring the connections between spirit of the moment: for a brief moment, anything seemed people that this society so often severs as it tries to atom possible. To refer back to what I said at the beginning, ise us. A new zine culture - the “Xerocracy” - has emerged we were “sunbathing”. to cater to Critical Mass, fostering communication be Critical Mass’s have been happening all over tween strangers whose only previous connection was the country, with over 1.500 at the last London CM and ownership of a bike and a desire for change, or (equally over 300 in Brighton. Join these explosions of bike power valid) some excitement. This brings us back to Illich’s : Last Friday of every month: Aberdeen, Bath, Bradford, point about “commons”, and the way in which cars (along Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lancaster, with a host of other factors) destroy this social space. Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Numerous studies support such a conclusion- for exam Middlesborough, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke, Wol ple, David Engwight’s research (see The Guardian 5/11/ verhampton, York. 1st Friday: Birmingham. 2nd Friday: 93) into how people living on streets with heavy traffic Nottingham, 1st Saturday: Brighton. flows experience much less social contact than those liv Addresses: ing on streets with light flows. The Policy Studies Insti 1) Bike Not: Chris, do 56a Infoshop, 56 Cramplon Street, tute compare roads to “crocodile infested rivers” that London SEI7. people dare not cross (New Scientist 24/10/92)- also, (60p + SAE- also has excellent Maximum R ‘n R article on think of the ‘traffic canyons’ that are prevalent in many Critical Mass available.) 2) The Broken Spoke: 141 Sutter Street. #1829, San Francisco, cities. CA 94104, USA. (Send them $2.) An example of resistance to this trend, and rec 3)The Bicycle Terrorist, do Gozar, Box 15071, Berkeley, C A, lamation of this space for the people and community was 94701 -6071, USA(send $2) Claremont Road at the M 11. The contents of houses- 4)Mudflap: 628 Hampshire, San Francisco, CA 94110.USA chairs, sofas, a bath tub, a pool table, etc.- were turned (send $2) out onto the street, breaking down the odious division 5)Bicycle Threat, 3018 J.Sl# 140, Sacramento, CA, 95816, between public and private spheres. There could be no USA (send donation) greater contrast with David Engwight’s findings, where “Heavy Street (high traffic levels)... was used solely as a corridor between the sanctuary of individual homes and the outside world. There was no feeling of community and residents kept themselves to themselves.” in our so ciety, it is not just the physical environment that is colo nised and enclosed- it is our minds also. By and large, cultural products are manufactured for us, we passively consume them and our own idiosyncratic imaginations Staircase Cycle begin to atrophy. Critical Mass, and many other similar
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 67 The Great Experiment
50 years ago this year the American govern Let’s face it, would you trust the regulation o f the earth’s ment received word that Japan would surrender within climate to the US military? Let’s not wait for the next days. Unsurprisingly the US decided surrender was not great experiment! good enough- it needed to win. Its top military scientists (1) The Times, August 7, 1945 at the Los Almos National Laboratory had a new weapon (2) Mark Davies, ‘If its So Bad’, Earth First Jour they wanted to play with, and Japan was the ideal testing nal, Yule 92 ground. An experiment was launched with truly apoca lyptic results. On the 6th and 9th of August 1945 two nuclear bombs were dropped on the Japanese towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Five years after the blast 200,000 people had lost their lives from both cities. Peo ple who had seemingly survived the initial explosion were now cut down in their thousands by radiation. Future generations were also to suffer, still births, deformities, cancer, the list is endless. President Truman expressed satisfaction that ‘ the experiment’ had been ‘an over whelming success’ (1). Last year Greg Canavan, a senior scientist from the very same laboratory announced that in order to miti gate man-made global warming he and his colleagues were preparing to participate in the greatest experiment of all; to become Gaia itself, to regulate, to manage the global climate. He announced at last year’s annual meet ing of The American Association for the Advancement of Science that “Engineering the Earth’s climate is com ing within reach”. Dr. Canavan is among a group of sci entists who believe that it may be possible to cool the earth’s climate by injecting particles into the atmosphere, (to deflect incoming sunlight) or by sprinkling iron fil ings into the oceans to stimulate the growth of plankton (that absorb excess carbon dioxide). One idea being treated seriously is to use 16in naval guns to shoot annu ally 20 million tons of dust into the upper atmosphere. Our knowledge of the interactions which regu late the earths climate, is minimal to say the least. Chaos theory tells us that we can never expect to be able to pre dict the weather for more than a few days ahead with any degree of accuracy. The dynamics of the atmosphere far exceed the level of complexity at which it would be even theoretically possible- climate engineering- it simply can’t be done (2). What the US, in its arrogance is of course Part Two- coining soon! capable of, is fucking up the planets climate even more.
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 68 Sick Bastards
improve his circumstances and afterwards lead him into The "Problem": an apprenticeship of freedom.” “The Quashees,(free blacks of Jamaica), con The French Minister of Commerce, 1901.(2) tent themselves with producing only what is strictly nec essary for their own consumption, and, alongside this ‘use Don’t think that this scenario is confined to the value’, regard loafing, (indulgence and idleness), as the history books. It is part o f an ongoing process that is still real luxury good.... they do not care a damn for the sugar sucking in previously unscathed cultures. To give one and fixed capital invested in the plantations, but rather example, Cameroon’s forest peoples are now required to observe the planters’ impending bankruptcy with an carry an identity card-failure to do so is punishable by ironic grin of malicious pleasure.... They have ceased to imprisonment. The card costs 1,500 francs, meaning that be slaves, but not in order to become wage labourers, the tribal people are forced out of their subsistence life but, instead, self sustaining peasants working for their style and into the cash economy, simply to pay for the own consumption” card. (3) ( Another name for such a tax is a ‘ poll ‘ , or ‘ Karl Marx, ‘Grundrissc’.( 1) head ‘ ta x .) Nor is it confined to other peoples. We in the “ One of the greatest contributing factors to the ostensibly affluent populations of the west are perhaps unsatisfactory services rendered by native labourers in more dispossessed than any of our ‘underprivileged’ this country is their economic independence. For it must Third World cousins. An elite in our society perfected not be forgotten that every native is a landed proprietor, this system here first, and then exported it to the rest of and nature has endowed New Guinea with a prolific soil, the world. Now, hundreds o f years later, we have largely which provides adequate sustenance fora minimum of lost the skills necessary to be self sufficient and therefore labour. Dismissal from employment, if he fails to carry autonomous - to enjoy a state approaching that of the out his duties, holds no terrors for the New Guinean na Quashees and New Guinea natives described above. Our tive.... Unless and until our natives reach such a stage of project must therefore include self-development; redis development that they must work to obtain sustenance covering the old crafts that were practised in the UK ( ora livelihood, they will never make suitable indentured see John Seymour’s book, ‘ The Forgotten Arts ‘, for labour for any white resident.” hints), learning about permaculture, familiarising our The Rabaul Times of New Guinea(2) selves with what passes for the natural world around us, and so on. The “Solution" “The Black does not like work and is totally unaccustomed to the idea of saving; he does not realise (I )*Green Revolution*. Dec 1991. that idleness keeps him in a state of absolute economic (2)’Thc Ecologist’, July 92 inferiority. It is therefore necessary to use...slavery to (3)'Green line’. May 92
69 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 Manifesto of the Phantom Tree Planters
Planting trees opens our hearts to Nature's wisdom. Nurturing them gives exposure to life s vulnerability and teaches how to build ecological and human community.
We plant trees not for ourselves, but for those who will follow. Life gives unto life, and by dancing to its rhythms we can enjoy with clear conscience what has been handed down from the past.
Many people have never planted a tree because they think they do not own land. This is mistaken. We are all children o f the Earth. We share equally in the valleys, hills, rivers and seas. Let us no longer be deceived otherwise!
Phantom Treeplanters have no formal organisation, no joining fee, and only the Earth holds its membership list throughout time. To belong, simply plant a tree without expectation o f material gain, help care fo r existing ones, or hold in your heart what they mean.
With due sensitivity, plant trees on any land and in any place where they have a chance o f surviving. Do not be put off by feeling you always have to get permission. Nature sows without asking. You are part o f nature. Reconstituting the world is a duty and a right which extends beyond legal concepts o f land ownership.
You can buy suitable native species from nurseries. But better still, root a length o f wilow in a bottle or collect and tow seed from original local sources. Is it too long to wait fo r an acorn to grow? Maybe you do not need to live so fast that only instant results satisfy. Try starting some trees in a deep pot on the window ledge or dig up a stretch o f lawn. Never mind if you cannot foresee where to transplant the seedlings. Grow them first. Life will work out the rest, when the time is right.
Do not worry too much about losses. Accept these as part o f the process. Take heart that other treeplanters are also at work. What matters is not individual success or failure, but the overall process we share in.
Planting trees is about making love with the Earth. Phantom planting recreates wildness. So let us live and love wildly. Let us not be afraid to grow and change. Let us celebrate - life itself. Animal Antics
February 1993 blocked the next train that passed an hour later and banged her forehead against the engine for 15 minutes, until it could no longer run. She then walked off into the jungle, leaving about 200 passengers stranded for over 5 hours. The extent of the baby elephant’s injuries were not known. ’ - Associated Press, 22/2/93
3) ‘Nature’s war on man’s design grinds on in Seville where the World Expo, having been plagued by armies of rats, which gnawed through most of the optical and electrical cables, is now being consumed by mosquitoes. Soaring temperatures, fountains, abundant vegetation and strong night lights have attracted every insect within miles and no one has a clue what 1) ‘An Angler was drowned by the fish he was trying to to do. ’ -Guardian, 17/4/92. catch. Chris Bowie, 29, from West Palm Beach, Florida, was dragged olThis boat and pulled 30ft under by a blue marlin 4) ‘San Francisco Police chased a Zebra down a 6 lane when his hands became tangled in the line during a contest oflf Freeway at 45MPH. When stopped, it kicked in two doors, North Carolina. ‘‘It just snatched him ofTthe deck", said a smashed a mud guard, climbed on the bonnet, chewed up the friend.’ -Daily Mail, June 20th 94. steering wheel and bit two handlers before being returned to Marine World Zoo.’-Daily Mail, 27/ 2) ‘An Elephant whose calf was knocked down by a locomotive in the Sythet region of Bangladesh on the 21 st of
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5, 71 Tree Spirit and Earth Repair
" ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION MAYBE THE ART FORM OF THE TWENTY- FIRST CENTURY. " -from ' Helping Nature Heal', Ten Speed Press, 1991. Environmental restoration is the other side ofthe coin to much of the activity that Earth First! has so far been engaged in - that is, grappling with the toxic forces of" law “ and “ order “ in a very overt way. Such activity is the defensive work, a holding operation, crucial in many ways and important for bringing people together as a group, cementing the bonds between them in shared, of ten harrowing experience. However it is important not to get hung up on the adrenaline and peculiar glamour of such frontline situations. Environmental restoration is proactive - whereby we set our own agenda - as opposed to cam paigns, which usually involve little more than reacting to the latest state or business atrocity. Restoration there fore helps to signal our ultimate indifference to politi cians and the fleeting games that they play. Restoration is less dramatic and more humble than the preservation battles, but it does establish a vital new paradigm : hu manity as creator and healer - one who adds value or makes reparations to nature - rather than one who is un able to do anything but destroy and despoil. There is no immediate gratification, no over night old growth forest or pristine wilderness - rather a slow, cumulative process of getting to grips with what surrounds you, and establishing an intimacy and a rap port with a given area of land. There are strong personal and spiritual repercussions: the realisation that you have set in motion a process that will extend far beyond your lifetime leads you into a deeper comprehension of na ture, and the scale on which she works. Some of you goes with the tree branches as they steadily rear up towards the sky. Earth repair work is becoming increasingly widespread in the US, India and elsewhere, but is still relatively uncommon in Britain. We featured Alan Watson’s visionary Trees for Life project in Do or Die #2 ( Write to the editorial address for a copy of that arti cle ), and a similar project, albeit on a much more mod est scale, is that run by the group Tree Spirit on their newly acquired 24 acre plot at Maes y Mynach, near
72 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5, Shrewsbury. mission plantation, and part of Tree Spirit’s vision for Tree Spirit exist to promote an appreciation of the land involves rectifying the environmental damage trees and the spiritual, social and ecological roles that that such a plantation entails. Their aim is twofold: firstly, they fulfil. To this end, they publish a newsletter, hold to create a mixed woodland for ecological reasons - to regular ‘tree moot’ gatherings, and campaign for the pres which end, a very wide range of trees are being planted: ervation of woodland areas. On a more practical level oak, ash, birch, rowan, willow, lime, chestnut, hazel, haw they also operate their own tree nursery, with stock largely thorn, wild cherry, bird cherry, aspen, field maple, syca drawn from commercial nursery surplus. ( A word of more, yew and larch. Ultimately they intend to encircle advice to EFlers interested in tree rearing with a view to the entire plot with a good mixed hedge, which will in clandestine or authorised planting: due to the exigencies itself be extremely valuable to wildlife. of the deranged market system that we live under, many Secondly there is the human element - ac nurseries are forced to destroy thousands of perfectly good knowledging that we do have a place in nature, and that trees every year - generally from March through to June. we are not intrinsically hostile to the natural world, as This is for no other reason than to make way for the new some strands in deep ecology seem to suggest. Tree Spirit stock ( and to protect prices, o f course.) It is therefore hope that Maes y Mynach will be “ a place where people worth approaching your local nursery at this time o f year can come to do practical conservation work, enjoy na - you can take the trees off their hands, leave them with a ture, relax and generally find a little bit of peace and clear conscience, and acquire the raw materials for re quiet... it will be a place where people can stay for a few forestation at little or no co st.) days without being told to move on or “ get orf my land Another lesson to be learnt from Tree Spirit’s “ However they emphasize that “ it will not become a purchase o f Maes y Mynach concerns funding. The pur permanent encampment for al 1 and sundry. For those who chase was partly financed by the Forestry Commission’s have something constructive to offer or who need a little Woodland Grant Scheme, which is well worth looking time away from the madness of modem society, Maes y into for anyone contemplating such a project. Although Mynach will be accessible. “ the buying and selling of land is obviously a complete To achieve these aims a tremendous amount of absurdity, it is true to say that if you buy land where it is work is in order. Most of the tree planting has been done, cheapest - i.e. Wales or Scotland ( Particularly Scotland, but some still remains - particularly the hedgerows. Plant where there is currently a glut on the market as the big ing season is October through to April. Many paths need estates are further dism em bered) - and then reforest it clearing as there is still a great deal of felled wood strewn under the Woodland Grant Scheme, you actually stand about from the forestry operations. Tree Spirit want to to make a profit ( Over, say, about 10 years), which can create a pond, which will serve as both a wildlife feature then be reinvested in additional acquisitions • this is Tree and as drainage for the main track. Maes y Mynach also Spirit’s intention. And before you know it, your mighty has a spring, which is currently being made into a source empire o f reforestation has expanded, and the wildwood o f clean water. has returned... N O T ! ( Ecological capitalism, any The most ambitious plan is to construct a round one ?) Copies of the Woodland Grant Scheme are avail house, for which planning permission has already been able from ‘The Wilderness’, South Downs EF!, or your obtained. It will be 32 foot in diameter, 13 foot high at local Forestry Commission office. Bear in mind the fact the central point and crowned with a turf roof. It is envis that, as the WGS is an attempt by the Forestry Commis aged that the roundhouse will act as a workshop, storage sion to restore an image tarnished by decades of desecrat space, communal gathering/celebratory venue, and as a ing the landscape with conifers, the grants for broadleaved sleeping area. ( Perhaps a future EF! gathering could be tree planting are very generous. Even more incredibly, held there ? ) the grants for “ natural regeneration “ are the most gen Anyone who is interested in helping out with erous of all. For noninterventionist EF! types, this has to this inspiring project should contact Tree Spirit a t: be worthy of serious attention.( A word of warning how Hawk batch Farm, Arley, Nr. Bewdley, Worcs. ever. The Forestry Commission has reportedly begun to DY123AH ( Phone: 0299-400586) revert back to type - plans are afoot to increase funding OR: Shelley and Jeff Griffiths, 95 Anstey Rd., PerTy Barr, Birmingham B44 8AN ( Phone: 021 -356-2206). for large scale conifer plantations, and to reduce it for As Tree Spirit say, in a phrase that could serve broad leaved planting, particularly if it is small scale. If as a motto for all our efforts: “ Cooperation for mutual true, 1 guess it just goes to show that you can’t keep a benefit and input of constructive energies will go a long bad institution dow n.) way. “ Maes y Mynach is itself a former Forestry Com
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5, 73 Dances with Dollars
"The white man made us many promises, but he never kept but one. He promised to take our land and he took it"- Red Cloud, Sioux Chief, 19 th Century
In August “Waterworld”, the latest film to star of the Black Hills national park. Kevin Costner, will open in Britain. It is the most expen The Black Hills are, to the Lakota Sioux, the sive film ever made. This article is a plea for you to boy sacred heart of their nation. In 1980 the US Supreme cott it and take actions against its star. Court ruled that the land was taken from the Sioux If this sounds bizarre- read on.... illegally in 1877 and that the US Government should Many of you will have seen Kevin Costner in pay over $1 million in compensation. The Sioux have ‘Dances with Wolves’, a moving (if rather sickly) story, not taken the money. They would rather have the land. set in the last century, about a US cavalry man, John As ever, the developers claim the scheme will Dunbar, who joins a band of Lakota Sioux. The film was bring in jobs and wealth to a poor area. They point to praised by many, including the Sioux people, for its por the fact that the Sioux people of South Dakota are trayal of the plight of Native Americans. Following it’s amongst the poorest in the USA. Yet to the Sioux the release Costner spoke publicly about native peoples land land is sacred as it is- wild and undeveloped. Whilst rights & was adopted by a Sioux family. the Sioux live on minimal state support, Costner and Yet Costner now joins the ranks of generations his brother have received over $ 11 million in state aid of white people who have broken promises & exploited to help them build the resort. At the end of the day we native Americans. As if acting like a plank wasn’t enough. all know who’s bank balance will really benefit. Costner and his brother, under the name What YOU can do ‘Dunbar Consortium’, are now planning to build a holi •Boycott ‘waterworld’ and ask others to do the same. day resort on land sacred to the Sioux. 'H old demos/actions outside (and inside) local cinemas to The Costners have already started work on a encourage people to boycott the film. site they own and plan to build a four star hotel, com •Ask people to write to Costner at the following address- Kevin Costner, 1888 Sentry Park East.Suilc 210,Los plete with casino and sports complex. Now they are try Angeles,90067,USA ing to buy 630 acres of land belonging to the US For •Please send accounts of any actions to us c/o South estry Dept to add a golf course and private railway to Downs so we can let others know whals going on and send their list of horrors. This land is unspoilt forest and par our support to the Sioux people.
‘Aside from the machinery of war, all machines of ancient times originated in the needs of the theatre. The crane, the pulley and other hydraulic devises started out as thearetical paraphernalia; it was only much later that they revolutionised production relations. It is a striking fact that no matter how far we go back in time the domina tion of the earth and of men seems to depend on techniques which serve the purposes not only of work but also of illusion.’ - The Revolution o f Everyday Life’- Raul Vaneigem .’On Wednesday Mr Happy was at home watching television. Outside Little Miss Naughty picked up a stone. She was going to break his windows, naughty girl!’ - 'Little Miss Naughty ’, Mr. Men Books. ‘Land is the only thing that amounts to anything, for ’tis the only thing in this world that lasts, and don't you be forgetting it! ’Tis the only thing worth working for, worth fighting for- worth dying for” - Gerald O ’Hara, ‘Gone With the W ind'
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5, 74 Shoreham: Live Exports and Community Defence
Security Guards at Shoreham.
Author’s note: For reasons of time, space etc this ferry companies who were not involved in the trade and short article cannot be a full analysis of live-exports in to the newly opened channel tunnel. By seizing the op general or Shoreham in particular. Nor can it adequately portunity presented by an increasingly competitive pas deal with the thorny issue o f‘animal rights’. The focus senger trade, animal welfare groups were able to bounce o f this article is on the reaction of the local community to one port after the other into banning live-exports. The live-exports and the attitude o f‘politicos’ in Brighton to result of this was that the exporters were forced to find the growing movement. new ports, ones which had no significant passenger trade to speak of. These new ports tended to be much smaller Intro and were often located in the heart of closely-knit local Intense lobbying from animal welfare groups, communitit , particularly in the case of Brightlingsea. designed to discourage passengers from using ports which Spurred on by emotive videos of calves in veal crates exported livestock, caused major ports like Dover to pull and witnessing their suffering at first hand many locals out ofthe live-export trade. The major ports realised that became determined to stop the trade. if they continued live-exports (a relatively small part of Going down to Shoreham at the start o f Janu their business) they would face losing passengers to other ary was like going to a picket-line, people were sitting in
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5. 75 the road trying to block the trucks coming in, the police other forces, including public order units from the Met. were dragging people away, in short all the usual push Over 1,500 police turned up. Everywhere you looked and shove of any major public order situation. At this there were riot vans, parked nose to tail as far as the eye point it’s important to note the bitter irony that whilst could see. Whole areas of Brighton were sealed off to residents of both Brightlingsea and Shoreham were pre allow the passage of riot vans, and huge convoys of green pared to go to huge lengths to stop the live-export trade, armoured TSG buses could be seen driving down from few lifted a finger to stop scab coal being brought in London on a daily basis. Not only were the Met being through these same ports to break the miners strike. For paid ridiculous amounts of overtime to come down and the first two nights Sussex police were totally humiliated beat up the local community, but they were being put up as the sheer weight of numbers of the crowd relative to at top-notch hotels, with five-star catering. And it wasn’t the lack of police meant that they had to back the trucks long before Shoreham protesters invaded these hotels, up to prevent a major public order incident. On the sec resulting in yet more scuffles and arrests. ond night the crowd ran wild with people rushing up and Back at Shoreham protesters were outnumbered down ripping air-lines out of the trucks, smashing head five to one and could only watch as the trucks went in, lights, and one person climbing atop a truck and smash anyone who tried to do anything more was immediately ing its windscreen. Sussex police were totally powerless arrested. On the third night and several others there was and were unable to control, let alone arrest, most of the widespread scuffling, with people throwing bottles and crowd. repeated baton charges by riot cops. Many of the people Realising they could not deal with the protests scuffling with the cops were local residents, some of them alone, on the third night they called in police from five local youths who had simply come for a ruck. Most peo-
ACME PATENT TYRE PRESSURE ADJUSTER The ‘A CME PA TENT TYRE PRESSURE ADJUSTER ’ has been inspired by many cold nights standing around at Shoreham, waiting to get shoved ineffectually out o f the way by several hundred coppers. It has been field tested to the highest standard! WHAT YOU NEED: Pair of Gloves Hacksaw Steel Rod (10mm Diameter) Vice/clamp- or block o f wood with a hole in it 10mm Diameter by 7cm deep. Something to sharpen of spikes E.G. File or hand drill with grinding attachment. Pair o f pliers. DIRECTIONS: (l)Cut length of steel (20cm) long, secure vertically in vice or block o f wood. (2) Use hacksaw to cut end o f rod to a depth o f 7cms, make sure to keep the cut in the centre o f rod as this will help prevent the spikes breaking off. When one end has been sawn, turn the steel rod the other way i \ up and make a second cut at 90 degrees to the first. (3) When ends have been sawn carefully bend the ends o f rod open, making sure not to break them off, (use pliers). (4)Sharpen ends with file or power drill with grinding attachment. WARNING! Don't try this at home. Try it discreetly on a convoy or blockade. It will only work on hard surfaces. \JL
TA-DAA! INSTANT TYRE PRESSURE REDUCTION IN SECONDS!
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 76 pie were masked up, including pensioners, and this was within a campaign are part of the nature of a community not just because it was bitterly cold. The third night set struggle, in the sense that as a ‘community issue’ it in the tone for the next six months of resistance to live-ex- cludes anyone who claims to be against live-exports. The ports, although after a month or so the Met were replaced kind of community we want is not one that is defined and their role was taken on by a revitalised and reorgan geographically, like the Shoreham area, and thus by its ised Sussex police. Many people had thought that the nature includes local politicians, businessmen, and ce nature of the policing would change when the Met left, lebrities, but a community of struggle. The problem with particularly as some people in the alternative commu the anti-live export campaign is that such a large number nity think Brighton police are somehow progressive sim of people are in favour of ending live exports, they in ply because they tolerate raves. But less naive people, clude local politicians, businessmen, and right-wing lo particularly those who live on the estates and have seen cal newspapers. Even sections of the Shoreham harbour Brighton police in action, were well aware of their pub board were opposed to the trade because it was giving lic order reputation. For the next six months protests con the port a bad name and deterring other custom. Sussex tinued with crowds fluctuating from a few dozen to a police opposed the trade because the protests were rap thousand, but usually averaging a couple of hundred, in idly draining their budget, tying up their personnel, and all weathers and at all times of the day and night. And losing them the support of many of their traditional sup with the continuing protests came continuing arrests, porters. mostly under the public order act, which by the end of However instead of getting involved and trying the trade amounted to almost 400. to explode the contradictions between the mass of pro After the initial shock of the police invasion testers, who wanted to end live exports through the threat local residents began to organise themselves, throwing of public disorder, and their would-be representatives, up a number of separate and often competing groups, all who wanted to win media attention and parliamentary of them eager to represent the mass of protesters down at support through re the dockside. Meetings were held, leaflets distributed, sur spectable lobbying, veillance of the lairages and the convoys were carried Brighton politicos out, and demonstrations and sea actions continued. Those have remained politicos who choose to look saw the emerge of a real aloof. Why? The community of struggle, with all its attendant contradic answer seems to be tions. The struggle against live-exports brought people because the cam in Shoreham together with the result that many residents paign concerns the feel ambiguous about stopping the trade, on the one hand dreaded issue of they oppose it and want it to end, but on the other they ‘animal rights’. Ifit want to continue protesting and have no desire to return was any other issue O to their previously atomised existence. Local residents, you w o u ld n ’t be many of whom have never been part of any campaign, able to move for * are enjoying the thrill of direct action, the satisfaction of people trying to flog > 3 sticking a finger up to the authorities and refusing to com you turgid papers, promise. It is this spirit of sheer awkwardness, a refusal stuff your hands s to give in, and a determination to continue until they get with crappy leaflets, what they want that is inspiring. Also it is the way they and demand you at go about getting what they want that is important. tended their meet 1 Shoreham protesters are not interested in politicians and ings to create yet their interminable lying and stitch-ups, you only have to new fronts for their witness the total contempt with which Waldegrave's an pathetic organisa nouncement on journey times was greeted. tions. Whilst avoid But on the other hand there is far too much tol ing these things has erance for media celebrities like Carla Lane, local MPs its compensations, it like Andrew Bowden (an anti-hunting, pro-animal wel is more than out fare Tory), and organisations like Compassion In World weighed by the fact Farming (who withdrew from the demos after the clashes that the campaign with the police and then threatened to grass on the pro lacks experienced testers who fought back). However such contradictions activists.
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 77 Given the reputation, often undeserved, that anti-CJA movement has exposed just how deeply en Brighton has for being a centre of radicality we have to trapped in workerism the SWP are. By workerism I mean consider why its political groups proved incapable and the idea that the workplace is the site of our power, and it unwilling to get involved in a struggle which was on their is here that we should be concentrating on organising. doorstep. And we have to examine whether this lack of The consequence of such an attitude is that struggles out involvement was merely peculiar to Brighton or whether side o f the workplace are seen at best as secondary and it marks a more general inability to connect with strug subordinate to workplace struggles, and at worst arc de gles outside of our own particular community, whether nounced as irrelevant and a distraction to the real strug that is the workplace (in the case of the SWP and to a gle. So for example the SWP tried to connect to the anti- lesser extent Militant) or the unemployed/alternative com CJA struggle by saying the act was really all about try munity (in the case of Justice? and Brighton Autono ing to prevent picketing, presumably all the arrests of mists). sabs and eco-warriors etc are just a smoke screen to di The SWP have been perhaps the most discon vert us. Such workerist attitudes basically end in the de nected of all the groups, their only practical involvement mand that we get a job, join a union and go on strike. at Shoreham has been to go down to try and shift a few However for many young people who might papers, on a more useful note they have used their union have previously joined the SWP there is now a choice contacts to raise a modest amount of money to assist between getting involved in the anti-CJA/direct action Shoreham defendants. The struggle at Shoreham like the movement which means hanging out with people of your
Above. One timber importer gets it in the neck to the tune o f £800,000 when one o f its warehouses is arsoned. The protests didn't just hit the livestock exporters. The constant blockades meant that the other firms at Shoreham 'went through the most financially damaging two months many o f them have experienced'(I). Companies at Shoreham include BP, Texeco, dredging firms and timber firms. Shoreham is the second biggest importer o f dead trees in the country; importing from the wildernesses o f Brazil, Canada, the US, Scandinavia and eastern europe. It is Britain s biggest importer o f Russian woods. ARC, one o f Britain s largest quarry companies, (who are responsible fo r Whatley Quarry in Somerset-see regional reports), have lost so much trade they are considering moving. Shipping agent Jim Glover said: " Frequently you can be stranded on the port side o f the police cordon in a queue o f 60 vehicles waiting to get out. ”, HA HA HA! (I) Evening Argus, 15.3.95.
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5. 78 own age, going to parties, taking drugs, living in trees, d- veal industry. locking yourself to bulldozers, squatting, fighting with Members of Militant have been much more di the cops etc or you can go to meetings about Trotsky and rectly involved in the campaign at Shoreham, but when stand outside supermarkets trying to sell papers. Conse they have done so it has not been explicitly as members quently it appears the SWP has suffered a drop in its of Militant. They have got involved on their own initia youth membership, and given that students and ex-stu- tive, initially in the face of hostility from other members dents are its life-blood it appears to be in crisis. The only of their party, who have failed to adjust to the new reali thing that is keeping it going appears to be the ANL. ties of life outside of Labour Party subcommittees. Given Given that the SWP had nothing to say about Shoreham their experience of canvassing and community organis beyond stating how ‘under socialism' factory farming ing, particularly in places like Pollok, Militant seem to would be more efficient and animal research would be be gearing up to take a major role in the campaign against even better, and that we should all get a job and join in live-exports at Dover, through their anti-CJA front the the ‘real struggle’, they resorted to Kent Defiance Alliance. claiming that the BNP had been Whilst the trots down at Shoreham leafleting have been unable to connect to against live-exports. To my knowl Shoreham, because it isn’t a edge this is completely untrue and workplace struggle, other groups I have heard no mention o f it. It is like Brighton’s anti-CJA organi possible fascists have been to sation Justice? have failed to get Shoreham, but they have not done involved in any meaningful so openly and have made no at sense. Justice? did go to tempt to distribute their filth. And Shoreham en-masse on a couple given the number of sabs and the of occasions, but the novelty soon attitude of the local residents any wore off. Even though 10% or fascists who tried to openly organ more o f its active members have ise at the demos would have been been arrested at Shoreham there severely kicked in, not to mention has been little collective involve the fact that the police would prob Startled Mr.Lacey? Thought you had ment, beyond some office support ably have arrested them on sight to just taken a job managing an for the defendants and regular try and avoid provoking yet more Schnews coverage of protests. obscure little port, then suddenly public disorder. Given that Justice? was and prob It is right to claim that there are streetbattles outside your ably still is the largest and most there was a little-Englander men office, your car gets trashed- 4 active of the anti-CJA organisa tality among some of the protest times, you can't go shopping without tions its failure to break out of the ers, particularly at the beginning, being attacked- by grannies, your alternative ghetto and connect which saw live-exports bound for house gets trashed and you have to with a real community struggle veal crates as yet another example move 2 times, your wife leaves you is disturbing. Justice’s lack of of the decadent and wicked nature and your kids won‘t talk to you. Bad collective involvement is attrib o f‘Johnny foreigner’ and as a rea utable to all the usual reasons, career move eh Phillip. son why the British state should e.g. the fact that most of the or immediately withdraw from the European Union. Some ganisational work is done by a few very over-worked Tory ‘blue-rinse’ types at Shoreham did hold this view, people, that it was busy organising squats in Brighton, one which was articulated by a Daily Express article, and that many people were off doing direct action at places that was photocopied and distributed by some of the more as far apart as Pollok, Solsbury Hill, and even Berlin! naive protesters. This article expressing outrage at French But its lack of involvement can’t simply be re Muslims importing sheep for a religious festival simply duced to this, it’s more the case that the anti-live-export allowed the Daily Mail to give vent to its prejudices, al campaign was never seen as a priority for Justice?, this lowing them to attack not only French people in general was partly because the police have not used the CJA on a but French Muslims in particular. However such attitudes large scale at Shoreham. Only two people have been among the Shoreham protesters are more than outweighed charged with aggravated trespass and both charges were by people’s new found realisation of the nature of fac thrown out of court. Also Justice’s disconnection from tory farming in Britain, and their opposition to a British Shoreham reflects the fact that most of the sabs in the
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 79 Brighton area have chosen not to get involved in Jus worry about the expansion of the animal rights move tice?, and most members of Justice? are not interested in ment. sabbing. In the absence of a large sab presence within Conclusion Justice?, pushing the organisation to get actively involved Over the last six months we’ve seen a local com in the anti-live-export campaign, Shoreham was always munity coming together and using direct action to op going to remain a side-issue. More importantly, Justice’s pose live-exports. Residents have quickly learnt that di failure to connect with a real community struggle was rect action means confronting the police, which means mainly due to the fact that most of its members see them risking arrest and should mean supporting those who have selves as part of an alternative community of young un been arrested. Local people have faced down and hu employed, one which is ill at ease with a community strug miliated Sussex police, who were forced to call in the gle made up of so called ‘ordinary people’ many of whom Met and other forces to put down the protests. Despite are middle aged and have jobs. having their area invaded by over a thousand police and Most disturbing was the predictable failure of almost four hundred people arrested, local residents have Brighton Autonomists to get involved in the struggle at refused to be intimidated. Most importantly Shoreham Shoreham, beyond supporting individual defendants. As residents have won, the exporters have pulled out because the most together political group in the Brighton area, Sussex police could only afford to escort convoys two comprising an assortment of anarchists and communists, days a week, and this didn’t allow the traders to make a it has been able to avoid both the pitfalls of workerism profit. Not only has the public order operation almost and the isolation of the alternative ghetto. And signifi bankrupted Sussex police, but it has earned them the cantly it is well aware of the importance of community undying hatred of the most active protesters. People who organisation given its involvement in the anti poll-tax previously supported the police now treat them with con campaign. The reason it has refused to get involved at tempt. Shoreham is simply because it sees it as merely an ani Some protesters are now making connections mal rights issue. As a group it is opposed to both the between their struggles and those of other working class ideology and practice of the animal rights movement. The communities. I've heard middle aged protesters taunt the leading members of Brighton Autonomists are representa police about the Bradford riots. I’ve seen previously re tive of the mid 80’s split in the anarcho movement be spectable Shoreham ladies holding a police doll, voodoo tween class struggle anarchists and animal rights activ style, engaged in a heated argument about which cop ists. I ndeed they were actively involved in this acrimoni pers need pins sticking in them. And at a meeting, after ous rupture and its personal recriminations still haven’t the end of shipments from Shoreham, 700 local residents been forgotten by either side. I f the struggle at Shoreham cheered when one of the speakers tentatively pointed out was about any other issue all the members of Brighton that the police were agents o f the state whose role was to Autonomists would be actively involved. protect politicians and the rich. This was followed by For Brighton Autonomists animal rights is seen proposals for Waldcgrave to do a sponsored parachute as a liberal side issue with no potential for connecting to jum p with only an empty rucksack. anything else. Some of their criticisms are valid. Unlike Furthermore many protesters don’tsee the stop our fellow humans they can’t organise themselves or ping o f live-exports from Shoreham as the end, they sec make their own demands. We can’t have relations of soli it as an opportunity to get involved in other struggles darity with animals, because they can’t struggle. We can either at Dover or against the local Shamrock monkey only have relations of sympathy with them, projecting farm. Many people are enjoying the feeling of solidarity our own feelings of alienation and powerlessness onto that comes from standing together against the state and dewy eyed calves as symbols of purity and innocence in have no wish to return to their previous existence. For a world out of our control. But it has to be said that the many the campaign against live-exports is the best thing fact that people are moved to confront the state by the that ever happened to them. It is up to local activists, suffering of animals at least gives us hope that people who have been involved at Shoreham, to show these peo are not completely alienated. Also Brighton Autonomists ple that they can use the same tactics in other situations. criticism of the obsessive insularity of many people in As eco-activists when we talk about ‘community sup the animal rights ghetto strikes a cord with anyone who port’ we normally mean a few people bringing us cups has spent time in Brighton. But at the very moment when of tea. Imagine what effect three hundred local residents the anti live-export campaign is involving local commu who were prepared to disrupt road-construction on a daily nities in daily confrontation with the state, groups like basis would have. Brighton Autonomists can only sit on the sidelines and
Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 80 THREE DIMENSIONAL VOLUMt I KIC.
\ t U t M 'o m o t ie lk r TRADE MAftK ( w d u c
ART op the charm of Pbuilding Mic romode Is is the Pact that all the work can be done '1 Comport and, ip you wish, in the social circle on the drawing room table, without makintf any m ess.6 -- — HIS horrible m a c h i n e iS Tbusy destroying our fine Br/ti^h la n d s c a p e s .such 3S Twy P ord Down. Why not m a k e it up...... then squash it! b
G lu e 2 Eo 3 b to b. Feral
Fer-ul adj. wild, or existing in a state o f nature, as freely occurring animals or plants; having reverted to the wild state from domestication.
By John Zerzan We exist in a landscape o f absence wherein real The greens and their like who try to extend the life of the life is steadily being drained out by debased work, the racket of electorlism, based on the lie that there is valid hollow cycle of consumerism and the mediated empti ity in any person representing another, these types would ness of high tech dependency. Today it is not only the perpetuate just one more home for protest in leigh o f the stereotypical yuppie workaholic who tries to cheat real thing. Earth First! recognises that domestication is despair via activity, preferring not to contem the fundamental issue (e.g. that agriculture itself is ma plate a fate no less sterile than that of the planet lignant) but many of its partisans cannot see that our and (domesticated) subjectivity in general. species could become wild. Radical environmental We are confronted, none the less, by the ru ists appreciate that the turning of forests into tree ins of nature and the ruin of our own na farms is merely a part of the over all project that ture, the sheer enormity of the meaningless also seeks their own suppression. But they will have ness and the inuthentic amounting to a to seek the wild everywhere rather than merely in weight of lies. It’s still drudgery and tox wilderness as a separate preserve. icity for the vast majority, while a pov Freud saw that there is no civilisation erty more absolute than financial renders without the forcible renunciation of instincts, more vacant the universal Dead Zone of without monumental coercion. But, because civilisation. “Empowerment” by compu the masses are basically “lazy and terization? Infantalised, more like. An unintelligent” civilisation is justified, he Information Age characterised by in reasoned. This model or prescription was creased communication? No, that based on the idea that pre-civilsed life was would presuppose experience worth brutal and deprived- a notion that has communicating. A time of unprec been, amazingly, reversed in the past edented respect for the individual? 20 years. Prior to agriculture, in other Translation: wage-slavery needs the words, humanity existed in a state of strategy of worker self-management grace, ease and communion with nature at the point of production to stave that we can barely comprehend today. off the continuing productivity cri The vista of authenticity sis, and market research must tar emerges as no less than a wholesale dis get each “life-style” in the interest solution of civilisations edifice of repres of a maximised consumer culture. sion, which Freud, by the way, described In the upside-down soci as “something which was imposed on a ety the solution to massive aliena resisting majority by a minority which un tion-induced drug use is a media derstood how to obtain possession of the barrage. In the industrialized cul means to power and coercion.” We can ei ture of irreversible depression, iso ther passively continue on the road to utter do lation, and cynicism, the spirit will mestication and destruction or turn in the direc die first, the death of the planet an af- t e r - tion ofjoyful upheaval, passionate and feral embrace thought. That is, unless we erase this rotting order, all of of wildness and life that aims at dancing on the ruins of its categories and dynamics. clocks, computers and that failure of imagination and Meanwhile, the parade of partial ( and for that will called work. Can we justify our lives by anything reason false) oppositions proceeds on its usual routes. less than such a politics o f rage and dreams?
82 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 en masse, sending the company's telephone bill into the MONKEYWREM»OVCYBER- stratosphere. By the end of one weekend they had spent $ 1.4m, (£933,000).' SJftGE Independent, 10.10.94 Their technology makes them powerful, but it also makes them vulnerable! ’'COMPUIEROOMEWAVEHrrS ' Techno-wizards have been hacking their way CO^miOIONIM X&raY into the heart of the American Military.. The Pentagon Contractors, consultants and other industry bod confessed yesterday that joyriders have been using the ies are suffering mounting losses from a rising trend in Internet, which links computer systems worldwide, to organised crime. look at new aircraft and ship design, simulated battle Recent victims include Wimpey [Pollock], Cos plans and correspondence. The raiders have taken over tain [Cardiff Bay], Blue Circle [many S-West quarries], whole defence systems, and closed them down. WS Atkins [M 11 ], the Highways Agency and the Brit Michael Higgins, of the Defence Information ish Roads Federation. Systems Agency, said the break-ins we affecting the De When the British Roads Federation was bro fence Department’s military readiness. Hackers need only ken into last year it took more than two months and a install a simple programme to snatch every password considerable improvement to the security of the organi passing through the system, and store them for later use. sation's Old Kent Road premises before insurers stumped Experts estimate that more than a million passwords have up the cash to replace stolen equipment. Now BRF staff been stolen' remove hard disks every night to safeguard information. Guardian, 22.7.94 Another firm which has improved security af 'An even more prevalent risk is the ter being raided is Costain. A company spokesperson virus...according to the latest Dept, of Trade and Indus- described the thieves methods as dashing expensive equip try/NCC survey, 832 companies suffered 1,029 virus ment to the ground, removing the chips and leaving a attacks in two years, at an estimated cost of £4,000 a trail of wreckage behind them. time, (which sounds like an underestimate). At Wimpey, thefts meant that computer staffhad One unfortunate outfit spent £ 100,000 wiping to work over the Sunday and Whitsun Bank Holiday a virus off three surfers and more than 200 Pc's, after it Monday to replace damaged and stolen kit." had been spread by an infected antivirus disk....' -Contract Journal, 8 June 95. Computing Magazine, 19.5.94 From Ecodefence! The most graphic example of the huge amount 'Pry off access panels until you are looking in at o f money that can be lost through 'voice-mail squatters' rows of circuit boards. Turn the unit on, stand well back occurred recently in the US when a group of hackers and toss salt water on the circuits from a water bottle- broke into a corporate voice-mail box. The company's watch the circuits fry. Salt water is far more conductive communication system, like many, allowed mail-box of electricity than plain water, and also corrosive. Even users to access outside telephone lines through an inter after drying out, the salt will remain and continue to cor nal telephone exchange. Within a few hours, instructions rode circuit board copper and IC Pins whenever the hu on how to access the boxes had been distributed to at midity is high enough'. least 200 hackers who immediately began using the lines Elim inate the Inform ation Age!
83 Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, No.5 IT’S LATER THAN YOU THINK!
An account o f recent Special Branch I1IERAIDS harassment o f Militant Greens by Oxford First Green Anarchist and then independent anti Green Anarchists. fascist researcher Larry O ’Hara * 1 convincingly argued Since march 1995, Hampshire Special Branch that Robin had been framed for the shotgun cartridge in have carried out at least 17 raids against green anarchist and attempt to silence him as a press officer. When the and animal liberation targets, a dozen of which found cops raided his house they found a large quantity of their targets and four of which led to arrests for conspiracy ‘Green Anarchist’, GA was at that time the only maga to produce materials inciting criminal damage by fire. zine to advertise, albeit under disclaimer, ‘Into The 90’s With The ALF’. Hampshire Special Branch then assumed ROBINWEBB that he was part of a sinister sabotage manual distribu The raids seem to have the goal of further fram tion network. This conveniently justified a warrant to ing ALF press officer Robin Webb. Robin was remanded raid Green Anarchist. The cops goal was to present the in HMP Winchester after being arrested by Hampshire diffuse informal networks which pass information from Special Branch in late 1994. This for the ‘crime’ of pass hand to hand as a hierarchical organisation with Robin ing a Poultry Liberation Organisation (PLO) press re at the top. lease on the contamination o f eggs on to the media. As At the start of March 1995 Hampshire Special Robin is the ALF press officer, some might think he was Branch raided GA’s ex-public address with a warrant just doing his job! justified by the offence o f‘conspiracy to produce materi At the time the cops admitted they’d pressed the als inciting criminal damage by fire’. They use info from charge to shut him up. Last year the Metropolitan Police that raid to turn over two more Oxford addresses a fort had tried to frame Robin by planting a sawn off shot gun night later. At one of these, they arrested GA’s editor and in the boot ofhis car during a visit to Sussex. Unlike seized his computer, discs and records, including copies previous ALF press officers Robin has been careful not of200AD comic, dangerous material indeed! to break the law himself leaving the cops to make des GA’s printers *2 turned informer with two other perate and then more desperate attempts to frame him. figures on the edge of GA leading the people behind G A For the cops it is a priority to maintain the idea of the mail order and people involved with Lancaster Bomber ‘terrorist threat’ in the face of a widely popular anti-live and Eco-Vegan, were also arrested for ‘conspiracy to pro export protests. duce materials inciting criminal damage by fire’, and had Inside HMP Winchester the cops are continuing computers , typewriters and records seized. They took their attempts to frame Robin, they’ve forced him into all sorts of stuff including Lancaster Bomber’s copy of an ID parade as a supposed bomb planter. Meanwhile on Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations, taken as the outside they use pliant journalists to plant stories in ‘subversive’; maybe they liked the film. the media about the ALF turning to firearms. Those arrested were put on police bail, the cop
84 Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 pers goal had been to disrupt the production of GA. The the event of contamination hoaxes, so the tenuous links GA subs list had to be destroyed and subscribers are ad with Robin Webb don’t explain the cops behaviour. Our vised to use a secure name and address when getting in intelligent readers will no doubt have noted that this is contact in future. The cheque book was pinched and the the same Hampshire Special Branch that worked hand bank manager had been fed with loads of lies about how in hand with Brays security over Twyford in 1992-3 and the account was being used to fund ‘criminal activity’ , probably the only south coast force which hasn’t had a eventually he was persuaded to supply a new one. This live export port on their patch. did however give the cops the change to go through Through publications like GA, Do or D ie, Par- cheques for address, readers are reminded that cheques tizan, The Terraist and Into the 90’s , which draws heav are traceable. Mail interception at the Monomarks box ily on Eco-defense: A field guide to monkeywrenching, has been intense so that now all GA contacts have been the state has seen a general convergence of militant con advised to acknowledge all mail received, so if your let cern for animals and active concern for the earth. Since ter to GA isn’t acknowledged then it didn’t get there. 1993 the Animal Rights National Index (ARNI) has been The next day, March 15th, there were two more extended to include ecowarriors. We speculate that Twy- raids on who the cops see as the new press officer and the ford was the first big influx of green info for the Special editor of the ALF Supporters Group. Other people raided Branch. Special Branch used their contacts at Reliant include two old ladies who’d just written letters of sup Security (Solsbury Hill, Bath) and the Sunday Times port to Robin Webb in prison, w ho’s the terrorist now ? journalist John Harlow to plant the first major anti-green HOMEIRUIIE smear with the now famous ‘Green Guerrillas booby- trap sites’ *3. Having pumped the media with lies about Some ecowarriors out there don’t see the animal ‘animal rights terrorists’ they thought they’d try the same direct action and eco defense as having anything in com tactic on the eco warriors. mon, this is foolish and the police certainly don’t labour The end o f the cold war and the cease-fire in the under such illusions. 6 counties have intensified interagency competition to GA aren’t on the usual list of people pulled in stake claim to surveillance of the ‘eco terrorist threat’ as
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no5 85 a job preservation scheme. MI5’s interventions in the shape of agent provoca teurs Tim Hepple and Stuart McCulleogh are dealt with by O ’Hara *1 in his book, which outlines that agencies attempts to use the green direct action movement to surve their purposes. ARNI has now been expanded to a national police unit. When ARNI was set up as nationally accessible data base in 1984 the false arrest of Beds And Bucks hunt sabs under the Prevention of Terrorism Act justified the seizure of BUAV’s entire mem but to destroy power itself - this is revolution. What's bership lists vastly expanding ARNI’s database. Only needed in response to the violence of the powerful is revo weeks after GA was raided so was Greenpeace. The raid lutionary action to destroy their power - clandestinely ing of the Greenpeace HQ was justified by the like the ALF when necessary, openly through riots and Aldermarston demo, the membership records taken will general disorder when possible. have added hundreds of thousands of names to ARNI. We make no apologies for our anger, we write this as people are on bail for an offence that has been KEVOUnON used to jail the editors of the SG and Arkangel in the Those who read this and find it surprising should past. The next issue of GA, issue 38, has come out GA read up on the history of the secret British State. These have refused to be intimidated by the interference of the people see all dissent as dangerous and have no nieve ‘security services’. This article is written to keep people ideas about democracy. If they don’t like a government informed, the most dangerous cop is the one in your head they change it, the destablisation of the Wilson govern the one who stops you doing something. Hopefully this ment is now well documented. If the media smears upset article will spread prudence not inaction. you then remember it gets worse. The secret state has and will fabricate atrocities and then blame it on radical NOQUAKIER groups, the saddest thing is when people inside the move The movement has been held back by ‘hostages’. ment repeat media lies as facts. When Fisons were trashed at thom Moor in 1991 Lon If we limit ourselves to civil disobedience and don EFers! forgot their ‘Neither condemn nor condone’ appeals to their ‘common humanity’ their response will attitude and refused to approve the action because they be to throw everything they’ve got to preserve their power feared they be raided. At Twy ford for example the dongas and privilege draconian laws and dirty tricks, infiltra camp eventually forbade any action against road build tion and misrepresentation, blacklisting and brute force, ing other than their passive presence in case it brought using both their own uniformed thugs and vigilantes, retaliation from the road builders. Then came yellow lumpen crims or fascist proxies. Wednesday and the campaign began again. People who Democracy is a ritual involving scratching insist on strict non violence from protesters at other road crosses onto a piece of paper every five years. The last camps are always quick to condemn protester violence significant change in the ruling class of Britain happened but then accept violence of security and cops. when Cromwell kicked out the monarchy, and then they came back. The secret state exists to preserve ruling class (1) Turning up ihe Heat :MI5 afler ihe Cold War, Pheonix press 1994. privilege, to keep the rich rich and the powerful power (2) Chiltern Offset of Amersham. ful. It's goal is to isolate discontent and then discredit it, (3) Sunday Times July 3, 1994. if that doesn’t work it destroys it. The only solution is to KICK IT ALL OVER not to install a new set of leaders
86 Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 PH ttU FH NO San Antonio Ext, SFDM 1105 head down (she has a few warrents VQiJUMEERSPOR Quezon City, Phillippines out for arrest due to her active role at Twyford Down). However she is very EARIHDEFENCE The following was written by much out there, still doing the good Dear Friends, someone who played a very special work, still fighting for this amazing Wannest greetings! We arc a and important role in the campaign planet and still has the incredible group who organise and commit our at Twyford Down which saw the magic that made her such a special selves to the defence of the environ emergence of the travelling environ person at Twyford. Please listen to ment. Most of our members did some mental protester. She was one of the her words as she speaks for a few o f volunteering and support actions with original Dongas Tribe and we have a us who were there at the beginning some environmental groups. Our dis lot to thank her for. Many people who who feel that the incredible energy satisfaction to the compromising pos are new to this “scene” may not have that gave birth to this “movement” tures of most environment groups, met her as she has had to keep her has somehow been lost and forgotten. compelled us to engage in direct and THE FAR SIDE radical actions. We named our group of mountaineers, climbers, divers, nature lovers, artisans, conservation ists and others as ‘Volunteers for Earth Defence’. Co-operation among like groups ofsimilar actions, lightens the tasks. Hence, we humbly request your generous support, by way of exchang ing experiences, information’s, corre spondences and if possible, various action skills and techniques. We would equally appreciate our inclu sion on your mailing list. You can course future correspondence through the undersigned. We realise the burden on your group, just heeding our various requests. Thus, we fully commit our selves to whatever would be required of us by our future co-operation. Whatever response you would extend us would be deeply appreciated and may we strengthen our linkages and solidarity in defend ing the Earth and its future. Thank you and sincerely yours, Alexander A.Orlino,189 Forest violence
87 D oor Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 m We only get one shot at this and time ish. Which is why I feel I should write wanting to earn brownie-points by is short so let’s do this well... about the DOWNSIDE to it all. being arrested, then it normally hap Why do people join protest pens. It’s called SYMPATHETIC THERLSE(ANI) camps? There are many reasons. It’s MAGIC and the opposite can also probable that like the Dongas, many apply. Believing in your own psy FALL?!) OFTHE EGO- people see the earth as sacred, a liv chic/physical protection, knowing ing body of which we are part, and that you are trying to protect the WARRIQR see themselves as guardians of the Earthspirit and that it in turn is pro Two years ago, in the rain and earth. There are many reasons why tecting you, ensures that you radiate mud, the Dongas Tribe were defend people protest - political, ethical, safety and love. A group of people ing Twy ford Down. Apart from vis moral - some of the motivations, how with this feeling is incredibly strong. its from local EF!-ers and campaign ever, are mis-directed and often dan Wearing face-paints, playing drums, ers, the direct action anti-road cam gerous. singing songs isn’t a side issue. It’s paign nationally numbered 25 peo These days security guards essential. Music can diffuse poten ple and a goat. We were calling out are hired from day one. It’s a poten tially violent situations. Singing em for people and publicity...it was hard tially heavy situation and some peo powers you and makes security per enough to get local papers to cover ple arrive prepared for a tussle - ex ceive you as less as a threat. Police the story. And when the land was pecting, almost willing, a confronta and workers respond differently to raped on “Yellow Wednesday” we tional scene. I think its true to say happy, smiling, singing people than told the shites in nylon armour and that quite a lot of people like to show to bolshy, mouthy, self righteous rant their sinister employers that they how badly hurt they got, how grim it ers. Sometimes, anyway. It’s worth would reap their Karma for destroy was, etc. Sometimes getting hurt is trying. I’ve been on several actions ing such a sacred site. Two years on unavoidable. But glorifying it is dan this year where work has been and the “whirligig of time has bought gerous. A successful action is where stopped for a few minutes, but in a in its revenge” - the anti-road move NO ONE IS HURT, when security terrible atmosphere, with insults ment is huge, the government is be has been talked to, and lastly if work hurled at security and very little in the ing forced to listen - there are protests has been stopped. People guilt-trip way of colour, energy, let alone mu all over Britain. themselves into believing that if they sic, from protesters. There are hundreds of people don’t get dragged offby their hair at People were totally miserable who have given alloftheir time, love least three machines a day, then they and tired. Two things - firstly, people and energy to stop the machine of are not doing anything. If possible, get put off and they don’t come back. “progress”....who have sat in trees for it’s better to save your energy and wait Secondly-back to guilt tripping. If months enduring weather and forci for more numbers, than to do an ac you are physically and mentally ex ble eviction - the incredible Mad Max tion hopelessly outnumbered - there’s hausted, you are not doing yourself barricades at the M 11, hours of hard plenty of other things that need do or the group any favours by going on work and dedication; people who ing. The washing up for instance. an action. ENERGY in campaigns have cooked meals for hungry hun Designing a new leaflet. is a precious resource, often abused. dreds, been arrested, assaulted and It boils down to what you are If you go on a site with no energy, imprisoned; spent their giro’s on nails in it for. The glory? Newcomers to you drain it from those around you. for tree platforms and D-locks....the campaigns have sat around for DAYS You can’t run as fast, you lose your list is endless. Not to mention all the waiting to be told what’s going on, temper quicker; you’re more likely PR with the local communities, edu while newspaper reporters are to get hurt. You become a liability cation and communication on both frowned on. The poor sod who actu and what is worse you affect how sides, the establishing of an under ally bothers to clean the porridge pot other people behave too. Don’t guilt standing and a common cause. I’d never gets their picture in the Guard trip yourself; none of us are like to pay tribute to the amazing col ian.... indespensable, a day chilling out and ourful many faceted chaotic fractal of Bad motivation affects the en cooking a meal would benefit every people who have come together to ergy of the camp as a whole, espe one more (sometimes you just have keep the earth green; it’s an ever-ex- cially on actions (as does bad com to keep going - tree squatting etc. panding movement with many direc munication, many people do their first These are different situations. Most tions, a plant growing from a strong action totally unprepared) - if people of the time people make a conscious seed. And we’d all like to see it flour are going on site expecting a fight, or decision to go on actions), ltisw or- Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 88 rying to see so many people with the issues or living alternative lifestyles violence comes from thoughts as well attitude that anyone not going on site have been alienated BY US. Get as deeds). People who aren’t instantly is “lunching out”. Sometimes they humble! LISTEN to other people, put off tend to start behaving simi- are (see below). Often they’re get- don’t assume you know it all- you larly. Luckily the majority of cam- ting wood, water, putting up commu- don’t. Our role is not to muscle in, paigners, bonded to Mother Earth, nal dwellings, taking rubbish off site take over and assume that you’re simply get on with it. It’s up to all of -jobs that are just as vital to the cam- somehow better than everyone else, us, however, to start thinking about paign. So there you have it - THE WHY we are doing it. If you have ...Back to energy levels. If EGO WARRIOR. On every cam- felt the wild wet spirit of Nature call your base is full of stoned people, lit- paign there are these people strutting you’ll do anything to protect it...start tered with food wrappings and brew around, showing off, snubbing others, by protecting YOURSELF, as part of can something is wrong. If people grabbing the glory. Most of them do Nature, and the group. Help keep don’t care about their personal envi- nothing to help with the running of energy levels high in whatever way ronment, why are they trying to save the campaign, and they are a real dan- you choose. If you think there’s a the earth? It’s hard but piss takers ger on site with their macho-aggres- problem, TALK about it. have to be asked to get it together or sive attitudes (it comes from taking Our attitude to the campaign, LEAVE. It drains enei^gy-you’ve got the word warrior too lit- ourselves and each other must surely to clean up after them and they’ve erally. Battles are be based on the idea that we are all eaten all the food. It creates a bad ___ Ml to be avoided one, bound to the laws of nature, impression for visitors. These peo wherever moving in harmony. The Earth is our ple are blagging into festivals, call ptttm focus. At their worst, campaigns ing themselves road protesters (and merely reflect all that is wrong with Dongas) and giving us all a bad name society - at their best, they contain - even amongst the hippies! the hope and seed for the future Something else is putting o f the planet. people off. PROTESTERS’ EGOS. May the Dance Someone’s been on a camp for a Go On! month and suddenly they know it all Alex - hey, they’ve been arrested four times Donga and been bitten by a security guard - they’re too important to talk to shy newcomers or to wash their bloody plate up. It’s the holier-than-thou at titude of the “Summer Campaigner”, who assumes that every “straight” person knows bugger all and is do ing bugger all about the situation. I heard a horror story that a Newbury women who had been campaigning for years was sneered at because she lived in a house with her two kids and not in a bender!! The fact that she had been coping with campaigning work as well as being a single mother is, I suppose, not relevent. Well where were these wonderful “tribal” bender- dwellers last Winter? Fair enough if you can’t hack it, but don’t ponce around being “ethnic” if it is not genu ine. Certainly not at other people’s FATWA! expense. A lot of people who have spent years either researching local
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 89 ORFESHVEIY Twyford and Operation Road-block wealthy), to the old airfield at Wisley, at the M 11, are far more damaging several miles away. To my mind- un DEFENSIVEOR and worrying for them to deal with like St.George’s Hill- this rather un and are thus the ways in which we impressive site challenged, and sig OEFENSTVEIY will win. It may seem a cliche, but it nified, nothing. Secondly, some of the is true to say that the best form o f de statements of the organisers indicated OFFENSIVE? fence is attack. that this was a campaign determined The recent victory that the Yours, to emasculate itself from the very anti-roads movement in the UK has A fluffy rabbit start. The land is a priceless recourse, had in changing public opinion and monopolised by a few to the detriment government policy towards road- o f the many, and that privilege is not building is a great success for the tac 1HEMGGERS something they will give up easily. tics of direct action, but we must be WOULDRE Yet the organisers were using the lan very careful not to become compla guage of the elite- St.George’s Hill cent and rest on our laurels, as there SPINNING IN THEIR had been rejected as a venue because is still much to fight for. After all the the likelihood of“Criminal Damage” press hype about the government GRAVES! on our part was apparently to high; “slashing” the roads program, it ap I care greatly about land dis never mind the (perfectly legal) pears that so far only £4 billion has tribution, believing it to be one of the “Criminal Damage” inflicted on the been cut from the planned roads most, if not the most, important issues land by the golf course, with its neatly budget, leaving £ 19 billion still to be facing us. It enables us to begin set clipped lawns and chemical saturated spent on more destructive road ting our own agenda, instead of turf. Furthermore, it seemed that “The schemes. This means that many merely opposing that of the state, it land is Ours” was not in the business places are still under threat and we helps us to address many of the un of taking anybody’s “Private Prop need to continue our efforts, perhaps derlying problems that prompted the erty” away from them. Aside from the using slightly different tactics. CJA in the first place, and most im issue of whether the land actually We seem to be placing too portantly, it raises the question of es belongs to anybody, such “Private much emphasis on defensive action tablishing our own autonomous Property” was won by the sword and which to all intents and purposes is spaces, where we can cultivate, cel a system of extortion and enclosure playing the authorities’ own games. ebrate & create free o f the dead hand in the first place. In the present day, 1 want to make it clear that 1 don’t o f the state. We have already experi exclusion from the “Private property” intend to criticise the defensive ac enced the first glimmerings of this o f the big landowners is a major part tions seen at anti-road campaigns - spirit in places such as Claremont rd o f what keeps us down. All of this is most recently at Claremont Rd and and the various squatted centres what the original diggers were fight up at the M65.1 have nothing but re around the country. Now, in a logical ing against- But no, todays campaign spect and admiration for everyone progression, we can begin to think ers will settle for such weak goals as who risked themselves on the roofs bigger, and apply the possibilities that opening up Public Access (NOT oc of Claremont, but defensive actions our activities have highlighted to the cupation) to the land, reforming (ad are not enough. The fact that there has land, and cities, as a whole. mittedly idiotic) planning guide-lines, never been more than 500 people at It is for this reason- seemingly and so on. This is not likely to have any direct action road protest in this squandered opportunities- that I the land owning elite quaking in their country, means that the state currently found the ‘Reclaim The Land’ in boots. has the resources to trash us. We have Surrey so disappointing. Instead of Finally, too much people on not turned them back from an evic giving our imaginations free rein, we the march to St.George’s Hill that tion yet, and without many more peo seemed to police ourselves, settling- eventually took place (against the ple getting involved in direct action, as ever- for second best. First, the wishes of the organisers) foolishly we won’t be able to. What we need to venue was changed at the last minute, followed the directions of the police. do is to take the battle to their terri from the symbolically important This meant that we took a rounda tory, so we can call the shots more St.george’s Hill (once the site of the bout, albeit beautiful, route through easily, instead ofcontinually reacting Diggers land occupation, now the the woods that suited the police down to their moves. This is why I believe home of a Golf Course and some of to the ground. Instead, we could have actions such as the Bailey Bridge at England’s most disgustingly taken the direct route across the A3’s
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 90 Pedestrian Crossing-which would entirely consisting o f the view that it against, lets recall the following have presented a golden opportunity was a success was. It is interesting to verses of Rosselson’s song of the dig forareclamationoflandEN ROUTE note that the shNEWS can print an gers, ‘The world turned upside to St.George’s Hill- A mass trespass article slagging of (correctly) the down’, sung at so many EF! camp A laTwyford Down summer of last SWP for their Windsor debacle, it is fires! year. Do we really want to be told after all safe to criticise them, every “The sin of property we do where to go and what to do by the one hates the SWP. But when some disdain, Police? ( In the meeting beforehand, one criticises an action that is seen to No one has any right to buy one person even asked the police what be part of OUR movement then it’s a and sell the earth for private gain, they thought about our plans for a different story. Since the original writ By theft and murder, they march. The Officer replied, as if he ing of this letter some of the planning took the land. had to remind us, that “ That is a regulation demands o f‘This land is Now everywhere the walls matter for you to decide- it’s YOUR their land’ have been accepted by spring up at their command." march”.) Oxfordshire County Council. Rather A message to the organisers: than a sign of strength, this is a sign “Be realistic-Demand the ‘impossi of weakness. If one’s demands are so -ANDTHESINGLE ble’". Don’t compromise now, before menial that they can actually be ac ISSUE SAIDTOTHE you’ve even started! cepted without much difficulty, by the - Anon, institutions that your actions oppose, TOMHY P.S. This letter was submit it’s a pretty good indication of the Dear whoever you are, ted for inclusion in the shhNEWS, it uselessness of your demands. Lest we Direct action campaigns fo was not printed. In fact a piece almost forget what and who we are fighting cus on single issues- road campaigns,
91 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 live exports, homelessness etc. this fact be interpreted and shown to the results of the action itself are by-prod- often prevents us from expressing our masses as a way of enriching democ ucts of the act- albeit something use opinion on the totality. The present racy. The government permits a cer ful. system keeps peoples opinions in tain amount of deviation to demon We must not fall into the trap the realm o f expertise in a particular strate ‘tolerance’ and to keep the pub of judging our successes by the re field, resulting in the fragmentation lic assured that outside influences re sponses of the system and not by the and specialisation of our lives- ie; we ally do have a part to play in the proc net results o f the actions themselves. cannot see the woods for the trees. ess. in becoming a legitimate tactic If we do, DA becomes a part of the Surely however we cannot in the game of influencing party system and not the alternative, the campaign successfully on single is policy, direct action gives power to more we get our fluffy middle class sues without addressing the social the likes of FoE and GreenPeace, al faces accepted by the media, espe problems which cause them. In order lowing them to put themselves for cially right wing newspapers, the to improve our quality of life we have ward as moderates, but riding on the more we are agreeing to marginalise to fight the present system in its en wave of popular discontent, they, and our ‘darker’ side, this is the price of tirety- and demonstrate viable alter other NGO’s like them perpetuate the appeasing them. If the struggle is natives. at present all direct action is status quo by giving the impression about a whole way of life, the idea doing is tinkering with the mechan of change without its actually achiev should be to change or confront pub ics of the machine. ing anything. lic opinion- not court it. We must recognise that in DA is the result of empower To have any hope of attain order to create a new way of life un ment of the individual. It implies self ing any sort of sustainable future, DA polluted by the present we must elimi control, self belief and a persons self must completely bypass the political nate the current system completely. determination. It is a way o f life in system- it should not take place as a DA is in grave danger of becoming itself, the other results of DA- pub tactic, a pawn in the power game, but incorporated in the system and can in licity, empowering capabilities and as an end in itself. It should never
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 become a tacit and ‘acceptable in rather than work with the state, we ous also - it is incredibly moderation’ part of the system. DA should use politicians, the media etc. disempowering. I’m thinking of the is about acting in the now. It should in a way that will expose the state for school ofthought typified by ‘ we’ve become a part of everyday life- not a what it is- a mask behind which the damaged the world irreparably, so result o f everyday life. multinationals hide. what’s the point ? Just sit back and We must stop our campaigns - Anon & Anon, London. take what you can get from the end- being sold back to us as a commod of-the-world party. * That is why I ity in the same way that revolution HOFEAND offer the tale of the king cheetah up ary ideas are presented to us in the to you - 1 would be interested in hear form of books, T-shirts and records, BOUNDARY ing a response. Personally, I’d like it with the net benefit going straight very much to be true - it’s a sign of back into the capitalist ideal we are BREAKING trying so hard to fight. Dear Dodderers Campaigns concentrate too Some thoughts from your much on the future and constantly cranky neighbourhood compromise themselves by setting typist,occasioned by the article on the ‘realistic’ single issue targets, we are subject of bio-diversity in this issue attempting to tackle the symptoms o f Do or Die : one by one-unless we look at the root 1) The author quotes Michael cause and tackle that we will be fight Soule and Bruce Wilcox as stating ing them for eternity. Or is it the that we are seeing, effectively, the subconcious stooping us? Don’t wish cessation of evolution - particularly for what you really don’t want or you in the case of large vertebrates. Ap might just get it? The new transport parently this is because the only re policies we are fighting so hard to get maining ‘forum’ for evolutionary implemented may well become that processes to operate in - National which we have to fight against to get Parks, or other large areas where land what we really want. Surely the prob is set aside for conservation purposes lem the problem is that nobody does -are too small to allow those processes what they really know is necessary to operate properly. Therefore, the because they are made to feel argument goes, we are not just expe disempowered, to feel that their de riencing death on a colossal scale, but mands are not realistic. To tackle a there are no new ‘births’ to replace single issue looks great on a leaflet- the haemorraging species. Now I how do you change the system on a think this is a fine article, it’s good to side of A5? Most people know that see some seriously ecologically in fundamental change is needed, but formed debate make an appearance shy away from the size of the battle in DoD, and I’m sure most of the au that looms if the future is to become thor’s conclusions are ( tragically ) a reality. To tackle one issue is an sound, BUT: 1 recently heard of sci easier (and within reason necessary) entific research that could partly con option, but to ignore the realities of tradict Soule and Wilcox’s gloomy the struggle as a whole is dangerous, prognosis - apparently, biologists and leaves us no closer to a sustain working in the Kruger National Park able future. in South Africa are of the belief that If we don’t fight against the a new, distinct type of cheetah is totality of the system by understand evolving there - they’ve tentativly ing a campaign in the context of the christened it the ‘king cheetah’. wider struggle, capitalism will just Now I know there are dangers rear its ugly head elsewhere. So we in complacency, but conversely I should live what we preach, and think ‘ eco - pessimism ‘ is danger
93 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.S hope, especially when conditions to those presently running the gaunt under the banner of realism “ - we seem to be so adverse to it happening let of homicidal security, police and must resist the weasel words o f ‘ re . And I’d rather fight for hope, and digger drivers. ) Part of the theory alism ‘ at all costs - after all, it was a the possibility of a ‘new spring’, any behind the original formation o f EF! ‘ realistic ‘ attitude - as Andrew Lees day - rather than against a torrent of in the US was to completely change admitted in the Guardian - that led death. the terms of the debate, to come out FoE to abandon Twyford Down, and 2) Also, I worry that EF!,with and such an ‘outrageous’ stance that that leads people into passivity and the environmental direct action it made the hitherto ostracised con defeatism on nearly every occasion. movement in general in this country, ventional green groups seem posi Some pride in our achievements is is becoming way too closely tied up tively respectable - and worth talking warranted here - we have given many with the anti-roads issue. Yeah sure, to on the part of the policy makers. people in the UK - and especially it’s important, we've made a big im Now I’m not so keen on that ‘Trojan within the environmental movement pact and have begun to change the Horse’ role - there’s far more to us - a concrete illustration that direct agenda beyond our wildest dreams, than that - but we must keep on try action works and produces results . B U T : it’s getting way too safe - in a ing to push the envelope further out That is an antidote to the prevailing way our outrage is getting wards. In a sense, it is not our job to attitude of powerlessness and hope reincorporated back into the bounds be loved, to seek acceptance and en lessness that keeps the people down o f‘acceptable’ concern. As the author dorsement of our views by our ‘bet and the planet under attack. To cut a of the bio-diversity article alludes to, ters’ -be it patronising MPs or the long rant short, we’ve got to keep up EF! is all about taking on the diffi Professional Environmentalist the pressure on roads, but at the same cult jobs - and that’s what road cam whizkids who stand at the top o f the time we must begin to think about ‘ paigning used to be.( Obviously I’m green movement. Rather, our role is life after roads’. talking in ideological, rather than to be reviled. A great saying runs : “ Yours, Cynical ( A Disap physical terms here - all due respect Mankind marches to annihilation pointed Romantic), SDEF!
Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 '...One days exposure to mountains is better than a cartload o f books.'-John Muir, (1838-1914) r GOING GREEN: HOW TO COMMUNICATE YOUR COMPANY’S ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT “ BYE. BRUCE HARRISON
- reviewed by John C. Stauber, syndicated from the Earth First! Journal Mabon 1994
More than any other author lent Spring’. They hit back with the day agrichemical contamination of Rachel Carson is credited with giv PR equivalent of a prolonged carpet soil, air, water, animals and people is ing birth to popular ecological aware bombing campaign. No expense was one of the most ubiquitous and diffi ness. ‘Silent Spring’, her bombshell spared in defending the fledgeling cult environmental health disasters 1962 bestseller, gave a dramatic, pro agrochemical industry and its 300 we face. phetic and factual account of massive million dollars per year in sales of Harrison, however, is alive agrichemical poisoning. Written with DDT and other toxins. The national and thriving. In 1973, he and his wife the goal of shocking the public, gov Agricultural Chemical Association established their own PR company, ernment and industry into action, it doubled its PR budget and distributed drawing in clients such as Monsanto sowed seeds of consciousness that thousands of book reviews trashing and Dow Chemical, who were among burst forth eight years later when mil ‘Silent Spring’. the sponsors of the campaign against lions of people demonstrated in the Along the way , they pio ‘Silent Spring’. The PR trade publi streets on the first Earth Day, April neered environmental PR “crisis man cation Inside PR named him as its 22, 1970. agement” techniques that have now 1993 “PR All Star”, stating that by Now PR executive E. Bruce become standard industry tactics. writing “ Going Green “ he had “ con Harrison, who led the fight to silence They used emotional appeals, scien firmed his status as the leading [PR] ‘Silent Spring’, has written his own tific misinformation, front groups, thinker on environmental issues “ and book, a how-to guide entitled “ Go extensive mailings to the media and as a continuing “ pioneer in the field. ing Green: How to Communicate opinion leaders, and the recruitment Your Company’s Environmental of doctors and scientists as “objec The E. Bruce Harrison Com Commitment. “ tive” third party defenders of pany has offices in Washington DC, Harrison's “commitment" be agrichemicals. Dallas, Austin, New York, and San gan when, at age 30, he was appointed Rachel Carson succumbed to Francisco, and recently opened a new "manager of environmental informa cancer on April 14, 1964, never see office in Brussels that will, in the tion” for the manufacturers of agri ing herself vindicated. Due in part to words of Inside PR, “ help its cultural pesticides and other poisons, Harrison’s PR work, the warnings of transnational clients work through the and assigned to coordinate and con ‘Silent Spring’ have never been ad complexity “ o f Europe’s new envi- duct the industry’s attack against ‘Si equately understood or heeded. To
95 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 . - ->v» J.C--- ronmcntal regulations. The company Coalition for Vehicle Choice ( which “Greenwashing”. The text is filled employs more than 50 staff and does opposes emission-control regulations with environmentally-correct sound 6 million dollars worth of business for automobile manufacturers). He ing jargon that makes for clumsy annually for about 80 o f the world’s even receives taxpayer funding from reading. The phrase he uses to de largest corporations and associations, one of his clients, the US govern scribe his PR work, for example, is including Coors [ notoriously right- ment’s Environmental Protection “sustainable communications." wing US brewing giant ], Clorox, R J Agency ( EPA). In “ Going Green Harrison Reynolds, the American Medical As In “ Going Green “, Harrison declares that environmental activism sociation, and Vista Chemical. shares some of his perspective and has “died”, and that its death presents Harrison’s clients include the methods. The book includes self-pro corporations with a tremendous op “wise use” [American term for groups motional chapters in which he dis portunity to define and dominate the campaigning for GREATER environ cretely brags of the PR green washing future of environmentalism in the mental destruction - often funded by successes that he has arranged for cli name of “sustainable development”, industry] Global Climate Coalition ( ents such as Uniroyal, General Mo by which he means corporate busi- which opposes environmental action tors, Cosmair and Zoecon. O f course, ness-as-usual, made palatable for the to prevent global w arm ing), and the he doesn’t use the word public through “sustainable commu-
THIS MODERN WORLD BY TOIA TOMORROW
...A t WELL A* SENDING OUT SLICKLY-PRODUCED sw-nntn: rv$uc opinion is $ m m ** -tieco new s K C t i M i r which man* c a m - THIS ONSLAUGHT Of M EIlA «AMIPtUn«N IMlV- STKAPflD LOCAL NEWS O CPM fW ENn Aid 0 Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 96 an£»rm a-bi< .Vt n o v J l g s a g ' mcations . the illusion of influence - a joke now community organising, street demon Who or what killed environ doing the rounds amongst the more strations and noisy conflicts with in mental activism? According to cynical activists in the US states that dustry. Ironically the unseemly con Harrison, the “activist movement that corporate boardrooms now feature 9 frontational tactics that the eco-pro- began in the early 1960s, roughly white men, a woman ( suitably fessionals scorn are acknowledged by when the use of pesticides was at “power dressed”, no doubt), a black Harrison to be the main impetus for tacked in the book ‘Silent Spring’ person and an environmentalist. ] any real ecological reform succumbed to success over a period This opens the door to tre In “ Going Green “, Harrison roughly covering the last 15 years.” mendous opportunities for Harrison’s observes that “Greening and the pub Since the first Earth Day in corporate and government clients, lic policy impact o f greenism are be 1970, he argues, ecological activism whom he assists in building issue coa ing propelled by what I refer to as the has been transforming itself from a litions and alliances with carefully ‘AMP syndrome’ - a synergy of Ac grassroots movement into dozens of chosen environmentalists ready to tivists + Media + Politicians. Activ professionally-run, competitive, non- reap mutual business benefits, ists stir up conflict, naming ‘victims’ profit businesses, epitomized by ( various people or public sectors ) groups like the Environmental and 'villains’ ( very often, business Defense Fund (EDF). interests). The news media respond “ Going Green “ says that to to conflict and publicise it. Politicians day’s environmental groups are first respond to media and issues, moving and foremost business ventures, run to protect ‘victims’ and punish ‘vil by managers. Groups like EDF are lains’ with legislative and regulatory tax-exempt, customer-based firms actions.” primarily concerned with fund-rais Some environmentalists ing and maintaining a “respectable” haven’t yet accepted the message that public image. This preoccupation protest tactics are dead. In one chap with funding and respectability ter Harrison advises businesses “what makes them willing to sit down with to do when you’re attacked by an ac industry and cut deals in which their tivist group." He first suggests hiring main concern is their own financial NEPAS a private detective to investigate the bottom line. In Harrison’s words, to activists [ Bray’s, McLibel, anyone? “stay in the greening business”, the ] - making sure, of course, not to get goal of environmental groups "is not AVALER caught. But strategic co-optation re to green, but to ensure the were withal mains his primary strategy for achiev that enable it to look green.” ing “sustainable communications”. [ Everywhere he looks, What are the new Department of Harrison sees the rise of pro-corpo As an example, Harrison Transport ‘conflict resolution’ rate environmentalism and the demise points to the partnership between Mc- roundtables if not a device for "stra of grassroots eco-activism. Especially Donald’s and the Environmental tegic co-optation” ? ] since the 1992 Earth Summit in Bra Defense Fund. “In the late 1980s, the “Remember that your organi zil, “ corporate environmentalism is company slipped into its worst sales sation and the green action group are now more lively than external activ slump ever - and the anti-McDonald’s quite similar when it comes to man ist environmentalism, and this trend drive of the green movement was at agement goals,” Harrison advises. will continue to grow.” [ On the sub least partly blamed. [ EDF’s Execu “You’re both trying to create custom ject of the Earth Summit, the larger tive Director Fred ] Krupp saw the ers ... The [activist] group must be green groups were cleverly coopted golden arches of McDonald's, the publicly observed in action, on behalf by according them some sort of in nation’s fast food marketing king, as of a cause that has appeal to poten sider status -access to the hallowed a sign of opportunity ... Krupp was tial customer-publics. Offer to meet portals of power at last! - designating ready to deal, and so was McDon with them ... Your task is to try and them as “NGOs” and allotting them ald’s.” deflate their balloon and to get direct a place at the conference table with Harrison is quite happy that information about what’s motivating the big boys. They were even allowed the professional environmental estab them, how serious they are, who they to stay up late! This sort o f thing is lishment is rejecting the tactics of are, what they will consider ‘success’ 97 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 ... Be friendly. Politely put off givivg the latest manifestation of an age old cause a stir by arousing popular hopes more direct information. Offer to meet process - presenting us with the cosy and then never raising the cause in with them again. As long as you are illusion of dissent: Parliament. “ talking, you may not be fighting. [ “ [ on the subject of the wide These standard bearers, these And as has been said, it is the ‘fight spread corruption in government power brokers, dash our hopes time ing’ they really dislike - e.g. Brian around 1780: J Before the adminis and time again, as they use pressing Mawhinney’s plainitive requests for tration is cast as the villain it should popular concerns as a passport to a ‘ceasefire’. ] Maybe you can come be realised that these cynics [ those membership of the elite.They are our up with multiple options for mutual in power ] were not fools. They were enemies as much - perhaps more so, benefit that will satisfy their needs.” not in the habit o f offering bribes for since they are contemptible traitors - “ Going Green “ is a book nothing. On the contrary, the offer was as the authority figures that they ap that activists should read to identify merely halfthe bargain. These admin peal to. In the horsetrading game of and counter the sophisticated tactics istrators were accomplices in the crea politics, they have a pivotal role to of the greenwashers, and to under tion of such corruption but they were play - it is their connivance that keeps stand industry’s co-optation of the en only recognising what had become the whole sorry show on the road, vironmental movement. As for standard practice. Someone had to be lending it a spurious air of E.Bruce Harrison, the godfather of open to the bribery to make such a credibility.Those who agree to some, greenwashing is “going green” all the practice into a system. Not only was without demanding it all, fritter away way to the bank. it acceptable to make oneself a nui the possibility of real, substantive The syndrome so cynically sance to provoke an offer to be change. Or have they lost sight of the described by E.Bruce Harrison is bought off, but some persons rivalled true magnitude of the ecological cri nothing new. A strong historical par the administration in cynicism. A few sis that we face in the reams of (recy allel to it appears in John Nicholson’s actually made careers out of manipu cled ) press releases that they put out book on the Gordon Riots ( “The lating popular causes in order to sell ? Great Liberty Riot of 1780”, Bozo out to the highest bidder.The most ' Those who make revolution Press 1985. )The following excerpt famous example in recent times had by half, dig their own graves ’ shows that the attitude of the green been John Wilkes, yet he was far from St.Just groups described by Harrison is but alone. As late as 1802 Burdett would There's a place for you in the New information Order Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 98 ‘Coastway 2000: A Ribbon of Steel Across Southern England'& ‘South Coast Rail Strategy’ Two recent reports published byEast Sussex Transport 2000 and distributed by Alarm UK With these and other publica- deserts of monoculture. In many This document is written en tions, Alarm UK and Transport 2000 places these wildlife corridors link up tirely in the language of the econo claim to be putting forward an agenda the last remaining wild areas, whose mists. The only concession to the real which solves the problems of the car very existence relies on these corri world is when they propose cutting culture in an environmentally friendly dor^ 1). Quite a few of the ecosystems comers off a curvy route to increase way. These need to be looked at from we have succeeded in saving would train speeds. They say: “..but such the point of view of the people who be seriously degraded if this course work would only be canied out where opened up the debate on transport, of action was carried through. For it can be done with very little and thus made the success of the new anti-road campaigners(2), to be ad environmetal impact.” We've heard rail lobby possible; ie us! We who put vocating their destruction is abso these weasel words before, yet many ourselves physically on the line to lutely ludicrous, and shows a worry people still seem to fall forthem.The stop the roads and forced the indus ing inability to understand basic ecol people ofTransport 2000 and some trial development juggernaut into a ogy. within Alarm Uk have used the dialogue with the rail lobby. 4. Building of new railway lines. groundwork WE prepared with our The proposals include: I hope this does not need physical presence, stopping the work 1. Electrification of large parts of elaboration. and causing so much bother that the the rail network not already elec S. Other measures to increase the government were forced to approach trified. speed and frequency of rail traf the “environmental” lobby to regain Electrification merely fic. the credibility they had lost. WE used moves the pollution to power station Increasing the speed and fre physical force to gain the advanta chimneys and nuclear dumps. Up to quency of the rail network will in geous position. 70% of the energy generated is wasted crease demand. This is the purpose 1 didn’t put myself through either at the power station itself or in of the plan. Some, but not all of this the traumas of being attaked with transmission. demand will transfer from roads. This two-ton shovels and thugs in yellow 2. Raising line speeds. is seen as a GOOD THING. The jackets with gland problems so that Energy efficiency of all same logic that says traffic will in these self appointed pseudo-think types of engine falls drastically as crease as roads are “impoved” must tanks could negotiate away my rea speed increases above a certain also admit that as traffic leaves the son fordoing it. When I said ‘no more threshold. The speed at which most road for the railway, so more traffic roads’, that’s what I mean’t, and a trains now travel is at or above that will appear to replace it.The National railroad is a road. The solution is not threshold most of the time. Further in- road building plan was based on pro- more anything, but less consumption. creases, while making the train more jected future growth in traffic, not ‘competitive' against the car, will present use. Having successfully re (I )Editors.note- See article on waste more energy. A better solution futed the basis on which the DoT Biodiversity fragmenlalisation would be to enforce the speed regu made these assumptions, they are now elsewhere in this issue. lations which already exist for motor moving this future growth onto the (2)Describing Ihe Alarm UK London ists, or preferably radically reduce railways. They maintained that the fu office & Transport 2000 as anti-road them. ture growth would be caused by a new campaigners may be a bit rich, both have made statements professing that 3. Reinstatement of lines now capacity in the road network. They they are not against all roads! It must closed. rightly pointed out the folly of road also be remembered that Transport 2000 Anyone who has walked building as a never ending spiral, but is not an environmental group, but an alongdisuscd railway lines will know now advocate the same strategy for industrial lobby group funded by the rail that they are often linear oases across rail. unions. 99 Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 mother earth’s army, and we arc her chapter ‘Un-Greenpeace’ tells the ‘EARTHVVARRIOR- navy’. If this is true then such a book early history of greenpeacc and how becomes invaluable. it turned into what it is today; throw OVBRDOARDWTIH Unfortunately this is not the ing out many of its most prevalent book. It is interesting, exhilarating at early members on the way, Watson PAULWATSONAND times, but it does not give you much included. This book is worth getting TOESEA SHEPHERD of an understanding of what Sea hold of for this chapter alone. A Shepherd actually believe. In all fair- around £10 its worth lifting or order- c o n s h m h o n ness this is not what the book set out ing from your library. A good read to do. It is a personal diary o f an aca but don’t expect to learn a hell of a SOQEIY demic who goes on one mission with lot from it. £9.99, David B.Morris, A book explaining the history them. Such a diary is not likely to Fulcrum publishing, 207 pages and beliefs of the Sea Shepherd Con explain the crews beliefs. There is a servation Society is desperately bit too much of the author in the book, ‘IMPROVISED needed. For nearly two decades it has too many internal discussions be been an inspiration, and in many cases tween him and himself. I would have MUNTI10NS a training ground, for radical environ preferred such an account from a mentalists the world over. For count committed activist, this would have HANDBOOK”, less whalers, drifnetters and seal (maybe) avoided the intellectual Dept of the Army Technical clubbers Sea Shepherd is there worse clashes happening in the authors Manual TM 31-210, produced by nightmare- realised. Sea Shepherd head, which were more to do with Frankford Arsenal, Philidelphia, have confronted these industries head lack of experience than anything else. Pennsylvania on, most famously by ramming and One thing the book does illuminate According to the authors, sinking them. In many cases they is the sheer diversity of activists on the purpose of this book is to ‘increase have won outright. The present sur the boats, such diversity and an ad the potential of special forces and vival of much marine life is due to diction for action may explain why guerrilla troops by describing in de their existence. Paul Watson, its no activist has actually sat down and tail the manufacture of munitions founder, has said th at‘Earth First! is written this book already. The best from seemingly innocuous locally Subscribe to the Earth First! Journal EF! is a global movement, the journal is it’s newspaper in the U.S. 40 pages of no compro mise environmentalism 8 times a year. Send S35 for one years subs to : EF! Journal, Subscriptions, PO BOX 1415, Eugene, OR 97440, USA Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 100 **~ o w v1 g ciHQH..^gi^^y:e^>;?iiiswera i:> available materials . Furthermore, young discipline, hence an anthol is the product of the scietific “The manual contains simple expla ogy such as this maps merely the understandings of revolution, revo nations and illustrations to permit thickest girths of a few roots.” The lution doesn't come in nice predict construction of the items by person book is unrivalled if you’re look able stages it comes like a Typhoon. nel not normally familiar with mak ing for theoretical roots, with exerts Why should we read this ing and handling munitions....[it] ranging from Ovid, a very dead ro Marxian dribble, some readers may includes methods for fabricating ex man, through St.Augustine and ask, isn't class dead, and what did plosives, detonators, propellants, Kropotkin, to Alice Walker, ‘Move’ they ever do for the environment shaped charges, small arms, mor activist widely known for ‘The Col anyhow ? We’ve go to realise there tars, incendiaries, delays, switches our Purple’. Unfortunately, books is a tradition of rebellions such as and similar items from indigenous are expensive these days (£12.99 ours, expressed differently and in materials.' for the paperback), but this is just the context of the times. Many of The manual was issued to the sort of thing you could persuade the revolutionnaries in the 1917 (trusted) ex-soldiers upon leaving university, college, or your local li russian revolution fought for an the US. Army- so that, in the event brary to order-get it known! idea of a commune that was broadly of a Russian or other invasion of the self sufficient and they fought great land of democracy, there FROLEIARIANGOB openly against the ownership of would be a ready made militia in land, both ideas that are promoted place to resist that occupation. Not "Scientists and others who by some of the editors of The too far removed from the now fa claim to want to understand human Ecologist and sections of the green mous 'Michigan Militia’ perhaps- beings ( but are in fact merely find party and defmatly by autonimous or the CIA’s European ‘GLADIO’ ing more ways to control us and ex green campains. Those who don't armed networks. As you would ex ploit u s ) won't understand us at all lem from revolutionnary history pect from a military establishment until they see their laboratories and philosophy are condemned to that specialised in producing the ‘ burning down around them. This repeat the mistakes of the past. Pro Contra Freedom Fighters Manual’ should be our contribution to sci letarian Gob FREE (donations ac and other counter-insurgency entific knowlage." cepted) Folder 19, 30 Silver St, gems, in order to destabilise regimes 16 pages of articles, Sci Reading RG1. not willing to act as client states to entists are Scumbags, Against the US, this handbook is very pro Cameras on Demos, fessional- clear, concise, compre Technofetishism, Red Terror Will SQUALL- hensive and well illustrated. Highly Be Fun , Kulcha!, Perlman and a MAGAZINEFOR recommended- by the Pentagon no review of the Zapatista pamphlet. less. Available from ????, (You Proletarian Gob goes from ASSORTED could always try writing to strenth to strenth, smashing the il Frankford Arsenel and asking them lusion of 'neutral' technology by mNERANIS' foracopy!) putting technology in the context of Most readers of Do or Die class. There's us the proles and them are probably familiar with Squall ^REEMflSTORY’ the capitalists, the solution, the by now, but for those that aren’t, proles revolt smashing apart a class let’s just say that it is one of the best A reader in environmental society and heralding in a future sources of information on and op literature, philosophy and politics’, where pleasure is the only goal. Mr position to the Criminal Justice Act Derek Wall, Routledge, 1994. Gob wants us to enjoy ourselves, and the reactionary social forces I’d never have believed that revolution shoud be fun - and if it's that brought it into being. By any a book by an eco-revolutinary not fun its not revolution. standards - let alone those of the would get a glowing review in a The attempt to present the underground press - it is outstand right wing tory magazine, but not dictatorship of the proletariat ( dop ingly professional, both in terms o f even the Spectator could deny that ) as fun takes the whole thing too production and approach. I can’t this is serious, quality stuff. As far. While it is reasonable to argue think of anyone else prepared to do Derek Wall says himself, “ The that we need a class analysis to un the very necessary - but incredibly green movement has deep and var derstand the social forces that form tedious, not to say stomach-tuming ied roots. The study o f history is a society, and can change it. The dop - work of monitoring Parliamentary 101 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 committees and of putting pointed and written articles, and often man have reacted to the growth in 'primi- questions to the slimy bastards that ages to demonstrate that even on its tivist' thinking within the ultra-left rule over us. Such insights help us to own terms that ‘logic’ makes no and the radical environmental move know our enemies. However, lest you sense. £1.80 from SQUALL, c/o 2 ment. We have not space to react to think - from the description above - St.Paul’s Rd, London, NI 2QN their 'attack', but we will awnser it in that Squall amounts to no more than next issue. a hip Hansard, it also has comprehen AUFHEBEN4 Those with keen observation sive news coverage and heavyweight might have noted that the DoD edito articles on subjects as diverse as Criti This issue Aufheben carries rial collective shares the same address cal Mass, Agenda 2 1, land ownership, a large and very good analysis of the as Aufheben, so being friends we are living underground and so on. Unfor movement against the CJA, at in the rare position of actually know tunately, this professionalism has present the best written. You might ing what Aufheben means. A German forced Squall to abandon its original have difficulty trawling through phrase , it has no direct translation policy o f free distribution - there is some of the ultra left language but but means roughly- Transcendence now a suggested minimum price of its well worth it. Unlike most people and through transcendence destroy. £1.30.1 have only one criticism , it is who have analysed the anti-CJA Learn a new thing every day. Avail often too liberal for my tastes. This movement, the Aufheben crew are able for £2 from Aufheben, c/o Prior can however be a blessing - instead actually heavily involved in it. House, Tilbury place, Brighton, of yet more out-on-a-limb feverish Aufhaben acts as a bit of a E.Sussex dogmas. Squall takes on the dominant think tank for the ultra-left and be logic in its measured, well reasoned ing ardent dialecticial materialists Big Hole Swallows Digger! Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 102 E.Sussex UNDEROJRRENTS3 For too long the mainstream 1HEB00K media has been our main channel of Compiled by Justice? this is communication to those outside our a directory of over 200 groups ac campaigns. Undercurrents is a two tive against the CJA- from Liberty hour'alternative news video' shot by to the Lesbian Avengers. Entries are activists. Issue three has footage of extensive and written by the groups road campaigns, office occupations, themselves. Copies available from the present situation in Northern Ire the shNEWS address for £4- cheques land, the murder ofBrain Douglas by payable to 'The Book'. the police, land 'rights', and a valu able round up of news from around the world. Undercurrents producers cosjsaousciNBviA are trying to reach people outside the Conscious Cinema is a new radical cultural ghetto but this has its monthly video news programme. problems. Their conception of what You CANT BUY IT- shock horror, is acceptable to their audience is not information uncommodified. It's the reality of most of our struggles. available only for public showings- Undercurrents presents a heavily this could mean your front room or cleansed version of events and per your local community hall. It's level spectives. Its price reflects many of production resembles all that's small worlders conception of'normal good in the 'zine culture; and its people'- at £6.50 for the unemployed message is wake up, get active. Is it is beyond the reach o f many. How sue one covers the squatting of the ever Undercurrents has got more West Pier in Brighton, Mumia-Abu- radical with every issue and is a valu Jamal, 10 years since the Battle of able part of the 'alternative' media. the Beanfield, Selar Opencast, the Available for £9.50 waged, £6.50 Anti-CJA Mother festival, Reclaim unwaged, from Small World, 46 the Streets, Shoreham and lots more. Rymers Lane, Oxford, 0X4 3LB Organise regular showings, publi (Cheques made out to 'Small World cise- get your street watching, and Media) acting. Send an S.A.E. for info to- Conscious Cinema, PO BOX 2679, THEWEEKIY Brighton, Sussex, BN2 1UJ SHNEWS FOODPORFKEE The most up to date radical Richard Mabey news available. Since it's creation in It's summer and the next Autumn 94 it just get's better. It’s couple of months are ideal for gath available on paper, through e-mail ering wildfood. Learning about and and its performed live at 5.45pm eating your surroundings creates a every Friday in Brighton, (and occa feeling o f oneness with nature- hey, sionally elsewhere). The anarchist and it tastes go too! After reading this press is interactive- so if you knowof book forays looking for wood for the something that needs publicising tell camp fire will never be the same. Its them. ESSENTIAL.Donations keep well illustrated and Mabey really it free and you can subscribe by send knows what he is talking about. It ing as many stamps as you want is costs £7.99 but take the title seri sues. shNEWS, Justice?, c/o Prior ously and lift it. House, Tilbury Place, Brighton, Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 103 Dead Trees EF! The following resources are available from Dead Trees EF!, the distribution wing o f EF! Current prices are on the leaflet enclosed in this issue. ‘AGENDA21 and anarchist movements in Russia, year. The last issue carried stories on ecological information and projects, direct action in Samarkaya Luka, EXPOSED’ social ecology, protest action, the how to reuse stamps, the abolition of Agenda 21 was a conference counter culture and alternative soci chemical weapons stocks and the cri paper that came out of the R io‘Earth’ ety’. The ‘zine is published in Rus sis in Russian environmentalism. Summit in June 1992. It has had an sian, (not available from us), every enthusiastic response from many en two months and in English twice a vironmentalists, including many in volved in the eco/squatting move pamphlet, written as in internal dis cussion paper for Justice?, (Bright on’s Campaign in defiance of the CJA), Brighton Autonomists argue that: ‘It [Agenda 21] is at best, a means to justify the inflated salaries o f a few fat cats in the UN bureauc racy and at worst, a huge propaganda exercise that allows governments and their capitalist friends to wash their hands o f all responsibility concerning the global problems of mass poverty and environmental destruction. .. By drawing various groups into the proc ess of consultation and policy recom mendation Agenda 21 serves to empty the ideas of the environmental movement o f all radical content at the same time as demobilising grass roots opposition to those who run this planet’. ‘THIRDWAY’, (NO not the fascist one) Third way is a grass roots ‘zine from Russia, covering ‘green 104 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 American EF!, Bison kills, Abortion, INSTINKT’, WINTER/ Intellectual Property Rights, Sexism within the rad-eco movement, the SPRING 95 Zapatistas, and tactics on smashing patriarchy and capitalism. Before we go any further, it’s in German. A partial translation in raw text will soon be available. ‘OAREMONTROAD Instinkt is the magazine of the Ger man eco-defence group ‘Frontline’ Ell-AFESTIVALOF and has been temporarily EF! Germa- RESISTANCE5 ny’s main vehicle also, (they’re well on their way to producing their own ’A picture speaks a 1000 mag in the near future). Articles cover words’ and with this logic the anti- Anatopia, Anti-Auto Action, EF! M 11 ers have produced a photo docu Germany-what is it-what do they be mentation of Claremonte, the lives lieve, What is Wilderness?, Class within its brief grasp and its final evic struggle and Ecology, Anti-road ac tion. It includes two articles, one ‘a tions, Anti-Nuke actions and docu view from the tower’ about the evic mentation of the extensive ecotage tion and the other on the emerging ‘ac taking place in Germany. tivist aesthetics’-resistance as art. With Germany becoming the centre of a European economic order ‘LIVEWILDORDIE’, the existence of a strong radical ecol ogy movement in the belly of the beast NO. 5 is of paramount importance. German One of an array of papers that EF! looks like it can only go from has come out of the American Earth strength to strength. An inspiring read First! movement, Live Wild Or Die i and lots of pictures of trashed cars, is an anarchic journal of industrial what more could you ask for? collapse, technological demise, and truly alternative alternatives. A frenzy ALARM-AJOURNAL o f desire for the wild, with articles like ‘ Why we want to smash your com- OTOEVOLUITOARY puter( and your TV!)’, ‘Fighting words on the future of the Earth’ by ECOLOGY’,NO 12, American Indian Movement activist WOMYN’S ISSUE Russell Means, and numerous articles on monkeywrenching tactics, Alarm is published yearly by shoplifiting, how to go ‘under the Eastern North American Native ground’, the rebellion against work, Forest Network, (NFN), and issue 12 against religion, against money, is the ‘womyn’s issue’, written en against boring sex and against cars tirely by women to ‘ address the cur .The editorial, ‘Storm clouds of a long rent lack of womyn only space amidst battle’ declares that: all the existing rad-eco journals and ‘We are at war with the sys newsletters’. Covering issues ranging tems and functions of industrialised from bio-centrism and revolutionary society; the economy, the accumula ecology (by Judi Bari), indigenous tion of resources, the exploitation, the peoples’ land struggles, Solsbury technology, the values and arrogant Hill, village based struggles in India assumptions. We do not aim to seize (by Vandana Shiva), problems with control of, but rather to destroy en the internal dynamics of North tirely, the means of production. We do not seek a program or leader to Scottish CJA news, a roundup of follow. We seek an end to govern upcoming Scottish festies, and much ‘FIFTH ESTATE’, ments, the act of governance, and the more ( including a lethal sounding power over other living beings. A cau cocktail “guaranteed to rip any fence WINTER1995. tion: We must be careful not to aim apart” ). All in all, it’s a valuable This issue marks 29 years of for some nihilistic glorification of the source for fun and games north of the continuous publication of Fifth Es eco-warrior role. There is a scream border, and a reminder for arrogant tate, America’s longest running ing need to re-leam where and who greens that the anti-nuclear move @narchist paper. No other paper has we are on this planet, to understand ment is still very much alive and kick for so long consistently argued the meaning of harmony, to transcend ing. Take the hint - give the camp a against industrialism, and hierarchy our domestication. Haste, bold ones, ring on 0436-820901 and find out in all its forms. Ridiculed by many in the w olf howls and the owl hoots; let about the Nagasaki action they have the ‘radical’ community for being not their crying ghosts haunt our piti planned for the 50th anniversary of ‘unrealistic’ the emerging critique of ful monuments.’ the bombing, on 8th August. Let’s industrialism and the debates found face it-where else can you enjoy beau in its pages are often breathtakingly tiful Highland scenery AND piss off FASLANEPOCUS incisive. Many of the arguments now the military at the same time? FF is the lively newsletter of prevalent in the British radical eco the long-running Faslane Peace logical scene were played out in Camp.The Imbolic ’95 issue includes ‘ROADALERTI3’, America long ago, it is important that the latest info on the deranged goings It’s one o f the best round ups we should leam from their ideas and on at the nuke sub base - for exam of road news around. Road @lert! mistakes, the eco-crisis may not give ple, a recent security training exercise also produces a weekly update avail us enough time to reinvent the wheel. involved soldiers pretending to be able on the Internet, (GreenNet con This issue carries articles on anar protesters try ing to gain access to the ference “trans.roadbldg” and on the chists in local elections, (very relevant base - two o f them were ‘shot’. Is this UseNet newsgroup with the FAN campaign in Manches what awaits those invading the base “uk.environment”), which is also sent ter), an 8 page anti-nuke supplement, in future? The Focus also features to networking centre. Another one of news from Eastern Europe, ‘Argu more tales of the Campers’ brilliant these terrible examples of the rad-eco ments for the Elimination of the In exploits against the missile convoys, movement getting its act together. formation Age’, Hakim Bey on ‘Per- The NATIVE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL TRUST provides comprehensive re sources about American Indian culture, history & current affairs. Creating partnerships between Native Americans and Europeans is, we believe, socially and educationally invalu able. Our emphasis is on promoting the voices of Native Americans themselves, for so long silenced. Since 1979 we have provided Native speakers in schools, helped facilitate contacts with the Mohawk Freedom School, and operated the most comprehensive book-by- post service in Europe. The Trust is currently establishing a permanent information centre, free library and journal. By taking out a subscription to our journal Talking Stick which costs only £10 per year you will not only keep current but also contribute to the trusts work. For an information leaflet send an SAE to: Native American Educational Trust, 21 Little Preston Street, Brighton, BN1 2HQ, Tel. 01273-328357 or 0424-424442. Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.S 106 fiction and for entertainment pur poses only- Sit home and watch TV kids-or else. ZAPATISTAS-IN IHEIROWNWORDS* This pamphlet is the text from an interview with Marcos the infamous spokesperson for the EZLN, the Zapatistas. At a time when 'revolution' is supposed to be impossible along come the EZLN to prove us wrong. The Zapatista's are not the usual south American leninist group, they turn out to be libertarian rebels in the tradition of Zapata. There goal to encourage the development of a liberated zone in southern Mexico where peasant col lectives control the land. Not only do the Zapatistas have the right poli tics, they're also winning. Land & Liberty! DEVASMEIO IJBERATEOR Remember Acid Rain d e \ a st\ t im ;ly manent Autonomous Zones' and an lectual exploration from the (almost) LIBERAL extended article on 'Empire and Mass revolutions o f ’68 in Paris and Italy, Hard-core controversy. Society’ which gives a good idea of to the ecological concerns of today. Keep a close eye on your copy this some o f the views o f many involved His insights into industrialism, the booklet will get borrowed before in FE and the primitivist milieu. As nation-state and imperialism, racism you've read the title. As an analysis David Watson says in ‘Empire & and genocide, the psychology of of Animal Rights it is sometimes Mass Society’: power and dependency, are some of lacking, however where it excels is ‘A radical vision for today de the most important in eco-anarchist its understanding of the group dy mands a luddite politics starting from thought. namics prevalent in Animal Rights a total scepticism towards the entire circles. A good slag off of narrow structure and content o f technologi si 11: o o dc • minded single issue groups its cal society'. Ecodefense is a collection of equally true of class war. It's funny letters sent to the US Earth First! Jour too! ‘ANYIMNGCAN nal 'Dear Ned Ludd' section. It has 300 pages o f info on how to sab ma ‘DEAR MCXrORIST- HAPPEN chinery, trash diggers, spike trees, de Fredy Perlman stroy hoardings, sink ships, deal with THESOQAL This is a collection of the coppers, informants and general se most important of Fredy Perlman’s curity problems. It is the best comic IDBOLOGYQFIHE shorter writings which chart an intel EF! has ever had. It is o f course total Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 107 * » r* m 3 .k -i o « - litio w 1G cj^g^ TH qhJ i MOTORCAR’ like. Too many campaigns history’s are written by people not involved and Andre Gorz give a distorted image of our strug This short pamphlet written gles, usually resulting in our ideas in 1973 remains as relevant today. and emotions being watered down. Explains eloquently how the car This ‘zine is a counter against that evolved and we arrived at the present trend, and an inspiring one at that. situation where every man’s castle is Hilarious, beautiful, contradictory in his car. Gore argues that to free our parts, groundbreaking and impres selves from the oil magnates and the sive- it is in other words a true repre car drivers psychology of power we sentation of a marvellously strange have to destroy the car utterly-not to campaign and emerging community. replace it with another kind of mass transport but with a fundamental challenge to the existing system, en TUnjREPRMmVE' livened communities and a feeling of John Zerzan place. This pamphlet, published by DTEF!, consists of two essays that ‘AWAYWTTHALL originally appeared in the American 'Anarchy- A Journal of Desire u u CARS’ Armed'. The first essay 'Future Primi tive' takes recent anthropological and Mr Social Control archaeological revisionism to an ul ICAR ‘Away with all cars’ is most timate conclusion. " Life before do definitely the best anti-car pamphlet mestication/agriculture was in fact around, arguing for the total elimina largely one of leisure, intimacy with tion of all cars (‘By petrol was it bom, nature, sensual wisdom, sexual equal and by petrol shall it die!’), it ex ity, and health.". If for millennia upon presses what most of us feel while millennia human communities suc waiting at the side of the road for per- cessfully refused descent into the traps mission to cross. Its especially good of division of labor, domestication on the motor cars domination and and symbolic reification, what does destruction of space (and time). Good this say about the true situation of graphics, extensive angles of attack modem humanity? Does civilisation and highly amusing. (literally meaning- the culture of cit ies), represent only the recent, yet near THEENDOFIHE total, degradation o f human life? In the second essay 'On the Transition', BEGINMNG- Zerzan puts forward his suggestions OAREMONIROAD: on how to start creating the future primitive NOW. E11NOTM11’ ‘The End of the beginning’ is SIOFHNGTHE a collection of writings, artwork, po ems, songs, images and ideas, in MXMRIALHYDRA- tended as a creative tribute to a very RESOJUIION creative place, with contributions from some of the thousands that vis AGAINSTIHEMEGA- ited or lived on the street. This col lection- 106 pages in all- gives one MACHINE an idea of what Claremont was really George Bradford 108 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, no.5 Another pamphlet reprinted in the state of Michigan alone by citi real environmental disaster- industri by DTEF! from the American 'primi- zens pouring waste oil down sewers. alism itself. Such an attitude simply tivist' milieu, this essay first appeared It has to be remembered that helps to cloak the totality. The recent in Fifth Estate shortly after the Exxon if the oil hadn't been spilled in Alaska Greenpeace anti-Shell campaign is a Valdez disaster. After describing the it would have landed 'safely' and been good example. No one from Green sheer weight of death that resulted, fed into cars and factories. It then peace actually questioned the need for and continues to result from the would have produced an estimated 60 the oil platform- they merely argued Valdez spill it points out that such million pounds of Carbon Dioxide- on how to decommision it. When spills are in no way 'accidents'. Such the main agent ofthe Greenhouse ef asked about their advocacy of land spills are the inevitable result of the fect. The average car reproduces its burial they have said that they have existence o f petrochemical industri own body weight in Carbons each to give 'positive alternatives'. If that alism. These catastrophes, horrific as year- another oil slick happening is their idea of being positive? Brad they maybe, are vastly outweighed by every single day. Conventional envi ford ends by saying that :'If the anti the day to day reality o f Industrial ronmentalism has presented specta industrial perspective now seems too culture. The 11 million gallons lost cles such as Valdez as the problem, impractical, future generations, if by the Valdez is matched every year while consistently not confronting the there are any, will wonder why it took so much time and anguish to recog nise it and make it a practical reality'. SmUGGUEONE’ Earth First! Produced by DTEF! this 3 hour video consists of three documen taries. 'From Death Row- This is Action Update Mumia Abu-Jamal' covers the case of black eco-revolutionary Mumia Abu- Jamal (see Prisoner section of DoD M o n t h l y for more details). 'Incident at Ogala' explains the background to the news from the American Indian Movement seige at Wounded Knee and the shootout that ecological led to the jailing of Leonard Peltier. 'Hell in the Pacific' is a film about the struggle ofthe people of Bougainville frontlines. against the mining corporation RTZ- see article in this issue. Order it, show For a free trial copy it and ACT! send an SAE to: AU Subs, Dead Trees EFI, Box 25, 82 SMASMNGIHE Colston St, Bristol, BS1 M4GEFACIORY: 5BB A Manual o f Billboard Subversion The Info war has started. Modem cities are a wall of images all proclaiming the message- Work, Buy, Consume, Die. This pamphlet tell you how to subvert those images into por traying radical rather than reaction ary ideas. Reclaim your space, re claim your mind. Let us s-pray! Do or Die-Voices from Earth First!, no.5 109 a person uses their military education against the authori ANTI-M11ERS IN PRISON FDR ties AIUBGEDS^BOIAGE Bjom also played a large part in seeing that the ‘Whales Forever’ returned to the Shetlands. This, the Long-term anti M llers Jim Chambers (PV other vital contributions he made to Sea Shepherd’s Sum 2504) and Stuart Edwards (PB 1864) have both been mer ’94 campaign, and the acute embarassment he caused convicted of £50,000 of Criminal Damage to machin the Norwegian government, doubtless explains why, only ery on the London North Circular road. They have both four days after Sea Shepherd arrived at Lerwick in the been sentenced to 18 months in prison. Jim has been in Shetland Islands, Special Branch flew two officers from prison on remand for nearly 6 months, he is due out Edinburgh to arrest Bjom at the request of the British sometime this Autumn. Stuart however has been on bail, government so he faces 8 months behind bars. A movement should No charges were read and no explanations were be judged by how it supports its prisoners. They were given. The arrest was surprising considering that Nor not expecting to get so long and they really need our sup way is not a part of the European Economic Union. (( port. They are both a t: HMP Pentonville, Caledonia road, Although it should be noted, Norway is currently delib London, N7 8TT. erating over whether to join - which may explain our wonderful government’s actions - Norway must be kept BJORNMORTONURSFORD sweet.)) Bjom was flown directly back to Edinburgh The first mate of the ‘Whales Forever’ last sum and jailed for a month to await an extradition hearing mer was a Norwegian Naval Officer. Bjom Ursford, 27, request by the Norwegian government. The hearing, held deserted from the Norwegian navy because he refused to on August 17th, ordered Bjom ’s extradition to Norway. protect Norwegian pirate whalers. He requested politi The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is keep cal asylum in Australia and from there he wrote to the ing track o f Bjom ’s treatment in Norway and in provid Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to volunteer for their ing him with assistance for his needs. Letters of support crew. for Bjom may be addressed to the offices of the Sea Shep Bjom joined Sea Shepherd in the Netherlands herd Conservation Society. on June 1st, 1994.He soon proved invaluable, drilling WRITE T O : Sea Shepherd Conservation Soci the crew on fire-fighting and lifeboat safety, and utilising ety, 3107A Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey,CA. his knowledge of Norwegian Naval vessels, to Sea Shep 90292, USA, Telephone: (310) 301-7325, Fax: (310) herd’s advantage, as well as monitoring Norwegian ra 574-3161, dio transmissions and giving interviews to the Norwe RODaM:)NAIX>\RRESrED gian media, who were fascinated by his story. After nearly two years of chasing their tails, fed Bjom graduated from the Befal school for the eral agents captured Earth First! and Animal Liberation Navy (Befalskolen) in 1987, and afterwards served for Front activist Rod Coronado on Wednesday, September one year on one of the Navy’s ships. “That education the 28, on the Pascua Yaqui Indian reservation in southern military gave me is very useful in the fight against whal Arizona. Press reports state that Bureau of Alcohol, ing. My expertise in naval warfare came from what 1 Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) agents traced him to his learned in the Norwegian Navy.” said Bjom. The spokes ancestral homeland through an anonymous tip. But even person for the Norwegian defense department chiefs, though an ongoing series of federal grand juries around Brigadier-General Erik Janke, admitted that they knew the country have been used to search for him, his capture he was aboard the Sea Shepherd boat Whales Forever, does not mean that subpoenaed activists or others who and furthermore they found it “ very disappointing when might be subpoenaed are safe. The purpose of the grand 111 Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!!, No.5 juries continues to be harassing and jailing activists, Wikoi Yau ura, the Bow Leaders, and pledging him even if their ostensible reason until now was looking self to protect the Yaqui people, land, and culture. for Rod. Rod was being held in a federal prison in “I want to personally thank the FBI and ATF Tucson on five felony counts stemming from a grand for helping me find my way home”, he said in his state jury investigation of a fire at a Michigan State Univer ment. “Without their guidance I might never have come sity mink research facility. The fire caused $200,000 home.” Rod disappeared two years ago because he in damages and wiped out the research of scientists who feared for his life, according to a statement he released were feeding deadly dioxins to the captive minks. in December, 1992. Rod was denied bail twice, first in early Octo “It is my understanding that if I was to con ber and again at an appeal on October 20, finally he tinue my defense of Native American wildlife and lands, was granted bail but he is electronically tagged so the that I would be murdered by the FBI or people within state knows his whereabouts. The Michigan grand jury the fur industry,” the statement read. “The FBI, while indicted Rod on charges of arson of property affecting questioning David Howitt in June, 1992, acknowledged interstate commerce, traveling interstate to commit an a threat against my life. In May, 1992, when the FBI act of violence, extortion, use of fire to commit a felony and BATF raided my mountain home in southern Or and possession o f stolen property. I f convicted o f all the egon, the presence of automatic weaponry is a testa charges, he could have faced 50 years in prison and ment of the US government’s willingness to use deadly $1.25 million in fines. Rod accepted a plea bargain force to squash my representation of Native American where he admitted aiding and abetting a number of wildlife, and those who defend them.”[ed.-See DoD 2 arsons, in exchange the authorities agreed not to ques for a full article from Rod Coranado written whilst on tion him on any other ALF activities others he knew the run.] might have been involved in. He faces between 41-51 Send letters c/o Rodney Coronado Support months in prison. Committee, 2350 Barryessa Rd, #820, San Jose, CA “The publicity here in Tucson has all the other 95132, US inmates oohing and ahhing at this skinny Indian, and all the big tough tattooed guys give me cigarettes and LEEOLSEN coffee,” Rod says. “They say I should have just killed In July of 1992, Chicago activist Lise Olsen someone and I wouldn’t be in so much trouble.” hung 21 home-made lanterns near a railroad trestle to What’s the best way to get an animal illuminate a 30-foot red, white and blue “Freedom” liberationist out of the house when you don’t have a banner that she had hung over a pro-fur billboard. Four search warrant? Rod was called to the tribe’s fire de months later, she was arrested for attempted arson, and partment to help an injured hawk. Once he walked into released on a $20,000 bond. Despite a military explo the building, four BATF agents tackled him. sives consultant’s testimony that the lanterns were can “So ended my life as Martin Rubio, Youth Co dles, not incendiaries, Lise was convicted of five charges ordinator, Yoeme Nation Youth Junta,” he said in a relating to “possession o f incendiary devices” in July, prepared statement released through his attorneys. He 1994; in August she was sentenced to four years im spent the last year as a volunteer at the reservation in prisonment and a $ 1000 fine. Lise was transferred from “Apartheid Arizona” organizing youth retreats under Cook County Jail to Dwight after her sentencing. De the tutelage o f Yaqui spiritual leader Enselmo Valencia spite court orders in her favor, Lise has been denied a and acting as mentor to at-risk young people on the vegetarian diet and her health is deteriorating. She is reservation, showing them alternatives to alcoholism NOW classified as minimum security and is eligable and gangs. for work relcse. The prison authorities however are re During his time on the reservation, Rod redis fusing to let her out. Write to Lise Olsen B48426, POB covered his roots, joining the tribe’s warrior society, 5001, Dwight, IL, 60420 Other Prisoner Contacts DoD covers only a fraction of those imprisoned for their involvement in our movements. Sadly to list them all would lake this whole magazine. Due to the constant changes in those imprisoned for Animal Liberation we have not listed those in the UK. A full ALF prisoner list, as well as a more extensive list of imprisoned eco-defenders is available from Earth Liberation Prisoners, c/o Mid Somerset EF!- their address is at the back of this issue. Many others are rotting in prison and we owe them our support. The most comprehensive list is available from the Anarchist Black Cross, c/o 121 Raillon Road. Brixton, London. It is also worth contacting Justice? Legal Defence for infoon CJA prisoners. Their address is at the back. Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, No..5 112 MUMIA ABU-JAMAL THE STRUGGLE MUST CONTINUE! On the 17th o f August Black Eco-Revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal was to be killed by the US state with a lethal injection. 10 days before he was due to be murdered Mumia was given a stay o f execution. This is a victory fo r Mumia and all those around the world struggling to save his life. Without the mounting pressure Mumia would have been murdered by the time you read this. Now is not the time to give up the fight. We must not wait till the last minute again, we must intensify our actions to demand freedom for Mumia and all political prisoners languishing in the jails o f the US. A COP DIES Mumia’s case originated Rodney King style in 1981, when driving through Philadelphia, he saw police attacking his brother, who had been pulled over for a minor traffic violation. Stopping to help out he was shot in the stomach and nearly died. During the resulting chaos a cop was killed. At the time, 4 in the morning, night clubs were closing and over a hundred people witnessed the incident. Many claim to have seen a man, SO pounds heavier than Mumia and with short hair rather than his distinctive dreads, shoot the policeman. While Mumia and his brother waited for an ambulance, the killer fled. BEAIEN&FRAMED Despite his injuries, witnesses saw him beaten by police who, ‘Equal Justice US’ noted ‘were forced to admit that they rammed his head into a pole- ‘acciden tally’- as they were carrying him.’ As he had survived the attack the US went about framing him. His allowed defence expenses o f $ 150, were less than those normally allocated in drink driving cases. The defence lawyer, a novice, with no experience of death penalty cases, was later banned from legal practise. In a city with a 40% black population, only two black jurors were selected.. Several jurors were closely connected to the police, in cluding an officer’s wife. Forensic evidence including ballistics failed to link Mumia to the murder. Finally, Mumia who attempted to convince the judge of the incopetence of his defence counsel, was banned from much of the trial. Out o f 125 witnesses interviewed by police, the Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!!, No.5 113 "Justice is just an emotional feeling...” — Judge Albert F. Sabo, PCRA Hearing, Com. V. Abu-Jamal In the late morning of August 7,1995, Senior J udge Sabo surprised many in the courtroom by issuing an extended stay of execution, citing “pending appeals” in the case. The decision seemed expected by the prosecutors, but stunned members of the defence team, whose client had 10 days ‘til death, and who expected nothing from the crusty, acerbic jurist. Observers believe this was the first stay issued in the judge’s career. Questions abound — among them, “What does it mean? To simplify, a stay is a judicial stop sign, and in this case, a stopped death warrant. It should be clear, however, that the writer remains on death row, under a death sentence — only the date has been changed The state of Pennsylvania still has every intention of killing me — just not right now. Thus, the stay is a limited victory, not just for the Jamals and the Africas, but for thousands and tens of thousands of people from every comer of the globe — to these many, our most profound and heartfelt thanks for your militant and spirited protests. LONG LIVE JOHN AFRICA! Although many radicals and progressives expressed joy at news of the stay, other political analysts saw it as a clever move by a clever judge, who did what higher courts would’ve done and, in so doing, attempted to blunt the edge off of a growing and militant anti-death penalty movement, in Philadelphiaand beyond, thereby stymieing a series of planned demonstrations. Whatever the reason, let us utilize this precious time to build a stronger and broader movement, to not “stay” one execution, but to halt them all! DOWN WITH THE RACIST U.S. DEATH PENALTY! In an age when South Africa, once the pariah of the international community, has abolished ALL execu tions as an affront to the inherent right to life, our task can not be to merely stay (or slow down) one man's execution. No! It must be to echo the world — the European Community, Australia, South Africa, ET AL. — in total abolition of this racist vestige of the lynching tree, all forms of state murder. It will take the power of the people-you-us all-to bring it about. We can do it. If you are truly committed, we WILL do it. 1 know I am doing my part- will you help me? This stay, is but the first step, although in the right direction, in our long walk to freedom. We arc growing- thanks to you! - Mumia Abu- Jamal, Death Row, Pennsylvania prosecution produced just three. All faced charges in other When other groups talked, the Panthers did. They or cases and are suspected of making a deal with the police. ganised community soup kitchens and militant defence Two were charged with prostitution and a third with of the Black community. To the massive poverty, racism throwing a Molotov cocktail at a school, all had an inter and state oppression in the US, the Panthers said there est in bargaining with the police. Other prosecution wit was only one solution-Revolution! Nothing but a total nesses dropped out at the last minute. Mumia’s lack of destruction of capitalism and its replacement with true funds, poor health (remember he had nearly died) and human communities would change anything. As there poor defence meant that the defence had problems in pro was no Panther group in Philadelphia, Mumia and oth ducing witnesses in turn. ers set one up. He went on to play a national role in the organisation and often wrote for the ‘The Panther’, the BLACK RESISTANCE & RADICAL BPP newspaper. The Panthers were destroyed by waves of state killings and suppression and a murderous inter EOCLOGtf nal factionalism inflamed by state infiltration; (in many Mumia has been involved in radical politics since towns coordinated by Richard Held, the FBI officer re his early teens. Growing up in a poor Black area of Phila sponsible for framing US EF!ers Judi Bari and Daryl delphia he was attracted to the Black Panther Party (BPP). Cherny with their own car bombing). After the Panthers Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, No..5 114 demise he continued to be active and became a radical of August there was a 24 hour vigil outside the Embassy, journalist, known as the ‘voice of the voiceless’. It is his many of the top embassy staff were visibly shaken. On determination not to be intimidated into inaction that is the 10th o f August 30 people invaded the newly opened most responsible for his imprisonment and planned ex tourist office of American Express in Brighton, occupy ecution. As a journalist he often covered the radical ecol- ing the first floor for about 20 minutes- some walls in ogy group MOVE. After protesting for animal libera side were sprayed with ‘Free Mumia Abu-Jamal’. tion and against police racism MOVE, which was set up Glaswegins demonstarated outside the American Express in 1971 by black Philidelphians, came into sharp con building 5 times and in Edinburgh there was demos out flict with the authorities. This culminated in 1985, when side the US Consulate. Around 60 people gathered on the an FBI bomb was dropped from a helicopter by Lieuten 12th of August for a march to the Embassy. Half way ant John Powell ofthe Philadelphia Bomb Disposal Unit activists invaded the ‘Disney Store’ on Oxford street and onto a MOVE commune, killing eleven MOVE mem 5 were arrested, mainly for obstruction of the Queens bers and burning down sixty surrounding houses. Be Highway. Activists in Bristol held a demonstration in the fore dropping the bomb he shouted, “ATTENTION City Centre, burning the American flag and a mock elec MOVE, THIS IS AMERICA! YOU HAVE TO OBEY tric chair. AMERICAN LAWS!” MOVE has been subjected to Below is a short list of some of the demos world extraordinary persecution. In a recent interview Mumia wide early this August. Demos have also happened in noted that ‘In 1973 they [MOVE] were in Philadelphia Poland, Holland, Ireland, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Zoo protesting caged exploitation of animals, and they India, South Africa and many others. were beaten for it, they were jailed for it, and they got ridiculously high bails for it... Now you have the ALF USA where people arc doing the same types of things that 1 st of August- 75% of Lewisburg prison boycott lunch. MOVE were doing ten, fifteen years ago.’ 5th of August- 500 miles run in exercise yard by 300 Mumia and other MOVE supporters are vegetar prisoners, Lewisburg. ians, wear their hair in dreds to be ‘natural’ and advo 10th of August- 250 march in Sacremento. cate a radical form of eco-politics. MOVE members in 12thofAugust-1,000 march in San Fransisico, 10,000 clude both Black & White individuals. Mumia’s state march in Philidelphia ment in response to the MOVE massacre and his own 3 Day hungerstrikes by 8 political prisoners across the imprisonment is worth remembering.: country and the entire segregation unit of Indina Prison. ‘ Don’t Mourn, Organise! Pull together, unite, come together to resist this system’s usurpation of your CANADA inherent and god given rights to freedom, clean air, un 1 Oth of August- 250 march in Vancouver. contaminated earth, fresh water, and an unpoisoned gene 13 th o f August-150 march to US Consulate in Montreol. pool’. ITALY DEAmVARRANTSIGNED All Red Brigade prisoners on 3 day hungerstike The newly elected pro-death Republican Gover nor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge, started sighing execu SWEEDEN tion warrants as soon as he could. Mumia was top of the 16th of August- 40 demonstrators outside US Embassy list. Pennsylvania State Representative Michael in Stockholm. McGeehan, the author of a bill to speed up executions, claims to be ‘specifically interested’ in Mumia’s case, SWITZERLAND bluntly stating ‘We’re going to see him die’. His execu 2nd of August- Branch of the Republic National Bank tion was set for 1 Opm on Thursday August the 17th. His of New York paint bombed in capitol. death warrant was signed 3 days before an application was to be judged on a retrial. GERMANY 1 st-17th of August- Vigil outside US Consulate in Ham RESISTANCE burg 12th of August- National day of action. Demos in Ham On the 22nd of July 100 marched through cen burg, Frankfurt, Stuttgard and Saubrucken tral London to the American Embassy. From the 1 st-17th 17th of August- Large demos outside US Consultes in 115 Door Die- Voices from Earth First!!, No.5 Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgard and Berlin. - Send donations to ‘Mumia Abu-Jamal Defence’, Com All Red Army Faction prisoners on 3 day hungerstrike, mittee to Save Mumia-Abu-Jamal, 163 Amsterdam Av as were many prisoners in Lubeck Youth Detention Cen enue, No. 115, New York, 10023-5001 tre. - Write directly to Mumia c/o Mumia Abu-Jamal, WHAINOW? AM8335, SCI Green, 1040 E.Roy Furman Hwy, Waynesburg, Pennyslvania. PA 15370.. We must mobilise NOW to free him.We cannot let him be rot in prison, never mind be murdered. The threat is not over. We must keep up the pressure - his SUPPOKTALLMOVE struggle is our struggle. His life is a testament to a better future. Let America’s actions inflame our resistance. PRISONERS Charles Sims Africa#AM4975,1590 Walters Mill Road, Somerset, PA 15510, USA WHATYOU CAN IX /ID Debbie Sims Africa#006307, PO BOX 180, Muncy, PA 17756, USA SAFEGUARDANDUBERAIE Delber Orr Africa#AM4985, Drawer K, Dallas, PA 18612, USA MIMA Edward Goodman Africa#AM4974, PO BOX 200, - Organise talks and video showings. ‘Friends of MOVE’ Camp Hill, PA 17011-0200, USA (see below) will provide speakers and you can get a copy Janet Holloway Africa#006308 of the video ‘From Death Row- This is Mumia Abu- Janine Phillips Africa#006309 Jamal!’ from South Downs Earth First!-send a £1 postal Merle Austin Africa#006306 order. (all at) PO BOX 190, Muncy, PA 17756, USA - Organise actions against US company's present in your Michael Davis Africa#AM4973, 1100 Pike Street region. Huntington, PA 16654-1112, US - Target US interests, in supportofMumia. William Phillips Africa#AM4984, PO BOX A, - Spread the word, get in touch with local Black and Bellefonte, PA 16823, USA Human rights groups. - Attend National demos. For more Information - Write in protest to Governor Tom Ridge, Main Capitol Friends of MOVE, PO BOX 3069, London, SW9 8LU Building, Room 225, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA Tel/Fax. 0181-519-9228 Activists burn a mock electric chair and the American flag, Bristol Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, No..5 Chichester Hunt & Earth A30 Action 01248600286______Liverpool L69 7BR Sabs PO BOX 6 Hillfort EF! 0151 794 4167______PO Box 99 Ottery St. Mary 9 Hardens Close Third Battle of Newbury Chichester Devon. EX11 1YL Chippenham PO BOX 5520 E.Sussex______01404 815729 Wiltshire SN15 3AA Newbury. 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The Wilderness Workshop for all Beings PO Box 23 c/o Green CND, PO Box 3 ul.Modrzewskiego 29/3 5 High St Uni of York Union, St. Just-in-Penwith 43-300 Bielsko Glastonbury Heslington, Cornwall Biala Somerset BA6 9PU York Y01 5DD TR19 7YB______Poland 01458831545______01904 422956 International Fax:(01048)30 29496 Sheffield EF! socs203 @ vaxa.york.ac.uk Rainbow Keepers c/o Shefin Contacts are entry POB 14 201 Crookes Valley Rd Support Groups points to other countries Nizhny Novgorod 603082 Sheffield S101 BA networks, not national Russia 0114 2534144 Corporate Watch contacts.______(0107) 8312 343280 bjgossQpine.shu.ac.uk Box CW Earth First! Journal tretyput @ glas.apc.org 111 Magdalen Road Solsbury Hill Action Group POB1415 Slovakia EF! Oxford. 0X4 1RQ c/o 103 Ringswell Gdns Eugene OR 97440 A.HIinku 11 01865245016______Bath, Avon. BA1 6BW USA 96001 Zvolen 01225 448556______Dead Trees EF! 01015037419191 Slovakia______Box 25, 82 Colston Sf, Fax: 010 1503 7419192 Solent Spanners ManuelA.Dernandes Bristol, BS1 5BB______earthfirstQ igc.apc.org c/o South Hampshire Taller de E.A.ACURUXA Freedom Network Do or Die Australia EF! J.B.Xelmirer J October Books c/o South Downs EF! Canopy Campus Universitario Onslow Road Earth First! Action Update POB 1738Q GPO 1570 S Santiago Southampton PO Box 7 Melborne 3001 Spain 01794 512790______Cardiff CF2 4XX. Victoria. Australia (01034) 81 584321 (01061)3 3547972 01222 383363 Fax: (01034) 81 584533 South Downs EF! Fax: (01061)3 4162081 c/o Prior House Fax: 01222 640666 Rainbow Keepers Tilbury Place [email protected] Vancouver EF! c/o Nadia Shevchenko Brighton BN2 2GY Earth Liberation Prisoners 2484 McGill Glushkova 17-22 Vancouver Staffs Earth Action Net. c/o Mid-Somerset EF! Kiev.252187 BCV5K1G8 c/o Stoke-On-Trent [email protected] Ukraine Canada (0107) 044 2669310 College S.U. Freedom Network (0101)604 4730174 [email protected] Howard Place 372 Coldharbour Lane Stoke Road Brixton Denmark EF! Do or Die- Voices from Earth First!, No.5 118 Why Monkeywrench?