WAKE UP!! IT'S YER WELCOME TO THE INCLUSION ZONE...

Friday 23rd March 2007 Free/Donation Issue 581

one court case that he helps draft the head of NETCU’s public statements in a classic PUTTING ON THE WRITS Neo-Labour public-private partnership. Cross(ly) examining the dodgy legal world of protest exclusion injunctions Busy Tim also fi nds time to be a direc- tor of Inquire, an organisation dedicated to Last week the mainstream press and civil ment Act, originally presented as protecting surveillance and tracing of individuals for liberties organisations took a belated inter- vulnerable people from stalkers (and which corporate clients. est in the human rights abuses conducted he helped draft by the way; now there’s an under the Protection from Harassment eye for an opportunity), into a charter for HARASS BANDITS Act 1997 (PHA). An injunction under the act corporate repression he’s made a tidy pile. But unfortunately for TLC and NETCU has been used on environmental protestors Not content with having written the law, things are slowly becoming unstuck: the in Oxfordshire trying to stop the dumping of TLC’s legal chicanery has become notorious. collapse of the injunction at EDO MBM toxic ash into Radley Lakes (see SchNEWS Stunts include: being warned for re-writing (SchNEWS 531), amid revelations of the 573 and www.saveradleylakes.org.uk). It not judgements in his favour to secure disclosure unorthodox attitude to legal disclosure, was only bans peaceful protest at the site, but also from the police; amending particulars of followed by the utter failure of the injunction stops anybody from fi lming within a mile. claim (i.e. allegations made against individu- by Harrod’s to prevent anti-fur protests. More When the censure hit press photographer als) days before going to court and deluging recently, an attempt to bang up the princi- Adrian Arbib, ordered to stop fi lming by the court with irrelevant material. This might pal spokesmen of the SPEAK campaign, masked security guards, and Robert and Channel 4 News “The whole point of the injunctions is to use the veneer of combating extremism to Cogswell (campaigning to crackdown on legitimate protest. These injunctions have no impact on those committed prevent the building of a couldn’t show footage, the to illegal courses of action, they’re a way of cracking down on the most effective protest implications for freedom movement in the UK” - Dr Max Gastone university primate research of speech fi nally seem to lab), under contempt of be register among the Guardianistas. just be incompetence but it has the knock-on court charges failed. It was this which led Ironically, last week was also show-down effect of upping the costs of the action mean- to Oxford Uni realising that the stress of it time for the fl agship injunction against Stop ing that anyone contesting the injunction runs all was perhaps getting a bit much for our Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC see the risk of bankruptcy. Judges have even hapless hero and wisely decided to engage SchNEWS 411). This was the fi rst injunction forced him at times to employ barristers to the services of a different fi rm. served on protestors under the PHA, setting sort out his messes! But TLC remains as devious as ever and, the tone for the twenty odd which have fol- CAUGHT IN THE NETCU still working for lucrative clients Hunting- lowed. After four years of legal wrangling, Although supposedly a private lawyer don Life Sciences, also recently attempted largely caused by ’ working on behalf of private companies, to seize the property of Donald Curry. Don- (HLS) legal team (Judge Holland wryly com- TLC has had access to swathes of informa- ald had been one of those originally named mented that the 36 ringbinders of evidence tion supposedly restricted for police use. He on the fi rst injunction who didn’t enter a presented was “excessive by, say, about 30” gets a surprising number of people’s names defence. Like Lynn Sawyer (see SchNEWS - one of the more vicious aspects of the PHA and addresses, mobile phone numbers and 471) this meant the company injunctions has been their use to load costs previous convictions. At least one activist’s were able to get a costs order against him. on to unrepresented defendants by wasting personal directory stolen from his home has Unlike with Lynn however, the costs order court time). HLS did however secure an ended up in TLC’s possession. Perhaps this was never enforced... until Donald got sent order against SHAC, and anybody ‘acting in shouldn’t be surprising as he works hand in to prison. Only then did TLC pounce with an concert’ with them (at an estimated cost of glove with the National Extremism Tactical attempt to seize his house, force its sale and over a million quid). The order maintains an Co-ordinating Unit (NETCU). leave his wife and three kids homeless. exclusion zone around the Cambridgeshire NETCU is the bastard child of such re- Despite the diffi culties of organising HQ. But activist lay attorney-at-law Dr Max nowned organisations as the legal support for a category A prisoners, Gastone fought a valiant rearguard action by National Index (ARNI), the National Public self-taught animal rights lawyers (legal appearing as an unpaid representative for all Order Intelligence Unit and Special Branch. beagles?) sprang into action and were able the unnamed protestors affected by the in- They make few bones about their status as to prove that TLC’s handling of the service junction. Crucially HLS failed to prevent the political police. Their job is effectively to use of amplifi ed sound during demos (the big- of the injunction was so fl awed that not only ensure that protest stays safely ineffective. As was the costs order against Donald’s house gest sticking point for them) and SHAC now their website says, “We support the business have the right to hold a national demo every dropped but the whole injunction against and academic sectors, providing a centralised him was set aside! The sticking point in three months inside the exclusion zone. source of information, advice, guidance and Despite this, the injunction still stands; Donald’s case, as ever, was accurate dis- liaison on strategies to withstand domestic closure of TLCs relationship with the police a crucial plank in UK Plc’s attack on civil extremist attacks.” Domestic extremism liberties and the right to demonstrate. In- as defi ned by NETCU means any from of – something he is charmingly coy about. No junction-wielding lawyer Timothy Lawson protest outside the law. And as was shown wonder his clients are leaving in droves. Cruttenden, or TLC as he probably doesn’t with last week’s lengthy prison sentences But other, perhaps more competent, call himself (see SchNEWS 509), is the man handed out to Mark and Suzanne Taylor and fi rms are now stepping into the breach and behind the exclusion zones surrounding vivi- Teresa Portwine for offi ce occupations and SchNEWS reckons we haven’t seen the back section labs and arms factories. He’s made demos (see SchNEWS 580), when it comes of the Harassment Act by a long way... his living from introducing what amounts to to protesting animal abuse in UK labs there’s * 27th April: March against the Money PFI martial law around some of Babylon’s precious little left that isn’t against the law. Men – a demo against the fi nancial backers more noxious manifestations, pleading over Where TLC ends and NETCU begins of HLS. Central London – location to be twenty injunctions, banging up activists and isn’t all that clear – with TLC revealing in confi rmed. www.shac.net attempting to seize their homes along the Copyleft way. By twisting the Protection from Harass- Published in Brighton since 1994 IN GOLD BLOOD BUNCH OF CNUTS SchNEWS in brief SchNEWS knows already that gold comes at a The year long ‘rolling’ demo at Faslane Naval The six hunger strikers in Bhopal (see SchNEWS steep price. As well as carving up large swathes Base continues (see SchNEWS 565)... Two 580) gave up their fasts after 14 days when the State of eastern Europe (See SchNEWS 553-554), cor- recent examples of escapades followed last govt agreed to most of their demands in one of porations are also busy tearing up land elsewhere week’s govern-mental green light to renew biggest successes since the disaster in 1984 – getting in search of nice shiny profi ts - places like Siria Trident. On Saturday (17) fifteen Spaniards the state govt to reveal soil and ground water Valley in Honduras. from the AA-MOC group blockaded the main contamination around the accident site, provide To maximise returns from the San Martin gold gate and caused a right bloody mess by dousing safe water in the affected area, more medicines and mine, the largest in the country, Canadian company themselves in red paint, symbolising the loss staff at the hospital, and other community support. (wait for it..) 'Goldcorp’ (!) use open cast mining of blood that nuclear weapons cause. Bemused See www.bhopal.net ** The sheriff can’t be happy techniques: whole mountainsides are blown apart cops were so hesitant to get their hands dirty as Nottingham was hit with the debut edition of by dynamite. An average of 18 tonnes of waste they all donned fetching white jumpsuits before “The Sparrow” newletter this month. Produced rock is produced to get enough gold for one ring! It arresting the activists. by members of the local Anarchist Federation it may be an ego-boost to its wearer but all that’s left Then, on Monday, it was turn of anti-nuclear dishes the dirt on the council, Nottingham’s radical in Honduras is a huge scar in the landscape - lush Nordic warriors as twelve people from York dressed history and more. Get it online at www.afed.org. forest making way for rubble and bare rock. in full Viking kit successfully blockaded both uk/nottingham/nottingham_sparrow_1.pdf ** While the mine is allowed to use 220 gallons of base entrances, completely shutting down the place MARCH: 24 - Big Protest against the 150 water per minute, farmers nearby are abandoning for half an hour before they too were nicked. mile Welsh gas pipeline (See SchNEWS their fi elds and struggling to take care of cattle Rauðúlfr the Fearsome (well, that’s Richard 576). A march through the affected village of because of water shortages. The mine pumps Lane’s Viking name according to www.the- Trebanos, near Brecon, followed by a rally at water from 12 wells for free and mixes it with quarter.org/Media/VikingName.php) said “The Trebanos RFC clubhouse. Meet 2pm at the cyanide to chemically extract the gold. Residents Vikings slaughtered tens of thousands of people Lidl Carpark in Pontardawe to leave from the are forced to buy water by the bucket – the risk but they did so over half a millennium. Trident bottom of Glynmeirch Road at 2.30pm. For more could do the same in a minute.” check: www.safehavenpembs.co.uk & www. of contamination means they can no longer trust risingtide.org.uk/bristol/pipeline The protest the village well. And there’s good reason to be As the half way point of the 365-day effort approaches, our Faslane365in365-ometer (See camp is under threat of eviction - see www. worried: dangerous levels of lead and arsenic have fi ghtthepipe.co.uk, call site mob 07903 152822 been found in the blood of local villagers. SchNEWS 574) is lying discarded and useless on the fl oor of the SchNEWS newsroom as up til ** 31 - planning for this year’s August camp and Then there are the accidents: one such ecologi- now there has been an impressive 599 arrests made screening of the new Reclaim Power: Voices cal disaster happened when a dam collapsed at the (converted into a mere 22 prosecutions). Breaking from the Camp for Climate Action fi lm about Omai gold mine in Guyan 10 years ago. 3.2 billion the 1000 barrier is looking ever more likely... last summer at Drax. 6pm at the Cowley Club, litres of cyanide-laden rock poured into Essequibo * As if a reminder that being nuclear leads to 12 London Rd, Brighton. www.climatecamp.org. River killing all aquatic life in a four mile radius. environmental destruction and affects people uk / email [email protected]. ** For those in power in Honduras, a meagre across boundaries and for generations were UK Zapatista Solidarity Network gathering, 1% of profi ts in taxes makes mining attractive, needed, April sees the 21st anniversary of Talks and fi lms on Sat 31st, 10-6pm and Sun 1st regardless of the fact that the state lacks the the Chernobyl disaster. The accident lead to April, 10-4pm at the Cowley Club, 12 London capacity to regulate or control the industry in the deaths of 9,000 people, caused cancer in Road, Brighton. www.cowleyclub.org.uk any meaningful way. But local communities are thousands and affected millions across Belarus, ** For full Party & Protest listings, see polarized over mining. Anyone daring to oppose Ukraine and Russia (see SchNEWS 495). Join www.schnews.org.uk/pap/guide.htm it is told: “Mining is the only way forward! Min- the Chernobyl Day events at Faslane - Thursday ing IS development!” 26th April - when activists and supporters from Positive SchNEWS One woman points out that you can easily tell environmental groups and networks will be hold- who got one of the few jobs offered by the mine: ing a series of events. The build up includes... The Vortex may have fallen (SchNEWS 579) but some of London’s elite S.Q.U.A.T Team have they have a big house, nice car and access to Nonviolent action training day: Saturday 31st healthcare. In a country where the gap between found themselves a new communal home. The March, 10.30am-4pm, Lamb’s House, Burgess long-dormant old Good Food Cafe in Camberwell rich and poor was already massive, mining has Street, Edinburgh, EH6 6RD. contributed to a further widening of it. has been turned into a vibrant open space for people Prop and banner making day - all day from to meet, eat and perhaps conspire. A collective of Meanwhile Goldcorp pocketed a record break- 10.30am Wednesday also at Lamb’s House. Bring ing £200 million in 2006, almost doubling South London malcontents, young and old, have materials, fall-out suits and costumes to decorate! reclaimed this space from dereliction - and yup- its income on the previous year. Sister com- Buses to Faslane then leave Edinburgh at 4am for pany Glamis picked up a sweet £25m loan from pie ‘development’ - and would welcome support. Chernobyl Day (26) - for more info or to book Suits have been seen sniffi ng around and licking the World Bank for its Guatemalan operation places email: [email protected] – one that has seen environments destroyed and their chops. A host of events are planned – fi lms or phone 0131 554 9977 on Wednesdays; every friday from today (23rd) activists murdered. And we haven’t even mentioned Faslane demos: To fi nd out how to sign up for will see a home-cooked food night; Sunday (25th) the mining industry’s complicity in child labour, your 48 hrs of anti-nuclear dooty, see www. they’ll be serving up a cooked breakfast followed hazardous working conditions, human rights abuses faslane365.org or phone 0845 45 88 365 by painting and maintenance in the building. So get and forced displacement of communities. * The next blockade and protest at Aldermas- down to 192 Warham Street, Camberwell, SE5 or * It’s not just Latin Americans getting done ton has been called by Trident Ploughshares for for more info ring the Centre on: 07982 469755. over by the mining corporations, check out: Tuesday 10th April (just after Easter weekend). www.foei.org/mining/activities.html for a world Take yer mates and help keep up the pressure! ...and fi nally... map of mining campaigns. Plus www.minesand- One (reformed) nugget of news that cheered communites.org and www.miningwatch.ca both us up this week was that those failing clowns have a rich seam of info. TRUNK CALL OUT at McDonald’s have fi nally joined the ranks * CAFOD suggests actions you can take, such Salisbury’s Secret Garden protest continues of those protesting. The exploitation-to-obes- as picketing your local jewelers: www.cafod.org. (see SchNEWS 579). Activists are still trying to ity burger bandits are apparently (processed) uk/get_involved/campaigning/unearth_justice save the park adjacent to the garden following a cheesed off by the defi nition of McJob in the forceful eviction of protesters protecting the 300- Oxford English Dictionary and are planning a year-old ground from the Council’s bulldozers. campaign to have it changed. The OED claims a STRIP SHOWROOM Offi cials wielding a possession order claimed McJob is: “An unstimulating, low-paid job with The sheer climate-killing folly of gas guzzling 4X4s that locals and activists were a possible danger. few prospects, esp. one created by the expansion was stripped bare in Hereford last week - well if Increased militancy is a real problem, argued the of the service sector,” but Lorraine Homer from it wasn’t, at least a few SUVs were. It seems the legal documents, especially if demonstrators call McDonald’s said the fi rm felt the defi nition was ‘Discovery’ of a Land Rover dealership fl ogging out for reinforcements by sending out a ‘rallying “out of date and inaccurate”. We agree – with their wares to middle-class school-running Mum’s cry’ which would result in damage to precious their fading popularity amongst the obese masses angered local ‘Defenders’ of the environment who Council property. Arghhhhh! and recent store closures, they should defi nitely arrived to chuck paint stripper over 14 of the nearest Council workers promptly felled a 130-year- drop the “expansion” part... Of course, it’s a offending vehicles, leaving a trail of destruction old sweet chestnut on 15th March. The protest- bit rich moaning about defi nitions in any case, and slogans to boot. The action was carried out ers delayed the work by 4-5 hours on the actual considering they market their food as tasty and in the name of the Earth Liberation Front, who chopping day and by over three weeks since healthy. (Big Muck ‘n’ Lies please) presumable are a bunch of real ‘Freelanders’... direct action began. There are still trees left and Disclaimer For more on international anti 4X4 action see the fi ght continues... Call: 07790 418023 / email: SchNEWS warns all readers needing legal help, it'll take www.4x4network.org/ [email protected] more than a little TLC to sort it out...Honest! Get SchNEWS free every week by email in pdf or text fi le - visit our site, or send us stamps and we'll post it to you. Copy and distribute! Keep SchNEWS free with do na tions (via website or cheques payable to Justice?). Posted free to all prisoners. SchNEWS, c/o Community Base, 113 Queens Rd, Brighton, BN1 3XG. Tel +44 (0)1273 685913 Email [email protected] Web www.schnews.org.uk