A-Infos (en) SchNEWS 396, Friday 14th March, 2003

[Jo Makepeace <webmaster@schnews.org.uk>]

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WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S YER RIF-RAF
SchNEWS

RUNWAY TERROR
Last Saturday the whole of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
were put on high alert and the police were given powers for
28 days under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to stop
and search anyone - without even needing to make up an
excuse to do so.


SchNEWS has learnt that in Fairford, Gloucestershire, planes
carrying weapons of mass destruction are being prepared for
use on civilians. People from all over the country have been
heading there to try and stop this happening - these very
same people who are trying to stop people being killed are
being treated like terrorists!


According to Liberty, this is the first time Section 44 has
been used and the first lucky recipients were... people at a
Picnic for Peace at Fairford! Brandishing his big Section 60
Criminal Justice Act (1994) to look for weapons, one copper
demanded to search someone's lunchbox. The bemused protestor
told SchNEWS, "They opened up the sandwiches to see what was
in them - no razor blades, but some rather tasty houmous and
vegan pate." Funny that! No weapons of mass destruction in
his sandwich, but quite a few B-52's across the razor wire
in the airbase, weapons which will take part in the "Shock
and Awe" tactic bombing of Bagdhad, causing massive and
wide-spread destruction "like the nuclear weapons at
Hiroshima, not taking days or weeks, but minutes."


DE-FENCE SITTING
While the police are keen to know what peaceniks at Fairford
are eating this time of year, they seem less keen to act
when US military personnel forcibly evict and intimidate
residents of the peace camp.


On Monday afternoon US soldiers ripped down banners on the
fence and started constructing an extension to the Gate 10
perimeter fence on Gloucestershire County Council Land
without planning permission, forcing the peace camp to move
a few feet around the corner. The police just looked on and
did nothing. However the camp is getting lots of support
from locals, with one camp resident, Jill Chadwick,
commenting, "In a way I'm surprised at the amount of
support, given my experience at Greenham Common and the
vigilante attacks we experienced there."


* The Peace camp and bomber watch need more support, people,
tarps,water and a chemical toilet if anyone has one.
07754064146 or 07736964653.


* An Oxford student told SchNEWS about getting into Fairford
"If lazy students like me and my mates who spend most of our
time getting drunk can get in, anyone can. And if lots do we
can stop the planes." Last Saturday about 20 people got onto
the runway.


* Disobedience are holding a series of workshops in Hackney,
London this Saturday (15) in preparation for the big day of
action at Fairford. Workshops will include legal advice and
group self-defence. For details email:
disobedience@riseup.net ** Gathering of Grannies at Fairford
on Monday (17) 11am main gate. For info on women's actions:
tabitha@gwi.org.uk ** Next Saturday (22nd) is the Fairford
Free Festival with Rinky-Dink and Lardy-Dar Cycle Powered
Sound Systems for The Party At The End Of The Runway.
SchNEWS hopes that The Collateral Damage Orchestra and
Friendly Fire Quartet will also be there. This is followed
by a party at the Axe & Compass Pub, Kempsford 8pm - late.
Free camping in the pub garden/peace camp.
** If you've been searched on spurious grounds, unlawfully
arrested, detained without reason, or even assaulted at
Fairford, get in touch with Berkshire Citizens Inspection
Agency. They can't offer legal advice, but are collating all
incidents of harassment. berkshirecia@hotmail.com ** If you
are going to demos it may be worth getting clued up about
your rights if you get arrested, check out
www.activistslegalproject.org.uk


* Help is needed to keep an eye on RAF Welford, near Newbury
in Berkshire, one of the USAF's biggest munitions dumps in
Europe. The base stores bombs for use at RAF Fairford.
Contact Berkshire CIA, 0118 966 8328, or
berkshirecia@hotmail.com


* An anti-war protestor in Canterbury was arrested under the
Terrorism Act - for throwing an egg at Tony Blair. He was
charged under Section 5 of the Public Order Act, which means
the crown has to prove via witness statements that he caused
distress. He's hoping to get a statement from Tony Blair.

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War Briefs

Nine people cut their way into American airbase "RAF"
Lakenheath last week, then cycled around the base to disrupt
preparations for war against Iraq.
Celebration of Iraqi culture, Sat 15th - music and speakers,
St Columba's Church Hall, Chantry Road, Moseley, B'ham.
7.30-10pm Bring food or £2.50.

Remembering Anfal & Halabja public meeting, Mon 17th Grand
Committee Room, Houses of Parliament, Westminster 7pm.
Kurdistan National Congress 020 7250 1315
knklondon@gn.apc.org
800,000 people gathered to pray for peace in Indonesia's
second-largest city, Surabaya, last weekend.

The SQUALL website has new anti-war related stuff that's
worth a look. Check out human shield Jo Wilding's excellent
dispatches from Bagdhad and the whole 1997 statement from
New American Century, (right wing US think tank, many of
whom have since become key members of the Bush
administration) advocating a war on Iraq as a step towards
US world domination. www.squall.co.uk

Mon 17th starts a week of non-violent actions against the
war. Die-ins in Southampton (02380 550159), Oxford 01865
794504, London 0845 458 2564, Birmingham
sarahteversham@yahoo.co.uk and Hastings
andreaneedham@onetel.net.uk

Tues 18th Hastings Against War meeting 7.30, Electric
Cinema, Old Town

Use the media to get your anti-war message across:
'Activists' guide to exploiting the media' from ARROW, 5
Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX £1.50 or online at
www.antenna.nl/eyfa/resources/media.htm

On 26 Feb, protestors against war on Iraq barraged the White
House and Senate offices with tens of thousands of phone,
fax and e-mail messages as part of a "virtual protest
march." New EU hacker laws could make protests like this a
crime, removing all distinction between online protestors,
hackers, spreaders of computer viruses and terrorists.

Brighton Demo against the war, meet 5.30pm, 21st Mar,
Churchill Square.

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Crap Arrest of the Week

For Wearing a T-shirt!
A shopper at Crossgates Mall in New York was confronted by
security guards demanding he remove his T-shirt as the
slogan was 'unacceptable'. He declined, so they returned
with a cop who arrested him. Later in the week, 100 people
marched through the store protesting his arrest all wearing
the same T-shirt. And what was the illegal slogan? 'Peace on
Earth' on the front of the shirt and 'Give Peace a Chance'
on the back.

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Section 44

Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 extends the usual stop
and search powers. The search is supposed to be "only for
the purpose of searching for articles of a kind which could
be used in connection with terrorism", but they don't need
to actually think you have any! If stopped and searched, ask
for a written record of the search. You do not have to give
your name, address or any other details.

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WWC Out of the Closet

Sinking to new depths of greed and corruption, the
Transnational Corporations (TNCs) are now getting all wet
about water. Water's running out all over the planet (last
week a UN report estimated that some areas may be bone dry
as early as 2025) and could soon be a more valuable
commodity than oil.


Under the guise of trying to sort out the global water
crisis, the 3rd triennial World Water Forum (WWF) will take
place in Kyoto, Japan, March 16th-23rd. Only problem is that
this international debate on the subject will be run by the
World Water Council (WWC), a think-tank created in 1996 by
the World Bank and some of the world's largest Transnational
Water Corporations. You get the picture?


Top of the agenda, naturally, is privatising the world's
water supplies - especially in the developing world. When
they last met in 2000, the WWF came up with a
pro-privatisation manifesto entitled "World Water Vision"
which, the WWF claimed, reflected the global consensus on
solutions to the water crisis. Of course it did nothing of
the sort-there was of course no grassroots representation at
the 2000 meeting (especially from the developing world) and
the whole conference was stridently opposed by activist
groups (who set up their own alternative conference).
Despite its own legitimacy being deeply questioned, the WWF
say the time for debate is over. This 3rd conference in
Kyoto will not be about "if" but about "how" to force
privatisation on unwitting or unwilling populations whose
governments have been bought or coerced by the World Bank.


* To find out more about the WWF and protest plans: ASEED
Japan - www.aseed.org


So just what are the alternatives to letting the TNCs
privatise the world's water supplies? It's true that many
public water utilities are bureaucratic dinosaurs out of
touch with the people they are supposed to serve, but there
are many publicly owned supplies that are accountable to the
needs of the population.


One example can be found in Porto Allegre, Brazil. The local
water company DMAE is publicly owned, but it is financially
independent from state control and is fully financed through
water bills paid by the 1.4 million inhabitants of Porto
Allegre. All profits are re-invested in the water supply.
The daily work of DMAE is controlled by civil society
representatives, while operations and investment decisions
are subject to a participatory budget process and community
members directly decide the budget priorities of the water
company. Through a process of public meetings, every citizen
can have a say in which investments should be made first.


This participatory model has massive success - awareness
about water and sewage is raised and the people's needs are
prioritised. As a result, 99.5% of Porto Allegre's
population now have access to clean water (the highest rate
in Brazil) and DMAE's water price is one of the lowest in
Brazil, while overall consumption has gone down.


In the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, a proposed
privatisation was strongly opposed by the water
workers'union. So the Dhaka Water Authority contracted out
one zone to the union, while another zone was given to a
private water company for a one-year trial. The union
co-operative's results were so much better than the private
sector's that the contract was given to the union. The union
co-operative's achievements included a considerable
expansion of the number of people with access to running
water as well as a sizable reduction in water losses.


* Corporate Europe Observatory has prepared briefs around
key issues of the global water debate:
www.corporateeurope.org


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SchNEWS in brief

RADIO 4A Brighton's Shambolic Pirate Radio is back this
weekend with diverse sounds, political commentary, comedy
and news. 101.4 FM and webcast www.radio4a.org.uk
Sunday 16th picket the Ideal Homes Exhibition, sponsored by
the Daily Mail, who have recently been stepping up their
campaign of hate against refugees and asylum seekers. 12-2
pm, Earls Court, London. 01273-540717
SEASoN alternative National Science Week. 12-5pm, Sunday
22nd on the Commons, Church Road, Tunbridge Wells. It's not
too late to register for a stall at the event. 01892 863941
http://geocities.com/seasonscience
No money for new oil - stop UK government support for the
Baku oil pipeline. Demo Tues 25th. Meet 11.45am, Crown
Place, London EC2. 020 7566 1673 www.baku.org.uk
Blatant Incitement Project - day of sharing facilitation and
groupwork skills and experiences. 24th March, 10am-5pm,
Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. Free. Vegan food £3 01524
383012 dowhatyouretold@breakthelaw.co.uk
The A-Infos website contains a massive directory of
anarchist organizations around the world.
www.ainfos.ca/org/Anarchist_Organizations.html
'Drowned Out' film about an Indian family resolving to stay
at home and drown rather than make way for the Narmada dam.
March 27th, 9.30pm, The Other Cinema, 11 Rupert Street,
London W1. 020 7437 0757 £5/4
SchWoops. The screening of 'Women in Black' on Saturday is
at the Pheonix Theatre, East Finchley, NOT the Ritzy,
Brixton. 6.30pm www.hrw.org/iff

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SHAMAN ON YOU

Marcos Veron, Brazilian Indian shaman and leader of the
Guarani-Kaiowá tribe, was brutally killed in January. The
70-year-old was beaten to death by thugs in the pay of
ranchers who had taken over his homeland, Takuára, in 1953.
The Guarani-Kaiowá have been exiled from their land for the
last fifty years. Many live by roadsides. Without land they
can't grow their own food or hunt. In their own words,
without their land they have 'nothing to live for'. The
Guarani-Kaiowa tribe have been trying to get their land back
recently, but to no avail. For the last few months, many
have lived camped on the side of a highway, and this
January, they tried to move peacefully back onto their land.
The attempt sadly failed - the tribe was attacked and Marcos
murdered. This month, the last of those who had accompanied
Marcos were again ordered off their land by the courts.
www.survivalinternational.org/marcos.htm

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WIZKIDS OF OZ

The Australian Department of Defence has decided to withdraw
advertising from all student media in Australia because of
an "adbust" by a student newspaper. The Defence Department
had been repeatedly requesting advertising space in the
magazine, who kept on saying no and got a bit tired of
repeating themselves and decided to run the following ad
instead:


"Why settle for an ordinary office job when you could have
an extraordinary and challenging career as a pawn in the
power games of politicians? Not only will you get to take
orders from arrogant pricks with buzz-cuts and
ego-complexes, but on special occasions you'll get the
chance to repress your moral integrity and accept orders to
bomb the shit out of dark-skinned, tea-towel-wearing
foreigners. Officer positions are open in many specialised
fields from engineering and logistics through to
carpet-bombing and cannon fodder. You will receive over
$44,700 per annum upon completion of initial training, which
should just about cover treatment for Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder and Gulf War Syndrome..."

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Inside SchNEWS

On Tuesday, Trident Ploughshare activist Ulla Roder managed
to get into a hangar at RAF Leuchars in Fife and do some
serious damage to a Tornado plane that had been left
unguarded. Ulla later said, "I took my hammer to the
nose-cone, the cockpit, the fuselage, the wings, the
tailplane and other parts of the plane which it was safe to
damage. I don't see it flying again". She's currently on
remand until her next court appearance on the 20th March.
Write to: Ulla Roder, HMP Corton Vale, Stirling, FK9 5NY.
www.tridentploughshares.org

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SCHOOL'S OUT II

5 kids from Blatchington Mill School, Hove, were baffled
when they got suspended for joining nationwide student demos
against the war on Iraq last Friday. The head said they were
very naughty children for disobeying teachers and leaving
school without permission. But the kids (15 - 16) were under
the misapprehension that recent government initiatives
promoting citizenship meant taking an active interest in our
so-called democracy. Other kids have been telling SchNEWS
about their walkouts, with one 14 year-old girl in
Birmingham saying, "We were accused of truanting but we were
standing up for our political views about the world we're
growing up in." More than 1000 in Leicester took part in
what one local councillor described as the "most effective
anti-war demo to date". As one 16 year-old demonstrator put
it, "Tony Blair has only succeeded in one thing as far as
we're concerned - politicising a whole generation." Nice
one!


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CASTLE KEEPERS

Last Friday, an English judge found that activists in
Littlemoor who built a big pink castle on a field about to
be sown with GM seeds were acting reasonably in order to try
and prevent damage to neighbouring crops. They were
acquitted of all charges against them. The magistrate noted
that the activists, "acted reasonably by locking themselves
onto tractors because simply standing in front of them would
not have prevented the crop being sown".

** Crop Pullers from GM-Free Wales facing similar charges
are in Chester Crown court 31 March - 3 April. Supporters
welcome. 0845 456 9327 www.fraw.org.uk/gs

** Public meeting: The Future of Food and Farming in Wales,
at the Daniel Owen Centre in Mold, nr Chester. 3 April, 7.30
pm


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...and finally...

So what do you do if you're a 'concerned member of the
public', or more to the point, a paranoid reader of the
Daily Hate Mail, calmly minding your own business in the
public library when suddenly you see a foreign-looking
student viewing pictures of 'tall buildings' on the
internet? You call the police of course!!


Which is exactly what happened recently at a library in
Plymouth. Embarrassingly for the concerned member of the
public, the 'tall buildings' turned out to be the logo of an
internet radio website. The police involved, however, still
had the cheek to ask if the library service could start
keeping a log of any and all internet activity by asylum
seekers. The head of Plymouth Libraries, Chris Goddard,
"gently but firmly" refused, citing data protection and
human rights issues. Way to go Chris! But is there any way
we could start keeping a log of the internet activity of
bored, brain-washed Daily Mail readers with way too much
time on their hands..... pretty please?


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Disclaimer
SchNEWS warns all readers walking around Gloucestershire or
Wiltshire not to fill their lunch-boxes with something
substantial and finger licking good that the police can get
their teeth into! Honest.

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SchNEWS Of The World - issues 301-350 for £7!! Past books
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to Justice? Honest!

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