NED LUDD’S NEWS

May/June 2002

 

After a few years break Nottingham’s very own independent news service is back in action, bringing you up to the minute (?!) reports and information from Nottingham’s community and direct action type groups. No doubt you’ve all been eagerly awaiting the return of this fabulous publication so let us hope you’re not disappointed. Please send contributions (demo reports, important news, dates, photos, pictures, poems, recipes, suggestions for improvements etc…) for the next issue to nottingham_freedom@hotmail.com. For those that are confused as to why this newsletter is called Ned Ludd’s News; briefly Ned Ludd was the (apparently) fictitious leader of the Luddites who were active in Nottinghamshire in the early 1800’s and who were involved in smashing up looms and other modern machinery in an attempt to fight back against increasing mechanisation, wage slavery and the death of cottage industries as a result of factory growth.

 

In order to save money and trees it would be good if a mailing list could be set up so people can receive Ned Ludd’s News via e-mail. If people can send in their e-mail address (Nottingham_freedom@hotmail.com) it’d be much appreciated. Unfortunately though as the file size is going to be pretty big some accounts such as hotmail may not accept it and a plain text file lacking the pictures will have to be sent to you instead.

 

After that brief introduction it’s time to get on with the inspiring and literary spectacular which is Ned Ludd’s News, enjoy…

 

 
INVADING ISRAEL

On 13th May 2002 about 15 activists did a series of solidarity actions with the Palestinian people, and the foreign activists who have been on food and water strike.  Two of the activists involved in these actions had recently been deported by the Israeli State, after being involved in delivering food at the besieged Church of the Nativity. The gates and fences of the Israeli Embassy in Kensington were breached, but activists were beaten back by police and security guards wielding metal batons.  Banners declaring. "Free Palestine", "Israel - the new apartheid state" and "Solidarity with those in Israeli jails.  End forced deportations" were held up in front of the Embassy and many leaflets were handed out to passers-by. Afterwards, the activists proceeded down Kensington High Street with the banners, stopping at Marks & Spencers to invade with the banners, to protest about the company buying goods from land Israel has stolen from the Palestinians.  Next, the group went to the offices of El Al (the Israeli State Airline who are doing all the forced deportations) and the Israeli Tourist Board, in Oxford Circus.  Activists tried to get entry to the Tourist Board office, but were beaten back by a policeman who was there.  "Terrorists" was spray painted onto the wall of the office.  No arrests were made.


Yigal Rosenberg and Yair Hilu, who signed an open letter along with more than 120 other high school seniors and refused to do military service in the Occupied Territories, are back in prison. Each of them have been imprisoned four times, 21 other objectors are currently in prison. They are asking for people to write to them and show support. c/o The Forum in Support of Conscientious Objectors, POB 41199, Jaffa 61411, Israel. matzpoon@yahoo.com, www.indymedia.org.il/imc/israel/.

 

 

 

Nottingham Anti Fascist Alliance

Meet at 8pm upstairs at the Newcastle Arms (North Sherwood Street) on the last Tuesday of every month. As well as the ongoing aim of keeping fascism off our streets NAFA is actively involved in a range of areas including the RAF Newton asylum seeker detention centre campaign. With its non-hierarchal organisation NAFA aims to fight against fascism by working at the grass roots level with established community groups and also by raising awareness and taking action in its own right. NAFA is always keen to get more people involved and with the recent success of the BNP in the local council elections and the threat of them standing candidates in Nottingham next year, people more than ever need to stand up and oppose the fascists.

 

RAF Newton was a base used by Polish air force sections in World War 2 and is now one of a number of sites allocated for the construction of a detention centre for asylum seekers. The site has already been used as a dumping ground for foot and mouth carcasses and it’s felt that putting the asylum seekers out in the middle of nowhere isn’t going to help them or the local community who feel that the site would be better used for a health centre and community facilities. This sentiment is also held by asylum seeker and refugee groups who feel that putting asylum seekers in the middle of a small rural community would lead to isolation and segregation rather than integration. The BNP have tried and thankfully failed to raise local support around this issue. Contact NAFA for more info; nafanotts@yahoo.co.uk or C/o P O Box 192 , NOTTINGHAM , NG1 3FJ.

 

 

Our local Bilderberg link… This seems a good opportunity to mention that the Rushcliffe MP Ken Clarke who spouted his usual corporate fascism against asylum seekers at a public meeting about the detention centre, regularly goes to the Bilderberg meetings (undemocratic international corporate steering group) who met recently in Washington to amongst other things steer the G8, the middle east war and the tension in India/Pakistan. The group is controlled mainly by Exxon-Mobile oil interests, the Rockefeller family, Kissinger etc… There is lots of info to be found about Bilderberg but just be careful you don’t get drawn too deeply into the right-wing conspiracy side of things. Maybe have a look through the Schnews achieve http://www.schnews.org.uk at http://www.bilderberg.org or track down the book 'Them' by Jon Ronson.

 

 

 

LATEST NEWS FROM THE SUMAC CENTRE


 Work on the new independent community, resource and social centre at 245 Gladstone Street nears completion. Formerly the Rainbow Centre, the name ‘The Sumac Centre’ has now been adopted after a shrub in the gardens. 
 

 The former Sitch Ukranian Social Club was purchased by the Rainbow Centre collective in June 2001. Major reconstruction work was undertaken by NECTA (Nottingham Environmental Construction Training for All) and other local trades people. Since then volunteers from the local community have worked on, replacing floors, walls, ceilings, doors, windows, stairs, toilets, electrics and plumbing! Finally the end is in sight. The newly plastered walls and refurbished toilets are being painted, the community cafe is being built and the furniture fireproofed. Sufficient facilities are now completed for the centre to have hosted or booked meetings for local residents groups, animal rights conferences, training days, environmental/roads gatherings and more.


With a final push it is hoped that the new centre will be ready to open during June, after which work will continue for the planned Social Club. With completion of this first phase so close supporters are urged to get involved, both with the final works, which continue on a daily basis, and with planning the activities and running the centre once opened. As there has been so much more work to be done than expected, the opening date, and therefore opportunity to earn income, has been deferred several times. However the mortgage and other bills wait for no one, so the gap in funding continues to grow. We have been very encouraged by the practical support, grants and donations received, but for long term security we are very keen to invite investment by way of loans, with interest offered from 0% to 5%, repayable over 1, 5 or 10 years.

 

STOP PRESS : The centre officially opened on 22nd June, and will be open from 10am to 6pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

 

The Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Nottingham, NG7 6HX. 0845 458 95956, http://www.veggies.org.uk/rainbow/index.htm

 

 

 

OPPOSITION TO NOTTINGHAM’S TRAM SYSTEM

Community opposition to Nottingham’s new tram has been building for a while in all areas through which it will pass, (including Wilford, Beeston, Clifton and Forest Fields). Although local public transport should be encouraged and not all those speaking out against the tram oppose it in principal it is commonly felt that many of the routes chosen for the tram line are unsuitable and that improving bus services whilst placing emphasis on a transport system not guided by corporate interests would have been a better idea. For example the tram is proposed to pass through conservation areas and an SSSI between Wilford and Clifton, an old peoples home in Beeston and through playing fields, which the tram will travel through at speeds of up to 50mph. There is also some concern surrounding the suggestion of building large park and ride car parks in the smaller towns surrounding Nottingham. With the tram lines focusing in on the busy Nottingham city shopping centre and being constructed by notorious companies such as Tarmac it is apparent that the City council is more likely to be acting in the interests of the corporations rather than the local residents. It also seems slightly suspicious that bus services have been run down recently, with fewer buses running and with continual fare increases potential acting as a stimulant to get people to look forward to using the tram, this problem is only set to get worse as the tram nears completion. For more info it’s probably best to contact local community groups; http://communities.msn.co.uk/StoptheTram or http://www.notram.net/

 

 

 

NOTTINGHAM ANIMAL RIGHTS

The local animal rights group meets on the first Monday of the month at 7pm in the Sumac Centre. We are involved in numerous activities covering all areas of animal rights; letter writing, organising stalls in the town centre, organising local demos and attending national demos.  For more info contact; http://www.veggies.org.uk/NAR/, 0845 458 95956 or nar@veggies.org.uk.

 

WORLD DAY FOR LABORATORY ANIMALS

As with most other AR groups in the country (and in fact round the world) one of our major focuses at the moment is campaigning to close down Europe’s largest animal testing facility, Huntingdon Life Sciences. HLS are on their knees and so fingers crossed their testing of household products, food colourings, pesticides and drugs on animals will soon come to an end. To put a further nail in their coffin we joined the demo at the HLS laboratories in Occold, Norfolk to commemorate World Day for Laboratory Animals. Following a march round the town attended by about 700 people we went to the laboratory site where after jogging round the edge of the lab it’s alleged the fence was cut and some people entered the premises. In a separate incident it appears that a number of hamsters were rescued in a daylight raid on a breeding facility. For more information on the campaign to close HLS check out www.shac.net or contact Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, PO Box 381, Cheltenham, Glos, GL50 1YN; 0845 458 0630; info@shac.net

 

SHAC EAST MIDLANDS

SHAC EM has been launched with the aim of decentralising the campaign against HLS to enable greater focus on local demos for more information contact SHAC East Midlands, PO BOX 6931, NOTTINGHAM, NG1 4WB or shaceastmidlands@hotmail.com 

 

ANIMAL RIGHTS VIDEO NIGHT

Provisionally scheduled for sometime over the summer probably at the Old Angel in Hockley, NAR plans to hold a video and information evening to enlighten and inspire both existing and potential new members. If people can help out with this event it’d be much appreciated.

 

INFORMATION STALL

NAR along with Nottingham Hunt Sabs have an information stall every Saturday (as long as enough people are available) opposite the Marks and Spencers near the Broadmarsh Centre. Help is often needed on these stalls especially if you’re willing to dress up in the fox costume!!

 

HARLAN DEMOS

Recently people have been attending the afternoon demos at our local hell-hole Harlan. There is normally transport available leaving at about 3pm (although the day we go on varies). Go and admire the new security fencing they had to install after the last major demo there. Ha Ha Ha.

 

CAMBRIDGE PRIMATE FACILITY

Despite the recent BUAV undercover investigation Cambridge University still want to extend their primate research facility. The initial planning application was turned down but the university have taken it to appeal. For more information on stopping the facility being built, why it shouldn’t be built and the fallacy of inducing diseases in primates as models for human disease check out http://www.animalaid.org.uk.


 

 

 

Nottingham Association of Subversive Activists

 

CALL TO ARMS

NASA started up after the J18 demo in London, in order to bring together local non-hierarchal groups allowing discussion and cooperation between them. Meetings have shrunk in recent months and although everyone is obviously busy with different campaigns it would be good to return to the heady days of a year or two ago when the meetings were well attended, maybe we can even do a repeat of the successful GAP demo when the shop was occupied and locked up to keep us out.

 

NOTTINGHAM MAYDAY 2002

Following a noisy march down Mansfield Road attended by a couple of hundred people the crowds were treated to some funky beats from the sound system in market square. Numerous interlinking issues were represented on the day including Bush’s current ‘war on anything which could stop America continuing to make millions from the suffering of millions’, the recent apparent success of the far-right in France and England and how we can stop them as highlighted by NAFA and a march by French students, the Israel/Palestine ‘situation’, cannabis legalisation, animal rights, the Sumac Centre and hunt sabbing. People danced, loads of literature was handed out, some NF thugs were scared away, it didn’t rain and the cops didn’t do anything foolish. A good day was had by all.

 

NASA meetings are on the first Monday of the month @8pm in the Sumac Centre.

 

 

 

NOTTINGHAM HUNT saboteurs

With the fox-hunting season over until late July/ early August Nottingham HSA is taking a break from its usual Saturday jaunts in the countryside. However the all important fund-raising/information stalls are happening in the town centre opposite M&S most Saturdays, a sab skills day is planned and so are more benefit gigs. People should also be aware that the badger culling season starts again very soon http://www.badger-killers.co.uk

 

When the fox murdering season starts up again the new hounds will be trained to chase and kill foxes by practising on the fox cubs, interfering with this cubbing is an extremely effective way for sabs to save lives as it an can mean that the hounds are useless for the rest of

 

the season. For more information on Nottingham HSA check out http://nhsa.enviroweb.org/, e-mail nhsa@enviroweb.org or write to Nottingham Hunt Saboteurs, c/o The Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Nottingham, NG7 6HX.

 

 

 
NOTTS EF!
Local EF!ers have been joining up with other groups in a series of recent actions against Scotts, a peat extraction company who are currently digging millions of tons of peat from Thorne and Hatfield Moors - the largest remaining lowland peat habitats in England. Opposition has been growing and with successful mass trespasses, occupations and blockades under their belts the campaign is proving to be very successful. The government appear to have offered to buy the moors from Scotts in order to preserve what little remains but as this takeover will not occur for another few years and so the campaign against the peat extraction continues. For more info; http://www.peatalert.org.uk.

 

 

 

A couple of useful local publications it may be worth picking up are the Veggies guide to vegetarian Nottingham (contact Veggies via the Sumac Centre) and a Fair Trade guide to Nottingham which is almost finished (contact Nottingham_freedom@hotmail.com). Talking of Fair Trade in recent months a Fair Trade café (The Jenton Café) organised by Nottingham University students has been happening regularly in the church hall opposite the Texaco garage on Derby road in Lenton every Thursday evening, it seems to have been very successful and should be up and running for a few more weeks before the students go home for the summer.

 

 

 
ATTACK OF THE MOB
This is a bit out of date now but those wonderful people who were living in the Forest Lodge have been thrown out by a council and police mob. They’d been living on the premises for 3 and half years. No notice of the eviction was given to them, and it looks as if it may even have been illegal (although they will still not get their home back). According to the Nottingham Recorder (2/5/02) ‘[the]…former squat could be turned into a garden advice centre… This week four were evicted to make way for the new centre of excellence.’ However the council still don’t appear to have made a formal statement as to whether the building will actually be used for anything or just left empty. For more info contact; theforestlodgecollective@hotmail.com.
 
 
 
PRISONER SUPPORT

Writing letters is a good way to support such prisoners. The addresses of a few people currently incarcerated in British prisons for ‘crimes’ of conscience are included below, for more information check out http://www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk/index.htm.  (Make sure a return address is included somewhere in the letter or on the envelope, sending a few stamps and spare envelopes can also be useful).

 

Animal Liberation

Neil Bartlett, FW7083, HMP Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1EA, England. Sentenced to four years for making bomb-hoax telephone calls.

Dave Blenkinsop, EM7899, HMP Bullingdon, Oxfordshire OX6 0PZ England. 3 years for attacking the Managing Director of HLS & 18 months for rescuing 600 guinea pigs from a lab supplier.

Mel Broughton, DJ8216, HMP The Mount, Bovingdon, HP3 0NZ, England. 4 years for conspiracy to cause explosions.

Rae Newlands, GN6613, HMP Holloway, London, N7 0NU, England. On remand on various charges including bomb hoaxes, arson, criminal damage, harassment and conspiracy.

 

Anti-war

Ulla Roder, HMP Cornton Vale, Cornton Rd, Stirling FK9 5NY, Scotland. Ploughshares activist on remand for disarming

weapons of mass destruction.

 

Anarchist and Class Struggle

Mark Barnsley WA2897, HMP Wakefield, 5 Love Lane, WAKEFIELD, WF2 9AG, UK. Was hopefully released on 24th June but

contact his campaign for the latest info. barnsleycampaign@hotmail.com , PO Box 381, Huddersfield, HD1 3XX, UK

 

Self Defence

Satpal Ram, E94164, HMP Blakenhurst, Hewell Lane, Redditch, Worcs, B97 6QS, UK: Satpal has now been released but is continuing the campaign to clear his name: FreeSatpalRam@ncadc.demon.co.uk, contact his support campaign: PO Box 23139, London SE1 1ZU, www.ncadc.demon.co.uk/satpal.html

 

Anti Fascist

Malachi Nicholls, JN4126 HMP Leeds, Armley, Leeds. One of Nottinghams finest who recently received a 9 month prison sentence after an incident at an anti-fascist demo. (4 others were also sentenced).

Wayne Heaton, GK 7292, H.M.Prison, Preston PR1 5AB. Serving 18 months for violent disorder whilst defending his community against fascist campaigning by the British National Party.

 

 

 

Due to the rush to get this copy of Ned Ludd’s News out as soon as possible a diary of up-coming events has not been compiled for this issue. If people can send in dates of up-coming events, demos and actions for the next issue it’d be much appreciated nottingham_freedom@hotmail.com. To keep you occupied for the moment check out http://www.veggies.org.uk for local contacts and some local dates.

 

@nti-copyright, please distribute as widely as possible