Tag: Human Rights

Chesterfield May Day Gala March & Rally 2024

The biggest and best May Day march and rally in the country, Chesterfield May Day 2024 will be marking the 40th anniversary of the Great Miners’ Strike of 1984/85. Organised by Chesterfield and District Trades Union Council.

Assemble 10.30am at Chesterfield Town Hall on Rose Hill S40 1LP. The march will be led off by the Ireland Colliery Band and Derbyshire miners’ banners from the 84/85 strike, as we make our way to the rally in New Square. Samba bands will add a flavour of carnival.

Our great line up of speakers includes:
John Burrows: Derbyshire NUM
Fran Heathcote: General Secretary PCS
Dima Al Shami: Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Libby Nolan: President UNISON

Plus May Day campaign stalls & live music in New Square

#FoodByVeggies will be here

Saudi Prince Not Welcome – protest Mohammad bin Salman visit

#SaudiPrinceNotWelcome

Theresa May has invited the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to visit Britain. Bin Salman is the second most senior member of the Saudi regime. He currently oversees the bombing of Yemen, which has caused what the UN has called “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world”. The Saudi regime has supported repression in Bahrain, imposed a blockade on Qatar, and detained the Lebanese Prime Minister.

Join us at Downing Street to tell May and bin Salman that he is not welcome in London!

We don’t yet know the date: it will be confirmed as soon as we hear.

WATCH THIS SPACE: Our petition will soon go live!

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More information:

Bin Salman is the second most senior member of the Saudi regime, which has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Torture, arbitrary detention, and other appalling abuses are widely documented. In 2017 alone, Saudi authorities executed over 100 people.

The Crown Prince has overseen the war on Yemen, creating tens of thousands of deaths and injuries. He has created, in the words of the UN, “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world”. British made jets and bombs have played a major role in destroying civilian targets and the poor nation’s infrastructure. UK personnel, from the armed forces and BAE Systems, are present in the Saudi operations centre, aiding this catastrophe.

The Saudi regime has also supported repression in other states, notably Bahrain where its military supported the crackdown on peaceful protestors in 2011. Recently, the Crown Prince has established a blockade of Qatar, and held the prime minister of Lebanon in custody. Both of these latter acts were failed attempts to impose regime change on sovereign nations.

It shames us as a nation to support and associate with a brutal dictator who uses hunger as a weapon, and has allowed the largest cholera epidemic in history to develop in Yemen. The interests of the people of Britain, and the peoples suffering from the Crown Prince’s adventurism, are not served by this visit. The invitation must be withdrawn.

While the government has confirmed Bin Salman’s visit, we don’t yet know the date, so we will update this page as soon as we hear.

Croydon All Out to Stop the Fascists!

All OUT to Stop the Fascist South East Alliance demonstrating on 6th May in Croydon.

SHUT DOWN the Racist, Fascist South East Alliance!

SHUT DOWN Croydon until the Fascists are driven off our streets and out of our community.

A group of organised Fascist thugs, the South-East Alliance, is planning to demonstrate in Croydon on Saturday 6th May, outside Lunar House, the Home Office reporting centre. This will be just a month from the violent attack by a 20 to 30-strong racist gang in Croydon, in which 17-year old Kurdish asylum seeker Reker Ahmed was savagely beaten and two of his Kurdish refugee friend were injured.

There is only one message to take from the Fascists’ plan to demonstrate in Croydon only a month after the attempted murder of Reker Ahmed; they are celebrating the attack, claiming political responsibility for it, and they want to encourage and carry out more brutal racist attacks on our streets. They want to spread fear in immigrant, refugee and Muslim communities, scare black, Asian. Muslim & immigrant communities from coming into central Croydon that day. They are seeking to build on the racism and anti Immigrant bigotry of Brexit and build a racist/fascist street movement.

They have advertised their demonstration as an ‘anti immigration demo’ stating that “The UK is Not a Dumping Ground for the third world! You Are Not Welcome Here” & “Defend your heritage”. This is an explicit threat – their presence poses a very direct threat of further physical attacks, we must defend ourselves and our community.

There is only one response. The community must come out in force, fill the streets that day, Shut Them Down. End their attempt to embolden and encourage racist attacks on our streets.

(more info and exact times will be posted closer to the day, but prepare to be out on the streets early and for as long as it takes)

Morton Hall Immigration Detention Demo

SOUTH YORKSHIRE MIGRATION AND ASYLUM ACTION GROUP

JOIN US ON SATURDAY 11 MARCH 2017 12 NOON
TO SURROUND MORTON HALL IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTRE
Morton Hall Village, Swinderby, LINCOLN, LN6 9PT

“STOP DEATHS IN DETENTION: SHUT DOWN DETENTION CENTRES”
There have been THREE deaths in recent weeks in Detention Centres TWO of them at Morton Hall. There have been twenty-nine deaths in immigration removal centres since 1989; three women and the rest men. Harmondsworth detention centre accounts for eight deaths; five people have died at Colnbrook; three at Yarl’s Wood and Morton Hall and two each at Campsfield, Haslar and The Verne. One person has died at each of the detention centres Dungavel, Dover, Oakington (now closed) and Pennine House (a short-term holding facility).Five people have died shortly after release (Source: Institute for Race Relations)
Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre is run by the Prison Service for the Home Office and can detain 392 people. Morton Hall is 8 miles SW of Lincoln. There is a railway station at Swinderby just outside the village with very infrequent links on the Nottingham / Lincoln line. Sheffield is around 1 hour 15 minutes’ drive on A57 and A1, Leeds 1 hour 30 minutes on the A1, Nottingham one hour away on the A46, Manchester 2 hours via M62 and A1.

JOIN US ON 11 MARCH WITH YOUR BANNERS AND NOISE, WE WILL SURROUND MORTON HALL AND DEMONSTRATE OUR SOLIDARITY WITH PEOPLE DETAINED THERE AND DEMAND “SHUT DOWN ALL DETENTION CENTRES”

Further details from John Grayson SYMAAG j.grayson@phonecoop.coop Mob 07887 481355
http://www.symaag.org.uk Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

✮ Common Ground 2017 ✮

Welcome to Common Ground 2017! This year we will be hosting the event at The Black Swan, Bristol from Friday 1st September to Sunday 3rd September.

Venue will open at 5pm each day until late with bands, solo artists and soundsystems raising money for human and animal rights organisations across the world. 100% of profit goes to the chosen organisations (more info on these over the coming weeks.)

This year we will have workshops hosted over the weekend at the Kebele Social Center just a few minutes away from 12 midday to 4pm over the weekend, again more info on this coming soon.

As always, sound powered by GSS Pro Audio
http://www.facebook.com/GSSystems
http://www.GSSproaudio.com

Opening times of the venue will be:

FRIDAY: 19:00 – 04:00
SATURDAY: 17:00 – 04:00
SUNDAY: 17:00 – 00:00

Workshops at the Kebele from 12 miday to 4pm over the weekend.

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BENEFIT ORGANISATIONS:

The first organisation that we have chosen is the FREE WEST PAPUA CAMPAIGN. A great organisation run by good people raising funds and awareness in solidarity with the people of West Papua. For full information see here: http://www.freewestpapua.org

The second organisation that we have chosen is SOCIAL WORKERS WITHOUT BORDERS. We have chosen these because we are the the midst of a humanitarian crisis with thousands of displaced people scattered across Europe. While there is aid on the ground, it needs to go further than that, and SWWB fill this gap for us taking on the further help giving direct support and help with everything from documentation, education, family support and more. Check them out, a great organisation and much needed in our opinion: http://www.socialworkerswithoutborders.org

The other organisations will be chosen over the coming months.

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LINE UP: (Loads more still to be announced!)

THE FOAMERS
http://www.facebook.com/Thefoamers
One of the best UK Household Name bands of the late 90’s into 2000’s and after a long hiatus have now reformed and will be coming back to Bristol for the first time in 15 years.

ALEHAMMER
http://www.facebook.com/Alehammer-331216557075501
Beer crust legends making a one off UK appearance for us at Common Ground. Members of Doom, Hellkrusher, Prophecy of Doom, Vallenfyre and Impulse Manslaughter. Get the beers in!

OMEGA TRIBE
http://www.facebook.com/OmegaTribeOfficial
After releasing ‘No Love Lost’ Omega Tribe came out as one of the best melodic anarcho punk bands of their time alongside The Mob and Zounds. They are back together and coming to Bristol for the first time since 1984!

AOS3
http://www.facebook.com/AOS3official
We seem to have a theme with AOS3, so far they have played for us probably more than any other band, but for good reason. One of the best live bands around and some of the best people around.

2 SICK MONKEYS
http://www.facebook.com/2sickmonkeys
2SM will be calling it a day next year. Easily one of the most hard working bands the UK and seen, not only that, but one of the best bands and the loveliest people we’ve been lucky enough to meet and a honour to get to put them on over the years. A no brainer to put them on.

DANGER!MAN
http://www.facebook.com/dangermanband
If you have never seen DANGER!MAN then it’s probably a good idea you do. Amazing 80’s hardcore from Norway. All members have a long history of playing with Norwegian bands in the 80’s and 90’s like So Much Hate, Life… But How To Live It?, Bannlyst, Barn Av Regnbuen, Drunk, 2:20, Bøyen Beng and more and we will bringing them over for Common Ground.

RASH DECISION
http://www.facebook.com/rashdecision
Easily one of our favourite thrash bands in the UK at the moment. Relentless touring and absolutely shredding every place they play makes us want to put them on whenever we can.

THE LAB RATS
http://www.facebook.com/TheLabRatsUK
After touring with Oi Polloi, recording with Matt Lost Cherrees and generally being amazing people making great political music we’d be mad not to put them on.

KAPOT
http://www.facebook.com/allesgehtkapot
Punk rock from Hamburg. This is a band we’ve personally wanted to see for some time and this is their first UK gig and will have an album coming out in the coming months on Pumpkin Records. Featuring members of Braindead.

VIOLET SCOTT & AMELIA BONES
http://www.facebook.com/violetandamelia
The second announcement from the Wild Wood Stage. Anarcho feminist melodic punk from Bristol telling the tales of mid-twenties confusion, hope, a love of general greenery, and an unquenchable wanderlust and their first time at Common Ground.

CROCODILE GOD
http://www.facebook.com/Crocodile-God-37383253901
90’s UK skate punk legends! After multiple John Peel Sessions, gigs with Propagandhi and releases on Boss Tuneage we thought we best get them down here to Bristol for Common Ground.

BURNING FLAG
http://www.facebook.com/Burning-Flag-186537781428243
Raging female fronted punk. Spewed forth from the blackened mill towns of Northern England, Burning Flag are a venomous twisted sludge of Punk, 90s hardcore, industrial riff and scathing punk noise. Ex members of Falconetti, Human Wreckage and Seal Team Six. This is their first time in Bristol!

URBAN LIONS
http://www.facebook.com/urban.lions.7
Amazing live 10 piece playing politically conscious reggae and dub. Now working with the wicked Earth Works Records in Amsterdam and festivals from Boomtown to One Love.

SPLIT VEINS
http://www.split-veins.bandcamp.com
One of the best bands we’ve heard out of London for a while. Distorted and delayed hardcore punk with members on Nailbiter. Check out their wicked releases on their Bandcamp page.

MEINHOF
ww.facebook.com/anarchyandchaosassociation
London crust punk stalwarts are back in Bristol for the first time in too long. Music for scum done by immigrants.

SPANNER
http://www.facebook.com/spanner.easton
Bristol ska punk activism! Spanner have been mixing politics and pleasure since around 2000 and aim to still be at it when it’s time for dancing on the ruins of the empire.

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TICKET INFORMATION:

Tickets for 2017 will be massively reduced, this is so that the money saved will account for anyone needing accommodation for the weekend, we will be posting info on places to stay in the coming weeks.

Advance Weekend tickets:

SUPER EARLY BIRD: £18 **SOLD OUT**
EARLY BIRD: £23 **SOLD OUT**
ADVANCE: £28

Advance Day tickets:

FRIDAY: £10
SATURDAY: £15
SUNDAY: £15

Pay On The Door:

WEEKEND: £40
FRIDAY: £15
SATURDAY: £20
SUNDAY: £20

With the event now being indoors the venue license (as with other late night venues) has an age restriction of 18+.

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ACCOMODATION INFORMATION:

Coming soon!

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http://www.commongroundfestival.co.uk

Peace News Summer Camp 2017

Peace News Summer Camp, is an annual five-day, family-friendly event that attempts to extol the virtues of a democratic, participatory, renewable-powered and environmentally sustainable society.

The 2017 Peace News Summer Camp will be held at a venue to be confirmed, with local activists – top trainers – revolution – non-violence – learning from other movements – community – glorious countryside.

We have: workshops and discussions, practical skills sessions,delicious vegan food cooked by Veggies, films, fun and DIY entertainment, a bar, campfires, and activities and facilities for kids and families.

Non-violence begins on your dinner plate. For inspiration read our Peace News Camp 2010 Report.

Field catering by Veggies Catering Campaign, with a Veggies Cafe, tuck shop and cake bakery! To help with the catering, please contact us. Read the history of Veggies, from Peace News, October 2009.

Remember: Wars Kill Animals Too.