Chicken Yoghurt » Activism

Ask Nestle to give rainforests a break

Justin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:27:42 +0000

Nestle got Greenpeace’s video about the chocolate maker’s destruction of rainforests taken down from YouTube so obviously the thing’s gone viral and is now all over the place.

Have a break? from Greenpeace UK on Vimeo.

Greenpeace have open-sourced the video so anyone can host their own copy, stick on their phone or whatever. Find out more about what Nestle’s been up to here.

Aboard the Happy Ranger

Justin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:07:58 +0000

Out in the sea between France and Finland, the transport ship Happy Ranger is taking construction parts to Olkiluoto in Finland.

Some of my friends are aboard.

Save Vestas

Justin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:52:41 +0000

I was on the Isle of Wight over the weekend and managed to get to the under-threat-of-closure Vestas wind turbine factory and take part in the protest on the Friday evening.

Here are some photos…

This is the speech given by one of the RMT reps at the protest…

You can find out all you need to know about New Labour kicking off its green revolution with standing by and watching the destruction of 600 green jobs on the Save Vestas website.

Refugee Week June 15-21

Justin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:06:30 +0000

When brutality and terror and abuse are government tools, used against people whose only crime is to want to come to this country for a better life, it’s a vital time to fight for the rights of refugees.

It’s Refugee Week from June 15 – 21. There’s loads happening. Perhaps a simple act is in order.

Pass it on.

Register to vote

Justin — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:24:30 +0000

At a general election, under the terms of the first past the post system, if you’re not fortunate enough to live in a marginal constituency, your vote is almost worthless, taken for granted.

However, the forthcoming European elections on June 4 are held under a proportional representation system which means your vote is worth as much as everyone else’s – getting off your arse and getting out to vote is actually worthwhile. Yes, it’s amazing, I know.

It means the smaller parties untainted by fascism, war crimes or scandal have a chance of winning seats. Votes for them isn’t the futile gesture it is at a general election. A higher turnout also means less chance of the BNP making further political progress. Yay Euro-democracy!

If you’re not registed to vote, you can register online at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk. You’ve got until May 19 to do it. Go!

Your nasty and nice deeds for the day

Justin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:04:28 +0000

Read this. Go here.

Taking the Independent out of IPCC

Justin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:41:54 +0000

The Guardian publishes the video of Ian Tomlinson being attacked, the Independent Police Complaints Commission aren’t happy.

And what kind of independent body is it whose first reaction to the Guardian’s evidence on Tuesday night was to call at our offices (accompanied by a City of London policeman) and ask for it to be taken off the website?

In more innocent times we’d be shocked. These days it’s more to be expected. You can see why the IPCC would be embarrassed enough to take a policeman down to the Guardian to help cover their tracks. They were taking every word of the police’s version of events at face value when the video came out showing the police as liars and the IPCC as shamefully credulous.

Maybe the P in IPCC needs changing from ‘Police’ to ‘Public’ if the organisation is to continue to get confused over just whose complaints it’s supposed to be investigating.

Merrick has some great comment and links on all of it. And there’s this, which is slowly being forgotten in the rush to nail one policeman:

This was not one bad officer taking the law into his own hands. This sort of assault was endemic that day. I saw it hundreds of times with my own eyes, and I was at the more peaceful climate camp protest, and left before it got kettled then attacked with dogs and batons in the evening.

[...]

Every single officer is behaving like the one who attacked Ian Tomlinson. It is not them acting on private motivations, they have clearly had orders to do it.

This one guy is being dished up as the fall guy for what was a widespread policy of police violence on April 1. It’s fortunate there weren’t more deaths or serious injuries.

And where’s the CCTV footage from that day? Where are the police spotter photos and videos? Lets see the official footage of policemen blocking ambulances.

Police kettling: the shadow of death

Justin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:36:18 +0000

A great piece by Merrick on police tactics at demonstrations and the complicity of the media.

It seems clear that the police’s aim is to minimise the number of demonstrators. Having talked up a riot in advance, they discourage many people who are sympathetic to the cause from coming out of fear of injury. Then, on the day, by inciting a riot, kettling the crowd or other methods of physical abuse, they discourage people from coming to similar events in future.

Interview with two Eyewitnesses of G20 Death

Justin — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 07:25:58 +0000

From UK Indymedia.

G20 Live Twitter transcript

Justin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:37:39 +0000

What a day…

I don’t want to say the Met is racists but Barack Obama got stopped four times on the way to Downing Street. ‘Is this your vehicle, sir?’ #
I think the crowd control expert now speaking on BBC News might actually be salivating… #
It’s like the Day Today, isn’t it? Any minute it’s going to be ‘YES! THERE IT IS. IT’S WAR!’ #
The news channel should just cut to the chase and give the police stage directions. ‘Could you look a bit more surly, love?’ #
Oh no, oh no. There we have it. A Sky News camera crew have attacked the CNN team who were ruining their shot! This is terrible. A disgrace. #
There’s Kay Burley being dragged unconscious from the melee. What a dark day for British journalism. Their bloodlust writ large… #
There’s the BBC’s Ben Brogan stripped to the waist screaming ‘COME ON ITN, YOU FUCKING WANT SOME?’ Shocking, just shocking. #
I of course meant, Ben *Geoghan*. The Daily Mail’s Ben Brogan currently has Nick Robinson in a headlock outside Downing Street. #
@BenSix: And is that Nick Robinson pummelling a chartered accountant with his sawn-off microphone? #
Christ, it’s not an accountant – it’s Simon bloody Hoggart! Hoggart looks like he’s coming off worst. #
@BenSix: Ah, he’s failing badly – tried to grab a clump of hair and found himself slipping off Nicky’s newly-tattood pate. #
You’re not wrong @BenSix. Robinson, slick with sweat makes for a formidable opponent. Oh, oh! He’s biting Hoggart! The blood, the blood! #
@CathElliot: Please tell me award winning political journalist Quentin Letts is in there somewhere… #
Let me see. There he is! I can see his head on a stick being paraded by an ululating Polly Toynbee and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. #
@BenSix: But who’s this? Sunglasses; stripped to the waist; cigar clenched between sneering lips. Why…why…it’s Paxman! #
Is he finally going to settle his long-standing grudge with the Guardian’s Michael White? You know, I rather think he is… #
Paxman is down! I repeat: Paxman in down! #
A small cadre of Sky News journalists worried that the violence might be fizzling out have been spotted donning balaclavas. #
Jamie Oliver’s cooking dinner for the G20 leaders. Don’t do your carrots in chardonnay, Jamie. They’re shit. #