Oxford Feature Archive

Madeleine Albright, former American Secretary of State, who (amongst many other things) presided over genocidal sanctions in Iraq, had her speaking and booksigning tour disrupted in Oxford by a variety of actions and protests.

Pickets, vigils, leaflets, banners, die-ins, debating, heckling, poetry, binbag barricades, sit-downs and cacerolazo (pots + pans) all combined beautifully, causing her to meet huge opposition, especially inside Borders (the bookshop) and be delayed 40-60 min for her talk at the Oxford Union (elitist debating society).

[report] | reports with pics: [ 1] | [2] | [Video]

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Shortly after 11 am on Saturday 11th October a coach-load of protestors left Oxford for USAF Croughton, a satellite communications base near Brackley, Northants. This U.S. spy base had been chosen by CND and the Campaign for the Accountability of the American bases (CAAB) as the focus for a national day of protest against the US Star Wars project, along with the better-known Menwith Hill in Yorkshire. On arrival at the base, a group of around 80 to 100 people with colourful banners, accompanied by various musical instruments and chanting Buddhist monks, made their way around the perimeter fence, past the sinister ‘golf balls’ (radomes).

Report, pictures and background info on USAF Croughton

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As a protest against the airport expansion programme, eight people from "Hounslow Against New Terminals" occupied a crane on the construction site of Heathrow's Terminal 5 on Oct 6. Four were brought down and charged with aggravated trespass the next day. The four remaining protesters called for support (1 | 2), preferably with cameras. According to Heathrow Press Department, they stayed on top of the crane until Saturday 11 Oct.
Press Release | BBC Coverage (1 | 2) | Pictures | Video
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Between 10 and 100 thousand people (eleven ?) from all over Britain marched against the occupation of Iraq in London yesterday.

Pictures and comments: [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ]
Pictures, story and comments: [ 1 ]
Women contingent: [report and pics]
Video: [1 long clip, 1 short clip, 1 quicktime virtual tour of crowd]
Debate about coverage of demo on IMC: [ 1 ]

Simultaneously, in Edinburgh a banner drop and a rally took place, whilst it was streaming down with rain.

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On 18 September a meeting about the WTO and its impact on the environment was held at the Oxford Town Hall. John Madeley and Caroline Lucas reported back from the WTO meeting in Cancun, where the success of the developing countries, refusing to be bullied, was resounding. They also gave concrete examples of the impact of WTO rules on the environment. Richard Hering spoke about the Movement for Landless Peasants (MST) in Brazil and its commitment to participatory democracy. The next meeting of this series will be on Thursday 25 September at 7.00pm at Oxford Town Hall, and the topic will be the consequences of WTO policies on human rights.

Pictures and reports [1] [2] [3]
Oxford for Trade Justice
MST (Brazilian Landless Workers Movement | Oxford Brazil Solidarity Campaign
Cancun IMC | Caroline Luca's 'take' on Cancun

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UPDATE (Thursday 25th): Striking Oxford postal workers won reinstatement yesterday for their two sacked colleagues, and voted to return to work.

UPDATE (Monday 22th): Oxford postal workers voted for continued strike action in the face of management's attempts to break their union, the CWU. This came after management sacked two people as a deliberate provocation.

This weekend, postal workers from Oxford staged a wildcat strike in response to agressive posturing from the chief executive, Allan Leighton. The strike started 5pm Friday, and workers intend to remain on strike until Monday, when they will discuss the next step.

report | responses to no vote | UPDATE and video | update 2

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On Wednesday, during a day of protest and actions against DSEi - the weapons exhibition taking place this week in London - a bunch of Oxford activists managed to get inside the exhibition centre, where one group unfurled a banner on top of a tank, while another locked themselves to the inside of an APC.

[read report] | [photos + video] | [radio programme]

Meanwhile, other Oxford people joined in with a variety of actions during the week.

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Around 40 campaigners blockaded the two main entrances to the Excel Centre in London's Docklands throughout the morning on Monday 1st September, while tanks and other military hardware waited to be brought inside. Excel is the venue for the DSEi arms fair due to be held next week from 9th-12th Sept - a week of counter events, protests and actions will run alongside starting on the 6th (see Disarm DSEi.

One of the activists, Laura Semple from Oxford, said "DSEi is one of the leading arms fairs in the world, where more than 600 arms companies will be queuing up to strike deals with oppressive regimes and to fuel conflicts all over the globe. We intend to shut it down."

See: Report 1, Update 1, Update 2, Photos, Videos.

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At 8:30am on Thursday 21st August, a succesful action was completed on Spearhead, the organisers of the DSEi arms fair.

One activist posing as a journalist working for a trade publication wanting to write a feature on Spearhead's CEO entered the building first to cause a diversion by distracting receptionists in order to allow four others, along with one video activist, to go up to Spearhead's office. Three of these, all disguised as office workers, then barricaded themselves into an office, freeing up one other to engage with employees and Bob Munton, the CEO.

Meanwhile, five gory-looking activists did a die-in in front of the building, with one more dropping a banner from the front. Two further members of the group handed out leaflets and liaised with press, police, and curious members of the public.
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Around 35 people from around the country joined in the 'Reclaim the Bases Summer Camp' at Aldermaston in Berkershire.

Organised by the D10 group the camp brought together activists from around the counrty to share information and skills to widen the network of non violent direct activists taking part in actions against militraism.

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Peace campaigners have won the right to challenge police decisions to detain and prevent them from demonstrating against the war on Iraq at Fairford air base in March this year. Over 120 people from two coaches were searched, detained, and forcibly returned to London with a huge police escort. Granting permission for their judicial review case to proceed Mr Justice Richards commented that the issues it raised were "substantial" and "of importance" to merit a full High Court hearing.

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The Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEi) arms fair is due to take place in London, at the Excel Centre in Docklands, on the 6th-12th September. The arms fair will be made up of a series of multinational companies who will be trading arms to a number of countries on Amnesty International's list of human rights abusers.

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LIBERTY, the human rights group, has released a 13 page report focusing on the policing of anti-war demonstrators around USAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, during the concentrated bombing of Iraq earlier this year. The damning report details fundamental breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights in the extensive use of anti-terrorism laws to prevent citizens taking part in legitimate protest and to harrass them (by mid-april the campaign group Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors alone had recorded 89 stop and searches under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 carried out against just 26 people!), as well as the excessive use of various other public order legislation. At its most extreme an anti-terrorist order was served on an 11-year-old girl (her father is now seeking legal redress) and 3 coach loads of demonstrators were "kidnapped" by police (see indymedia feature), also the subject of a legal action (also see Fairford Coach Action).

Download full Liberty report: (pdf)
Corporate Media Coverage of Liberty report
War on Freedom and Democracy (10 page Statewatch pdf, Sept 02)

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OXFORD INDYMEDIA LAUNCH
Monday 21st July - 7pm - East Oxford Community
Centre, Princes Street

Find out how you can get involved in Oxford's own Indymedia. Discover what 'open publishing' really means, and how the website works in practice. Watch exciting alternative video made here in Oxford, and learn how to become part of a global network. Find out how to bypass the conservative corporate media and learn how to exchange news and information freely and directly.

Come to the launch and tell your friends!

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On Friday 4th July, American Independence Day, a number of people from Oxford met with other local activists and marched on RAF Fairford.  The demonstrators assembled in Fairford village at 3pm, with many in fancy dress as the event formed part of the "Gatecrashers' Ball". Some of the men came in black tie, with women in comedy ball gowns.  The procession went to the main gates of the base waving banners and enjoying some of the Arabic music someone had brought along.  On arrival, the Declaration of Independence from America was read and signed.  The protesters stayed to have a picnic of cucumber sandwiches and fairy cakes, and eventually drifted off home.  The protest passed off entirely peacefully, with only some irritable car drivers raising objections to the protest.

pictures 1 / pictures 2 / Fairford Peace Watch

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During the early hours of Sunday morning, 29 June, almost sixty members of the public broke into the grounds of GM giant Syngenta's reasearch station at Jealott's Hill near Bracknell, Berkshire. They pulled up a 600 sq metre research plot of experimental wheat.

Syngenta had government consent to plant upto 35 by 20 metres of genetical modified wheat. In a press release, protesters claimed that if allowed to pollenate, it would have spread GM material into the surrounding countryside...

For Photos [updated]Click Here
For Video [latest edit]Click Here
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The Trade Justice Movement's major event happened on June 28th from 10am till about 12.30 at Oxford Town Hall, supported by Oxfam, Christian Aid and WDM (Summary of the event).

Andrew Smith, MP for East Oxford, came and discussed trade issues in an open meeting with people from his constituency. Antiwar activists protested outside due to his pro war stance and a refusal to engage in a public debate about the war. Evan Harris also came and talked with his constituency.

• About the Trade Justice Movement
• 24 hours for trade justice, 27-28 June 2003
• WDM
• Oxfam
• Christian Aid

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Cowley Road Carnival 2003 took place in Oxford on Sunday 15 June.

A perfect day! Colour, music, dancing, food, fun in the sun; a diverse day in a diverse place!

The rainbow procession started at 1pm, this was followed by music in the 2 stages and skate zone, healing area, circus area, childrens activities, storytelling, community stalls, food from all over the world.

see reports with pictures 1 | 2 | 3
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Update: Charges of obstruction of the highway against Anna and David have been dropped. However, the case of another Oxford activist accused of causing 8,333 pounds worth of damage to the main gates of USAF Fairford has been transferred to Cirencester Magistrates Court.

Toby and Phil, the 'B-52 Two', were granted bail Friday the 20th and finally have their freedom! Charged with conspiracy to cause criminal damage when they tried to disarm a B52 warplane at RAF Fairford in March 2003, they pleaded not guilty as they acted lawfully to uphold international law. The Gloucester Crown Court will make a judgement on the legality of the war on 19 September.

Several other people with Fairford related cases had good news also. Two Oxford activists were offered bindovers in place of charges of aggravated trespass, a citizen from Oxford pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal damage and aggravated trespass - the case was adjourned, and two others had their charges of criminal damage to the main gate of Fairford completely dropped. Mysteriously the gate -related charge of another Oxford activist is still being pursued and was adjourned for the time being.

* The "B-52 Two" WEBSITE
* pictures of Phil and Tobi getting out of jail
* video of a vigil held by supporters of Phil and Tobi outside Gloucester Prison
* Prisoners for Peace website
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A group of people in Oxford joined recently to form an Oxford indymedia collective to cover local events and act as a communication tool throughout the Oxford activist community. IMC Oxford is an open-publishing platform for news, issues, actions and analysis reporting on grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial social justice, environmental and political issues. Oxford indymedia has now its own website - for more informations about how the website works, go to this IMC UK feature - as part of the United Kollektives. See the Oxford indymedia editorial guidelines and mission statement for more informations about Oxford indymedia. The Oxford indymedia meetings and screenings are announced on this page: everyone is welcome! Don't hate the media, be the media!

If you want to get involved:
PUBLISH YOUR NEWS!
Get in touch with the Oxford indymedia collective
Join the Oxford IMC discussion list
Spread the word about Oxford indymedia and use the website! :-)

If you have any comments or suggestions about the new oxford indymedia website, click on "read more" and add a comment to this article!
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