Pink Castle  Anti-GM protestors found guilty on 15th December 2003 as a District Judge in Dorset (UK) found four anti-GM activists guilty of aggravated trespass for attaching themselves to tractors. The activists were attempting to prevent the sowing of a trial of GM maize near Weymouth in May 2002. The protest action started when a big Pink Castle was set up on the field meant for field trials of GM maize.

ARGENTINA Bombing in the Plaza de Mayo on Saturday December 20th 23 people were injured, two seriously, when a bomb went off in a demonstration of around 50 000 people remembering the Argentine popular uprising of 2001. The bomb was placed in a metal rubbish bin in the centre of the plaza as the demonstration passed

Miami Police & County Brutality at its Best Cops respond to protesters at FTAA rally with amazing accuracy & judgment that even this reporter has never before witnessed. Ground breaking tactics beat protesters to the ground not once not twice but believe it or not three times & you’re out or unconscious, you choose. Hundreds of protesters were arrested & many first hand reports have been documented by various IMC working groups. High marks go to print who finally had the goods posted on the FTAA/IMC site. Highest marks go to SF/IMC who ran audio for the event & brought the very best sticky paper this reporter has seen in quite some time providing much needed stability to this chaotic happening. Good work & thanks to all who worked amazingly hard under impossible conditions. theinvisableman  ps SF thanks for the only secure juice

IMC Hunts Mole a mole was hunted at the convergence until it was determined that it would be best to put the matter on hold until all personal could be checked with a new verification process, The overall IMC eventually was persuaded [overtaken] by video group leaders who have flown to Western Canada & Geneva respectively. MAXimun alerts have been sent around the globe via the internal indymedia network. An update from NYC/IMC will be forthcoming as jailed members come forward to clear each other. It was further reported that DD H. was somehow involved in the hunt or chase depending on which side you found yourself. This reporter found two members from past actions & would like of say thanks & gracias too, for all the support & tape they provided. This story is still unfolding & will be closely watched by several IMC's including Rochester. O&O. code you see me now but maybe not later gater - old seminole saying by [bi] bye miami

Miami prepares for FTAA  a week before the mass march & Direct Action against the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) the city of Miami is bustling. The police are mobilizing against protestors, while activists mobilize against the FTAA. Despite the defeat of an ordinance which would have explicitly targeted the anti-FTAA mobilizations, the city council of Miami passed & adopted a new ordinance which would limit the rights of protesters to assemble and express their opinions.  Several  activists were arrested last week.

Ongoing Insurrection & Resistance Intensifies 'Que Se Vayan Todos'  Fighting has spread throughout Bolivia, with major clashes between police & protesters taking place as far away as Patamacaya, 60 miles west of La Paz. The heaviest fighting, however, has moved from El Alto to La Paz, where barricades and a general strike have ground the economy to a halt. As a tenuous ring of riot police surround the Presidential Palace, protesters are planning to widen their barricades with a network of trenches about the city. Indymedia Bolivia reports that President Sanchez de Lozada ("El Goni") has resigned. The vice president, Carlos Mesa, is set to fill his space. Prior to this highly anticipated move, the Pentagon announced that it will send a small team of U.S. Military personal to La Paz, "to assess the situation."  Despite Sanchez De Lozada's attempts to diffuse the Bolivian uprising with offers of a referendum on gas exports, protesters continue to demand nothing less than his resignation. Miners from outlying regions continue to stream towards the capital, bearing dynamite and arms, to confront the sections of the military still loyal to El Goni. Women of the union Central Obrera Boliviana have gone on hunger strike in Catholic churches. Swarms of indigenous people especially prominent among protesters, have filled the streets of La Paz, struggling against a predominantly European-descended elite government. Live Radio Stream from Bolivia IMC post - http://bolivia.indymedia.org/

ICE SHELF BREAKS APART  Ward Hunt Ice Shelf on the north coast of Ellesmere Island fractures. Located in Canada's Nunavut territory this the largest ice shelf in the Arctic region, fractured releasing all the water from a freshwater lake it protected. Stable for the past 3,000 years, this huge mass of floating ice, is now broken into two pieces from north to south. Scientists claim it is evidence of ongoing & accelerated climate change in the north polar region. Damage to the Disraeli Fjord is still being evaluated.  IMC/post  NASA   http://www.agu.org   photo - Vicki Sahanatien, Parks Canada   

Mobilization Cancún  Militant activists at the forefront of a march of thousands of farmers, anarchists, environmentalists and others battled police in an attempt to breach the security barrier blocking the only route to the Cancun's Hotel Zone and the convention center hosting the 5th WTO Ministerial. Protesters tore down a 10 meter section of the security fence, set fire to another section and hurled stones at Mexican police who responded by throwing the stones back and firing water cannon and tear gas.   Cancun, September 10 by Anarchist  Coverage at Cancun Indymedia 

Developing countries pull out, WTO talks collapse  In a significant victory for the global justice movement, the WTO Cancun Ministerial meeting has collapsed as delegates from developing countries called the bluff of the EU & US.  The scene at the convention center where the meetings were being held was jubilant, and both delegates from developing countries and NGO representatives are regarding this as a victory for the developing world.

En traicionera declaración sobre el fracaso de la OMC en Cancún, el Ministro de Comercio Exterior colombiano mintió diciendo que "este adverso resultado no puede ser atribuido a los países integrantes de la Unión Europea, ni a los Estados Unidos" sino a "la inflexibilidad mostrada por ciertos países menos desarrollados". ¡Sinvergüenza! El gobierno colombiano muestra así que hizo doble juego al simular que hacía parte del G 21 y luego a la hora de las definiciones, lo abandonó. La no presencia de Colombia en la rueda de prensa ofrecida por el G 21 anunciaba que algo malo habían cocinado los delegados de Uribe. La declaración muestra cómo el gobierno de AUV está completamente vendido a las transnacionales y se comporta como vil lambón de los gobiernos poderosos.  PHOTO las rejas abajo por Hugo Idárraga  9/12-03

War -   ECOMIL peacekeepers finally gained control of Monrovia's port allowing food and other supplies to reach the starving populace. Some 200 US marines were also flown in from three warships - currently stationed within sight of Monrovia - to help with the operation. Liberians cheered the ECOMIL troops, singing the national anthem, "When the Saints Go Marching In." Rebels from the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) held the port for weeks to pressure President Charles Taylor to leave the country. As Taylor stepped down on August 11 after 14 years of brutal dictatorship which left over 200,000 people dead, Liberians sang and danced in the streets. For the first time since Taylor's 1989 coup against former President Samuel Doe, Liberians have a sense of hope for the future. IMC post 8/18-03

Protest - Contra la propietat de les idees i per la lliure informació  Fa uns dies es va emetre un programa especial sobre el Programari Lliure, o el fenomen de l' Open Source, i vam poder escoltar el President de l'Associació HISPALINUX plantejant les problemàtiques de les Patents de Software que ens volen imposar. Al mateix programa assistien membres de l' Hacklab de Madrid, de Suburbia, de Mujeres en red i Copyleft. I és que perquè a un món no hi hagi monopolis, secretismes i guerres, cal entendre que la informació i la cultura són Patrimoni de la Humanitat. El Programari lliure trenca amb el concepte que les idees tenen amos. Una altra prova de realitat del Soft. Lliure és el VI hackmeeting italià que serà els dies 20, 21 i 22 de Juny a Torino >> HACK

IMC/UK post  RFID tags Appear in UK  Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips are tiny electronic circuits which can be embedded in almost anything you can think of: packaging, clothing, electronics, vehicle parts etc. The device is triggered by a radio signal on a specific frequency. Each RFID tag has a unique identification number and will respond by transmitting that number. The tag’s unique number can then be looked up in a database to find out any information that the owner of the system cares to attach to it. GILLETTE is experimenting with RFID tags on packs of razors. If this trial is successful a broader range of goods will be tagged. This system, apparently inoffensive, can easily intrude in your personal privacy. Tags can be buried in your clothes and consequently you would be transmitting without your knowledge personal information that can be retrieved by anyone who has the proper equipment. 

“One potential problem with RFID tags is that they can still work long after the product has been bought. If the tags become as ubiquitous as the manufacturers would like, people could be bristling with the chips in clothes and possessions." (The Guardian July 13, 2003) posted by Jupiter, August. 2003

No-border Camp in Cologne, Germany   At the No-border Camp in Cologne, 300 people are surrounded and cut off by police today. Independent Media count 30 people injured when batons were drawn and teargas fired against protesters, who wanted to stop the police entering the camp. [video] Reports  about solidarity demonstrations and actions in Frankfurt & Hamburg.

Treasury Fines Voices in the Wilderness for Delivering Medical Supplies to Iraq  The Chicago-based humanitarian group was fined for violating sanctions against Iraq. Voices in the Wilderness Kathy Kelly, co-founder and two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, was interviewed by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now.

IMC/UK post During the last six weeks, unknown to most people, there have been a series of public debates about whether the government should allow the commercialization of GM crops in the UK. The deadline for public input is now over - did you have your say?  In a film made for Indymedia, people from all over the country reveal that the public consultation was poorly advertised, ill conceived and miss-managed failing to engage ordinary people. The film also demonstrates that much of the public believe that the decision has already been made to push ahead with GM (regardless of the will of the people) and that the government is an undemocratic tool of U.S. interests & big business.

IMC/NYC post - 35 Days of Nonviolent Resistance  Voices in the Wilderness  and Creative Response and Resistance will be hosting a summer camp in New York City to communicate the issues that are outlined in Spotlight Iraq. Artists, media activists, and grassroots organizers will take part in creative forms of direct action using NYC as their canvas. They will be using methods of nonviolence and alternative forms of communication as a means to counter the massive US government-controlled propaganda campaigns.

Protest  NYC Keeping Tabs on Protester's Political Affiliation Mainstream media reported today that the New York Police Department has been questioning people arrested at anti-war demonstrations about their prior political activity and recording the information in a database. According to New York Times [4-10], the NYPD will now "destroy the database, created with a debriefing form, and largely abandon the initiative" after scathing criticism from civil-rights groups. Within the same article, Police spokesman Michael O' Looney said that the department would continue to ask arrested protesters what groups they were affiliated with and would retain the information in the form of a tally, but not with individuals' names. O' Looney told the Times that the information would "help the department assign the right number of officers to future protests by the same groups."

Conflict Spring  2003 Over 5 million people protested in anti-war demonstrations around the world during the weekend after the invasion of Iraq. This was under reported by corporate media and when reported the focus has been on arrests.  Large protests manifested in Greece, Athens - Spain, Barcelona - Spain, Madrid - USA, New York City -Turkey, Diyarbakir - UK, London - Canada, Montreal - Italy, Rome - Spain, Sevilla - Netherlands, Amsterdam - Greece, Thessaloniki - Australia, Adelaide - Canada, Toronto - France, Paris - Germany, Berlin - Pakistan, Lahore - Spain, Vigo - Portugal, Lisbon - USA, San Francisco - Sweden, Stockholm - with many more protests around the globe. In thousands of communities world wide, direct actions, marches, rallies, and student walkouts were engaged during the week of the invasion. These have been contrasted with the past protests which were months in the planning, in which over 15 million people participated. The millions attending emergency protests around the globe recently, often in the face of police repression, demonstrated continuing widespread commitments to active resistance to the invasion of Iraq.  ref. IMC 3/28  wartime  Rebuilding Iraq with American only interests are now unfolding as the US begins to discuss the future of post war Iraq. Utilizing revenues from vast oil reserves of this country appear to be the main source of monies needed to help pay for the rebuilding contracts that are now being offered to almost exclusively American corporations. Future United Nations involvement is limited because the UN does not want the responsibility to govern a nation adrift in the aftermath of war. Security Council discussions are still mired in the existing argument between the nations involved. World opinion has not changed at this time. As to whether this action has been within the framework of a 21st C. global geopolitical ... has yet to be determined. War continues and one must watch closely as this unfolds, keeping in mind that the cost in lives is real. While both sides of this conflict are paying a price for freedom,  the question is what is lost in the process and whether that can be ever replaced by an uncertain future.  ref. NY Times 3/23 sec. 3, col. 2-5

Conflict Winter 2003  21st Century WAR  The new US war on Iraq has begun: arguably the greatest moral tragedy of a generation, an unprecedented failure of diplomacy and international order. Questioning the principles of democracy, thousands may lose their lives as a result of US attacks. Hardly any of them will be Americans; many of them will be civilians. They will add to the death toll of Iraqis killed by a decade of sanction and years of missile attacks raining down from American planes patrolling the no-fly zones with ever-expanding target lists. People in many areas of the world have new reasons to fear terrorism, as a result of this great act of American aggression. The Bush administration pushed relentlessly towards this war with a series of lies about virtually every aspect of the current conflict. US intentions, international law, weapons inspections, Iraq's likely military status and the amount of international support for Bush administration aims were all part of these mistruths. Applauded by American corporate interests and cheered on by mainstream media institutions, the Bush administrations unilateral drive to war has been actively opposed by most of the worlds people, and many governments and international institutions. Nobody on Earth will wake up safer tomorrow than they did today. As US/UK attacks against Iraq start, reports are coming in that hundreds of thousands of people all over the world are taking to the streets in a spontaneous show of civil disobedience and rejection of this international crime.

Protest Winter 2003  Thousands Converge in SF & DC  As war in Iraq draws closer, resistance continues around the world and the United States. On Friday, March 14, anti-war protestors in San Francisco brought chaos to the city's financial district, blockading the entrance to the Pacific Stock Exchange & shutting down major intersections downtown. At least 80 people were arrested on Saturday, March 15 with 80,000 on the streets of San Francisco against a U.S. assault on Iraq. The march started at Civic Center and went to Jefferson Park for a rally. Around 2pm, a breakaway march of 2,000 people went towards Mission & 9th when the police began to surround people. The march broke into separate segments, with SFPD declaring people on the sidewalk as an "illegal assembly." With aggressive arrest sweeps which picked up non-protesters, tourists and shoppers, 175 people were arrested. An estimated 45,000 (police estimate) gathered around the Washington Monument on the Mall, protesting the injustice of a war on Iraq and its civilians, as well as the unilateral process the Bush Administration and its few allies are engaging in.

EUROPE: ANTI-WAR REPORT A week after millions took to the streets, transports of material and soldiers from US military bases in Europe to the Gulf region continue - and so do actions against them. In Italy, Defense Minister Martino guaranteed the use of public infrastructures for US transport without the necessary approval of the parliament. The answer of the people is trainstopping:  hundreds of protestors in daily actions are trying to block the 26 convoys on their way to the military base Camp Darby close to Pisa. Activists from all over Italy are now heading to Pisa, while police is trying to keep control of the train stations. Since 23 February, the train personnel has been defined as "military personnel". While the train workers do not get much support from their labor union, the labor union of dock workers (de) has announced that they will not load military equipment on the ships. The British consulate was occupied in Torino and other actions are expected also in Ferrara, where 1,000 people were strongly charged, and in Udine. At Magdalena isle near Sardinia 1,000 activists were roughly cleared out by police.

Greenpeace Target ESSO in Anti-War Actions On the 24th February, Greenpeace volunteers and anti-war campaigners protested at and shut down up to 120 Esso petrol stations as well as blocking the entrance to the companies UK headquarters. The direct actions occurred as small mobile teams closed down Esso petrol stations from Hampshire to Yorkshire, Wales to Norfolk, with many towns and cities affected. Petrol pumps were disabled and in some areas protestors locked themselves together and refused to move. Greenpeace UK says the oil giant Esso campaigns to keep the US hooked on oil, fuelling war and causing global warming and has funded front groups that are aggressively advocating an attack on Iraq. IMC/UK 

Global Protests - Millions Participate to Stop War

 

200,000 protestors lined up for 30 NYC blocks to voice their concern with US policy towards Iraq

reports of 100,000 protesters trapped on Third & Lexington Avenues by NYC police

event promoters had no choice but to follow the direction of city officials which led to this divide

peaceful protest was spirited despite cold weather

photo by ramonaphoto/NYCIMC

The American Press once again via the television networks have allowed other more pressing news to to take the place of detailed reporting of the peace rallies around the world - we'll wait till Sunday to review the work of print media.

    Melbourne & Sydney present an alternative to WAR!

Berlin sind es nach neuesten Schätzungen 500.000 Menschen!  London 1.000.000 Teilnehmer Rome über 1.000.000 Teilnehmer!

500.000 mais très cahotique en ce moment même à New York, affrontements avec la police  Londres, 2 millions de personnes Rome, 1,5 millions de personnes malgré ce que disent les médias de Berlusconi  Barcelone, entre 1,3 et 2,5 millions de personnes  Berlin, 500.000 on attend des chiffres de 500.000 

Civil War on the Horizon  The President of Bolivia, Sochez de Lozada announced today the application of a tax law on basic salaries, as ordered by the IMF, his words resulted in a popular rebellion, that continued all day long and will have its follow-up tomorrow, as a general strike. streets,  burning party and government offices.

Global Peace Protests Planned Around the World Organizers of the Feb. 15 anti-war rally have announced the NYPD has granted a permit to rally near the United Nations (First Avenue stretching north from 49th Street) beginning at noon. Says United for Peace: "This is an important victory, and we are confident that February 15 will be a day of massive, peaceful, powerful protest in New York City". The Police Department has, however, so far refused to approve a permit for a march.

http://www.thawaction.org/  March with THAW, Bread and Puppet, and many other performing arts groups and folks! Join the NYC Performing Arts community united in opposition to the war (all are welcome) February 15 for a lively, theatrical march from Columbus Circle to the big rally at First Avenue north of 49th Street! THAW is a group of New York based theater artists alarmed by the threat of war in Iraq and escalating attacks on civil liberties here at home. We got together to discuss what we, as members of the theater community, might do in response - how we might stop feeling isolated, discouraged, and afraid. It occurred to us that the most truthful and direct response was to use what we already do - lots and lots of different kinds of theater

The Stop the War Coalition, UK has finally released a statement on the British government's ban prohibiting a mass rally in Hyde Park following the massive anti-war march that will occur in London on February 15.

The organizers of the demonstration to Stop the War against Iraq have issued the following statement: Our organizations are deeply concerned at the sudden and apparently arbitrary decision by the Royal Parks Authority to deny us, as the organizers of the February 15 demonstration against war, access to Hyde Park for an end-of-march rally. We are further concerned that this decision may have been taken at government level, which would raise the most fundamental issues regarding the right to protest. We believe that the reasons given for this ban are spurious, and that any genuine issues regarding public safety could easily be dealt with in discussions between the Parks Authority, the Metropolitan Police and ourselves. To avoid any confusion, we are urging the authority to lift this ban without delay and allow plans for the rally to proceed. We wish to reaffirm that the demonstration on February 15 is going ahead, and that there is no question whatsoever of it being cancelled. It will be a peaceful and democratic protest, representing the views and voices of the great majority of the British people, who are against this war. The British people can and will be heard in their capital city, as millions will in other capitals around the world.

The NYC authorities are refusing march permits for Feb. 15. Under no circumstances, they say, will there be a march bigger than 10,000 people. Why? Because the police cannot contain it.

www.unitedforpeace.org The following are *excerpts* of notes from Co-chair Leslie Cagan of the United For Peace and Justice Coalition (admin. committee notes. a) The NYC Police Dept. informed our lawyers today that they will NOT issue a parade permit for the demonstration. On the call today we all agreed to challenge this decision in court. The New York Civil Liberties Union is representing us and the papers will be filed in the court tomorrow (Thursday). The police said they would grant us permission to have a rally, but for safety and security reasons they will not give us the permit to march. Our lawyers believe we have a strong case, but certainly there is no guarantee on what the judge will eventually decide.

Protest  Winter2002  Todos los Caminos a la Plaza  On December 19th and 20th massive mobilizations took place in Buenos Aires, throughout Argentina, and around the world, to mark the 1 year anniversary of the popular rebellion in Argentina ousting former President Fernando de la Rua. In the past weeks, mass media created a climate of tension and fear in preparation for the protests. In the face of this atmosphere, piqueteros, popular assemblies, cacerolazos, alternative media, and human rights activists reclaimed the streets for two days of non-violent actions. Piqueteros, popular assemblies, reoccupied factories, and cacerolazos are convoking actions to celebrate a year of grassroots organizing, alternatives to capitalism, and to continue demands for an end to a system generating a deepening economic crisis. For the last 10 years, a movement has been growing in opposition to the trade sanctions put in place by the United Nations and maintained with heavy US lobbying. The UN itself estimates that the sanctions cause the death of thousands of Iraqi children every month.

Environment Fall 2002 THE IRISH SEA  Flotilla Actions Against GLOBAL TRANSPORT OF NUCLEAR WASTE  Last week, boats from Ireland, Wales, England and the Isle of Man joined the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior to confront two "lightly armed" British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) ships. The two ships were completing an 18,000 mile voyage transporting mixed oxide (MOX) enriched with Plutonium, enough to make 50 nuclear bombs. While the flotilla was preparing to deliver a message to the MOX ships, activists staged a land-based protest by chaining themselves to the roof of the Sellafield visitors center. Protestors contended that the ships were vulnerable to catastrophic accident or terrorist attack, which could lead to large-scale contamination of the marine environment and coastal communities around the planet. The Irish government condemned the shipment. Recent weeks have seen huge difficulties for BNFL and the British nuclear industry. British Energy, Britain's main operator of nuclear power stations is effectively bankrupt, while BNFL's biggest customer for MOX, Tokyo Electric, was found to be falsifying safety data and has suspended its MOX program indefinitely. The success of the flotilla action and the corporate media attention it generated has highlighted the problems that BNFL is facing and has boosted the spirits of anti-Sellafield activists