Royal Television Society party poopers

An active response unit from Noters from the Borderland magazine staged an organised protest at the annual Royal Television Society awards at the London Hilton Hotel Park Lane on Thursday 24th February 2005. We gave out over 300 leaflets and sold 20+ copies of the new issue of the magazine - its cover targets JOURNOCOPS and the magazine introduces the concept of SPIJ (state compromised pseudo-investigative journalism). The rubbish BBC documentary SECRET AGENT was up for a best documentary award and the mag has a 28 page article dissecting this and other tv documentaries as well as a left critique of the BBC. Thus, the RTS awards was a great place to intervene and to launch issue number 6. Highlights of the evening included giving complimentary copies to Searchlight mole Andy Sykes (who grinned inanely and didn't know what to do) who then got on his mobile in the foyer frantically ringing his Searchlight pals and his Special Branch protectors and giving a copy to Fiona Bruce (who was photographed holding it by the paparazzi!) - she commented on the Journocop headline - we mention her inside the mag because of her Real Story programme doing a job on AR and F4J activists. Others who got leafletted were Sir Trevor McDonut, Ainsley Harriott (!), Peter Taylor, Natasha Kaplinsky, Alaistair Stewart, Jon Snow,Kirsty Young and various other BBC/ITN/C$/C% and media industry 'leaders'.It was great to get into the core of Journocoppery and confront them at a dinner jacketed event where they wouldn't expect it - the media is no friend of ours. The doormen (who were fairly helpful) told us that the top dignitaries like BBC Director General (who is guarded by crew cut thugs by the way) Mark Thompson and the like heard about the demo and got in frightened by the back door instead! That in itself was a victory - no longer can those who spread lies in the media (particularly demonisation of AR and anti-globalisation activists) expect to have an easy time at their self-reverential awards ceremonies.

The event swa the launch of Number 6 of NOTES FROM THE BORDERLAND - essential reading for all activists. The mag has articles on Journocops and the BBC, an analysis of Secret Agent and the BNP arrests, My terrorist hamster ate Manningham-Buller, an article on the Animal Liberation WAr, Manchester Gangs - time for a closer look, further updates on Copeland and Shayler and a wickedly amusing appraisal of the life of the late Paul Foot, doyenne of the SWP, called One Foot in the Grave. A must read magazine for you and your mates available now for £3.50 (payable to Larry O'Hara) from BM4769, London WC1N 3XX, or email  davidxpegg@yahoo.co.uk for details. La Lotta Continua.