Sheffield Feature Archive

Following the protests on the first day of the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Sheffield the second day saw 5,000 protesters gathering on Devonshire Green and marching to Barkers Pool outside the City Hall. Direct action against tax dodging corporations involved protest parties in Top Shop, Boots on Fargate and Nat West Bank on High Street [video].

A convergence space that was used on Friday night, a vacant shop next door to Debenhams on The Moor has now been opened as the 0742 Club and is appealing for people to get involved as residents [photos]. There are plans for art exhibitions, music nights, film screenings, workshops, talks and much more, there is a meeting to discuss future of the building on Tuesday at 5pm and and a workshop / talk on land reclaim, common law, and setting up eco communities on Friday, March 18th.

Articles: Reports from Sheffield under siege | Police intimidation of Liberal Democrat conference protest

Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Audio: Audio from the Rally at the start of the March | Rally at Barkers Pool | Fringe Meeting: Who controls the internet?

Video: Sheffield Cut the Corporate Elite 12 March Demo Video

Tweets: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26

Features: Massive Protests Expected at the Liberal Democrats Spring Conference in Sheffield | Protests at the Liberal Democrat Conference Day 1

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The first day of the Liberal Conference in Sheffield was met by protests [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] outside the Town Hall starting at around 4pm. At around 4:45pm the protest moved up to Barkers Pool and proceeded to chant at the conference delegates outside the City Hall. The protest then moved to the top of Barkers Pool, at the bottom of Division Street and got noisier. A critical mass later in the evening brought Ecclesall Road to a complete standstill. The Star reported that there were 800 protestors and has posted a video and a timeline of the protest.

A convergence space has been opened on The Moor in the shop next door to Debenhams[ photo].

A far bigger protest is expected tomorrow, assembling at 11am on Devonshire Green, however a warning that it might be kettled there has led to a call to meet outside the Town Hall instead. See the Massive Protests Expected at the Liberal Democrats Spring Conference in Sheffield feature article for more details

Conference tweets are using #ldconf, so use this hashtag in titles of newswire reports to get the delegates attention, you can also follow the Sheffield Indymedia newswire via Twitter or indy.im and also ConDem Sheffield on indy.im

Newswire: Convergence Centre Open in Sheffield | so this is what 2 million quid of policing looks like - day 1 | Photos from the protest, 11th March, Sheffield city centre | Protests at the First Day of the Liberal Democrat Conference | Liberal Democrat Conference: Police State Sheffield

Tweets: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Links: Sheffield ConDem Resistance | Sheffield Anti-Cuts Alliance

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After 5 years of Climate Camps, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, a statement has been issued by the The Camp for Climate Action to say that "we will not organise a national Climate Camp in 2011" and that "we will not organise national gatherings as ‘Climate Camp’ or the Camp for Climate Action in 2011". This decision, and the process by which it was made, has been criticised by SchNews, "the act of a minority to shut-down an organisation which is meant to be run autonomously is entirely contradictory... Where Climate Camp goes after this, and whether local groups can effectively use the collective identity which has done so much for environmental activism over the last 5 years remains to be seen."

Newswire: Climate Camp Dissolves Itself | SchNews: Penny for the Guy Ropes

Coverage Elsewhere: Guardian: Climate Camp disbanded | New Internationalist: Where now for direct action on climate change? | Bristling Badger: Climate camp is dead, long live climate action | Political Dynamite: The end for Climate Camp?

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On 4th March, in the face of a trade union protest (audio) councillors voted for a package of £84 million of cuts in services and 273 redundancies. The Star has reported that "Lib Dems had their proposals approved after the opposition Labour group declined to put forward alternative plans, which could have been passed with support of the two Greens and [the] lone independent". The Sheffield Green Party reports that "The Lib Dem budget was passed because Labour refused to vote against the cuts. The Green Party Councillors were the only ones to vote against the cuts". The budget documents can be found on the Council web site.

For past coverage of the protests against the Liberal Democrat / Conservative cuts see the Sheffield Public Sector Cuts archive.

Newswire: Sheffield Trade Union Rally Against Council Cuts

Links: Sheffield Anti Cuts Alliance | Sheffield UNISON

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Sheffield City Centre has been turned into a virtual police state from 11th till the 13th March, as the Liberal Democrats converge on the City for their annual spring conference. The Sheffield Telegraph reported that there will be a six foot security fence, but now it's erected it's clearly higher (2.5m). The Sheffield Star has reported that there will be 1,000 police officers defending the conference with plans to use riot gear and kettling if necessary, at a cost of £2 million. Activists have reported Police surveillance in the run-up to the conference and there are section 14 and section 12 restrictions on freedom of movement in place from the Police. The official conference webpage links to the agenda and papers and delegates information, party members are registering at the Millennium Gallery, fringe meetings are taking place in the City Hall, Mercure St Paul’s Hotel, Jurys Inn and Leopold Hotel, see the listings for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The police initially told the media that they were expecting between 2,500 and 3,000 protestors but have now said they are expecting up to 10,000 demonstrators. Sheffield ConDem Resistance have produced a flyer for the weekend. On Friday 11th March at 4.30pm there will be a demo assembling at the Town Hall and on Saturday 12th March a protest has been organised by the SWP's Right to Work campaign with the support of the Sheffield Anti Cuts Alliance with agreement with the Police — assemble 11am on Devonshire Green for a rally and a then a march to another rally. There are also other campaigns organising protests.

Newswire: Protests at the First Day of the Liberal Democrat Conference | Liberal Democrat Conference: Police State Sheffield | Liberal Democrats meet behind metal barrier | Information on planned protests in Sheffield 11-13th of March | Protest against Lib Dem Conference Organisers - Police surveillance actions

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Sheffield anarchist, activist, photographer, blogger, urban explorer, tree hugger, flyposter, Indymedia contributor and general trouble maker Mozaz has died following a bout of H1N1 swine flu. In the early hours of Sunday 23rd January, Mark Wallis, AKA Mozaz, passed away following a short illness. Mozaz's funeral took place on Thursday 3rd February 2011 at Grenoside Crematorium, there is a recording of the funeral and annecdotes from the wake, which was held at the Philadelphian Working Mens Club on Martin Street. A website to remember Mozaz and raise money to cover the cost of his send off has been set up.

Mozaz took to the internet and digital photography in a big way in the last decade, his main web site was underclassrising.net, he had several blogs, [ 1 | 2 ], and was ur32daurt on twitter. There are thousands of his photos on flickr and a thread about him passing on there as well. incurable hippie has blogged about his death and listed links to other sites. Anarchist bloggers Paul Stott and Ian Bone from London have written about his death. Mozaz was a urban explorer and there are three threads about his death [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] on the Urbex Urban Exploration Forum. There is also a Mark 'Mozaz' Wallis - 1/08/65 - 23/01/11 thread on the Sheffield Forum, a set of photos of him on flickr, an Mark Wallis aka Mozaz obituary on the Sheffield Green Party website and The Star has picked up on the story.

Articles: Mozaz | Mozaz's Funeral Details | Mozaz's Funeral (audio)

Links: Mozaz Memorial website

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In the wake of the outing of 4 undercover police infiltrators into the UK activist scene, SchNews, have broken a story about police posts to Indymedia. For over two years suspected police articles and comments have been tracked by filters that are triggered by matching IP addresses, the first comment tracked in this manner dates from August 2008 and the last from January 2011. The full lists of gateway 202 and 303 posts has now been published so activists can do their own analysis on the police posts. A feature article about the abuse has also been published by Birmingham Indymedia, this feature article, first started in in December 2009, has been the subject of a huge amount of internal discussion within UK Indymedia and has been one of the reasons behind the decision to fork the project. Sheffield Indymedia supports the use of anti-abuse features to track and remove disinformation from the site and long argued for the feature article exposing the state abuse to be published.

Articles: Full list of Gateway 303 and 202 posts to IMC UK | Advocating Domestic Extremism - Cops on Indymedia - An Exposé | INTER-NETCU: Government Agency Caught Infiltrating Activist Media Outlet | State infiltration and attempted disruption of activist websites | UK Police Agent Provocateurs Exposed | Nottingham Indymedia statement on recent events | IMC London Statement on the recent Schnews Article | Bristol Indymedia's position on IP logging

Other Press Coverage: SchNews: INTER-NETCU | SchNews: Gateway Gate: Straight from the Pig's Mouth | Slashdot: UK Authorities Accused of Inciting Illegal Protest

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On 21st October 2010 a statement posted to Indymedia revealed that Nottingham based activist "Mark Stone" was in fact PC Mark Kennedy and he was an "undercover police officer from 2000 to at least the end of 2009". This news didn't get picked up in a big way by the corporate press until a story was spun that the trail of the Ratcliffe 6 had collapsed because he had "gone native" and had considered testifying for the defense. The "gone native" story was probably police disinformation.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday (16th January 2011), for which he was allegedly paid a six figure sum, Mark Kennedy stated that he had taped a planning meeting at which the defendants were present. The Mail goes on to say that the "covert recordings he supplied police proved undeniably that the six men facing trial last week for conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass were innocent". The same Mail article also contains the claim that Mark Kennedy, "knows of at least 15 other officers who infiltrated the ranks of green campaigners in the past decade and of four who remain undercover". The Guardian has reported that an activist who knew him has said "The trouble with Mark is you don't know what is real, he was an absolutely extraordinary liar trained by the British state."

The media frenzy has also led to three further undercover police officers being exposed, Officer A, "Lyn Watson" who was undercover in Leeds from 2004 till 2008, Officer B, "Mark (Marco) Jacobs", who appeared in Brighton in 2004 and then moved to Cardiff in 2005 and was active there till 2009 and PC Jim Boyling, "Jim Sutton". A summary of the activities of the 3 agent provocateurs has been put together and activists are asked to publish any better photos or information about their political activity to this thread.

Legal Statments: Bindmans comments on collapse of prosecution against 6 environmental campaigners at Nottingham Crown Court today | Bindmans seek disclosure of material of convicted power station activists | Statement from Mike Schwarz, Lawyer to the Defendants

Feature Articles: Three undercover political Police unmasked as infiltrators into UK Anarchist, Anti-Fascist and Climate Justice movements | Undercover police officer back in the spotlight | Guilty verdict in Ratcliffe trial | Mark Kennedy/Stone exposed as undercover cop

Newswire: Photos of undercover Cop Simon Wellings | The Guardian-Mark Kennedy: Confessions of an undercover cop | The Real Facts Regarding Mark Kennedy’s Infiltration of Saving Iceland | Mark Kenney: A detailed chronology of his activities | Exposed: police spy in Worthing | Mark Cassidy undercover 1995 - 2000 | 'Peter Black' undercover 1993 to 1997 | Jim Sutton - undercover cop in Reclaim the Streets | New Photos of Officer A "Lynn Watson" and Officer B "Mark Jacobs" | Jim Sutton - undercover cop in Reclaim the Streets | An account of Marco Jacobs' time in Brighton | Statement from Cardiff Anarchist Network (CAN) on the infiltration by Mark ‘Marc | Exposure of police spy in UK sheds light on covert operations | Officer "B" Marco Jacobs- further info and photos | Ratcliffe trial last two sentences | Did the CPS unlawfully authorise undercover work? | Three undercover political Police unmasked as infiltrators into UK Anarchist, Anti-Fascist and Climate Justice movements | Kennedy Mania in the Mainstream Media | Kennedy/Stone talks to Mail on Sunday | Three undercover political Police unmasked as infiltrators into UK Anarchist, Anti-Fascist and Climate Justice movements | Officer 'B' revealed as Cardiff based 'Marco' Jacobs | Mark Kennedy: secret policeman's sideline as corporate spy | Post Flash Fallout, Lessons and Activist security | The 'censored' Mark Kennedy article | I can't forgive Mark Kennedy's betrayal of activists | IMPORTANT: A respectful request to all activists regarding Mark "Stone" | Undercover police officer back in the spotlight | Release the Kennedy Files | Ratcliffe: 2nd Court Case of 6 activist Collapses | Ratcliffe trial collapses! | Judge sentences 18 of Ratcliffe defendants | Statement from the defendants | Ratcliffe Trial Day 15 – Jury says Guilty | Activists found guilty in Ratcliffe coal climate trial | Ratcliffe Trial Day 14 – Jury Still Retired | Ratcliffe Day 10 – Defence calls more Defendants | Ratcliffe Trial Day 9 – Defence Calls More Experts

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After a 3 week trial and 3 days of deliberation for the jury, 20 climate activists were found guilty of conspiring to commit aggravated trespass today. The defendants were amongst 114 activists arrested at a Nottingham school in April 2009, on the verge of taking action to shut down the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.

Over the course of the trial the jury heard evidence from a raft of experts including James Hansen, one of the world's leading climate scientists. MPs also testified on the inadequacy of conventional political channels to prevent climate change. The 20 are clear that "Taking action on climate change is not an act of moral righteousness, but of self-defence."

Newswire: Opening 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Prosecution 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Defence 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Conclusion 1 | 2 | Verdict 1 | 2 | 3

Previous features: Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid | Ratcliffe Conspiracy Trial Begins | Ratcliffe Trial: Prosecution Opens | Ratcliffe Trial: Week 2

Links: Ratcliffe on Trial

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At a UK Indymedia Network meeting held in Bradford on 11th December 2010 it was agreed that the UK Indymedia project would fork into two separate projects on or before 1st May 2011 (fork in the sense of a Free Software fork). Many issues and disagreements over the years preceded this decision and it is now hoped that all involved will be able to continue to work on activists media projects without ongoing conflicts. One collective will take over the running of the www.indymedia.org.uk website, with a new name that won't include "UK" and on a new indymedia.org sub-domain, which has yet to be agreed. The other group will continue developing an aggregator site they are working on. The indymedia.org.uk domain will be used to host an archive of the web site which will no longer be updated.

This won't have much direct effect on Sheffield Indymedia, the web site will continue to run as part of the renamed UK Indymedia website. Sheffield Indymedia will remain on sheffield.indymedia.org.uk (and hopefully soon also be available on sheffield.indymedia.org) and it is our hope that the Sheffield Indymedia newswire will be syndicated to the aggregator site.

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On Saturday 5th December 2010 students from the occupation of the Richard Roberts building at Sheffield University were joined by others in a protest against rise in tuition fees and tax dodging companies. Tax dodgers Vodafone and Topshop were targeted as part of the action with protesters blockading the entrance to both stores on Fargate and, as a result, the Vodafone store was forced to close.

Sheffield University have been granted a posession order but at Public Rally to support the Occupation, on Sunday 5th December, in the Richard Roberts Building, Paul White, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Sheffield University said they were not going to enforce the order (audio). Recordings of most of the speakers from the Rally and also from the Roy Bailey gig which followed the rally are available ( 1 | 2 ).

The occupation was ended on the eve of the protests in London on the day that MP were due to vote on the cuts. See the the Sheffield Occupation web site for the latest news.

Newswire: Roy Bailey Set from the Sheffield University Occupation | Sheffield University Occupation Rally Against Cuts | Sheffield Occupation and Anti-Cuts Protest | Sheffield students protest against tuition fee rises and tax dodgers - Photos | Sheffield Occupation Marches Against Austerity | Sheffield Vodafone and Top Shop targeted in tax dodge demo

Related Features: Students March on Nick Clegg's Office and Occupy the Richard Roberts Building | Sheffield University Occupied in Opposition to Education Cuts

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A year and a half after their pre-emptive arrests, 20 climate change activists began their trial at Nottingham Crown Court last week. The defendants were part of a group of 114 people detained by police in Nottingham last April, suspected of organising to shut down Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. The defendants are arguing that their planned action was necessary to reduce the environmental devastation of Ratcliffe's emissions.

Newswire: Opening 1 | 2 | 3 | Prosecution 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Defence 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Previous feature: Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid

Links: Ratcliffe on Trial

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On Tuesday 30th November, as part of the nationwide "Day X2" protests, around 200-300 university workers, students and locals took on the 45 minute trek from the Sheffield University concourse to Nick Clegg’s (Sheffield Lib Dem MP and Deputy Prime Minister) constituency office in Fullwood. Despite the snow and heavy handed policing, which involved a ban "from going within 40 metres of Sheffield MP Nick Clegg's office", the protest returned to the University and proceeded to occupy the Richard Roberts building. The occupation has issued a set of demands and for the latest news visit the occupation web site.

Update 3/12/2010: With short notice Sheffield University have been granted an eviction injunction, but this has yet to be served.

There will be a demonstration against the cuts on Saturday 4th December, meet on the Sheffield University concourse at 12:00 and on Sunday 5th December, a Sheffield Against Cuts Public Rally, 16:00 in the Richard Roberts Auditorium.

A third national days of protests "Day X3", has been called for Thursday 9 December 2010, the date of the parliamentary vote on fee increases. The Sheffield reports from the first national day of action, can be found here: Sheffield University Occupied in Opposition to Education Cuts.

Newswire: Sheffield Occupation: a weekend of action against cuts | Students at University of Sheffield Occupation Threatened With Court Injunction | Sheffield University: Occupation Demands | Sheffield students protest against tuition fee rises - Photos | Sheffield Marches on Clegg and Sheffield University Occupied Again! | Bringing it all Back Home (Sheffield Student Demo)

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Students from schools, colleges and the universities demonstrated in the city centre on 24th of November in protest at the increase in tuition fees and education cuts. Following this students occupied the Hicks Building at Sheffield University. One of the occupying students explained the reason for this:

"We are occupying for a variety of reasons but generally around the common purpose of being against the cuts in this university, to other universities and to education in general. Particularly we want to demonstrate against the proposed rise in tuition fees and the ongoing privatisation of higher education. However, we are also tying our actions to a wider struggle against austerity measures and cuts."

The University evicted the occupation the following day.

On the same day there was a massive turn out for the launch of the Sheffield Anti-Cuts Campaign, listen to the speeches from the meeting. See also the recording of the Defending the state? Welfare cuts and the social wage meeting held in early November.

A second day of national protests has called for Tuesday 30th November 2010, assemble at Sheffield University students union campus on Western Bank at 12.00 noon to march to Nick Clegg’s office.

Newswire: Sheffield Marches on Clegg 30th Nov | Short Video of Student Protest in Sheffield on 24th November | University Security Attempt to Evict Student Occupation at Sheffield | Sheffield Anti cuts Alliance Meeting | Sheffield Against Cuts Meeting and March To Sheffield Uni Occupation | Sheffield Students Demo: Images Of The Police | Sheffield Students Demo: Images | Sheffield Students Demo | University of Sheffield Occupies! | Interview with an anarchist student occupier at Sheffield University | Sheffield Students Protest Against the Cuts | Statement from NUT executive members in support of the school walk outs

Links: Sheffield Occupation | Sheffield Occupation Messages of Support

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On 18th October the Queen's visited Sheffield and the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in the Advanced Manufacturing Park at Catcliffe, was greeted by protestors.

The press release for the event didn't mention the arms industry related work that takes place there but simply stated that, "The Nuclear AMRC is a new collaboration between the University of Sheffield and the University of Manchester, with the backing of the Government and leading companies involved in building the new generation of civil nuclear power stations."

The day before, Stuart Parkinson, executive director of Scientists for Global Responsibility, speaking at the Sheffield CND AGM exposed the often used argument about job creation for facilities of this nature — only 3,000 are employed in the defence sector in the Yorkshire and Humberside region and the money invested could generate far more jobs in sustainable industries.

Newswire: Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre Protest | Protest at the Queen's visit to the Rotherham Death Park | Royal Visit to Death Park! 18th Nov. 2010 | Nuclear Dawn at Rotherhams Advanced Manufacturing Park | Stuart Parkinson: Arms Conversion for a Low Carbon Economy

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On Saturday 23rd October 2010 the Yorkshire and Humber TUC held a regional protest against the cuts outside Sheffield Town Hall. The protest was joined by a march from Sheffield University.

On Wednesday 20th October, there was a protest outside the Town Hall organised by UNISON, the day the Con/Dem government announced "spending cuts of 25 percent and more across most departments" which target people on welfare, rather than the rich. Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, described these cuts as "the most brutal assault on public services, jobs and living standards since the 1930's and show that the ConDem government are prepared to force working people to carry the can for an economic crisis cooked up in the boardrooms and on the trading floors. This is all-out class war with its roots firmly planted in the playing fields of Eton."

Links: Rally photos and audio | March photos

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The UK's Con-Dem government is promoting 'Free Schools' without realising that there is a long and proud history of counter-cultural, libertarian free schools across the world.

Here, the Sheffield Social Centre group organised a free school on the weekend of 8th to 10th October 2010 at 7 Smithfield, S3 7AR.

The weekend was well attended and included, urban scrumping, the UK premiere of Psywar (watch online | download | bittorrent | audio version), discussions about what is a social centre? and how can we bring about radical change in our society? and much more.

Photos: Images from Sheffield Free School | Sheffield Free School abundance urban scrumping

Audio: How can we bring about radical change in our society? | What is a social centre? | What's happening at the Free School?

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The second Sheffield Indy Radio Show, Deportations, The EDL and Divide and Rule, features a discussion about the recent EDL confrontation at a Sheffield Indymedia meeting [MPEG video], the campaigns to oppose the deportations of two women from Sheffield, Odette Sefuko and Lem Lem Hussein Abdu, a listing of upcoming events from Alt-Sheff, news about the BP gulf oil spill via Democracy Now.

Read on to listen to the show and more details about what is in the show, Intro, Deportations, the BP Oil Spill, the EDL and some Chat. If you missed it the first Sheffield Indy Radio Show came out on 17th June 2010.

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The June/July issue of the Fargate Speaker is out download and print off the PDF version and read on for the content which includes, It’s Time To Get Angry, Protest against state murders, “purple power”?, Organising in Care and Review: Four Lions.

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Three protests took place in Sheffield against the murderous Israeli assult on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, on 31st May, 2nd June and 5th June. On Tuesday 15th June two survivors of the attack, Alex Phillips and Osama Qashoo who were on board the Mavi Marmara spoke at a public meeting organised by the Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

For previous coverage see the Sheffield Palestine topic page.

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