Sheffield Newswire Archive

5 interviews of results of COP-16 Climate Conference in Cancun, Mexico. Harvard's Robert Stavins calls "success". Damon Moglen, Friends of Earth; Anarchist film-maker on street protests in Mexico, Franklin Lopez; Phil England, host of "Climate Radio" calls out World Bank and weak rules; S. American expert Nikolas Kozloff on Brazil, Bolivia, & the road not taken. In depth reporting on official efforts to save the climate. Radio Ecoshock 2010-12-17

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"We are peaceful, what are you?!"

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Stop Political Policing! Fight The Cuts!

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The headquarters of Boots the Chemist is a P.O. box in Switzerland. No staff, no building, just a small post box.

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Lib Dem conference at Sheffield City Hall from March 11-13 - the first time Sheffield has hosted a conference by a national political party.

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In the famous Hans Christian Anderson fable, The Emperor's New Clothes, a weaver famously plays on an emperor's arrogance and persuades him to wear a non-existent suit with the argument that it is only invisible to the 'hopelessly stupid.' The moment of truth comes, as we can all remember, when a child in an otherwise silent crowd yells out, “But he is not wearing any clothes!” What we don't always recall is that the naked Emperor suspects the child may be telling the truth, but carries on marching proudly and unclothed regardless.

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Screened at the Showroom Cinema on the 15th December.

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More Free agit-prop-bass for your demo/action/riot soundsystem...

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Israeli deputy foreign minister’s statement reveals Israel's anxiety over the growing solidarity among a number of anti-imperialist countries in the Middle East and the Americas.

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In response to the right and far right polutting newspaper letters pages and message boards with anti student crap its time we took them on.

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We are writing this statement in support of democracy.

Since Sunday, November 28th, WikiLeaks and five major newspapers from around the world (The Guardian, The New York Times, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, El Pais) have been publishing redacted versions of leaked US Diplomatic Cables in an ongoing story that has become known as "Cablegate." The identity of the original leaker is - as yet - unconfirmed

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The FBI caught another homegrown terrorist this week, except like many recent plots the agency has “uncovered,” the attack was a plant, a plan concocted by the FBI itself. It’s the latest in a growing number of terrorism plots that the FBI stirs up by infiltrating communities and helping to devise attack plans. The practice raises serious questions about the government’s implementation of it’s ongoing war on terror.

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As the proceedings of the climate change summit concluded last weekend in Cancun, Mexico, recently released secret diplomatic cables cast renewed light on the shadowy nature of international climate change negotiations.

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In response to a solidarity massage to Iranian students from occupant students in the universities of UCL, Manchester, Sheffield, SOAS, Brighton, Goldsmiths and Bath:
( http://blog.ucloccupation.com/2010/12/08/835/) Iranian students inside the country as well as those studying abroad have drawn up a message of solidarity to the British students who are protesting against cuts and privatisation of Education system as well as universities.

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Exchanges With Piers Robinson of The University Of Manchester

What happened to academia? In 2008, Terry Eagleton, formerly Professor of English Literature at Manchester University, wrote:

"By and large, academic institutions have shifted from being the accusers of corporate capitalism to being its accomplices. They are intellectual Tescos, churning out a commodity known as graduates rather than greengroceries." (Eagleton, 'Death of the intellectual,' Red Pepper, October 2008)

He added:

"The logic of the commodity has now penetrated into the sphere of human needs and nurture, breeding pathological symptoms there. In universities, as in transnational corporations, a largely disaffected labour force confronts a finance-obsessed managerial elite."

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As WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was preparing to appear today before a London court to appeal a judge’s denial of bail, his attorney Mark Stephens warned that Sweden had instigated legal proceedings in order to hand Assange over to the US authorities.

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As the UN climate talks finish in Cancun, and fail once again to come up with any legally binding framework to reduce emissions, the British legal system is still upholding business as usual. This can’t continue. Burning coal has no future.

We are twenty of the 114 who were targets of the biggest pre-emptive arrest in UK history, as part of the increasing drive to stifle real action on climate change. We planned not only to stop carbon emissions from Ratcliffe but to be part of a much wider movement for global social justice. Dealing with climate change means looking at its root causes and we need to question why the profits of corporations such as e.on are being prioritised over people on the front line of our changing climate and the protection of our children’s futures.

In the 3 weeks we’ve been on trial over 17,000 people have died from the effects of climate change, species have continued to disappear and a few energy CEOs have continued to line their pockets. It’s the poorest and most vulnerable communities, those least responsible for this crisis, who are being hit the hardest.

Taking action on climate change is not an act of moral righteousness, but of self-defence. History is full of ordinary people who have acted to protect their fundamental rights and we need a strong movement of people doing just that. We want to reiterate our support for everyone fighting for climate justice.

http://ratcliffeontrial.org/2010/12/statement-from-the-defendants
http://ratcliffeontrial.org/2010/12/press-release-activists-found-guilty-in-ratcliffe-coal-climate-trial

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14 December 2010

All 20 defendants are found guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Trespass at Ratcliffe-on_Soar Power Station in April 2009.

They are required to come back to court at 12noon on Friday for sentencing.

All in Nottingham Crown Court again at 10am Tuesday.  After the His Honour Judge Teare made his directions, the jury were first sent out on Friday.  They came back to court a couple of times to ask questions. After the weekend, they came back yesterday [Monday] to continue their deliberations.  Again a couple more questions, but it was becoming clear that they were quite divided. At 3.40pm yesterday, they were looking a bit tired and sent a note to the Judge, asking if they could go home for the day. They had been considering their verdict for 10 hours up to then. The Judge then told them that when they came back today ... he would except a majority verdict.

Today [Tuesday], they retired again at 10.13am.  At 11.10am they returned after a total of 11.07hours.

The clerk read out the indictment:

20x names. are charged as follows, That they:

Conspired to Commit Aggravated Trespass, Contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

Verdict - GUILTY. [for all the defendants]

Strangely, the verdict was unanimous, when you consider that the judge had said he would accept a majority after their earlier difficulty in reaching a decision.

The Judge said that he was not going to hand down prison sentences now.  However, after hearing of some that had previous convictions he said he may be considering suspended sentences for those. Others were of previous 'good character' might be receiving community punishment order, to do unpaid work. He went on, that this trial had cost the country a vast amount of money.  As their actions have been found to have been unnecessary, then I don't see why they can't contribute.

All are required to return to court at 12noon on Friday 17th December.

Personally. I don't think that their case could have been better expressed.  Having sat through the whole case, I was privileged in hearing the expert evidence that was of some substance and alarming. If the jury can't see that urgency of a need for action, then I am of course pessimistic in how on earth we are going to convince the wider public of the need for action.

Perhaps we are all doomed :-(

I have added my best wishes to all the defendants throughout the progress of this case. As it turns out ... fuck all use my good wishes were. I am sad for the defendants in loosing and being found guilty, but I am also sad for my own health and everybody else’s. If people are deterred from taking more direct action on these issues, nothing else substantial is going on.  As the recent events at the Cancún climate summit in Mexico have clearly demonstrated, if we leave it up to companies and politicians to act, then we will be waiting a very long time. Certainly past the tipping points we heard so much about. Beyond which we might not be able to do very much about our demise.

Will the last one alive on the planet, kindly turn the lights out!

Statement from the Defendants
http://ratcliffeontrial.org/2010/12/statement-from-the-defendants

Press Release
http://ratcliffeontrial.org/2010/12/press-release-activists-found-guilty-in-ratcliffe-coal-climate-trial

Ratcliffe on Trial Blog
http://ratcliffeontrial.org


+++

Indymedia daily coverage of the progress of this trial:

Ratcliffe Trial: Nottingham Crown Court November 2010

2009 Nottingham Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid in Nottingham
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/427471.html
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/427496.html

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Conspiracy Trial Begins [Feature]
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/701

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe conspiracy to trespass trial opens today
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/693

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 2 - Prosecution’s Opening 
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/702

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 3 - Prosecution case continues
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/710

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial: Prosecution Opens [Feature 2]
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/714

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 4 - Prosecution case concludes
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/716

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 5 – Defence case opens
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/735

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 6 – The Defence Continues
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/744

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 7  ‘Snowed off’

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 8 – Defence Calls MP's
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/765

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 9 – Defence Calls More Experts
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/786

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 10 – Defence Calls more Defendants
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/788

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 11 - Defence Concludes its Case
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/789

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 12 – Concluding Speeches
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/796

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 13 – Final bits & Jury Retires 
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/799

2010 Nottingham Activist Speech On The Ratcliffe Trials
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/videos/798

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 14 – Jury Still Retired
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/809

____________________________________________
ALAN LODGE
Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham.  UK
Email:                 tash@indymedia.org
Web:                   http://digitaljournalist.eu
Member of the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]
____________________________________________
"It is not enough to curse the darkness.
                                   It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"
___________________________________________
<ends>

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For anyone following the string of terror attacks since the start of the "War on Terror" it will come as no suprise that there is a claim that the Swedish Armed Forces had foreknowledge of the Drottninggatan bombs, see for example this article from 2006.

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Twenty climate activists who planned to shut down one of Britain’s most polluting power stations for a week were found guilty of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass today.

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