A new Climate Camp was set up yesterday in County Tyrone, Ireland, to stand in the way of a proposed highway— the A5 Western Transit Corrodor between Londonderry and Augnacloy. Forging alliances with the local communities and activists at the Alternative A5 Alliance, the Climate Camp is an explicitly anarchist project determined to continue staging actions until Monday in order to draw attention to the unnecessary and foolish increase of an already bloated traffic system.
Also in Ireland, the Beat the Boreholes campaign, coming out of Rossport Solidarity Camp, has produced several dynamic, direct actions against Shell’s plans to build a pipeline through Ireland to a refinery from a drill site off the coast of Rossport in County Mayo. According to EF! UK, at the end of July, “10 campaigners waded out to one of the rigs drilling boreholes in the Sruwaddacon estuary the rig at high tide, fixed rope around the legs of the rig, and occupied the space underneath it to prevent the being moved to a new site. Work was delayed for around two hours.”
One week later, “11 people from Rossport Solidarity Camp waded and kayaked out from the camp to again delay Shell’s survey work in Sruwaddacon Estuary. Overall drilling work was stopped for over 5 hours, with one person climbing up one of the legs of the drilling platforms. Several people also attached themselves to the 2 outer drilling poles which are under the platforms.”
The next day, “9 Campers wadded and kayaked out to the platforms this morning and halted work for 1 and half hours. IRMS workers eventually secured the area by pushing people away and dragging their kayaks down the estuary. Kayaks were deflated by security and some people were dangerously forced to swim in high currents. There were no arrests.”
Less than a week later, 6 kayakers evaded half a dozen security boads and two coast guard-style boats, to reach a survey barge being towed to its destination, the Sruth Fhada Chonn estuary Special Area of Protection, by “claiming free passage of the public estuary.” 2 out of the 6 kayaks made it to the moving barge, after giving chase for an hour and a half. No arrests were made.
More here
In news from the US, the Buckeye Forest Council is calling out for people to write in to protect Ohio’s forests. The Forest Stewardship Council is already assessing Ohio’s forests to come to terms with timber companies by ensuring that “responsible” timber harvesting is possible (not likely!). Now, Ohio Senators seem poised to move towards harvesting trees for “renewable biomass.” In other words, they want to burn trees instead of coal to stop global warming.
Finally, for Greek Environmental radicalism. Thracean Gold, is waiting for permission from Greek authorities to move forward with mining in Thrace. Despite the defeat of Canadian gold mining giants TVX in Halkidiki through decades of direct action and legal challenges, Thracean Gold seems to remain hopeful. Click here for more.
The use of cyanide Gold Mining, which has been outlawed in other European countries, has seen health problems and even deaths of local people and the death of birds and other wildlife.
11 years ago a bombing attack was attempted against the government agency responsible for approving gold mining in Greece. Click here for the statement of Nikos Maziotis taking responsibility for fighting the TVX
gold mine plan as a manifestation of the impacts of capitalism and state.
Maziotis was again picked April 10, 2010 up on charges relating to
ongoing underground resistance, and has since gone on hunger strike to demand visitation with his pregnant partner, who was also picked up for her role in the same group:
both can be written at:
Nikolaos “Nikos” Maziotis
Dikastiki Filaki Koridallou
T.K. 18110 Athens
Greece
Nikos was arrested on April 10, 2010 and charged with participating in Revolutionary Struggle. On April 29, together with Gournas and Roupa, he admitted to taking part in said group.
Panayiota “Pola” Roupa
Kleisti Kentriki Filaki Ginaikon
Korydallos
T.K. 18110 Athens
Greece
Roupa was arrested with five other comrades on April 10, 2010 and charged with participating in Revolutionary Struggle. On April 29, she admitted to taking part in said group via an open letter co-written with Nikolaos “Nikos” Maziotis and Constantinos “Costas” Gournas. Due to her advanced stage of pregnancy, she has been transferred from Elaionas to Athens, where she is currently waiting to be brought to hospital.
From ‘Revolutionary Struggle Three’: A POLITICAL LETTER TO SOCIETY
“Anyone who looked closely at the trajectory of Revolutionary Struggle would understand the obsolescence of the assertions by the political establishment and its henchmen in the media about how our actions “constitute a threat to all of society.” Which of our actions terrorized society or were directed against it?…Did the attack against the multinational Shell—which for decades has plundered the natural resources of many countries, exploited entire peoples, and contributed to the destruction of the planet—terrorize the population?”
Other greek prisoners addresses can be found in English here.
For an EF! Primer in Greek, go here