Schnews.org.uk article

VILLAGE PEOPLE

The Democracy Village occupation in Parliament Square (see SchNEWS 728) had a High Court ruling against them on Tuesday (29th) to vacate by 4pm today (2nd). However, minutes before, solicitors for the village managed to lodge an appeal, giving a reprieve for a fortnight.

They’re appealing on grounds that the ownership of the land is far from clear-cut - and the judge had bent the law to give Boris Johnson and the GLA the right to evict.

The camp are launching Operation Rolling Thunder, an ongoing programme of non-violent direct action. They want people to come and do their own actions, to help with the site, keep it tidy and maintain the gardens.

After the appeal was lodged, the village – surrounded by press – took the protest off the square later in the afternoon and moved towards parliament. Two managed to climb onto the lawns at the front of the Houses of Common, and managed to stay for 20 minutes before being nicked. Meanwhile a group of about 40 – and these numbers were more than doubled by participating tourists, as well as press, spilled out onto the road and blocked the road outside the Commons for up to an hour.

The protesters then left and moved up towards Downing St. Whitehall was blocked for 15 minutes leading to eleven arrests for obstruction.

Further civil disobedience is planned – and all are welcome to get involved. Those with experience in direct action are particularly welcome.

* See www.democracyvillage.blogspot.com and www.democracyvillage.org or see Facebook site

Rolling Thunder video

After the court proved that the Judiciary is not independant in this country a mass wave of civil disobedience and non violent direct action begins
Great video of yesterdays action beginning operation rolling thunder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpv8vVhGLC8

Operation Rolling Thunder

Today the judgement was given in the high court the judge granted a possesion order and injunction denying many of our European rights,Ancient rights and also radically changing common law allowing someone who was not the owner ,bomber boris johnson and the GLA to apply for possesion

There is NO JUSTICE, JUST US ,especially when the judge would not accept full expert witness from Chris Coverdale the foremost expert in the land on the laws of war.
Who was trying to explain these illegal wars for resources are breaking at least 6 International laws and treaties.Also that it is the duty of all concerned citizens to resist this illegal war for resources that has removed many of our civil Liberties.

The judgement was covered by much media increasing the debate about the war.
Following on from this UNJUST judgement activists and concerned citizens from the democracy village decided to take Non violent direct action around 5 pm.Launching Operation 'Rolling Thunder'

Around 12 people crossed the road with peace banners and walked straight in through the main gates of Westminster, 2 bold citizens ran 100ft into the grassed area behind the gate and after a little run around were arrested for trespass.
The other 10 did a sit down protest with banners 20ft inside the gate which took a surprised police presence about 15 minutes to bundle out the side gate without arresting them.They then continued to block the smaller side gate and managed to turn away 2 official cars from the main gates.This blockade continued until 9.30 pm when police reluctantly arrested 4 more maybe for obstruction?.
This brought the total number arrested to around 29 over the last 8 weeks of constant action.
Direct action meetings have been held at 1pm at the camp each day and shall continue.

This brave action by some of the regular village crew helped to launch 'Operation Rolling Thunder'
a mass call out to all Peace and activist groups to come on whatever day they can over the coming weeks and months and engage in imaginative non violent direct action and support of the Peoples assembly/Democracy Village.The first waves are tired and it is essential that many other groups take up the baton of resistance.

Come for a few hours or days whatever u or your group can do bring food and equipment for action,help on the welcome desk,do some tidying patrol or water the garden or if u up for it,bring a banner and climb high ring the media,bring your climbing gear,tools d-locks ,chains n locks,megaphones,cameras, blockade an entrance,picket a government department,make some noise,network and give out information.Become a relentless networker for Peace.
All are welcome old and new, many minds are with us, Now is the moment of Power,Reclaim the Power.
This is a call out to all Peace and active groups,this is the best opportunity the Peace/Anti War movement has had for the last 9 years.Take action Keep Networking Please forward to all your networks. Operation Rolling Thunder is GO

GREEN VILLAGE PRESERVATION SOCIETY Schnews article

GREEN VILLAGE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Democracy Village and the camp which has occupied Parliament Square since Mayday is into the second week of the High Court battle – Democracy Village vs Boris Johnson (who wrongly assumed he had default power over the square – see SchNEWS 727). The judge will decide next Tuesday whether to issue a possession order to the GLA London council and, if that goes ahead, bailiffs could arrive for an eviction within days. In the 6-8 weeks there’s been over 20 arrests including those for direct action rooftop banner drops and three arrests for climbing parliament.

The village are arguing on various fronts to win the case, including the need to have a public space and forum to discuss unlawful govt actions, such as illegal military adventures. Then there’s four European human rights convention laws about freedom of expression, free assembly, religion and the right to legally question govt activites; Also the fact that traditionally, the land around Westminster Abbey was a mound which was the site of the Gorsedd of Tothill, a place of free speech,discussion, bardery, and festivities, enshrined by the statute of Richard I “Lionheart” in 1189, ratified by parliament in 1858 (Mostyn Manuscript) and never repealed.

There is still a call out to come to the square, and there will continue to be the regular events, including the talking circle on Wednesdays at 7pm, poetry and music from 5pm on Fridays, and the Peoples’ Assembly on Saturdays at 5pm. The whole camp is in fact a peoples’ assembly - a discussion forum - which became known as Democracy Village. It has side-stepped SOCPA laws (see SchNEWS 612) by saying it is a discussion not a protest. Even if there is an eviction, nothing can stop the continuation of peoples’ assemblies if it’s new people or those not named on injunctions.

The court case which began on June 14th has been a lopsided battle between an unsympathetic judge – backed of course by extreme political weight – versus 19 uppity and up-for-it defendants aided by some top human rights lawyers and supporters. The judge got so pissed off with the defendants after being vigorously questioned about common law , and being reminded of state war crimes, he declared that the public would no longer be allowed in, only the defendants and the press.

He also disallowed an expert on war legalities Chris Coverdale – because he’s not a lawyer, even though he has spoken on government committees (War and the Law) for up to 7 years. But Monday (21st) saw star witness Tony Benn, who came out for the village and their right to hold the government to account, saying it was ‘an integral part of the democratic process’.

As an interim measure the GLA have allowed tents at the Great George Street corner on the paving – on a license for an undefined period - so this could go on for some time yet.
So it’s not over yet: it needs new people - bring food, tea, tents, climbing gear, cake, skills to share and good vibes. If a possession order is issued next Tuesday, look out for call-outs to help defend the village, and make plans for the future.

* See www.democracyvillage.blogspot.com and www.democracyvillage.org or see Facebook site. Site mobs 07981877462, 07722444146

* This Tuesday (22nd) saw a day of actions at the square against the austerity measures which will effect the poor not the war effort, and Ed Milliband was confronted about whether he voted for the Iraq War – which he refused to respond to, as he was whisked off by a minder to avoid some activists who wanted to citizens arrest him for war crimes.

Cut the War

It appears those kindly folk from Meltdown (http://meltdown.uk.net/), who brought you both this year's mayday carnival and last year's G20 demo, have organised some shenanigans against the emergency budget this Tuesday, under the general banner of "Cut the War".

RESIST THE ATTACK ON OUR SERVICES AND RIGHTS!

On June 22nd, the con-dem government will reveal an emergency Budget, cutting our public services, our NHS, our public transport, our education... we say cut the war! If our oppressive occupation of Afghanistan were ended, the cuts we face now would not be necessary.

So, on June 22nd, come down to Parliament Square at 12 midday for a mass direct action to resist this attack on our services. Millions of us rely on them on a daily basis.

Bring banners, placards and signs.

JUNE 22 - PARLIAMENT SQUARE - 12 MIDDAY

www.meltdown.uk.net

www.cutthewar.blogspot.com

welfarenotwarfare@gmail.com

In the last few hours, the so called "grand plan" has been revealed in a post on the "Cut the War" website:

Mr Osborne is planning to reveal his emergency budget at 12:30pm, so some time between midday and then "pixies" will mysteriously block the road in front of Parliament, unfurling zebra crossings, to allow pedestrian access to Parliament Square for the first time ever. It has been rumoured that there may be a large snail attempting to use this crossing, further holding up traffic.

At 12:30, Rave Against the Machine will move a sound system in to the road up Whitehall, near the SWP protest, blocking the road and holding a party against the cuts!

Also at 12:30, several more naughty pixies will blockade parliament with their bodies, physically preventing the budget from entering parliament. There are also unconfirmed rumours of a rolling roadblock on Westminster bridge.

It can also be revealed that banners will be dropping from buildings left, right and centre, courtesy of those lovely people at Democracy Village (www.democracyvillage.org).

So come down to Democracy Village at midday this Tuesday (22nd), and show the Con-Dem'd government real people power. That budget gets into parliament over our dead bodies!

Peace and Love, cut the war!

Peoples Assembly This and Every Saturday

Peoples assembly this and every sat 5pm at parliament square.
There will be a peoples assembly discussion forum on the future this and every Saturday 5 pm for now, time may vary.

Many networks from Copenhagen activist,NGO and indigenous have called for peoples assemblies to be set up worldwide through June and ongoing into 2010.

This is part of operation ghost a plan to create peoples events at parliament square on many nights of the week that can continue even if the authorities evict the tents of democracy village.

Fridays from 5 pm there is a poetry singing and music circle.more events to be announced soon.
The spirit of the democracy village will continue. You cannot stop an idea.

Democracy Village Activist Reclaims Parliament Plinth

At approximately 9:30 this morning an activist from the Democracy Village scaled one of the plinths outside Parliament with a sign reading "How can armed force create peace in the Middle East?". With the death toll of British forces approaching 300 and the number of Afghan civilians killed in the tens if not hundreds of thousands, it's time to end the war and bring our troops home. 77% of the British public wish to see an end to the senseless bloodshed.

The Democracy Village is a collective of campaigners and activists calling for an end to the war in Afghanistan and solutions to other global human rights and environmental issues. We have been occupying Parliament Square since the 1st of May and are in the middle of an eviction court case with the Greater London Authority.

Democracy Village are calling on, activists, campaigners, networkers, bloggers, film makers and photographers to join us on our campaign to make the world a safer place for everyone. Grab a tent, sleeping bag, paint, banner material and JOIN US!!