Gods And Guns.

     Arming the people to go out and kill for god, no I'm not talking about ISIS or any other Islamic fundamentalists, I'm talking about those white Christian fundamentalists, fighting for capitalist America. Talk about double standards, are we really in a lake of blood because a bunch of opposing religious nutters want to kill all opposing gods and their followers? We have enough on our hands fighting the injustice of capitalism, religion, any religion, just makes that task so much more difficult, When can we send this airy-fairy, insanity of a belief in a man in the sky, to the dustbin of history. Another name for religion would be state sponsored insanity, with the aim of keeping the people in-line and confused.  There are a multitude of infallible gods to pick from, there are so many Gods, that you will soon be able to get them in Poundland, just pick the one that suits your devious purpose.

This From Daily Kos:

"That the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavouring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time."
(2nd paragraph, Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, composed by Thomas Jefferson in 1777, enacted into Virginia law on January 16, 1786)

Excuse me? “GOD and country?” Ahem, well, just WHOSE “god” might that be, U.S. Army?

Let me fairly go out on a limb here and gamble that it is neither the god of Islam nor the god(s) of Hinduism? No way it’s Buddhist, Sikh, Shinto, Native American Spiritualist or The Flying Spaghetti Monster. I believe it’s a very safe bet to presume that the Army is pretending to refer to the “Judeo-Christian” god, and by THAT worn out and duplicitously deceptive label, of course, I really mean what the Army REALLY means; only the “Christian” god, Jesus. Unfortunately, as the experts will tell you, there are literally multiple tens of thousands of distinctly separate denominations of Christianity in existence. So, once again, the question is begged as to exactly WHICH “God” the U.S. Army Special Forces are boldly, publicly and eagerly recruiting for? ------

Read the full article HERE:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Operation Pandora, UK Version.

 

     Today, Friday, 16 January, is a day of international solidarity with the anarchists in Spain being harassed and arrested by the Spanish government's Operation Pandora. However, like I said, this ideology of repression against anarchists is not confined to Spain. Here in the UK, the anarchist community around the Bristol area is at the receiving end of a UK version of "Operation Pandora". I have no doubt what so ever, that this will spread across the country. The state will always, first try to silence those most vociferous in their critique of this rotten, stinking, unjust system of power and corruption, they are seen as the greatest threat to its monopoly of power and violence. Stand up in solidarity for all those who see this cancer called capitalism as a blight on humanity. Solidarity has no borders.

This from Vice:

       The vast majority of Bristol's anarchist community aren't like this. With their status as queen-and-country-hating tabloid pariahs, few people would be aware of any difference between different anarchist groups. But their methods, goals, and targets differ radically. Groups such as the Anarchist Federation (Afed) and Solidarity Federation (Solfed), which constitute a majority of the scene in the UK are involved in open, public-facing, class-based community work—handing out leaflets, helping workers who go on strike, that kind of thing—rather than acts of fly-by night vandalism.
      But these distinctions don't seem to count for much as far as the police are concerned. Over the past few months, activists from across the anarchist community say the police have been targeting them arbitrarily and indiscriminately. They say individual activists have been harassed, houses raided, workplaces visited, and arrests made without charges.
      The police maintain that they are searching for suspects linked to the IAF, but activists say they are targeting anyone that publicly identifies as an anarchist. And they say it's getting worse by the day. For the last week I've been talking to different members of the anarchist scene in the West Country and the impression I've got is of a community under siege.

Read the full article HERE:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Sneaky Dave At It Again.

       The Oxbridge millionaire cabal sitting in the Westminster House of Hypocrisy and Corruption, have been working hard, not of course in our interest, but the interests of their millionaire corporate buddies. The prince of parasites and defender of deceit, Cameron, is doing his damnedest, to gratify the desires of his masters in the financial Mafia, who have their fingers in the oil industry, by pushing the full-steam ahead button on the fracking laws. Nothing must stand in the way of the money-junkies as they hunger for their next fix, gorging on fracking profit.

     Though with the Saudi’s torpedoing the price of oil to try to sink the fracking competition, the fracking junkies may never get their hit. Never the less we have to be vigilant.

This from Greenpeace:

      Wow -- David Cameron's plan to force fracking on us just hit a new low. The prime minister wants to change the law to allow fracking firms to drill under our homes. But now he's fast-tracking his plan through Parliament at a blistering rate.
       Only a HUGE backlash from our MPs can stop him -- and we've got just days to make it happen. Can you tell your MP to vote against the prime minister's plans to force fracking on us?
    Sign the urgent petition to all MPs: https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/fracking-vote

    Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as it's often known, is a controversial process where a high-pressure mix of water, sand and chemicals is blasted underground to release trapped gas and oil.
     It's already been banned in France and Bulgaria, and just last month New York joined the list of US states that have taken action to stop the industry.
      Despite massive public opposition, David Cameron is determined to bring fracking to the UK. And right now he's on the cusp of changing our laws to make it easier to roll it out.
   But the prime minister's plan can't get the go ahead without approval from MPs -- and inside the halls of Westminster, a backlash is starting. The Scottish National Party and the Green Party have spoken out against Cameron's plan. Amongst Labour and the Lib Dems voices of dissent are on the rise, while Conservatives are feeling increasingly nervous as we approach the election.
      MPs will vote on the issue before the end of this month -- that's far earlier than expected and a move that would slash the time for debate and scrutiny.
    152,000 people have already asked their MP to vote against Cameron's plan, but we'll be even stronger if thousands more join in. Can you quickly sign?
     We're piling the pressure on before the crucial vote. Alongside our friends at 38 Degrees and Friends of the Earth, teams of volunteers will visit several MPs at their offices -- handing over our petition face-to-face. And then next week, we'll double our impact by sending letters to every single Westminster MP -- telling them who's signed the petition in their constituency, and calling on them to vote down Cameron's plan.
     Together we'll make this petition unmissable, so if you haven't yet, please sign today: https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/fracking-vote

With all my thanks,

Richard
    PS I know you've received a few emails from Greenpeace this week and I hope you're not feeling too overloaded. I wanted to let you know about this urgent news as the new law that will make us powerless to oppose fracking under our homes is being rushed through at an alarming rate -- so we must act fast. Please sign: https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/fracking-vote 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

 

I'm Not Charlie.

        You can rest assured, the state will use any and every event to tighten its grip over the people. This "Je Suis Charlie" event that is sweeping through Europe like an epidemic, will be used to attempt to turn us into some sort of homogeneous sponge, with one opinion, or your a terrorist. Fit in, say the mantra, or you are worthy of investigation by the state apparatus. To stand up and say "I'm Not Charlie", in no way diminishes the horror and revulsion felt by the barbarity of that act of pointless brutal murder. However to acquiesce, en masse, to a uniformity of response, orchestrated by the very state that represses freedom of speech, or be singled out as, against "freedom of speech", is surely a contradiction.

     This article by Richard Seymour posted in Lenin's Tomb, if true, emphasises the points made above.

     In fact (a correspondent tells me, referring to this article), the provisions of recent legislation (13.11.2014) on the monitoring and reporting of school pupils' speech and behaviour appear to have been put into effect for the first time as the names of children who failed to observe the minute's silence were reported by teachers or supervisors to the head, then to the rectorat - the regional education administration - and on to the police and prosecuting authorities, to be analysed by the intelligence services, who decide whether the facts in question are serious enough to warrant formal investigation of the pupil and his/her family and social network.  

    More widely, there are a series of arrests and sentences being handed down for "justification/gorification of terrorism", including that of a 28 year old man diagnosed with learning disabilities.

     If you are not Charlie, would you please speak up so that we can have you arrested and flung in jail, or re-educated?

Read the full article HERE: 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Guilty Of Having The Wrong Book!!!

        The charges against the Spanish anarchists arrested in the state's Operation Pandora, should have red lights flashing in the minds and hearts of all those who value freedom and privacy. Among the charges levelled at those arrested are "possessing certain books" useing "encrypted email" and "the production of publications and forms of communication". How many activists involved in legitimate and peaceful activities, would fall foul of one or more of those categories? You can rest assured that if the Spanish state gets away with this Orwellian performance, it will become the norm, here and in other states across Europe. Possessing a book, no matter how bizarre that book, does not make you a criminal, useing encrypted email is normal practice among most businesses, why should an individual be prosecuted for doing the same? Operation Pandora may be in Spain and it might be a dozen or so individuals, but it has implications for us all, it should not be allowed to slip in under the radar, or we set a precedent for further and future tyranny by the state.

      Match this up with the line-up of hypocritical leaders marching in Paris the other day, spouting "Je suis Charlie" and mouthing platitudes about the freedom of speech. Among them Cameron, our own home bred millionaire hypocrite, who sits on the throne in the Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption. No doubt he would have had a conversation with the Spanish Prime Minister asking about how Operation Pandora was going.  

This From arrezafe:

      On Thursday December 16 a large-scale police operation took place in the Spanish State. Fourteen homes and community centers were registered in Barcelona, ​​Sabadell, Manresa, and Madrid. Books, pamphlets and computers were seized and eleven people were arrested and sent to the Audiencia Nacional, a special jury for cases of "national interest" in Madrid. They are accused of incorporation, promotion, management and participation in a terrorist organization. However, defense lawyers denounce lack of transparency, customers have had to declare without knowing what they are accused. "They talk about terrorism without specifying specific criminal acts, or individual facts attributed to each" (2). When asked why, Judge Bermudez said "I'm not investigating specific facts, I am researching the organization, and the threat it might pose in the future" (1); making this another case of preventive detention in appearance.--------

     -----The European Parliament report on the surveillance program NSA US States that "privacy is not a right of luxury, but the foundation of a free and democratic society" (3). Recent revelations about the extent of the violation of the right to privacy of all by States show that everything that can spy, will be spied (4). Moreover, we know that criminalize people for using privacy tools have a chilling effect on everyone, and human rights defenders, journalists, and activists in particular. Give up your basic right to privacy by the fear of being labeled as terrorist is unacceptable.

Read the full article HERE: 

For details of solidarity protests see previous post

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

First They Came For The Anarchists----.

A call for solidarity: 

Friday, 16 January 2015,  10:00am.

Spanish Consulate General, 

63 North Castle Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH2 3LJ 

December 16th 2014 saw 11 anarchists in Barcelona detained in what has been known as "Operation Pandora".
All 11 detainees (4 of them were released on charges on December, 18th) are anarchist activists. One of them is a member of Sabadell CNT union and is still imprisoned. Solicitors for the accused have stated that they have been arrested for being organised; evidence against the accused is non-existent and desperate. Demonstrations have taken place already around Spain, however January 16th may see even bigger demonstrations. Please pass this information on - and if you live in or near a city with an embassy or consulate, let us know!
Join us - We will hand out leaflets against this attempt at criminalisation of anarchism.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Hypocrites All.

      The tub-thumping hypocritical defenders of "freedom of speech", apart from their persecution of journalists, practically all of them have blood dripping from their fingers, but not in the defence of freedom, but in the defence of their own power, capitalism and the mighty corporate greed machine. 

       All they bring to the public out pouring of outrage, is hypocrisy, repression, warmongering, and hunger for power. Birds of a feather----. 

Jacque Swartz

12 January 23:51

Those marching in the front row of the Paris free speech march yesterday:
- Prime Minister Rajoy of Spain, whose government just passed the Ley Mordaza, a gag law placing historic restrictions on the right to protest in Spain.
- Foreign Minister Lavrov of Russia, which last year jailed a journalist for "insulting a government servant" .
- Foreign Minister Shoukry of Egypt, which as well as Al Jazeera staff has detained journalist Shawkan for around 500 days.
- King Abdullah of Jordan, which last year sentenced a Palestinian journalist to 15 years in prison with hard labour.
- Prime Minister Davutoglu of Turkey, which imprisons more journalists than any other country in the world.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, whose forced killed 17 journalists in Gaza last year (second highest after Syria).
- Foreign Minister Lamamra of Algeria, which has detained journalist Abdessami Abdelhai for 15 months without charges.
- The Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, which in 2013 held a journalist incommunicado for a month on suspicion of MB links.
- Prime Minister Jomaa of Tunisia, which recently jailed blogger Yassine Ayan for 3 years for "defaming the army".
- The Prime Ministers of Georgia and Bulgaria, both of whom have a record of attacking & beating journalists.
- The Attorney General of the US, where police in Ferguson have recently detained and assaulted Washington Post reporters.
- Prime Minister Samaras of Greece, where riot police beat & injured two journalists at a protest in June last year
- Secretary-General of NATO, who are yet to be held to account for deliberately bombing and killing 16 Serbian journalists in '99.
- President Keita of Mali, where journalists are expelled for covering human rights abuses.
- The Foreign Minister of Bahrain, 2nd biggest jailer of journos in the world per capita (they also torture them).
- Sheikh Mohamed Ben Hamad Ben Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar, which jailed a man for 15 ys for writing the Jasmine poem.
- Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, who had several journalists jailed for insulting him in 2013.
- Prime Minister Cerar of Slovenia, which sentenced a blogger to six months in prison for "defamation" in 2013.
- Prime Minister Enda Kenny of Ireland, where "blasphemy" is considered a criminal offense.
- Prime Minister Kopacz of Poland, which raided a magazine to seize recordings embarrassing for the ruling party.
- Prime Minister Cameron of the UK, where authorities destroyed documents obtained by The Guardian and threatened prosecution.
- Prime Minister Orbán of Hungary, the autocrat of who Amnesty says has "put an end to the free press in Hungary."

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Kill TTIP.

     Global corporatism creeps ever forward, TTIP is still not dead. A lot has been done by publicity from various public/social networks to highlight this power monster that is sitting on our shoulders. It is probably the biggest threat to our NHS and other social services, that we have yet encountered, it is the death-knell to that façade, that is labelled democracy, in this society of illusions that we live under.

      We must continue to shout about this creeping corporatism that threatens to take the reins of power from national governments and into the corridors of power of the corporate boardrooms. A place where people disappear from the equations and are replaced by a plus or minus on the profit balance sheet.

This from World Development Movement:

       On Thursday we have a rare chance to scrutinise the EU-US trade deal TTIP in Parliament. TTIP is being negotiated in secret. But thanks to campaigning by people like you, our elected representatives will get a chance to air their concerns about TTIP.

We only have 3 days until the debate in Parliament. Please write to your MP to help stop TTIP.

      The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) represents a huge shift in power from ordinary people to corporate interests. It could give corporations new rights to sue governments in dodgy off-shore courts as well as weaken public services and labour and environmental standards.

Take action now to say no to TTIP.

        By the time TTIP is debated in Parliament on Thursday the World Development Movement will have become Global Justice Now. We look forward to continuing to campaign with you for a world where resources are in the hands of the many not the few.

Together we can defeat dangerous trade deals like TTIP.

Best wishes,
Guy Taylor
Trade campaigner, WDM

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

When The State Feels Threatened, You're All Suspects.

        We should pay heed to the "Operation Pandora" that is being played out in Spain, and also the part played in the lead up process, by that babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media. It is a formula that will be used by other European states, as they flounder in the face of growing public unrest and anger.  We are governed by consent, however, when we start to withdraw that consent, we are governed by an iron fist, as the state will not willingly relinquish its power. As our burden increases, and our struggle intensifies, the state will remove its kid-gloves and don the knuckledusters. The state can only survive by our subservience. Our desire to think for ourselves, is a noxious gas the the state apparatus. Solidarity knows no borders, solidarity is the winning weapon.

An extract from an article  by Anarcho-syndicalist:

      The State is hardening. The proof: the attempt on the part of the Ministry of the Interior to create a file on people who are arbitrarily classified as “suspects”, and the passage of a Law of Civil Security that gives the police carte blanche to repress any movement that protests in the streets. As opposed to those who propose constitutional reforms, or even to “democratize” the State in order to save it, there is a political sector that seeks to armor it with all kinds of repressive measures. Behind the walls of this fortress the majority of the real powers that have a great deal to lose in this crisis have taken refuge. They are beginning to panic, and that is why the State has embarked upon a change of course; with this goal in mind it is preparing the ground. The communications media were the first to lend a hand in this task, long before the police and the judiciary. For quite a while now fantastic stories about mysterious international visitors, the messengers of anarchy, as well as other tales of the same alarmist type, have been circulating, stories that have a tendency to criminalize the only means that exist which are opaque to Power (an opacity that is itself a scandal): squatted buildings, libertarian cultural centers and self-managed collectives.

Read the full article HERE:

 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

What Email System Do You Use??

    A bit more on Operation Pandora, the Spanish government's move against anarchists.

From Motherboard.vice

    In mid-December, 11 Spanish anarchists were arrested by Catalan police in Barcelona, and it now appears they were detained at least in part because they were using an encrypted suite of secure communication tools known as Riseup.net. At the moment, seven of them are still waiting to stand trial. No formal charges have been made public.
    Early media reports suggested that those charged may have played a role in the destruction of ATMs around the city in 2012 and 2013, but that report hasn't been confirmed, because the Spanish judge presiding over the case has refused to make the official police report public. However, Judge Gomez Bermudez noted this week that the defendants "were using emails with extreme security measures, such as RISEUP.net." The defendants were also accused of having a book called Against Democracy and of having a "internal organizational and bureaucratic structures."

"what email service they use shouldn't be one of the determining factors in whether they're arrested"

Read the full article HERE:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Solidarity Against State Repression.

       A call for solidarity against the Spanish government's repressive actions, as it tries to crush and silence all resistance, while it carries out the dictates of the Financial Mafia, forcing "austerity" in the backs of the ordinary people. As has been said before, "First they came for the anarchists------"   Solidarity knows no borders.

Anarcho Syndicalist posted in Friday 16 January - International Day of Support for Anarchist Detainees in Spain


Anarcho Syndicalist 11 January 22:01

Call for International Solidarity Actions against Repression in Spain

http://www.iwa-ait.org/content/call-international-solidarity-actions-against-repression-spain

     Last December 16, in Barcelona, 11 anarchists were detained in what is known as "Operation Pandora". All 11 detainees are anarchist activists. 4 of them were released on December. One of them is a member of the CNT union from Sabadell and is still imprisoned. His lawyer says they are being held because they are organized. They haven't been accused of anything more than being active anarchists that spread and publish our ideas and fight for them.
     It's clear that this operation took place only to persecute and criminalise the libertarian movement and to instill fear in the rest of the population so they don't fight against this system's injustice.
     On January 16 afternoon we ask for solidarity. All that are able, please hold demonstrations or protest meetings to demand the detainees' freedom and against Operation Pandora.

Call for International Solidarity Actions against Repression in Spain | International Workers...
www.iwa-ait.org

Submitted by Secretariat on Sun, 01/11/2015 - 19:54 Last December 16, in Barcelona, 11 anarchists we...



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Anarcho Syndicalist

11 January 20:56

      On Tuesday, December 16th, at 5am, hundreds of cops broke into several houses, social centers, and ateneos in Barcelona, and also an apartment in Madrid. It was part of Operation Pandora, an anti-terrorist initiative carried out by the the highest level of the Spanish court system. Several houses were searched and eleven anarchist comrades were arrested. They did not know what charges they were accused of when they were arrested, just given a vague “anarchist terrorism” charge.
       On Thursday, December 18th, seven of them went to prison and the other four were released under surveillance. All of them are now accused of the participating in the GAC (Coordinated Anarchist Groups), a group of people who held some meetings and edited some books. Earlier in November, 2013, five people were arrested and two are still in prison. They are also accused of the participating in the GAC and also committing some direct actions against churches.
         The coordination between the police force and the media during Operation Pandora was immediately apparent. Together, they created panic and justified the repressive operation in terms of “criminal groups”, “terrorists” and “violent ones”. These police raids happened one day after the enactment of the “Ley Mordaza”, a very restrictive law that criminalizes disobedience and protest .
          We are not surprised about the repression against the anarchist movement because our struggle against inequality through the self organization outside of laws and institutions make us undesirable for the state. They talk about “terrorism” when it is they who create terror and misery: the politicians and their laws, the bankers and their blackmails, the employing class and their exploitation, the cops and military with their repression and wars. Who are the “criminals”? Who is “violent”? Who are the “terrorists”?
        The arrested people are our comrades. If they are terrorists, we are too. We build affinity, create alternatives, and point out who is robbing and exploiting us.

Because they are our friends,
Because they are our comrades,
Because we fight for Anarchism
We demand their immediate release!
We are in solidarity with them and will keep on fighting!

The struggle is the only way

For more information: solidaridadylucha@riseup.net

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Workers, Know your History: We Don't Need A Carpark.

    Another episode in which The Glasgow City Council decided what the people needed, without consulting the people, and the people, by direct action and solidarity, made them change their minds and listen to the people.

     This successful campaign took place in Castlemilk, what was at one time the largest housing estate in Britain. 

Taken from Strugglepedia:

Community Action – Housing; regentrification, greens into car parks, loss of safe play spaces. Injustice/ normal channels closed / bureaucracy /desperation /solidarity with experienced anarchist strategies/ planning direct actions/ increasing the agitation/ use the demolition workers in the struggle, to bring the bureaucrats to the site/ impact on people as activists

John Cooper, John Cooper - taped and scribed by A Rice 17.7.12

I tell it all as if it was a day but it was actually maybe 6 months or a year of struggle.

    Campaign in Castlemilk, A group of tenants had been told that the Council are going to build a car park in their back greens. The back greens being the area in which they hung out their washing and where the kids played in safety. The people in the area were all against it and they had actually got a petition together, taken it up to the Labour club, and handed it into the Labour Club and low and behold the Labour Club lost the petition they said later, or they claimed they lost it. And therefore the peoples’ thing could not be taken any further. So by luck one of the tenants bumped into one of us and he told us about the situation.

      The work was about to begin in the back greens. They had knocked down a couple of the gable ends to allow bull dozers to get through into the backs. And they were going to start digging up the drying greens and the kids play areas to build this car park.

And basically the people says to us ‘do you think there’s anything we can do about this. Nobody in the area wants this. Everybody is absolutely against the idea. We have petitioned the Labour Party through the Labour Club – they lost the petition that we handed in – and can it be stopped? ’.

     I gave the answer that I always give people that ask me that question and I answered ‘How determined are you?’ And they said they were absolutely determined about it so I asked them to get a couple of the families together, we went up and saw them, and we talked to them. We being a group of local community activists in Castlemilk, myself and a couple of the others were anarchists, some of the others had no political affiliation, there might have been one or two people in the Labour party, or some kinda left wing groups or whatever but generally I would describe the whole feeling of the thing as kinda anarchistic.

We went up and seen the people. We suggested to them that they get another petition together – no because there any value in getting a petition - but jist to give us an opportunity to go back round everybody again , talk to them on their doorstep, and ask them if they were still prepared to do something about it. We did that the next day , it was only a quad , a really small area, everybody agreed that they were against it. So we went up to the Labour Club, we said that we had another petition, but we weren’t giving it them in or whatever, and we wanted something done about it. We asked to see somebody – they refused to let us see anybody, so we went back down the road and we made our plans for the next day.

      The next day the bulldozers came and we decided just to block the whole entrance to the back greens, refused to allow the bulldozers through. And I went up and I spoke to the guy that was driving the bulldozer and explained the situation to him and as usual when you speak to other working class people they generally see the point, I will have to phone my gaffer, well that’s exactly what we want you to do, and he phoned his gaffer and he phoned his gaffer and he phoned his gaffer and before too long we had all the relevant people down at the site and that ultimately they sent for the council. When the councillors arrived ( I don’t know if it was that day) but some point in the thing, the councillors arrived in a limo, and so it went from a situation where the councillors refused to see the people but because of the direct action that we took they had to eventually come to us to see us in person. And within a very short space of time they saw that we weren’t going to allow them to build a car park in the back green and they had to cancel the whole thing.

So it was an outright victory for the people.

Stasia; and these are publicity photos?

     This is a wee exhibition that the tenants done at the time. After the victory we done these sheets and people put in their comments and pictures, newspaper cuttings, explaining how we halted the car park and we actually used these in other struggles by putting these up and we explained to people that this is how you can take things on and win the situation.

List of the material

Sheets that you can put up on walls hand made posters (John Cooper Snr Handwriting)

A wee folder of all the newspaper coverage at the time

People writing poems about it

Pictures taken at the time by Charlie Fisher non resident photographer (who helped with the community newspaper Castlemilk Today)

Dept of housing official papers

Minutes of the council meetings

MP letters from Westminster Teddy Taylor

And letters from Glasgow District council

Copy of petition 2 not handed in because previous one lost.

     Initially the people went to the Labour Councillors which is the obvious way to deal with the situation. They went to them, handed in a petition to the Labour Club who basically ignored them and said they lost the petition so the Labour Councillors basically refused to take up their issue for them and they were quite happy to allow it to go ahead. And because they were able to come to us the people that lived there, we advised them on how to deal with the situation and we were there with them and we managed to stop it completely and the backs were all reinstated.

Impact

      Some of the people in the campaign for the most were delighted at the victory, it was something that they thought they could not achieve in view of the fact that they had already started the work so not only did they stop the thing but they actually retrieved the thing from the ashes so to speak. I think a lot of people felt a great sense of empowerment, and certainly some were involved in other campaigns after that.

 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk