Rampart newsletter 4th March 2008__
HI EVERYBODY,
We’re still around, hopefully we will be saying that for weeks to come.
However, both buildings are neck and neck for eviction! Read on for what
we need, what’s been happening in court and what’s on at rampART.
== Update on Rampart ==
We are still open for you guys, running events until we can’t, but we
are on borrowed time (in this building only of course). It’s a matter of
when, not if the bailiffs turn up. So, make sure you come when events
are on, help us look for empties, come to the monday meeting (7PM),
subscribe to the twitter text message service and think about putting on
an event!
If you see any empties, email us, rampart@mutualaid.org. We might be
squatters, but we’re still picky, so make sure you let us know: precise
location, what the neighbouring area is like, size and rooms, and if you
know of any possible planning permission.
== Update on the new place ==
The owner’s papers were not in order so their case got rejected. And we
won - kind of.. They will apply again for an IPO at the next available
court date likely which will likely be early next week.
Anyway, it means we have gained one more week in the new building, and
we are now taking on bets for which building will go first!
For information on squatting yourself, check the Advisory Service for
Squatters www.squatters.org.uk
To see what rampART 2 was meant to be and how it started off check the
photo essay on Indymedia! http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/02/392529.html
=== EVENT AT RAMPART ==
<=> THURSDAY 6TH MARCH <=>
BIKE FILM NIGHT & MEETING
‘Eat, Sleep, Bikes’ - All vegan fixed wheel team ride the 500 mile
non-stop bike relay race through Death Valley
PLUS other bike film shorts
Vegan food. @ 7.30pm Thurs 6 March.
<=> FRIDAY 7TH MARCH <=>
With International Women’s Day coming up on March 8th, the Dissident
Island radio show will be highlighting various new and established
London-based feminist groups, activities and actions.
Live in the studio, we will be talking to two members of the Feminist
Library organising committee to hear a bit about the rich and varied
history of this long-standing depository of feminist literature and some
of the operational challenges it is currently facing. We will also have
two participants of the Feminist Activist Forum to chat about its
efforts to bring about feminist collaborations, including a coherent
radical feminist timeline of recent history, amongst other activities…
There’s more! We will be airing an interview with participants from the
new womin’s squat in Hackney, and the plans for workshops and use of the
space, and also an interview with a member of the recently created
Pro-Feminist men’s group. In addition, we are hoping to hear from
Feminist Fightback in regards the past conference and future actions
they have in the works, as well as an organising member from Million
Women Rise, the group behind the demonstration/march happening on
Saturday, March 8th, which demands an end to violence against women.
Numbfink will be providing us with some live breakcore/experimental set,
this will be very good. Miss it at your peril.
So tune in this Friday, March 7th at 9:00pm.
Go here for the link to the live show:
<http://www.dissidentisland.org> www.dissidentisland.org
==*Also relevant events and meetings elsewhere*==
<=> 6 MARCH COLOMBIA DAY OF ACTION <=>
Remember the victims of para-militarism, para-politics and the crimes of
the State
FOR THE DISAPPEARED! FOR THE DISPLACED! FOR THE MASSACRED! FOR THE EXECUTED!
Around 4 million people have been displaced in Colombia , mostly by
extreme right wing paramilitary groups. These groups, working either on
their own or in coordination with the armed forces, have ‘disappeared’
at least 15,000 people. The corpses of 3,000 of these victims have been
found in common graves, others were just thrown into the rivers.
More than 1,700 indigenous people have been assassinated, as have been
2,550 trade unionists, and around 5,000 members of the Unión Patriótica.
Regularly, the paramilitaries torture the victims before killing them.
The paramilitaries have carried out 3,500 massacres (where five or more
victims are murdered) between 1982 and 2005. They have robbed more than
six million hectares of land.
Since 2002 and their supposed ‘demobilisation’, the paramilitaries
continue to assassinate 600 people each year. They have reached the
point of controlling 35% of politicians elected to Parliament.
And since President Uribe’s election in 2002 members of the National
Army have committed more than 950 executions, the majority presented as
positive killings of guerrillas in combat, when really they are
assassinations of civilians, kown as “false positives”.
In January 2008 alone, the paramilitaries committed 2 massacres, 9
forced disappearances and 8 homicides, and the Army has committed 16
extra-judicial executions.
In Colombia , agents of the State and the paramilitaries violate human
rights and humanitarian law. Many of the paramilitary groups have not
been demobilised. They now call themselves the Black Eagles. Many
para-politicians are still in public office and in posts in the
diplomatic corps.
Common Graves - Never Again! Forced Displacement - Never Again!
Para-militaries - Never Again! Para-políticians - Never Again! State
Crimes - Never Again!
National Movement of the Victims of State Crime
Statement calling for vigils on 6 March 2008
SOLIDARITY EVENTS on Thursday 6 March in London
11am Parliament Square (opposite Houses of Parliament) and No More
Military Aid To Colombia organised by Justice for Colombia, ICTUR, Unite
supported by Latin American Workers Association and the Collective for
the Humanitarian Accord
5.30pm – 7.30pm Vigil opposite Downing Street, Whitehall, organised by
Colombia Solidarity Campaign, the Collective for the Humanitarian
Accord, Latin American Workers Association and Movimiento Ecuador en el
Reino Unido, MERU.
Down with State Terrorism in Colombia ! Defend Grass Roots
Organisations! No More Dirty War! No More Military Aid!
<=> Sunday 9TH MARCH FEMINIST GATHERING <=>
Building on the energy of International Women’s Day 2008, we are
bringing together feminists from all backgrounds and political positions
for one exciting and thought-provoking day of workshops, discussions and
network building.
PROPOSED WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:
• An introduction to anarcha-feminism
• Bike repair
• Practical approaches to safer sex/ negotiating consent
• Exploring possibilities for feminist erotic media through DIY porn
• Building solidarity between women’s and trans movements
• Self-defence
• Prison-abolition and dealing with rape and violence against women and
girls
• Feminism and queer in the anarchist
• Movement in Belarus
• Religious Feminists
The day is open to all genders and sexualities
(Although some workshops may be for specific groups only: for example,
women or trans only).
Website: https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/9thmarch
Email: 9thmarch@lists.riseup.net
Start time for workshops: 12.30pm – and then workshops running every hour
Location: Hackney Social Centre, 231 Lower Clapton Road.
On public transport: Take the #38 bus from Victoria station to the end
of the line.
CRECHE: Is available
ACCOMMODATION: get in touch if you need places to stay in London as
there are sure to be sleeping spaces available.
If you have any specific accommodation needs (e.g. wheelchair access)
please let us know.
Please get in touch if you want to help organise, distribute zines, show
films, exhibit, run a stall or want to run/suggest a workshop or
facilitate a meeting.
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE TWITTER
If you have a mobile phone and would like to stay informed about any
urgent news about the rampART and the new space eviction threat,
subscribe to the free SMS alerts service on twitter.
This will allow us to alert a large number of people very quickly should
there be an attempt to evict the social centre and hopefully enable us
to mobilise enough people to make such attempts unsucessful.
To join, text ‘follow londonscn’ to 07624801423. You will receive a
message in return and you should reply to that text as instructed with a
name of your choosing.
Subscribing will cost you the normal fee for sending two text messages
(probably 20p in total) and there is no charge to receive the alerts.
We don’t run the service, it is provided by an american company (see
twitter.com). There are privacy implications but we don’t believe they
are significant in this particular context. If you are the paranoid
type, don’t sign up.
In the future, this service will be used to annouce events taking place
at London Social Centres but currently it will only used for emergency
alerts and callouts.
You can unsubscribe at any time following the instructions that are
texted to you when you join up.
–
This is a message to those subscribed to the rampART mailing list.
To sign-off of subscribe see http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/rampart
See http://rampart.co.nr for more info about the project and events.
http://www.myspace.com/rampartlondon
map http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=534641&y=181230&z=0&sv=E1+2LA&st=2&pc=E1+2LA&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf
15 Rampart Street, London E1 2LA (near Whitechapel, off Commercial Rd)
07050 618445 rampart@mutualaid.org
WOULD YOU LIKE FREE SMS ALERTS ABOUT LONDON SOCIAL CENTER GIGS AND EVENTS?
Text ‘follow londonscn’ to 07624801423 then reply with a name as instructed.
