Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:28:14 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/ PostNuke Powered Site en-us http://roystpierre.com/images/roy.jpg http://roystpierre.com/ jules@spiraltek.co.uk http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=57 The international sales office of arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch was shut down on Thursday 18th February by anti-arms-trade activists. The six activists arrived at H&K's Nottingham warehouse building before any employees turned up. Using D-locks and arm-tubes, one pair locked themselves to the staff entrance while another pair blockaded the goods gate. Meanwhile the other two gained access to the roof and hung anti-arms-trade banners on the front of the building. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:28:14 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=56 Just a quick message of hope... Yesterday, US arms manufacturers Raytheon, made a formal announcement that they will pull out of Derry city before the end of next month. While I am quite confident they will spin the story to make it look like it is part of their global restructuring plan.....the power of protest and persistence can not be underestimated on this one. For years, people in Derry have continued to campaign against the plant and at least twenty one people have been hauled before the courts with a raft of charges against them including trespass, criminal damage etc. etc... Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:32:19 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=55 Please consider signing this petition in support of the right, that parents have always had, to educate their children at home Click here In particular, the government should ensure :- • No right of access to the family home without evidence of a crime • No right to interview a child alone without evidence of risk of serious harm • No CRB checks or registration for parents to look after their own children, or to informally look after those of their friends, family etc • No licensing / registration / assessment / monitoring of methods by which parents fulfil their duties without evidence that they are failing to do so, and with specific recognition that education “otherwise” than at school is a perfectly legal option to fulfil their duty regarding education • No undermining of parents as being in the best position to determine how to meet their child’s needs, according to their age, ability, aptitude, and any special needs they may have • Greater focus on applying existing resources and procedures to cases of children known to be at risk, rather than dilution of these resources by routinely monitoring whole sections of the community • Compliance with the fundamental presumption of innocence unless there is specific evidence to the contrary For more click below Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:19:52 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=54 Sheffield students today targeted military recruiters and arms dealers at the University's careers fair, demanding they have a say over who is allowed on campus. The stalls of QinetiQ, Rolls Royce, the Army and the Navy were all dismantled with protesters bagging up materials from the stalls and removing them from campus. Sat, 02 May 2009 21:58:36 +0100 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=53 Since the 7 July 2005 attacks, the great and the good of British society have been urging British Muslims to engage in the usual channels of political action, to vent their anger at British foreign policy without exploding bombs or shooting guns. Yet when a group of angry Muslims does just that, protesting in the time-honoured way, albeit in an unusual location, the home-coming parade for the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment (British soldiers returning from Iraq), they have been vilified. Those who have condemned the demonstrations so harshly should reflect on the conclusions that disaffected Muslims might draw from this incident. Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:44:58 +0100 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=52 The leaders of the 26 NATO states are due to gather in Germany on April 3 for a two-day summit co-hosted with France. Germany is putting in place extensive security measures, including shutting down part of the city of Kehl for a 10-minute photo-op. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:10:23 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=51 there have been 23 occupations in the UK related to the situation in Gaza; one of the latest is St Andrews University. Here is the opening text of their demands: We, the concerned students and academics of the University of St. Andrews, demand that the university condemns the illegal bombing and land invasion of Gaza and Israel’s indiscriminate targeting of civilians. In particular, as an educational establishment we urge that it shows practical solidarity with the Islamic University of Gaza and other schools and colleges damaged during the bombing. For the full text click below; for more on their campaign click here,to voice support for the demands email the principal: principal@st-andrews.ac.uk Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:42:40 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=50 An application by the Metropolitan Police and Westminster Council for a Closure Order against two flats at 61 Dean Street, Soho, was dismissed today. (Excellent report in the Evening Standard below.) With the help of Soho sex workers and other local people, the English Collective of Prostitutes and Legal Action for Women gathered evidence to show the case against the women of 61 Dean Street was entirely spurious, and prevented them from being evicted from the safety of their flats. Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:31:51 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=49 A Ministry of Defence (MoD) byelaw banning camping outside the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston was quashed by the court of appeal today. The case, heard on 26th November 2008, was an appeal in the Judicial Review of the Secretary of State for Defence's decision to introduce byelaws which would have criminalised camping as a form of peaceful protest. Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:45:14 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=48 World leaders launch 'Global Zero' initiative for nuke-free world - Poll shows 81% support ban The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament welcomed the ‘Global Zero’ initiative of 100 international political, military, business, and civic leaders, which today launched a campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons worldwide through multilateral negotiations. The leaders, which include former Foreign Secretaries Margaret Beckett, Malcolm Rifkind, Douglas Hurd and David Owen, Richard Branson, former President Jimmy Carter and Mikhail Gorbachev, want a binding agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons through phased and verified reductions. Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:11:49 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=47 I expect anything of Governments, I didn’t trust John F Kennedy or expect anything from Labour in ’97. Wilson’s Labour Government sowed my mistrust when it brought in a Commonwealth Immigrants Act that was even more draconian that the one proposed by the Tories, just to win an election (how little changes).However two items from history I’ve just heard about have left even me rather gobsmacked.The first, part of Britain’s secret shameful history, was the subject of a pamphlet by Phil Kaiserman, a British soldier who was sent to Vietnam in October 1945, the second NASA’s ‘Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cassini Mission’. They show how cynical and cavalier governments and government agencies can be. Click below to read on… Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:44:44 +0100 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=46 Non-Aligned Countries Endorse Venezuelan Proposal for Alternative World MediaLast week, Non-aligned countries agreed to construct a world system of news, radio, and information-sharing to connect and represent countries in the Global South. Mérida, July 5, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com)-- At the 7th Conference of Information Ministers of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries held in Venezuela’s Margarita Island last week, more than 80 country delegations endorsed Venezuela’s proposal to create an alternative worldwide media network. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:02:31 +0100 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=45 The True Role of Immigrants Open letter from President Evo Morales re the EU “return directive” Up to the end of the Second World War, Europe was a continent of emigrants. Thousands of Europeans left for the Americas to colonize, escape from hunger, financial crisis, war, totalitarian governments and the persecution of ethnic minorities. Today, I am following with concern the process of the “return directive”. The text, agreed on 5 June by the Interior Ministers of 27 countries of the European Union, has to be voted on in the European Parliament on June 18th. I feel that it drastically worsens the conditions of detention and deportation for undocumented immigrants, regardless of how long they have spent in a EU country, their work situation, their family ties, how much they want to and have been able to integrate. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:57:50 +0100 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=44 Interesting reasoning about Climate Change, action and inaction - worth a watch and pass on: click here Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:57:59 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=43 What is so shocking about adverts for escorts in local papers? Why does Harriet Harman want to clamp down on the safer ways women have found to work? Following the tragic Ipswich murders, we called together a Safety First Coalition of nurses, doctors, church people, probation officers, anti-poverty campaigners, sex workers and others, to ensure that women are not repeatedly placed in danger. We believe that there can be no protection while sex workers are being hounded, and campaign for prostitution to be decriminalised and for proper economic alternatives for women who want to get out of prostitution. Whatever people may think about sex work, women’s safety must be the priority. Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:55:28 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=42 Thank you for reporting [October PN] my acquittal, alongside David King, Rob Clohesey, Steve Barnes and Brian Barlow, of charges under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (now the subject of government consultation). Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:49:41 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=41 Alex Salmond has made a major bid to win international backing for his government's campaign to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons, the Sunday Herald revealed. The First Minister has written to over 180 countries highlighting the nation's opposition to the deployment of Trident nuclear warheads on the Clyde, and his determination to try and block the UK government's decision to replace Trident over the next few decades. click here for more on this story Below is the full text of the letter from First Minister Alex Salmond sent to 122 parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on 15 October 2007: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:00:18 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=40 Dear friends, I have won Indefinite Leave to Remain for myself and my three year old daughter! I was at the Crossroads Women’s Centre, where I volunteer, when my lawyer called. My heart sank. Usually my lawyer has nothing but bad news for me. When he told me I had won I couldn’t believe my ears. I thought he must be speaking about another person. I couldn’t sleep at all that night. I stared at the ceiling with my daughter lying beside me. Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:07:18 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=39 Presumably people protest against nuclear weapons because they have the potential not only to kill vast numbers of people but also animals and the environment. Cars are the same except that their threat is realised daily. Not only do cars kill vast numbers of people and animals (100,000 foxes p.a. in the UK for example), but they poison the environment, and contribute hugely to global warming. So obviously people who care about the environment (like anti nuclear protesters) don't drive cars, because it’s much simpler to address one's own polluting habits than to persuade the Government to stop its nuclear disgracefulness. Well I assume that’s true. Is it? If it’s not & you who read this are anti-nuclear and still drive a car then give it up now. No need to hold debates. No need to discuss targets for reduction. Just give it up. Walking and Cycling are decent ways to get about. "It didn't take a war to fuel this bike" The alternative for individual transport to walking and cycling is the car. Drivers' demand for petrol and biofuel is causing untold misery and death worldwide. - Simon Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:59:07 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=38 On 9 October 1967 the US government ordered the assassination of Che Guevera. Che had been wounded and captured the day before by US trained Bolivian soldiers. Following discussions between the CIA and the Bolivian military junta in La Paz, Che was executed. A Bolivian Sergeant, Mario Terán, carried out the task. After his death, Che Guevera’s body was flown to Vallegrande to be photographed in the laundry house of the town’s small hospital. Sergeant Terán spent the following decades hiding in fear of realiation. He developed cataracts in both eyes and became virtually blind. Today the same hospital in Vallegrande serves as a base for some 20 Cuban doctors who provide free medical assistance to the local population uder Cuba’s programme of medical assistance to Bolivia. Amazingly the same man who killed Che, Sergeant Mario Terán, has had his sight restored by Cuban ophthalmic surgeon’s working in La Paz as part of the sight-saving programme ‘Operacíon Miraglo’ – CUBA SÍ, MAGAZINE OF THE CUBA SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:33:35 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=37 An engineering student has donated money he was awarded as a prize by BAE Systems to CAAT [Campaign Against the Arms Trade]. The student at Loughborough University was awarded the prize for being the “most improved student”, but he was also a most concerned student about the millions accepted from BAE by his university. He said: “The influence of BAE over the course was pretty heavy, the steering committee was BAE dominated, the studies were often BAE oriented. Engineers can do a lot more with their skills than just help the arms trade”. – PRIVATE EYE, 14/9/07 The owner of a hardware company has admitted to defrauding the Pentagon out of more than $20m, in one case charging almost £1m for shipping two washers costing 19 cents. Over nearly 10 years the firm exploited an automatic shipping payment system designed to speed up shipments to US forces overseas. – GUARDIAN UNLIMITED 17/8/07 Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:31:00 +0000 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=36 Stop the War President Tony Benn has delivered a letter to the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to make clear why our Troops Out demonstration at Parliament on Monday 8 October will take place, despite the ban by the government and police. It is essential that the voice of the antiwar majority in this country is present at Parliament when Gordon Brown makes his long awaited statement on Iraq. That is why we are asking every anti war activist to sign the letter protesting against the ban, to join the demonstration on October 8 and to do everything possible to publicise the protest. (Sign here: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/) For Tony Benn's letter, click the link below - 'read the full story' Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:21:36 +0100 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=35 Please support pacifist Gwyn Gwyntopher: Pacifist Gwyn Gwyntopher, (66) was standing at Custom House DLR, by the Excel Centre, where the DSEi arms fair was going on, about 1.30pm Thursday 13/9/07. Her back was visible to arms traders waiting to go and sell more means of killing people. The poster on her back said. "Remember the victims of the arms trade." She was arrested by Transport Police and handcuffed. She was then dragged along the ground to the lift. In considerable pain she appealed to the police to take the handcuffs off. They declined. When her husband Chris Gwyntopher came up the stairs to find out what had happened to her she appealed to him to get the police to remove the handcuffs. He tried to persuade the officers to do so, pointing out that she would not harm anybody and would not seek to run away. They refused and pulled him away from her. Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:12:48 +0100 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=33 Another great piece of successful campaigning from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade. Gordon Brown has announced that he will shut DESO, the Defence Export Services Organisation, the arms marketing unit funded by public money. For more click here Sat, 11 Aug 2007 20:19:59 +0100 http://roystpierre.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=32 Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) success: Reed Elsevier to stop organising arms fairs It was announced on Friday 1st June that Reed Elsevier will pull out of the arms trade and will no longer organise arms fairs around the world. The decision follows a high-profile campaign, coordinated by CAAT, which highlighted the incompatibility of Reed's involvement in the arms trade and their position as the number one publisher of medical and science journals and other publications. CAAT welcomes the decision and applauds the board of Reed Elsevier for recognising the concerns of its stakeholders. The decision shows that the arms trade is an abhorrent activity and that it has no place within a reputable business. In a statement, Chief Executive of Reed Elsevier Sir Crispin Davis, said "it has become increasingly clear that growing numbers of important customers and authors have very real concerns about our involvement in the defence exhibitions business. We have listened closely to these concerns and this has led us to conclude that the defence shows are no longer compatible with Reed Elsevier's position as a leading publisher of scientific, medical, legal and business content." Click here for more about CAAT and Reed Elsevier's press release . Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:21:52 +0100