March TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Udo Erasmus]

Just got this message from a co-thinker. I agree with it.
Hi everyone,

Just a reminder that Stop the War Coalition has called a national demonstration in conjunction with the anti-St Athan military campaign tomorrow at 1.30pm outside Cardiff City Hall.

The St Athan military academy is a monstrosity, a £14 BILLION project that will be in the hands of private contractors and weapons manufacturers like Raytheon, the supplier of cluster bombs that have killed scores of innocent civillians accross the Middle East and around the world.

The Academy will be used to train soldiers from Britain and around the world in techniques to be used in the war on terror. Let's make no bones about it -the academy will be a place where "friendly" dictatorships like Saudi Arabia and Egypt will have their officers trained to murder and torture the poor people who dare to stand up to US and UK imperialism.

The development of the academy fits into the government's increasing militarisation of society, it's aggressive recruitment campaigns in poor schools, it's attempt to glorify war in an "armed forces day". These things are intrinsically linked to building support for the "war on terror", and specifically the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. That is why we want to make sure that this protest draws the clear links between St Athan and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Please do your best to get along. Spend 10 minutes tonight calling people to try and get them there. Come out and join the march on your lunch break as it winds down Queen Street.

Cheers,

Jonny

 

[penderyn2000]

Report of march on www.radicalsocialist.org.

 

[Udo Erasmus]

Mesage from Campaign

http://www.cynefinywerin.org.uk links to latest news stories and pics and videos.

Following our succesful campaign protest yesterday don't forget the fight goes on!!! I hope to see you at the Next Campaign Meeting
Tuesday 29th April 6.30 at Temple of Peace, Cathays Park Cardiff
best wishes anne and send me any pics etc

Latest news
http://www.antimetrix.org/2008/04/big-brother-hassles-anti-metrix-st.html
photos all here new and old
http://picasaweb.google.com/theoritician/NoMilitaryAcademyAtStAthan/photo#5193873880588064610

Videos of protest Police crahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ7WfAG0VxU&eurl=http://cardiffpr.wordpress.com/video/ck down hard as St Athan demo finally awakens mass media

my humble efforts

OU out of metrix & St Athan military academy


No2 privatised military academy at St Athan -anti-metrix



Jill evans 1

Jill Evans 2


St Athan protest with Davy McAuley 1


St Athan protest with Davy McAuley 2



NEWS coverage

Police crack down hard as St Athan demo finally awakens mass media
Indymedia UK - UK
Coverage in the mass media, however, entirely failed to mention the role of war criminals Raytheon in the St Athan project, or the fact that this PFI scheme ...
See all stories on this topic
Protests against military academy
BBC News - UK
Building on the centre at St Athan is due to get under way in 2009, under a public-private finance deal. The academy will provide a central training base ...
See all stories on this topic
Google Blogs Alert for: st athan

Welsh opposition to new Defence Training Academy
By Aquilavic(Aquilavic)
Leading members of Plaid Cymru have joined other local campaigners protesting against the siting of the new £11billion tri-service Defence Training Academy at St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan. Wales won out against strong competition ...
Aquila Victrix - http://aquilavictrix.blogspot.com/
Current Affairs, News and Analysis: St Athan - Protests against ...
Quote:: which brings with that a load of watersports to persueI've not tried that excuse with her yet, I'll be trying that tommorow. <img src="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif" alt="Smile" title="Smile" />
British Army Rumour Service - http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/
Police crack down hard as St Athan demo finally awakes mass media
By permanentrevolution
Protesters were banned from marching through Cardiff city centre today as police invoked the public order act to minimise the visibility of the demonstration against the St Athan military academy. Clearly acting on orders from high up ...
Cardiff Radical Socialist Forum - http://cardiffpr.wordpress.com
Let Wales teach peace not war!
By Theoretician(Theoretician)
Activists and campaigners from all over Wales, will be taking part intomorrow's Cardiff demonstration against plans to build a PFI (publicprivate finance initiative) funded Military 'Academy' at St Athan in theVale of Glamorgan. ...
No Military Academy at St Athan - http://www.no2militaryacademy.com/
10 May 3pm Temple of Peace next meeting

 

[Udo Erasmus]

Police in court over pictures at arms protest

Mark Townsend The Observer, Sunday April 27 2008

The power of the police to mount surveillance operations at peaceful protests will be challenged in court this week.

In a case seen as opposing Britain's move towards a Big Brother-style society, the High Court will determine if police are legally entitled to take photographs and compile information on protesters even if they do not break the law.

Arms campaigner Andrew Wood from Oxford claims that his human rights were infringed after Scotland Yard took his details and images of him even though he was not arrested.

The two-day judicial review is likely to determine the legality of surveillance and whether 'routine' intelligence gathering is permissible under the Human Rights Act.

Wood attended the 2005 annual meeting of Reed Elsevier, a publisher of academic journals which also runs arms fairs. The Metropolitan Police openly photographed and questioned members of the public who attended the central London meeting.

At the time Wood was press officer at Campaign Against Arms Trade. Scotland Yard has admitted that photographs and notes were stored on computers although no one was arrested or charged. Wood was there as a shareholder to ask about the recent purchase of the arms exhibition subsidiary Spearhead.

'I hope this legal action will safeguard our rights to privacy,' said Wood, who was granted legal aid.

Police claim that routine intelligence gathering plays a key role in deterring crime. However, the case comes amid concern that Britain is heading towards a 'police state', with the government's information commissioner warning that fears the UK would 'sleepwalk into a surveillance society' have become a reality.

 

[Udo Erasmus]

people might find this discussion interesting from the British Army Rumour Service

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=95242/postdays=0/postorder=asc/start=0.html

 

[llantwit]

/\ that is interesting.
We haven't played the NIMBY card at all, as they seem to be suggesting, but I do wonder whether the residents of St Athan really do have a clear idea of what it'll be like having every single future member of the UK armed forces pass through their tiny village every year will be like.

Just picketed the OU offices at lunch time - it was their open day today - we should know about stuff like this well in advance.

 

[Udo Erasmus]

Letter from Campaign Member in Local Paper

SIR – The security implications of the Metrix military training academy coming to St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan have not been admitted by its supporters.

Since personnel and the academy buildings would be potential targets for terrorist attack, high levels of surveillance and security are to be anticipated.

It is, however, a surprise that anti-Metrix campaigners are already being given this treatment.

At the anti-Metrix demonstration in Cardiff on Saturday, the Met’s special surveillance unit from London was openly photographing participants.

People travelling to Llantwit Major for leafleting in the town (announced on the website) were met off the train by half-a- dozen police officers.

A person posting leaflets around the doors in St Athan was followed around by a uniformed policeman.

Phone tapping appears included, judging by a police car waiting in a car park after people arranged by phone to meet there.

As Blair’s support for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan made England a target for terrorist attacks, so did new laws and police surveillance become necessary. Let’s recognise that the Metrix academy would take Wales further into the US military axis and bring military-style surveillance to the Vale of Glamorgan.

Max W

 

[Udo Erasmus]

the final half is pertinent:


“There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you cant take part, you can’t even passively take part, and you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop! And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!”

 

[Yetman]

March tomorrow??

That's so last month

 

[Udo Erasmus]

Would have been good to have had a demo at this arms fair.

‘Two-faced’ Plaid is accused of both criticising and praising air defence show
Apr 28 2008 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail

PLAID Cymru has been accused of facing both ways after an aerospace exhibition previously criticised by the party as a showcase for arms dealers was praised by party leader Ieuan Wyn Jones.

The Aerolink Wales exhibition went ahead at Glamorgan cricket’s headquarters in Cardiff.

Major players in the aerospace industry, including Airbus UK and BAE Systems, attended the conference, organised by Aerospace Wales Forum (AWF) which is part-funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones, who is Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport, welcomed the event, saying: “The aerospace industry plays a vital role in the Welsh economy with more than 180 companies employing more than 25,000 people. Aerolink Wales attracts global companies and provides a superb networking opportunity with the one-to-one business meetings providing an unrivalled opportunity to meet key buyers from these companies.”

But when the same event took place in the same location two years ago, it was strongly criticised by local Plaid councillor Gwenllian Lansdown.

Ms Lansdown, who is now Plaid’s chief executive, said at the time: “Even if there are no legal powers to stop this event taking place, at least we can raise our objections. I’m appalled this took place in Riverside.”

Rhondda Labour MP Chris Bryant said: “If this was a matter of principle for Gwenllian Lansdown two years ago, then she should stick by those principles and speak out again now.”

A Plaid spokeswoman said: “At the time, Councillor Lansdown was representing the views of her local community. This attempt to mislead the public shows how worried Labour are about their votes in Riverside.”

 

[llantwit]

Yeah, I only noticed this the day after it happened. Bummer. Could've done something against this, really.

 

[Udo Erasmus]

Hopefully the Councillor quoted hasn't changed her stance, as the article might imply, I remember when their was a protest last time round her speaking to me on the phone saying she was disappointed that she hadn't heard about the protest till after, and she seemed very angry about the nature of the event and wrote a complaint about it. She's always seemed like a decent sort to me. Though the article seems more about Labour vs. Plaid in Riverside, I mean who can take seriously being lectured by Chris Bryant MP on principles!

 

[llantwit]

Yeah, Chris Bryant aka pants man.
She probably hasn't changed her opinions. Probably just unwilling to give Labour any ammunition in the run up to the elections.
If you check the papers over the last couple of weeks it's clear Bryant's been devoting researcher time to digging up dirt on Plaid. First there was that article written by a prospective Plaid councllor in the Rhondda while she was at Oxford, then there was the Plaid are 'busted flush' story about them not standing a full slate in the Rhondda, and now this.
I wonder if that's public money he's using to dig the dirt on his political opponents?

 

[lewislewis]

He really is digging up the dirt. It's a shame that the Rhondda keeps returning a man who went from private school to Oxford where he was chair of the university's Conservative Assocation. Donkeys with red rosettes etc.

I imagine Gwenllian was far too busy to protest this time around because the battle in Riverside is apparently very close and quite nasty. Labour's latest ploy was to bring in Geoff Hoon to canvass in Riverside. I don't get it either, before you ask.

 

[Udo Erasmus]

Surprises me that the battle is close, as both Plaid Councillor's seem quite popular and conscientious, and I can't see why people would want to go back to Labour.

Geoff Hoon, shame I didn't know, we could have had a demo. I remember the old placards of him: "You ain't nothing but a Hoon Dog, lyin' all the time"

Plaid should have got out a press release about one of the key architects of the invasion and occupation of Iraq visiting Cardiff.

 

[lewislewis]

Surprises me that the battle is close, as both Plaid Councillor's seem quite popular and conscientious, and I can't see why people would want to go back to Labour.

Geoff Hoon, shame I didn't know, we could have had a demo. I remember the old placards of him: "You ain't nothing but a Hoon Dog, lyin' all the time"

Plaid should have got out a press release about one of the key architects of the invasion and occupation of Iraq visiting Cardiff.

Yeah the closeness is for the third seat which Labour still held. Jas Singh is trying to win it. I'm sure it's just Labour's desperate tactics which are making it seem closer than it really is.

 

[Crispy]

Well actually, it's May tomorrow.





Sorry.

 

[llantwit]

--------------------->
door

 

[Udo Erasmus]

Edited!

 

[llantwit]

Maybe we should keep discussions of strategy/backroom stuff like this to PMs and meetings themselves.
This campaign has few friends, and many powerful enemies who'd love to be reading stuff like this on bulletin boards.
Maybe I'm being too sensitive, though.
I thought it was a decent enough demo to be honest. Wasn't banking on many more than that turning up. It gave good media, too, which is important, as we haven't had any before.
Police were very repressive, and imposed some unnacceptable restrictions on our freedom to protest. That was the other main thing that'll stick in my mind about the day.