[aha] [Fwd: [tml] SchNEWS 753, CSI PALESTINE]

Lun 10 Gen 2011 18:34:02 UTC

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: [tml] SchNEWS 753, CSI PALESTINE
From:    "tactical" <tactical a autistici.org>
Date:    Mon, January 10, 2011 9:59 am
To:      tacticalmedia a squat.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

PLEASE DON'T REPLY TO THIS EMAIL

FOR CORRESPONDENCE USE mail a schnews.org.uk THANK YOU.

For this week's SchNEWS in full technicolour:
www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news753.htm

======================================================================

WAKE UP!! IT'S YER NEW YEAR SAME OLD...

SchNEWS, Issue 753, Friday 7th January 2011

======================================================================

CSI PALESTINE

AS SCHEWS ANALYSES THE USE OF CS GAS BY ISRAELI FORCES

The tragic death of an unarmed woman in Palestine has lead to a
global cry for action against the increasing use of
'non-violent' weapons in the continued repression of the
Palestinian people.

Jawaher Abu Rahma died after inhaling the supposed
'non-lethal' fumes of a CS gas canister, a substance which
has been banned in the UK since 1964 due its capacity to kill hours
after inhalation. Last Friday (31st) she was part of the weekly
protest in Bil'in, a village which has become the leading symbol
of resistance against the Israeli Occupation. According to
Jawaher's mother Subhiyeh who was with her at the time,
'We weren't even very close to them and the soldiers fired
tear gas at us&hellip; Jawaher told me that her chest hurt and she
couldn't breathe. Then she fell down and started
vomiting.'

There are numerous inconsistencies between the reports of
eyewitnesses and the 'official' line on her death. Claims
made by the authorities range from stating Abu Rahma had luekemia and
died at home after leaving hospital, to saying she may not have even
been at the demonstration. Army sources have also claimed that gas was
fired only after the crowd started throwing stones and acting
aggressively. All of these statements have been disputed by Abu
Rahma's friends, relatives and the ambulance staff who took her
to hospital.

AT THE CRIME SCENE

Around 1,000 Palestinians, Israelis and foreigners were demonstrating
in Bil'in that day against Israel's construction of a wall
through village land, separating residents from their livelihoods in a
violation of international law. The community has been fighting an
ongoing campaign against the building of the barrier, dubbed the
apartheid wall (see SchNEWS 544) on their land, separating them from
the olive groves that villagers have tended for generations. They
succeeded in making the Israeli army announce they would re-route the
wall in February 2010, and their actions and public statements have
been used as the foundation for communities fighting the Israeli
state-led injustices around the world.

Following Abu Rahma's death on Saturday (1st), a hastily
organised demo took place that evening in Tel Aviv, attended by over
200 mourners and activists. Outside the Ministry of Defence, the
protesters blocked traffic on one of the city's main highways,
chanting slogans and holding pictures of Abu Rahma. Police charged the
crowd and began to violently arrest demonstrators, carrying off a
total of eight people, including a member of the Knesset, the Israeli
parliament.

The remaining protesters held up traffic for a further 90 minutes,
sitting down in the road, before moving to the police station where
the arrestees were being held.

On the same night, a group of around 25 activists journeyed to the
American ambassador's home in Tel Aviv to return discarded tear
gas canisters. It is an American arms manufacturer, Combined Systems
Inc.(CSI), who produces and supplies the long-range canisters to the
Israeli forces. Marching through the ambassador's neighbourhood
chanting slogans and talking with passersby, they congregated outside
the residence to return canisters collected from Bil'in.
Five were arrested and detained, and have since been charged with
illegal demonstration and resisting arrest. Shortly after the arrests,
the authorities claimed that some of the canisters were
'live', and charged the protesters were with attacking the
US ambassador's home. The action was one of the first by Israeli
activists to be directed at a foreign government's involvement
in the conflict.

WORKING HOMICIDE

The type of gas canister which proved fatal for Jawaher Abu Rahm has
killed at least two others since 2009. An 18 month-old toddler choked
to death after a canister was fired into his home while he slept, and
in a tragic twist of fate, Jawaher Abu Rahma's younger brother,
Basem, was killed in April 2009 after being shot in the chest by one
of the projectiles (See SchNEWS 673).

Hundreds of others have been injured, including US activist Tristan
Anderson who was left severely brain damaged after being hit with a
canister in March 2009 (See SchNEWS 669). Another US activist, Emily
Henochowicz, lost an eye after being hit in the face in a
demonstration following the attack of the Gaza flotilla in November
2010, and in the same month a young

Palestinian had to have reconstructive surgery on his leg after the
bone was shattered by a canister launched by Israeli troops. There are
countless reports of the armed forces aiming directly at people in
crowds, rather than using them to simply encourage crowd dispersal.

The extended range canisters are shot from a rifle and are designed
to break through barriers and release gas on contact with the ground.
They are equipped with a propeller to send them over 400 metres
through the air and have no gas trail when launched, making them
extremely difficult for protesters to spot before they hit. Following
the injury of Tristan Anderson, the Israeli Defence Forces banned the
use of the projectile, a decision which was revoked just a few months
later after police on a training exercise complained that being forced
to use the shorter-range canisters placed them at risk from
demonstrators throwing stones.

LAB RESULTS NEGATIVE

The CSI canisters are part of an increasing arsenal of
'non-lethal' or 'less-lethal' weapons which
are being used against peaceful, unarmed demonstrators in Israel,
Gaza, and the West Bank. Other weapons include rubber bullets which
have been lethal in a number of cases and 'skunk water', a
foul smelling liquid comprised of an unknown cocktail of chemicals
that can be sprayed over a large area and last for weeks, making
entire villages uninhabitable. The use of the Palestinian people as
guinea pigs for a whole host of new forms of violent attack has been
globally condemned. In a repeated cycle of the war machine, new
weapons are developed, sold to Israel, trialled in the 'testing
grounds' of Gaza and the West Bank, and then mercilessly
deployed in war zones across the planet.

A call out for action has been made to target CSI and also BAE
Systems, who manufacture tear gas candles through a division of their
company, USA-based Defense Technologies.

*www.palsolidarity.org

======================================================================

READING AND RIOTING

The Tory scum and their treacherous Lib Dem lackeys have already
voted on their plans to jack up the cost of attending university, and
now stage two in their plans to brutalise the education system is
about to pass. On January 11th, Parliament will vote on scrapping
Education Maintenance Allowances - support payments made to help
the poorest with the costs of education. But as with the fees, the
young and the angry aren't ready to quit just yet. Mass school
and college walk-outs followed by a demo is what's planned for
London and activists are encouraging people around the country to
follow suit.

* For more information or help email againstfeesandcuts a gmail.com or
ring 07775 763 750 or see emacampaign.org.uk for campaign materials.

======================================================================

IN POD WE TRUST

High-speed chases and confrontations as the Sea Shepherd fleet and
Japanese whaling vessels clashed in the Southern Ocean last week.

While most of us spent New Year's Eve looking for the next
watering hole, the three vessels of the Sea Shepherd society were
engaged in oceanic clashes with three harpoon ships of the Japanese
whaling fleet. 'What an awesome way to begin the New
Year', said Captain Locky MacLean of the Gojira. This is the
first time Sea Shepherd have managed to zero in on the whalers before
they managed to kill a single whale. 'The fact is that these
three killer ships are not killing whales while clashing with
us.'

Saturday (1st) saw the opposing vessels almost collide as they sailed
at full tilt whilst trying to dodge floating slabs of solid ice in
treacherous waters. At the same time the whalers aimed their turbo
water cannons at the Sea Shepherd crew who responded with volleys of
stink bombs. Since the discovery of the Japanese fleet a week ago,
over 1,200 miles have been covered in the frontier waters adjacent to
Antarctica. There have been no injuries.

On Wednesday (5th) evening, the whalers attempted to charge the
Gojira whilst she was stationary in order to receive supplies. But the
attack was anticipated and the Steve Irwin intercepted the whaling
harpoon by deploying a Delta boat in its path. The Delta then pursued
the fleeing whalers for 11 miles back to port, bombarding them with
dozens of stink bombs before returning to base.

Cables released by Wikileaks on January 1st revealed that the
Japanese Government regards the Sea Shepherd as a major threat to
their criminal whaling business. The cables indicate Japan hopes to
compel the US to crack down on the Sea Shepherd by stripping it of
charity / tax exemption status.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is confident the fleet can be
kept on the run. The whaling harpoon vessels are no faster than the
Gojira and with the aerial aid of helicopter Nancy Burnet, the
anti-whalers should be well equipped to keep the Japanese fleet within
their sights for the duration of their whaling season, which normally
ends in late March (to relive the high-octane drama of last season,
start at SchNEWS 713).

* See www.seashepherd.org

======================================================================

LEAN DEAN FIGHTING MACHINE

The Forest of Dean is under imminent threat as once again the
Government proposes to put it on the market. The Public Bodies Bill, a
far-reaching piece of legislation already in the House of Lords will
enable the sale of Forestry Commission land.

Over 3,000 people mobilised on Monday (3rd) to express their dissent
and vow to protect one of Britain's most ancient woodlands and
largest oak forest. The crowds marched, belted out songs and burned an
effigy of Big Ben to illustrate their view of Westminster. A petition
with more than 110,000 signatures is in circulation against the
coalition's future plans for the Forestry Commission.

The Forest of Dean is one of thirty crown forests that are scheduled
to be emancipated from the Forestry Commission's evil clutches
and delivered into the loving arms of power hungry, profit-seeking
developers. According to the Government, the plan is to both cut the
overall number of public bodies and make year-on-year savings of
£1bn by reducing the cost of 'bureaucracy'.

Unfortunately its not just gonna be paper cuts this time round. Large
chunks of the 650,000 acre Forestry Commission land may be sold to
real estate developers and construction companies that will limit
access to the forest and hack down as many trees as possible.

Check the website for HOOF (Hands Off Our Forest) campaign for more
information on preventing the forest sell off and updates.

* See www.handsoffourforest.org

======================================================================

BOLIVIA: LOSING THE MORALES HIGHGROUND

When the government of Evo Morales declared its Christmas present to
the Bolivian people would be an 70-80% leap in fuel prices, the
public's furious response made him glad he had kept the receipt.

The backlash began when a strike by bus and taxi drivers set to have
their livelihoods savaged by the price hike brought La Paz shuddering
to a halt. The counter movement gathered pace as demonstrators took to
the streets in La Paz and El Alto, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Potosi and
Oruro. The protests quickly turned raucous as fuming demonstrators
showered police and government buildings with stones and erected
burning barricades. In the clashes that followed, 15 coppers were
injured as police tried to clear the streets with tear gas.

Morales and chums' plan was to put an end to the fuel subsidies
which put a 6 year freeze on prices in the poverty wracked country.
The government claimed that not only did the subsidies cost them $380
billion a year but also that every year $150 billion worth of fuel was
smuggled out of the country and flogged in neighbouring countries
where prices are much higher. However, the measures would have had a
disastrous impact on the millions of Bolivians living below or around
the poverty line as transport and food costs were set to rocket. The
announcement of the plan had an immediate impact with runs on
supermarkets and banks.

With more strikes and protests on their way and unions and social
movements about to wade in, Morales addressed the people - many of
them the same feisty bunch that set him on his way to power in the
first place. There was no condemnation of a violent minority or
strikers holding the country to ransom and no 'we're in it
together' economic-necessity rhetoric. Instead, Morales
announced 'We have decided to obey the people' and revoked
the law. Whether the sudden change of heart was down to a Road to
Damascus epiphany of the damage the measures would cause, or fear of
being run out of town like so many of his neo-liberal predecessors,
the U-turn chalked up another victory for people power in the gutsy
Andean nation.

======================================================================

GETTING OFF SOOT FREE

Environmental campaigners escaped prison this week after the judge in
the case of the Ratcliffe protesters (see SchNEWS 752) ruled out
custodial sentences. Following one of the UK's largest
pre-emptive arrest operations last April (see SchNEWS 672), twenty
activists received sentences ranging from 90 days conditional
discharge to 90 hours community service for the charge of aggravated
trespass. Two more are due to be sentenced later this month.

Good news also for two of the blockaders who targeted Sizewell
nuclear power plant last February.

Their case was thrown out of court on Wednesday (5th) after the CPS
failed to produce any evidence for the charge of 'failing to
leave land after an order had been given by a senior police
officer'. Apparently a 'computer error' had lead to
the wrong charge being entered against the two campaigners and after
the judge refused to let the CPS change their mind mid-trial the two
defendants walked free.

======================================================================

HOLLOWAY HOOTENANNY

Migrant rights activists threw a New Year's Eve bash with a
difference when they assembled outside Holloway Prison for a
bangin', rattlin' and whistlin' demo in solidarity
with the Yarl's Wood three. Denise McNeil, Sheree Wilson and
Aminata Camara were among the approximately 70 women who went on
hunger strike at Yarl's Wood detention centre last February (see
SchNEWS 726) in protest against their treatment at the hands of the
immigration authorities.

The strike lasted over five weeks during which time many of the
detainees were banged up in Holloway. The three have been there ever
since. Over 100 people equipped with an array of noise making
equipment turned out to demand the immediate release of the three.

* The three women are scheduled to have bail hearings in the coming
weeks. To find out how you can show your support, contact
freedenisenow a gmail.com.

======================================================================

AND FINALLY

On Dec 29th, a 23-year-old man from South Carolina became a late
contender for Casualty of Their Own Stupidity 2010. He was run down by
an SUV after running headlong across a busy freeway...while attempting
to play real life 'Frogger'. It seems he and his mates had
been discussing the classic 80's coin op video game where you
attempt to hop your frog across increasingly busy roads in order to
make it to the relative safety of a thin cyan-pixelled strip -
or, river (presumably to spawn and live a happy life fat on bonus
points) - and he thought, yeah, why not? Shouted, 'Go' and
dashed out in front of the oncoming traffic. To be instantly splatted
by an SUV - a shame, given they wouldn't have featured in
the original game.

And, sadly, he didn't go to the trouble of obtaining an actual
frog suit which would have been much funnier. Still, we've all
spent time running around nightclubs trying to recreate Pac-Man and we
never bothered to wear a big yellow spherical suit. (Smiley-face
T-shirts don't count.)

The man was taken to hospital where his condition was described as
'stable', although he just keeps saying they should take
him back to the road cos he's still got two lives left.

======================================================================

Disclaimer

SchNEWS challenges all readers, come down the office and we'll show
you our Street Fighter 2 moves. Honest.

======================================================================

SchMOVIES

'ON THE VERGE' - the Smash EDO campaign film

Screenings throughout the year, or download or order a copy.

For updates and details click here
http://www.schnews.org.uk/schmovies/index-on-the-verge.htm

TAKE THREE - SchMOVIES Collection DVD 2007
*** OUT NOW ***

This is the third SchMOVIES DVD collection featuring short direct
action films produced by SchMOVIES in 2007, covering Hill Of Tara
Protests, Smash EDO, Naked Bike Ride, The No Borders Camp at
Gatwick,
Class War plus many others. To buy a copy click here:
http://www.schnews.org.uk/schmovies/index.html#take-three

To download (free) and watch a selection of SchMOVIES short films
click
here http://www.schnews.org.uk/schmovies

======================================================================

PARTY & PROTEST
What's On? Check out our Party and Protest guide at
www.schnews.org.uk/pap/guide.php - it's updated every week, has
sections on
regular events, local events, protest camps and more...

======================================================================

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=paypal%40schnews%2eorg%2euk&item_name=Donation%20to%20SchNEWS&item_number=Donation%20to%20SchNEWS&no_shipping=1&cn=Notes&tax=0&currency_code=GBP&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8

------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW TO UN/SUBSCRIBE TO SCHNEWS-LETTER

To unsubscribe, go to the website and follow the instructions
there, or send a message to webmaster a schnews.org.uk with subject
UNSUBSCRIBE PLAIN TEXT - email a address.com

To subscribe, go to the website or email webmaster a schnews.org.uk
with subject SUBSCRIBE PLAIN TEXT - email a address.com

------------------------------------------------------------------

SchNEWS At Ten It costs £5 inc. p&p per book, further details as
below.

PEACE DE RESISTANCE It costs £3.30 INC. p&p per book, further
details as below...this one comes with a free multimedia CD too!
SchNEWS Of The World - issues 301-350 for £4!! Past books are
goin' cheap... SchNEWSround issues 51-100 - SOLD OUT; SchNEWS
annual issues 101-150 - a snip at £2; Survival Handbook issues
151-200 - sold out; SchQUALL issues 201-250 - sold out; Yearbook
2001 issues 251-300 - bargain £3. All prices inc. p&p.
Cheques to 'Justice?' - Honest!

In addition to 50 issues of SchNEWS, each book contains articles,
photos, cartoons, subverts, a "yellow pages" list of contacts,
comedy etc. You can also order the books from a bookshop or
library.

Subscribe to SchNEWS: Send 1st Class stamps (e.g. 10 for next 9
issues) or donations (payable to Justice?). Or £15 for a year's
subscription, or the SchNEWS supporter's rate, £1 a week. Ask for
"originals" if you plan to copy and distribute. SchNEWS is
post-free to prisoners.

------------------------------------------------------------------

SchNEWS, c/o Community Base,
113 Queens Rd,
Brighton, BN1 3XG, UK
Phone: 01273 685913
Email: mail a schnews.org.uk
Web: www.schnews.org.uk

------------------------------------------------------------------

copyleft - information for action - copy and distribute!

__________________________________________________

TacticalMedia list
Archivio TM List:
https://squat.net/pipermail/tacticalmedia/
http://squat.net/tmc/maillist.html
Per iscriversi o cancellarsi:
https://lists.squat.net/mailman/listinfo/tacticalmedia
Tactical Media Crew - http://www.tmcrew.org
__________________________________________________
-------------- parte successiva --------------
È stato filtrato un testo allegato il cui set di caratteri non era
indicato...
Nome: Parte allegato al messaggio
URL: <http://lists.ecn.org/pipermail/aha/attachments/20110110/6ebe9f27/attachment.txt>