WOMBLES - News, Information for anarchist direct action

Inmate-frying microwave pain blaster turret installed in US jail

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:22:49 +0000

from the register, 24 August 2010: A microwave "pain ray" energy weapon, deemed too controversial for US military use in Iraq, has nonetheless gone into service. A trial installation is in use at a prison in Los Angeles for the purpose of quelling fights among the inmates... "We hope that this type of technology will either cause an inmate to stop an assault or lessen the severity of an assault by them being distracted by the pain as a result of the beam," Commander Bob Osborne of the LA County Sheriff's Department told the Los Angeles Daily News..." more

Urgent Action Appeal: Imminent forced eviction of Gypsies and Travellers of Hovefields and Dale Farm, UK

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:16:25 +0000

via imc-uk, 24 August 2010: "More than 20 families living in chalets, mobile-homes and caravans at Hovefields Drive, nearby the largest Romani Gypsy and Irish Traveller community in the United Kingdom, Dale Farm, Essex County, are facing imminent forced eviction. The families received a 28-day notice issued by Basildon District Council to vacate their pitches and leave by 31 August 2010 or otherwise face eviction by the bailiff Company Constant and Co..." more

Further anti-capitalist actions called in Bruxelles during No Borders Camp 25 September – 3 October 2010

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:59:25 +0000

from email, 24 August 2010: "Managing to cram almost every issue into one sentence and somehow involving zombies – no mean feat – this additional call out adds interest to the the no borders camp. Below is the call out in euro-english: "Since the crisis of Greece and the euro in early May, the European Union has become a political zombie: its neoliberal and monetarist brain is damaged, but it continues to create havoc and disaster. Merkel, whose inaction has escalated the cost of the financial crisis from €45 to €45billion, is imposing her mantra on Europe: Austerity, Austerity, Austerity... more

No Border Camp in Brussels from 27 September - 3 October 2010

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:31:51 +0000

from various sources, 23 July 2010: "The NO BORDER CAMP IN BRUSSELS follows the tradition of No Border camps, organised all over the world since the 90s. Neither a normative frame, nor an organization, the No Border Camp is most of all a meeting, a convergence of struggles aiming to end the system of borders that divide us all.
Like in Calais or Lesvos in 2009 it’s about building a temporary and autonomous space of living, thinking, sharing (experiences, skills, information, analysis,…) actions concerning the questions of borders, migration and the right of freedom of movement and to chose the place where you want to live..." more

From Anarkismo - "One solution: freedom of movement for immigrants"

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:26:24 +0000

from anarkismo, 23 July 2010: "International campaign of European organizations in the Anarkismo network - As internationalists we are against any kind of boundary or barrier between people and we oppose the reinforcement of boundaries around EU. We will fight any kind of xenophobic or racial discrimination against both migrants and native ethnic minorities..." more

Getting away with murder: "It’s a joke" - No charges over Tomlinson death

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:46:55 +0000

from schnews, 23 July 2010: Ian Tomlinson’s son, Paul King - "After 16 months of waiting, to hear nothing is being done is a complete joke. Today they gave us no hope. This experience has broken our family apart. The DPP has told us there was an unlawful act, yet no charges are to be brought. This is no justice - everyone has failed us."

Ian Tomlinson, a 47-year-old news-vendor, was killed at the G20 protests in April 2009. His family have waited until now to find out what action the justice system was going to take. The Director of Public Prosecution Keir Starmer stated yesterday (22nd) that there would be. er, no charges brought against any police officers involved in the death of Ian Tomlinson... more

Swarming NoBorder activities in Greece from 27 August - 11 September 2010

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:21:59 +0000

from Czytelnik CIA, 16 July 2010: "These days, Greece is in the headlines because of the crisis: the imminant threat of state bankrupcy, the dictate by IMF and the EU to cut the budget which will drive big parts of the population into poverty, who react with furious protest, general strikes and big demonstrations. It is hard to say how the situation will develop this summer. It should be obvious though that this is not solely a Greek crisis. The Euro is stumbling in Greece, but it is the Europe of Maastricht which strikes back..." more

Oscar Grant: Oakland considers suing "anarchists" for damages

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:51:07 +0000

from denverabc, 16 July 2010: "Please note this comes from a capitalist news source and seems very much intended at continuing the the counter-insurgency model of dealing with the rebellion surrounding the Oscar Grant verdict.

Although almost all photos and video of the night show black and brown community members from Oakland attacking the downtown area, the media and law enforcement have tried to blame "outside agitators" and "anarchists" for the rebellion. These accusations aim to downplay the local involvement of hundreds of youth of color who were rightfully enraged by the verdict..." more

Newswires: Oscar Grant

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:25:19 +0000

OAKLAND, California: In the early hours of January 1st 2009, BART police shot and killed a 22 year old man, Oscar Grant, on the platform of the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland. Witnesses report that Grant was "lying on his stomach with his hands out in a non-threatening position when he was shot" by cop Johannes Mehserle.

Recent articles from the newswires that include the keywords: Oscar, Grant, Mehserle... more

Countering conspiracy theories on police response to Black Bloc

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:22:21 +0000

by Zig Zag, 15 July 2010, via Vancouver Media Co-op: "Despite a $1 billion security budget and some 19,000 security personnel during the Toronto G20 Summit, police appeared incompetent and confused as militants inflicted extensive property damage and torched 4 police cars. While the protests failed to breach the 6km security fencing, the attacks were a significant victory for the resistance, which had vowed to 'humiliate' the security apparatus in the weeks prior to the summit..." more

G20 policing in Toronto: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue...

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:19:59 +0000

by Lesley Wood, 12 July 2010, via Toronto Media Co-op: "During last week’s G20 summit, police arrested or detained over a thousand people. With guns drawn, they kicked people awake, they threatened, pepper sprayed, TASERed, tear gassed and beat those in the streets. Although the politicians declared the policing at the summit a success, popular anger at the police is at an all time high. At such moments, it is important to look closely at the tactics and strategy that were used to police dissent, not least because the models that are considered successful, tend to spread..." more

Solidarity with the defendants now: G20 struggle must continue and grow

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:17:43 +0000

from OCAP, via Toronto Media Co-op, 9 July 2010: "Statement from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) - On June 26 and 27, the political representatives of the world’s greatest thieves and murderers gathered in Toronto. They held their ‘G20 Summit’ in a billion dollar armed camp financed with public money stolen from vital social programs. They threw out some meaningless platitudes and drew up a plan around their real agenda – solving the crisis of their bankrupt system by imposing austerity and poverty on people throughout the world..." more

This is a Royalty Free Zone: print & distribute!

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:19:33 +0000

via ianbone, 7 July 2010: "DIAMOND JUBILEE JUNE 2012 - As part of the nationwide celebrations the Queen is bestowing Royal Borough status on Greenwich. The only other Royal Boroughs are Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston on Thames and Windsor and Maidenhead – a good cross section of our country. Maybe we should be aspiring to create some ‘non-royal boroughs’ where the royals are told to keep out. Queen Free Zone – go on someone – design the sticker like Ghostbusters. Lets see who can get their house raided first for having one in their window..." more

How Goldman Sachs gambled on starving the world's poor - and won

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:12:32 +0000

by Johann Hari, 6 July 2010: "By now, you probably think your opinion of Goldman Sachs and its swarm of Wall Street allies has rock-bottomed at raw loathing. You're wrong. There's more. It turns out the most destructive of all their recent acts has barely been discussed at all. Here's the rest. This is the story of how some of the richest people in the world - Goldman, Deutsche Bank, the traders at Merrill Lynch, and more - have caused the starvation of some of the poorest people in the world, just so they could make a fatter profit..." more

The killing of Oscar Grant: Jury deliberations to start over on Wednesday

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:51:15 +0000

from denverabc, 6 July 2010: "Deliberations in the trial of a former Bay Area Rapid Transit officer accused of murder in the shooting of an unarmed man on an Oakland train platform will have to start anew Wednesday (7 July 2010) because of juror absences. The jury’s deliberations were postponed Tuesday after a juror called in sick. Another juror has a previously scheduled vacation, so the court will seat an alternate when court proceedings resume Wednesday..." more