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Campaign Updates
DELTA - the devastation continues
What is Shell upto now? Well... Shell is using, armed escorts to check equipment with a view to resuming full oil production in Ogoni. Intimidation, rape, arrests, torture, shooting and looting by Shell-backed Nigerian soldiers continues. The company still effectively refuses to recognise or talk to MOSOP, and refuses to condem the imprisonment and trial of the Ogoni 19. The prisoners lost their recent appeal and are still held in appalling conditions. Meanwhile Shell has beeninfluencing journalists to keep the dirt out of the press by taking them on 'Shell trips', But the company has had to drop its complaint about Channel 4's documentary ''The Drilling Fields" in which Shell was accused of being, in alliance with the brutal Nigerian military government and has finally admitted paying the military in Nigeria.
The Campaign continues...
On Ogoni Day, January 4th this year 80,000 people came out on to the streets, the army raided19 communities, detained and tortured over 20 people, and opened fire into peaceful crowds, wounding four. In his speech, Acting President of MOSOP, Ledum Mitee called on activists to step up the pressure on Shell. Links with minorities in the Niger Delta are getting stronger er aTlcl tl~c pc!weTl'ui oil worke3-s' uniOTlS TlOtC tTIJt Slitul couitl CJSily becoi,Ic t~le l.'rget of VCTy serior3s politit att action'' in tlTe 3'utiTrc For more news ancl hackgrotTncl on t)~ `~ni Shell ~mci Ni~eria. sencl a ctonatio33 or delaits of your loc`31 anti-.Shcil w03k to VEI_-I'A. DL..I.'T'A 2 has just heen publisl1et3: the next issue in March will look at radical enviroTulleilialisn3 and social chail~e. ('ontact DEl.t'A if you are inteT-exte~5 ITI a national 0003li/Shell strate~:y meeting to be held in Britain in February or March. contact: Detta. BOX Z. 1313iciduiph St.. l eicester LE2 11311. t1K tel. ()I I6 255 3223 email: Iynx@7,nulpc.oro
World Development Movement
Are you insured? Do you have a pension? If yes, then some of your money is likely to be invested in the mining company RT7,. Find out where your money goes and have a say in how it is spent. RTZ is the world's larcesl minin~ conlpany. More than half its projects around the world are cio==ed by controversy. I ast year RTZ decided to invest _50() million pounds into the expansion of an opencast copper anc3 cold mine in West Papua (Inclonesia).
The mine has been disastrous for the local tribes like the Amuncme. They have seen their R~rests ciestroycc3. their rivers pollutecl an.3 their sacrecl mountain cougecl out. Many have been killed hy the Incionesian army for prolesting against the mine. WD\1 supporters have inundatecl R 3 Z offices \\ith protest cards calling on the COnlpany to acknowvledge iocal opposition and stop funclinc the expansion of the mine. 5'o build on this ~'rowinC pub3ic pressure we are now asTiin:, \ ou to he ]p us tar~et R-I'Z 's rm .ljor share - holders. It is the largest corporate shareholders who wield the ~otino power and can truly influence RT7,'s polic!es. \'5at:\ oi'these .ilareholdTers are housellold naTl1es - iilie Prt!dential anti Sun Alliance - and bev care about their public ima~re. That is why tiacv Will listen to \OtT as their custotl1ers -- as pension hc Iclers. as insurance policy holu'eT-s anct.3S in\estors. N'c>u can ~3ct here to ~,upport ibe Amc3n<~3l1e in \Vest P.3pua in their battle aouin.t the cIeitruction of their lives ancl lailtis. I'icase contact WD\1 tor 3eaflets tar~etin~ R1'Z ~mcT. their `5larelloiclers,
Contact: Viorki De\ elopment .\love31lent. 2~ Bec51i\e P]~3ce. I onc50n. S\,v`) 7QR 'I'cl: ()171 7.7 621~.
Survival international
Protesters frorm Survival. with banners and dru~tis. are mountin~ regular protest vigils outside Nlobil offices in the UK. Germanv. France. Italy and Spain every Tuesday tunchtime. to protest the multinationa5's oil prospectin`~ activities on Indian [antis in the Peruvian Ama:~:on. Controversv has lo=,~ed [vichil's e>;ploration programme in two 1.5 million hectare areasl~nown as Bloc5~s 77 and 78 - in the \1adre de Dios re~ion.'I'lle two blocl;s are home TO 19 cTifferent IndiaTI peoples. at 5east three of which are uncontacted. Persistent rumours of encounters between oil worliers anc5 uncontactet5 Inclians macte headline ne\\ s in Octoher j t9C)6. Survival believes that Mobil!s prospecting activities \\ ill have disrupted the seasonal nioveTl1ents of the nomadic Inctians. as they tlee their customary areas to a~oid oi workers. They hav e ooott rea!.on to fear contact since they possess no imn1unity to commo'1 west ern illnesses. After the Shell oil company encoun terect related Indians in a neh,TlbouriTl`' territory ttisease l~illecl over half that popul;1tion. Jonatha'1 Ma70wer. Canipai~ns OfTricer for Sur vival said. "Mobil has consistent,> hn1ored re cluests b\ the local Incliun oro.anisation lo sta, out of uncontactet5 Inciian h~ncTs. Surx i`-al Wil continLie it~ camp;li~n until Mobil ceases its un welcoTlle operations. Our messa~e to the publi' is -C~et n~obilisec5. C~et Mobil out.'' Nlore Infortnation: SUI-\ I\ al 1 1 - 1 ~ I meralI Street. I,onclon WCIN ~QI. (117i 949 144 (':el).()171 949 1771 (Fa~c)
British Aerospace under the hammer
Campaign Against the Arrns Trade... Liverpool Catholic Worker..~ Ploughshares... British Aerospace Camoeian io. svhat are British Aerospace up l_ rhe>;e days'? Wel,. on the l lawk f'ront hey've been busy. supplying 35 to Au~i~ ~ralia. an undisclosed number to Qatar .rnd. ~nnoucin~ in NTovember that a further i 6 are to go to Indonesia. Whilst troth BAe and the British govermnent pan-of the kc that the Hawks being exported to Indonesia are harmless trainers, the Jakarta Post tells it as it is. In reporting the imminent I delivery of the last of the June 793 Hawk Order, it writes, Five new warplanes. one Hawk- 100 and four l lawk-200s..are due here in March... The Hawk-200, a bomber. is a new tactical warplane that can shoot lan~l targets accurately. while the Hawk- 100 can be transfortned into a fin.'Fwo. who had previously been served with injunctions. appeared before lhe Hi~h Court on January 24th for contempt of court''. Tlicy had their bags packed for prison. but were instead given thT-ee month suspeIldcd sentences (they also t'ace a criminal trial at Lytham magistrates on April 16th for the same act. but the maximum penalty there is a li5()() fine).
Coming Up: The Liverpool Catholic Worker and the Preston Coalition for East Timor are planning events at BAe Warton throughout Lent including acts of trespass on Easter Sunday (March 3()th). Contact: Liverpoo1 Catholic Worker: 0151 264 8741. Meanwhile. The British Aerospace Campaign has just been relaunched and their latest newsletter is available: c/o 18 Chesholm Road. London N16 Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) are getting ready for a number of events as follows: Clean Investr,~ent Campaig~z. On Thursday, February 27th CAAT is launching its new Clean Investment Pack I and a national g~rassroots campaign. 'I he l Clean Investment Pack has all the details necessary to persuade hospitals. schools. Local Authorities and other public bodies ,- not to invest in the arms export trade. The I new pack gives full details about how how to set about campai=~ning in your area. the case against investments. facts and fi=ures. I details of known investors. etc
You can order a copy of the Clean Investment Pack by writing to CAAT. FREEPOST LON. 6486. London N43BR enclosing fiS.00 for the full pack or _2.5() for one of the three sections (health org,anisations. Local Authorities JUllLllOll iS Up [0 [WO years ~n pr~son. On l)e- and Religious Bodies). I or more details on the cember29th.thirteenaclivistsclimbedinto Clean Investment Campaign contact Ray BAe Warton in order to bury a child's cof- Hemn~ings. 7 Manor Road Extension. Oadbv. If / had u ha'7u1`er... ~ ~aining aircraft.."(Jakarta ~_~C In teens of opposition to ~ he Indonesian deals. the ~]~ampaign - of education, lobbying. protest and civil disom hedience - continues. strengthened by he recent arrival in England of a hand- l fiJI of East Timorese activists. BAe has spent over a quarter of a million pounds on obtaining lifetime injunctions against birteen anti-Hawk activists-including lhe four ploughshares women (con victed of no crime. but still eligible for a civil injunction). These injunctions forbid them to take part in trespasses. 'blockades or acts of disarmament at BAe sites. and futher forbicl them whether ~directly or indirectly. by themselves. acents. servants or otherwise..to counsel. assist. procure or incite'' others to do , similarly. 'i he penalty for breaching the ail.able soon....
ROAD RAGING: Top Tips for Wrecking Roadbuilding.
111is book shares experiences of nonviolent direct action against roaclbuildinc in Britain from ,T\\\tord Down in 1999 to Newbur>- in 1996. This is not a coffee table history book. but a practical illustrated guide for action. It covers a wide range of subjects. including building a |campaig~ from scratch action tact~ ~ thl;t ;~` ~ i~'' and mucl1 more' ', tm~"'"~- ~i'19~ tIl~ law. uul`-`lutra[ Dal~ln~. e\lctlons The book is a total re-\;rite of the Conlplete Anti-Roads Protestor. \Nhich was produced in 1994. Vve hope that the ideas in Road Ra~in~' are applicable to other protest issues.
For a Cop!. send at least t3. payable to Road Vlert! (this is cost price. incl. postage). to Road Alert'. PO Box 5:~44. Nlewburv RG 14 ~FB (Jf VtlU can al-tord more. we can send free copies to reall\ poor .N'VDA campaigns.) i.cicesler l.F.2 4i (,. Ttl.- ()116 97i 3()9'7.
CA;~lTC`~'lq'`'i,~,~i'tl~l! `~1 ~S.~tr~rti`~y. M.~-tl1 92nd at the l riencis Meeling J l`~>usc. `) I hc I lop (,artlens. ofl'St. Martins l.ane. I ondon. 'I l-~c ('anlpaign day follows fron1 iast years' successful event in which can~paig~ner.s from all over Britain discussed. tiebatcd anti plannetJ how to campaign against the ar nls tratle in lhe months ahea<i. Workshops will inclu`.ie COPEX 97, Non-violent Dircct Action. ('lean investment and much more. F.veryone is welcome, donations would be appreciated. please register in advance by writing to the ('AA'I' office. The BAe AC,M in London on Wednestlay. April 3()th. The i<iea is to peacefully prevent BAe from carrying on "business as usual" by continually asking the question "/`s 3 shareholder I ask the board to please stop sellUlg Hawks to Indonesia".'l'here will be direct action outside the AGM anti help is nee~le~i (especially from climbers). ('ANl~ is also aski~g for help in distributing publicity leaflets (av.1ilable soon from the office). BAe shares cost _13 Contact: CAAT. I I Cioodwin Street. Finsbury Park. I.ondon N4 3HQ. Tel.: ()171 281 0297. Fax: ()171 2X1436') cmail: caat@~n.apc.org
111is book shares experiences of nonviolent direct action against roaclbuildinc in Britain from
Twyford Down in 1999 to Newbury in 1996. This is not a coffee table history book. but a
practical illustrated guide for action. It covers a wide range of subjects. including building a
campaign from scratch action tact~ ~ thl;t ;~` ~ i~''
and mucl1 more'
', tm~"'"~- ~i'19~ tIl~ law. uul`-`lutra[ Dal~ln~. e\lctlons
The book is a total re-\;rite of the Conlplete Anti-Roads Protestor. \Nhich was produced in 1994. Vve hope that the ideas in Road Ra~in~' are applicable to other protest issues.
For a Cop!. send at least t3. payable to Road Vlert! (this is cost price. incl. postage). to Road Alert'. PO Box 5:~44. Nlewburv RG 14 ~FB (Jf VtlU can al-tord more. we can send free copies to reall\ poor .N'VDA campaigns.)
The BAe AC,M in London on Wednestlay. April 3()th. The i<iea is to peacefully prevent BAe from carrying on "business as usual" by continually asking the question "/`s 3 shareholder I ask the board to please stop sellUlg Hawks to Indonesia".'l'here will be direct action outside the AGM anti help is nee~le~i (especially from climbers). ('ANl~ is also aski~g for help in distributing publicity leaflets (av.1ilable soon from the office). BAe shares cost _13.
Contact: CAAT. I I Cioodwin Street. Finsbury Park. I.ondon N4 3HQ. Tel.: ()171 281 0297. Fax: ()171 2X1436') cmail: caat@~n.apc.org
Subscription Information
Did you enjoy what you'veJust read? Do you want to read more? Well then, don't just sit there, Subscribel
Here's how: Send a cheque or postal order (for the next six issues! made payable to Corporale Watch for the tiny sum ot' _15 (if you are an organization), _9 ~ if you are waged) and _6 (unwaged).
Let us know if youtre interested in writing an article or f'eature for Corporatc Watch as we can always use llelp. \Ve're also looking for help in distril~ution, research and, of course, donations are always appreciated.
Corporate Watch, Box E. 111 Magdalen Rd,, Oxford OX4 1RQ
Beams not Beemers
ws from Pressmennan. .
(ast 1,othian the fight for Pressmennan iDds continues. The suits nrc still figh tooth and nail to cut down tiZe old oak ts to make into dashboards for their
FWs.. The Forest Authority are poised make a decisioll on the revised manage tnt/exploitation plan, which IZas already n approved by that great landowners bb, Scottish National Heritage. onically they will be breaking their own sidelines, let alone the E.U. directives. U7e onder who is pulling the strings. Surely tt BMW, who are not allowed to cut down ~rman trees?
Well, the good guys have a Q.C. to it to Brl~ssels, but with the threat of nter litigation on three fronts, end 'loss arnings' it will take a brave crew to do Under European Law Pressmennan uld be a Speciarl Area of Conservation as such cannot be cut. The presence in v~oods of bats could also make the the ruction of the habitat illegal. Rumour it that David Bellamy wants to get inved. A. J. Scott and Eamonn Wall are companies hoping to profit from detoying the wood. Apparently A. J. Scott runZoured to be felling trees elsewhere tbe area.
However, the sap is rising and spring here - a bad time to cut down trees, if u as}` me. Let the birds do the tree-house ilding. Meanwhile, a group of badgers ve caused consternation by buying a inall strip of unclaimed land, and becom
h~ t.Ze legal title owners. This is NOT a front line camp, rather a place where people can come and learn about local envitonmental issues, and maybe stay a while ind appreciate the healing power of the food. The land will be planted with native k, and having supported a small 'low pact' community for five years it ~vill be ven to the local commtZnity. We hope to ho~v people that all o``nership is theft ~'nd at ~ve must not live of f the land but with he land, together!
Contact WAI\-D on 0136X 850630 thy not call A. J. Scott on 0166X 217298 rwritelvisit the headquarters at Station kwmills, \N'ooperton, Alnick, Northumtrlanrl?
Watch this space for more on Pressmennan. Z!e next issue of Corporate Watch will include a feature article on the Pressmennan campaign.
Frankenfoods' nightmare begins
Last issue we reported the immenent arrival of genetically engineered soya, kindly supplied without labelling or safety gLlar;lntees by Monsanto Corporation. in the tJK.J hat ni,,htmare scenario has now becoZZle reality. Some foodstuffs may already contaiil the modified soya, and in time up to 6()~ic of processed foods could contain 'Roundup Ready' soybeans - genetically engineered by Monsanto to be resistant to the company's 'Roundupt herbicide. There are many objections to the use of genetically modified foou - it could cause hitherto unforseen toxic reactions in some people, it raises the spectre of 'gene pollution' across species, and it could give rZse to 'super organisms' which are immune to present efforts to control them.
We have received this information so far, passed on to us from Van den Bergh Foods (a subsidiary of Unilever, whose new logo is 'in touch with people's tastes") which says that from the end of February 1997 the following foods "will have ingredients that may be derived from the new soyabeans". These are worth avoiding, not just for reasons of personal safety, but to show the food manufacturing corporations that they cannot afford sO ignore consumer concerns on such and important issue. The foods are:
Batchelors'Beanfeast'varieties,'Sausage Casserole', Summer County Cheese Altemative, Delight Cream altematives, Elmlea Cream alternatives and Vesta meals (beef curry, vegetable curry with rice, chicken tikka with rice, chow mein). It is not clear whether the margarine Flora will contain the new soya.
Even some big retailers are finding the imposition of genetically engineered food on Europe hard to swallow. In a recent letter to the Sunday Times (16 February 1997), Malcolm Walker, Chairman and Chief Executive of lceland Group plc wrote: "BSE and sahllonella arc evidence enough that we are destroyin<g our precious fc,ot1 chain. Genetically engineerecl food may bc the last straw.
Wise words incleed. I he campaiDn a`~ainst genetic engincerinO is gathering strength: between Aprii 21 - 26 a Global Day of Action has been declareci. I his will be the first internationally co-ordinated anti-biotechnology action ever. and has the support of consumer, fartn and public interest orDanisations from over 4() nations. Planned actions will include grain dumps in front of supermarkets, corporate headquarters (prim.irily of Monsanto and Ciba-Gei~y) and ;,ove~ ment offices. The Drowing global opposition to genetically modified food has already affected world markets. A growing number of grain dealers and supennarket chains are now filing orders for certified non-genetically engineerecl grains and beans. A shipload of certified natur.ll soybeans has already arrived in the Belgian port of Antwerp for European consumers - no such luck yet for the British. On 17 February the UK Oovernment took a retrograde step by approvinD a genetically engineered maize for use in human fooclstuffs. The maize, produced by Agrevo, Mons~anto, Pioneer Hybrid and Northrup Kin::, wili be imported into the UK after its use has been cleared by the European Commission. lt wil1 then fincl its way into crisps. confectionery anci animal feeds. A different maize. Oenetically engineered by Ciba-Geigy to be resist.mt to the corn borer pest, was recently approved by the European Commission despite strong objections from member countries. The only way to be sure you are avoiddlg genetically modified food is to use or~ anic and to cook for yourself
Holtsfield homeowners on the march
 Barclays Bank have been propping up the ailing construction company Elitestonc since 199(). Both corporations are hoping to reap profits from buildinD hlxury homes on lancl known as Holtsfield. This area on the Gower peninsula in South Wales currently accomodates a thrivinO, low-impact community whose only misfornune is to own their homes but not thc land on which they stand.
Ballilfs moved in last year to empty the site in favour of nev`, luxury' development only to be peacefully stopped by hunclrecls of residents and supporters Swansea council have declarecl that no new planninD permission will be `fiven for the land, yet Elitestone - under the leaclershil of its director and solicitor Tim Jones - are still pushim, for the evictions. The resic1ellts are resorting to a cross-country march to Westminster where the House of l ords will decide on the case. Please write/visit:
Gareth George. Wa]es Director. Barclays Bank plc. PO Box 323.4tl1 Floor. Whulsor Court. 3 Windsor Place. Cardiff CFI 3BT. Ieh 01222 222633
Tim Jones & Associates.9 St. James Crescent, Swansea, SAI 6D7.. Tel: ()1792 469717
The Holtsfield Campaign. 3 Holtsfield, Murton. Gower. Swansea, SA3 3AQ. Tel: ()1792 234027. e-mail: i.a.f.maxey@swansea.ac.uk Web: http:/Blip.co.uk/www/holtsfield
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