Heavy-Handed Tesco Bailiffs Evict Squatters from Former Jesters. Massive Police Presence, Huge Crowd Convenes, Road Closed For Most of Day.

Updated! Report of Trial of One of the Tesco Squatters at Bristol Magistrates’ Court, 17.03.10 (from PSRC blog).

Stokescroft writes Bailiffs arrived to evict the Tesco squatters at about 10 am today, 16th March. A large Police presence including at least six Mounted Police arrived to ensure public order. A large crowd assembled to support the squatters in their attempt to resist the force majeure of Tesco’s bailiffs, who were fully equipped with steel cutters,and a cherrypicker. Despite valiant efforts, the squatters eventually succumbed to a relentless onslaught from the bailiffs, whilst the assembled crowd voiced their displeasure at the aggressive behaviour of the baliffs, who were protected in their actions by a Police Line. The Police Head of Operations told this reporter that this was a civil matter, and that their role was to keep public order. The actions of all parties was being filmed, and if any criminal behaviour occurred on either side, that this would be investigated. It also came to light that Bristol City Council had given permission for road closure.

PRSC blog coverage | Lunchtime Jesters Report | Jesters Video Clips | Some Jesters Photos

| How To Contribute Articles - A Brief Guide | Publish an Article/Event | Help Guide | Calendar | Indycycle | Bristol Just Living - Positive Guide to Bristol | Get Involved with Bristol Indymedia | @bindymedia

In the run up to the 2010 election this is your essential guide to how we got the vote, where representational democracy has gone wrong and possible alternatives to party democracy.

Randell Brantley writes Recent British histories arrogantly claimed that the ‘we’ brought democracy to the Empire and ultimately the world in the 19th and 20th Centuries. Despite centuries of struggle to wrestle power from an elite few, the vote in Britain is still seen as a gift from the rulers to the people to help bring ‘us’ into the modern age. These days, the establishment of western style ‘democracy’ is used by Britain as a context for invasion, war and occupation.

In April this year through the media of public lectures, debates, history walks and other events, Bristol Radical History Group will be critically examining the British history of democracy and enfranchisement. Tracing a path from the English and French Revolutions via the Spenceans, the Chartists and the Suffragettes to New Labour we will be trying to answer the following questions:

How was the vote for everybody achieved?
Who wanted democracy and who didn’t? What was the composition of the movements that fought for the vote for all? What did these movements actually want?
What were the alternatives?
What did we end up with?
Is democracy historically necessary for capitalism to exist?
Does ‘democracy', as we know it, have a future?

Join us in uncovering the hidden history of democracy and enfranchisement in Britain. A perfect antidote to the misery of ‘election fever’.

| US NOw; Popular Democracy And The Internet | The Chartists And Their Legacy | The history of the Vote Nobody, The Bristolian and more with Ian Bone and Steve Mills | Thomas Spence: The Forgotten Revolutionary | How Protest And Riot Won The Working Man The Vote | Opening The Archives | Two talks about the Suffragette movement | ‘Every Cook Can Govern’ From Athens To Westminster? | Leon Rosselson And Robb Johnson Present The Liberty Tree | Bristol Radical History Walk | Mock Election Bonfire Night |

| How To Contribute Articles - A Brief Guide | Publish an Article/Event | Help Guide | Calendar | Indycycle | Bristol Just Living - Positive Guide to Bristol | Get Involved with Bristol Indymedia | @bindymedia

Bristol based charity, Frank Water, has this week launched a competition as part of its campaign to encourage us to refill and reuse, rather than keep on buying, those plastic bottles.

Bottled water has a carbon footprint 300 times higher than tap water, and accounts for thousands of tonnes of waste every year. Mathew Mellor, Volunteer Campaign coordinator, said: ‘We need to encourage people to refill and reduce their reliance on bottled water. The Victorians created the drinking fountains as a civic amenity to provide fresh drinking water. There’s still a need. Ideally we’d like to see water freely available for refill in shops, parks and public spaces.’

The ‘Turn Me On’ campaign aims to highlight the fact that most of our public drinking fountains are out of action, and will be petitioning the local council and water companies to restore them. Take a photo of a fountain in need of restoration and you could win a year’s supply of water (aka a refill bottle). Download the campaign logo from http://refill.ning.com to include in your photo and if you’re the lucky winner it will be used to promote the campaign.

Mathew has also set up an e-petition on Bristol City council’s website calling on the council to bring back drinking fountains. ‘The biggest petition so far has 10,206 signatures. That may be hard to beat but lets try!’ he said.

The Refill Campaign website encourages active involvement from those of us who want to see people refill rather than buy single-use disposable bottles. It suggests various ways to get involved – from simply buying a refill bottle, to lobbying for better access to drinking water or even adopting a fountain.

full article.

How To Contribute Articles A Brief Guide | Publish an Article/Event | Help Guide | Calendar | Indycycle |Bristol Just Living Positive Guide to Bristol | Get Involved with Bristol Indymedia | @bindymedia

Jester Writes NO to Tescos. The latest battle and the upcoming struggle at the Jester's Comedy Squat.

Today, Tuesday the 9th of March 2010, bureaucrats, private bailiffs and contractors turned up at 140 Cheltenham Road the site of the old Jester's Comedy Club. The owners, Tescos, received a possession order from the courts last month and the goons had arrived this morning to carry it out. They were denied entry. They will always be denied entry no matter how many corporate scumbags, bailiffs, security and police turn up. This was the first eviction attempt and we are ready for the next one, be it in the next few days or a month.

We therefore calling for help from anyone that can spare it. We need to be even more ready for the next attempt. That means fortifying and barricading the building better. It means cooking and cleaning inside, carrying on with the events that we have been doing, and keeping the spirit alive. Outside we need to be talking to people around us to explain what we are doing and why.

Thank you to everyone that turned up this morning, it was really appreciated. Next time they will come back with more forces and it would be great to get us all out again. Loads of us on the street outside really helps, makes people inside feel stronger and can make the difference!

Helping each other out completely undermines what this system is trying to do to our lives and this planet. Come down! Anything you can do helps, and 'every little hurts' them!

Tescos Smashed and Sprayed in Fishponds | Jester's Eviction Successfully Resisted... For Now | Jescos Squat Eviction is Happening Now (with Photos)

How To Contribute Articles - A Brief Guide | Publish an Article/Event | Help Guide | Calendar | Indycycle |Bristol Just Living - Positive Guide to Bristol | Get Involved with Bristol Indymedia | @bindymedia