TOTALLY FREE!

“If there is no struggle there is no progress, power concedes nothing without a demand.It never did and it never will.” Frederick Douglass (born a slave) 1818-1895

www.haringey.org.uk Newsletter of Haringey Solidarity Group Issue 16 Autumn/Winter 2009

Official history may present workers’ victories as concessions made by the ruling class, but the fact remains - without a fight we get nothing. Below are current struggles that deserve our attention and support.

Migrant cleaners have always been under intensive attack. In June, the UK Border Agency at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) carried out an outrageous immigration raid

during a work meeting called by their employers ISS. The cleaners, six of whom got deported, were part of a campaign to raise all cleaners wages in London to a decent standard.

The raid was clearly an act of retaliation against those fighting for their rights. Workers and supporters responded by occupying the director’s office in protest. This has kick started a campaign, ‘Hands off my workmate’ which aims to build opposition to immigration controls in workplaces and improve the working conditions of migrant workers in Britain. See: www.freesoascleaners. blogspot.com

Recently, the Vestas workers fight at Britain’s only wind-turbine blade factory, on the Isle of Wight, has been more prominent.

Despite government promises to invest in green jobs, Vestas closed the factory and sacked 600 workers. The company showed no interest in renewable energies, putting profits first. The workers decided to fight back and occupied their factory for 18 days. With the help of left-wing, anarchist

and climate activists, they are now picketing the factory and blocking removal of the equipment and blades still inside. Their demands include a better redundancy deal and they are discussing running the factory as a workers’ co-operative. Alternatively, they are asking the government to nationalise the plant. See: www.savevestas.wordpress.com

Closer to home was the four-week-long strike action started by teachers at Tower Hamlets College to defend jobs and the provision of education in the local community. Funding cuts imposed by the college resulted in the sacking of 13 teachers and

the loss of 1,000 places for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Part of a wider plan to undermine education, the cuts also represented a clear attack against community services. Tower Hamlets is one of the poorest boroughs in Britain and home to a diverse range of ethnic groups. A lot of these groups draw their independence from ESOL courses, which allow people to contribute to the community. The strike ended in a partial victory with the teachers winning on compulsory redundancies but with no deal found yet on ESOL places. The teachers have pledged to continue their fight and will carry on reaching out to local workplaces and education workers throughout London for solidarity and support. This was done with some success: apparently, after a postman talked to the strikers no Royal Mail post was delivered to any college sites during the time of the strike. See:

www.defendjobsandeducation. posterous.com

Involved in strike actions for over two months, posties know the value of such struggles. They too are fighting for their jobs and conditions, and against ‘modernisation plans’ that would affect us all by severely cutting services. Rather than taking into account increased internet shopping and parcel deliveries, management are trying to implement the part-privatisation plan designed by the government, which would cost thousands of jobs. Mirroring the way British Rail was privatised, the move would affect delivery, increase prices and make the workforce pay so that a few company directors make large profits. Posties, like other workers who fight against capitalist exploitation, deserve our support and solidarity.

Visit your local picket lines and support workers in struggle!

Protestors hang banner from roof of Vestas building

Staff, supporters and their families protest at cuts to jobs and courses

WORKPLACE RESISTANCE

Climate Camping CARRY ON

On August 27th, about 1000 activists descended on Blackheath, the site of the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt, and this turned out to be prophetic of the mood of the climate camp in the following week.

The camp itself was set up in full in less than 36 hours, and included kitchens, washing up facilities (with grey water disposal) and compost toilets for each of the 10 “neighbourhoods”, grouped according to geography but open to all.

While the majority of press and other media predictably portrayed campers as “a load of hippies”, that same sentiment seemed to be held by local residents - until they came on site to see what it was about.

The impressive thing about the experience of living on Blackheath for a week was not how much impact we made on the powers-that-be, but the impact that we had upon the curious and often sceptical visitors to the site. There was also some direct action organised for the headquarters of RBS, one of the biggest polluting

banks, causing it to be shut down for a day.

Quite apart from “an opportunity to smoke weed and play bongos” (as a letter into one of the London daily free papers called it), campers were using the camp to network with each other and build groups aimed at making a real difference in the world.

Whether you’re convinced about the danger of climate change to society or not, the workshops and discussions that were had on site bought up some serious issues with the basic premises of capitalism; its need for uninhibited growth with no regard for the environment. The economic and political structures that keep our society “stable” according to bankers and politicians are in fact inherently unsustainable. How to move away from this was a major topic for meetings in the camp, from discussions on alternative economic systems to workshops on the construction of bicycle, solar and wind power (which was used to keep the site as carbon neutral as possible).

Visitors to the site often mentioned

how surprised they were at how smoothly the camp ran. Instead of having any one group or person “in charge”, every decision made was as close to common agreement as possible. Neighbourhood meetings would arrive at consensus on any issues that arose each morning, and these decisions would be passed on to a site-wide meeting later in the day. Every job that needed doing was done, because it was for the mutual benefit of every person there, and because of this, all of the 5000 or so campers over 7 days were fed and watered by communal kitchens and wood burning stoves, and kept safe and happy by gate defence on the main entrance and the tranquillity team, all made up of volunteers.

Another major success of the camp was in raising awareness. Local residents, police and the general public for the main part, came to realise that climate activists are not disorganised - often quite the opposite. More importantly, many of the campers had their eyes opened to the challenges that we face and possible solutions available. Increasingly, local as

opposed to national responses are being implemented, and often this is more effective. Where solidarity is between people who are geographically close to each other, movements appear to be stronger than those where people are sparsely spread over a larger area. While networking did occur between all the neighbourhood groups, many more affinity groups formed between people in the same area of the country. These led to collections of people with similar ideals and beliefs coming together on not just climate issues, but political, local environmental and equality issues. Several people who had previously not been involved in any sort of activism were inspired to become involved in groups or movements they were introduced to through being at the camp.

This was no utopian society, and there were practical problems, but it cannot be said that this year’s climate camp wasn’t a move for the positive in terms of an alternative way of thinking about how we affect our environment and other people, and how they affect us.

Protestors setting up the camp at Blackheath

The campaign for a community-led regeneration of the Wards Corner site around Seven Sisters station is stronger than ever. Since 2007, Wards Corner Community Coalition (WCC) has helped to give a voice to thousands of people opposed to Haringey Council and developer Grainger’s wholesale demolition scheme for the site. Over this summer, at many community events, WCC has spoken to hundreds more people who overwhelmingly offer their support and are appalled at Grainger’s plans.

The background to the fight for Wards Corner is that Grainger and the council intend to get rid of all the Victorian and Edwardian buildings on the block at the west side of Seven Sisters tube station. This contains long-standing, independent shops

and mixed accommodation which will be replaced by bland blocks of private housing and an unnecessary shopping mall. It will also destroy the well-loved Wards Stores building at the site which houses an indoor market.

WCC successfully delayed the planning decision last summer, but the granting of planning consent in December 2008 was to be expected from Haringey Council, despite overwhelming public opposition. WCC immediately sought a judicial review (JR) of the decision. A local resident got legal aid but WCC also had to raise a considerable sum towards court costs. So far this year, over £14,000 has been raised from hundreds of individual donations and support at fundraising events.

There were two grounds for the JR – the predetermined bias of the planning chair, Cllr Sheila Peacock, and failure of the council to discharge its equalities duties. In June WCC heard that the JR had not been successful, so the next step is to appeal against the decision once the judge’s decision is available in writing.

In addition to the JR appeal, WCC’s activities in coming months will focus on a number of key matters:• The council and Grainger are now working on compulsory purchase orders on the remaining properties on the site. WCC will be seeking legal redress against these

• Architects will be working with traders and residents at the site to take WCC’s alternative, community-led plan to the next level. The outcome of this day will inform a further exciting community planning and design event

• The campaign continues to link up with other campaigns and activists including artists, architects, radical planners and green activists

• An outdoor market event is planned at Wards Corner, drawing more people into the site

• In early December there will be another ‘Winter Warmer’ party and fundraising event.

WARDS CORNER the fight goes on

Another Tottenham OUTRAGEClaimants

Curse Cutbacks

Every year we hear from the government and the media that millions of pounds are lost through benefit fraud. At the same time millions are saved in unclaimed benefits. This is due to us lacking knowledge of how the system works and the benefits we may be entitled to. Also, many people do not bother to apply for benefits, or abandon their rights to claim, because of the endless hassle, pressure and questions for unnecessary information by this bureaucratic system.The government continually introduce new rules and policies to restrict people's rights when claiming almost any kind of benefit: JSA, child benefits, tax credits, disability living allowance, incapacity benefit, council tax and housing benefit. The most recent example is the impending changes in the Welfare Reform Act. In other words the claimant's life is getting harder and harder year by year while this government has got more than enough

money to finance its troops occupying other countries. This country is rich enough to ensure everybody has a decent standard of living, decent medical treatment, decent job and decent education. So why isn't this the case?By working together to fight back, even if we are not able to change everything, we can achieve many of our demands and force the Department of Work and Pensions and the Local Authority to abandon many bureaucratic ways in dealing with its residents. This is why it is important to contact and join the Claimants Action Group (CAG). This group was recently formed by a few people living in Haringey (some claiming benefits and some not) and is open to all suggestions on starting points for campaigns, effective tactics and particular focus. To find out more about CAG contact them via the details on the back page of this newsletter.

Plans are afoot to build a massive new housing development on green space at the south end of Down Lane Park near to Tottenham Hale. Haringey Council’s proposal means that a new housing development will be built on land currently occupied by a children’s playground, basketball court, tennis courts, sports changing rooms, toilets and pre-school community nursery. As ‘compensation’ local residents have heard that the land occupied by Haringey’s Recycling and Refuse site to the north in Ashley Road will be ‘re-developed’ to accommodate replacement facilities. Not surprisingly there has been a vigorous response to the plans with significant concerns about the loss of community facilities and the use of ‘toxic’ land to relocate them. Such plans are symptomatic of issues relating to the lack of green space facilities in this part of Tottenham. Too often we hear of housing developments being proposed on sites that have enormous value to the community (Ward’s Corner, The Fountain Pub) without significant and

meaningful consultation with the local community. It will also extend the huge housing development that is presently being built near Tottenham Hale and will take up precious green space.Who is actually going to benefit from this plan? Private developers and those who wish to profit from the Council’s cosy relationship with them? Certainly not local residents who have proposed their own design for improvements to the park and now find their plans in disarray. And what is going to happen to the Refuse and Re-cycling depot used by thousands of us every week? We need answers.

For updates and background information please go to: www.wardscornercommunity.org.uk

Developers' proposed plan for the park and recycling centre

MAROON SOCIETIES A Fight For Freedom

We often hear that resistance is futile and that tyranny, whether large or small, cannot be defeated. Below are examples of people who fought for their rights and freedom under extreme duress, proving that resistance is a way of effecting real change.

Maroons was the name given to African slaves who escaped their captors, mainly in the West Indies and the Americas. Once free they often banded together to form independent settlements. Jungles around the Americas offered food, shelter and isolation for the escapees, who survived by growing vegetables and hunting. They also raided plantations, sometimes burning crops, stealing livestock and tools or killing slave masters. Other slaves were encouraged to join them. Groups often allied themselves with indigenous tribes and occasionally assimilated into these populations. The maroons played an important role in the histories of Brazil, Surinam, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Cuba and Jamaica.

From resistance to free communities

The Saramaka maroons were one of several free slave communities in Surinam. Living in the dense rainforest they fought for their liberation for nearly 100 years. Resisting the Dutch colonial forces they secured their freedom one century before the general emancipation of slaves in Surinam signing a treaty with the Dutch crown in 1762.

They lived almost as a state within a state until the mid-20th century when the pace of outside encroachments threatened their way of life. A civil war broke out in the late 1980s between the Maroons and the military government. The end of the war in the mid-1990s led to the Surinamese government granting large mining and timber concessions to foreign multinationals without consulting the Saramakas.

The Saramaka authorities complained and in November 2007 the Inter- American Court for

Human Rights ruled in their favour. This established a precedent for all Maroons and indigenous people in the Americas. They were granted collective rights to the land their ancestors had lived on since the early 18th century, including the right to determine the exploitation of natural resources. They also received compensation from the government for damages caused by timber grants made to companies.

A victorious rebellion

In the French colony of St Domingue, August 1791, an organised slave rebellion broke out, beginning 12 years of resistance to obtain human rights and independence. Plunging the island into civil war, the slaves managed to force the National Convention to abolish slavery in all the French colonies in 1794. With Toussaint L'Ouverture among the main commanders, the movement built up into a revolution which resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Haiti on 1st January 1804. It was unique in being the first

post-colonial, independent black-led nation in the world and the only nation whose independence was gained as a result of a successful slave rebellion.

Sabotage and success

In 1655 the English captured the island of Jamaica from the Spanish, who before leaving released their slaves and organised them into a fighting force, so as to harass the English until such time as they could return to retake the island. These maroons, later to be known as the Accompong, quickly saw their numbers swell as more runaway slaves joined them. They raided plantations, releasing even more slaves and seriously jeopardising English plans to colonise the island.

In 1690, after a large group of rebel slaves escaped and joined forces with them, they began a campaign of murder and robbery that became known as the first maroon war. They would camouflage themselves with leaves and then ambush the

English, who suffered heavy losses from the fighting.

The maroon settlement Nanny Town was attacked by the English and completely leveled, forcing the maroons to retreat to Trelawny, from where they continued to make frequent raids on plantations. Shortly after a bloody massacre of English troops peace terms were offered. On 6th January 1738 a treaty was agreed granting them full freedom, 1500 acres of land and the right to hunt wild pig anywhere except within three miles of a plantation or town. A similar treaty was agreed with the Windward maroons the following year.

It is interesting to note that in 271 years the Accompong maroon community, which is largely autonomous and separate from the Jamaican culture, has had only one incident of a capital crime requiring the intervention of a justice of the peace. There are no Jamaican police present in the community as the maroons are quite capable of policing themselves.

Trelawney Town – chief residence of the Maroons

Defiant dissenters develop derelict drug den

Below is an article we received from someone on a job creation scheme run on behalf of the local job centre. It’s one of several reports we have heard, about the ridiculous treatment of those looking to get off the dole and into work.

I’ve been unemployed for quite a few years, although like most unemployed I’ve done plenty of work during that time (mainly childcare) - I just haven’t been paid for any of it.

Recently I’ve been put on Employment Zone, a mandatory scheme for the long-term unemployed. If you don't complete the "programme" you can be put back on it, starting at square one. It’s run by JobcentrePlus in about

a dozen places up and down the country, including Haringey. You are assigned a "personal advisor" to get you back to work, but in my experience it’s little short of a joke.

My plan of “agreed activities” has me applying for about ten jobs a week, otherwise I risk losing up to four weeks’ jobseekers’ allowance (JSA). Most of the jobs pay only minimum wage, but I stand little chance of getting any of them - I don’t have experience, and most of all I don’t want them.

So, apart from wasting my time, plus the time it takes someone to sift through piles of unsuitable CVs, what other genius activities do they have for getting people jobs? I’ll give you an example.

A day in the life

I was over halfway through my 26-week sentence, when my advisor calls me to tell me he’s lined up an interview for a couple of cleaning jobs. I don’t get any more details, but turn up the next morning. There I find another ten interviewees. But where’s the interview? We’re shunted into a room and a woman at the front gives us some advice: apparently some people haven’t been smiling in interviews. We’re here to brush up on our skills.

Next we’re split into two groups and filed into another room. We’re told to treat it as a real interview. At the end of it, one lucky person will be put forward to the all-important employer, who - wait for it - may, or may not, choose to interview us.

We’re asked to write down what duties might be involved in the job (let me see: clean, tidy, sweep…). I can tell everyone’s getting really pissed off.

One guy takes his tie off - a small act of rebellion. Another gets a call on his mobile and begins talking away - in the “interview”.

The final straw comes when we’re told that, of the two jobs we’re going for, one is full-time and requires experience (that’s all of us out then) and the other is part-time, but could be anything from three to 20 hours a week. Who’s going to come off the dole for a job that can only guarantee three hours a week? All in all, a complete waste of time for claimants and staff, and at public expense.

The old nursing home next to the now demolished Hornsey Central Hospital had been lying derelict for over five years. The building was slowly decaying and coming under attack from the elements and vandalism. It was in a sorry state.

But then, a group of people decided enough was enough. They couldn’t stand seeing this beautiful building go to rot. So, they let themselves in and started

squatting the place. Once in, they found piles of rubbish mixed with faeces and needles and realised how much tender loving care the building needed.

They cleaned and renovated it, named it The Krankenhouse Project (Krankenhaus is German for "hospital”), started putting on workshops for the local community and making plans to develop the gardens to open up as a community space.

They now run day courses on juggling, music and screen printing and the community garden is coming into its own. Going out to the surrounding area they got local support and have a 500 strong petition supporting them.

In their words "this building is meant to be for the people of Hornsey and Haringey. If we are here, we look after the building and stop kids vandalising it. Instead of demanding a council flat, we are using, maintaining and protecting derelict council property. Our ideal situation would simply be to be left here until the owners actually do something positive with the building."

They describe themselves as “a group of artists, performers, jokers, jugglers and well-wishers. We’re organising anything that we can – for free! Exhibitions, workshops, cafes, classes,anything”.

Some people may think squatting is wrong. We totally disagree. Far too many buildings lie empty, slowly dying, while property developers wait to make a financial killing out of bricks and mortar. Meanwhile community centres and places where people meet and socialise close leaving people isolated. The people of Krankenhouse are rightly bringing this building back into community ownership and offering free space and activities for people in Haringey. Long may it continue and inspire others to do the same. Maybe next time we walk past a boarded up house or shop front and watch it rot, we should instead be thinking “What could we use that for?”

EMPLOYMENT ZONEwho benefits?

To contact them: www.krankenhouse.co.uk

or email them at: krankenhouse@live.co.uk

www.haringey.org.uk

From December 7th-18th there will be a United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Inside and outside the conference there will be arguments over what needs to be done to reduce global carbon emissions, stop catastrophic climate change and create a sustainable world for future generations. Thousands of people will be protesting on Copenhagen’s streets demanding immediate and effective action.

However, those actually allowed inside the conference will be the representatives of the very institutions which are causing the crisis - the world’s governments and corporations. They clearly can’t be trusted. As always they will do everything they can to keep their power and wealth and to shore up their oppressive and obsolete crisis ridden system. Such a system means ever-worsening climate change and continuing wars, poverty and repression.

Acting for ourselves

So what can we do locally to respond to the situation we face? It’s certainly an emergency, but also an opportunity to create a better world.

We should work to establish a collectively run society committed to zero-waste, renewable non-polluting energy, free public transport and useful environmentally-friendly work for people’s needs not profit. Ideas include; public discussions, tree planting, film shows, leafleting, street theatre, bike rides, reduced car use, give & take events, skills sharing, boycotts, protests, electricity “switch offs”, insulating buildings, challenging consumerism and advertising, promoting local arts, crafts and food. We must also put pressure on all public bodies and companies to cut their carbon footprint.

The Sustainable Haringey network is calling on local residents and workers to organise a wide range of local green events and actions throughout the borough during the conference. We in Haringey Solidarity Group support this and will be taking part. The fortnight will kick off with local people attending the countrywide protest in central London on December 5th.

The police say they will give me a "safer neighbourhood",If I display a sticker, spy on others, and be good.But the colours of their 'team' are of a darker hue,And the hooligans they employ will leave you black and blue.

"Community policing" can mean almost anything,To me it means: "The streets are ours - don't argue, dance or sing.""Staying safe" is good advice, but as the G20 protest showed,They'll crack your head wide open just for sitting in the road.

You'd best avoid police if you've dreadlocks or you're black.They'll take you in for questioning even if you're the one attacked.And if someone is injured, the fault is never theirs.Another death in police custody? "He just slipped and fell downstairs."

Concerned about gun crime? Yes, society's amiss,But it's business makes the weapons, and what bothers me is this:An unarmed man was shot, and they know who the murderer is,But he isn't brought to justice, 'cos he's one of the police.

Maybe the police are busy pursuing petty theft,Yet bankers stealing millions are quietly left.And legislation supposedly to wage the "war on terror"Supports state terrorism and centralizes power.

So next time you see someone stopped and searched in the streetAsk is this what we want from our bobby on the beat.And when politicians say we need more laws, ID cards, CCTV,Ask yourself if this is the right way to liberty.

"Farewell to the gangsters, we don't need them any more -We've got the police force, they're the ones who break the law."If blocked by a lawless 'force', there are other ways to fight:"Things that cannot flower by day must flower in the night."

We all live in CO2penhagen

Haringey Solidarity Group is a collective of local people who want to get rid of the current system which places profit and power before people’s real needs. The only effective way to do this is for people to get organised, fight back and take over the decision-making in communities and workplaces. To that end we support and participate in local campaigns, spread ideas and help create effective opposition to the powers that be.For more information: phone 0845 2235270email info@haringey.org.ukby post to: HSG, PO Box 2474, London, N8

Haringey Solidarity Group If you like what you’ve seen in this newsletter, check out www.haringey.org.uk. As well as more news about grassroots action around Haringey, you’ll also find out about upcoming events and how to get active in your area, including how to get involved with HSG.

If you have some news about something you think we should include on our site, then get in touch. Whether it’s a street party you’ve organised with your neighbours, a strike at your workplace or some gossip about a local slum landlord, we’re keen to hear from you.

WHO WE ARE

PC World

More info from: www.sustainableharingey.org.uk and www.haringey.org.uk