peopleincommon.org

On International Human Rights Day 2008, After 60 Years..
Why Human Rights?
Public Meeting

Wednesday 10th December, 6pm
New Theatre, LSE Houghton St WC2 (nearest tube Holborn/Temple)

“Men are not capable of doing nothing, of saying nothing, of not reacting to injustice, of not protesting against oppression, of not striving for the good of society and the good life in the ways they see it"
Nelson Mandela (First Court Statement, 1962)

On the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) creating a global framework for the protection of the rights of everyone, and in this climate of multiple crises, we invite you to consider: do we really have human rights? What's right and wrong with them? Can 'rights' help us respond to the challenge of reconstructing society; so that justice, mutual respect and equality prevail? And if so, what concrete actions must we now take?

Speaker/Panel: AC Grayling, Andy Worthington (author of the Guantanamo Files), Hicham Yezza, Teresa Hoskyns (London Social Forum) Peter Tatchell and Vivienne Westwood.

Presentations, Q&A with panellists followed by discussion on where to take the UK civil rights movement.

You are also cordially invited to an informal pre-meeting from 3pm Room H102, Connaught House building (LSE, on Aldwych) to discuss background info, action proposals and any other issues of concern. This will include a brief presentation on Lefebvre's Right to the City.

Event organised by CAMPACC, the London
Guantánamo Campaign, London Against
Injustice.

For more details on event email humanrights2012@gmail.com

For A5 fliers, click here.

NB this event is part of a wider project to secure human rights, liberty and justice for all in the UK. In other words, to deal with those pesky horsemen, or crises also known as political, economic, ecological and moral. More on this to follow.

News & Reviews 4th November

Freedom to Protest in the UK for All Groups Struggling for Self-Determination

A demonstration last Sunday by Kurdish activists took place in support of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is presently languishing much abused in a Turkish prison. Sadly the London demonstration was intimidated and harassed by British police, including control of slogans, intrusive filming and other intimidatory tactics. Did the police justify these actions because the PKK is a banned organisation under UK terror legislation?

If so, they are wrong to do so. The PKK is not a terror group like Al Qaeda, and the government is prima facie wrong to put them in the same bracket. PKK fights against Turkish and other imperial powers for national liberation. They are essentially struggling for the democratic right to self-determination. Therefore they should not be branded terrorists, nor should peaceful protestors who support them be treated in this way. See report of London demo at Mark Hevallo's blog .

Domestic policing of 'banned groups' in this vein is an extension of Britain's questionable foreign policy (in this case, in support of the Turkish regime and against the Kurdish movement for national independence). Another example is the Tamil Tigers (LTT). LTT are fighting for Tamil Eelam self-determination against a Sri-Lankan government intent on committing Tamil genocide. Outrageously, two UK based Tamil activists were recently charged under UK anti-terror legislation for organising a demo in support of a banned organisation. This in spite of the fact they had informed and agreed with the London Met details of their demo beforehand.

People such as these living in Britain, acting as peaceful activists campaigning to raise awareness of an occupied people's plight back home are now finding themselves being tarred with the sinister brush of terrorism. Can you imagine what this must feel like?

Political abuse of foreign policy power, and its extension through unjust domestic enforcement is not a new UK phenomenon, but its use is exacerbated further by this spurious war on terror.

The ongoing, sensitive case of Balochistan's liberation movement and British state collusion with the Pakistani state and its ongoing occupation of Balochistan is another case in point.

In the UK one should be free to demonstrate peacefully for whatever cause. The use of terror legislation to criminalise democratic movements for self-determination is unacceptable and must not be allowed to continue. Terrorism should be treated as a crime, and its perpetrator's treated with the same considerations of law and due process. By contrast, wars of independence by oppressed peoples against occupy states are a part of a noble history of struggle. See for example the present British Library exhibit on the history of civil liberties in the UK. Such struggles should be honoured as sacred, and peaceful protestors campaigning on to support them peacefully in the UK protected and supported by our laws, not vilified.

FYI a list of banned organisations with comments has helpfully been published by Ceasefire Magazine, here.

Other News ..

A Civil Liberties

The first in a planned series of '11th Hour Sandwich Power' communiques, on September 11th 2008, a picnic was convened at the Ministry of Justice a message calling on the UK government to adopt a new approach to civil liberties was delivered to MOJ and Home Office employees.

On 9th October 2008, 'Human Rights and Human Wrongs' the first in a series of Project 2012 events and workshops took place at St Johns Waterloo. This moving and informative event centred on the appalling state of British prisons, prisoners rights, inappropriate imprisonment, societal attitudes to prisoners and youth crime. A report will follow, but in the meantime our thanks to everyone who made this possible - speakers and participants alike.

Here is the Second 11th Hour Communique this event helped to inspire, and which was distributed on 11th October 2008 at the Freedom Not Fear International Day of Action against Surveillance held at New Scotland Yard:

Saturday 11th October Communique

In the light of climate change, economic collapse, abuse of civil liberties and war, many people believe a new approach to law and law-making is now required. So, let us fight together for democracy, government by the people.

In an authentic democracy, everyone gets to take part in decision-making. But establishment party politics and voting are insufficient for this development, so that democracy now requires us to develop a different political economy together.

This new political economy we must fight for can be summed up by the proverb: it takes a village to bring up a child. We don't need surveillance cameras, ASBOs and DNA databases to raise a good society. We don't want to live in an open prison. Instead, free humanity will flower in the form of village-sized communities with their own political economic self-determination, everywhere.

In a sane, free society, each street will meet regularly to share human warmth, decide what work needs doing, make political and economic decisions and generally keep an eye on things. Surveillance will be by the people on the government, not the other way around. Black, white, straight, gay, young and old, guest or resident: human beings will be in the driving seat together. Vulnerable minority people will no longer be excluded; an inclusive, working village is the best welfare system there is. Article 29(1) of the UDHR: "Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible."

In other words, individual freedom is bound up in the need to work for the community. Not for the company, or the state or global capital, but the local community. No more being herded around by market forces and naughty people. Government by the people.

Sadly, thanks to government policy the Freedom Not Fear event at the Yard was technically an illegal gathering, it being in the SOCPA zone. It was however lightly policed. By way of contrast, police further north were heavyhanded at the linked event in Liverpool. Thankfully, reports are that the police got a rich booing from members of the public witnessing the harassment of political stallholders and demonstrators. Liverpool protestors are planning to go back for more to make the principle clear.

Back in London, a big thanks to Food not Bombs for veggie tucker at the Yard, which more than made up for musical no-shows on the day. Other stuff going on for FNF 2008 included the excellent Gordon Brown collage (featured to the right) put together by the Open Rights Group constructed in the day in Parliament Square and made up of zillions of pictures taken by UK people as examples of the scary weirdness of our new world order surveillance society in action.

B Ecology

The following Monday saw further parly-square drama with the Climate Rush's 'Words not Deeds' event. This consisting of neo-Edwardian ladies and gents leading a very civilised people's rush on Parliament. This to commemorate 100 years since the original Suffragette parliament rush. But also to put pressure on creaking Parliament to vote for strict climate targets. Solutions to the climate crisis lie in far more radical action than a mere vote, but in the meantime we certainly need those in power to make good decisions and this evening managed to express both these facts. 500 or so people surging right up to the door of Parliament was quite a spectacle. Pre-Rush speeches were made from a number of notables, including CAMPACC's very own Ismet Rawat. In summary: although we really don't see the need for seeking authorisation under SOCPA - which is, after all, dead - nevertheless 'Roll on the Revolution!'.

While on the subject of ecology, a picnic of note should be mentioned: 'Leave it in the Ground' Coal Action Network recently used picnicking tactics to highlight a planned destruction of pristine land and consequent pollution in Derbyshire. Find photos and report from 'Picnic in the Park' at Shipley Open Cast Site at
https://www.indymedia.org.uk/ en/2008/10/411671.html

C Economic Collapse

On Friday 31st October, courtesy of Peace Strike Maria a 'Trick or Treat' Petition was delivered to Nos. 10 & 11 Downing Street (see picture outside No.11) and to the Treasury. The petition demanded an end to tax havens, the global enactment of CTT/Tobin Tax and wholescale reform of the Common Agricultural Policy CAP to redistribute wealth to people and planet. A copy of the petition can be read here. This has now been converted into a Downing Street e-petition. Please find time to put your name to it. Thanks!

Remember Remember

In memory of Guy Fawkes there are plans of a 5.11 Communique to the BBC calling on them to honour the terms of the Public Service broadcasting requirements in their Royal Charter by opening up the airwaves to grassroots activists in this time of crisis, to be delivered. Basically: make the BBC into a parliamentary channel for all voices and then there will be no need to burn the real one.

Are Human Rights Political?

Essential Principles | Political, Democratic Republicanism

"In order to maximise our own liberty, we must cease to put our trust in princes, and instead take charge of the public arena for ourselves, [constructing a genuine democracy] in which government is for the people as result of being by the people".
Professor Quentin Skinner

Political locality boundaries redrawn to reflect real neighbourhoods (and not top-down gerry-mandered)

Regular decision-making hubs in every neighbourhood

Fundamental right to organise in workplace and inhabited locality (Trade Unions and Local, Independent 'LA21' Unions)

Local community collective ownership of assets eg street markets, swimming pools, youth centres. The capacity to derive revenue

Participatory budget/decision making

Local provision of public services, including governance

Parliamentary sovereignty made accountable by these new, independent structures of governance, built from below

An end to party political stranglehold on UK governance

Corporate power reigned in

All voices included in new political economy

Wholescale reform of domestic tax system.

In Solidarity with the Other Campaign
Liberty and Justice for All