Trick or Treat Climate Procession

The Manchester Band played on the Trick or Treat
Climate Procession on Halloween. They were joined
by a 15 ft high Skeleton puppet. Members of the public
were leafleted and asked to write to their M.P.'s demanding
a Climate "Treat" in Copenhagen, for example real binding
cuts in emissions and serious carbon targets rather than a Carbon
"Trick", for example classifying Palm plantations as forests
and in so doing paying countries a green subsidy to
destroy pristine rainforest and grow commercial palm oil.
Palm plantations actually accelerate climate change because
rainforests grow on natural peatland, millions of years
of dead wood. Peatland is one of the most concentrated stores
of carbon on earth. Clearing the forest on top, draining the
peat and burning it releases vast amounts of greenhouse gases
into the atmosphere. Indonesia's peatlands represent just 0.1 per
cent of the Earth's land mass, but contribute a staggering
4 per cent of global emissions. James from the band said
"It is the ultimate irony that the climate change negotiations at
Copenhagen now contain a clause permitting virgin rainforest
to be felled and replaced by commercial palm oil monocultures
because these plantations can be classed as "forests". This is like
saying it's OK to destroy a priceless Leonardo Da Vinci
painting as long as you replace it with a poster.
If these ancient forests, and their indigenous peoples and diversity
are destroyed, the Copenhagen talks will be no more than hot air and
will give us no hope of survival."

Smash EDO Carnival Against the Arms trade.

Wednesday the 4th of June 2008.

Members of the Manchester band traveled to Brighton

to play with London and Oxford Rhythms at the big

Smash EDO carnival.

The police were typicaly heavy handed as can be expected at

EDO events and one member of Manchester band

was pushed to the ground and had her expensive Hep

stolen by the Police. Otherwise

the day went well!

The campaign to close the EDO weapons components factory

has never been far from controversy.

The past five and a half years have seen violent confrontations

between protesters and police, court battles with the company

and large-scale demonstrations through the city's streets.

Protesters claim weapons components manufactured by the

EDO factory in Home Farm Road, Moulsecoomb, are used in planes

and missile systems to commit atrocities in Palestine and

elsewhere in the Middle East.

The Great Climate Swoop at Ratcliffe on Sour.

On the 17th of October the band went to
Ratcliffe on Sour power station as part
of the Great Climate Swoop.

Considering most people had come to their first
rehearsal on the Friday the day before
the band were seriously impressive by the end of
the day and there was a real buzz.

The band were at the E.ON owned power station to
demand an end to coal. With E.ON forced to shelve
the new coal plant at Kingsnorth the week before,
the Swoop was happening to keep the pressure on.
Ratcliffe will emit more CO2 than Costa Rica each
year for the next 30 years.

In the run up to the UN climate talks at Copenhagen
this December activists on the Swoop were out to
show that coal has no future if we are to avoid
catastrophic climate change.

Ruth Kelly and 2.5 % biofuels travesty!

On 15th April on biofuels day Rhythms of Resistance joined a group activists
who went to visit Ruth Kelly's constituency office in Bolton.
Protestors held banners saying "hello 2.5% biofuels, goodbye planet earth"
Rhythms of Resistance Manchester played along to chants of 'food for people
not for cars.' Local people were leafleted and informed about their local MP's
collusion with the biofuels greenwash and it's links with deforestation, the
rise in food prices and the displacement of indigenous people's from their land.
Channel M Manchester covered the story and spoke to a sambista dressed as an orangutan forced to leave his home in the Indonesian rainforest.

STOP EU RTFO NOW!

No Borders, No Nations, Freedom of Movement for ALL!

On Saturday evening, up to 200 squatters and No Borders activists held an
unauthorised demonstration in the city centre. Accompanied by Rhythms of Resistance
and two soundsystems mounted on bike trailers, they marched from Victoria
Station into the Northern Quarter, along Market Street and Kings Street,
through Spinningfields into Castlefield.

The demonstration highlighted the ridiculousness of hundreds of houses
standing empty, while many of us face extortionate rents, mortgage
repayments or eviction threats. A participant said: “It was about time
that someone protested about the invisible borders that divide the city
into rich and poor”.

At the end of the march in Castlefields, the protesters succeeded in
taking symbolic action against the redevelopment of the area. As they
arrived at the old Jackson’s Wharf pub, they entered the abandoned
building and brought it back to life for a couple of hours of celebration.

This event in Manchester coincided with dozens of building occupations,
protests and street parties across Europe, in cities as diverse as London,
Amsterdam, Vienna and Prague. Worldwide, tens of thousands attended.

Fossil Fools Parade

Manchester's Fossil Fools got up to all sorts of tricks today, visiting some of their idols in the city centre... unfortunately in our efforts to congratulate the best fossil fools a few mishaps occurred...
Some clowns got stuck in the revolving doors at RBS and a human pipeline was escorted from the city centre building by security. Some members of the parade got confused and chalked messages on the pavements, and people trying to escape the beating of drums ran to hide in the flight centre while the samba band, who really had no idea, blocked the entrance! Some policemen came along looking for Spartacus but couldn't find him anywhere.

This was a wonderful day where fossil fools in all their many guises could come together, from old men (we think?!!), to young dinosaurs, in shades, masks, facepaints and suits to worship at the alter of commercial climate denial. To encourage people to consider whether or not they too may be fossil fools there were free vegan cakes, and leaflets with guidance about making Manchester a cleaner city (another little slip up).

On a positive note banners reading 'OIL,GAS and COAL the jokes on US! Happy Fossil Fools Day! were hung on the walls of RBS, out of respect for their hard work contributing to climate chaos. Placards saying 'Mr.T says "I pity the fuel" were waved. The parade ended triumphantly outside Manchester Town Hall to recognise the vital role Manchester City Council play in the area, damaging the climate every day. Just before the end a charming man did a short but inspiring solo on the spoons.

Brussels Agrofuels Invasion

A member of Rhythms Manchester travelled to Belgium to
join in an international action against biofuels. Activists
blockaded the doors of the International Biofuels Conference
and a large group of Sambistas drummed loudly to cause a
disruption. This action cast a large shadow over the latest
greenwash publicity stunt.