News In Brief

The EF! Gathering date and sites are sorted. See dates and enclosed flyer for details. Anyone interested in helping out now and/or the week before to set the site up should contact the organising crew via Leeds EF!

Unusual letter appeal: Write to Scott Porter, 31 Bernard St, Edinburgh EH6 6SH, saying yes, you think reintroducing the endangered European beaver to the wild in Scotland in the next 3 years is a good idea. Scottish Natural Heritage are considering it. The beavers were part of the place until the 16th century when we wiped them out (for their 'valuable' testicles!)

Paul Gill's tape "Solid Ground" is available for £6 inc. p&p (cheques payable to R.Taylor) from End Cottage, Wood Green, Long Stratton, Norfolk NR15 2RR. Sorry we missed out half the address in AU48.

It seems the Weymouth Relief Road will not go ahead! The government won't give the council money for the road. Teddy Bear Woods camp is still going.

Students: there's a proposal for GSN and SEA to merge to form a single new network. For further details, contact SEAC at 31 Hartley Avenue, Leeds LS6 2LW, 0113 245 1958, cen7dcc@leeds.ac.uk

Faslane Peace Camp recently celebrated 16 years of resistance; the appeal court date is now set for 1 July, with verdict probably in August.

Bristol Love and Rockets Street Party was a success. 200 party-goers ate, drank cider, played music, and danced on the Temple Meads flyover for 2 hours.

Radical US eco-zine 'Live Wild or Die' is out soon. aid@lgc.apc.org

The South Downs June mass trespass drew 60 people of varying ages, visiting areas with hardly any accessible open land; a de-registered common, a valley managed as a pheasant shoot, and onto a now privatised farm.

The Zapatistas need increased solidarity since the murderous army incursion on June 10th.

At the Beal Valley Day of Action , work stopped for the day as soon as the 30 or so folk turned up at the site, so not much happened. Amusing story was the undercover cop inconspicuosuly sitting in his car who gave himself away reading Police Journal! More events in September: contact Oldham EF!

The Bilderberg Group - a little-known group of hugely influential capitalists - are in the spotlight. More at http://www.tllo.demon.co.uk/badlinks

Epsom council propose a relief road through green space, funnily enough including an access road to council offices 100 yards away. There is a squat and a camp - all very cosy - the police station and ambulance service are doors away, the fire brigade, bailiffs & courts opposite!

The recent Environment Trade Fair in Birmingham, and all associated profiteering corporations, were greeted by activists up 30-foot flagpoles. Better clean-up, regulations, techno-fixes, blah....no more greenwash!

There was an evictions anniversary action at Manchester's second runway , with a motley bunch running around stopping machinery working, and few problems from the total 8 security guards. Meanwhile, the (local) Mobberley Mums have been disrupt work every day they can - contact them via Manc EF! if you want to lend a hand.

Meanwhile, over in the US of A , there are currently congressional hearings on eco-terrorism , mainly focused on our distant relatives. Earth First! engages in a deliberate, orchestrated systematic criminal conspiracy that should be punishable under the Racketeer and Corrupt Organizations statute...

Newcastle's new anti-genetics group GeneNO did something about that Renault car advert that's been winding us all up lately. Several local billboards displaying the car and the words Genetic Engineering now continue 'a dangerous technology, going too fast, on the road to nowhere'. GeneNO also demonstrated noisily at the EU Agricultural Ministers' dinner at Durham Castle in May. Spokesperson Jean Damaged said, "The Ministers will be choosing what they want to eat for dinner - we believe British consumers should have the same right".

The last Hillgrove cat farm action saw over 1000 people turn up to continue this year's long-term protest. Police made a point of arresting people for whom they had evidence of earlier crime - as well as one ten-year-old boy, who they held for ten hours. The actions continue throughout the year. Contact 0171 2480835.