A Polite Revolution

= News =

It’s been an eventful two weeks.

In a landmark ruling, the Department of Work and Pensions workfare scheme (working without getting paid) was deemed unlawful. Join us this weekend outside Poundland in an anti-workfare picket.

This weekend also sees the 10-year anniversary of the greatest protest march in UK history, an anniversary being celebrated in a series of anti-war events and commemorations.

In another legal victory, judges ruled that police breached the rights of peace protesters in Fairford ten years ago. Better late than never?

A new UK campaign in support of whistleblowers was launched while Freedom bookstore, a 125-year old publishing house founded by Kropotkin, was firebombed. A musical benefit event to help with restoration costs is being held next weekend.

The 25,000-strong march in protest of the planned closures at Lewisham hospital landed a partial victory. The campaign continues.

Following last month’s Liverpool council occupation, occupation initiatives sprung up in Sussex, London and Birmingham.

After 5 months, the Friern Barnet library occupation ended with the local community winning back its library. Local residents are clear that without the help of squatters and members of Occupy, the library would not have reopened. The local community is still campaigning for a paid librarian. Sign our petition to decriminalise squatting at the end of this newsletter. Find library groups and campaigns here. And join the celebrations at the library this Friday with a cabaret!

Yesterday, around the world, women came together in flashmobs to protest against violence and aggression towards women.

And on 5th February, uniting the themes of war and protest, thousands gathered in Dhaka, Bangladesh demanding justice for the atrocities committed during the country’s 1971 liberation war. The Shahbag Square occupation has since sparked protests countrywide and elicited support around the world.