Defend Direct Action
26th March, San Francisco USA.
via: Scenes
“Last Sunday someone redecorated the facade of the GI Partners building (4 Embarcadero Ctr) in San Francisco using a fire extinguisher filled with green paint. Fuck with the forest and the forest will fuck with you.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: In late January, GI Partners acquired Atlas Technical, a major player in the destruction of the Atlanta Forest.
PHOTO: Unrelated image.
17th March, North of Italy.
“Alf attacked Coldiretti in North of Italy.
Coldiretti is one of the major responsable of the hunting policy and the fight of boars and other wild animals.
Also involved in all meat productions”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Coldiretti is the main Italian farming association lobbying the government. They run many campaigns, and lately they have been very focused on the ban on “synthetic meat”. Italian press has given a lot of coverage to the paint job, and Coldiretti has said that they “can’t let the ‘turbo-environmentalists’ win”.
via: This is Not a Drill
17th March, Cambridge UK
“HIT REPORT. This morning, a group of activists in Cambridge broke the windows and spray painted the office building at 50 – 60 Station Road near the rail station. They sent us this explanation.
Why did we choose this anonymous-looking building? Because as soon as it was built, it was occupied by several of the worst enablers of fossil fuels and ecocide. So who are we talking?
EVERSHEDS SUTHERLAND – a law firm that has represented Shell, Chevron and BP, among others [1]. They specialise in injunctions against protestors, including recently assisting Esso in suppressing climate activists [2]. They were recently targeted by activists from HS2 Rebellion for their work on HS2 [3].
CENTRICA – The owners of British Gas, Centrica recently reported record profits for 2022 – off the back of the cost of living crisis and the war in Ukraine [4]. They’re also known for their fracking lobbying (alongside Cuadrilla) in Lancashire [5].
AMAZON – These guys need no introduction. Their carbon emissions are astronomical and their evil billionaire owner Bezos rakes it in off the backs of people living and working in shockingly bad conditions [6].
CHARLES RIVER ASSOCIATES – A dark horse, this lot are famous for creating biased economic forecasts to help their fossil fuel clients lobby against climate policies [7]. They’ve also worked on major oil company mergers – like BP/Statoil and Schlumberger/Cameron – and were hired by BP to defend them after their catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill [8].
STANTEC – They boast about their work ‘increasing the value of Canadian oil’ through the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, which is notorious for the theft of Indigenous land and workers rights abuses [9]. They’ve also provided ‘professional services’ (whatever those are) to HS2.
SIMMONS – These guys have worked with BP on the Caspian pipeline, which is notorious for human rights abuses, and especially harm to the Kurdish people [10]. They are also involved in the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, a project that StopEACOP are working around the world to halt [11].
This isn’t even every destructive company in the building! This building is a hub of planetary exploitation, and shows clearly how Cambridge’s growth agenda is bound up with extractivism. We wish we’d managed to get a pic of the broken windows, but they’ve covered them – instead, you’ll have to make do with this (sent in by a friend) which shows that our action apparently reached new heights (the first floor…)!”
[2] no link because no-one needs to know the details of injunctions xx
[3] https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/environmental-campaigners-spray-fake-oil-8197554
[4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64652142
[5] https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-centrica-investing-in-fracking-1; https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/judge-who-jailed-fracking-three-13397943
[6] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/30/amazon-says-carbon-emissions-rose-19percent-in-2020.html; https://www.amazonlaborunion.org/
[7] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09644016.2021.1947636
[8] https://www.crai.com/our-people/alan-overd/; https://www.crai.com/our-people/matthew-bennett/; https://www.crai.com/engagements/non-use-damage-claims/
[9] https://www.stantec.com/uk/projects/d/delivering-hs2-phase-one; https://www.stantec.com/uk/projects/h/high-speed-rail-phase2b; https://www.stantec.com/uk/projects/b/business-case-leeds-city-region-hs2-growth-strategy; https://www.stantec.com/uk/projects/t/trans-mountain-expansion-project-tmep; https://www.wildernesscommittee.org/NoTMX
[10] https://www.simmons-simmons.com/en/expertise/service/energy-natural-resources-and-infrastructure; https://khrp.org/khrp-news/news-archive/2003-news/109-campaigners-warn-uk-government-of-human-rights-threats-over-bps-caspian-oil-project.html
[11] https://www.simmons-simmons.com/en/expertise/service/oil-and-gas; https://www.stopeacop.net/
via: Scenes from the Atlanta Forest
Mid-March, Windsor USA.
“In mid-March, 2023, anarchist comrades attacked a local Consolidated Engineering Laboratories (CEL) office in Windsor, CA, an ATLAS subsidiary, to decry their affiliation with the creators of Cop City.
The action was carried out in solidarity with those who defend the Weelaunee Forest against destruction, despite facing domestic terrorism charges; who grieve the brutal murder of Manuel Tortuguita Teran; who stand against the widespread terror caused by carceral state; and who stand against the earth’s decimation.
CEL and ATLAS operate at the behest of profit, regardless of human and environmental cost. CEL boasts its involvement with a new Utah state prison (comprising over 200 acres and 25 + buildings). ATLAS is expanding the US Naval Nuclear Laboratory.
In response, a small but impassioned strike was made against the capital-carceral enterprise creating Cop City. Glass was etched and smashed; a ridiculous flag removed; an explanatory sign posted; and emphatic messages provided.
We stand with the forest defenders. Smash the state. Abolish the police. Defend the earth.”
Over the past four months, Attendorn, Germany.
According to hunting media, several hunting towers and seats were destroyed between November 2022 and March 2023 in the region of Attendon, North Rhine Westphalia.
Seven towers were completely destroyed and multiple others were damages in what the hunting media describe as “mischievous and hidden manners”. They say that those seats and towers that were damaged in a not-so-obvious way are incredibly dangerous to hunters, who must check the towers are safe before climbing or risk injury or death.
The hunting association approximated the costs due to vandalism at almost 10.000 EUR, and the police released a statement where they say that they cannot rule out the possibility that the acts of vandalism are politically motivated and that they have opened an investigation. They also insisted that hunters refrain from using hunting hides and seats unless they have been thoroughly checked to ensure their safety.
via: NAALPO
Mid February, Skåne Sweden.
“Received anonymously:
In the middle of February a butcher shop was visited in southern Sweden, the province skåne, and where spraypainted with meat is murder, the Alf logo and some lines drawn alongside the facade just to make as much trouble for the animal abusers as possible.
Unfortunately no pictures were taken. They are the small city’s only meat shop and hopefully soon there will be no meat shops in the city at all.
For the Animals!
/ ALF SWEDEN”
28th January, Ann Arbor USA.
via: Scenes From the Atlanta Forest.
“last saturday, a crowd of 100 people gathered in front of the merrill lynch office building to share memories, tears, and vengence for tortuguita. the crowd was a militant throng, mostly in black from head to toe. the march took state street and then paraded behind a porsche dealership, which funds the atlanta police foundation. the crowd riotously engaged in expressions of grief, including spray painting fancy cars and slashing the tires of 40+ cars waiting to be sold. signs were left behind at porsche and merrill lynch stating “cop city will never be built” and “you fund police murder”. no arrests were made.
we love you tort, and we will never stop fighting for the world you believe in.”
1st February, Highland USA.
via: Scenes From the Atlanta Forest.
“LAST WEEKEND WE SMASHED ALL WINDOWS AND THE GLASS DOORS OF THE ATLAS OFFICE IN HIGHLAND, IN, AND ATTACKED THE INTERIOR WITH A POWERFUL STINK BOMB, LEAVING THE OFFICE PERMANENTLY INOPERABLE. SIX ATLAS VEHICLES PARKING OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE WERE ALSO VANDALIZED.
UNTIL THE MURDER OF TORTUGUITA, NO COP OR CONTRACTOR WAS INJURED AS A RESULT OF ACTIONS IN DEFENSE OF THE WEELAUNEE FOREST. NOW, THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT MAY HAVE TO CHANGE. ATLAS TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS, AS WELL AS ITS SUBSIDIARY LONG ENGINEERING, HAS PHYSICALLY ATTACKED THE WEELAUNEE FOREST AND IS STILL COMMITTED TO BUILDING COP CITY. UNTIL ATLAS PUBLICLY ANNOUNCES THAT IT WILL NO LONGER WORK ON THE PROJECT, THE COMPANY, ITS EXECUTIVES. AND ALL OF ITS PROPERTY ARE LEGITIMATE TARGETS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COP CITY AND THE HOLLYWOOD DYSTOPIA.
THERE ARE THREE ADDITIONAL ATLAS OFFICES WITHIN AN HOUR DRIVE OF THIS ONE. THERE ARE ATLAS OFFICES IN EVERY STATE. THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF ATLAS EXECUTIVES, AS WELL AS OTHER COMPANIES IMPLICATED IN COP CITY AND THE MURDER OF TORTUGITA, ARE LISTED ON STOPREEVESYOUNG.COM.
THE ENEMIES OF THE WEELAUNEE FOREST ARE TERRORISTS WHO DO NOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PEACEFUL AND MILITANT PROTESTORS, NON-HUMAN AND HUMAN LIFE. WE WILL NOT CEDE A SINGLE INCH OF THE FOREST AND WILL NOT NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS, BUT THEY HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THIS TRAGIC AND UNNECESSARY ESCALATION OF FORCE BY SIMPLY DROPPING THE PROJECT.
WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL YOU DROP COP CITY. EXPECT US.
-TORT’S REVENGE”
Touluse France.
via: Act for freedom now!
“Solidarity with the demonstrations against the Lutzerath coal mine!
On the night of January 19, in Toulouse, near the Demoiselles Bridge, two charging stations for electric cars were burned. We don’t want coal or lithium mines.
These charging stations will increase the need for electricity and the production of new cars, which cannot do without the carbon industry. Nuclear power is therefore not the promise of any transition, but the constant accumulation of industrial resources for a booming energy market. Coal plants reopen in France while they expand in Germany. At the same time, nuclear power gets the green label to impose itself in Europe, and electricity is the pretext for rare earth mining.
Let’s not give in to blackmail: Neither coal nor nuclear! We will only reduce our consumption if we reduce capitalism to a nightmare of the past.”
NOTE: PHOTO UNRELATED TO THE ACTION.
via: This is Not a Drill.
30th January, Cambridge UK.
“Over the weekend, environmental activists smashed the glass doors at the University of Cambridge Department of Chemical Engineering’s main entrance. They took this action in protest of the department’s fossil fuel research, funding and lobbying. The activists also spray-painted the words “THIS IS NOT A DRILL” on the building’s main walkway in red.
In a report to climate action reporting website This Is Not a Drill, the activists gave two reasons for targeting the department. “This department was founded with money from Shell and it’s committed to keeping up its fossil fuel connections over the years – including collaboration with BP, Exxon and Schlumberger. Because of this, Chemical Engineering staff lobbied against against a recent vote to cut fossil fuel research ties at the University of Cambridge. It shows how completely corrupt they are.”
According to Fossil Free Research, partnerships such as those maintained by the Chemical Engineering department bias research outcomes. The vote referred to is the recent motion (also known as a Grace) which was blocked by the University of Cambridge’s governing body from going to a full vote after intervention from fossil fuel funded scientists, including several from the Department of Chemical Engineering.
A member of the protest group spoke about why they broke the glass: “Companies like Shell and Exxon have profited from murder and the theft of land, and the University of Cambridge doesn’t just work with them – it actively protects them. If votes and conversations won’t change that, maybe direct action will.”
The protest follows several notable climate actions reported by This Is Not a Drill in the last three months: