friction films

CHAOS INSIDE THE UN SUMMIT, RANDOM ARRESTS AND RAIDS OUTSIDE

2009-12-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

PRESS RELEASE

CLIMATE JUSTICE ACTION
15th December 2009
Contact: +45 5066 9028
media@climate-justice-action.org

CHAOS INSIDE THE UN SUMMIT, RANDOM ARRESTS AND RAIDS OUTSIDE

The Danish police have escalated their attempts to criminalise and
harass activists from the group Climate Justice Action in tactics
described as "desperate and self-interested."

The group is an international coalition of grass-roots organisations,
representing the voices of those marginalised from the UN process from
the start of these negotiations, including indigenous rights
activists, farmers movements and environmentalists. (1)

Dr. Tadzio Mueller (2) was arrested by three undercover policemen at
around 15.10 just a few minutes after leaving the Bella Centre where
he had helped in a press conference presenting Climate Justice
Action's protests for Wednesday.

At 16.45 Danish police raided a bicycle workshop being used by
demonstrators to prepare bicycle constructions to be used as part of
working alternatives to fossil fuel culture in Wednesday's
demonstrations.

At 18.00 a further 36 people were arrested at the Klimaforum, the
alternative summit taking place in central Copenhagen, while
protesting against the seizure by police of the vegetable oil they
planning to use for their zero-carbon vehicles.

Simultaneously, about 15,000 delegates, journalists and civil society
representatives have effectively been locked out of the summit by
being refused accreditation, and delays in applications of up to 8
hours.

Many of these delegates will be joining the demonstrations against the
COP process tomorrow, alongside Climate Justice Action (3).

Kamille Hjuler from Climate Justice Action commented: "These are yet
more attempts by the UN to silence any criticisms of the COP process,
whether from inside or outside."

She continues:
"There is less and less hope in the COP process, and more and more
willingness to trample over people's civil liberties in order to stop
the mass civil disobedience that will take place at the summit on
Wednesday."

ENDS
_____________

NOTES

(1) Organisations include Climate Camp UK, Terra de Direitos (Brazil)
and Focus on the Global South, Via Campesina, Climate Justice Now and
the Indian Social Action Forum.

(2) Dr Tadzio Mueller, resident of Berlin, is an accredited NGO
observer, academic, author and climate justice activist, who recently
edited the book 'Contours of Climate Justice' and is also a co-editor
of 'Turbulence' magazine.

(3) The Push for Climate Justice, which will begin from 10am on
Wednesday 16th, will create an alternative space for a radically
different agenda from that of the COP. It will involve 5-10,000
activists approaching the Bella Centre from the outside, and
simultaneous disruptions of the summit from accredited delegates
within.

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www.climate-justice-action.org
media@climate-justice-action.org

Contact international media: +45 50669028
Contact danish media: +45 41294994
Contact german media: +45 50112038
Contact french media: +45 50112541
Contact dutch media: +45 52895724

¿Unnatural Disasters?

2009-12-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

10 minute preview edit for Copenhagen 09

frictionfilms.blip.tv

Interviews and archive images explore the politics behind floods in Mozambique and look to social movement solutions linking locally and internationally. The appearances of natural disasters and global politics are questioned with powerful words that speak for themselves.

This is a preview edit for a long term film project. All feedback and queries welcome. Contact: frictionfilms@riseup.net

New: The Story of Cap & Trade (full length version)

2009-12-01T02:41:00.000-08:00

The Story of Cap & Trade from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo.

The Story of Cap & Trade is a fast-paced, fact-filled look at the leading climate solution being discussed at Copenhagen and on Capitol Hill. Host Annie Leonard introduces the energy traders and Wall Street financiers at the heart of this scheme and reveals the "devils in the details" in current cap and trade proposals: free permits to big polluters, fake offsets and distraction from what’s really required to tackle the climate crisis. If you’ve heard about Cap & Trade, but aren’t sure how it works (or who benefits), this is the film is for you.

10 years after Seattle! -> Memories -> Copenhagen

2009-11-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

From the WTO in Geneva to the COP in Copenhagen...

www.climatecaravan.org

"TEN YEARS AFTER SEATTLE ! FIGHT THE NEOLIBERAL AGENDA !

INTERNATIONAL DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE WTO AND ITS POLICIES

SATURDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 2009, 2P.M., PLACE NEUVE, GENEVA"

http://www.anti-omc2009.org/?lang=en

30th November 1999

Action at Amsterdam Airport to claim free transport to Seattle

"The WTO is the millenium problem"

Stickers in Seattle

from WTO Watch

Climate stickers, flyers, poster etc...

2009-11-25T08:31:00.000-08:00

click here to download graphics

click here for carbon credit graphics

Great video activism - Copenhagen Climate Talks coming up...!

2009-11-20T03:10:00.001-08:00

Dr Ego vs The Elements

www.klimaforum09.org/The-Elements-vs-Dr-Ego

...

Disruption at Climate Talks pre-meeting for Copenhagen COP15

"END CO2 COLONIALISM"

http://elclimanoestaenvenda.wordpress.com

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Trailer: The Story of Cap & Trade

http://storyofstuff.com/capandtrade/

Carbon Credits - the first edition

2009-10-15T03:26:00.000-07:00

click here to download carbon credit graphics

"1 Carbon Credit.

The value of the credit will go up and down according to global market speculation and is at no time under any circumstances in anyway related to any known concept or estimate of the ecological cost of industrial and corporate behaviour."

May be exchanged for nuclear power station, genetically modified forest or other similarly destructive project.

This bill is solely for the purpose of increasing corporate profit and should not be considered as a viable solution to climate change.

To complete your carbon portfolio we recommend investments in the futures carbon exchange markets. This will allow you to manipulate future energy production and consumption worldwide and ensure that no independent democratic body can make decisions which could interfere with your macroeconomic preferences, projected profit path and reliance on exploitation of the environment and people.

The atmosphere is now for sale."

"The history of colonialism goes in parallel with the creation of new commodities...

...slavery ...sugar ...tea ...coffee ...oil ...carbon?"

Source: Autonomous actions, Den Haag 2000

Film Amanzi Ngawethu (Water is Ours)

2009-10-15T03:04:00.000-07:00

Please spread far and wide...

Film Amanzi Ngawethu (Water is Ours) showing on frictionfilms.blip.tv

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Six year legal battle for water rights in South Africa reaches Constitutional Court.

Over the 2nd & 3rd of September 2009, the Constitutional Court of South Africa heard the final appeal in a case brought by five Soweto residents challenging prepaid water meters and insufficient free basic water. The Bill of Rights of the South African Constitution guarantees right of access to sufficient water.

However, poor communities in Johannesburg's townships do not have sufficient water and do not receive the same water service as the richer suburbs. This six year legal battle is working to secure constitutional rights for all - water is a right not a privilege!

Diverse forces have come together - from community mobilisation to self-organised water services to legal action - in powerful struggles which have won an historic High Court victory and empowered people to remove prepaid water meters and reconnect to free water, despite threats of criminalisation. In this spirit, Amanzi Ngawethu (Water is Ours) brings together protest songs, photos and video from people and organisations involved in the struggle and working in solidarity.

As we wait for the court's decision, the residents of Phiri along with their legal team, supporters & millions of poor people in South Africa & across the world are watching and listening. Mobilising carries on in affected communities, popularising the High Court judgement, the legal process and people´s rights. The Constitutional Court´s decision is expected in the coming weeks, but could take months. Whatever the outcome of this legal case, the struggle to ensure accessible, adequate & affordable water for all will continue.

Please spread far and wide, show in your community, blog, link to your website and social networks. The films are updated as events unfold in South Africa. There are 10 minute, 2 minute and 5 minute edits, all showing on frictionfilms.blip.tv. Downloads available.

Thank you.

View the films here: frictionfilms.blip.tv

RSS/itunes: frictionfilms.blip.tv/rss/itunes

Info and news:

Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP) Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF) www.apf.org.za

Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) www.law.wits.ac.za/cals

Email: frictionfilms@riseup.net

Authorship: Coalition Against Water Privatisation, Centre for Applied Legal Studies, Anti-Privatisation Forum, Friction Films, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.

>>> Judgement in: Phiri Water Case: Constitutional Court Fails the Poor and the Constitution

http://antieviction.org.za/2009/10/11/phiri-water-case-constitutional-court-fails-the-poor-and-the-constitution/

>>> for follow up... watch this space....

Photo by Antina von Schnitzler 2006

I'm writing from the inside-out.

2007-09-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

"I'm writing from the inside - out."

A story by Friction Films

Photo by Robin

Street Cinema

2007-09-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

With no resources to speak of, we found a way to create mini-infoquakes in public spaces. Connecting up with video activists and local community networks, we pulled together projection equipment, a big old squatters' bakfiets* to carry things in and a tempting selection of movies, documentaries and photography.

The material was political and twice we coordinated our infoquakes with United Nations Conferences happening in the same city at the same time. Our info erupted onto the streets and public spaces. Contrasting with the behind-closed-doors decisions taken in the conference centre.

The last event was in collaboration with the "Solidariteits Festival", a local anti-racism festival, in the Kinkerbuurt neighbourhood of Amsterdam. A day long event of videos about water culminated in an evening public debate on water privatisation, with a showing of the video "Orange Farm Water Crisis - Prepaid Water" (Amanzi Ngawethu film above follows on from the Orange Farm film). With translation between Dutch and English, international and local communities in Amsterdam connected in away I rarely saw happen...

*A bakfiets is a kind of trailer pushed by a bike. Best seen ridden at speed over the small but steep Amsterdam canal bridges - BMX style!

Den Haag 2001
Documentaries about genetechnology and biodiversity
Photography biodiversity

Screening took place without a license in a public square in Den Haag, whilst there was a UN conference on biodiversity being held in the city.

Amsterdam 2002
Straat Bioscoop film festival of documentaries and feature films

Screening took place in the big courtyard of a former hospital and squat, now a social housing. Held simultaneously with the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Amsterdam 2003
All day film screening and evening public debate on water privatisation.
Including Orange Farm Water Crisis video.
Translation between Dutch and English

It was planned as an outside screening in a public square - but it rained! So instead we held it in the community centre.