4.01.2008
The last tree left in Bonn square is being occupied in attempt to save it – please get support down there
apparently the tree is over 100 years old, and there is a preservation order on the memorial to the tirah campaign in afghanistan, but not on the trees which are old and significant also.
If anyone can get media or support down there urgently please
The youtube version for online viewing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5kGNDlOyN0
Full rez for screening
http://blip.tv/file/get/Undercurrents-OxfordTree616.mp4
You can get more videos like this from http://visionontv.net
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eviction now expected Mon am
Text messages from the Bonn Square tree protest say that eviction is expected tomorrow morning, around 8 or 9am.
If you are free, please go along and support 🙂
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10.01.2008
Today ten protesters turned up to resist the removal of beautiful, mature London Plains trees behind the Westgate Shopping Centre in Oxford city centre.
These trees, along with sheltered housing, and – I was told by a group of young people – the Oxford and Cherwell Valley College students’ pub are being cleared to make way for a gargantuan cathedral to capitalism plus multi-storey car park. As one student sarcastically put it, “Yeah, ‘coz what we really need are more shops”.
Most people spent all day observing the goings-on of council employees and tree ‘surgeons’ and managed – albeit temporarily – to remove one guy rope from one of the trees along the west side of the Westgate car park.
However, this did not deter the Leisure and Parks people from beginning to remove the trees on the north side.
Once they started on the trees, emotions – which were already high – reached fever pitch. Councillor Deborah Glass Woodin was arrested for aggravated trespass (even though she didn’t quite manage to get into the fenced off area) and then held for 5 hours at St Aldates Cop Shop.
One other protester is spending tonight in the trees, braving the gale force winds; I feel slightly guilty for being inside on my laptop writing this report. If you can get down to the site to join him and others please do.
Bruce and friends (not the cops, mind) are on the corner of Norfolk Street, near Castle Street; around the back of the Westgate Centre near the multi-storey carpark. Map here:
http://openstreetmap.com/?mlat=51.75055&mlon=-1.2615&zoom=16
Video on YouTube ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=uXdLcAffXnE).
I counted the rings of the one of the first-felled trees, which you can see in the picture. It was nearly thirty years old; as old as I am.
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10th: just heard that Bruce, who has been up one of the trees behind the Westgate shopping centre in Oxford, has finally come down. He spent over 24 hours up the tree – braving the freezing gales and lashing rain from last night and today.
He was joined this morning by a fellow protestor; pics from today’s protest to follow soon.
And worryingly, one of the photographers from the BNP protest in November was on site too. This time he said he was from ITN rather than local news.
Westgate protest continues; court on Monday
9.01.2008
Tree-sitters in Bonn Square (Oxford) opposing the massive expansion of the nearby Westgate shopping centre were served with a court summons today for an eviction hearing on Monday. More action is sorely needed.
Since last Thursday one of the large trees in Bonn Square has been occupied in an attempt to save it from the chainsaws. It is one of around 40 trees, including many large mature ones, in the Westgate area marked for destruction as part of the grotesque expansion of Oxford’s plastic consumerland.
More background on the Westgate scheme is here, amongst other places:
http://matthewsellwood.blogspot.com/2006/10/westgate.html
There have been several eviction rumours in the meantime, but the clearest clue came today when the protesters were served with court papers. Since the hearing is on Monday, any eviction before then would be illegal, and seems unlikely, particularly since the council can easily continue cutting down the other -unoccupied- trees in the meantime. In fact, work has already started on felling the other trees in the area.
If you want to help, or find out more, pop down to Bonn Square. They have a petition which they are asking people to sign and are collecting donations to cover basic costs. If you’re feeling particularly inspired, you could even organise a bunch of people you know to go and disrupt the tree cutting which is taking place right now. Or target the sterile shopping centres, corporate scumbags and corrupt local politicians that are pushing the scheme!
The Westgate Partnership are currently chainsawing trees to make way for the Westgate expansion (this is slightly different from the Bonn Square project, which is linked to the West End ‘regeneration’ but not part of the Westgate expansion per se). This is despite the fact that a public enquiry is still going on over the demolition of Abbey Place housing – a clear indication of what the developers think of the legal process….
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9.01.2008
10am – trees being cut down in Paradise Square.
We’ve had a message that trees are being cut down now to make way for the new bloated Westgate shopping centre/temple to Mamon. If you can, get down there as soon as possible.
At the moment tree surgeons are at Paradise square, but probably won’t be for long. Maybe follow the sound of the chainsaws if they’re not there anymore.
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