road protests 1998
| road protests (current)
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From: "SchNEWS" (schnews@mail.gn.apc.org)
To: "SchNEWS Subscribers"schnews@gn.apc.org
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 18:17:17 +0000
Subject: SchNEWS 183, 18 September 1998
Reply-to: schnews@brighton.co.uk
TOWN VS GOWN (OXFORD)
The countries first ever heritage protest camp in Central Oxford was finally evicted last Friday evening after 60 hours and 17 arrests. Taking 10 times longer than predicted by the acting Sheriff Nicholas Blandy, (he of Newbury by-pass fame), the eviction cost Oxford University up to 1/2 million pounds! The listed London Midland Scottish railway building had been squatted to stop a new six-lane road junction and a University Business School (part funded by a dodgy arms dealer) The plans by Oxford University were never open to public consultation, and fly in the face of over 10,000 protest signatures. Arrests included Green Party Councillor Mike Woodin who was nicked after complaining about the wrong trees getting the chop!!(Eight officially to be chain-sawed, but clueless blunderers still got the wrong ones!) Damage was also done to the listed building - one copper even falling through the roof. This whole saga has rekindled a centuries-old feud : Town vs Gown. Thanks to widespread press coverage, the whole of the County has seen Oxford University run riot over the Gateway to Oxford. One activist told Schnews, "The time has come to show the University that Oxford is NOT their playground, it is our HOME."
* BREATHE, c/o 38a Walton Crescent, Oxford
tel: 07970 343 486
email: nomoreroads@hotmail.com
* Oxford Reclaim the Streets Saturday 26th September, meeting 12 noon at
Carfax tower (between Queens Street and Cornmarket Street)
More details available from 04325 148539
[THIS EVENT WAS CANCELLED - Weed, 16 Oct 98]
road protests 1998
| road protests (current)
| movement links