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64 lines
2.6 KiB
Plaintext
64 lines
2.6 KiB
Plaintext
Edinburgh Unemployed Workers' Center
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location 103 Broughton St., Edinburgh
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Tel. (031) 557-0718
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mail address:
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11a Forth St.,
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Edinburgh Scotland
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We are the only broad based autonomous centre in Scotland & we are in danger
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of being shut down. Our lease has expired, but we are occupying the building
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24 hrs/day to confront the threatened eviction. We ask @ists and others to:
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- Visit us if you can
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- circulate info about us in your zines and by word of mouth
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- send letters acknowledging solidarity
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The Centre is open M-F (everyday during this situation) 12-4 and offers
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- cheap vegan cafe
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- space for community and political groups (theatre group, earth 1st, hunt
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sabs, etc)
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- advice/support on benefits (welfare), and avoiding VATax, and poll/council
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tax, etc.
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- childrens playroom
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- info shop
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Brief History
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- 1981 Centre founded as Labour party charity during 1st wave of mass
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unemployment
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- mid-late 1980s: Centre sees an influx of independents: Claimants union,
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anti-work folks, anti-poll tax axctivists. This leads to 2 strands:Labour
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hacks and independents.
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- 1990 Lothian Regional Labour Council withdraws funds because of anti-poll
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tax activities. Official reason is "lack of funds". Centre continues with
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all volunteer activists.
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- 1991 The 7 trustees for the center are 4 independents and 3 Labour hacks.
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Labour hacks enter the building, change the locks, & close the bldg to the
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public. A couple of days later, independents reenter bldg and reopen centre.
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Shortly thereafter, Labour hacks break in and under the eye of the police,
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steal $40,000 worth of equipment. They also freeze the centre's $16,000 bank
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account. Centre continues to run anyway.
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-1994 February Labour Council inspects bldg and issues fabricated report that
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bldg is a fire trap and the kitchen is unhygienic. Centre volunteers get bldg
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inspected, prove the Labour hacks knew it was a fraud and force them to
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publically admit that they were lying. During this time centre workers talk
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to Community Council which agrees to ask for the lease and keep the centre
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functioning as a collective.
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June 14 Lease expires, occupation begins (squatting is completely illegal in
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Scotland)
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June 28 Labour COuncil meets to decide on lease issue, but Convener Brian
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Cavenaugh, who hates the centre, refuses to bring the issue up until centre is
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vacated.
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June 29 3 police show up at the door claiming to have received a bomb threat.
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We have barricaded the door and tell them we won't let them in. They go away.
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It is possible that the bomb threat had nothing to do with the council, but
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who knows.
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