Tag Archives: Bristol

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Whatabout Wednesdays Mini-cafe Was To Continue to 31st May – But Now Closed

Update 11th April: sadly and due to a combination of unforeseen circumstances, the Whatabout Wednesdays mini-cafe has had to close down early…so 5th April was the last one. We hope it will return for winter 2023.

Original article: BASE’s Whatabout Wednesdays vegan mini-cafe will now run on until Wednesday 31st May 2023.
Originally conceived as an alternative welcoming space over the cold winter months, offering awesome but cheap food (free to those with no money), our cafe volunteers have decided to run it until the end of May. We hope it will return next November for another winter session.

The mini-cafe not only provides an awesome soup, cakes and hot drinks each week. It also makes available the full range of facilities at BASE, including the cafe & events rooms, the library, toilets, Info Shop & free info, and a good wifi signal.

There’s a range of regulars and new visitors each week, and a laid back atmosphere, plenty of chatting, and quiet spaces if you prefer that.
All are welcome at this cafe, between the hours of 11am to 5pm.

General

21.3.2023 – Stand Against Police and State Violence

Two years on from Bristol’s first of many #KillTheBill protests on 21.3.2021, campaigners against increasing police & state powers and violence will march and rally in central Bristol. Meeting at 5.30pm in the Bearpit, marching to Bridewell police station. Campaigners will express solidarity with all those brutalised, arrested and imprisoned for standing together and fighting back against police and state attacks on us all; and with all communities, genders & races bearing the brunt of misogyny and racism. Be there.

Text from the flyer image:
“On the Tuesday 21st March 2023 we will hold a demonstration in front of Bridewell police station against the violence of the police and the British State.

34 people, mostly young, have been imprisoned for over a total of 100 years for the uprising that took place on this day 2 years ago. An uprising that was self defense against the brutality of the police towards demonstrators and in response to the rape and murder of Sarah Everard and the PCSC Bill.

In those two years we have seen the police continue to brutalise and murder young black men, refugees have been left to die in the channel, we have seen suicides and murders at the hands of the prisons, the inherent and vile misogyny and racism of the police has been openly exposed and we have seen increasingly repressive legislation against protest and the organisation of working people.

The police and prison system continues to attack and disappear the already most marginalised and oppressed areas of society.

At the same time the state protects and furthers a system of systematic poverty. It protects the wealthiest and most powerful who live as they please off of our backs whilst one step out of line puts us in prison. The state punishes those who are the victims of its policies.

We want to come together on this day to show who’s side we are on, to show our solidarity with the Kill The Bill prisoners and their families and all people brutalised by the British State and its institutions of repression.

We will hear from those affected and those involved in organizing resistance”.

Support for #KillTheBill Protestors, Defendants and Prisoners
If you need support then contact these groups:
Bristol Defendant Solidarity
email – bristoldefendantsolidarity[at]riseup.net
mobile – 07510 283424
Twitter – @bristoldefenda1

Bristol ABC Prisoner Support
website; email – bristol_abc[at]riseup.net
Twitter/Instagram – @bristol_abc
Crowdfunder – KillTheBill Prisoner Support Fund

Bristol Anti-Repression Campaign (Barc)
email – bristolantirepressioncampaignktb[at]riseup.net
Instagram – @bristolantirepression

Justice For Bristol Protesters
email – justiceforbristolprotesters[at]gmail.com
Twitter/Instagram – @JBPProtest
You Tube

General

Bristol squatters research group @ base

BSRG will be at BASE on 6th March.. they will be in the library rummaging from 3pm, and doing a cafe from 6pm :)

www.bristolsquatted.org/

They are keen to talk to people involved in squatting in Bristol and especially anyone involved in squatting Base. If you want to chat to them come along.
Their research is on squatting in Bristol 1940’s to present day.

So much of what we love about Bristol was made possible by squatting. Bristolians have taken over buildings and public spaces for housing, protest, art, gigs, raves, libraries, food and laughter from Leigh Woods to Easton. We’ve squatted in the aftermath of the Second World War, during the Miners’ Strike and in response to 21st Century austerity. But the memory of squatted spaces is all too easily lost to eviction and criminalisation.

This projects seeks to map when, where and why us and our neighbours have squatted in Bristol. By mapping the impact of squatting on the city we hope to claim the tactic the space it deserves in the city’s history and ask what the role is for squatting in Bristol today.

We’re starting by interviewing people who have squatted in Bristol to pull together a map of formerly squatted spaces. We’ll use that to start developing ways to tell the story squatting in Bristol in the 20th and 21st Century and running workshops on the future for squatting in the city.

View the map (hosted by the Squatting Europe Kollective)

How can I help or get involved?

Have you been involved in squatting in Bristol? Whether you’ve attended squat parties, squatted for housing or supported people squatting on your street, we’d love to interview you. For the foreseeable future interviews will be over Zoom or telephone. You can remain anonymous and you will have control over what we record and what we don’t. Get in touch at toyo@riseup.net.

Are you interested in helping run the project? We’re particularly interested in this being an intergenerational project where younger Bristolians who haven’t squatted in the city get to know older generations who have. All skills and none are useful, but we’d be particularly keen to hear from people who know how to record audio and video, archive, interview and organise events. Get in touch via toyo@riseup.net.

https://www.brh.org.uk/site/project/bristol-squatted/