This weekend saw a range of direct action taken against Starbucks coffee shops in Bristol and Bath, in response to the ongoing scandal whereby Starbucks were revealed to have paid a meagre 8.6 million pounds in corporation tax over the past 14 years. Starbucks UK sales during 2011 amounted to over 400 million pounds.

On Saturday in Bristol a lively and well supported demo with around 40 protesters shut down the Starbucks stores in Broadmead and Clifton Down.

Meanwhile in Bath on Sunday a group of around 20 activists set up a free fair trade and organic tea stall outside Starbucks on Bath High St to discuss Starbucks tax avoidance with members of the public.

Bath Anti Starbucks Demo Report | Bristol Starbucks Demo Report | Bristol Anarchist Foundation Starbucks Action Report | UK Uncut Website

The Bristol Palestine film festival returns this week for a second season of films, art and talks that explore fresh perspectives on economic, social, political and cultural life in the Occupied Territories.

Like last year, the festival features a diverse range of films, from moving dramas to quirky comedies that show the full range of the Palestinian experience, beyond the clichéd images we are used to seeing on TV news reports.

It all starts on Friday 7th December when the festival will be opened and introduced by Festival patron Ken Loach and the writer and broadcaster Bidisha, followed by a screening of 5 Broken Cameras, a multi award-winning documentary that was filmed by West Bank farmer Emad Burnat over a five year period during which the huge changes occurred in and around his village.

Last year’s festival was hugely successful, with over 600 people attending the nine events at the Watershed and Cube Cinemas. The festival is also part of a growing international network of art events (including the London Palestine Film Festival) that celebrate the culture of this much-reported but often misunderstood part of the world.

This year’s events take place at the Watershed, Hamilton House, Parlour Showrooms and Knowle West Media Centre. The 2012 festival has received support from Bristol City Council’s Creative Seed Fund and sponsorship through CrowdFunding, the Bristol Sweet Mart, Unite and Number 10.
Tickets are on sale now and range from FREE to £8 depending on the event.

Global giant Starbucks has been using tax dodges to aviod paying millions in tax. Starbucks has made over £3bn in UK sales since 1998 but had paid less than 1% in corporation tax.

Whilst local businesses who pay their taxes struggle through a double-dip recession and prolonged period of stagnation, multinationals such as Starbucks are able to continue making huge profits as they don't pay the 27% corporation tax they ought to. Local services are being cut, public services such as the NHS are being privatised and vulnerable groups such as the disabled are targeted while multi-billion dollar multinationals who could most afford to bear the brunt of the age of austerity pay nothing towards the society that sustains them.

Join us on Saturday 8th December to transform the tax dodgers such as Starbucks into services women depend on, such as refuges and creches.

Meet 1pm at the Band Stand in Castle Park, before heading to Starbucks near Debenhams in Broadmead

http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/actions/943

IWW on the march

Monday 3rd December 8pm The Cube, Dove Street, Bristol.  Entry £3/£4 (But nobody turned away due to lack of funds)

What does resistance mean take in an age of austerity?

As we see the austerity agenda having massive consequences in Greece and Spain and the UK bracing itself for the real impact of the austerity agenda, we ask what should a resistance to austerity look like. In Greece we see outright violent resistance, combined with a development of bartering systems and many people returning back to the land to support themselves.  Should we just resist or do we push for more radical change in society, if yes how can we do this. Are these the right ways to resist, could this occur in the UK, what can be done in this new age of the austerity agenda? We will look at short films about the impact of austerity, hear from Bristol groups attempting to effect change and highlight new ideas of resistance and social change. The night will feature speakers from a range of speakers from Bristol IWW, Afed, Solfed, Socialist Party Badaca plus many others talking about the issues they are coming into contact with, the resistance they have been involved in and the future of resistance in Bristol to these appalling cuts.