Occupy Westfield Fun Day

On Saturday the activists at Occupy Westfield decided to hold an event aimed at bringing more visitors to the site and increase public support.  14,000 people have signed the petition to date and momentum continues to build despite the rainy weather now settling in, although it did stay dry on Saturday.

Westfield themselves wrote to the occupiers earlier this week urging them to leave by claiming it was a "construction site" and wasn't safe to be there (see picture below).  Tragically there has been no "construction" here for many years and it doesn't look like it is going to begin anytime soon.  The letter has therefore been ignored.

The fun day was a success and I spent a few hours there.  George Galloway MP was there for a while but his appearance was very low key indeed, with no fiery speeches or suchlike.  Most of the time he chatted to people in the area and obligingly posed for photos which are a more than regular occurence as he gets mobbed with supporters whenever he is in the city centre.

A lot of laughter was had when a group of teenage girls suddenly appeared and were dressed as some of kind of superheroes.  They livened up the place a lot, especially when they had an impromptu dance-off with the occupation mascot Bullet, who is always seen in his mask.  Bradford legend and brilliant poet Nick Toczek also came to show his support and promised to return soon and do a small performance for the occupiers.

Here are some pictures and this week I will publish more images from the occupation.

One Week Of Occupy Westfield

It has now been one week since a group of local protesters took over the 10 acres of prime real estate in Bradistan city centre that was earmarked for the Westfield shopping centre. For close to a decade no actual construction work has begun on the site and it remains an eyesore and an insult to local residents. Last Saturday, the occupation of the site begun and, as of the time I am writing this, it shows no sign of ending.

The response from the public has been enormous and no-one should under-estimate how successful this action has been to date. Thousands of people have signed the petition so far and nearly everyone who comes to visit or passes by is in support. Also, local restaurants have been donating delicious hot food every evening in order to keep the occupiers well fed. Donations of drinks and money to pay for the generator are also in evidence.

Unfortunately, no local MP except George Galloway has been to visit and no local councillors except three from the Respect Party. I have visited the camp daily since it begun and it is clearly not a front for Respect although some of their activists have been at the forefront of this occupation. I think it is shameful that no other elected representatives have got out of their comfortable City Hall seats and gone down to talk to the people there. We are the people who voted them in and we want answers as to why this depressing situation continues and when will it end.

The local rag Telegraph & Argus has reported developments regularly although they are clearly not in agreement with this action. No surprise there as everyone knows that they, the council plus the various organisations who have failed us in regards to saving the Odeon, are all in each others' pockets. In contrast, the Leeds-based Yorkshire Post has published some decent journalism about the occupation. Many bloggers and independent publishing voices are also in support.

Unfortunately, some local activists from other campaigns as well as the usual suspects who moan and groan whenever people do something here, have been critical of the occupation. These criticisms range from claiming it is a vehicle for Respect (not true), to it being too radical (hmmm), through to the absurd charge that it is somehow pro-capitalist and falsely saying that it is actually pro-Westfield even though around half the occupiers don't want any shopping centre built there at all. The occupation has had a very big impact so far but it does need to grow and become a much bigger and broader protest but that will only happen when people come down there and become part of it instead of being on the sidelines looking for perceived faults. Daily public meetings have now begun in order to keep building this alliance.

The baking hot sunshine was replaced mid-week by a day of heavy rain which washed off all the slogans chalked onto the hoardings a couple of days before (and shown below). The air is also colder but the numbers there continue to increase. Council leader David Green sent a private email to his party councillors this week saying that the occupiers would soon get fed up and leave. Unfortunately for him, one of his own people leaked this to the occupiers and this has made them determined to stay much longer than the original planned seven days. 

Lollywood Killer (Part Seven)

Here is another brilliant track from the golden age of Pakistani cinema, also known as Lollywood.  "Life Is Dance" is taken from the film "Society Girl", both directed by and starring Sangeeta.  It has a hilarious clip but must have looked all the rage back in 1976.  Vocals are supplied by the wonderful Nahid Akhtar and the song can be found on the equally crucial Finders Keepers compilation "Life Is Dance".

Ajaz

This is Ajaz Akbar, a youthful looking forty year old who has just opened up a new cafe here in Bradistan. It is called Amaan's Grill House and can be found next to Haq's Supermarket on Legrams Lane. Only opened for less than two weeks, Amaan's is already making a bit of a name locally due to serving decent food and the remarkably cheap prices.

Amaan's has the services of the chef who used to be at the legendary Sweet Centre on Lumb Lane. Currently they are offering an incredible lunch offer which consist of two full courses for just a fiver. I haven't tried that yet but I did have a plate of seekh kebabs on naan which was delicious.

Ajaz is literally bursting with passion for his new venture and talks ten to the dozen, if not more. I love people who are enthusiastic about our city and wish Ajaz every success with his new venture. Besides, any establishment where a massive picture of Sain Zahoor is displayed on the wall inside must be worth a look.

The Occupation Continues

Yesterday was the third day of Occupy Westfield in Bradistan and was the first day when most city centre workers were able to witness this remarkable action.  I went down at lunchtime and saw a steady stream of people coming to visit and give their support to the occupation.  The general feeling I gleaned from visitors was indeed "enough is enough".  Representatives from the local media were also there, conducting interviews with the occupiers.

One new development I noticed was the prominent displaying of a sign saying that it is now a criminal offence for anyone to try and gain entry to the site without permission, with a warning that the occupiers would seek to prosectute those who try.  The area is now under the full control of the protesters and the local police have already stated that they are not interested in intervening unless criminal offences are taking place.

For the first time in almost a decade the gates of Westfield were open for local residents to have a clear look at the site.  Many took up this unique opportunity and stood at the "viewing platform".  This must surely be the most macabre tourist attraction that Bradistan can offer but it is one that gives us all our right to witness in close detail what has happened to part of our city.

Here are a selection of photographs from yesterday.

Enough Is Enough

I spent most of yesterday at the Occupy Westfield protest that is going on in the centre of Bradistan right now. In the blazing sunshine, the camp was moved to a different part of the site and a tent erected outside the fenced-off parts. This is to make it possible for the general public to come and take part. It was good to see many new faces there with people bringing much-needed refreshments and also helping with whatever needed doing.

The police made a couple of visits and left satisfied that no criminal behaviour was taking place. Activity was closely monitored though by the many CCTV cameras in the area. Volunteers are always needed to help as well as support from local residents who are as fed up as the rest of us with this sorry state of affairs.

It was good to see local and national media come to see what was going on and there has already been TV coverage and reports in the local press. Most are not allowed onto the site itself and have had to film through the gaps in the fence.  I will aim to report as much as I am able to and keep publishing images of the occupation. Here are a selection of photographs from yesterday.

Occupy Westfield

The Bradistan Spring continues. Yesterday, a group of local activists began an occupation of the Hopkins Hole which is more commonly known as Westfield, named after the company who have supposed to have been building a shopping centre here. Years later we are still left with an enormous crevice which is blighting our city and Westfield are labelled as Wastefield here because of this.

Around thirty people began the occupation late yesterday afternoon and are now in control of the site. It is a peaceful protest and the activists are appealing for all people who are angry about this sorry state of affairs in Bradistan to come and join them.

There are three key demands:

1. We demand an audience, here, with the leader of the council and the head of regeneration.
2. We demand an audience, here, with all the local MPs and councillors to stand with us and discuss how to prevent this city sinking further.
3. We demand a public inquiry to be conducted into how and why Bradistan has been left devastated by Bradistan Council and Westfield.

I visited the occupation and took these images.  George Galloway MP turned up to show his support and gave a speech to the protesters.  The message that was clearly articulated was "Enough is Enough".  Real change is only going to happen here when people mobilise to make it happen and this protest is another step forward to end the depressing cycle of degeneration in Bradistan.  I really hope that local people will get behind this so that serious pressure can be put onto the powers that be so we can start to turn around this once-great city.

Pinch

Here is the next portrait in my Middle Aged Punks series and features Andy Pinching, better known as "Pinch". Pinch founded the punk band English Dogs in 1981 and since then they have had a chequered and quite complicated history which you can read about here. Two versions of the band exist at the current time. One is the street punk version led by original singer Wakey and the other is the more metal-punk group which features Pinch plus singer Adie Bailey and guitarist Gizz Butt. I think it would be great if personal differences could be quashed and the bands co-exist peacefully and even play together as essentially they are two distinct acts with completely different repertoires.

Away from English Dogs issues, Pinch has been the drummer of punk legends The Damned  since 2001.  This is where I caught him earlier this month when they came to Holmfirth, near Bradistan for a gig on their latest tour.  Pinch is a very affable fellow and it was a pleasure to add him to my burgeoning portfolio.