Section 6 cinema

Protesting against the Criminal Justice Bill, young people tried to enter the recently closed Penultimate Picture Palace cinema, and as a decoy squatted an empty nurses home in East Avenue. The police came in force in riot gear to evict the East Avenue squat and arrested people. 50 people went to St Aldates police station to demand their release, filling the foyer and playing didgeridoo. The police evicted them from the foyer using a fire extinguisher, then formed a line across St Aldates and began a baton charge, later arresting some protestors who had run down side streets.

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Northern by-pass

A few protestors stopped tree felling (for a day) which was taking place on the central reservation of Oxford's northern bypass

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Bike blockade

After an Earth First! roadshow took place in Oxford, a meeting was called to decide on an action, and a bike blockade was chosen. Each Friday at 5.30 up to 80 cyclists circled the Plain for 5 minutes, blocking the traffic, then cycled slowly up to the town centre. It was weekly till Christmas, then monthly till the summer. On 11 June 1994 was a procession of non-motorised transport from the Plain to Broad Street where tables and chairs made a pop-up café. Later the Campus Buttery made a commercial version of it in the same place

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Timbmet action

200 Rainforest Network protestors invaded the timber yard on Cumnor Hill, climbed on the roof &c, and took samples of suspected illegal mahogany. There were no arrests, the yard shut down for the day, and on 27 May Customs Officers raided the site and removed further samples

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Fun in the streets

A day of varied actions which culminated in the occupation of Magdalen Street East (the road behind the church, now used by buses but then only by occasional rat running cars). Props included a roll-out zebra crossing and a belisha beacon, and football was played with a ball with John Major mask attached. Major, then PM, had proposed making street football illegal. There were one or two arrests, but it was a very hot day and all went off to swim in Wolvercote gravel pit. In the evening the south end of Princes Street by the East Oxford Community Centre was occupied as a party space.

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Pergamon Press picket

Robert Maxwell sacked 23 employees for taking part in a one day strike over union recognition. They mounted a continuous picket till September 1992, by which time Maxwell had gone bankrupt and drowned at sea

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Upper Heyford Peace Camp

stayed there two years protesting US nuclear bombers. A demo the following spring of 4000 people shut the base for 4 days. There were 752 arrests

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Longworth hospital occupation

80 nursing and support staff occupied 50-bed care of the elderly hospital. In early Feb 1981 in a surprise raid patients were forcibly removed to the Churchill hospital, many died shortly afterwards from "relocation effect"

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South Oxford Nursery

about 20 parents, till 27 april. helped delay nursery cuts by years

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Campsfield Detention Centre

The first demo at Campsfield happened even as the first detainees were brought there. From 29 Jan 1994 there has been a demo outside Canpsfield on the last Saturday of every month to this day. On 26 Mar 1994 demonstrators climbed the fence, reached the roof and stayed 12 hours. On 4 June 1994 600 people demonstrated there. Meanwhile the detainees themselves had done hunger strikes and rooftop protests and two had married centre staff members. A camp was set up again on 26 May 2001 and raided by police on 11 June 2001 looking for evidence of graffiti materials

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