Dateline: Haringey, London, UK, Sat 30 May 09 – On a gloriously sunny Saturday in May, Haringey Independence Day 2009 provided discussions, workshops, stalls, films, socialising and refreshments for everyone who cares about their community, environment and workplace and wants to change them for the better. 

'Buy nothing day' is an annual international anti-consumerist day. Put simply: people are encouraged to stop shopping for one day. This year's cellebration was marked in London with two different events on Saturday 29th. In Brixton activists that had met up at the Library House Social Centre set up a 'free shop' next to the tube station, whilst in Oxford St the Space Hijackers invited people to "Take your clothes off! Swap them with your friends for FREE!" during a 'Top Shop Swap Shop' game.

London reports and photos: Brixton | Oxford Street
Around the UK: Wrexham [video] | Norwich | Liverpool

There has been controversy recently on the global imc-communication and imc-tech lists over the issue of a $200,000 grant application sent to the Knight Foundation by IMC Boston to do Drupal development work for Indymedia sites.

The grant application was blocked by IMC Rosario in Argentina. As a working technical volunteer who has been building a new Indymedia website for the past year or so, I think this whole debate has raised some interesting issues related to code, corporate monopolies, and the dilemmas faced by a humble developer who's trying to help start a revolution.

More than forty people demonstrated outside the Institute of Engineering and Technology in Savoy Place on Wednesday 22nd,? in support of Colombian cleaners unfairly dismissed by the cleaning company Amey. There was a simultaneous demonstration in Bristol outside Ameys offices there [Photo]

One of the sacked cleaners and a former trade unionist in Colombia, Julio Mayor, said:

We were sacked for trying to communicate with the other staff at the National Physical Laboratory about Ameys violation of the employment rights of cleaners there. We are protesting here to publicly request the National Physical Laboratory to take action against Amey to stop victimising cleaners.