Hey dangermice and chaosrats. I have good news and, as some proponents of Yin-Yang theory would argue is inevitable, I also have bad news.
First the good. Thanks to generous donations from literally some of you I have raised enough money to go to and even come back from Calais. Many thanks to everyone who contributed, you're all fucking legends. Now for the bad news, which is that there is currently nowhere for me to stay when I get there. With a bit of luck this will be sorted out soon and I'll be on my way. However, if the wheels are still in gridlock on (to pick a fairly random day) Monday, I will either have to postpone for at least a week (I have childcare responsibilities Fri-Sun which would make leaving any later than Monday probably not worth it) or postpone indefinitely and donate the money to Calais Migrant Solidarity.
With a fair wind not blowing shit towards any fans I should be at least on the road and possibly out of the country within 48 hours, but I thought I should keep everyone informed for the sake of transparency.
I am vaguely considering trying to stay in a hostel if all else fails, but I'm not sure it would be practical. If I do decide to go down this route I will need to appeal for more donations.
In the meantime any further donations will be donated to CMS (who you can also contribute to here) or possibly be used to pay for a hostel.
Big love,
Jonnie
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Cash For Calais
Hello hoodlums. Extremely long time absolutely no speak. I'd say sorry for that, but I'm sure you've all appreciated the absence of my infrequent, clumsy missives. In fact, you're welcome, but now I need you to return the favour.
As some of you will know shit has been getting real in Calais over the last week. To be honest, shit's veracity level is always pretty high there, with migrants living in frequently dangerous conditions and under constant harassment from the thuggish PAF or border police. Help is always needed, but rarely more so than now, with violent civilian fascists adding their own nasty note to the already cacophonous symphony of state bullshit. To put it a bit less florally, a massive fuckload of epic wankers calling themselves Sauvons Calais have been targeting, intimidating and attacking migrants and their supporters. When I say attacking I sadly don't mean they've been writing angry letters to their local newspapers, they've instead been throwing angry rocks at local buildings and, in some cases, setting fire to them.
In response migrants and activists in Calais have issued a callout for volunteers to go and support the ongoing efforts to provide safe spaces for migrants and push back agains the relentless bollocks being peddled by both amateur and professional fascists. As well as the day to day jobs of finding and maintaining places for people to live, providing legal support and documenting the actions of the police and other nasties, activists are holding a rally this weekend to show that the racist thugs currently besieging migrant populations are not the majority and can be stopped. With your help I would like to join them.
It is my intention to make my way to Calais some time this week. However, there is a problem. I am, as Adam Smith first put it in The Wealth Of Nations, "broke as a motherfucker". I need about £50 to get to and come back from Calais, and I would be sincerely obliged if some of you wonderful people could help mitigate this cost. I'm no rube when it comes to crowd-funding requests and I know that today's savvy donaters want bang for their buck, so with that in mind I offer the following exclusive rewards for your money:
Donate £5 or more and get a smug sense of self-satisfaction
Donate £10 or more to exponentially improve the chances of people throwing rocks at me this week
Donate £25 to get me to leave the country
Donate £50 to feel like a big-spending rockerfeller Mr. Moneybags king
You can donate via the button to the right of the screen, cunningly labelled "Donate" or, if you have an understandable aversion to all things PayPal, you can donate by bank transfer:
Jonathan May-Bowles
Nationwide Bank
Account no: 26326607
Sort Code 07 01 16
Any funds raised over and above what I require for my tickets will be donated to the activist network in Calais (who you can donate to directly here), where it will be sincerely and greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading and thank you for your support.
Big love and solidarity,
Jonnie
As some of you will know shit has been getting real in Calais over the last week. To be honest, shit's veracity level is always pretty high there, with migrants living in frequently dangerous conditions and under constant harassment from the thuggish PAF or border police. Help is always needed, but rarely more so than now, with violent civilian fascists adding their own nasty note to the already cacophonous symphony of state bullshit. To put it a bit less florally, a massive fuckload of epic wankers calling themselves Sauvons Calais have been targeting, intimidating and attacking migrants and their supporters. When I say attacking I sadly don't mean they've been writing angry letters to their local newspapers, they've instead been throwing angry rocks at local buildings and, in some cases, setting fire to them.
In response migrants and activists in Calais have issued a callout for volunteers to go and support the ongoing efforts to provide safe spaces for migrants and push back agains the relentless bollocks being peddled by both amateur and professional fascists. As well as the day to day jobs of finding and maintaining places for people to live, providing legal support and documenting the actions of the police and other nasties, activists are holding a rally this weekend to show that the racist thugs currently besieging migrant populations are not the majority and can be stopped. With your help I would like to join them.
It is my intention to make my way to Calais some time this week. However, there is a problem. I am, as Adam Smith first put it in The Wealth Of Nations, "broke as a motherfucker". I need about £50 to get to and come back from Calais, and I would be sincerely obliged if some of you wonderful people could help mitigate this cost. I'm no rube when it comes to crowd-funding requests and I know that today's savvy donaters want bang for their buck, so with that in mind I offer the following exclusive rewards for your money:
Donate £5 or more and get a smug sense of self-satisfaction
Donate £10 or more to exponentially improve the chances of people throwing rocks at me this week
Donate £25 to get me to leave the country
Donate £50 to feel like a big-spending rockerfeller Mr. Moneybags king
You can donate via the button to the right of the screen, cunningly labelled "Donate" or, if you have an understandable aversion to all things PayPal, you can donate by bank transfer:
Jonathan May-Bowles
Nationwide Bank
Account no: 26326607
Sort Code 07 01 16
Any funds raised over and above what I require for my tickets will be donated to the activist network in Calais (who you can donate to directly here), where it will be sincerely and greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading and thank you for your support.
Big love and solidarity,
Jonnie
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