 Interwebnet.org is the web presence of a loose collective of people who believe that online activism should not stop with linking to a site, sending an email, or signing a petition. We intend to co-ordinate and motivate people with engaging and fun ideas aiming for results and/or added awareness where needed by asking them to get up out of their chair and take action in some small way that might actually make a difference. Basically, we want to show people that clicking and linking is fine, but often it's not enough. We also want folks to understand that you can be an activist and you can make a difference in the world without giving up your job, neglecting your personal hygiene, or subscribing to The Socialist Worker. We're not out to smash the state or change the world; we just see the need for one or two essential corrections. Projects undertaken as part of this movement are listed below in descending order (most recent first):
Richard Desmond is the Chairman of Northern & Shell Networks; owner of the Express group of newspapers and OK! magazine. But until recently Desmond also owned two other companies; Portland Investments and Fantasy Publications. It is through these that he sold magazines such as Asian Babes, Horny Housewives, Readers' Wives, 40 Plus, Big & Black, Big Ones International and Spunk-Loving Sluts. Despite the recent sale of these interests, Desmond retains the adult contact magazine Forum and continues to broadcast pornography via his satellite channel Television X and the new soft-porn channel GayTV. Mr Desmond is known to be quite touchy about being described as a pornographer, and we can understand that. He does, after all, control a considerable amount of mainstream media, so perhaps Richard Desmond the media magnate' would be a more apt title. After parting with the not-inconsiderable sum of £100,000, perhaps 'Richard Desmond the Labour Party donor' would be equally appropriate. We intend to establish exactly what role - if any - pornography played in the building of his empire, and what percentage of that empire is currently involved with the distribution or broadcast of pornography. By doing so, we hope to establish whether the title 'Richard Desmond the Pornographer' is fair, if it applies now, and if it should apply if and when he finally unloads his adult-oriented interests on the long and arduous path to respectability and knighthood. Visit the Richard Desmond Campaign > >
Guantanamo Bay Lock-Up Day Guantanamo Bay Lock-Up Day was a special event designed to allow anyone in the world to protest against the illegal detention of hundreds of people in Guantanamo Bay in an independent, yet collective fashion. On January 5th, 2004 we asked concerned citizens to lock up one small corner of the world or conveniently 'lose' the keys for 24 hours in the name of those who are (or were) being held without explanation, without trial, and without basic human rights at Guantanamo Bay. We considered this to be a fast, effective and easy way to protest without being locked away in a Free Speech Zone, but in the end we saw more closed minds than we did locked doors. The majority of negative comments that came in (anonymously) had the assumption of guilt as their central argument. As it turned out, the 5 'bad men' who were returned to the UK after two years of detention as questioning were released within two days as the authorities considered that they posed no threat to society. Visit the Guantanamo Bay Lock-Up Day Campaign > >
When George W. Bush invited himself to London for the grand honour of a state visit, it soon became clear that cheering crowds would be hard to come by. In fact, it looked like every man and his dog-on-a-string wanted to boo and hiss as he went by. In the run-up to the visit, several proposed events were cancelled. He didn't even dare to address the House of Commons for fear of being confronted as he was in Australia. In reaction to our misgivings about censorship via crowd control (see: Free Speech Zones) the UK government took the position that we will not be forcibly kept at bay during his visit to the United Kingdom. However, the itinerary was deliberately vague. Planned movements that we did know about were sure to be changed at the last minute to keep us away from the action. There was also talk of shutting down whole streets (no doubt for 'security reasons') to shuttle Bush from place to place without confrontation. To combat this, we set up a special online diary, manned (and moderated) around the clock throughout the visit, and asked members of the public to text or email us with sightings or intelligence (or sightings of intelligence). In response, Scotland Yard leaked the possibility that individual transmitter stations might have to be closed down when Bush passed by to prevent people in the area making calls or sending texts. The public and the mobile phone companies themselves told them to get stuffed. End result? Bush spent most of his London visit cooped up inside or in helicopters and only dared to drive about 4 miles in his bullet-proof limousine. In the end he got his Free Speech Zone, but it had to be set up in far-off Sedgefield, where they locked away protestors on the village green and bussed in some happy people. Visit the Chasing Bush Campaign > > |
