LONDON TORTURE

PART OF THE SPACE EXPLORATION DAY

As Sibley has emphasized, ‘outsiders’ cannot be understood in isolation: the interactions between the ‘mainstream’ society and outsiders and the spaces into which each is allowed are important because they are important representations of how we see our selves - in this respect at least the construction of the ‘terrorist’ is no different from the ‘poor’, the ‘homeless’. An identity politics perspective on ‘The War on Terrorism’, therefore, seeks to theorize iconic (as opposed to ‘lived’) Terrorism by basing it not only on the experiences of injustice associated with the identity of those excluded as ‘terrorists’, but on the insight Terrorism gives us into the performed identities of the ‘Just’.

Since the attack on the World Trade Centre, the expansion of a range of highly masculinized terms such as ‘terrorist sympathizers’ and ‘enablers’ has allowed the exclusionary terminology of an Unending War on Terrorism to encroach rapidly on hitherto acceptable forms of civic participation and public behaviour in at least nominally public and democratic spaces, physical and cyber. The immanent, not to say Manichaean properties of a voracious other, Terrorism, have been instrumentalized to urge the necessity for forms of sexualized, priapic behaviour deemed pre-9/11 to be unacceptable (extraordinary rendition (sexual abduction), torture (forced penetration)), raising a number of interesting questions about the public and the private, the acceptable and the unacceptable. As Said put it:

“Just as none of us is outside or beyond geography, none of us is completely free from the struggle over geography. That struggle is complex an interesting because it is not only about soldiers and cannons but also about ideas, about forms, about images and imaginings.” (Said, 1993: 7)

The current forms of behaviour that are defined as Terrorism are geo-spatial behaviours sanctified in the past as an important part of the national mythology of at least some of the G8 countries and their geo-political allies, leaving one to ask: Is the ‘problem’ of Terrorism less that it is in some way deviant, but that it is mainstream behaviour carried out in deviant geo-political space? Does the deviant nature of this ‘other’ behaviour also intensify performances of sexualised masculinity which allow the private to subordinate the public? Is torture an act in which the deviant terrorist is forced into a submissive, feminized role and malestream liberal democracy can hold up a mirror in which to admire its masculinity?

With these and other interesting questions in mind, Guerilla Geographers will be seeking to invert the norm by performing waterboarding in a number of iconic public spaces in London on March 1st in Russell Sq at 1pm, thus (hopefully) challenging accepted public/private divides, asking the public to comment on and think about the ‘acceptable’ and pushing at the barriers of the legally acceptable versus the privately unaccountable.

NB For those who are unaware of what waterboarding involves, please watch the 10-minute video-clip at http://current.com/pods/controversy/PD04399 of someone being (voluntarily) waterboarded.

Contacts: Jon Cloke and Daniel Raven-Ellison,Co-administrators,
Guerilla Geography
guerrillageography@googlemail.com

LONDON 01.03.08

SPACE EXPLORERS

Do you have any ideas to get people questioning their space(s)?

Taking place on the 1st of March the LONDON Guerrilla Geography event is all about getting people to think differently about space. For a moment in time we're to make walkers in London Space Explorers by making situations in which people are forced to think about their geographies in new ways.

This is an exciting move for Guerrilla Geography and one which we want to open up to all Geographers. As with the Birmingham event, we want to for the public into thinking geographically... as an individual moves through London they might be followed by a roaming (dud) CCTV camera on Oxford Street before being asked to map their naughty memories in Covent Garden. What they meet or are asked to do in other places... we don't know just yet and that is what we'd like to recruit geographers for.

If you have a creative idea for getting people to see their world(s) in new way(s) we'd love to hear from you and then if you wanted... come along on the day to take part in this important event that is pushing out the fringes of geography and making people realise that it is not 'boring'.

Following on from Dan's post about changing Britain, I would like to recomend a little book that everyone should read. Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Ways to Make the World a Nicer Place, by Danny Wallace. We can all learn alot from this little read.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Random-Acts-Kindness-World-Nicer/dp/0091901758/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1201341382&sr=8-3

We're going to change Britain! WANTED: 2 Million People

Now launched on Facebook in an attempt to change the face of Britain..

"We the members of this group will defy British culture by smiling, saying hello and potentially sharing a wave with people we do not know in order to change Britain. In short, we're going to change Britain!"

In 2008 if you smile and say 'hello' to someone you don't know the chances are that they will think you're some kind of a crazy person after their bag or some larger part of their body. If your lucky you might get their foot in your mouth.

We, the people who live in Briton, are fed up of silent commuter trains and journeys where people do not speak to each other. We're tired of those places where if you look at someone you are at increased risk of GBH. We're bored of a smiles in the general direction of someone who thinks that they are attractive being misread/misled. Time enough we say for this Britain of darkness.

So let's reverse this reserved psychogeography of our nation(s)... for one day at least....

On the 1st of April 2008 shun unfriendly behaviour, become an activist of change and...

1. Smile at everyone you make eye contact with (if they smile back, say 'Hi' or if they are a long way from you give them a wave.

2. Ask 'how do you do?' to people you walk past or sit next to. If they reply, go mad and ask them how their day is going.

...no matter who they are or what they look like. Let's go crazy and show an interest in our fellow Britons!


If 2 million Britons take part in this campaign 1 in 30 people should smile at you or say 'How do you do?'... this will change the geography of Britain as we know it... even if it is just for one day.... so please ask friends and strangers to join in.

CLUSTER BOMBS CANCELLED & LONDON CCTV EVENT - NOW IN 2008

The London CCTV Event that was planned for this Saturday (20.10.07) is being pushed back to Saturday 1st of March, 2008. Many people are interested - but seem to be a little busy that weekend.... so, March 2008 it is. See you then!

It is the same sort of a story for cluster bombs so this is now cancelled. This is a shame, but a tour of torture is on the cards and supporters are needed.

Geographer?

If you're a Geographer then why not indulge in a little Guerrilla Geography?

A Global Presence?
At present people have visited this blog from over forty different countries on six continents. If people from all these countries were willing to take part in Guerrilla Geography activities we would be a real (grassroots) force to be reckoned with. For such a worldwide movement to work participation is crucial, so if you are reading this and want to join or mirror an event please do get in contact.

Your ideas...
No matter where you are in the world if you have a geographical idea, concept or issue that you think that the public would be interested in why not take it too them through direct (public education) action in the name of Guerrilla Geography? Email your thoughts to guerrillageography@gmail.com or pass comment on this post.

Guerrilla Geography: Day 3, Reading Cluster Bombs

Cluster bombs are designed to control space and will be the focus of the third Guerrilla Geography day in support of Landmine Action and Handicap International's campaign to stop the weapons use.

Cluster Bombs and Landmines directly change the geography of lives across the world in a wide range of ways from preventing industries functioning effectively and the demographics of communities to the geographies of young people and hearding of livestock.

Key facts on cluster bombs according to Handicap International.

* 98% of recorded casualties are civilians.
* 27% of casualties are children.
* 67% casualties are killed or injured in course of earning their livelihood.
* 24 countries and regions are affected by cluster munitions worldwide.
* 5% to 30% of cluster bombs fail to explode on impact.
* 34 countries produce at least 210 different types of cluster bombs and 73 countries stockpile cluster bombs.
* The UK currently stockpiles and exports cluster bombs and used them during the war in Iraq.

Read more here:
http://www.landmineaction.org/support/email/
http://www.clusterbombs.org.uk/

For this event we will create a fake cluster bomb site to raise awareness of how these weapons change the geography of peoples lives and the role of the UK in this global industry. An opinion 'cluster map' will be created by supporters which will then be posted to David Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Location: Reading, UK (or a mirror event where you are)
Time: 1pm
Date: 04/11/07

To join this event and find out more please email guerrillageography@gmail.com or post your thoughts here.