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Rally to stop Murdoch’s BSkyB Powergrab. 12:30 today

June 30th, 2011 by

Rupert Murdoch - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2009

Photograph by World Economic Forum

Grim reading this morning:
Guardian: “News Corp’s BSkyB bid: Jeremy Hunt gives green light for takeover”
BBC: News Corp moves closer to a takeover of BSkyB

In July last year 38 Degrees members came together to launch our campaign to halt Rupert Murdoch’s powergrab. Our campaign to stop him is making a difference– we’ve already delayed Jeremy Hunt’s announcement by several weeks and forced News Corporation to make small concessions.

Jeremey Hunt’s decision could mean he’s about to hand Rupert Murdoch another huge slice of our country’s media. But Hunt’s decision isn’t final and our pressure could change the game — if we all join a rally in London at lunchtime today we can stop Murdoch’s power grab.

Let’s ramp the pressure up with a people powered rally. We’ve teamed up with our friends at Avaaz to hold a spectacular stunt at 12:30 outside the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. We’ll have a stiltwalker, huge puppets, and more for the media to film. And, the bigger our crowd, the more pressure we’ll put on the government.

Where: Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2-4 Cockspur Street, SW1Y 5DH (just off Trafalgar Square)
When: 12.30 today, June 30th
Nearest tube: Picadilly Circus and Charing Cross.
Map: here

Mass Demonstration

Photograph by 38 Degrees

Update – despite little notice lots of the media and members of 38 Degrees and Avaaz came to the stunt. Here are some pictures:

Mass Demonstration

Photograph by 38 Degrees

Posted in 38 Degrees Blog Posts

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  • butty

    This man is spreading like a rally bad virus.

  • Johntrencrom

    If this takeover goes ahead it will be an absolute disgrace and a further confirmation of this governments utter hipocracy and dishonesty and spineless capitulation in the face of corporate power.

  • Bwol

    This is about only one thing.Tory Party Funding.
    If this goes through the Tories will be flush with Murdoch cash which together with News Corporation propaganda will get the Tories a clear majority at the next election.
    In return the Tories have already slashed the BBC’s  budget so that they could not compete with Sky for next seasons Premiership Football coverage and Sky got it for £69,000,000 less than they paid last year.
    Murdoch is the real leader of the Tory Party and has been since Cameron was elected into office.
    This sort of High Corporate control of Britain must be stopped.
    Make a start by STOPPING Murdoch.

  • Diana Stirling

    I think that date needs changing!
    Wish I could be there, is there anything we can do on-line?

  • Anonymous

    oops, thanks for pointing that out Diana. It’s now fixed!

  • http://twitter.com/catmar1944 catmar

    Keep this reptile from owning more media at all costs. Don’t know why your watching his channels anyway, I have no TV and do you know what I love it.

  • Bomberoni

    WHY DO THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY SIT IDLY BY AND WATCH CAMERON AND HIS CORRUPT GOVERNMENT AIDED BY THE MOST USELESS FRIGGING POLITICAL PARTY IN BRITISH HISTORY… THE F**ING LIBERALS, GET AWAY WITH THE MOST BLATENT CORRUPTION IN MAKING SURE THAT THIS SINISTER PIECE OF WORK MURDOCH GET BSKY B AND STILL KEEP SKY NEWSAS PART OF THE THE DEAL? WAKE UP YOU PASSIVE MORONS OR ARE YOU ALL JUST HAPPY TO TAKE IT UP THE JACKSY OR YOU MIGHT LOSE YOUR SKY CHANNELS?

  • ezy
  • Bairdjohntillie

    How can Hunt even think of handing more power to Murdoch when his paper is so despicable as to tap into Milly Dowler’s mobile phone. Anyone with the minutest compassion or morals would see the handover of more power to this organisation as a total betrayal.

  • Rik Whitmore

    I agree with the previous comment. How can we stand by and let this happen when one of murdochs key publications the news of the world is currently being accused of tapping the mobile of Milly Dowler. I also understand that they also deleted answer phone messages. It beggars belief. Perhaps a new parallel campaign should be started to close the News of the world.

  • Kerrie74

    scum

  • Ghayes1973

    How many more cases of tapping do we have to have, and this is in my mind is the lowest point of anyone’s career, do this people have no moral compass at all. And a man who runs his companies with an Iron fist, you cannot tell me he does not know about all the other cases of phone tapping.

  • Campbelll

    This man isn’t fit to a media organisation and his Tory cronies arent fit to run the country.

  • Grahambrechin

    What would drive up the share price of BskyB?

    After all the more Murdoch has to pay will to our gain… when he pays over the odds, we all bail out and leave him with mountains of debt.

    Protests of mass 30day notice of cancellation of service would do the trick, BUT only after he buys it.

  • dackombe99

    Please tell those of us who can’t get there how we can effectively support and complement the rally on line. 

  • Puzzled

    Today is 24 July.   Why am I getting stuff that relates to three weeks ago?