Dont believe the hype- all out on May Day!
national |
summit mobilisations |
opinion/analysis 
Wednesday April 07, 2004 19:08
by rory hearne - another europe is possible
anothereuropeispossible at yahoo dot co dot uk
The media are going all out to demonise and vilify the protests planned for May Day. The government and gardai want to whip up a climate of fear and tensions before May Day
The media are going all out to demonise and vilify the protests planned for May Day. The government and gardai want to whip up a climate of fear and tensions before May Day to intimidate the thousands of people who want to come out and protest on May Day and for Bush. This government is very unpopular and knows that the anti-war and may day protests will deepen their unpopularity.
We have to do everything possible to ensure that everybody knows this is going to be a peaceful day of carnival and protest. The talk of 1000s of anarchists from all over Europe is a sensational joke. The only group coming over are the White overalled- peaceful wombles!
We have to get across the issues of why we are marching- celebrating a real day of welcomes for all immigrants- opposition to the racist referendum on citizenship, defending public services-stop privatization of housing, transport, education and for a world of peace.
There is a press conference tomorrow (Thursday) at 11am in the Earl of Kildare Hotel to try and counter the media propaganda and launch the Another Europe is Possible Carnival
There is a meeting next Tuesday at 7.30pm in the Snug Bar, Upper Dorset St for planning for May Day-where we can plan stalls, stunts etc in the run up to may day- all welcome
www.freewebs.com/anothereuropeispossible
Comments (23 of 23)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Any chance of having an IMCER at press conference to talk about Media Centre? If there is get in touch thru the lists.
I know exactly what you're talking about. Did you see the News of the world last Sunday? "Anarchist thugs aiming to turn joyful celebrations into a bloodfest". Where the hell do they get this shit?
I saw Rory on Prime Time last night... talk about playing the game. We ‘guarantee’ a peaceful protest. And the black bloc is last year’s thing! Rory, you barely got to remember that the ENEMY is capitalism…and to make some points about that ‘side of things’. You’ll go far Rory … up the boss’s ass.
A lot of people - not just the swp - think the black bloc is last years thing.
It is a valid opinion.
I think what the Cork Anarchist says is unfair. Rory noted that the government is "deeply unpopular", but sadly, their popularity is as buoyant as many an Irish government would have hoped for.
It is therefore right that left-wingers assure the people that media villifications of socialists are wrong, and that our message is a positive one. If we disregard what most people think, where are we then?
Cork Anarchist may find himself disappearing up his own squalid proverbial.
Just make sure you burn down every McDonalds you see - that's the only way we can make a difference. Waving placards just doesn't achieve anything.
I have no problem with PEACEFUL PROTESTS/REMEMBRANCE DAYS eg 9/11 they are a way of showing how we feel about our opinions/objections/sorrow etc on what is going on in our own countries and what is going on worldwide WITHOUT VIOLENCE.
PLEASE DO NOT BRING VIOLENCE TO OUR COUNTRY ON MAY WEEKEND AS FAMILIES/ YOUNG PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO ENJO Y THE WEEKEND. WE ARE A NATION WHO LIKES TO ENJOY THEMSELVES ON OCCASIONS????????? LIKE MAY DAY AND LOTS OF OTHER TIMES. WE ARE KNOW N FOR THE CRAIC GOOD FUN, PLENTY DRINK AND A GOOD OLE SING SONG. PLEASE DON'T SPOIL IT
PAULA
The 2 above comment is an anonymous comment on an open publishing website - anyone (even michael McDowell) could have posted it ;-)
Of course Rory can guarantee a peaceful protest, because what he is doing is holding the protest so far away from Farmleigh House that it will be totally irrelevent.
I see from the Irish Times (Wednesday) that the Phoenix Park will be closed on the day, and that the protest /carnival /whatever will take place in Parkgate Street. That just happens to be about three (?) miles away from Farmleigh House.
Let me spell it out for you - they wont hear you!. The organisers of the protest should have held the protest in Castleknock, which is about one mile from Farmleigh. It appears to me that having it in Parkgate Street is fully in line with government strategy, it keeps protestors hemmed in, and well away from where they would be able to make an effective protest.
To anyone who is even thinks of causing trouble on May Day. Stay away you are only going to damage any cause. MAY DAY IS GOING TO BE PEACEFUL!
Rory did fine.
Yeah the bit about anarchist protesting being last year's thing was a bit cheeky, but then he ain't a libertarian and he is entitled to put forward his own take on things. It's a bit silly to expect non-anarchists to articulate our point of view. He had a limited amount of time to say what he wanted and getting a few plugs in for the libertarians was unlikely to be a priority. It's not always easy to say all that you want - capitalism is the enemy etc - under the pressure of questioning. And in fainess we wouldn't prioritse their take on things.
Thought Laurence and Ciaran did very well.
Criticism and debate s a part of life but in order to make this Mayday a raging success we must all stick together and present a united front against our common enemies.
Rory Hearne is more with us than with them for God's sake so lets put aside personal differences,political allegiances,ideoligies and all this fucking bitching ijust for a few weeks so we can make Mayday an event this nation will never forget.
In case anyone is not clear on this ALL the protest locations listed on the EUfortress site are MEETING UP points not where the actual events will happen. http://struggle.ws/eufortress/timetable.html Anyone who has been on an RTS will be aware of how this works.
Benburb st/Parkgate street is the meeting point for the March to Farmleigh.
"March to Farmleigh House to let the EU heads of state hear us - bring pots, pans, whistles... 6pm Sat. May 1st, Phoenix Park (meet at Parkgate St./Benburb St.)"
If it is not possible to go via the park lots of other routes are available. The problem with Castleknock as a meeting point is that we don't know how well public transport will be functioning on the day with all the various protests going on around the city. So a meeting point near the city centre was essential. Bring your walking shoes!
For those pissed off with the media lies you can give us ahand advertising the events by downloading the PDF posters from http://struggle.ws/eufortress/help.html There are now 11 different designs
Rory Hearne is more with us than with them for God's sake so lets put aside personal differences,political allegiances,ideoligies
ive finally realised this isn't true.....
"but then he ain't a libertarian"
"It's a bit silly to expect non-anarchists to articulate our point of view."
Not all libertarians are anarchists!
It's not as if it's not a debate that's going on within anarchist movements. The cancellation of London RTS after last year's debacle and the growth of the social fora are important issues. Post-Gothenbury and Genoa, in the light of police use of lethal force, it became high time to look critically at tactics. And that's all the black bloc was, a tactic, and not necessarily the best one. Becoming wedded to one way of organising and acting should not be what anarchists are about, that way lies dogmatism.
How language degnerates:)
To the best of my knowledge, the word libertaraian was coined by French Anarchists in response to the ban on the use of the word anarchist in their publications over a century ago.
Louise Michel and Sebastian Faure had a paper called libertarie (or something don't know french spelling etc).
The Spanish Anarchists also used libertarian as a synonymfor anarchism.
So anarchists coined it and used it to mean anarchism. However some right-wing yankee academics tried to take the word in the 1970s and have succeeded to a limited extent. But as it's such a nice word I like to use it in its traditional and European sense.
As for for left libertarians, well I don't see any difference between them and anarchists except they have a reluctance to use the latter word. Possibly they have arrived at libertarian socialism via marxism rather than anarchism, but it's a matter of secondary importance.
So in summary, libertarian isn't just non-hierarchial in a vague sense. Taken logically and historially it has been synonymous with anarchism
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1931/secA1.html#seca13
Press Conference- May Day violence is just government hype- claim May Day organizers, Another Europe is Possible.
The alliance which is organising a march and carnival in Dublin on May Day claimed at a press conference today that talk of violence and riots on May 1st is government hype to scare people off the streets. The evidence to back up their claims that 1000s of violent anarchists will descend on Dublin does not exist. Another Europe is possible (a broad alliance of different political parties, trade unionists, community activists and campaigns) is organising a colourful peaceful carnival that will begin at Central Bank, Dame St. Dublin at Mid-day on May 1st and march to Phoenix park where there will be world music.
Rory Hearne, Convenor, Another Europe is Possible said “The reality is all the protests planned for May Day are peaceful and the only group traveling from Europe is the London-based whiteoveralled wombles who protest through peaceful street dress and theatre. All the talk of anarchists is either spoof to fool the media or websites which are completely unreliable”
“We feel the government is attempting to create a climate of fear and tension in the run up to May Day and the visit of George Bush in order to intimidate people from coming out and protesting and thus avoid the mass protests like February 15th that did so much damage to the government’s credibility. They also want to avoid debating the issues of why 1000s of people will be out on the streets on May 1st and for George Bush. Issues like the effect of their policies on immigrants, the impacts on workers of privatization of public services and the impact on neutrality of our and the EU’s increasing involvement in the war on Iraq”
“We feel that the mobilization of thousands of riot police and the army on the streets will only provoke violence and tension and we call on the Minister of Justice to only have the normal Garda presence at the May Day protests”
Speakers at the press conference include-
Rory Hearne, Convenor, Another Europe is Possible, organiser of May Day Carnival/March, Mick O Rielly, ATGWU, Patricia McKenna, Green Party MEP
Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein, Eamonn Crudden, Indymedia
Statement from Susan George, the internationally renowned debt and global justice campaigner (also vice-president of ATTAC, France) who will be coming over to speak at the May Day Carnival
1. daithi doolan and friend making phonecalls pre-press conference to help AEIP sort out a flatbed truck and having a joke about anarchists and petrol bombs hidden under the (press conference) table.
2. Questions from journalists mentioning possibility of provocation from protesters and with a straight face repeating the threadbare Garda line that a car had been set on fire on may 6th 2002. Questions from journalists fishing with the line that mary kelly and the CW5 are to blame for the increased levels of security. Asking if they were taking part in protests.
3. Nice rational contribution from Mick O'Reilly on the history of mayday and its connection to fight for an 8 hour working day
4. Forcefully made point from all present that an unidentified cabinet source is behind the whipping up of antidemocratic hysteria.
5. Call from Patricia McKenna for the Army and Riot Police to be stood down on the day.
6. No mention whatsoever of Grassroots mayday plans from press or panel. In the interests of freeflow of info I took it upon myself to advertise the mayday photocall on Grafton Street Tomorrow to all present.
7. General insistence on the right to protest being upheld in the context of expected bush visit. Daithi D Rory H and patricia McK all identifying the cooling of visible dissent in advance of Bush visit as the reason for the government and gardai whipping up an unprecedented storm of hysteria. Neutrality as something most people still hold as an irish Aspiration despite government actions discussed by Daithi O D.
8. general belief expressed that negligible numbers travelling from abroad. Certainly not the thousands of anarchists conjured up by elements of the press. Rory defended the Wombles and their right to protest.
9. Clear expression of AEIP reasons for protest. Recent Deportations and 'racist' Referendum mentioned as providing context for anti-racist content of demonstrations.
10. Mick OReilly pointed out that his union has put forward a motion that DCTU support and participate in the protests. He contextualised protests by saying Bus Workers and Aer Rianta Workers should come out on the day since they have been frustrated in their efforts to do so recently - and by saying that the Government has no mandate for its Privatisation agenda.
11. All participants called on government and gardai to deal in an upfront way with protesters and facilitate their expression of dissent. A number of participants also called on the Government to stop hiding behind anonymous press briefings and scare stories of 1000s of anarchists coming to destroy the city and come out in the open with their evidence and justification for the planned pseudo-militarisation of the city (If such evidence exists'.
12. Constant mentioning of may 6th 2002 by panel. Though strangely they seemed to be putting the day forward as a precursor to this protest and as a more or less traditional mayday parade.
Apart from that nothing of note - (daithi d is a funny sharp and effective public speaker rory h has come a long way too and is very cool under pressure) - i passed out info on mayday IMC Centre and a little statement saying anonymous sources were manipulating and misrepresenting the contents of this website in a reckless manner. I also clarified the point about the 6/5/02 'car set on fire' in no uncertain terms for the relevant journalist.
More details please..................
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=64171
Tomorrow is good friday isnt it?
Wow.. what an intelligent remark. Where did you hear that from little girl, older sister?? I bet you love McDonald's food.
Wow.. what an intelligent remark. Where did you hear that from little girl, older sister?? I bet you love McDonald's food.
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