Indymedia Éire review of 2005: All The News Thats Fit To Print

A run down of what filled the newswire over the past 12 months.

Over the last 12 months, the site has grown from strength to strength, with a huge increase in readership, a wide variety of subjects and issues being covered, and more people regularly contributing quality material to the newswire. To welcome our readers and contributors into the new year, the editorial collective have compiled a comprehensive review of the events and stories of the year just gone, that were published on Indymedia Ireland.

We hope that 2006 will continue to see IMC activities increase and improve. Dont forget that you can write for us too - thats the beauty of open publishing. You can become the media with a click of the publish button. We want your stories, images, audio and video!

On January 30th Iraq had 'elections' to elect an interim government, first signs of Islamic theocracy emerge. Bill Gates says world is threatened the spectre of 'some new modern-day sort of communists.' Campaign to Save the Tara-Skryne Valley collects letters of support to send to the Dáil Transport Committee. Eoin Dubsky's case announced to hit the High Court in February. Two more convicted of public order offences from Mayday 2004, sparks debate about solidarity, or lack thereof. Rumours and conjecture emerge of new US/K war strategy: The Salvadoran Option in Iraq? The Tabloid, The Irish Star, gets hoaxed with 'a fictional tale of drug trafficking on the Luas.' The 2005 Bush/Cheney Coronation - Joseph Goebbels giigles from the grave - but the Dublin Catholic Worker read the names of the dead. Gard given a one-month suspended sentence for assaulting a school teacher in the 2002 May Day Reclaim the Streets demonstration. Sean Russell beheaded, but whodunnit? Community Workers Co-Operative Funding Withdrawn while More Troops, Less Jobs at Shannon. Irish Commuters vs. Irish Kings - Tara-Skryne debate continues. Charges dropped against three Bush Visit protestors. Campaign launched against EU Constitution New Derry Mural shows solidarity with Iraq & Palestine A Cork councillor participates in a sit-in over uncollected waste Amy Goodman speaks in Dublin and the war with Iran starts covertly. Michael McDowell gets his psychological diagnosis while Wanted Posters for other political criminals appear on the streets of Dublin.

In February... Tara-Skryne group protests Transport Committee’s green light for Heritage Destruction Reports of violence from Sudan's Darfur region - and the world still does little. Residents Against Racism starts campaign to prevent deportation of Angolan Refugee 158,000 US Troops went through Shannon on their way to 'Route Irish' in 2004, thanks to the Irish Aviation Authority. Don't just Do Something, Sit There!... and write for Indymedia.ie: new guidelines and How To's announced Eoin Dubsky finally gets his day in the High Court Socialist Party TD, Joe Higgins, starts campaign to expose GAMA's exploitation of migrant workers and the Socialist Workers Party starts campaign for Foreign Students keep their Right to Work. Charles to marry Camilla and Kevin Myers is the bastard. Dublin Catholic Worker asks if Shannon Airport could be transformed into a Sanctuary for War Resisting GI's? The Shell Oil/Co. Mayo war begins. McLibel Duo told by EU that the UK breached their rights - Celtic Tiger or just McJobs Irish Anti War Movement debuts photo exhibition: 'Images of Resistance' 300 people in Cork march in protest of Bin Taxes. Northern Bank robbery suspects arrested and ../Robert McCartney' s sisters start campaign Politics.ie launches its own ©opyrighted Wiki - World protests as Iranian Bloggers Mojtaba and Arash are jailed. Spanish Voters reject the EU Constitution, even though 60% of potential voters did not vote. Ramadi gets Fallujah-ized. The Seomra spraoi ball starts rolling. Dublin's Anti-Bin Tax Campaign rekindles and Hundreds march in Dublin Peter Benenson, founder of Amnesty International dies.

In March the Pistop Ploughshares trial prompted solidarity action in London with an occupation of the Irish Embassy. Joss Garman, speaking for the demonstrators, explained, “it clearly isn’t right that peace campaigners should face years in prison, whilst Bertie Ahern remains at large.” Down west, regular contributers to the site Ed Horgan and Tim Hourigan continued to face a litany of harassment from Airport police this time as Ed observed “what appeared to be Gulfstream executive jet, similar to the N379P used for the transporting of prisoners for torture, landing on the main runway. He also noticed a Hercules C 130 parked close to Gate 40.” Indymedia has been pissing all over the mainstream press, breaking details of the illegal use of Shannon Airport since 2002, with concerns over the “illegal movement and torture of prisoners” on the Guantanamo Bay Express being aired in December 2004. On 3rd February 2003, as part of ongoing resistance at Shannon Airport, the Pitstop Ploughshares disarmed a US warplane. Within the month, three of the four companies contracted at the time to ferry US troops and weapons had left Ireland. The resulting trial began on Monday March 7th and lasted for just over a week, with daily updates as things progressed being fed on to the site. After the trial collapsed, the defendants marched and delivered a letter from former US Army Sergant Kelly Dougherty to Bertie.

Rosanna Flynn's bleak account of the fear and despair experienced by Asylum Seekers awaiting their fate at the Garda National Immigration Bureau on Burgh Quay would set the context for one of the most dramatic stories of the year. When word came through om March 14 from Residents Against Racism that a large scale deportation was under way, someone in the GNIB described how "among those to be deported is a 19 year old who has been here for 5 years and is to sit his Leaving Cert in June. He has no family alive. His solicitor was with him so we were a bit optimistic but as we were leaving the guy was lifted and taken home to pack his luggage for deportation." Within a week, protests took place in Dublin, Belfast, Derry, London, Liverpool, Glasgow and Amsterdam against the deportations, and with the powerful mobilisaiton of Olunkunle Eluhanle's class mates McDowell was forced to admit that he made a mistake in deporting the Palmerstown student and brought him back from Nigeria on a six month visa to remain in Ireland to do his Leaving Cert. In what was to become documented as a long running saga on Indymedia, in Mayo it was becoming increasingly evident that Shell were emerging as a new aristocracy with what was to become the Rossport Five finding themselves in the first of a series of high court hearings.

At the start of April, Indymedia found itself cited on Israeli dissedent Mordechai Vanunu's charge sheet, after he was recently been charged with 22 violations of the restriction orders placed on him when he left prison in Israel in April last year including an interview with IMC Eire from September 2004. Concerns that Rossport residents were being "ridden roughshod over by the might of Shell, the Irish state, local authorities, semi-state bodies and the judicial process" continued on the site, with a build up towards a June Bank holiday weekend solidarity gathering brewing. On Thursday the 28th, after several accidents, Shell called a temporary halt to their construction of a massive gas refinery in Mayo. Radicals from the European Youth For Action Network met for an antiwar/ ecotopia reunion in wild and windy Shannon. In the digital domain, the Irish Music Rights Association began to sue file sharers for Clawing Back Profits From Greedy Exploitative Corporations. Harrassment continued against the Shannon plane-spotters, who while planespotting outside Shannon Warport in broad daylight one Sunday found themselves on the receiving end of a fit of madness from one of the APOs who decided somehow that he had jurisdiction outside his patch.

At a major protest at the Dáil at lunchtime on Tuesday 12th April, the Turkish workforce of the GAMA construction company, joined and supported by Irish construction and other workers, called upon the Government to intervene immediately to secure the necessary information for the workers in relation to the secret bank accounts that GAMA opened in their names in Finasbank, Holland. None other than GAMA are involved in the construction of some of the dams of the GAP development project, such as the discredited Ilisu Dam Project. On 13 April about 70 asylum seekers in a hostel on Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin went on hunger strike to protest their 'Fast Track' treatment by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). On 17 April two of the men collapsed and were sent to hospital. As part of the Convergence Festival, Indymedia & Sustainable Ireland teamed up with the recently opened Filmbase on Curved Street and brought the public a day of free short films from around the World, plus screenings of three of the feature documentaries from last November's "Videoactive" Film Festival. Meanwhile Circuit Court Judge Carroll Moran found himself called to task when confronted by Indymedia readers when he appeared as the guest speaker at a public talk hosted by the University of Limerick Law Society. He was not comfortable with some of the questions at the end which related his own conduct while presiding over the trial of Mary Kelly (see previous indymedia.ie coverage).

In May Coke workers were "repaid for loyalty to their company" by closing down the one plant where an anti-boycott campaign was launched. As we headed towards the main trade union may day march, hundreds celebrated an anti-G8 Reclaim the Streets in the rain. On the bank of the canal opposite the public library, close to the bridge at Dolphin's Barn, behind the walls of a factory, a disused area of grass became the site of a squated community garden. After the issues facing migrant workers was made the central theme of the Mayday march (1) , there was some move on the GAMA issue with company making a concession and paying a back amount of money to the fixed rate workers equivalent to 42% of their previous wage. The sale of the century continued in Dublin 8where Dublin City Council appears to be pursuing a policy with Chamber Court that mirrors that of the redevelopment of St. Michael's Estate in Inchicore, namely the privitisation of the national housing stock, as key factor in the sort of urban regeneration that could spell the death of Moore St and communities such as St Micheals.

The police continued to harass the plane spotters in Shannon as emperor Bush decided to pass. With government consent granted for constructon, campaigners from the Tara Skryne valley campaign felt they were now left with no alternative but to support a legal action that will seek a High Court injunction and judicial review of the Minister's decision.' Over the last year or so, the working conditions of staff in An Post have been the subject of cutbacks and attacks by its management and ultimately the government, an interview with a postal worker expressed many of the fears faced by staff. While in Rossport Vincent McGrath expressed the fears of locals in describing how "the pipeline is an experiment and we are the guinea pigs" after the publication of the Quantified Risk Assessment report into the project there.

Memories of Genoa came to the fore with Giuliano Giuliani speaking in Dublin late May, this interview appeared on the site. The 2005 Labour Party National Conference voted in favour of the motion brought by the UCD Pat Upton Branch expressing solidarity with the Coca-Cola workers of both Colombia and of the Naas Rd, Dublin leading to one of Indymedia's usual epic debates.

In June, French NO vote to the EU Constitution expressed a demand for a different Europe to the free-market politics of the EU Constitution. The NON campaign in France has brought together a wide range of people - including public sector workers, the French radical Left, environmentalists, and those who seek an alternative to the global rule of the market - in a united movement against the politics of the EU Constitution. Early June also saw the first Net Art exhibition in Dublin, putting on the works of the newest the newest art movement around, an art movement where the art is delivered directly from the artist to the public without the mediation of the art world. On Saturday 11th June a Parade will took place in Dublin to protest the imminent introduction of a form of anti-social behavior order to Ireland.

Things continued to heat up over the Shell pipeline. Several of the Rossport farmers traveled to Dublin outline their opposition in the High Court to the pipe line going ahead and attempt to have an injunction against them lifted after they prevented Shell from entering their land without proper consent. The judge told them: "It might not be in the national interest. If they are wrong compensation will be paid. Isn't that what compensates everyone?" On the same day a local resident was driving up a road, with no traffic mangement, at around 5.30pm today, and was obstructed by two large trucks carrying pipes to the Shell compound at Rossport. The resident was then told to reverse and make way for the trucks as the narrow roads cannot accomadate such traffic. He refused and was soon joined by 15 supporters. Later in the month, the same judge jailed five people at the request of Shell for attempting to stop the multinational from laying a controversial, high-pressure, "offshore" gas pipeline through their land in Rossport, Co Mayo. The judge ordered that the five men - four small landowners and a local supporter - be imprisoned "until they purge their contempt", meaning they will not be released until they have promised to allow Shell to dig up their land.

Over almost 4 years of operation Indymedia Ireland evolved a set of working practices and processes for keeping this site running and making it live up to its goals as best we can, these were announced in mid June. In the GlobalMobileVision.com scandal, there were more exposes of dodgy workplace practices, claims were made that a Dublin "technology" company with links to Christian religious groups in America has been accused of intimidating staff, of failing to pay salaries, and sexual harrassment. Its work practices were described as "bizarre". Protests took place in Cork at the presence of two floating killing machines in the city, on a so-called 'courtesy visit' to the city to 'celebrate' the Cork 2005 Capital of Culture scam.

Thousands of homes in Tyrrelstown, a new development in the Blanchardstown area, were affected by a biological contamination to their water supply, which is under the control of a private company established by the property developers. Fingal County Council had to bail out the private management company responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the water system. On the 16 June 2005 the UNHCR's 3rd Annual World Refugee Day was celebrated at the Dublin City Council office on Wood Quay and awards were given in five categories to fourteen people living in Ireland who are actively involved with asylum seekers and refugees. Rosanna Flynn, of Residents Against Racism, was one of the winners of the award. Millions of people around the World are trapped in bitter, unrelenting poverty because of man-made factors, throughout June preparations took place for the Make Poverty History G8 protests in Edinburgh.

In July a jailed Rossport Five called for an end to "all threat of imprisonment and financial ruin over the people of North Mayo, and renegotiate the original gas deal, for the Irish people." ( 1 ) In Mayo resistance stepped up a notch, ( 1 )with the refinery construction site picketed, fishermen preparing to blockade the 'Things' and the roadside vigil a win. Shell and Statoil found themselves sinking into a quagmire as across the country people mobilised as the Shell2Sea campaign became a popular issue, with demos and blockades of Shell garages.

Dozens of Irish people made their way across the pond to join the Make Poverty History events in Edinburgh or the Dissent actions to shut down the summit. There was a moot sense of disappointment with some of the demos, with the Carnival for Full Enjoyment being locked down by the police, but the events at Auchterarder would lift spirits. (See full G8 archive here) The bomb attacks in London which completely stole the thunder from the G8 were universally condemned by Anti-war groups in Ireland and Britain. Many right wing commentators have tried to link the murder of these innocent people to the anti-war movements, to the broad muslim community, to those people who protested against poverty and war at the G8 summit in Scotland, and in particular to anarchists. However, these claims are contradicted by the sweeping condemnations of this act that have been issued by the groups in question.

Back home RAR heard from various asylum seekers that Gardai were seen in and out of pubs and homes in Blanchardstown picking up approximately 20 Nigerian asylum seekers. In a significant first for this country, a meeting organised by RAR was addressed exclusively by Nigerians seeking asylum and campaigning for fairer treatment for asylum seekers in Ireland. The passing of the Disability Bill introduced legislation that is in opposition to everything the disability lobby has asked for - and so desperately needs - and in doing so they are conducting a unique experiment in tampering with the constitution. In the planned wanton destruction of the Tara Skyrne valley the NRA along with Meath County Council showed themselves to be completely insensitive to the concerns of the local people over the methodology employed here.

An Indymedia favourite, Judge Mangan was in action again - this time finding in favour of peace activist Conor Cregan who was charged with S. 6 of the Public Order Act over anti-war activity. The Judge Dredd style shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes provided a good focus for viewing Ireland's Role In Unleashing Terror On Iraq. The last few days of July saw the historic announcement of a permanent end to the armed campaign by the IRA.

After the scandals with GAMA and Irish Ferries, Tesco were the latest employers to have been reported to be exploiting foreign workers in Ireland. Czechs in Dublin protested against the heavy handed police attacks on the Czechtech festival.

August saw the country heading into an Indian summer, but the newswire was quiet in comparison. The health service continued to suck, while the Rossport Five refused to purge their contempt of court. There were fresh calls from James Connolly's grandson to save 16 Moore Street. From their continued incarceration the Rossport Fivetackled the myth of national interest and described how their "imprisonment was only made possible by the granting of a compulsary purchase order by Frank Fahey.

The wheels of democracy were oiled as ordinary people felt the friction globally, with speakers from a Colombian peace village doing a speaking tour of the country. As the site continued to grow with more appeals for help, it had its first Irish language feature in an agallamh le Seosamh O’Ceallaigh. The Socialist Party, which played a very prominent role in the anti-bin tax campaigns, produced a lengthy document outlining what it sees as the key elements of the disagreements between the various left factions in the campaign.

September began with the intensifying of the campaign against the incinerator in Cork Harbour, a long running saga for the residents of the harbour region. The fallout from the massive hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico continued, as people engaged in finger pointing and deeper analysis of the causes and problems of environmental disasters, and the subsequent state response. The European Court of Human Rights held preliminary hearings on the case of an Irish woman claiming her human rights were violated when she was forced to travel to Britain for an abortion. Street Seen stepped up efforts to solve the homeless problem after the deaths of two people living rough in Dublin; while continuous deaths and shootings resulting from the entirely different issue of gangland Dublin prompted some previously unexplored examination of the roots of drug culture and consumption.

Another case of foreign workers being underpaid surfaced in Portlaoise, reflecting a growing dark underbelly of the Celtic Tiger. Anti-war activity started to pick up again after a long dead period, with events such as the visit of Rose Gentle to Dublin, and the first protest in Shannon since the visit of Bush over 12 months previously. The trumpeted "Reclaim the City" action turned into "just another street party", prompting open soul-searching by the organisers, and some criticism from anti-war groups for the decision by libertarians not to travel to Shannon. Finally, the month ended on a high note as the Rossport 5 were released from prison, after spending nearly a hundred days locked up for their opposition to the proposed Shell pipeline in Mayo.

October started with a journey into the heart of darkness of stolen bikes on Garda bike auction day, while yet another community in the West got involved in direct action against the opening of a dumpsite at Killaghmore. The issue of the CIA's "extraordinary renditions" aka the Torture Express passing through Shannon was highlighted yet again by anti-war activists, finally turning it into an issue in the mainstream press. In a story akin to a spy novel, Sean Garland from the Workers Party faced extradition to the US for his alleged role in counterfeiting $100 bills. Immigrant deportations continued unabated, despite anti-racism groups' efforts to stem the tide. The disappearance of a young girl Arlene Arkinson was linked to the possibility of her abductor being a Special Branch agent working with the RUC in the Castlederg area. Administrative changes set to alter the right to hold public markets were floated, sparking calls for every local town and village to ensure their right to hold markets was upheld. The Catholic Worker 5 re-trial began on October 24th, while controversy erupted in NCAD on Thomas Street after news of a proposed move to Belfield surfaced.

November kicked off with a call for people to join/support the Rossport solidarity camp. The drug issue was again highlighted in this book review of "Pushers Out", an excellent account of the grassroots campaigns in Dublin in the 1990's against pushers and dealers. A march in Dublin against the outsourcing of labour at Irish Ferries drew around 10,000 people, as the tension between workers and management grew. France's immigrant communities rioted for over two weeks after the death of two teenagers fleeing from police, prompting some to term the rioting as "The French Autumn Intifada", while others viewed it as a part of a continuum of de-politicised urban meltdowns commonplace in large western cities.

The Catholic Worker 5 re-trial spectacularly collapsed again after it was revealed the sitting judge had attended several functions organised for George W. Bush; while remarks by Anjem Choudary about the possibility of Ireland being a target by terrorists because of allowing US warplanes to re-fuel in Shannon provoked wide outrage. Enda Kenny's proposal to remove compulsory Irish angered many, while on the Government benches Willie O'Dea was the source of much bemusement after pointing a gun in a photographers face (on request!). Local residents in the north inner city campaigned against Peter Stringfellow opening a strip club on Parnell St. The Irish Ferries dispute went supernova after crewmen barricaded themselves into a ferry control room, and SIPTU called for a national day of protest; while the campaign against homelessness also stepped up with the occupation of a derelict school on Parnell Square, and an invasion of the Dail grounds to deliver a petition to Bertie.

December, and the issue of CIA torture flights through Shannon was raging, with reports and photos from the airport still coming in regularly. The effects of privatisation of public housing and lands was being felt in Ballymun, mirroring the experiences of communities from the inner city. Undoubtedly though the biggest story of the month was the Irish Ferries dispute. SIPTU's national day of protest brought thousands onto the streets, calling for an end to the exploitation of immigrant workers and the "race to the bottom". The west continued to awake with another local struggle against the contruction of pylons in the countryside. The actions against government policy on homelessness raised the hair on the necks of some establishment quarters supposedly involved in the homeless issue; and in a year of environmental turmoil and disaster, we closed out 2005 with a look at the devestating effects of climate change in the far north.