A-Infos (en) [irishanarchism] Review of 2002, meeting and chronology

["brian skinner" <suckola@hotmail.com>]

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For anyone in Dublin next week!
Activist Review of 2002. Sunday Jan 12th @3.00. Conways, Parnell
Street.
Activist Review of 2002.
People involved in and critically discussing:
Indymedia
Reclaim the Streets
Libertarians Against Nice
The Anti Bin Charges Campaign
Carrickmines.
Gluaiseacht (and Ecotopia)
Grassroots Anti war Network. (and Anarchists Against the War)
What the cops have been up to this year.

also
discussion on how we can cooperate more and what we should be
looking to achieve in 2003 (suggestions for other topics?, email
qa3@subdimension.com)

Heres a (by no means comprehensive) timeline of 2002 to refresh
yr memories!

Dec 8th. Grassroots shut down Shannon warport demonstration.
Around 400 people took part in the Grassroots Gathering
demonstration against refuelling of US war planes at Shannon
airport. Attempts to breach the fence fail due to it being
reinforced and the gardai anticipating the repeat tactic.

Dec 5th. Kinsale Garda Fiasco. At a sitting of the District
Court in Kinsale town yesterday, Gardai made a laughing stock of
themselves when they sought to prosecute an activist for damage
to a fence at the entrance area to the 'Old Head of Kinsale'
during a mass protest and trespass by the Free The Old Head
Campaign. But proceedings had hardly got underway they attempted
a reverse manouver and asked to have the matter of the
prosecutions struck out due to the fact that 'it had come to
their attention that Mr Blake was not in Kinsale at the time'

The case against another FTOHK Campaign activist was adjourned
until early January pending an application for free legal aid.
Meanwhile the campaign which will be going into its third years
soon goes from strength to strenght.

December 3rd. CFE (Campaign for Free education) Occupy the Dept.
of Finance - The (CFE) today took part in an occupation of the
Department of Finance on Merrion Street in protest against
Government cut-backs. The occupation was planned for today as
the FF-PD Budget will be announced tomorrow.

November 18th. The Garda Complaints Board announced its findings
in the investigation into Gardaí behaviour at the RTS (May
6th.), was frustrated by lack of Gardaí co-operation.

November 16th. Funeral For Neutrality. Cork Peace Alliance demo
for Irish Neutrality takes place in form of a mass funeral for
neutrality.

November 11th. Student Boycott of Lectures in UCD in protest at
attempts to abolish the grant and the reintroduction of fees.

November 8th. Schengen and Big Brother. An Irish SWP/ GR
activist is arrested and strip searched en route to the European
Social Forum in Florence, Italy. The Schengen agreement is
supposed to allow free movement within Europe, but it also
allows information to be held on ?undesireables?.

November 4th. Irving Meeting Cancelled. A proposed lecture by
revisionist David Irving in TCD is cancelled once security
figure they can?t handle protesters.

October 31st. Two plane spotters ordered out of Shannon Airport
by anonymous US special Agent. Two inspectors, two Garda and
several security personnel made sure the two men left the
premises.

October 28th/29th. Third Grassroots Gathering held in Belfast.
More networking, discussions and workshops. The best one yet!

October. Nice II passed.

October 16th: Hundreds of students blockaded the Minister of
Eduaction, Noel Dempsey, into the new Vets building for 2 hours.
Today's protest co-incided with a visit by the Minister of
Education to officially open the new Vets building in UCD.
Hundreds of students protested outside the building. The
protesters then jumped the barricades erected by College
security and sat down on the main entrance to the building to
prevent the minister leaving. For 2 hours the minister was
prevented leaving. The college authorities had to sneek the
minister out in a jeep hidden around the back of the building.

October 12th. Mass anti-war trespass at Shannon Airport. The
largest anti-war demonstration to date at Shannon airport. As
the demonstration ended a 50m section of the perimeter fence was
torn down and up to 150 people entered the airfield perimeter.

Sept 28th. Anti War demonstration in Dublin. About 1500 people
march from the Garden Of Rememberance to the Department of
Foreign Affairs in Stephans Green, listen to some speeches and
then head off to the Central Bank for more of the same.

September 25th. Students occupy Dept. of Education. in protest
agianst the governments 70% hike in college fees. They entered
the building on Marlbourough Street in the morning and
barricaded themselves into the boardroom on the ground floor.
After 6.30 the Gardaí broke the door down and ended the
occupation

Sept 22nd - RTS on Baggot St. Over 1,000 people took part in the
four-hour party. Despite attempts by the Gardai to whip up a
panic because the organisers refused to meet with them in
advance of the party the day was trouble free and very good
humoured.

September 20th. Bin Charges. These first court cases for non
payment of the bin tax in the Dublin Corporation area begin
today.

Sep 14th. Sellafield Visitor Center Closed. Gluaiseacht
activists close Sellafield Visitor Center by climbing and
locking onto the roof.

September 4th. Shannon Redecoration. Eoin Dubsky and Tim
Hourigan of Refueling Peace were arrested this morning at
Shannon Airport, under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act for
Defacing an Aircraft. Dubsky took a can of flourescent orange
paint to a USAF Hercules plane, wishing to be accountable for
his actions he phoned airport police at 4.50 to inform them of
his actions.

September 1st. ALF Liberate Phesants. A cell of the Irish Animal
Liberation Front successfully entered the game holding pens
within Castlemorris Woods in County Kilkenny,Ireland, and
subsequently took nine pheasants to be released to a safe
location where they can live out their full lives.

September 1st. Activists occupied the archaeological site of
Carrickmines Castle in a non-violent direct action to protest
against its planned destruction for the completion of the M50
motorway. Over the first weekend of the action more than 400
members of the public visit the site.

August 27th. Students Chain Themselves To Government Buildings.
Students chained themselves to the railings of the Department of
Education and Science, Department of Finance and Fianna Fáil
party headquarters at 11am today in protest at the recent
increase in registration fees and Minister Dempsey's refusal to
meet with them over the matter.

Aug 19th - Shannon demonstration against refuelling of US war
planes Between September 2001 and July 2002 a total of 535 US
warplanes have refuelled at the airport. About 150 people turn
up to show their opposition.

August 15th. West Papua Activists Arrested in Dutch Embassy.
Activists Arrested after Call on Netherlands Government to call
publicly for Act of Self-determination in West Papua

Aug 10th -24th Ecotopia takes place on the shores of Lough Derg
in an 83 acre broadleaf woodland with clearings for camping,
dining and workshops. People from all over Ireland and Europe
travel to this beautifully scenic place to take part in a wide
range of workshops, discussion groups, talks and activities.

August 9th. Anti Sectarian Rally. SOME 5,000 people joined a
protest against sectarianism outside Belfast City Hall. The
rally was in response to the sectarian murder of a young
Catholic man, Gerard Lawlor, by Loyalist paramilitaries.

July 30th. Students Take To Streets Against Fees. Over 150
students took to the streets in a USI protest against the 69%
increase in capitation fees for third level students.

July 27 - Old Head of Kinsale freed for an afternoon. The owners
of the exclusive Golf course, who are attempting to deny public
access, had mounted a concerted media campaign in the week
running up to the picnic to blacken the name of the pinicers and
to undermine the protest.

July 20th. The workers of the Irish Glass Bottle plant in
Ringsend march in the city center in support of their demands
(i.e. redundancy at the level recommended by the Labour
Relations Commission ). At this stage the workers have been in
occupation of the plant for the last couple of months. The plant
is closing, making some 375 workers redundant.

May 17th. Police Intimidation. At least one injured participant
in the RTS street party of May 6th who subsequently made a
complaint about police brutality is subjected to fairly
unsophisticated intimidation. I.e. the cops park a riot van
outside his house for an hour and a half or so, pace up and down
the footpath and stare up at his window. It ain?t quite the
heavy gang all over again but people doubt Commisioner Byrne?s
promises of an honest investigation when warnings circulate that
"the Gardai have also set up a group of detectives in Dublin
Castle who don?t seem to be concentrating on ?complaints?, as
they may pretend to be, but damage limitation." As it turns out
members of this Gardaí Internal inquiry start doing the rounds.
Asking for statements from people including those who went to
the Gardaí complaints board, they don?t make it clear that they
are part of the Internal Inquiry and NOT members of the Gardaí
complaints board. They've approached people taken their
statements and left them with the impression that the witness
has just made a complaint, when in fact they've given the Gardaí
a statement that can be used against themselves or others.

May 12th. Old Head Of Kinsale. Cork?s finest picnic on the
disputed headland again. Liberate private property!

May 9th - Large protest in Dublin against police brutality After
two days when the first item on the evening TV news was the
brutal Gardai on the RTS party it was not surprising that
thousands joined a rally against police brutality outside Pearse
St police station, people then marched to the Civic offices,
with a brief sit down protest en route.. The protest passed off
peacefully despite paranoia from some quarters that there was
'bound to be trouble'.

May 6th - Reclaim the Streets attacked by Gardai after a
successful party opn Burgh Quay Gardai attack participants as
they march up Dame St in an attempt to reach Stephans Green and
disperse. By the end of the day 24 people have been arrested and
over a dozen hospitalised by a police riot on Dame street.
Gardai claim, despite all evidence, that the partygoers were
?anything but peaceful? and blame satirical magazine ?The Slate?
for causing the "riot". Indymedia really comes into its own by
bring images of police violence to peoples notice.

May 2nd: Travellers call a protest outside the Dail against the
new trespass law. Tagged onto the end of an otherwise normal
housing bill, it's now a crime to enter and occupy or bring any
object onto property where doing so would damage or "affect any
amenity", or prevent or interfere with the use of the property.
Failure to leave the property after being instructed to do so by
a garda. The new section also relates to the confiscation of
"objects" (read: caravans) that are brought onto property
without permission.This law creates, for the first time, a
wide-ranging crime of trespass. Until now, coming onto private
property without permission could leave you liable to be sued in
civil court. Apart from the serious consequences for Travellers
and other minority groups, it is clear that trade unionists,
environmentalists and students (who could now face criminal
charges as a result of "sit-ins" on their own campuses) have
much to fear from a zealous enforcement of this law.

April 27th. Second Palestinian solidarity march in Dublin Dublin
saw its second major demonstration against the Israeli
occupation of Palestine in a month. The march had been called
around the slogans 'Justice for Palestine' and 'No war on Iraq'
although most placards concentrated on the Palestinian
situation.

Apr 26th . Mox Protest. As ships leave Cumbria to trael to Japan
to collect Mox fuel, on the 16th anniversary of the Chernobyl
disaster, protests take place outside the British and Japanese
embassies.

April 26th. Television Sacrifice. In NCAD, Dublin, 10
televisions were sacrificed using a sledgehammer, an axe, an
aluminum baseball bat and a pick axe.

April 26th - Road Rage Wrecks Critical Mass in Dublin as a
motorist drives into cyclists. One man was taken to hospital and
at least two bikes were destroyed. As one guy who came down from
his apartment said "I couldn't believe what I was seeing that
guy tried to kill ye".

April 6th-14th. Convergence Festival - Exploring Culture for a
Better World. Over 60 events including theatre, conferences,
workshops, panel discussions, exhibits, video screenings and
lectures will all take place throughout the week. Aimed at
developing a diversity of exciting ideas that define a healthy,
just and ecologically sustainable culture.

April 6th - Protests against Israeli occupation in Dublin Some
1,500 to 2,500 people marched though Dublin on Saturday
demanding an end to the Israeli occupation and freedom for
Palestine. ( The two women leave the tree on this date also.)

April 1st. Tree Protest. Two women climb a tree outside the
Israeli Embassy to demand that "Caoimhe Butterly and Mary Kelly
and all the other international observers are safe and that no
further harm will come to them. Furthermore we demand an
explination for the shooting of the aidworkers, international
journalists observers, and innocent Palestinian 
civilians."

March 31 2002 - People Power Wins At Old Head of Kinsale Well
over a hundred activists and protesters braved the elements,
hostile private security, newly erected fencing and barbed wire
at the Old Head of Kinsale on Easter Sunday to score yet another
important victory for free public access to the Old Head of
Kinsale Walk.

March 29th/30th. Second Grassroots Gathering in Cork. Various
anarchos, envriomentalists and troublemakers make their way to
the rebel city to experience the hospitality of the CAZ (Cork
Autonomos Zone). Participation in the Gathering continues to be
very broad and encompasses activists who might previously have
dismissed each other as hippies or boring lefties. There are of
course many areas where we disagree but the strength of the 
Gatherings have been in providing spaces where we network and
begin some discussions of these disagreements as well as what we
have in common.

March 20th. About 30 activists picketed Mountjoy jail where 8
asylum seekers (some with Irsh born children) are on hunger
strike in protest at their imminent deportation.

March 8th. Pro-choice campaigners celebrated throughout Ireland
as a referendum which would have further restricted the
availability of abortion in Ireland was defeated. The combined
force of the government and catholic church campaigned heavily
in favour of the referendum A letter from the Catholic bishops
was read at every Mass in the State over the weekend pushing for
a Yes vote.

Feb 28th. Kissinger in Cork. Reportedly paid 100,000 Euros to
tell thick Irish capitalists how to make money probably the last
thing Kissinger expected was to be subjected to two lively
demos, screaming students and an attempted citizens arest.
Newspaper coverage included unflattering descriptions of the
protesters and lickpittle treatment of the butcher himself.

Feb 16th. X Case Anniversary March. Around 300 people marched
through the centre of Dublin on Saturday to mark the 10th
anniversary of the 'X' case and to support a No vote in the
latest anti-abortion referendum. 10 years earlier in 1992 the
courts placed an injunction of a 14-year-old rape victim in
order to prevent her travelling to England for an abortion. At
the time not only was abortion illegal in Ireland but many
activists had been prosecuted simply for providing the phone
number of British clinics to pregnant women.

Feb 14th. Gluaiseacht and other activists arrive on Valentines
day at Sellafield, and in the early hours of the morning erect a
blockade. The direct action causes massive tailbacks, closes
three schools and even disrupts rail services!!

Feb 3rd. 30th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Held on the nearest
Sunday 30 years after 13 marchers were shot dead by the British
army and another 14 wounded (one fatally). Somewhere between
20,000 and 40,000 people followed the original route of the
march from the Creggan down through the Brandywell to the
Bogside.

January 26th. After a winter break Critical Mass makes a welcome
return to the streets of Dublin. Meeting on the last Friday of
every month cyclists go for a cycle around town at a leisurly
pace. As the year moves on the event draws heavier police
attention.

January 21st. Chinese student Zhao liu Tao and his two friends
are set upon by five racist thugs. Zhoa Liu dies from his
horrific injuries, inflicted with a metal bar, on Thursday
night.

January 18th NIC-ICTU rally and half day strike in Belfast
against sectarianism. Sparked by loyalist murder of Catholic
postal worker Daniel McColgan. Other rallies are taking place in
Enniskillen and Derry. Three weeks later Derry postal workers
suspend delivery until Loyalist threats against a Catholic
worker are lifted.

---------
>From the Irish anarchism discussion list
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