Anti war reports from Dun Laoghaire

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday January 24, 2003 16:38 by Dave Lordan- swp and Irish Anti War Movement - Irish Anti War movement dlordan at hotmail dot com

two successful public meetings in Dun Laoghaire

Over fifty poeope attended two anti-war meetings in the Dun Laoghaire arear yesterday

Yesterday (thurs 23rd) two successful public meetings were hosted by the IAWM in Dun Laoghaire.

The first was a lunchtime meeting in Sallynoggin PLC attended by fifteen staff and students and addressed by Richard Boyd Barrett of the IAWM. The meeting agreed to mobilise for a contingent from the school to attend the protest on February the 15th and to make their own banner.

The second was held at 8 o Clock in the Kingston hotel and was attended by about forty people. There were four speakers.
Roger Cole of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, joint organisers of the February fifteenth demonstration with IAWM and the NGO peace alliance, spoke about the long history of american imperialism and how if George Washington was alive today he would be considered a terrorist for rising in arms against the British empire.
Mary Van Lieshout of US citizens in Ireland for Alternatives to War spoke of the rising anti-war movement in the United States and of her relief that the media block on the movement has finally been broken in the last two weeks.
Mick Nolan of Sinn Fein outlined the effect of war on sanctions on the ordinary people of Iraq and looked at Britains role in the middle east, particularly in the overthrow of teh democratic government of Iran in 1958.
Ciaran Allen of trhe Socialist Workers Party talked about the US's weapons of mass destruction and teh threat to the world posed by the US war machine. he emphasised the role of people power in fighting the war.
All of the speakers emphasised the importance of mobilising for the International day of Protest on February 15th as the most effective way way of making visible the huge public opposition to war.
There was a discussion and question and answer session after the main speakers at which it was suggested that people who are unable to march due to ill health, work committments or other reasons, should be supplied with badges or other symbols to show their solidarity with the demonstartors. Tyheir was also debate about the role if the UN with one speaker arguing that since the UN security council is controlled by imperialist powers we cannot rely on it to fight imperialism. We have to look beyond the UN to building international solidarity at the grassroots level. The speaker gave the example of the European Social Forum in Florence where sixty thousand grassroots activists from 105 countries had gathered together to discuss alternatives to war and injustice.

After the meeting twenty five people joined the Irish Anti War movement and many peoplke took leaflest and posters for feb 15th to distribute among their friends,classmates, workmates, etc.

For anybody in the area who wants to help out their will be an anti war stall this saturday at hye Ulster Bank in the Shopping centre in Dun Laoghaire town centre.For leaflets more info you can e-mail me at dlordan@hotmail.com