Report of F15 March in Dublin

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday February 13, 2003 22:13 by Karen Blissett + Luther Eliot - Reporters live at the scene

(with thanks to Mystic Meg and her crystal ball)

The first (advance) report of this Saturday's march in Dublin

Organisers claim approximately 10,000 people showed up for today's anti-war march in Dublin, one of the largest street demonstrations in the capital since the X Case march in 1990. Gardai estimated the number at 5,000, the Irish Independent put the crowd at "no more than a handful", and other corporate scum news sources divided 10,000 by a number chosen at random on a dartboard in the office canteen and printed that as the turnout.

Despite a large contingent of hell-bent trouble making anarchists, the march passed off without any interesting incident. Many ordinary people who had never really attended a protest before were bombarded with leaflets and harassed by socialist newspaper sellers for hours on end. Various bandwagon jumping politicians, sniffing the promise of extra votes at the next election, made dull uninspiring speeches to a crowd that drfited off in dribs and drabs during the course of the long afternoon.

An easily over-excited Nigel Ding-Dong Rufus O'Worthington Kelly, chairman of at least five non-hierarchically organised cover groups for a Trotskyist party opposed to any meaningful direct action, claimed the march was the start of a new socialist workers state in Ireland. The march was ignored by most Government officials who obviously weren't around on a Saturday, leading to a general disappointed feeling of anti-climax considering how large the pre-march build-up had been.

Meanwhile down in Shannon airport, more American military planes landed and refuelled without any interference. Visiting American Marines were allowed to quietly relax in the comfort of the Shannon Airport lounge, while the Gardai accompanying them engaged in some friendly banter. Despite many megaphones loudly ranting and raving in the capital, there was "peace" and quiet in the western airport.

-- Yet again another march with megaphones, placards, papers, and walking around in circles. What will this achieve? How many hours of preaching to the converted are we going to have to endure? How many people will go home bored, thinking that this type of unimaginative protest is indicative of whats blossoming in this country at the moment? Must all protests be safe and sanitary, legal and marshalled, endorsed and bordered, when PEOPLE are dying RIGHT NOW and we have it in our power to at least prevent some of those deaths with mass direct action?

Reclaim the runway. Lets plant flowers in the barrels of their guns. Lets smash the nose of every airplane that lands unconstitutionally in our country. Lets tear down the fences of authority. Lets refuse to pay the fines - Eoin Dubsky is the champion of the people - the British Government locked up dissidents of the state pre-1921, lets see the Irish Government lock up one of their own (even FF are selling out Dev's 1937 constitution!!). How about a citizens weapons inspection of Shannon Airport? If Donald Rumsfeld is refusing to rule out using a nuclear bomb on Iraq, there could be one of them sitting on the runway right now.

Yours in truth and revolution, live at the scene in the future on the streets of Dublin. Back to you in the studio, Aidan.