Shannon Direct (in)Action leaves questions for GNAW leadership

national | miscellaneous | news report Sunday March 02, 2003 15:40 by Ann McGrath

Yesterday's demonstrations in Shannon and the vigil in Dublin shows where the real forces in the anti-war movement lies. Yesterday also leaves serious questions for people in the GNAW, especially the WSM leadership

Yesterday shows where the real active forces are in the anti-war movement. The peace vigil in Dublin only attracted 150 people. The Shannon GNAW 'occupation' attracted a similar amount, while the IAWM demonstration in Shannon attracted over 1000 people (if it wasnt for the media it would probably have been higher).

The GNAW leadership has to see that their 'actions' yesterday failed. The WSM lead organisation have proved that Anarchist methods are incapable of seriously challenging Capitalism and its State and winning the support of best activists and workers.

With yesterday's farce over the genuine people that went along to the GNAW protest will increasingly see that the leadership of the GNAW are out-of-touch and only really want to enforce their own ideology.

The GNAW 'occupation' failed becasue the leaders of the protest were more intent on forfilling the tenets of the ideology of anarchy. The GNAW leaders are all from the WSM, they are not elected and not accountable to the activists in the GNAW.

Who was it that called yesterday's 'occupation'? who was it that came up with the ideas of pink and white flags? who was it that negotiated with IAWM before Saturday? who was it that wrote the leaflets and material of the GNAW? Like it or not the people that organised the GNAW event are the leaders of the Network. Unlike the leadership of the IAWM they are not elected and not accountable.

The task now for the anti-war movement is to build a genuinely mass and democratic anti-war movement. As we get nearer to war the failed tactics and methods of the Anarchist GNAW leadership and the weak pro-UN organisations (Labour, SF, Greens, PANA, etc) will be swept aside as ordinary people will want to get serious and get actively involved in an anti-war movement.