Shannon protest

by Shane - personal capacity (otherwise SP) Mon Mar 03, 2003 10:25 Tallaght

The scene of masked anarchists did noting to help our cause. It alienated most of the people who were out on the streets FEB 15. And played into the hands of reight wing media and of course the establishment.

Did anyone read the sunday newspapers or the see the TV news. Nothing was mentioned about the great day that most people had. Nothing was mentioned about the speeches or the fact that 500 people had travelled from all over the country to march on Shannon, likewise very little was actually said about the illigal use of shannon airport by the USAF.

The media had portrayed all of us a "anarchos" and the "looney left" who were hell bent on violence, which neither group were, the oppertunistic stance of Sinn Fein Labour and the greens also played a part in the low attendence. Their actions were a disgrace, (no doubt some SF/Labour apologist will come along and answer some questions not asked about this). We all knew Labour was oppertunistic and was jumping on the bandwagon, but who cares about them, Rabbitte has made it clear that when the US gets its second resolution from the UN Labour will looking at their stance.

SF running from the threat of violence conjured up by the media - I thought I was drunk when I heard this. Enough said.

The Greens most likely afraid they would lose some of their middle class support base also pulled out of the demo and made it known.

All 3 parties publically called on their members and supporters not to attend. Through this in my opinion they used the media against our movement. From their actions it is very clear that they are only involved in the anti war movement for votes and publicity.

SHAME ON SINN FEIN,LABOUR & THE GREENS

by James McKenna Mon Mar 03, 2003 10:46

Considering the media lies and hype we did very well on Saturday. Don't feel it was a failure . It was a massive success. The numbers will swell immensely from now on.

The Garda Comissioner, was watching his operation from upstairs in the airport. Along with Michael McDowell he planned a provocative police presence in the hope it would draw a reaction from the crowd. Their plan failed miserable so the media didn't get the story they wanted to damage any future marches .

By remaining calm and good humoured we showed the Fascist Garda Commissioner, Minister for Defence and the general public how we mean to continue ,in ever growing numbers.

After Dublins monster rally people didn't know where to go next. What to do next . People thought we had to "do something". We do, but we have to do it like a rock in a river not like a goat against a windmill.

It about Peaceful Protest . Get out and stay out as often as as long as you can. Make fun and good humour and make friends. We the people will make our community on the streets, not in the ghettos, housing estates and clubs their social system has boxed us into. Across all parties and social classes we will forge friendships and allegiances that will create a whole new Ireland. A tonic to their fearful promise where we all live in isolation and fear, trustng men in riot gear to protect us from an invisible enemy.

Many thanks to the organisers and to Joe Higgins who was the sole TD to stand by us. I am non-party.

by TWR Editors Mon Mar 03, 2003 11:46 tw_resistance at yahoo dot co dot uk

On March 1st at 14.15pm Transport Workers Resistance (affiliated to GNAW) managed to enter Shannon terminal and leafleted to the workers the first issue of TWR and a leaflet about Shannon and call from us, transport workers to unite against the war and promoting direct action i.e. a strike.
The action was peaceful. No one got arrested.
Afterward, TWR along with friends from the BMC joined the GNAW action.
Now, of course the SWP and all are trying to find arguments against us but:
1) they should be better informed before spreading rumours
2) they should do their job and talk to the workers

TWR action was successful and there are more to come cos if not us who else?

by dataflow Mon Mar 03, 2003 17:43

posted because of proprietary information rules.

The numbers are small but the humour remains good

Some protesters went to Shannon with the aim of sitting on the fence, writes
Deaglán de Bréadún
The whir of the chopper. Is this Saigon 1969 or the start of the movie
Apocalypse Now? No, it's Shannon Airport in the sleepy east Clare
countryside.
The helicopter circling dramatically overhead is part of a massive security
operation that includes gardaí in uniform - or padded Robocop outfits -
lined up on both sides of the perimeter fence to stop protesters breaking
through.
A shallow trench has been dug and other gardaí in colourful gear are
watching from rooftops.
Unlike previous embarrassing break-ins, this attack on the airport has been
well-advertised.
The Grassroots Network Against War, a loose association of anarchists,
environmentalists and peace activists, has been trumpeting its intention for
weeks to engage in a "mass trespass" at Shannon on March 1st as a protest
against war in Iraq.
This time, the guardians of the peace are extremely well-prepared. Crowd
control is never an easy matter but it looks like security overkill,
considering the gaggle of fairly genteel and even frail-looking protesters
who march from Shannon shopping centre up the road to the airport.
Whatever else the Grassroots people have achieved, they have kept the crowd
small at Shannon. Worried about alienating the middle-ground, leaders of
Labour, the Greens, Sinn Féin and various peace organisations are staying
away.
A non-violent protest organised for Shannon at the same time attracts only
about 1,200 people compared to over 100,000 in Dublin on February 15th.
There are about 100 people in the Grassroots group, plus four gardaí
following on horseback.
It's a medieval scene: there are police holding riot-shields and wearing
helmets with visors, anarchist troubadours in patchy clothes playing drums
and trumpets, well-groomed Garda Alsatians and ragged protesters' pooches. A
branch of Canines Against the War?
Andrew Flood of the Dublin Grassroots Network Against War addresses the
crowd through a megaphone.
Buses have been searched for offensive weapons, but he says gardaí ignored a
fellow with a baseball bat until it was drawn to their attention by the
organisers.
"It's very important this protest is non-violent," he says to applause. "The
media have been working hard to whip up a frenzy that it's going to be
violent." The protesters want to tear down the fence without getting into
fights with the police, which sounds like a difficult feat.
A youngster wearing a black mask grabs a microphone and says in a strong
east Clare accent: "I reckon the 'pigs' \ should just f*** off." An admiring
group of boys with skateboards guffaw their approval. Asked later by The
Irish Times if he has just come along for the craic, the masked youth
replies: "Yes."
When the march reaches the fence, there is some pushing and jostling and a
male protester is seized and taken away in a paddy-wagon. By the end of the
day, six other men and three women will be taken in and charged with public
order offences, the cases to be heard in Ennis District Court on Friday.
At this stage the demonstrators are nose-to-nose with the line of gardaí. In
the back though, a woman with a supermarket trolley is giving out free
sandwiches under the banner "Food not Bombs".
A Grassroots organiser sneers at the non-violent marchers who still have not
left the Shannon shopping centre: "Is it okay to protest provided you don't
have any f***ing effect whatsoever? Is that cool?"
Senator Timmy Dooley of Fianna Fáil is observing from a suitable distance
with a member of the party press office. He congratulates gardaí for
preventing the protesters breaking down the fence: "That's very welcome."
At the fence there are black- and-red anarchist banners and white flags of
peace.
The largely good-humoured nature of the protest, apart from the minor
scuffles and arrests, is summed up by a bearded man in a báinín hat and dark
glasses who thumps a bodhrán and sings "I love the gardaí" which goes as
follows: "They are people just like you and me, They wear shiny jackets, And
they smile with glee, How I love the oul' gardaí."

by Angrier Activist Tue Mar 04, 2003 12:50

You spread all kind of rumours to discredit GG Anti War. You have some neck criticising SF & PANA.

by Terry Tue Mar 04, 2003 12:51

Before we all get caught up in arguments about splits which is exactly what the war-mongers want
us to do, we must ask ourselves why were the press, radio and TV all week right up to Saturday
afternoon talking all about violence, the hundreds of police and army, razor wire and so on?

Then on Sunday morning, there was more or less silence. None of the main newspapers had anything
of significance, certainly not on the front pages. Pretty strange eh?

The media hype buildup was obviously to try and radicalize the movement in the public's view and to
intimidate and discourage people from attending as well as causing splits. But the reason for the
silence that followed, is that they do not want the great mass of the public to realize that
there was no violence, that in fact it was peaceful and that in fact the war-mongers in government
will go to any cost and length to stop the peace makers. They know that if people saw, the army
of oppression deployed by the State on Saturday against people protesting for peace and they the
State protecting the Bush's Air Force base that is a cog in the great war-machine, that there would
be outcry and real trouble for the government. The government does not want the masses to know
what they were really at on Saturday. People who were then saw for themselves the real ugly face
of power.

So lets stop talking about division and get the message out to the public of how this country is
rapidly moving to a situation where armed Garda (of which there were many) and riot police are
being lined up against people who have a legimate right to protest and under the outcome of the
Nurnburg trials have a right to engage in civil disobedience to prevent mass murder.

by Andrew Tue Mar 04, 2003 17:44

The Irish Times report has a minor but important inaccuracy where it talks about the baseball bat incident. ie "but he says gardaí ignored a fellow with a baseball bat until it was drawn to their attention by the organisers." From the way it was phrased it sounds like we drew the attention of the cops to the guy with the baseball bat. In fact we talked him into abandoning it and then when they were obviously ignoring it (waiting for someone to pick it up maybe?) we demanded they remove it. That whole episode was quite weird and looked like an attempt to set something up.

by Shane Wed Mar 05, 2003 19:52

I stand by my above comments shame on the parties who pulled out and a lot of people at Shannon agreed with me. Note some of the speeches made when the labour, sinn fein and green stance was spoken and slammed there was a roar of applause and cheer!