Press Release: Irish Mothers Against War

by greg Thu Apr 03, 2003 10:09

If ye are not anti-american why are going to try to intimidate innocent american tourists ?

by irish Thu Apr 03, 2003 10:22

As u say in ur article these people will be ordinary Americans!! Why do u want to give them a negative imprsession of the Irish people as soon as they land in our country?Do u not relaise how much income these people bring to our econmy each year!!

by Matthew Thu Apr 03, 2003 10:35

Since when has protest been intimidation? Oh yeah, since protest and dissent became an un-American activity, even in the USA.

Chances are most of these Americans can't distinguish between IReland, IRaq and IRan. 87% of US 18-24 year-olds couldn't point to Iraq on a world map in Nov 2002. Source:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geosurvey/

As for the amount that US tourists contribute to the economy, why don't you enlighten us with figures and unbiased sources.

And while your at it what's the dollar/human exchange rate at the moment?

by Gaillimhed Thu Apr 03, 2003 11:27

talkin to an american girl the other day, asked how her year had been in ireland considering all the stuff that was going on...poor girl nearly started crying. she said she doesnt go out for a pint anymore because everytime someone corners her and tries to crucify her for the crimes of her government.
What if you were to travel abroad and be greeted by protests and abuse because the IRA had blown up a bus load of school kids?

by Matthew Thu Apr 03, 2003 11:32

Interesting that you compare the US government to the IRA.

I think you'll find that the IRA are an unelected terrorist group for which the people of Ireland bear no responsibility. The people of the USA do bear responsability for electing a government that has launched an unprovoked attack on another sovereign state.

by Dominic Carroll - Clonakilty Against the War Thu Apr 03, 2003 11:56 clonakiltyagainstthewar at eircom dot net

The Irish Mothers Against War Reception Committee proposed for Dublin Airport is a mistake. I’m sorry to be so blunt and I offer my opinion in a spirit of solidarity with anyone taking time to oppose this war. But it will be akin to pro-war activists lying in wait for aircraft from Iraq so as to berate passengers about their support for Sadam. The Reception Committee will be perceived as anti-American and, unusually in this era of massively confused perceptions, those doing the perceiving will be correct – this tactic is anti-American.

Arundhati Roy, in a magnificent article in yesterday’s Guardian, cautions against anti-Americanism (http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4638796,00.html):

“There is a tidal wave of hatred for the US rising from the ancient heart of the world. In Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe, Australia. I encounter it every day. Sometimes it comes from the most unlikely sources. Bankers, businessmen, yuppie students, and they bring to it all the crassness of their conservative, illiberal politics. That absurd inability to separate governments from people: America is a nation of morons, a nation of murderers, they say, (with the same carelessness with which they say, 'All Muslims are terrorists'). Even in the grotesque universe of racist insult, the British make their entry as add-ons. Arse-lickers, they're called.

Suddenly, I, who have been vilified for being 'anti-American' and 'anti-west', find myself in the extraordinary position of defending the people of America. And Britain.

Those who descend so easily into the pit of racist abuse would do well to remember the hundreds of thousands of American and British citizens who protested against their country's stockpile of nuclear weapons. And the thousands of American war resisters who forced their government to withdraw from Vietnam. They should know that the most scholarly, scathing, hilarious critiques of the US government and the 'American way of life' comes from American citizens. And that the funniest, most bitter condemnation of their prime minister comes from the British media. Finally they should remember that right now, hundreds of thousands of British and American citizens are on the streets protesting the war. The Coalition of the Bullied and Bought consists of governments, not people. More than one third of America's citizens have survived the relentless propaganda they've been subjected to, and many thousands are actively fighting their own government. In the ultra-patriotic climate that prevails in the US, that's as brave as any Iraqi fighting for his or her homeland.

While the 'Allies' wait in the desert for an uprising of Shia Muslims on the streets of Basra, the real uprising is taking place in hundreds of cities across the world. It has been the most spectacular display of public morality ever seen.

Most courageous of all, are the hundreds of thousands of American people on the streets of America's great cities - Washington, New York, Chicago, San Francisco. The fact is that the only institution in the world today that is more powerful than the American government, is American civil society. American citizens have a huge responsibility riding on their shoulders. How can we not salute and support those who not only acknowledge but act upon that responsibility? They are our allies, our friends.”

by concerned citizen Thu Apr 03, 2003 12:18

the people of the USA do not bear responsability for electing a government that has launched an unprovoked attack on another sovereign state.
those who voted actually voted for the other guy. The elections were rigged--remember florida. and most people of the usa didn't vote at all! comparison with the ira is ofefnsive for the ira. the ira never engaged in a war of imperialist aggression.

by Matthew Thu Apr 03, 2003 12:30

1. Ignore the Florida rubbish.

2. The official final result of the 2000 US presidential election was:
Gore: 48.38% of votes
Bush: 47.87% of votes

Source: http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2000/elecpop.htm

Under the US election system, however, Bush won legally because he got more "electoral college" votes. The guy with fewer votes won.

The people of the USA are responsible for the politicians who created that crazy electoral system, and for the politicians they elect.

by Kenneth Owende Thu Apr 03, 2003 12:32

Why protest at US citizens coming into here. They are welcome here. Ordinary Americans do not have any guilt for the war, it's american capitalists not ordinary workers that stared this war.

by P Thu Apr 03, 2003 14:22

This should have been posted on April the First, shouldn't it?
Or is it a CIA trick?

by Khalid Farouk Thu Apr 03, 2003 14:23

I have to say that such a protest would be a disgrace. This war is a war that is being run in the interests of American capitalists NOT ordinary American tourists. WHat will be next? Why not protest against Irish people as the Irish government is helping in the war effort. YOu are simply being anti american and if this group goes ahead with this dispicable protest they should be shunned by other in the anti war movement.

by curious Thu Apr 03, 2003 14:32

first time I hear about them...

by Yeba Thu Apr 03, 2003 14:39

They are probably a stste infultrated group set up to try to portray the anti war movement as being anti american.

They should be Blacked if they go ahead with this!

by imcer Thu Apr 03, 2003 14:44

we'll go and interview them with 30 or fourty videocameras and see how well their anti war credentials stand up ;-)

by Yossarian Thu Apr 03, 2003 15:15

I'll bet that they are all Ban-Gardai attempting to infiltrate the anti-movement.

by Phuq Hedd Thu Apr 03, 2003 22:44

I don't know who IMAW is or whether they're an amusing troll, but the "debate" below this story makes a large assumption: that US citizens are going to be unhappy at seeing anti-war protestors.

Knowing a large number of virulently anti-war US citizens myself I can tell you that they would feel delighted at seeing international solidarity supporting them in their struggle against a war that a majority of them don't want, waged by a pResident they didn't elect.

Of course if IMAW are going to scream at visiting tourists and denounce them for being "American" that's a different thing.

W.r.t. "Gaillimhed"'s story about the poor US woman who gets attacked when she goes out for pints: does she in fact support the war and say so? or does she say "fuck yeah, why aren't you hypocritical Irish fuckers out stopping Shannon being used? In _my_ country we've had millions of people out on the streets, non-violent direct action, civil disobedience and over 2400 arrests over 3 days in San Francisco alone. What are you lazy, whinging whited-sepulchres doing?".

Of course if she's actuall a pro-war lumpenproletarian then she'll get a hard time and reasonably so.

by Eoin Dubsky Fri Apr 04, 2003 21:59

America can only get away with murder because the people of America are sleep-walking. Any wake-up call, which does not dehumanise but instead calls on them to be more human, is very welcome.