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feature
 Wednesday September 22, 2004 21:37 by Dublin Grassroots Network grassrootsdublin at yahoo dot com
 Event branded as 'torture trade fair'
The Dublin Grassroots Network (DGN) has called on the owners of the exclusive Berkeley Court Hotel in Ballsbridge, Dublin to cancel a major international weapons conference due to take place at the hotel on October 19th and 20th. The 'Jane’s Less Lethal Weapons 2004 Conference - Critical Incident Intervention' conference is effectively a trade fair for tools of torture and political repression, according to the DGN, which is vowing to stop the event from going ahead. Mick Dooley of the DGN said: "If the Jury’s Doyle Hotel group doesn’t cancel this conference, we will call on the public to come out and force it to be shut down." "The weapons in question include electro-shock batons, stun guns, plastic bullets, Tasers, CR Gas, pepper spray and the new sonic-bombs that have been deployed to 'disperse' crowds in Iraq. "Put simply, people who sell these tools of political repression and torture and people who want to buy them will be gathering at the Berkeley Court to do business," Dooley said. "Irish people will not tolerate that." "The Berkeley Court conference is the first event of its kind ever to be held in Ireland," Dooley said. "Apparently this country is now being seen as a potential growth market for the arms industry. The nature of the event is extremely provocative, coming at a time when revulsion at the war machine and the arms industry is running high across the world." Northern Ireland's appalling track record in plastic bullet deaths is being celebrated by the inclusion of Colin Burrows, a former RUC superintendent, as conference host and main speaker. The speakers also include senior officers from the West Midlands Police, which framed the Birmingham Six and others, and from the LAPD, responsible for beating Rodney King. The CEO of Taser International Inc, a major supplier of weaponry to the occupation forces in Iraq, will also be speaking. "Are these people being invited here to teach the Irish authorities how to brutalise people?" Dooley asked. "The organisers of this conference and the owners of the hotel need to get a loud and clear message from people in Ireland: we are not going to sit back and allow these people to peddle weapons that will be used against us in the near future."
ABOUT 'LESS LETHAL WEAPONS' The devices that are bought and sold by those due to attend the Berkeley Court conference are used as tools of torture in numerous repressive regimes around the world. They are also used in the west, against striking workers, street protesters and in close quarters against prisoners and political detainees. Here in Ireland, 'less lethal weapons' have already resulted in numerous deaths. Plastic bullets alone were responsible for at least 14 deaths in Northern Ireland in the past 30 years. All of these people would probably still be alive were it not for "less lethal weapons", as it’s unlikely the authorities would have used live rounds against them. In other words, "less lethal weapons" bridge the gap between the conventional methods of hand and baton, which are slow and unreliable, and live ammunition, which is too costly in terms of damage to the legitimacy of the state. EXAMPLES OF 'LESS LETHAL WEAPONS' ELECTRO-SHOCK BATONS: These have been described as "the most universal modern tool of the torturers" by Helen Bamber, director of the British Medical Foundation for the Treatment of the Victims of Torture. Crude electronic devices, in wartime Europe, and electric cattle prods, in Latin America, were used as torture instruments long before the private sector took the idea up, commercialised it and mass produced electro-shock batons. They are extensively used and manufactured in China. British Aerospace sold 8,000 electro-shock batons to Saudi Arabia in the late 1980s as part of the multi-billion pound Al Yamamah arms deals.
CS GAS:
CR GAS:
OC or PEPPER SPRAY:
TASERS:
KINETIC PROJECTILES: Other variations of the baton round include wooden bullets, used in the United States, rubber coated steel bullets used in Israel and the occupied territories, one version of which consists of, in each shot, 15 rubber balls each with a steel core which hit a target area 7 meters across. These are used to hit crowds indiscriminately. A Belgian-manufactured weapon used in Switzerland fires metal and plastic containers of paint, which left one woman with fragments embedded in her face, which cannot be removed for fear of paralysis.
SCIENCE FICTION (weapons still in development):
MORE INFORMATION:
Conference Programme:
DIARY DATES: |
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Comments (30 of 30)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30I'm looking to source photographs of the injuries inflicted by the various weapons catalogued above to be blown up and used as placards/displays at the event.
If anybody has such photos or can point me in the right direction I would much appreciate it.
I can be reached at mob1975@eircom.net
"If anybody has such photos or can point me in the right direction I would much appreciate it."
You could always go to the meeting on Sunday MOB.
I think the san francisco bay area indymedia has a load of photos of the results of such weapons on an anti war march in their pier area, not sure exactly where on the site but its there somewhere
For photos and text as to the use and effects of these weapons of torture check out the website:
2003 FTAA Protests - Showdown in Miami
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/ftaa_miami.html
Fairly gruesome stuff. Via this site one should be able to get extra photos and contacts with Civil Liberties and Human Rights groups in the US who carried out court cases and publicity after the batterings and tortures of the FTAA Nov '03 protests and suppression.
Much appreciated
Mary Harney is a hero of the Irish Arms industry... there's jobs going when there's people dying, and she's done a lot to get her friends a share of the blood money.
Will she be at this facist trade show?
Or is that left to her successor?
http://www.indybay.org/archives/display_by_id.php?feature_id=1229
this link is to the indybay feature on the Oakland march in April of last year which police fired on with wooden bullets and beanbags of metal shot. Loads of links to pics.
A lot of the non-lethal weapons don't leave visible iinjuries but there is a lot in the Amercian media at the moment about Taser deaths - saw it on CBS news the other night, just after Dan Rathers grovelling.
http://www.ftaaimc.org/en/2003/11/1997.shtml
And
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0407-06.htm
A Protestor who refused to give her name was shot
This chap shot once in chest and twice in back
pictures from Oakland protest where police used non-lethal weapons to torture a peaceful crowd
3
4
5
You people who are protesting against this are ignorant of the facts.
Example: The picture of the girl with the lump on her jaw. She was not shot for refusing to give her name, she was actually part of a large group of protesters. A baton round was fired into the crowd, but it hit the floor and ricocheted back up into her face. She was not shot at directly, she was not picked out, it was an accident. The photograph was taken by the police for training purposes.
These conferences are not about the buying and selling of weapons, it's about training. How, where, and when to use less-lethal weapons.
Less-lethal weapons are about saving lives, protecting people from hurting themseleves and others.
Why don't you actually read the conference programme instead of just assuming what it's all about.
This is not a group of mad, evil dictators sitting around rubbing their hands with glee at weapons. It's a group of scientists, police, and military personnel swapping thoughts on how to make this world a safer place for the likes of you and I to live in.
You guys should really do your research, as one day these weapons may be used against you.
QUOTE: She was not shot for refusing to give her name, she was actually part of a large group of protesters
Jim, the caption is awkwardly phrased. It should be parsed thus: " A protestor was shot in the face during a peaceful demonstration. She declined to give her name to the photographer of this picture".
All that aside you seem to think that it's OK to fire baton rounds at short range at peaceful protestors. Well, I'm afraid that just isn't good enough. If the baton round has a chance of ricocheting off the ground and causing an injury like the above then it's not appropriate force. The incident pictured which happened during an anti-war protest at the Oakland docks involved an entirely peaceful and retreating crowd. It is this sort of example and the expressed attitudes of people similar to yours that demonstrate why these weapons can't be allowed. Thanks for illustrating that so clearly.
these weapons are going to be used on us you say, how nice, here is the nub of the problem, why are they going to be used on us, do you think they should be used on all of us and who would you define as a legitimate target of such weapons taking into account the limited powers afforded the gardai under the riot act.
Is it to stop ourselves hurting ourselves and others. Well theres no point hurting us to prevent us hurting ourselves, nor is there much excuse for hurting us to protect police officers who are there to hurt us to stop us hurting ourselves.
If you are protecting a summit then a barrier works pretty well, if people break in then apprehend them, on the other hand using such weapons to disperse crowds on open ground only causes a rush of panic and a stampede, which however temporary leaves the protestor open to more danger of being hurt than if such a weapon was not employed.
If it is in defence of property say so, but property can be replaced, insurance covers most of that, what it does not allow us to fix is serious injury, theres compensation but at what point does life and impairing it become less of a concern than some property that can be repaired.
There is no concerted revolution that is being quashed in which these weapons are saving lives because live ammunition is not used. Not in this country anyway or in america, so why deploy them, they only save lives where live ammunition is not used, if you can find a legitimate excuse for using live ammunition on peaceful protests then you may satisfy your own internal logic but not everyones.
You claim that we should read up before commenting, if that is so then sellers should read up on everyone these weapons will be used on and all information that police have on those they intend to use these weapons on should be open to discussion, or at least under statutory control. If you use them on legitimate peaceful protests in a democracy i see no difference by your logic of say gardai on traffic duty shooting us with wooden bullets to stop us jay walking, endangering ourselves and other motorists, why discriminate against people just because you dont support their political opinion.
testing testing get the little fucker....................................bounce...............scream................."BRUTALITY"...............investigation....laughter in pearse st.......
with normal bullets, but the bovine public will accept a few baton rounds, the same way as they accept the official explanations behind beating people on the head with clubs...
"What are ya moaning about... he lived didn't he? Ye'd swear they blew his head off..."
At Last! Gardai get what they need to deal with violent anarchist thugs!!!
- HERALD headline sometime after the purchase of this equipment is finalised.
It's not about training, it's about selling.
Hotels are not for training... they're for business deals...
US Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge Reports Investments in Homeland Security Contractors
http://www.cq.com/corp/show.do?page=crawford/20040923_homeland
''Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge had investments last year in a number of companies with contracts with his department and others who want to profit from homeland security, a new list of his assets shows.
Ridge, a former Pennsylvania Republican congressman and governor appointed by President Bush in 2001 to run the nation¹s homeland security effort, held assets valued from $100,000 to $815,000 last year, according to information he supplied in a filing with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. The Department of Homeland Security¹s general counsel eventually must approve the filing.''
Filmmaker sues Miami, 10 officers over injuries during free trade conference
By Noaki Schwartz
Miami Bureau | Sun-Sentinel
A filmmaker who was making a documentary during the Free Trade Area of the Americas conference in November is suing the city and 10 Miami police officers after they allegedly shot him in the head with a bag of pellets.
The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday announced at a news conference that this was the first of many lawsuits it plans to file claiming civil rights violations during the conference. Filmmaker Carl Kesser filed his lawsuit in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, seeking compensation for medical bills and lost wages.
...
The lawsuit alleges that Kesser was on a sidewalk in downtown Miami filming when police in riot gear attempted to move a group of protesters. The suit claims officers fired "beanbags" into the crowd and Kesser was struck.
Kesser underwent a three-hour surgery to remove a sack the size of a golf ball lodged in his right temple, the lawsuit says. Part of Kesser's face is permanently paralyzed after a nerve was severed, and he still has trouble opening his mouth completely, he said at the news conference.
The department used the bags because they are supposed to be less lethal. However, the lawsuit says the police knew the sacks could cause serious injuries and death. Kesser tried to contact the city about his injury but received no response, the lawsuit says.
"I was not an angry protester," Kesser said, adding that he was trying to make a positive film to help lure the FTAA headquarters to Miami.
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/09/24/9390879
There's no excuse for this conference. We've got to stop it. These weapons dehumanise the cops long before they ever use them. Their job is dehumanising enough as it is.
DGN: What did you decide? When/where will the demo tomorrow be?
see here http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=66806 for protest tmw
-- did anyone else come across the story that i saw the irish time breaking news on my moblie on thurs about how part of the discussion at leeds castle was a demand from republicans that no further pllastic bullets would be bought or used by the psni?
looking for more details now... so if plastic bullets arn't going to be used up north why would ya used bean bags down here?
still looking came across this
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3441557.stm Attenuating Energy Projectile - Discriminating Irritant Projectile
ah one story mentions on another controversial issue - plastic bullets - there is now a government text in the negotiations saying they "should" be withdrawn by July next year. But does "should" mean "will" and what is the alternative?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3677716.stm
sf thoughts on it http://sinnfein.ie/news/detail/6536
press release from relatives for justice http://www.relativesforjustice.com/pressrelease/230804_dominicmarron.htm
The three groups announced plans for a ‘Money to Burn’ protest at the entrance to the Policing Board HQ on Thursday, 16.09.04, at 12 noon. http://www.serve.com/pfc/policing/plastic/moneyburn.html
There's no excuse for this conference. We've got to stop it. These weapons dehumanise the cops long before they ever use them. Their job is dehumanising enough as it is. - Thanks for your concern but I think I will make that decision, I am the one doing the job afterall.
with normal bullets, but the bovine public will accept a few baton rounds, the same way as they accept the official explanations behind beating people on the head with clubs... - By this I presume you are suggesting that everytime a Garda uses his baton he intentionally hits the head. Newsflash, sometimes accidents do happen. Sometimes a person is using their fists, legs, bottles, clubs, etc against the Garda.
If it is in defence of property say so, but property can be replaced, insurance covers most of that, what it does not allow us to fix is serious injury, theres compensation but at what point does life and impairing it become less of a concern than some property that can be repaired. - On that basis Ren do you believe that a thief should be left to steal your worldly belongings? Thanks but no thanks, if you break in to my house I will defend myself, my family and my property.
If the baton round has a chance of ricocheting off the ground and causing an injury like the above then it's not appropriate force. - If there wsas no risk of injury then its not force at all is it? Yes causing an injury to another person can be justified. Self defence being one.
Can I explain one thing to people. You have the right to gather and protest, that is your constitutional right. Why do you not allow these people the same right to peaceful gathering? They will be sitting in a room talking and looking at pictures and videos. Who are you protecting? Its time to wake up and smell te coffee people, Ireland is now a dangerous place and its the Gardai that have to deal with the majority of that violence, allow us the tools to do our jobs. For gods sake, you live in one of the few countries with an un-armed police force. You live in a country with the only police force that rely solely on batons/night-sticks. Go to America, Australia, Africa, Brazil, Columbia, Italy, Germany, China, Russia, Croatia, need I go on?
And besides, theres no way the Government will even allow us stab proof vests never mind anything thats gonna be on show.
Al. Perhaps you could use quotes (" ") when you quote another commentator. Then we could tell at a glance which part of your comment is yours and which part is someone elses which you are responding to. Otherwise you cause further confusion.
I personally wouldnt want our Keystone Cops[aka Gardai] armed with anything more leathl than a feather duster.
Considering that they proved ther [in]competance with firearms at Abbylara on a fellow who was holed up with a shotgun and a bit depressed.Nothing like a bit fo full auto to solve those those pesky gun nutters.
I mean they could have used a Taser or some CS or some bean bag rounds or sent in a dog or take the place at 0 dark hundred.
Wait..no...they couldnt have used any of that stuff because the peacenik nutters wouldnt allow them to use or study the equipment that is less leathl....Oh well back to shooting them with live ammo then.
BTW are you all going to call for a ban on CS gas in the IRISH army as well?Our army boys have it.
Grassroots activists from Dublin, Galway, Belfast and Armagh carried out colourful actions at the Westbury Court and Jury’s Parnell Square hotels in Dublin today (Saturday 2nd October)
Grassroots activists from Dublin, Galway, Belfast and Armagh carried out colourful actions at the Westbury Court and Jury’s Parnell Square hotels in Dublin today (Saturday 2nd October) Leaflets were distributed to workers and guests inside the hotels and a loud hailer was used leaving no doubt as to our opinions on Jury’s “putting up” the so-called Less Lethal Weapons Conference in the Berkley Court on October 19th/20th. When asked by members of the Gardi as to “who was in charge” activists replied “no one and everyone”
This is the first in an accelerating series of actions, which will target Jury’s Doyles’ hotels through out Ireland, England and worldwide. These actions will culminate at the Berkeley Court Hotel on the 19th of October with the exposing and closing of the “Less” lethal torture fair.
Rosie O Dwyer
For more info on “less” lethal weapons and their lethal effects see
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=66325
Photos to follow
The Air Force expects planes will be able to fire non-lethal microwave rays at enemy ground troops with the help of a new superconducting generator system developed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base after about 25 years of research.
.....
Microwaves — high-powered electromagnetic beams that can rapidly heat water molecules — and other directed-energy weapons could bring advantages to the battlefield in places like Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites), where U.S. troops have had to deal with hostile but unarmed crowds as well as dangerous insurgents.
Aside from paralyzing potential attackers or noncombatants like a long-range stun gun, the weapons could disable the electronics of missiles and roadside bombs or even disable a vehicle in a high-speed chase, developers say. The weapons emit a pulse of energy and can destroy semiconductors with a surge of volts.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041005/ap_on_sc/microwave_weapons_1
This is the 3rd time this business conference thread has been resurrected. Just so you know, jane's aren't the slightest bit flustered, I was only on to them yesterday, they aren't aware of any protests so must do better next time chaps.
I'm looking forward to seeing what this conference is about before giving it the red card, so please keep the noise down around the hotel. By the way, it's on a tuesday and a wednesday do you reckon you'll be able to geta enough guys skiving off work or college to make your protests worthwhile. Because, believe me, it hasn't even been registered as a potential problem yet.
actually janes are aware of the protests. they had a rep on newstalk this morning debating with a dgn member.
Fair enough. The people I was talking to yesterday didn't though and said that nobody had heard of them. Thanks.
how many people showed up for this? curious
Is there a contact number for DGN's Mick Dooley or Rosie O'Dwyer?
ahimsa is the basis of the jain religion. it means non-violence and has been around for @ 3000 years or longer
this is the principle that gandhi took into his non violent direct action which led to indias independance from the british empire and the development of the largest democratic state on the planet
he said
"there is no other god than truth, and the only way of realising that is through ahimsa"
Jainism is an ancient and respected religion, that originated in India. it is little known in Europe and America.
Heres link to answers to some questions which may be asked by the Westerner on first coming into contact with the Jains.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/qanda/main.htm
more on ahimsa
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ahimsa/main.htm
for the most part these weapons have been and will be used again to "combat" civil disobediance, non violent direct action, ahimsa. so perhaps it would be fitting to tell a little story about this and ask all non-violent advocates to support this non violent action
the principle of non violence is also at the core of buddhism, which grew from jain and hindu religions also in india
other times some of us have used this method have been
orange wig, tux wearing, "non violent action for better world" placard wearing, frontline luasca dancing gobsheen @ mayday 04 duboin demo
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=64799&search_text=facts%20vs%20facts
black blanket- art as political act, grassroots style with grannies and babies
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=65270#comment80308
artistic ahimsa
art and politics- OPEN exhibition @ project- temple bar
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=65045&search_text=art%20and%20politics
ahimsa
gandhi
Would the DGN oppose using these weapons on the capitalist class?