Protest against Ryanair & Haider
national |
miscellaneous |
news report 
Thursday June 27, 2002 16:51
by clinton
The Anti-Nazi league {ANL) is to hold a protest outside Ryanair's offices in Dublin today over the airline's continuing links with a leading Austrian right-wing politician.
The Anti-Nazi league {ANL) is to hold a protest outside Ryanair's offices in Dublin today over the airline's continuing links with a leading Austrian right-wing politician.
Mr Jorg Haider, former leader of the Freedom Party, is hosting a press conference in London today to promote Ryanair’s service from London to Klagenfurt in Austria.
A major demonstration is taking place in London but a sympathy protest has also been organized in Dublin.
SIPTU president Mr Des Geraghty and Senator David Norris are expected to speak at the protest on the Conyngham Road.
Senator Norris accused Ryanair of being "very cavalier" in its association with political extremists such as Mr Haider. He added that Ryanair cannot disassociate itself from politics just so that it can have the cheapest air flights.
The ANL is calling on Ryanair to sever its links with the politician. According to the ANL, Mr Haider is "an unrepentant Nazi". He once described Hitler’s concentration camps as "punishment camps" and praised the Nazi leader's policies as "orderly". He also publicly expressed admiration for Waffen SS veterans.
The Freedom Party has run openly racist campaigns against immigrants and asylum-seekers and espouses draconian law and order policies.
Ryanair were unwilling to comment on the protest today.
Mr Haider stepped down as leader of the Freedom Party in February, 2000, following EU pressure over the party's Government partnership with the conservative People's Party.
Mr Haider denied that the diplomatic freeze by Austria's EU partners prompted his move and said he was not leaving politics. But international pressure on the government exposed Mr Haider as a political pariah who was damaging Austria's reputation abroad.
Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6Come on SWP please stop having him at demonstrations..Hes a highly paid bureaucrat. He is in my opinion as useless to workers as a fork is for drinking soup.
Ah now X, be a little understanding, he is there to give Nora a little moral support!!!!
It's a bit too much to have Des Geraghty giving out about Ryanair's treatment of workers. Geraghty is an enemy of workers. He is overpaid, undemocratic and a loyal advocate of 'Social Partnership'
If the SWP invited him it shows how removed they are from the more advanced layers of the working class and the fight to reclaim the unions
Hmmm... Strikes me that a fork would be more useful for eating soup than you lot are for building a left-wing alliance in this country. Anyone who wants to lend me a bit of moral support is welcome to do so, I could despair from reading this newswire. Does anyone have anything constructive to say? No? Ok I'll say it, well done everyone who showed up and made their voices heard!!
ps. I'm not a member of the Socialist Workers Party, perhaps I'll have that engraved on my tombstone.
...the unholy alliance: SWP + Nora and Des.
Nora, in your posting you mentioned a "left-wing alliance". Do you seriously think that Des Geraghty is left wing? he is a right wing trade union fat cat that should be booted out at the earliest opportunity!
Furthermore, do you really think that the SWP will play a serious role in any future mass workers' party?
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