Images of Irish Anarchist Resistance 2005

by grassrootsdissent - Grassroots Dissent Wed Dec 21, 2005 18:15

Here you go

Anti-G8 Reclaim The Streets - Mayday

Dissent Banner at RTS

Real revolutionaries Wear Masks (sometimes..)

Precarity Picnic in Dundrum

Black Bloc to Colombian Embassy following death of 15yr old anarchist

by grassrootsdissenter - Grassroots Dissent Wed Dec 21, 2005 18:24

Campfire at Irish G8 Barrio in Stirling

Rossport Solidarity Protest During G8

MPH Break Away Misadventure

Grassroots Gathering in Rossport

Rossport Solidarity Camp

by grassrootsdissenter - Grassroots Dissent Wed Dec 21, 2005 18:31

Seomra Spraoi our new social centre

Take Back The City

Trolley Based Sound Systems - TBTC!

Free the Rossport 5!

Squatters and Homeless Occupy and Resist!

by grassrootsdissenter - Grassroots Dissent Wed Dec 21, 2005 18:37

No More Deaths On Our Streets - Barricades.

Anarchist Youths on Irish Ferries Demo

WSM on Irish Ferries Demo

No Deportations Blockade

No Deportations Scuffle

by Spartacus Wed Dec 21, 2005 19:59

Defacing the Connnolly statue was stupid. The WSM realised this and cleaned up the mess that was caused the infantile ultralefts who have to spray paint anything that doesnt move. Hardly appropriate to include it in this unless you think the WSM were wrong to clean the paint off the Connolly statue.

by Mark P - Socialist Party (personal capacity) Wed Dec 21, 2005 20:13

The original poster doesn't seem to be suggesting that every picture is of a good thing. There are pictures of deportations in there, and the break away from the Make Poverty History march is appropriately described as a "misadventure". There's everything in there from a bit of fooling around in a shopping centre, passing through music in a shopping trolley, right over to major strikes and mass protests. You are jumping to conclusions by assuming that the poster agrees with everything in every photograph.

The one thing I'd be a bit amused by is the description of the article as "images of Irish anarchist resistance in 2005" . Pretty obviously many of the events and groups pictured involve other people as well as anarchists, some had a very peripheral anarchist involvement and some of them didn't involve anarchists at all. It's more "Images of resistance from an anarchist point of view" than "pictures of anarchist resistance".

by Shell to Sea Wed Dec 21, 2005 21:07

September 2005, part of the Shell to Sea Campaign

new policing approach

old policing approach

by Starstruck - Grassroots Dissent Wed Dec 21, 2005 21:24

Good activity in 2005,hopefully more to come in 2006 with Seomra Spraoi and Ireland from below some of many new life-breaths into the fray.
The symbolic blockade of the Shell depot would be one we could pull off with a few more direct-actionists,as you can see our numbers were low that day and it only took 3 of Store Streets finest to shift us-D'oh!

by eeeekkkk Wed Dec 21, 2005 22:06

art even

wos it an antichrist wot did it your honor?

by grassroots dissenter Thu Dec 22, 2005 02:52

On the connolly statue, as I was involved in cleaning on the graffiti the next week with the wsm I stand by including that image.

As for calling them anarchist images, I stand by that as I only chose images which contain anarchists/libertarians, excluding the gama workers. (although i can't assume that some of them aren't anarchists?)

by i Thu Dec 22, 2005 11:03

It was a wonderful image. Seems like ye had a good year. Happy 2006!

by Spartacus Thu Dec 22, 2005 11:31

It was a stupid image. A statue of a great Working Class leader was vandalised by drunken middle class posers who might best be described as Life Style Anarchists. The real Anarchists in the WSM and Grassroots cleaned up the mess.

by Joe - WSM - 1st of May Thu Dec 22, 2005 11:59

H'mm I thought we'd done the Connolly statue controversy to death.

I organised the clean up and those who took part included some of the RTS organisers of the event as well as other WSMers. None of the republicans, trots or labour party types who spent a long time complaining turned up. The obvious excuse is 'we didn't make the mess' but then neither did the people who cleaned it up and they we not claiming to venerate a statue.

As I understand it the mask was put on right at the start of the RTS (and I think sent a quite useful message - as did the outraged reaction to it!). The spraypainting was done later on by some teens not connected with the organisation of the event. There is a tradition of RTS including a post event clean up which normally only means collecting beer cans and bottles but this time around ended up with a fair bit of scrubbing.

So Spartacus I think the whole episode showed the non-WSM parts of the anarchist movement to be just as capable at taking a responsible position as we are. I'd have to wonder quite what you are hoping to get out of your posts to indymedia - almost all of which seem calculated to try and sow divisions between anarchists.

Cover of Red and Black Revolution 9

by Joe Thu Dec 22, 2005 12:09

http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69521

Anarchist MayDay picnic monitored by 8 cops, 2 mounted cops and 4 secret police!

Protest in solidarity with sacked Polish Tesco workers at Tescos Baggot st

by Michel Thu Dec 22, 2005 12:22

And my favourite event of them all was the anarchist picnic in the park at May day.

by Spartacus Thu Dec 22, 2005 12:35

I was at the RTS event and I saw who did what. The spraypainting took place at the same time as the mask was put on. Maybe some teens did more later but prominent members of Grassroots-Dissent also spray painted. I am talking about the types who have a fetish about wearing masks and bandanas on protests. I will not name names as I am not going to do the cops work for them. Some of these GD types were obviously drunk or on something.

I did not start this up again. The defaced Connolly statue appeared here and I reacted to this.

by w Thu Dec 22, 2005 12:55

I put the mask on right at the start. The graffiti didn't happen til much later, we even put up a huge blank banner for people to spraypaint on.
I never spraypainted the statue and never saw any members of GD spraypaint the statue and I most certainly was not drunk or on anything.
That accusation is rediculous, stop trying to create false divisions.

by edge city cynic Thu Dec 22, 2005 13:07

These pictures paint a rosier picture than reality I think. and stuff like the Irish Ferries or Rossport solidarity marches can hardly be lumped in under 'Anarchist Resistance'. Its easy to see things positively through a tinted camera lens with a hint of nostalgia. The two RTS actions (yet again) could hardly be termed as any sort of resistance, even the slighest hint of it being political vanished - the Mayday party happened five minutes walk away from Top Oil, who refuel US warplanes, but who happily operated all day while 300 or so "anarchists" danced, drank cans, and spraypainted the area (it doesnt really matter if they sprayed a bit on the Connolly statue - the fact that they didnt do it on the IFSC or Top Oil shows how disconnected RTS and its attendees are from any political consciousness); whereas the TBTC action repeated the model again despite advertising it as something better - when the attempt to break into the City Arts Centre failed, it was back to the cans and music for a few hours, with Statoil ten minutes walk down the quays open for business (shamefully this was during the Rossport 5 incarceration too).

The G8 excursion was in the end almost pointless (has vanished completely from popular consciousness), sparked no imagination here or in Scotland, and was nothing more than an activist holiday. The 200 people or so that travelled over have not been similarly involved in campaigns here. Shannon and Irish complicity in the War on Terror has been completely abandoned as an issue/campaign by the direct action crowd, despite the fact that there are more troops and flights stopping over than ever, and the CIA are running the torture express through there. And the spectacular opening of SS merely equates to renting an office space.

The homeless stuff though has been a real positive development. Street Seen's actions like the sleepouts and petition/Dail invasion, along with associated stuff like the occupation of the derelict school on Parnell Square have been genuinely inspirational. It is an authentic campaign and has garnered attention from media quarters, probably because there's actual homeless people involved in the struggle, rather than professional activists from secure backgrounds living comfortable existences harping on about exploitation and the like. Long may it continue and prosper.

And I'm not writing this to 'sow divisions between anarchists' or any such paranoid conclusions (spare me), I'm just writing what I think, "my 2c" if you want. If you're going to claim to be at the vanguard (dirty word for you's I know :-) of revolutionary activity or 'resistance' then you should be willing to face up to a bit of criticism.

Maybe you could glue all your images into a calendar of resistance like the Provos still do, could be a bit of a money spinner... joke...

by guydebord Thu Dec 22, 2005 13:25

So you don't think trying to stop deportations is a good thing?
Or organising with exploited polish workers?
What about the anarchist involvement in s2s, are you denying that too?

Why can't a street party be just a street party, we can blockade petrol stations other days (and in fairness, we do). On shannon, there was a meeting just two weeks ago to organise for a libertarian return to shannon.

Anarchists did things, get over it.

by pat c Thu Dec 22, 2005 14:19

i have been wondering for a while what agenda spartacus is pursuing. particularly in his attacks on organise. whatever it is i dont share it. but i was also present when the mask went on and i saw grassrootsdissent members spraying shapes and slogans on the backing wall of the connolly statue, this forms part of the monument. i dont think these activists meant any disrespect to connolly and their aim was to reclaim him for the revolutionary tradition. i think it was a bad pr move though. it caused annoyance on the left and among trade union activists.

it would have been better if they had went across the road and painted slogans on liberty hall to get at the siptu burocrats.

by Ois Thu Dec 22, 2005 14:36

"The G8 excursion was in the end almost pointless (has vanished completely from popular consciousness), sparked no imagination here or in Scotland, and was nothing more than an activist holiday. The 200 people or so that travelled over have not been similarly involved in campaigns here."

That's an out and out lie. Get over your self.

by Fin - (WSM pers cap.) Thu Dec 22, 2005 14:58

The point of the photo essay is not to say that we are great, its more to say we have done stuff, we did some of it wrong some of okay and some of it good,a review of sorts.
We attempt different things and you are right we havent been to Shannon have you? , its not just us, we have been elsewhere, the libertarian movement has also been sustaining a solidarity camp in Rossport

It was good year, I think we can learn alot from our own actions from the mistakes but aswell the successes we have had.

by JP Thu Dec 22, 2005 18:35

pointless activity by a bunch of pointless time-wasters....parading about waving flags, having picnics and generally making a nuisance of yourselves, doesn't in anyway constitute 'revolutionary' or being a 'threat' to 'the system'....grow up and get involved in real politics.

by JP Thu Dec 22, 2005 18:38

Reclaiming what?
The “protest” on the 1st of May by people who call themselves “Reclaim the Streets” brought disgrace on themselves and on the cause they claim to promote. The defacing of the statue of James Connolly was beyond belief.
Those anarchists and other morons who defaced the statue expose a level of ignorance of who and what James Connolly stood for that beggars belief. They display all the hallmarks of people who are no threat to the system. They play at bravado and at showing how anti-establishment and revolutionary they are. If this is the level of their political knowledge and understanding, it is abysmal.
James Connolly was the most radical thinker and activist that the Irish labour movement ever produced. He is still feared by the establishment, and held in great respect by Irish workers and their unions. By their actions these people have shown contempt for workers and a degree of arrogance towards working people that the establishment would be proud of.
Like a lot of the wafflers from that political tradition, the deed is more important than the process. Convincing people, changing people’s minds, helping to develop the consciousness of working people is beneath these “revolutionaries.” No doubt they went home to their well-to-do districts congratulating themselves on a job well done. It would serve them better to read what James Connolly had to say and emulate what he tried to do during his life.

by Gul Thu Dec 22, 2005 19:22

I want to contact with organizated anarchist in Cork, i am a comrade from spain and i am living on cork now. I tried with the WSM mail in cork and it looks like nobody are seeing that email.

Only exist WSM in cork? no more anarchist?
What about the "Cork anarchist group" ?( i saw them on the anarchist yellow pages)

Thx a lot(sorry for my bad english)

by James - WSM (Pers cap) Thu Dec 22, 2005 19:34

You can contact the Cork comrades at corkwsm@eircom.net

Barracka books, might be a good contact point for you to get info on radical politics in Cork, it doubles as the Cork Autonomous Zone as well. Its 61 Baracka St, Cork.

by Mark P Thu Dec 22, 2005 19:48

Just to avoid any confusion - the article quote by JP above is from the Communist Party of Ireland newsletter, Socialist Voice. It is not from the Socialist Party paper, which briefly had the same name.

by anarchist - Grassroots Dissent Thu Dec 22, 2005 21:52

communist party has some lovely members as does the the sp, that article is a bit much though. Some people are too eager to attack anarchists, too caught up in the sectarian world of politics perhaps.

I'd love to a best of socialist/republican resistance 2005, not so we can compare who's better it's just nice to have a little retrospective on what for many of us was a hectic year.

by Ois Fri Dec 23, 2005 06:12

Well if the tankies are against you you know you're doing something right.

by Ed Fri Dec 23, 2005 16:39

"The G8 excursion was in the end almost pointless (has vanished completely from popular consciousness), sparked no imagination here or in Scotland, and was nothing more than an activist holiday. The 200 people or so that travelled over have not been similarly involved in campaigns here."

watch and learn:

http://video.indymedia.org/en/2005/09/156.shtml
popular consciousness ?

http://video.indymedia.org/en/2005/10/187.shtml

not involved in campaigns here?

!!!!!spark your own imagination!!!!

by counter Fri Dec 23, 2005 17:01

Dont think there were as many people on Burgh Quay as that number who went to G8. Dont ever recall seeing 200 (or even 100) at an anti deportation demo.

by xd Fri Dec 23, 2005 18:38

only 52 travelled on the bus from dublin!

by guydebordisdead Fri Dec 23, 2005 21:17

there were 2 dissent busses, dolt.

by xd Sat Dec 24, 2005 01:49

52 on the 10 day
13 on the 2 day

65

still no where near 200
fool

by pat c Sat Dec 24, 2005 12:25

"By their actions these people have shown contempt for workers and a degree of arrogance towards working people that the establishment would be proud of. "

by slavishly following the moscow line for their entire existence the irish cp have dragged the name of connolly through the gutter.

would connolly have supported the suppression of the 1953 east berlin uprising? the suppression of hungary in 1956? the invasion of czechoslovakia in 1968? the invasion of afghanisatan in 1979?

by supporting these invasions the irish cp have shown contempt for workers and a degree of arrogance towards working people that the establishment would be proud of.

those who sprayed paint on connollys monument dont have blood on their hands. the stalinists do.

by Connoliy Sat Dec 24, 2005 16:44

Connolly was not an Anarchist. He was a Socialist and a Marxist. He clearly did not even have any Anarchist tendencies. He spent much of his time building politicla parties in Scotland and in Ireland and stood many times in local elections in Dublin and Edinburgh.

by pat c Sat Dec 24, 2005 16:56

nobody is claiming that connolly was an anarchist but he was a syndicalist. my point is that the name of connolly has been besmirched by the actions of stalinists. all that happened on may day was a few slogans and symbols were painted. i think this was a bad idea, but those who did it were not showing disrespect for connolly,. they were reclaiming him for the revolutionary tradition.

by Ois Sat Dec 24, 2005 18:02

>Connolly was not an Anarchist.

I don't think anyone has ever claimed Connolly was an anarchist.

>He was a Socialist and a Marxist.

Yeah anarchists are socialists as well. As for Marxist, I wouldn't deny this. However, I cannot find a passage in any of Connolly where he says that he is a Marxist. He says frequently things like I believe in the marxist theory of history or 'marxist economics [sic]'. Now I'm an anarchist and I agree with the Marxist critique of the commodity form but that doesn't mean I'm a Marxist.

>He clearly did not even have any Anarchist tendencies.

I'm not to sure what an anarchist tendency is. Does it mean that he wasn't at all influenced by anarchism if so this is clearly absurd. Christ, Marx was heavily influenced by anarchism.

>He spent much of his time building politicla parties in Scotland and in Ireland and stood many times in local elections in Dublin and Edinburgh.

Indeed, but he did not have a Leninist theory of the party. He wrote....
'the development of the fighting spirit is of more importance than the creation of the theoretically perfect organisation; that, indeed, the most theoretically perfect organisation may, because of its very perfection and vastness, be of the greatest possible danger to the revolutionary movement if it tends, or is used, to repress and curb the fighting spirit of comradeship in the rank and file.'

Anyway just because Connolly said something doesn't make it true. You Marxists can be quite disappointing. Nowadays, it's only the anarchists that are saying that we need to abandon idol worshiping and engage in a materialist critique of existing society. We need to engage in a continous process of self-criticism, forever developing theory and forever smashing stale ideologies.

If you want an anarchist critique of Connolly, check out MY, yes MY, my very own article on Connolly. http://www.iww.org/en/node/900

It's not great, but we can but try.

by Seán Ryan Sat Dec 24, 2005 23:22

If Connolly were alive today which side of the line would he be standing?

The statue is a representation of the view that the people of Ireland have about Connolly, or at least it was after his makeover. Connolly was a revolutionary and a reformer. And I think he would be disgusted that the supposed defilement of an idol to him would weigh heavier on the social consciousness than any of the matters raised by all these demonstrations. The defilement, to me is very symbolic. It symbolises, the contempt that the State has for people of the ilk of Connolly in erecting the statue to begin with, in that it neither appreciates nor practices any of the principles that Connolly espoused. Its erection was a pandering to the public notion that we are a free society and it is nothing better than an act of fraud.

Before anyone comments or asks; I didn't deface the statue and I don't belong to any organisation. But I think it was the most appropriate act of defiance and indignation, expressed over the whole period. And I don't mind anyone who doesn't agree with me, that's fine.

Now can we move on.

Let's talk about the fact, that homelessness, poverty, lack of medical treatment, a racist foreign policy, a very racist foreigner policy, and rich parasites getting richer - that all these are on the increase, despite protest.

Revolution, and evolution, begin and end within.

Sláinte and a merry Christmas

Seán Ryan

by Starstruck - Grassroots Dissent Mon Dec 26, 2005 17:47

Happy miss mass everyone-

Yadda Yadda

by Ciaran Tue Dec 27, 2005 19:38

This is a question to __grassrootsdissenter - Grassroots Dissent ___ , who posted the pictures.

Why did you blur out your fellow anarchists faces, but not the faces of Gardai (see the 23rd and 24th picture).

by Badman Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:22

maybe because the guards are unlikely to arrest themselves for taking part in the events depicted?

by dunk Fri Dec 30, 2005 21:02

gardens:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69689

murals:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70860

radical radio network
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=71892

live stream:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72507

irish anarchists sow seeds of flower power

muralismo @ cork

radical radio network

streaming from the gaf

by martin j Wed Jan 24, 2007 13:24

The above pictures of middle class youth defilling the leader of the dublin working class say it all. Did the men of the 1913 Lockout bring cans of larger with them on to the streets or is that just for the above clowns and soccer holigans. They are a nonsense, when there was a revolution going on in your their country for the last thirty years, they hid behind the usual pendant rhetoric whilst the working class of the North suffered the full brunt of Imperialism. It's really not worth commenting on...

by Andrew Tue May 01, 2012 16:25

The pictures seem to have vanished. And yer man right above me sounds like the sort of character who rioted when 'The Plough & the Stars' was first put on in Dublin, on the same false premise.

by wageslave Tue May 01, 2012 17:10

hopefully the pics on older articles will return when the site has been properly restored. We're currently running on a partial backup. something had to give. Terence may have more details on this.

-wageslave

Editor: Correct -all pics will be restored as soon as server is sorted out. In the meantime I have restored all of Dec 2005 which includes all the pics above