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NEWS-1000s marched today in Dublin against War, Racism and Coporate Greed- Despite huge levels of police intimidation and media hysteria
Another Europe is Possible Press Release- Thousands marched today in Dublin against war, racism and corporate greed despite huge levels of police intimidation and media hysteria.
CONTACT RORY HEARNE AT 086 1523542
Another Europe is Possible, the alliance of Trade Unionists, Community Groups, Socialists, environmentalists, anti-capitalists and anti-war activists held a completely peaceful march of three thousand people from the Central Bank to Heuston Station today. The main message that came from the march was that people were not intimidated from protesting for a Europe of peace, properly funded public services and free of racism. We will not be intimidated from protesting in our tens of thousands when George Bush comes in June.
Rory Hearne, Convenor of the alliance said "We will not be intimidated from going on to organise mass demonstrations when George Bush comes in June. We showed today that there are a significant number of people in Ireland who oppose the direction in which the EU is going. We feel that the EU is becoming dominated by the interests of the large multinational corporations and arms manufacturers. Far from being a Europe of welcome for immigrants it is creating a fortress of exclusion"
He further added "Thousands marched today in Dublin for a better world. When we went to march to Farmleigh House this evening we were met with riot police and water cannon. This was an incitement to confrontation. By denying people’s democratic right to march the state created a situation of conflict. Even in the face of this the majority of demonstrators remained peaceful and marched back in an orderly and peaceful fashion. We showed today that all the scare stories in the media of 1000s of violent protesters coming to cause May Day mayhem was completely false. This highlights the complete waste of millions of taxpayer’s money on an unprecedented security operation when schools and hospitals remain hopelessly under funded.
This shows that the movement against war and capitalism is growing and state intimidation will not stop us marching in our tens of thousands against Bush in June"
CARNIVAL AND MARCH TO GO AHEAD- WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED!
Press Release-Another Europe is Possible May Day march and Carnival to go ahead– We will not be intimidated off the streets!
The Another Europe is Possible May Day march against war and corporate greed and Carnival to celebrate multiculturalism beginning at 12 noon at the Central Bank on Dame Street is going ahead. We expect thousands to march with us peacefully against the war mongers Ahern, Blair, Berlusconi-and demanding an EU of peace and people before profit
Contact Rory Hearne at 086 1523542 or Mark at 087 7974622
Rory Hearne, convenor, said "It is clear that the state has been hyping up the issue of violence in order to intimidate protests off the streets. Tomorrow, Saturday May 1st we will ensure our democratic right to march is respected and we will not be intimidated off the streets.
It has been made explicitly clear that all protests on May Day will be peaceful and we believe that the hype by the state and government will not intimidate the mass anti-war and anti-government protests that they hoped to avoid. We are calling on everyone who wants to defend the democratic right to protest to join in our march and carnival starting at 12 noon at the Central Bank"
"We condemn the intimidation of protest organisers putting up posters, handing out leaflets and the deployment of riot police in an attempt to stop marches like the Dublin Grassroots march"
"It is clear that the state has been hyping up the issue of violence in order to intimidate protests off the streets. We will ensure our democratic right to march is respected and we will not be intimidated.
MAY DAY WEEKEND OF PROTEST AND CELEBRATION 2004 DUBLIN
SAY NO TO RACISM WAR
AND CORPORATE GREED
Friday April 30th - 7.30pm - Liberty Hall (SIPTU building opposite Tara St Dart Station)
Another Europe is Possible public meeting
Speaker- Susan George (Debt Campaigner, organiser World and European Social Forums/Author/Vice-President ATTAC France)
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Saturday May 1st - 12 Noon Central Bank, Dame Street, Dublin
- CARNIVAL FOR A BETTER WORLD-
.......SAY NO TO RACISM, WAR AND CORPORATE GREED.......
Speakers (including Susan George and others), street theatre & music. Bring colour, noise and messages of welcome for immigrants, peace; public services not private profit!
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1.30 PM Carnival leaves Dame Street to go to Phoenix Park where the 25 EU heads of state (including Ahern, Blair and Berlusconi) are meeting
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2.30PM Carnival of Diversity begins at Pheonix Park- Irish and World Music
Including Kingsativa, Soukous Allstars, Afrikico, Gospel Choir, Jinx Lennon, Happy City Samba School, Subtitles & many more....plus very special guest!
Open letter for the movement against war, racism and corporate greed
Fellow activists,
Since the Zapatista declaration in 1994 and the French public sector
workers strike in 1995 we have witnessed and taken part in a new social
movement . The movement has grown exponentially and deepened from the
60,000 that shut down the WTO in Seattle 1999 to the millions that marched
across the globe on February 15th last year.
Our strength has been our unity together in our common outrage and desire to change this incredibly corrupt and unequal society. We are united in our desires for a world without war a world where the resources currently spent on military will be spent on schools and hospitals, a world without borders where all immigrants are welcome and a world without poverty.
Our movement has shaken the establishment and ruling classes across the world. Bush and Blair, seemingly infallible when Baghdad fell last year now seem like trapped dogs with nowhere to turn. They are terrified that the fate of the hated Spanish Prime Minister Aznar awaits them at their next elections. Ahern too is terrified of the deep unpopularity of his government because of their support for the war on Iraq, their racism and their policies that have benefited the rich to the detriment of the majority.
Ahern’s government knows the visit of George Bush in June will draw massive protests. It is in this context that we are witnessing the biggest security re-organisation of the state since its foundation. They have spent the last few months training 1,200 riot police and will be deploying water cannons, armed gardai and the army itself on May Day. They are frightened of the huge numbers that have taken to the streets to oppose them and want to do all they can to ensure Feb 15th is not repeated.
Their strategy is very similar to that which the Italian government adopted in the run up to the Genoa G8 summit. The strategy of tension aimed at breaking a movement that is on the rise. A strategy aimed at intimidating the majority from joining the minority. We must be clear of what is at stake on May Day. On one side we have the state, determined to demonise and break our movement for fear of massive protests and on the other, us, a growing movement whose tactics on the day will determine the future of our movement.
In Genoa we saw clearly the power of the state. The big lesson learned was that we cannot defeat the state through tactics that are based on small number elitely padded-up protestors confronting the police. It will be through a mass movement that involves millions confronting the power points of the system in workplaces, schools, hospitals and colleges. It will be through the mass movement of millions united on the streets. What we do on May Day must be determined by what can create social disobedience rather than simply civil disobedience (as Luca Casirini called after Genoa).
If May Day passes peacefully with thousands on the streets taking part in a day of action against war and corporate greed then nothing will stop us from creating the biggest demonstrations this country has ever seen when George Bush comes here in June.
But if there is violence from our side on May Day, the state will have the excuse it so desperately needs to smash our movement, ban protests when George Bush comes, scare people off and stop us from creating the day that could hasten the fall of this rotten government and state.
Three years after Genoa, we must be aware of the lessons.
The state will place provocateurs in our demonstrations.
But we can create the situation that makes it impossible for them to justify their attack. We can make May Day a launch pad for the days of protest in June. I am confident that this is what we want and what the movement requires.
We must unite in our calls for peaceful demonstrations on May Day as we have done. But we must go further. The Another Europe is Possible Coalition will be having over 50 clearly identified and co-ordinating stewards on the AEIP carnival and march focussed on ensuring all attendees abide by the principles of peaceful action and non-confrontation. We will put these principles to the mass meeting at the start of our demonstration.
We call on all groups organising to do the same and ensure that we can unite in creating a day that will lay the foundation for creating the days of protest mobilisations against Bush!!!
PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW -TO COUNTER THE MEDIA HYPE-
NB: Please distribute this email widely, Thanks.
Dear Fellow Activists, Campaigners & Friends,
Recently a lot of misinformation and lies has been circulated by the government through the media with regards to anticipated violence at the May Day carnival in Dublin on May 1st, the "Another Europe Is Possible" summit organised by the Southeast Social Forum in Waterford on May 14/15/16th and the upcoming visit of George Bush in June.
Here is the truth that counters those lies-
a) All the protests being organised are completely peaceful and have very broad support (see below)
b) The talk of thousands of violent anarchists coming to Ireland is a complete myth. The only group outside of Ireland that has expressed a desire to attend the events has been the white overalled "Wombles" (a peaceful group)
c) There is no need for thousands of riot police as the history of recent protests in Ireland (think of Feb 15th, March 20th, Shannon etc) have been completely peaceful
The government is attempting to intimidate off the streets the tens of thousands of people that are dissatisfied and frustrated with their policies of war, environmental destruction, poverty and racism etc.
It is more important than ever that we exercise our democratic right to protest and make a better world possible
The whole ethos of the Social Forum Movement is to create a peaceful friendly atmosphere combined with serious alternative solutions that put people before profit. At a time when the world’s media will be in town, Ireland’s presidency of the EU gives us the chance to bring those alternative solutions to the attention of a much greater audience, and by doing so, pressure our government into implementing the measures necessary for a sustainable future for us all.
May Day Weekend EVENTS
Friday 30th April 7pm Liberty Hall, Dublin City Centre, Speaker Susan George (World and European Social Forum organiser and author of the Debt Boomerang)
Sat May 1st 12 Noon Central Bank, Dame St Carnival of Multiculturalism and March to Phoenix park against war and corporate greet. Irish and World Music.
May 14th, 15th, 16th Another Europe is Possible, at EU Environment ministers Summit, Waterford
June 25th/26th Protest against George Bush
In Solidarity and Best Wishes,
Rory Hearne, Convenor, Another Europe is Possible
Aidan O’Halloran (South East Social Forum, Waterford)
Another Europe is Possible is a broad alliance that includes Des Bonas (DCTU), Mick O Reilly (ATGWU), Patricia McKenna (Green Party MEP), Pat Cahill (ASTI), Barry Nevin (SIPTU Aviation Branch), Irish Anti-War Movement, Residents against Racism, Workers Party, NGO Peace Alliance, Socialist Party, Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Campaign against the Bin Tax, Community Workers, Sinn Féin, Socialist Workers Party
ENDS
WHY WE SHOULD PROTEST ON MAY 1st-
The ‘Another Europe is Possible’ Alliance – being press launched today – condemns the Irish Government’s priorities for the EU Presidency: competitiveness, continued support for the so-called ‘war on terror’, making the asylum system more restrictive, and unconditionally promoting the draft EU Constitution. The ‘Another Europe is Possible’ Alliance has other priorities: opposing neo-liberalism and privatisation, ending Irish support for war and occupations, and opposing the deportation of asylum seekers. The Alliance is also critical of the draft EU Constitution – which it says promotes the interests of big business and the militarisation of the EU rather than the needs of ordinary people. The Alliance will be organising protests and demonstrations on these issues during the Irish Presidency.
The Alliance will hold a public launch meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday, January 22nd in Liberty Hall, entitled Peace not War and People not Profit - Another Europe is Possible. Speakers include Jack O Connor (President SIPTU), Clare Daly (Bin Tax Campaign), Salome Mbugua (African Women’s Network), Tom Ryan (President DCTU), Richard Boyd Barrett (Chair, IAWM). The Alliance will take part in a protest for immigrants and asylum seekers rights at 1pm on Friday at Dublin Castle – during the meeting of EU Justice Ministers.
Speakers at the press conference included:
Joe Higgins TD
Daithi Doolan. Sinn Féin
Pat Cahill. President, ASTI
Prof. Ailbhe Smyth, WERRC, UCD
Dr. Jo Murphy-Lawless. Lecturer in Social Policy, UCD
Festus Ikeotuonye. ‘No Human is Illegal’ campaign
Mick O’Reilly. ATGWU
Raymond Deane. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Referring to the threat to public services in the draft Constitution, Joe Higgins said:
"The proposed EU Constitution represents a further threat to public services in Europe. Behind the scenes deals affecting all crucial services negotiated between the EU Commission and undemocratic organisations such as the WTO could be imposed by majority vote at EU level. When it comes to the commercialisation and privatisation of crucial public services, the EU Commission and the Irish Government are singing from the same neo-liberal hymn sheet. Instead, the Socialist Party calls for the peoples of Europe to have ownership and democratic control over their essential services so that meeting real human needs, not the profit concerns of big business, becomes the priority."
Speaking of the Government’s failures, Daithi Doolan said:
“Sinn Féin supports this new Alliance. We had hoped that the legacy of the Irish Presidency would be one of democracy and accountability, and the promotion of an EU based on the needs of citizens – rather than Fortress Europe, militarisation and centralism. So far unfortunately, the Government has failed on all these counts. And nowhere is this clearer than in the amount of money being lavished on Euro-Ministerial Mercs and perks, rather than using taxpayers’ money on services for ordinary working people.”
Arguing that education is a right, not a business, Ailbhe Smyth said:
“We are utterly opposed to the marketisation and privatisation of education at all levels in the system, which is an increasingly prominent aspect of the EU neo-liberal agenda. We are calling on the Irish Government to do its utmost during its Presidency to counter this trend, which will have long-term negative impacts on EU citizens. There should be no diminishing or depriving people of their right to education as a service provided by the State, free from the encroachments of the market. We note with alarm that the draft EU Constitution would remove the existing power of veto on the liberalization of trade in Education, along with other services such as Health. This would enable the European Commission to make agreements in the GATS which would allow international trade in Education and other services, thus undermining democratic control and accountability for the provision of essential services. We had 150 million euro cutbacks in the Irish education system last year. These cuts hit those most in need the hardest and directly affect people’s right to equality, social justice and human dignity.”
Commenting on inequalities in health care, Jo Murphy-Lawless said:
“The growing pressure on governments to make health care systems a source of profitability is destroying a core human right – the right to build good health with preventative health measures, and to access excellent health care when illness strikes. We urgently need to re-think health care strategies across Europe, and to resist the formidable pressure from the private health-care lobby to go further down the road of privatisation. As health spending has soared, private medicine has flourished, but so have health inequalities. We should not commodify health spending – it is a social good which must be fully supported and evenly distributed across our societies.”
Condemning the hostile attitude of the EU towards African immigrants, Festus Ikeotuonye said:
"African countries today are entirely the product of the ‘scramble and partition’ colonial history of a number of European states. And many of those who have been running African countries were trained by and in the West. The conditions prompting the movements described as ‘migration’ are a direct result of the policies and ideologies of these same European countries. This is why we say that another Europe is not only desirable, but imperative. Is it not ironic that European ‘ex’-colonial states like Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Britain are pushing proposals to 'manage the inflow of nationals of third countries’ they created? They propose to do this in ‘partnership and cooperation’ with the same ‘third country’ corrupt leaderships they routinely criticise. We want an end to the deterrent mentality that the Irish government and the EU have towards immigration. The crisis in Africa has its roots in the colonial history of European states. The EU should not demonise or exclude the victims of the colonial activities of some of the richest and most powerful states in Europe."
Calling for opposition to privatisation, Mick O’Reilly said:
“The current EU is one for big business and profit that doesn’t put the interests of workers and ordinary people first. It is time that trade unionists got together and started promoting our own agenda and model. Key to this is stopping the privatisation of our public services.”
Criticising the EU’s lack of concern for Human Rights, Raymond Deane said:
“We are angry at the way the EU implements its Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements with a number of non-EU states, including Israel. While the aim of these Agreements is to set up a so-called 'Free Trade Zone' by 2010, the fact that each and every one of the Associate states is in breach of the Agreements' Human Rights clause has been ignored. We want a Europe in which the myth of 'free trade' is not allowed to obscure the reality of oppression."
Quotes end.
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