Protest for justice!

 

LET STUDENTS

KEEP THEIR

RIGHT TO WORK

3PM EVERY SATURDAY

GPO, O CONNELL STREET

 

On April 18^th 2005, new foreign students studying English in Ireland will no longer be able to work part time for 20 hours per week.  Students already here before that date will only be allowed one more year.  This will affect people from outside the European Union- Chinese, Asian, Russian, and Latin American students amongst others.

 

These students pay their tax and contribute to the building of the Irish economy.  They often work the hardest and most lowly paid jobs.  Many Irish friends believe they should be treated better, and that they should be allowed to keep their right to work.  Otherwise, the only people who will be able to study in Ireland will be the very rich.

 

Please join the picket at the GPO this Saturday.  Organise your school, workmates and friends to come.  Make banners and placards- we will continue to meet every Saturday for an hour at the GPO to make sure our voice gets heard- there are over 50,000 students affected.  If we organise more schools and students every week, the Irish government will have to listen to our voice. 

 

TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND WORKMATES

GET POSTERS AND LEAFLETS FOR YOUR SCHOOL

 

JOIN THE PICKET AT THE GPO

EVERY SATURDAY FOR AN HOUR FROM 3PM TO 4PM

 

Organised by Globalise Resistance. Supported by Union of Students in Ireland Deputy President and Immigrants Civli Rights Movement.

More info:  Email: solidarityjoe@yahoo.com  087 9032281 www.freewebs.com/globalise

 

 

 

 

 

BERTIE AHERN and Irish Education representatives recently travelled to China to make business

deals and encourage Chinese students to come and study here in Irish Universities. But just before Christmas the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell removed the right to work for students from outside the European Economic Area who are attending part-time courses under one year duration.

 

This affects English Language courses. Thousands of students, particularly Chinese (who make up

almost 80% of students in these courses) will not be able to afford to do such courses if they cannot work. They will be forced to return home due to economic pressures. It also puts the jobs of up to 3,000

English Language teachers under threat.

 

The Chinese government issued a warning at the start of this month against students considering English language study in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland excluded representatives of the English Language sector from the education forum in China.

 

The Irish government instead wants to attract wealthy Chinese who will pay up to e20,000 in fees

to attend universities and thus be cash cows for the funding crisis in Irish universities.

Ahern expressed concerns about human rights in China yet here at home he is removing the right of

students to work and putting in danger the jobs of English Language teachers.

 

Students and teachers of all nationalities will unite and protest for the right to work on Saturday April 16^th, two days before the decision is expected to be enforced.  There will be a picket and organising stall every Saturday until then at the GPO from 3pm to 4pm. 

 

 

The Last Time foreign students

organised and marched:

Defending Multicultural Ireland- Zhao Liu Tao and Leong Ly Min

video footage Chinese / Irish rally GPO by Li Mu Bai link to video footage of Chinese / Irish Anti-Racist rally at GPO, Dublin, 2nd Feb '02. http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=21705&group=webcast RALLY FOR A MULTICULTURAL DUBLIN People in Dublin had been shocked by the cruel racist murder of Zhao Liu Tao the week before.Saturdays anti racist Demonstration was a great success at short notice. Around 600 people, including many chinese students, came to the GPO on o'Connell Street to protest at the racist murder of chinese student Zhao liu Tao. Zhao liu and his two friends were set upon by five racist thugs the monday night defore and Zhoa Liu died from his horrific injuries, inflicted with a metal bar, on the Thursday night. Chinese and Irish people joined together in protest and hundreds of passers by signed a book of condolence and a petition to the irish government calling on them to stop their racist scapegoating of Immigrants for irelands social problems. It is this scapegoating of immigrants for housing and job shortages that has created an atmosphere where racist thugs feel confident to carry out this kind of brutal racist attack. In the North, we have seen how the bigots of the UDA have targetted Irish school teachers, students and post workers simply because of their nationality. We cannot let the same hatred and fear stalk the streets of Dublin. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the North to protest the sectarian murder of Danny Mc Colgan- we now need to take that same spirit and stand up for a multicultural Dublin, and tell the racist thugs that people of all colours are welcome here.                         SECOND RACIST MURDER-Report of anti racist march --Dublin 24th August “This is the second time a Chinese man has been killed in Dublin. I have friends who are abused in the street, many of them have been physically attacked and if they go to the Gardai there is no response or they are very slow. Other friends have had their windows broken by teenagers and been attacked. Many of the Chinese suffer this, and I think the Government are responsible for this, and especially the Garda authorities.” “Racism is getting worse. I have been working as a software engineer for a year, others I work with feel that the conditions in Dublin are getting worse.” Said Wan, who working in Ireland for a year as he took part the protest against a racist murder in Dublin. At the beginning of August, 50 year old Leong Ly Min was brutally beaten to death by a gang who racially abused him. He died a few days later in hospital. Mr Ly Min had lived in Ireland for thirty years and owned a take away in Tallaght. He was singled out for attack simply because of his skin colour. This murder comes eight months after another Chineseman; Zhao Liu Tao was murdered in Dublin. The climate for immigrants and asylum seekers has gotten worse in the period. McDowell’s first act as Minister for Justice was to send hundreds of Gardai out to ‘sweep’ for so called illegal immigrants. His priorities are not to clamp down on serious criminals or the Ansbacher account holders, but the most vulnerable section of Irish society. On Saturday the 24th of August some 200 people marched from O’Connell Street to the spot in Temple bar where the attack occurred and lay flowers in his memory. The march was called by Globalise Resistance and Chinese Students United and members of the Chinese and Vietnamese communities were present, as well as human rights and anti racist groups and left groups. Mike Jennings of SIPTU speaking at the protest, said “Racist attacks are unacceptable and we should stand shoulder to shoulder against them. Ethnicity and race are irrelevant” He mentioned that many politicians had “played the racist and xenophobic card in the last general election” and that the Nice Treaty debate should be free from it. Khalid Abraham, anti-racist campaigner and member of the Campaign to end sanctions on Iraq said, “This man was a law abiding human being we have heard nothing from officials on this issue we must be united on multiculturalism. McDowoll didn’t start with drug dealers or criminals, but refugees.” Daithi Doolan Sinn Fein, said “we must create safe streets for everyone” adding that “the Herald and Independent newspapers have added to the climate of racism by taking about bogus asylum seekers and ‘floods’ of immigrants”. “Communities are told that there are not enough Garda resources to tackle crime, bur McDowell could spare hundreds of Gardai for the raids” Kieran Allen from the SWP pointed out that there was no condemnation of the attack from the government. “Dublin Corporation should have called this rally. In Germany when Jewish and black people are attacked the government lead the demonstrations.The government have been stoking up the racist rhetoric that fuels these thugs when the UVF and UDA murder Catholics in Northern Ireland we are quick to blame the politicians who stoke up that hatred but no one in government has paid tribute to the Chinese community in Ireland, they only talk about bogus asylum seekers” Maggie, Chinese student in Ireland for two and a half years said on the demonstration, “From last year it has become more dangerous, I was back in China the previous murder (Zhao Liu Tao) and I saw the newspapers and I know this story, and we are very, very angry.”

 

 

 

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