Challenging the Corporate Media- The Press Barons Ball

 

 Press Barons BALL

 VIDEO of the protest against the

WORLD ASSOCIATION OF NEWSPAPERS SUMMIT IN DUBLIN, JUNE 9

http://uk.indymedia.org:8081/local/webcast/uploads/j9media.wmv

MONDAY JUNE 9th- 12 noon: GR picketed the opening ceremony of the World Newspapers Congress at the RDS. That evening at 8pm, there was a loud and colourful demonstration outside the reception being held for the WNC at the Guinness Storehouse in James Street. Top hats, monocles and copies of the Scum abounded at the Press Barons Ball!

Joe Carolan, GR

“Many people feel that the corporate media present a biased view of the world. Anti war activists feel that our side of the argument was marginalised in favour of the pro war pundits- many newspapers sided with Bush and Blair’s hollow arguments for war on Iraq- but where are the WMDs? The myth making power of corporate media was seen by many as pro war propaganda, with only a few principled journalists like John Pilger or Paul Foot cutting against the mainstream.”

“But it is not only wartime propaganda that we are protesting against- Print Media also re inforces many stereotypes and myths in daily life about the role of women, the status of refugees and asylum seekers, and the validity of workers taking strike action to defend jobs and services against privatisation. Corporate print media is not a free press- huge corporations like Rupert Murdoch’s News International, Tony O Reilly’s Independent Newspapers and Lord Conrad Black’s Express Group are part and parcel of an economic system that puts profit before people- indeed all three corporations have been involved in attacks on their own journalists and printers unions.”

“Trade unionists who have been vilified as dinosaurs and militants, asylum seekers and refugees who have been demonised as scroungers, women who feel that the media peddles sexist stereotypes of their bodies, will join anti capitalists who believe we need an alternative radical press, a true free press from the grassroots.”

 

 

Defending Civil Rights

3,000 march peacefully against Police violence
by Simon Basketter

 

Some 3,000 people march against police brutality and in defence of the right to protest following a rally, called by Globalise Resistance, against the Garda riot on Monday's Reclaim the Streets.

Some 3,000 people marched against police brutality and in defence of the right to protest this evening. (That's the Times's estimate http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2002/0509/breaking58.htm)

The protest, called by Globalise Resistance, was in responce to the Police Riot against the Reclaim the Streets Street Party on Bank Holiday Monday.

The corporate media coverage had shifted from that of recent days, to now predicting terror on the streets. They wasn't any, but then again it wasn't surprising because there weren't that many cops in evidence. (Though quite a few were sweating in vans at various points nearby.)

The crowd swelled at the end of Pearse Street. Passers by blending into the protest.

Outside Pearse St Garda Station "Just say sorry" was written in chalk on the steps.

From one of the many windows in Trinity college with people watching the protest, hung a banner which read "No Excuse."

One banner was carried by Travellers from Pavee Point, Another read "Hugs not thugs".

"No to police brutality", "Who watches the watchman", "The only that should be batonned is a bongo", "the Gardai are the real criminals" read placards, and those of no affliation and from Globalise Resistance and the Socialist Workers Party.

As well as a statement from Reclaim the Streets being read out (sorry didn't catch the name), speakers included: Des Bonass from the The Dublin Council of Trade Unions, A speaker from the Irish Council of Civil Liberties, Kieran Allen from the Socialist Workers Party, Joe Higgins from the Socialist Party, Daithi Doolan from Sinn Finn, Andrew Flood from the Workers Solidarity Movement and a couple of others I missed (sorry again).

 

All the speakers, (those I could hear) condemned the police violence, many pointed out the inadequecy of the Garda investigating themselves. Others pointed to the pattern developing where a conserted effort is being made to criminalise the anti-capitalist movement.

People dressed as cops cheerfully kept the protest in order with inflatable batons.

Other banners included Sinn Fein, Labour and the Workers Solidarity Movement.

People then marched chanting "Whose streets -- our streets" Calmly and in good nature the crowd moved up Dame Street, the violent elements present, readily identifiable by the uniforms, generally behaving themselves.

At the corner of Dame Street / Parliament street there was a sit down protest for few minutes before the crowd streamed into the Civic Offices.

On Monday the the cops tried to batter the movement of the streets, (again)-- they failed instead they showed just who is responsible for violence in this society.

Anti-capitalism 3,000 -- Cops 0

 

THE BURLINGTON HOTEL POLICE RIOT

The protest was called by GR against the 2nd Global Summit on Public Private Partnerships (PPP), where international corporate delegates banqueted with ministers of finance from countries leading the way in neo-liberal privatisation of public services. The banquet was held in the exclusive Southside Burlington Hotel. The conference was endorsed by the Irish minister for Finance, Charlie Mc Creevy, in a move which many Irish activists interpreted as a statement of intent that the control was preparing for a huge new wave of privatisations in the airports, buses, rail, health and education.

Many groups were at the protest- the Dublin Anti-Bin charges campaign, opposing double taxation and privatisation of refuse services; the Bus workers Action Group, a rank and file trade union network that has led strikes on the capital's buses for proper funding of public transport, water service workers from Ballymun (with placards parodying the old Irish rebel song: Not even our rivers run free), Globalise Resistance, the Green Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the anarchist Workers Solidarity Movement and Joe Higgin's Socialist Party.

After 20 minutes of a sit down protest, the Superintendent instructed those sitting down, that unless they moved within one minute, they would be forcibly removed. Within 30 seconds, a group of six Gardai, with numbers removed, jumped forward and began beating protestors on the head with hard, wooden batons. A senior cop was shouting "Into them hard", the baton charge was designed to terrify and punish.

As the protestors regrouped, reinforcements in paddy wagons arrived. The Dublin police helicopter was brought in overhead, and members of the Special Branch (the Irish political police) arrived in plainclothes and unmarked cars. Now strengthened, they launched a second baton attack, this time beating demonstrators out onto the busy main road and making 9 forcible arrests. Dublin was now witnessing a full-blown police riot.

As we began moving away, I witnessed one of the most horrific police actions I have personally seen, even compared to Genoa and Melbourne. A snatch squad of about ten luminous jacketed cops ran, charging at the march from behind, with the wooden batons over their heads. People were lashed into indiscriminately.

They were acting in a very organised, political and violent way. They arrested key organisers, an Indymedia video camera activist, and my friend Rory Hearne, past President of Trinity College Dublin. Rory was arrested by about four huge cops who were beating him all over his body. One cop was choking him from behind with his baton. Blood was pumping out of his head. His friends, who were holding him and asking why he was being arrested, were also batoned, punched and told to "fuck away off!" I turned and saw the SWP's Richard Boyd Barrett being punched and kicked by two cops. An Austrian socialist, Thomas, had his head split open and was covered in blood. He would later be hospitalised, after being arrested, for over an hour and a half.

Full eyewitness reports at:

http://www.geocities.com/finghin2000/syucd/news/accounts.html

 

Fighting for our Environment

The Sellafield Meltdown Drill 
by Daithi Mac Sithigh

The sounds of warning sirens blared across the Central Bank Plaza on Dame Street, as the model of Sellafield started to billow smoke. The Ministry called for everyone to evacuate

The group moved through Dublin’s street, accompanied by sirens and whistles, calling for all to “remain calm”, disturbing passing traffic.

As the crowd arrived on Grafton Street, a crowded shopping area, they distributed copies of the “Emergency Plan” to those who passed by.
The Ministry of Disasters spoke to the (now expanded) crowd.

 “Can we get the body bags please – I mean the protective radioactive clothing - for the normal citizens” “Start giving these bodybags out. You’ve got to wear them”

Other participants tried to reassure the evacuees, as the consequences of radiation poisoning were acted out right on the street.

 “Do not panic do not panic”
But it was already too late…

 “Citizens you have not made it you are all now dead kindly lie down and die”.

Over the sounds of screams, the Ministry of Disasters tells of their failure

“Citizens you have all died
“We your ministry have failed you, we your government have failed you
“We could have done something about this - years ago
“We could have had put pressure on the British government
“We could have organised a mass movement on the streets, in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Manchester, Liverpool, London and Glasgow - but we didn’t
“Sellafield melted down, and thousands of people have died”

Finally, the march set off for the Dáil (parliament), chanting.

“Sellafield has got to go!”

  

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.

“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.”