Shannon VIDEO Higher Quality

by billy bragg - pour milk on coppers Sun Jan 19, 2003 20:23

pretty good!
nice work everyone....
and whoever complained about the rooftop fiasco and was in favour of politicians talking themselves into a tizzy(while we stand and listen like school children)....a big middle finger salute
peace-equality-pour milk on coppers!

by Fair Play Sun Jan 19, 2003 23:21

No Point Crying Over...

c u 15.02.03

by Jef Mon Jan 20, 2003 02:25

What's the point of intimidating and pissing of the Gardai by throwing milk over them and their extremely dangerous dogs? What good does that do when a very important element of anti-war protestation is non-violent resistance as opposed to immature, childish, and unhelpful behaviour. It's neccessary to befriend the guards and win them over to our side rather than fulfil their prejudicial stereotypes that we are all scumbags. I was on the roof also and believe it was a great direct action, but I have a message for those who intimidated the dogs and guards: Wake up and learn how to approach civil disobedience in a progressive manner.

by if i am only genetic can i be socially useful? Mon Jan 20, 2003 02:38

An american flag had hung on the wall of the junior common room happily for a long time the stars had been converted to swastikas and a slogal "U.S. terrorists get out of nicuragua" placed on it.
This was at a key time in the politicisation of activists the world over.
People travelled to Nicuragua to pick fair trade coffee and support the FSLN regime which was ousted by US supported opposition.

Student activists in TCD whose concerns in the period 1989-1990 were abortion information, gayrights (the encitement ot hatred act was passed that year) national question (eamonn mc cann, eamonn dunphy, shane ross and paul hill spoke in a key open debate 1990) and nicuragua and food and condoms and beer and sex and the usual stuff i was a kid leave me alone i don´t remember.
anyway the student activists who grew up (didn´t we?!) were shocked to hear from the dean that a U.S. national had used the incitement to hatred legislation to pressure TCD into removing the US flag.

A flag was burnt by a young hotbrand trippy type with an exchange student from Chicago the night of the SU elections 1990. The little careerist hacks (!?;) of the election didn´t notice the real politics happening outside the dining hall (did ye? ;-) luv-ye. )
The chicago exchange student went on to earn a Ph.D. on contemporary American lit. and recovered from his interview with beat poet Alan Gisnberg who had famously felt his knee through a rip in jeans whilst driving on highway in an open top convertible.
If anyone remembers the Chicago student they´ll think how desperate Ginsberg had become, if anyone remembers the young hotbrand trippy he´d be very embarrased.
If anyone remembers what happened to Tom Maguire we in the 5th international would be most appreciative.
Haven´t we all come a long way?
not there yet.

by Liam Mon Jan 20, 2003 14:27

US flags were burned on several occasions in Dublin, Cork and elsewhere during anti-Vietnam War demos in the 1960s and I'm sure there was one burned in Dublin or Galway during the Reagan visit in the early 1980s (1983?).

by countryman Mon Jan 20, 2003 15:24

The disaster of september11th was an international one.Since that awful day the world has been draped in the stars and stripes.No disrespect to our american cousins,but a good point was made

by Er Mon Jan 20, 2003 21:25

No disrespect but burning the flag is the ultimate form of symbolic disrespect. It doesn't get more disrespectful than that. If you don't want to offend your "cousins" then don't offend them. If you want to offend then keep on doing what you are doing.

by countryman Tue Jan 21, 2003 12:05

Good point..but one would hope that the intention 'was' to 'offend'the current pseudo administration and the idiotic excuse for an electoral system that helped them to power( not to mention the complete apathy displayed in their election turnout)The stars and stripes represent a country that doesn't even believe in itself enough to bother voting any more.I can't think of a flag that has been set alight as much as uncle sams .

by JM - ha. Tue Jan 21, 2003 15:05

Flag burning works. It pisses people off and generally sends a big fuck you to those who deserve it. Mom and pop who live on the corner of Oak Grove avenue aren't the American flag. The US government and all of its shitty foreign and domestic policies are. So burn, baby, burn. If you believe in constitutions, it is a peaceful (except to the flag) form of exercising suymbolic speech. Ha.

by billy bragg Wed Jan 22, 2003 00:48

the "police" stand for all that is bad in this world. they are the servants of all that i despise and i will pour as much milk as i want on them ......the only way to get them onto "our side" is to get them to see sence and quit their miserable fucking jobs!
(leave the poor dogs alone though)

by Simon Wed Jan 22, 2003 12:57 simonhaden at gregans dot ie Co. Clare

Burning the US flag is extremely childish and does damage to our cause. We are trying to influence members of the public in a country which is extremely pro-american. We must gain respect for our movement and not fuel the fire which just dismissively labels us "anti-american" as if thats the best excuse they can find. But for most people it's a valid enough reason not to support us. So please keep your childish tendancies at home in your back garden. Or think of some more positive forms of direct action or civil disobedience. PLEASE ! before you give us all a bad name.

by countryman Wed Jan 22, 2003 13:04

I agree wholeheartedly,lets burn their embassy down next time!

by Ciaran Wed Jan 22, 2003 16:53 ciaranstanley at hotmail dot com

A flag in itself can mean many things...But, who can tell a person to have respect for the ellusive ideals and symbols of propaganda that feed the minds of the well off and starve those of the poor?

by loca Thu Jan 23, 2003 02:25

EVERYONE OF YEE ARE ALL SCUMBAGS BURNING FLAGS POURING MILK , THE PLANES ARE STILL LANDING EVERYDAY AND WILL KEEP LANDING , GOOD BLESS AMERICA

by Denise Thu Jan 23, 2003 12:52

loca i think the phrase you're looking for is "god bless america", not "good bless america".

yes loca,god bless america indeed, for its lovely foreign policy of supplying arms to mad fundamentalists and guerrillas, for running terrorist torture schools, teaching people to kill each other, for killing innocent men, women & kids for years and years, for attacking and killing innocent iraqies in the name of "world peace", aka protecting their oil territories and lieing to the world that Hussein holds weapons of mass destruction. While he is evil and no doubt should be removed, Bush, his associates and Blair are the biggest terrorists the world has seen in a long time. Loca, I ask you is it right to kill millions of innocent civilians in order to get one guy? I tell you Loca, there has never been one single case ever in history where war ha solved anything. Hussein is not just one man. if he goes, thousands are ready to take his place.

The US are so arrogant that they are willing to attack Iraq despite the UN saying no. China,Germany and France have all come out and said NO to a war on Iraq. It is well obvious that the people of Ireland do not want this war and want the US troops out of Shannon. Recent opinion polls in the US tell us that only a very minority support Bush's war, and that minority is itself questionable. Noone only Bush & Blair want this. The world is uniting and saying NO, and we will stop this war. There ain't no power like the power of the people coz the power of the people don't stop.
Finally can I just say that I don't support the burning of the US flag. It was completely unnecessary, its not the American people we are against, its Bush & co, its the US foreign policy, what it does and stands for,
wake up Loca, this is a war for oil. Bush, Blair, Hussein, they're all as bad as one another. Come help us stop this war, come to Dublin on Feb 15th and show your solidarity to the people of Iraq,
peace,
denise*

by nic Thu Jan 23, 2003 18:58 gingerbreadfiend at hotmail dot com belfast

the shannon protest was fantastic. it got the point across that many people are unhappy about this war and irelands involvement in it. the peace camp maintains that over time and keeps the ethic going. BUT to get all excited over it and just look forward to the 'next big protest' is completely pointless.

if we really want to stop war maybe we need to localise and build sustainable communities, starting with our own areas. trying to understand each others' needs and provide for that is something which we should all try and suggest to all the people around us, rather than getting carried away with protesting.

by gar Tue Jan 28, 2003 20:04

I was on the roof at the protest and it wasn't an immature kid that was pouring milk,it was a man but he only did it because gardai were dangerously pulling people down who attempted to climb the roof.