If you went down to the fence today

national | miscellaneous | news report Sunday March 02, 2003 01:57 by seedot

There was no big surprise.

Personal observation of M1 Shannon mass trespass attempt.

On 26th February the Grassroots Network issued an invitation to take part in a mass trespass at Shannon Airport, site of US military transit landings. Going down i was aware of heated discussion in hte chattering classes of what was going to happen. But last December I went to report on anotyher protest billed as Direct Action. In the twilight I walked along the same fence as todays protest in a confiused, fairly good natured mix of guards and protestors. A few people spotted a gap and had a run at the fence and the Catholic Workers built quite an artistic shrine.

Today the crowd at the fence was bigger - more guards, more protestors and loads of expensive corporate AV equipment and its playmates. It wasn't F15 bigger, but there were new faces. This time there was a trumpet and a death figure but the petrol gennie from Cork and the coffins of neutrality didn't accompany their playmates. The guards kindly brought some horses and some even got dressed up in their manifestation costumes. But they were generally older, a few had very egalitarian plastic vests with Garda printed on them and in general they were tense but not stressed. They won the numbers game and I saw quite a few smiling along with the rest of us to those whose tactic is laughter.

The IAWM march passed by and it was loud and varied. Two guys argued a political point via megaphones, which made the whole thing feel continental and democratic. Food was passed out in the crowd, some arrests were made and the pictures were taken. There'll be some steely jaws in the photos but I think the calls for non-violence were heard by everyone at the fence.

Eoin Dubsky rang up and got arrested last October.

Mary Kelly faced arrest alone, followed by the five Catholic Workers.

On March 1st 10 people were arrested, this time under the public order act.

Ireland is maturing. The people arrested today stood in a crowd that held up sections of bunreacht na heaireann, the articles of our constitution that the protestors believe the government is in breach of. The openness displayed by publishing a call for non-violent, mass lawbeaking reduced the numbers in Shannon today. But if the tactic you choose opens others to risk, it is your civic duty to inform people of your plans. Today, due to the calm displayed by everyone at the fence, arrest was the main risk. Maybe ow we can look at the policy that, in increasing numbers our citizens are being arrested protesting against, and maybe even the bill that they are being charged under.

Because today was impressive. I went down to ring in updates on what was happening. But I saw democracy happening and someone gave me a bun. Good day overall, (thankfully) no big surprise.