800 people are reclaiming the streets Dublin
national |
miscellaneous |
news report
Monday May 06, 2002 16:39
by rowan
Approx 800-1000 people are occupying George's Quay, Dublin (between Tara St. Dart Station and O'Connell bridge)
2.50pm A fence made from 8 metal traffic barricades locked together goes across the street at the junction of St. George's Quay and Tara St, beside Butt Bridge. Traffic gets diverted across Butt bridge.
3.00pm Gardaí attempt to cut locks with bolt cutters. No good.
3.05pm Fire Brigade arrive with angle grinders and cut through locks, but a crowd of approx 800- 1000 people have made their way onto St. George's Quay and are now partying like mad things. Gardaí continue to divert traffic across Butt bridge.
2 sound systems are providing the music with decks/cds. A Rinky Dink Bicycle powered sound system is also present but is being fixed by Rinky Dinky engineers. Capoeira (Brazilian martial art) dancers have the crowd entranced with their street acrobatics. Other stuff: football, skateboarding, twister, dancing, bongoing, whistling, cheering, screaming, singing and guerilla gardening.
Medium / minimal police presence; no arrests, no hassle from the police so far.
Also a man is running around dressed in only a codpiece while hitting people with an inflatable mace.
4.00pm Party still going, no sign of abating.
-----------------------------------------
update:
4.10pm Some people attempt to push an old car (with smoke grenades going off inside) from a side street onto St. Georges Quay; Gardaí prevent them and some scuffles break out, some Garda wearing riot gear are present. One person injured by police now on the ground awaiting medical attention. People with video cameras (also some wearing press passes) have been dragged away from scene by Gardaí.
4.20pm Stand-off between crowd and Gardaí. Situation more tense now. Gardaí use batons, several people arrested, including one person on crutches.
Party then continues peacefully.
6.30pm. No. of people down in the lower hundreds now, crowd + sound systems moves towards Dame St. Gardaí begin to attack the smaller groups.
Reports of gardaí using batons indiscriminately against people, including children and non-involved passers-by, throwing people up against buses. 15-20 arrests, many injured.
In an act of media censorship, one journalist had a camera battery taken by police (but not arrested), rendering the camera useless, and preventing that journalist from capturing images of police brutality.
Crowd of 100-150 people moves down towards Civic Offices, Wood Quay. At least one sound system still in operation.
9pm. Congregation at Pearse st. station to support the people arrested.
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Comments (22 of 22)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22Love to be there!
Keep it up folks, sounds like an amazing turnout and a great action, just don`t let them bastard coppers get their hands on that lovely banner. Sadly I find myself in the belly of the beast over here in North America, so give them one for me.
Chekov
Dublin at last redeems itself.
More news please...
Down with Toytown!
h.
Have got reports of things turning ugly when the remaining party people headed for dame street around 7pm. Baton charges, injuries and arrests. People are following the savages and those detained to Pearse St Garda Station right around now.
got to gpo half hour late, no one there, was around town all day, saw and heard nothing. could have been better organised. why did no one stay on o'connell street??????
The reports are true. After we left the Quay's we planned to go to the Civics Offices on Wood Quay. Police blocked the way so were heading towards Stephens Green. We were walking down Dame Street and were at the Central Bank when the riot vans and motorbikes started trying to ram. We responded by peacefully sittting in the street when the police started beating everyone with batons. 6 police attacked one woman for refusing to hand over her drink. Another person was beaten over the head twice for standing there. Many more were thrown on the ground and beaten. I managed to get away with a few hits to the shoulders and legs. Even people screaming peaceful protest were attacked. Police baton charged us against the walls while at the same time telling us to move away when we couldn't.
Just seen the RTE News. They're claiming 14 people were arrested and that it was an anti-globalisation protest. Also saying that we blocked traffic but we blocked the traffic as we marched. They forgot to talk about the police brutality and the fact that a police van and motorbike began trying to break our banner.
I was around for nearly all of the action today. I feel that the police really must take the blame for escalating the tension and foolishly responding to goading by the crowd.
Dublin has done it's bit for the anti capitalist movement. I thought it was wonderful so many people turned out. It is a shame the cops had to turn it ugly. Very poor crowd management too.
I've just been watching the 9 o'clock news on RTE and shock/horror there has not been any mention of the event today, although I anticipate the negative aspects of police interference (which will be depicted as being warranted) may make it into tomorrows side columns attacking the 'loony left'. One might think that a disruption to the usually heavy traffic flow in the city centre and the street party should warrant coverage at least on the major internet sites, ireland.com and Unison, with their breaking news sections. However, there has been no mention of today's event. Why one might ask? Not because it is not significant enough but perhaps because these organizations are afraid of giving publicity to the event, censoring it if you will.
I was at the RTS today in Dublin and it was a bit dissapointing. Not to criticise from the sidelines (I would of liked to help but had no time), but I was expecting a much bigger turnout of people. There was 800 - 1000 there but problems with PA and music. The biggest problem was lack of organisation. The RTS organisers took over three hours to move the demonstration and I think by doing this earlier, could have gathered more people.
What were the police doing?? From the reports, the attacks seem totally unprovoked.
We sat down in peaceful protest in Dame Street in protest to an attempt by a police van and motorbike reving up behind us and attemting push us apart when all hell broke loose and we were attacked.
Murder, aggravated assault, intimidation and theft are rampant in recent years and getting worse. There's only one thing to do: get rid of the pigs that are responsible for it.
Murder: of the mentally ill (Abbeylara)
Aggravated assault: RTS, Burlington etc etc
Intimidation: any political protest, any poor neighbourhood
Theft: who provides the muscle for the Haugheys, Lowrys, Aherns, Springs? Who provides the muscle to smash effective pickets?
Time for change friends.
Comments on today and above comments
1. Whoever said they were disappointed with the turnout - get real - this was the biggest 'non-aligned' public protest I've ever seen in Dublin and was ten times bigger than the last RTS on Car Free Day Last Year. It was great crack as well while I was there and I managed to scab a few free drinks, chat with anarchists and socialists and 'Catholic Anarchists', see a man flashing his (quite small) balls, smoke a j, watch the RTS flag being raised, chat to a lovely homeless guy called Johnny and generally feel like I was happy where I was.
2. RTE /Irish Times etc are afraid to directly criticise garda behaviour - It suits them down to the ground to have no news teams at events and protests - especially when there is any kind of conflict. They don't like covering it. They are afraid of their masters. There is no alternative to mainstream political activity in Ireland. This is the worldview of RTE and other mainstream media here. It suits everybody if they ignore this kind of thing. Except to commodify the event and stik it in a 'youth' oriented magazine programme months down the line when it does not matter. Yes there was an RTE crew there (posing as 'Indymedia' types.
3. The Guards are unaccountable. They will not even let the government enquire into their activities. Abbeylara etc. As for complaining about their treatment of individuals - the list of complaints about their behavior is 1000's long and absolutely nothing ever comes of any of these complaints. Ask a solicitor about this sometime. It is really disgusting.
4. What can be done about it all? Tell your friends - write what you saw on IMC and most important bring 10 times as many people next time. Nothing like a bit of mistreatment to motivate people. There are a hell of a lot more people in dublin that like a party and are in favour of public transport and pedestrianisation than there are of those boyos.
One thing I always find helpful in venting steam is to phone rte (2083111) ask to be put through to the newsdesk and harangue them about stories / lack of stories / inaccuracies etc. Same goes for other media.
Sorry for saying I was dissapointed with the turnout for the event - I was thinking of something more on the lines of Traffalgar Sq. in London last year (well a tad smaller).
I was talking to friends who got to stay until the end of the demonstration and the reports of Garda brutality seem to be true. One of then narrowly missed a Garda batton and was covered in blood while attempting to stay away from confrontation and not doing anything untoward.
I saw the Garda aggression earlier today and it really annoyed people. We were trying to have a peaceful protest and I think they took it as a serious attack on THEIR authority. RTS is not about violence and a violent response to a peaceful protest is the kind of reaction you would expect in a backward, facist, police state.
I would like to appeal to people to use the number for RTE posted above - call and complain about the misrepresentation of the event.
I think it would be a great idea to ask all the people who have footage or pics of the brutality to network and post it on the web for the world to see.
What's happened has happened - let's do something about it. Suggestions please!!
I was at the RTS today and all of the above is true.
The sight of a number of snarling Gardaí baton-charging young peaceful protestors, leaving some bleeding on the ground deserves to be seen by the wider public. I just hope someone caught it on video and uploads it.
If everyone there today brings more of their friends next to the next march it won't be so easy to break up.
jamie
Great to see so many "actions" popping up on indymedia, and by the sounds of things more and more heads are coming out to play. In genoa there was quite a big Irish contingent and its good to see that all those have kept the spirits up and continue party/struggle/protest at home. Unfortunately can't be with you all at present but hope all goes well. What's the charges against those arrested? Is there any collective of lawyers that will take on cases such as these. As in other European countries the charges for civil disobedience are going to get tougher and best to be prepared. The mainstream media will publish what it always has... the cops are the good guys and a tiny minority fucked up the fun by being disrespectful to the boys in blue. That's why there is a necessity for indymedia. irl. Anyway keep the heads up and the paddywagons burning...
Gardaí arrest 14 for at Dublin May Day protest
Notice the lack of a charge in the headline. This (mis)sentence is the revealing headline on the main page that links to the (changing) story.
Went, it was great, thanks to the guy doing face painting and the people with the bubbles - the kids with me loved it. Respect and thanks to everybody I met for the atmosphere.
Hope everybody is OK tomorrow.
An absolute perfect end to the bank holiday weekend. Fair play to the organisers who did a great job (despite a lot of criticism). Atmosphere was relaxed and happy, good to know there are still people out there who care. Only downfall was seeing too much ass on the leather clad gimp boy. Dublin we respect.
An absolute perfect end to the bank holiday weekend. Fair play to the organisers who did a great job (despite a lot of criticism). Atmosphere was relaxed and happy, good to know there are still people out there who care. Only downfall was seeing too much ass on the leather clad gimp boy. Dublin we respect.
you didn't have to keep looking at the ass...specticle is part and parcel of the thing after all, and a celebration of diversity and tolerence is at least part of the reason that I was there.
Without brave cold asses like that we would be druggery manifested, baby.
I ment (I swear) 'Drudgery', not druggery' in previous post...time for bed