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news report
 Thursday March 20, 2003 17:27 by DAVY CARLIN - SWP and Belfast Anti War Movement carlindavid at hotmail dot com
 Thousands of school students take direct action 'I have never seen such radicalisation by schools students - not even in the sixties and seventies'. So stated one onlooker. As some schoolstudents gathered out side Belfast city hall a huge cheer went up as over 300 schoolstudents lead by a huge banner of Schools Against War {SAW} came into sight as they marched up the road - they had come from schools from all over the Lisburn Rd area. They then joined others from their campaign group who had travelled from all over North and East Belfast. The call went up from SAW to get on the Road and sit down. The road {all three intersections at the city hall} was then completely blocked and everything came to a standstill as a die in commenced after a one minutes silence was held for the Iraqi civilians who will be butchered in the coming times. Thirty minutes later another massive cheer went up as Schools Against the war {SAW} arrived from West Belfast. They came with banners from St donomics, st Louises , De La salle , St genieves, Irish Schools and many more all under the Banner of Schools Against War. The school students then took to the mike with dozens of students from many schools speaking, still blocking all traffic. Then yet another massive cheer again went up as more SAW came into sight - they had marched from the oreamu road. They to joined their colleagues on the sit down. Over one hour later the call went up from schoolstudents 'lets march upon the US consul in Belfast'. And with that a twelve year old SAW activist chanting on the mike lead hundreds upon hundreds of fellow campaigners through the streets of Belfast to the US consul. As the arrived they were met with scores of police in body armour, dogs, and fences, but the school students undeterred moved forward and jumped over and started to remove the fencing. Twelve year olds, thirteen year olds, fourteen year old students etc - young men and women loud and voicing their anger in their hundreds surged forward against the consul as the police moved against them. The schools students although able to remove the fencing were unable to get into the counsul so they continued to block of the road with their sit down. Finally all those present were thanked for joining the schools against war protests and walkouts and were urged to come out again tommorrow to support Fridays rally with trade unionists and also for Saturdays rally where a SAW member will be speaking representing all of the schoolstudents around the North.They were also told of Saturdays feeder marches organised by the Belfast Anti War movement -one from the bottom of the Whiterock, Falls RD and one from Ormeau park Ormeau Rd both at 1pm. Then the students all stood up, turn around, linked arms and marched as one past the police land drovers making sure everyone came through - then went back to their schools to organise for tommorrow. Who said the schoolstudents are apathetic, who said international politics meant nothing here. Who said that the spirt of Genoa could not be brought to the streets of Belfast. It has done once again - and that is only the tip of the iceberg. |
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Comments (8 of 8)
Jump To Comment: 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Rubbish - SAW and SWP members along with militant students led the demo from South Belfast that came along and blocked the road. Otherwise no action would have taken place.
The road block would have been hours shorter if everyone had listened to the swp and left when they ordered us to go. This is our protest and we'll do it the way we want
Hundreds of SAW and Queens students also blocked the main road in South Belfast and there was an occupation in BIFHE by members of Anti war movement.
Fucking brilliant schools against war. Scores of armed riot police , dogs, armoured vechicles, and truncheon wheeling pigs could not drive Schools against war back. Will be there tomorrow with the belfast anti war movement and the schools against war and trade union walkout. While a few other people held meetings on the pavement holding placcards and listening to boring speeches you got stuck in. Once again fucking brilliant I hope to see and get wired in with more direct action from the SWPers in Belfast tommorrow. Fucking Brilliant
From the US consul, I followed the protest as it returned to the City Hall where traffic was blocked for a further 45 minutes.
The crowd was composed almost entirely of engaged school children, many still in uniform.
The police seemed unprepared for the deftness and unpredictability of their autonomous actions. Backup vehicles were themselves caught in the jam.
At one point, a particularly irate van driver mounted the curb in an attempt to pass on the footpath. He was immediately surrounded and turned back to a burst of applause.
One adult was arrested, and one young school student, still in uniform, apparently for doing nothing more than attempting to cross the road.
The sit-down continued as, after 25 minutes, traffic was reversed out of the area. It was to be a further 20 minutes before a display of riot police with dogs and land rovers finally cleared the demonstrators to the roadside.
A large contingent moved off to Musgrave Street Police Station for a protest in support of the arrestees.
A small group blocking the slip-road unto Royal Avenue held out for a further 10 minutes.
One may wonder how to reconcile the vigour of these demonstrators with the conventional wisdom, widely put about after the last general election, that decreasing electoral participation represents a growing mood of public political apathy.
Five school students were arrested in the social disobedience following the Belfast rally. Many students occupied Royal Avenue with police threatening arrest and setting dogs on the students.
Three students were arrested, the majority of the demo broke up when the police read out our rights. Around 50 students from SAW then went round to the police station demanding the release of any arrested students.
The police looked at us stunned faced not expecting any more dissent. Four more activists where then cautioned. Two were arrested as scuffles broke out and another one was taken in for a caution.
More info will be posted when I get some sleep.
That so called SAW activist is the daughter of a popular UTV newsreader. YEEHAR
"Blaming the public for its "lack of interest in politics" is the self-deluding excuse of media executives who claim an insight into the popular mood, yet are contemptuous of it. In truth, the public has never been more interested in real politics, which it does not associate with the deceptions and gossip of an elective oligarchy."
-- John Pilger