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Widespread Protests at Bush Visit national |
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news report
 Monday April 07, 2003 22:59 by George Row gh_row at yahoo dot co dot uk
 thousands march on Hillsborough As George Bush II's plane was setting down at Belfast International Airport thousands of people were protesting against his visit near Hillsborough and across the the North of Ireland. Monday 7th April, on the outskirts of Belfast. As George Bush II's plane was setting down at Belfast Airport thousands of people protesting against his visit were trying to reach Hillsborough Castle, the traditional residence of the Governor of Northern Ireland (when there was one). In advance of tomorrow's meeting between Bush and Blair the village of Hillsborough had been turned into what the American advance party insisted on calling a "Sterile Zone". No one has been allowed into the village unless they could prove they lived there and then only on foot.
As the crowd assembled there were people from all walks of life, from many political groups and from none. There was a carnival atmosphere. There were many colourful banners. At 6:00 pm the march set off along the main road (the A1?) towards Hillsborough village. There was frequent and obvious support coming from the traffic moving along the road in the opposite direction. One marcher who had travelled the eighty miles from Derry to be there, said "I'm a member of Foyle Ethical Investment Campaign. We have been campaigning against Raytheon an American missile manufacturer who have a plant in our city. There are people here from all over. Its a good crowd, a great mix of people. It contradicts the assumption that this is an inward looking place which can be taken for granted." Many other people in the crowd had walked out from other parts of Belfast to participate. A fleet of buses had made the journey from Dublin. The march organisers, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, had set up a stage for a rally near a roundabout approximately half a mile from Hillsborough. When the march reached the rally point the largest part of the crowd pressed on down the road towards Hillsborough. About four hundred metres from Hillsborough Castle itself the march was confronted by a huge force of police in full riot gear lined across the road and blocking their path. The visible police were in front of line upon line of police landrovers set across the road. The marchers sat down in the road and there were some tense moments as a stand-off developed. For about thirty minutes these marchers continued to protest in front of the menacing police lines. They held a "die-in" outlining each other's bodies in chalk and writing: "This person has been liberated". They chalked anti-war slogans on the ground and chanted. Eventually these marchers returned to the rally point for speeches. The speakers at the rally included veteran Civil Rights campaigner Eamonn McCann of the Socialist Workers Party, Mitchell McLaughlin Chairperson of Sinn Féin and Alex Attwood for the SDLP. Eamonn McCann lambasted Bush and Blair for their hypocrisy in calling on politicians here to use only political means while feeling free to use the bomb and bullet themselves when they do not get their way in international institutions. Both the SDLP and Sinn Féin speakers reiterated their intention to "join in demonstrating our repudiation of this unwarranted war on Iraq" and criticised the cynical stage management of the meeting as a "war and peace summit". Justifying their decision to meet Bush and Blair about the Northern Ireland political process, they each made statements to the effect that their determination to achieve progress here would not prevent them from registering their views on the war. Both called upon their supporters to continue to voice their opposition to the war. Mitchell McLaughlin said: "This evening we join people from across the country outside Hillsborough and tomorrow we will convey our opposition to the war on Iraq directly to both the British Prime Minister and the US President when we meet them." At the time of writing the protestors were rejoining their buses to return home having given a taste of the opposition to the war summit of Bush and Blair. Earlier in the day there were protests across the North of Ireland against Bush's visit. For example in Derry there were several protest actions which centred around "icons" of the city. They included dressing two statues by the river in Derry in protest tee-shirts; a protest outside the local hospital and overnight the famous wall with the slogan "You Are Now Entering Free Derry" was draped in black for the duration of Bush's visit. The tee-shirts fitted on the statues had slogans which read: "Ireland - War Criminal Bush out" and "Iraq - War Criminal Bush out" and the statues had a broken missile strung between them. The protestors at the hospital assembled around a statue of the Celtic goddess Macha made links with hospitals in Baghdad. They were amongst the protestors who were interviewed on the local BBC evening TV news. Macha was an anti-war goddess who in Irish myth and legend cursed the warriors of Ulster with labour pains. The first image here shows a selection of banners which were on display at Hillsborough. They were sent by mobile phone image capture at the scene. The earlier protests are shown in the other photos here. This report was mostly compiled from information provided by telephone by participants in the march. |
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Comments (19 of 19)
Jump To Comment: 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Thanks to everyone involved in protesting the visit of the two murderous warmongers (one of whom, I am truly embarrassed to say, claims to act in my name.) Thanks also to those who raise our spirits by bringing us the news and the photos denied to us by the "mainstream" organizations. These are dark days for people who hunger for justice and peace and sometimes the obstacles look impregnable. We must stand together and stay the course. Never let the bastards see you sweat!
I am from Derry and curently travelling abroad. Having heard that Bush and Blair were meeting in Ireland I actually felt a little homesick as I would have loved the opportunity to join the protests and make it clear to the pair that I am totally against this illegal war.
I did get the chance to join an anti-war march in Cuzco Saturday 29th March, about 500 people including quite a few Gringos. I have yet to meet one person who supports the war. So much for democracy!
It seems that the people at home did get the point across well and imaginatively. I enjoyed seeing the pictures of the protests in Derry.
When will private citizens demand that corporate mass media get its investigative reporters off their frightened hind ends and publish the links between Bush and his gang and their connections to the energy industry, the war industry, criminal political corruption?
The public. especially the Amerikans and the Brits are force fed the monstrous propaganda that falsely reports the entire history of the corrupt and illegal administration that has taken over the US government through bribery by the corporations that make money from war devastation and death.
Any cursory look at Bush and his legacy of legalized murder in Texas has to be convinced that this pervert is not only insane and stupid, he is flat evil.
Not since Hitler's Nazi Germany has such a propaganda blitz been unleashed against a public. The gullibility and ignorance of the American public is beyond belief. It is completely mesmerized by lies, hypnotized by the constant drone of lies pumped out by the government and the corporations that own it. The Constitution is abrogated. The congress is a gang of millionaires. The public as a flock of sheep. The military is a bunch of mercenary thugs, exactly like Black and Tans, the ruthless killers Britain sent to Ireland to murder, rape and devastate.
If humanity cannot stop this carnage, the entire planet will erupt in terror, war and death.
ARMAGEDDON!
Stop dorking around with sexcoms and ballgames and do something, before your kids wind up in plastic bags, and your cities are bombed flat. As with all wars there will be retribution.
Most of the world already hates Amerika. If you don't move, you will be there when the next one hits. If you don't believe me, stand in an open grave and wait for the next death.
The points David makes are correct. On another thread someone says Rich Boy called on people to enter the fields - the truth is that he called on them NOT TO. Going into the fields was a good idea because it would stretch their lines, they would have to have 1 peeler for every one or two protesters and there would have been a greater chance of people getting through. However the most of the march stood in a line on the road actually getting in the way of the people who wanted to go into the field (it took me 10 minutes to get through them). The trendies seemed to view a field as dangerous alien territory and the idea of climbing a ditch as totally outside their ability. Scary. Might mess up the rainbow clothing I suppose.
I was talking to some middle aged Belfast people and they were very pissed off at all the 'sit down on the road crap'. One woman was saying 'I have never sat down in front of them and I never will', meaning the RUC riot squad. Another man pointed out that if they decided to attack people would be totally defenceless.
Furthermore the stewards made no effort at all to remove the moron doing the pro-American media stunt up the pole. Surely it is the role of the stewards to control such a situation before it gets out of hand. Instead it got slightly nasty, until some ordinary people on the march removed him and he scuttled off to safety behind RUC lines.
However the truth was most evident in all the Dublin protesters constantly telling each other 'the buses are going back at 8.30'. Since the SWP had run these buses and presumabably set the time it was clear that nothing could happen that might delay the buses running on time.
and that žthe Wallž was first sloganed against him then covered.
The World knows he went to neither Ireland nor Ulster to talk of peace.
The world got the message.
Thanks to all who made the effort to get to Hillsborough, it is certainly one of those difficult places to protest, and the fact that protest was reported on the national TV networks of all EU states, the fact that the "žWallž" was reported on seven TV stations is a clear sign of how welcome he is in Europe.
Mr Bush ignored the people, and he shall never be invited to spend a night in a "non secure" bed ever ever again.
He is the most despised leader Western Civilisation has known.
and the fact that only a handful of protesters could get close to the perimeter has to be considered against all previous attempts by protesters to approach Hillsborough.
The North "united" in a way to say "not welcome".
ye should all feel good at about this.
We are not here to stop wars - that is not possible. We are here to build the party so shut up and sell the paper. I come from the ruling class and I know how things are done ? don?t let the masses get out of control, keep ?em busy by marching them up the hill and then back down again. I've been bred for order giving, the rest of you have been bred for order taking.
When i was going up i thought it would be in support of a huge Northern Irish peace protest, when i arrived the first thing that i asked was- where are all the locals?
This was our best chance to make a difference and we failed, It is so demoralising to listen to Richard SWP Barret tell the crowd, we're not here to make a difference, we're here to quietly sit on the road and then get on our bus to go home. Shouting the same slogans is tired and predictable and it doesn't achieve anything. At one point a guy with a loud speaker suggested that we try to outflank the road block by going through the field and i thought this was a good idea. Richard immediatly stepped in and told everybody that "I don't think it's a good idea to split the movement" he then gave a few lame excuses about families not wanting to be involved in any real action. Never mind the fact that they could have easily chosen not to leave the road and instead have retreated back to the stage where there was pointless preaching to the converted taking place. The people who travelled long distances at short notice wanted more than a quick protest that will get a 3 second mention on the nine o clock news
Going around the road block might not have worked but at least we would have tried. I'm getting so tired of marching up and down, quietly knocking so we don't disturb anybody
Los Angeles, CA
Great to see the protesters out.
I'm proud that most of my ancestors are Irish - you folks really gave it to Shrub and his poodle! Thanks!
Looks like you had an excellent turnout at the demonstrations. Please keep working for peace. We are getting nothing but whitewash in the media here, so many people do not have the truth. Right now a lot of us are just sick. Thanks for all your efforts. NOT IN OUR NAME!! Peace, Vicki
The sheer amount of police and army there today was incredible. It shows just how scared Bush and Blair are of protests getting anywhere near the castle.
The police of course didn't display their usual massacre tactics for fear of the huge amount of media at the event. Six of us tried to get into Hillsborough before the main protest arrived, but were followed down the road by a police van, a motorbike, and a helicopter.
Whoever said above that there should have been more people is right. 200,000 is excessive, but I do think that we should be getting about 10,000 at a protest like that, and the fact that we don't looks terrible. BBC News said outright that one of the reasons for choosing Belfast is that "Its one of the only places in Europe where Bush and Blair can meet without the fear of mass protests."
On the other hand they totalled underplayed the protest today, but we really do need more people and more noise at events like this. And I could really do without all the self appointed socialist leaders trying to make their pointless speeches and then trying to disperse everyone.
Bush visits your country and now you know what "Free Speech zones" are- like your sterile zone of today, except ours are further away from the appearance of the "anointed one." Thank you for showing that there is nowhere in the world that Bush can go without massive protests. Probably the most hated man in the world.Thank you from an American peace advocate.
Congratulations to the small band of dedicated protesters who managed to make it within 100 yards of Butcher Bush.
It was a pleasure to witness the twenty or so protesters make there way quietly to directly outside Hillsborough Castle by mingling with the locals.
Just as the police began to realise what was happening the protesters revealed their true identities and blocked the road by lying down.
At that moment 100 yards away Bush was shaking Blair's hand.
The protesters were quickly removed from the road by police but it was, in my opinion, the biggest success of the day for the anti-war movement.
Three mile exclusion zone - yeh right!
The turn out overall was disappointing - to all who made the effort - well done.
Didn't seem to be too many from England, Wales, Scotland or Europe.
You have missed the best opportunity you had to send a strong signal acroos the globe that the majority of people are still against the war.
You should be ashamed of yourselves.
The thinking behind coming to NI was that the protests would not be too big - well done - you've proved Bush and Blair right. There should have been 200,000 here today, never mind 2000.
Respect to all those who made the effort.
Excellent pics + report, George. Well done! It was worth the 3am finish!
It was just a slow/delayed download for some reason. It loaded fine after I submitted my comment. Sorry.
Anyways, great report and nice to see the use of mobiles to transmit images quickly. Great stuff.
Editors can this be fixed?
IMC - Ireland at its best, showing what independent media can achieve with properly motivated people.