Iraqi Demo Clouded By Shame..

by One of 130,000 Fri Apr 11, 2003 03:25

They could only manage about 50? Pathetic! I wonder how many of them were paid to be there.

If they think the war is so great maybe they can get the next plane to Iraq, we would certainly be better off without these fascist assholes.

by A Fri Apr 11, 2003 03:41

These gangsters do not represent the people of Iraq.

by Glen Swizer Fri Apr 11, 2003 07:45 lan_guru_98 at yahoo dot com

Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't make them a 'fascist'. If anyones a 'fascist' its the person who refuses to accept the right of others to dissent.

by Against imperialism and fascism Fri Apr 11, 2003 08:23

Supporters of Anglo-American imperialism have more than their share of free speech. In fact, here in the U.S. especially but also in most of the Anglophone world, they have a virtual monopoly on speech.

The question of whether or not they are technically fascists is debatable, and might require knowing more about them, but they certainly are the milieu that provides the recruits for fascism in times of serious crisis.

by James McKenna Fri Apr 11, 2003 08:43

More RTE spin! This march was reported as twice its size while Anti-war marches suprisingly shrink by 50% when reported on RTE. Interesting.

This sort of rent-a-mob has been placed in most world capitals by the US a long time ago to be at the ready for when they were needed to give "Iraqi" justification for the murder. They will be off to their nice pay-offs in the US or Iraq soon, while we will be subjected to a new brigade of "Syrian dissidents". Remember when it was Afghani women pleading with us for their "freedom" and story after story about the Taliban?

These few plastic Iraqis don't have to ring RTE to make a comment . RTE calls them!

Mary O'Rourke yesterday in the Seanad described the "forced scenes of jollity" in the streets of Baghdad that were shown ad nauseum on RTE and carried live on the Joe Duffy show as "Nauseating". What do you call these bums parading around Dublin from Trinity to the US and then British embassies carrying US flags shouting praise for George Bush? An abomination?

Can loyalists now come with Ulster flags and Union Jacks to give the finger to Irish people. Would that not be seen as a breech of the peace/ incitement to violence/racial hatred/ insulting abusive behaviour? Is this not? Where were the riot police?

RTE didn't see them that way. To RTE they are conclusive proof that the US has won the war and that the anti-war people "were wrong".

Marianne Finucne, Pat Kenny and Joe Duffy all jeered and repeatedly asked :" But don't the anti-war people feel they got it all wrong now"?

The answer is "no" if you were to ask us, the people who brough over 100,000 out on the streets of Dublin alone. "NO", is the answer Marianne, Joe and Pat. This war is illegal, immoral and far from over no matter what RTE would have us believe to try in the short time to undermine anti-war support.

Close Shannon airport to the US war criminals

by MG Fri Apr 11, 2003 09:33

I walked past this demo on the way home from work yesterday and I must admit it did seem a bit forced. I join with the Iraqi people in rejoicing at the end of Saddam Hussein, and the 30 or so protestors I saw outside Trinity are perfectly entitled to march, regardless of my views. However, the fact that so many of them were carrying US flags made me suspicious. Why would any Arab march down the street waving the stars and stripes? If they really want a US puppet regime and a McDonalds on every corner of Baghdad, maybe we should just give up and let them live with the consequences of Western economic imperialism.

Also, the crowd was chanting "Bye Bye Saddam" and the same words kept coming into my head in response: "Hello Sharon".

by r Fri Apr 11, 2003 09:45

Tehehe, who's the last guy in the photo? He looks like an evil decrepit version of Eoin Dubskey...

by Glen Swizer Fri Apr 11, 2003 10:37

"Supporters of Anglo-American imperialism have more than their share of free speech. In fact, here in the U.S. especially but also in most of the Anglophone world, they have a virtual monopoly on speech."

It's not that they have a monopoloy on free speech. By definition free speech is, well, free. it's just that views like yours are deeply unpopular with other Americans.

"The question of whether or not they are technically fascists is debatable, and might require knowing more about them, but they certainly are the milieu that provides the recruits for fascism in times of serious crisis."

So by excercising theur right to free speech they are either fascists or 'sort of fascists'? Aren't you leaping to conclusions here? Or is it that your whole sad little worldview has been proved wrong yet again?

by pat c Fri Apr 11, 2003 11:16

does he ever sleep? has he been cloned?

by Aidan Fri Apr 11, 2003 11:29

PUTTING DOWN IRAQIS MARCH IN DUBLIN IS PATHETIC
by Tim Andrews - Independent Fri, Apr 11 2003, 9:31am
[email protected]
People on this site are losing the plot. Iraqis march in Dublin to thank the US and UK for getting rid of Saddam but they are rubbished as right-wing fools. It's seen as some type of plot with mystery "grey suited men" running the show as one conspiracy theorist posted. Get over it. It's their country they have a right to be happy.

by Against imperialism and fascism Fri Apr 11, 2003 11:53

1) I wrote: "Supporters of Anglo-American imperialism have more than their share of free speech. In fact, here in the U.S. especially but also in most of the Anglophone world, they have a virtual monopoly on speech."

Glen Swizer replied: "It's not that they have a monopoloy on free speech. By definition free speech is, well, free. it's just that views like yours are deeply unpopular with other Americans."

It's true that anti-imperialist views are a minority in the U.S., as they are in almost any imperialist country (in regard to that country's imperialism, not that of its rivals). But even the polls put out by the pro-war media give the percentage opposing the war as 25-30%, while the proportion of anti-war views in the media is certainly under 10%, and a lot less than that on television, which is the most influential medium. I think one can assume that, if anti-war analyses and opinions had equal time and space in the U.S. media, a majority of the U.S. population would oppose the war.

By the way, free speech is not free. In fact, except on the Internet, it's fairly expensive!

2) I wrote: "The question of whether or not they are technically fascists is debatable, and might require knowing more about them, but they certainly are the milieu that provides the recruits for fascism in times of serious crisis."

Glen Swizer replied: "So by excercising theur [sic!] right to free speech they are either fascists or 'sort of fascists'? Aren't you leaping to conclusions here? Or is it that your whole sad little worldview has been proved wrong yet again?"

Where did I (or anybody) say that "by excercising [sic!] theur [sic!] right to free speech they are ... fascists"? If they are fascists, or just plain pro-imperialist ass-kissers, they may show it by exercising their right to free speech, just as someone else may show that they are a communist, anarchist, religious fanatic or football enthusiast by exercising their right to free speech. It's what they say that may (or may not) indicate that they are fascists, not the fact that they say something!

And, unfortunately, my worldview has been proven right yet again. The imperialists have proven to be exactly the brutal murderers that I knew them to be, although even I was a bit surprised by their blatant multiple murders of independent journalists.

by Sean Fri Apr 11, 2003 12:09

These people have a right to march even if they were paid, even if they are faschists or whatever. People have a right to say anything they want about this march. Other people have a right to criticize those that criticize the march and the resons for it.
Ain't free speech great?

by James McKenna Fri Apr 11, 2003 12:14

I believe that is the US Embassador

by Glen Swizer Fri Apr 11, 2003 15:23

"Free Speech" is not guaranteed airtime on the TV. The reality is that the moment someone starts rabbiting on about 'imperialism' 99% of the population will start to regard them as an annoyance, an idiot, or both.

by Maubere Fri Apr 11, 2003 18:33

Tim you posted an article yesterday about Iraq being liberated, yet the article just before yours was astory about a US backed militia (made up of former soldiers from the Evil dictators army) rampageing thru a town in Iraq. Theres no way you could not have seen the article so you must be ignoring these uncomfortable facts, if you really disliked Saddam's regime then you would oppose Bush putting his war criminal mates back in charge, eg Nizar Al-Khazaraji, who gassed the Kurds (remember Halabja???) and is wanted for war crimes, if you don't reply to this I'll just presume you conced you haven't a clue what your on about

by CRanapia Mon Apr 14, 2003 00:28

Gee, if I didn't know better I'd write off most of these comments as the work of right-wing trolls. When Iraqis exercise their freedoms of assembly and speech to say something YOU don't like they're 'fascists'. Oh, and I find it delightful that size does matter when it comes to marches - a typical right-wing tactic to discredit protests. You feel the need to indulge in juvenile name-calling like some demented Ann Counter wannabe.

God, with friends like this progressives don't need enemies.