Kissinger in Cork

by utv Thu Feb 28, 2002 13:32

Protests over Kissinger's Cork visit
A series of protests are set to greet former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger when he arrives in Cork this week.

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Mr Kissinger, a former right hand man of US president Richard Nixon, is to address an ecomonic conference at University College Cork.

The theme of the conference is `The Changing Global and Economic Climate`.

However, Mr Kissinger`s role in US politics has sparked a wave of protests over the visit.

The Socialist Workers` Party and Socialist Youth plan a number of protests, while the Cork Council of Trade Unions is also up in arms.

CCTU said it was appalled that UCC and a number of Cork based businesses had decided to invite the former US secretary of state in view of the bombings of Vietnam and Cambodia.

Green Party Councillor Dan Boyle said Mr Kissinger made a number of decisions that resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and his opinions and views were "not those that should be lauded".

Tickets for the UCC seminar cost ?00 a head.

by rowan Thu Feb 28, 2002 18:32

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by twat Thu Feb 28, 2002 20:22

I didn't have a camera myself but there were plenty around. If I get my hands on any I'll scan 'em in and wire them up.

by mark Mon Mar 04, 2002 10:57 generation_a at hotmail dot com

I was there on wednesday and although i'm not usually a good judge of crowd size i would like to dispute the numbers bandied about both on this site and tv3 news. It's not permissible to count disinterested onlookers as protesters.
I just want to know what people thought they've sincerely achieved, so the old git got a bit of a shaking, so what, what will it change.
To tell the truth i was really pissed off by the attitude of some of the protesters who just seemed up for a ruck. After ol' Henry was ushered into our esteemed place of learning i noticed that a lot of 'protesters' were standing around noisily congratulating themselves on a job well done whilst also drowning out the voices of an old couple who had direct experience of insidious US foreign policy in chile? People just didn't seem to care.
sorry to sound so negative and cynical, i detest the excesses of US foreign policy as much as any decent human, i've also seen the effects in south east asia for myself but i just don't see what pushing an old git like that can achieve.We need an international court to deal with transgressors of human rights like him not students up for a bit of a scrap with the 'man'.
please click on the link above to see more of Henry's shady dealings this time in Angola.

by twat Mon Mar 04, 2002 21:10

I am very happy with what was achieved at the two protests. Do you, Mark, think that Pol Pot should be invited to talk at UCC (were he alive) and would you protest his presence? There is no difference in my book between Kissinger and Pol Pot only that Kissinger wielded vastly more power and was probably responsible for more misery.
In relation to free speach, let him speak from the pulpit of the church to which he sends his enemies. The Hague. As I commented in some other report, anyone could have smacked the man had they wished to but nobody did. That reflects some respect for human life in the presence of depravity. I do not condone or criticise the jostling that he received but in reality no harm was done and the message was clear, Kissinger is NOT welcome here.
In relation to the numbers at the protest, I feel I was conservative in numbering 60 to 70 as a core presence at each protest. I specifically mentioned the fact that the numbers swelled at 9, 10, 11am etc due to the arrival of curious students so that I would not be accused of massaging the truth. I think I even mentioned that this showed how weak and (I didn't mention) illiterate the student body is. I also don't know why you chose to post this comment against a newswire article where no numbers were mentioned at all.
If you so detest the excesses of American foreign policy, what do you suggest that you do about it? Do you welcome one of the main architects of that policy with open arms? Do you let them know that they are not welcome? I chose the latter because that's how I feel.
Who is going to put that man in a criminal court? Is Georgw W going to let a "decent, law abiding" American citizen like Kissinger be tried? In fact one of the female protesters caught onto his sleeve and declared "Citizens arrest!" before being blown away by Garda. What are things about if the protectors of the law are protecting a mass murderer?

by mark Tue Mar 05, 2002 17:08

Good reply twat but i feel that my initial point was to do with student support (as a whole)of the protest. I believe that most of the onlookers were bemused by the sight of a normally sedate lecture area turned into something more akin to an anti-globalisation demonstration, although on a vastly smaller scale. I just wonder as to whether the student body as a whole really cared about the crimes of this elderly man AND no of course i ain't condoning his actions (or anyone of his ilk).
Sure you make a good point about making certain that people like him are never made feel welcome wherever they appear but that on it's own can't achieve an end to crimes 'gainst humanity, can it?