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Shannon / Never Trust a Politician - Articles from Organise WCR Bulletin 4

category national | anti-war / imperialism | news report author Saturday February 28, 2004 10:10author by Al - Organise! Report this post to the editors

-a personal report

My first encounter on route to the Shannon airport base came the previous night when the public bus I was travelling on was pulled over by the repressive forces of the Irish State and two coloured people were blatantly singled out and ordered to show some form of ID to the Garda and Immigration Control.

I raised an objection to this degrading form of institutionalised racism and was angrily told “shut your mouth up”. As most people are aware this is a frequent occurrence on public transport when crossing the border. It is also the essence of a militarised Fortress Europe and all its weapons of repression and isolation.

The next morning a couple of buses left from Liberty Hall in Dublin including the UCD bus which I travelled on. Despite the heavy police presence and thorough search of buses just outside Shannon we managed to safely arrive at our destination. There were at least 600 on the main blockade comprising a variety of political groupings who felt collective direct action was the most positive and effective method of showing opposition to the occupation of Iraq and US military refuelling at Shannon. I decided to go with the ‘Black bloc’ contingent which was much more liberating, creative and empowering then just marching from A to B and then going back home. The struggle for freedom and liberty must be through the school of freedom!

As we arrived we realised there would be an unpredictably tough battle ahead due to the repressive police measures – but they never managed to break our determination for human passion and liberty.
Our original plan was to get as close to the perimeter fence as possible but although attempts were made this proved to be unsuccessful on the day. There were around 100 on the bloc made up of Grassroots Network against the War (GNAW) who separated into affinity groups with maps of the area, which facilitated grassroots democracy and autonomous direct action. As we marched from Aldi to the first roundabout we decided to go into the woodland beside us to evade the cops but that failed because it left us back at square one although it was an amusing and adventurous journey. On the main road to Shannon warport, we attempted several times to get behind the Garda cordon by going into more woodland and trying to get into the nearby industrial estate but without success.

Food not Bombs were out in force which provided us with energy in order to keep our resistance and blockade sustained for a couple of hours.
However, despite the small set backs the main route to Shannon was successfully blockaded for several hours. The Garda attempted to provoke the bloc several times by driving into us but they had to withdraw. Minor scuffles broke out with the police and the bloc played quite an efficient role in de-arresting people. Some cars tried to pass us urged on by the police but had to turn back – especially when a brave woman in a wheelchair put her body in the way. Some enthusiastic youths from the local community got involved in the blockade that was good to see as some people looked upon us with hostility. The heavy police presence prevented more effective direct action as well as conservative elements of the IAWM who basically told us to conform to the ‘reformist’ rules of a blockade (i.e. march from A to B say a few words and march back again) and don’t carry out any action that might damage “their” credibility and prestige.

Overall the profile of the Irish Government's assistance of the US war machine at Shannon warport has been kept in the limelight and hopefully with more experience, co-operation and collective direct action this aiming and abetting of the US will be brought to an abrupt end. The anti-Blair/Bush/Bertie disease must be eliminated as it is reactive as well as self-defeating and only diverts attention from the real causes of these barbaric wars of plunder, which is capitalism. They all must go including the authoritarian system which arms, finances, supports and gives them so much bloody power!

Sean

**************************************************

From the pages of Working Class Resistance #4(WCR). bulletin of Organise!. To distribute WCR, contact Organise! at:

[email protected]

http://www.organiseireland.org

author by Al - Organise!publication date Sun Feb 29, 2004 12:48author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Recent events have taught us all a valuable lesson about the true nature of democracy and the utter futility of placing any trust in ‘our’ politicians. The Hutton Inquiry and the treachery of ‘anti-fees’ Labour MPs should have combined to deliver a severe blow to the body politic and the state.
That Hutton was a whitewash and that ‘independent’ state inquiries into the activity of the state can never be independent should come as no surprise. The government whitewash that was the Widgery report confirmed that to many of us in the north a long time ago.

The only conclusion that can be reached in relation to the Hutton Inquiry, Dr David Kelly’s death and the launching of a barbarous war on Iraq, a war excused by government on a tissue of lies, is that the State has at its heart death, deception and dishonesty.
The 2,000 strong, hi-tech, Iraq Survey Group have found no weapons of mass destruction. They have spent £300 million on finding nothing! Not one WMD in Iraq proves the lie of the former regimes “clear and present danger” to the west.

Here are four more lies from the Bush-Blair axis:

i) Blair promised that neither the US nor the UK would touch Iraqi oil. Resolution 1483 of the UN Security Council grants the coalition of two complete control over the oil fields.

ii) Blair claimed he had “nothing to do with” the decision to leak Dr David Kelly’s name to the press. The Hutton Inquiry discloses three meetings chaired by Blair, where the decision was made.

iii) Labour make great play of the fact that they “allowed” a vote in parliament on the decision to go to war. Robin Cook has admitted that Blair made a pact with Bush the year before to go to war on Iraq.

iv) The war on Iraq was to result in a “Road Map for Peace in the Middle East”. Now Israel has bombed Syria and is erecting a new, bigger, “Berlin Wall” through the occupied territories.

It is to be hoped that the professional activism and lobbying, which have been growing in popularity (in the absence of a movement willing and able to engage in struggle as opposed to grovelling) has been dealt a fatal blow.

Writing as a worker returning to study as a ‘mature student’ I could not believe that the latest student demo in Belfast – held in October – was almost identical to one I had attended as a tech student over 15 years ago!

The chants had changed – “Maggie, Maggie, Maggie” ditched for “Tony, Tony, Tony – Out, Out, Out!”. I seem to remember that on one of these student ground-hog protest days the chant was amended to “Major, Major, Major…” but its all a bit too hazy and samey.
As ever we were treated to pledges of support from the great and the good, pledges from student ‘leaders’ of action and commitment, determination and solidarity. It has, time and again, turned to so much ash in our mouths as it became apparent that our ‘leaders’ meant to convince the countries ‘leaders’ of the righteousness of our cause - by letter writing, lobbying, grovelling and pleading. And of course another rally next year to keep us marching in time to defeat after defeat, attack after attack on education and students.

But perhaps the bubble has burst and we can begin to get somewhere. With treachery apparent some students outside Westminster on the day of the “crucial tuition fees vote” got so upset that scuffles with the police were reported.

Are we, as working class people, whether unemployed, or working full or part-time, temporary, casual, expendable, student or whatever, ready for a new strategy? Has the grip of professional inactivism been weakened? Are we ready, and willing, for a bit of direct action?

Remember, whether its domestic or foreign policy, an extension of the class war against students or any other section of the working class or a war of domination and aggression fought against another country and counted in the lives of working class people - not those who sent them in – NEVER TRUST A POLITICIAN!

Jason.

**************************************************


From the pages of Working Class Resistance#4, bulletin of Organise! To distribute WCR, contact Organise! at:

[email protected]

http://www.organiseireland.org

author by Hellopublication date Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:14author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Who's hi-jacked this site??? 'Independant' media- I always see complaints that thinsg posted are not news and they are subsequently removed-altered, etc in minutes- SO WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS- "NEWSWIRE" FOR NEWS- I THOUGHT..NOT FOR ORGANISE OR WHOEVER THEY ARE TO POST THERE PROPAGANDA!
THERE ARE VESTED INTERESTS AT PLAY ON THIS SITE..........

author by Chekov - 1 of Indymedia Ireland Editorial Group - Indymedia Irelandpublication date Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:41author address author phone Report this post to the editors

There are many organisations that send articles and press releases to the site, including Young Fine Gael and several NGO's. There is a policy against the posting of stuff that is available elsewhere on the internet. As far as I can tell these articles are not currently available on the Organise site or elsewhere on the net, so they do not break our editorial guidelines. If you believe that they do, please let us know by contacting the editorial group, which you can do by following the "contact us" link at the top of the page.

author by Interesting...publication date Tue Mar 02, 2004 15:57author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Interesting...that Checkov would defend this posting.....mmmmmmm...editorial abuse of power...you'd think u were a trot!!

author by Major Woodypublication date Tue Mar 02, 2004 16:02author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Nah if he was a trot you would either have got no reply or a reply from ____watcher

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