Anti-war March in Dublin- an Anarchist Report

dublin | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Monday March 20, 2006 15:11

by W

A crowd of less than 800 people gathered at Parnell square for the annual IAWM march to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of the Iraq invasion on Saturday.

All the usual suspects turned out including the Labour Party, Socialist Party, SWP and CPI as well as the Cosaintori, PANA and “code pink” a womens anti-war organisation.

Anarchist youth had issued a call for a red and black bloc to meet at Parnell square and roughly 80 anarchists turned up. This contingent was easily the most vibrant and colourful part of the march with over twenty red and black flags flying and several large banners carried by the bloc including the WSM, Anarchist Youth and “Anarchists against the War” banners. The bloc slotted itself in at the front of the march for a change with about 50 people ahead of us. The trolley-based sound system blasted out Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” as Gardai took up flank either side of us. The Garda presence seemed to be entirely concentrated around the red and black bloc with a CCTV camera mounted on a Garda van leading the march.

Red and Black Block

The march passed through the building site on O Connell street, the site of recent rioting, without incident and stopped for two minutes silence on O Connell bridge. As the marchers reached the bottom of Grafton st. they turned up Suffolk st. to double back to the GPO, it was at this point that the anarchist bloc pulled away up Nassau street leaving the Gardai and IAWM stewards confused and almost taking the rest of the march with it. The crowd passed the PD’s office stopping to give three cheers to the “heroes” who sacked them during the riots. “Michael McDowell We hate you and your poxy party too!” was chanted all the way to the bottom of Kildare street.

On Kildare street the bloc stopped at the department of Transport where a speaker addressed the crowd about the ongoing use of Shannon and Baldonnel and young anarchists used chalk to write anti-war slogans around the building. The next stop was the Department of justice where another spoke about how the state has been criminalising anti-war activists. A final speaker then rounded up events by calling on anarchists to consider their role in the fight against the US military in Shannon and calling on everyone to attend the open anti-war discussion to be held in St. Stephens Green across the road.

There was some hassle trying to get into St. Stephen’s Green with the sound-system and gardai backed up the park-keepers who refused to let any of the protesters in, the crowd then simply went to the side entrance and rushed in. The open meeting was held in the strange stone ampitheatre part of the Green with gardai and wardens gathered either side. People discussed the need to visit Baldonnel and Shannon and the possibilities of Resisting the state’s 1916 commemoration. As the crowd dispersed four gardai took it upon themselves to follow anarchist youth around the city centre
for the afternoon.

(photos by sovietpop)

Fixing Banner before march

Stopping at the Department of Transport

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Comments (9 of 9)

None but ourselves can free our mind

by Seán Ryan

Wed Mar 22, 2006 08:07

I think I come off a bit more negative than I intend to at times, but that's part of the price of being an activist I think. I'm still kinda new to all this I'm ashamed to say. Tis very hard to know where to turn off the 'voice of dissent.' But overall I agree with you. We will win this.

I see Niall Harnett is proposing a meeting at the Teacher's Club on fools day. This fool wouldn't miss it. I'm afraid I had to miss the march, otherwise I'd have made it my business to catch up with you.

I think most activists can sense a change in the wind, I know I can.

History shows us that peace always wins. But it also shows us that war and hatred are cyclical things. I think we have two obligations to ourselves, seeing that we have history as a blueprint. Not only do we need to stop this war and our participation in it, we need to break the cycle. I know this sounds almost mainstream, this 'break the cycle' theme, I cannot help that, I believe it rings true. I think we are in a time and a place where it is at last possible to put war behind us forever. Even 10 years ago we were not where we are right now. You're in me sitting room right now, even though a couple of hundred miles seperates us. That's useful and it has not been around before. To quote the other of the two great Bobs: 'The times, they are a changin.'

I'd like to add that you'll always be welcome in me sitting room. The one important thing about dark times is that it tends to bring out the best in people and indeed the best of people. I have a faith in myself and my fellow citizens that verges on the religious, it almost threatens my status as a heathenous anarchist.

Faith - keep some and pass it on.

Sláinte,
Seán

Persistence

by Coilín

Wed Mar 22, 2006 02:11

Thanks, Seán.

Some of your comments suggest that you are disappointed with where we are. But, while I am disappointed and disgusted with where we are, i.e. still providing a military base for troops in transit to Iraq and Afghanistan, I think we must also be crystal-clear about how much we have achieved over the last three years.

For one thing, Ireland's participation in the war in Iraq and in facilitating the abductions of civilians is an ongoing and increasing embarrassment to the government. Each official denial has been followed by a revelation of the ugly truth. For example, the government attempted to deny that US military planes were passing through Shannon, and they were shown to be liars. The government is now attempting to deny that any CIA prisoners have passed through Shannon, and concrete proof of their collusion may yet materialise.

Also, even if the international demonstrations are now smaller than they were, they must make an impact on the consciousness of American citizens and politicians who see the demos, the pictures and the news coverage - not least the coverage provided to a global audience by IMC sites.

There were Americans on O'Connell St. on Saturday who were heartened to participate in a very colourful and cheerful peace demo in that most magical place, Ireland, the day after St. Patrick's Day. And I came across at least one who was loudly displeased to know that so many Irish people detest his country's aggressive behaviour towards Iraq and Iran.

Such mechanisms help to explain the extremely low levels of popular support for Bush and the war - to the point where he has now had to acknowledge in a speech that his people don't get it.

No doubt, year after year, Americans will keep coming to Dublin for the Paddy's Festival and will go home enlightened about what the world thinks about their foreign policy. Maybe the black shamrock will become our biggest new export commodity, displacing the Aran sweater as the souvenir that best captures the spirit of Ireland?

What you saw on Saturday was only the loose end of the thread that unravelled Bertie's jumper. You might have seen me there, but - as you must be able to figure out - the effort I put into selling a few black shamrocks at the Cosantóirí stall was only a fraction of the anti-war work I have done over the last couple of years.

It is not so much the size but the persistence of the street demos, and not just the impact of successful street demos but of a diversity of actions that will eventually exhaust the war movement.

People are talking, writing, organising, planning. Day after day, in a thousand different ways, we demonstrate our commitment to a vision of a beautiful new world.

We are going to win this. The so-called war on terrorism (SCWOT) is such a non-runner that we can't fail. But Rome wasn't burnt in a day.

Hasta la victoria siempre. ;-)

Coilín.

Lose the rulebooks

Tue Mar 21, 2006 23:17

Well said Dr. Coilín.

Imagine a group of 800 people in Dublin, all spread out and acting together but as individuals too under their own stewardship. 800 people could theoretically have a demonstration that covered the whole of the city.

Space management and diversity are the new tools of activism.

Marching needs to evolve. In its current format it is a powerful spectacle and offers inspiration. But it lacks a result. The capitalist media is against us. And irregardless as to turnout it will always be spun as a failure. The War Machine/Capitalism has had plenty of time to figure out a response to traditional methods of demonstrating. The proof being that we are where we are.

If you believe yourself to be of good character, and you believe your voice is silenced and you wish to exercise your voice - then do it. Do not wait to be told, or asked or begged. Be worthy of your own ideas on morality and act to see them achieved or at least voiced.

Despite where we are right now we have a very proud history. A history of courageous individuals who in the collective are what it is to be Irish. We can best act as a people by acting as strong individuals.

Thanks to all the beautiful people who made the day happen!

Tue Mar 21, 2006 21:59

Thanks to the organisers, and to the anarchists who took the initiative to do their own thing. Thanks to those who are working to create a unified anti-war movement, and to those working to create a movement made up of diverse groups, each demanding an end to war in its own way.

I doubt there are many peace movements around the world that can pride themselves on the diversity of approaches and views that the Irish movement enjoys. It's inspiring to see those of one persuasion saluting those of another, as when the anarchists salute the radical Christians.

My own preference would be an Irish anti-war movement consisting of about 4 million different daily demonstrations to demilitarise our airports. And, in fact, maybe the missing 99,200 people who turned up in February 2003 but not last Saturday were all busy holding their own peace demos in 99,200 other places. There are so many ways to demonstrate!

In any case, it was a beautiful day and a beautiful demo, or two.

Finally, thanks for shooting the video! I was stuck at the Cosantóirí stand outside the GPO, so it's handy to be able to see what happened elsewhere. Truly revolting! ;-)

Best,
Coilín.

What a shame....

by Calvin - N/A

Tue Mar 21, 2006 20:08

To the bickering children who use these pages to slander each other;
Shame on all of you – can you not see that ye are wasting time and energy word bashing each other here… put your time to better use…. So much to do out there rather than bicker….. live and let live….. people are different …. People have always…. And WILL ALWAYS have different ways of expressing themselves….. live with it!!!!!!

Creating alternatives

by Him

Mon Mar 20, 2006 15:19

Although there is plenty of room to be critical on this one, saying that anarchists are a poison on the movement shows your either a cop or somebody with a very slight understanding of anarchism in this country! The Anarchists involved with the march in dublin represent a single faction of the irish anarchist movement which is i think is very young and aspirational! they hardly constitute a split in the movement.

More power to them!

DONT JOIN AN EXSISTING CONFLICT ON ITS TERMS AND MAKE YOURSELF A PAWN IN ITS PATTERNS: Define and redefine the terms of the conflict - from 'democracy versus terrorism' to 'freedom versus power', for example! Find ways to make premises subvert themselves, to draw people together in ways they thought impossible, to upset the entire paradigm of struggle.

CrimethInc.

by sea

Mon Mar 20, 2006 14:39

this is unbeleivable. You broke of from the rest of the group like a good little sect so that you could do something. This amounted to listening to boring speeches. So why did you split the anti war movement. Anarchists are poison on the movement. Tearing it apart. This is the last time i ever listen to anarchists and their we are the only ones who "do something" crap.

It's in mpeg format?!

by Acid

Mon Mar 20, 2006 08:38

Nice one lads. Nice bit of videowork. Keep it up.

vid from anarchist block at 18th

by revolt video / harcesz

Mon Mar 20, 2006 05:40

harcesz at obin dot org

part of the material - we got more and we wont hesitate to use it! (if we find time to edit it)
http://obin.org/video/wawa/18-03-06-antywar.mpg

58,9 MB, 5:54m, some good polish ragga (underground as f. ), MPEG2

obin.org
grogra.com
revoltvideo.blogspot.com
anarchistyouth.blogspot.com

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Anti-war March in Dublin- an Anarchist Report

Comments (9 of 9)