Lebanese Solidarity Protest in Omagh

by Omagh Student Wed Aug 09, 2006 20:50

The previous post was just an old rhetoric attack on Ógra.

I witnessed the protest and chatted to those involved in the protest, they where all from tyrone, not from all over the country as the previous posted stated, infact i went to school with 4 of them.

And yes there some older people involved in the protest, but it was an Ógra organised protest, not an Ógra exclusive protest.

And in terms of size, considering it was a spontaneous protest, it was a good turnout with a crowd being the centre piece with the banner and other people dotted around the town centre distributing leaflets.

In terms of the issue, which i think what postings is about. I 100% agree with ÓSF stance, end the slaughter and occupation of Lebanon, whilst not forgetting the occupation of our own country.

No thats more on the point, what does the previous poster think of the issue.

by Cian Wed Aug 09, 2006 21:01

I count 4 (maybe 5 depending) young people in those pictures. That's not bad for Omagh - its a large town but not a city. Now yeah if this was a Belfast demo then maybe we could be a little bit surprised at how small OSF are, but as I say its Omagh - if another group can pull off a similar action in Omagh in support of the people of Lebannon then I say fair play to them.

I've often seen a large amount of support from "older" people at anarchist youth and Labour Youth organised protests and I've never seen anyone have a go about that...

by Communist Ciaran Wed Aug 09, 2006 21:09

I don't think the issue here is the numbers, it says it was a 'spontaneous' protest, and besides the people there seem to have made an impact, 'over 1000' leaflets distributed is an awful lot for a small town like Omagh.

I think who ever comes out on the streets in support of Lebanon should be applauded and supported. There should be unity on this issue and not some pety bitching about who's bigger than who. Ógra are doing good work in raising awareness on Lebanon and attended a protest i was at in Belfast.

Anyway - keep up the good work!

Unity!

by Mark - Omagh Worker Wed Aug 09, 2006 21:16

The protest was spontaneous and at 4.00pm on a Wednesday. So ÓSF where lucky to get anybody to the protest never mind 15, 20 whatever.

I fully support there stance on Lebanon, the images on tv are a disgrace, Israel should be ashamed acting like the Nazi's.

Anyway i think issue is great, and the protest looks great, but my one problem is that i wasn't able to get to it because i work until 6. So in future could ÓSF bear this in mind when they are organised broad based issues like this.

by Colleen - Ógra Shinn Féin Wed Aug 09, 2006 21:27

In response to the comments.

The protest in Omagh while being part of an ongoing campaign was held in direct response to the brutal slaughter at the funeral cortege in Lebanon yeaterday. Our anger at such an atrocity, sparked us to organise the protest.

While we understood by holding the protest at 4.00pm, alot of our own activists, never mind supporters, and those who agree with our position on Lebanon, would not be able to make the protest because they work. But regardless, we felt that we needed to do something to raise awareness and show our anger at this slaughter in Lebanon, doing something is always better than sitting down on front of a keyboard and criticising others for being active.

We also realised that if we where to hold the protest any later then we would miss our target audience of shoppers, as Omagh being a small town, closes at 5.30.

But to combat all this West Tyrone Ógra Shinn Féin will be organising a protest asap on a weekend to combat all the above mentioned issues.

Hope you can all make it.

Isreal out of Lebanon! End The Massacre!

by Michael Rafferty - SDLP Youth Wed Aug 09, 2006 21:37 sdlpyouthomagh at hotmail dot com

Another highly intelligent protest by Ogra! "Israel out of Lebanon....Brits out of Ireland..." Yeah- the same idea, but how great doesn't that make OSF appear when it's in the Ulster Herald next Thursday. What a recruitment drive! Almost makes me want to join...

by Grace Thu Aug 10, 2006 00:11

I can't belive anybody from the S.D.L.P (Stoop down low party) are even trying to suggest people are out for cheap publicity. What's that about people living in glass houses?

Ógra Shinn Féin from what ive seen, have travelled international to dangerous places like Corsica, the Basque Country, and Venesuala to show and build solidarity with all these oppressed people.

They have shown their support for oppressed people again today michael, and aren't just talking about Lebanon Michael are activ ely protesting in solidarity with Lebanon.

And why shouldn't ÓSF gain publicity in a paper, sure if only say 2000 people saw the protest today, but say 20,000 people read a paper, then surely it makes sense to publicise your position on Lebanon, to gain more support. Surely thats the simple politics of struggle. You do something and let people no about it.

Now i know why the SDLP are haemoragging support - they have think tanks like you getting involved. Brillant.

I believe in community empowerment, trade union empowerment and grass roots activism, to me ÓSF and SF are active in all these, today was another demo of this. The SDLP simply put are not.

SDLP Youth in Omagh, most defo are not.

So michael stop throwing them stones, and start turning that big glass house of yours into something more solid!

Up the Young Middle Class Revolutionaries of Stoopism!

Onwards

by Davy Carlin Thu Aug 10, 2006 17:57

Well done Ogra - all and any actions and protest should be supported in this regard -

More of it!!!

by Michael Rafferty - SDLP Youth Thu Aug 10, 2006 21:40 sdlpyouthomagh at hotmail dot com

Grace, I like that wee missive you sent me. I really do. Let's stand back and analyse it. I think Ogra Shinn Fein are the kings (and queens) of cheap publicity. Have you seen the flashboxes on Bebo? Or the disgraceful "10 reasons to join OSF" posters? Or the leaflets? Or the ridiculous "32 County Socialist Republic" nonsense that most members of that organisation can't substantiate? Or the ill-thought-out protests? Example No. 7439547: Ulster Herald, 10/8/06. SF Cllr. Declan McAleer hangs up garden basket in Killyclogher.... Don't give me a lecture on cheap publicity. I don't want it. I can publicise my political views and actions without resorting to such petty measures.

Also, when a party's goal is so deceptively simple, such as OSF's, you can use all kinds of triumphalist rubbish to get your point across. It seems that if you have a tricolour, a picture of the late Bobby Sands MP (no disrespect intended) and a nice map of Ireland with no border, you can engage anybody silly enough to believe your pseudo-socialist nonsense.

Another point: Corsica, where the liberation movement takes over the odd TV channel. What a glorious struggle for independence that probably wouldn't work anyway because the place relies on agriculture and depends heavily on France for public services, investment in industry and improvement in infrastructure. Economically not good.

Are there any "think tanks" in OSF? Is "think tank" slang for a person who possesses intelligence?

Community empowerment to me means shotgun justice, Grace. CRJ- what a way to keep the IRA from melting into total uselessness. Trade Unions- Bairbre de Brun didn't think much of them when she took an unguided decision to close the hospital in Omagh and to build a new one in Enniskillen. And if sending letters to people asking them to leave their houses within 24 hours is grass roots activism, I'm afraid that's not really in the interest of the ordinary fella on the street.

What credentials do OSF speak with? Is there any spine in that organisation at all? You throw your stones all you like at me. That's what gets people like you interested!

Michael.

PS. Arthur Griffith, founder of SF: "After we deal with the British, we'll deal with the Jews, the homos and the retards." Just a thought.

by Sheepstealer Fri Aug 11, 2006 18:40

I give a bualadh bos to any political entity in Ireland who protests against the brutal attacks by Israel on innocent civilians in South Lebanon, it makes little difference to me who they are so long as they protest. This issue goes beyond petty rivalries between two green political parties in the North squabbling amongst themselves to take the throne of British imperialism (aka Stormont) in the North of Ireland with nutter Minister Paisley of the Orange Silly Walks Brigade. Every organisation throughout Ireland, both political and non-political should be seen by all in the media to be protesting against such carnage in the Middle East and anyone who takes a stance and goes out to protests should be applauded by all.

I would like to know what the SDLP Youth do (I'm not from the North so I don't hear much about ye)? Will ye be protesting yourselves? Or do the SDLP Youth anxiously ponder, will protests deter the invasion of Ireland by foreign multinational companies, if they protest too much about US foreign policy and their aiding and abetting of the Israeli's attacks, like their Chieftain, Mark Durcan does (e.g. his stance on Raytheon)?

Berating any political party for taking the initiative to take to the streets to highlight the atrocities in South Lebanon and labelling it cheap publicity is unfair. SDLP should get over their self-absorption and extreme middle class arrogance and not lose sight of the fact that events such as this are of such magnitude that they go way beyond and above the narrow pontificating petty world of party politics in Ireland.

I would advise SDLP Youth and others to take to the streets (as I have done and will continue to do myself) to highlight the plight of the Lebanese people.

Well done to all who showed up to protest against the attacks on the Lebanese people.

Slán agus beannacht Dé oraibh.

by Kiaran O'Connor - sdlp voter Sat Aug 12, 2006 16:57

the sdlp boys n girls were out side city hall with banners on tuesday for the trocaire peace rally

saw a big sdlp youth banner and they had MLAs with them there too

its on their website

http://www.sdlpyouth.com/news_view.php?id=78

by Felix Quigley Sun Aug 13, 2006 15:52

Michael ..I am very opposed to this piece of Israel hatred conducted by these republicans. They have left out that Israel is fighting for its existence and that Hezbollah and the whole of the Palestinian Movement has always sought to deny the Jews a Homeland in the Middle East. Iran and Hezbollah are Islamofascist. I would encourage the SDLP youth movement in Omagh and elsewhere, and all young people as well as older, to look into this situation more deeply, especially their position towards gays and towards the rights of women. These republicans shout loud but seek to hide a lot.

by John Mon Aug 14, 2006 18:32

Michael- what is the sdlp youth doing in the local area to raise wareness of the slughter in the middle east- apart from write comments on indymedia.
fair play to osf- at least they are active on the issue. sdlp shud pull themselves away from indymedia and actually get down to doing a bit of work on the ground. you have no right to criticise osf when the sdlp youth do absolutely nothing in regards this issue

by Michael Rafferty - SDLP Youth Omagh Thu Aug 17, 2006 10:10

You're very gullible. Why do you think OSF have protests like this? It's very easy for me to set up a protest like that, I even support the OSF point of view in it. All of OSF's protests take place on a purely selfish level to cultivate narrow-minded support. That's just spineless.

by Michael Rafferty - SDLP Youth Thu Aug 17, 2006 10:19

Israel may be struggling for their existence, but they too act in a fascist manner. What appalled me was that Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern were strangely silent for a very long time on the Lebanon issue. The very least they could have said was that Israel's response was disproportionate, let alone illegitimate. Israel is not the victim in the Middle East: the Palestinians, Lebanese and all the other oppressed peoples are the real victims, but if Israel continues ill-thought out military action as it has done throughout the 20th centuryand especially in the Lebanon, it will find itself on the receiving end of the "Islamofascism" that you speak of.

The simple fact is that Israel spreads "Islamofascism"

by John Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:16

Cut the ramble Micheal, what are the sdlp youth doing in the local area to raise awareness on this issue? and if you can organise a protest like this why dont you do it?

by Felix Quigley Thu Aug 17, 2006 14:11

You say Israel acts in a fascist manner. How?

You say disproportionate. How?

You make these scurrilous claims and do not refer to Hezbollah, which openly states it aims to destroy Israel.

As does Ahmadinejad, hardly a day goes by without a direct threat to destroy Israel.

Which is the purpose of the nuclear bomb.

You are seriously mixed up about the history of Israel. How can you make these claims. You seem to have no knowledge of history. John Hume would be horrified with you!

Surely you cannot draw an equation between Israel and these Fascist movements, such as Fatah, Hamas, and Hezbollah. To be in a position to influence young people what you have said is appalling.

by Michael Rafferty - SDLP Youth Fri Aug 18, 2006 19:34

Read my last comment and that will answer your question.

Michael

by John Tue Aug 22, 2006 10:46

I said cut the ramble (for you to tell me to read it again) I didnt say to try and run down osf- i asked you what sdlp youth had organised in the area to do with the crisis in lebanon? i failed to see any protests?
Suppose you will tell me to refer to above?? Typical sdlp mantra