Workers Solidarity Movement hosts its first 'dayschool' in Belfast

antrim | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Monday March 16, 2009 15:24 by Belfast WSM

The need to agitate, organise and educate was the key message emerging from the recent Belfast Anarchist ‘Day School’.

The need to agitate, organise and educate was the key message emerging from the recent Belfast Anarchist ‘Day School’.

There was a reasonable turnout at the public event which took place on the 21st February in Upper Donegall Street in Belfast City Centre.

Discussions and workshops ranged from the history of anarchism in Ireland, a talk delivered by Aileen O’Carroll, to the present day movement in Belfast. An analytic presentation on the roots of the global economic recession was provided by wsm member Chekov Feeney. The same presentation can be viewed here www.wsm.ie/recession

Andrew Flood also gave an excellent presentation on the anarchist movement in America and conditions faced by workers. In 2008 Andrew spent 16 weeks speaking in 44 North American cities from Miami to Montreal to Eugene to LA. While on tour he had private discussions on organising with hundreds of local anarchists and carried out audio interviews in 17 of the cities visited. Audio recordings avaliabe here http://anarchism.pageabode.com/andrewnflood/interviews-...e-usa

His talk was followed by a brief discussion on what on the strengths and weaknesses of the movement in which questions ranged the type of activities anarchists are involved in such as resisting house evictions to workplace organising.

The election of Barrack Obama and the question of change naturally took root. Belfast speaker Sean Matthews said: “Real change comes about through collective working class struggle based on direct action and solidarity not through electing a new ruler every 4 or 5 years.”

Belfast branch secretary, Michael McGovern said: “This will be the first of many workshops and public meetings organised by the Belfast branch of the WSM in the coming months. We would like to thank everyone who attended including comrades from across Ireland. While our rulers continue to squabble over the crumbs from London at Stormont, working people have to pay the cost for the blunders of the rich and powerful. As the famous syndicalist Joe Hill once said- Don’t Moan- Organise!”