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news report
 Tuesday August 06, 2002 15:42 by Aoife Ni Fhearghail - Irish Anti War Movement info at irishantiwar dot org D8 087 7955013
 get organised to oppose war on Iraq upcoming war on Iraq, details of Irish Anti-War Movement AGM and information on the War Resisters International conference Anti-War News - Friday 2nd August
On Thursday, Iraq invited the chief United Nations weapons inspector to Baghdad for technical talks in order “to establish a solid basis for the next stage of monitoring and inspection activities”. Had the UN accepted the invitation this would have been the latest in a series of disappointments for Bush’s war preparations. As it turns out, the offer will likely be refused (no real surprise since the US holds the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of August). Earlier this week, King Abdullah of Jordan declined to back the US plans for a ‘regime change’ and warned that an attack on Iraq would open a ‘Pandora’s Box’ in the Middle East. Jordan has been one of the most loyal allies of the US in the past, but with a large Palestinian population, a failing economy and strong trade links with Iraq, the risk of letting a US attack launch from Jordan may be too big a gamble. At this stage, most international leaders seem to concur that the US plans to oust Saddam at all costs is a mistake. The White House now says that there will be no attack before the Congressional elections (November) and British officials say there is no serious prospect of an invasion before the Spring. However, for Bush & his allies there is too much at stake to stop their war bid now. Iraq holds the second largest source of oil in the world and American corporations want a more compliant thug to run this valuable resource for them. Speaking in London recently, Scott Ritter – a cardholding member of the Republican Party and someone at the centre of US operations against Iraq in the 1990s – appealed to British citizens to do whatever they could to stop the coming war. At the anti-war AGM we will be discussing Iraq, the next phase of the ‘war on terrorism’ and what we in Ireland can do to stop this brutal war.
All day Saturday 31st August, Teacher’s Club, Parnell Square, D1 – 087 7955013 for info It’s now almost a year since 9/11 and in that time the impact of the ‘war on terrorism’ has been felt in almost every corner of the globe. Regional tyrants around the world have used the logic of the ‘war on terrorism’ to settle local scores and civil liberties in Western countries have been massively eroded. Civilians continue to die at the hands of US forces in Afghanistan, while the United States, Britain and the Netherlands continue to supply Ariel Sharon with the means to murder innocent children. Although Iraq now looks to be inviting the UN to send in its weapons inspectors, the months to come will doubtless see another brutal assault on the people of Iraq. Disgracefully, the Irish government still allows US bombers to refuel at Shannon airport and has promised its ‘full support’ to Bush’s brutal war. The Irish Anti-War Movement has brought many peace activists and NGOs from across the country together over the past year in some extremely successful demonstrations and meetings in opposition to this war. We now need to make sure that we are prepared for the challenges ahead. The AGM will be a day-long series of discussions and aims to refocus our attentions on the next stage of the ‘war on terrorism’ and the erosion of Irish Neutrality. We will also discuss the Nice Treaty Referendum and its possible implications for neutrality. Provisional programme 10.30 Registration The AGM takes place on Saturday 31st August in the Teachers’ Club in Dublin. Accommodation will be available for those travelling from outside Dublin – just let us know by Monday 26th. Please come along and help build the anti-war movement in Ireland. For further information contact Aoife on 087 7955013. WAR RESISTERS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE This weekend a major anti-war conference takes place in Dublin City University. The organisers (War Resisters International) have brought together peace activists from all across the globe in their conference on: Stories and Strategies – non-violent resistance & social change. The events takes place from Saturday 3rd to Friday 9th August and there will be theme groups on: · Economics, militarisation & globalisation Conference runs all week and registration is €40 per day or €350 for the full week (cost included breakfast, lunch and dinner). The organisers have offered to do a special rate for IAWM supporters, so if you want to attend but don’t think you can afford the full fee contact Pat or Siva on 01 700 7596.
The European Social Forum is a gathering of grassroots social movements taking place this November in Florence, Italy. Themes are the gathering will rest on 3 major areas – liberalism, war and rights – across which 5 discussion points will cut horizontally: · Europe’s relationship with the world Already Irish activists have met up and agreed to establish an Irish Mobilisation for the ESF and encourage as many peace activists, trade unionists, students, environmentalists & anti-capitalists to take part in the Florence Forum. The IAWM has decided to back the mobilisation and send some members along to the event. The next meeting of the Irish mobilising group takes place on Wednesday 14th August at 7.30pm in the Teachers’ Club.
· Next IAWM meeting: 7pm Monday 19th August, Bowe’s Bar, Fleet St., D2 · NGO Peace Alliance Public Meeting: War is Terror is War – 8pm Wednesday August 14th in the Royal Dublin Hotel – [email protected] · Cork Peace Alliance protest at Shannon Airport 1.30pm Saturday 17th August – for details email [email protected] · Socialist Worker Forums on the Nice Treaty & Militarism around country – email [email protected] for details · Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign boycott Israeli goods campaign stalls every Saturday – email [email protected] if you are available to help out · Irish Mobilisation for the European Social Forum meeting 7.30pm Wednesday 14th August Teachers’ Club
Thanks, Aoife Ní Fhearghail |
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Comments (20 of 20)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20Will there be an election ofa steering committee at the AGM? Or will we just have to suffer with further undemocratic SWP take over cover group tactics?
..last time this guy started up, the thread ended up with 50-60 contribtions. Welcome to Trollville brothers and sisters!!
I would normally support any activity to oppose any further aggression against the Iraqi people, however when the SWP are involved, I would simply ask what is the point?
50-60 contributions is called a debate, typical trot, swimmer, whatever you want to call 'em runs when faced with debate...
Hey 'IST Supporter' why not simply answer the question, will the AGM include elections to the steering committee or has its composition already been agreed elsewhere. If you want to end these sort of discussions then the SWP need to address the fact that its behaviour gives rise to them, including its inability to EVER address the questions that are asked with anything other then "unity = no dissent"
The steering committee/activist meeting of the Irish Anti War Movement is a loose gathering of anti war activists. Initially a broad committee was nominated at a public meeting in the teachers' club after the big Denis Halliday meeting but since then it's become more of a comeallye of anyone actively doing something to oppose the 'war on terrorism'.
Roughly every 3-4 wks, between 5 and 20 of us have met to discuss the development of the war & how we should respond to it - organising demonstrations, website upkeep, leafleting, public meetings, media coverage, writing a newsletter with people taking on particular responsibilities - coordinating activities, designing the website, doing secretarial bits & pieces, fundraising, press releases etc.
The group is extremely broad-based (activists from the SWP (myself & another), Labour, US citizens for alternatives to war, the TCD anti war group, Maynooth anti war group, One World, the campaign to end the Iraq sanctions, some excellent anti war individuals working in many different areas & sometimes also the Socialist Party & Sinn Féin). Discussions on the war have reflected this diverse political make-up - for instance there is no automatic consensus that we should campaign against Nice. Personally I think that this format has worked well & don't particularly see the need for formal elections - but that's for the rest of the activists to decide.
The point of the conference is to discuss the upcoming war on Iraq, the Nice Treaty and the anti war movement in Ireland with hopefully participation from groups such as the NGO Peace Alliance, AfrI, PANA, CND, anti Raytheon campaign etc. so that we can build a much stronger movement against militarism & war.
Hope this answers you questions. I won't be checking this again as I have other things to do but if you do have questions about the agm either:
ring me on 087 7955013
email [email protected]
or, if you seriously want to build an anti war movement and not just rant about the swp bring your questions along to the conference - where incidentally there will be copies of Socialist Worker on sale & if you say something sensible someone may even ask you to join - watch out we're behind you!!!
Aoife - btw. apologies to any cyber-activists who take offence at sensible no doubt some of you do exist in the real world
I'm surprised, I got a proper answer which actually explained the nature of the steering committee!
Thanks Aoife.
I might turn up to the AGM, but as I've been asked to join the SWP at least 15 times already including one home visit from your leaders when I was 18 it's not really worth your time persuing me!
I don't believe this is an SWP front and it should get our support. Its not as if swpers should be banned from all campaigns. The people here are doing the work fair play to them.
I am a member of the SP as well and I am alarmed by your comment, does Joe know?
A point of some importance that struck me is that if the IAWM is organised by an informal committee of people meeting in Dublin then perhaps it should change its name to the Dublin Anti War Movement? This would clear some space to look at countrywide co-ordination between the DAWM and groups in other cities like the Cork Peace Alliance, and the groups in Galway, Shannon and Limerick (to mention the ones I have heard of).
There is a need for this as a lot of people outside Dublin (and some of us in Dublin) feel that marches around O'Connell st have been prioritised over protests at the actual site of Irish support for military involvement, ie Shannon airport. At one Shannon protest where the runway was actually invaded and US marines made aware that there were people protesting against their presence the IAWM actually organised events in Dublin on the same day. (for a report on that Shannon protest see http://struggle.ws/wsm/news/2001/shannonDEC.html )
There is a general problem with campaigns in Ireland that they tend to be run from Dublin with people in other cities excluded from the decision making. Solutions to this are not that easy (our fucked up transport system means that Dublin is often the most sensible venue for a country wide meeting for instance). Two obvious suggestions would be
1. Dublin based campaigns should meet as Dublin based campaigns rather then claiming to be country-wide
2. Country-wide alliances that do not have access to large resources to subsidise travel on a regular basis need to have a formal delegate structure that meets on a regular but fairly infrequent basis.
Aoife's response made a welcome change. At least she answered the question.
I think that most activists would prefer that broad groups and campaigns should normally have a formal, democratic, accountable structure.
That can sound cumbersome, but in practice a supposedly "loose" ad hoc structure is far too open to abuse by organised groups or prominent individuals. A functioning structure isn't necessarily enough to prevent abuse, but it helps.
Pay attention Nora Joe, and SWPers.
This is what so much (but not all) of the criticism of the SWP/GR centers around, the inability to get answers to straightforward questions.
Andrew raised a valid point, got an honest and straight answer, and a dialogue ensured.
It's much better than the traditional, "I have a problem with the SWP", "Oh quit bitching and whinging I hate all this SWP bashing". And the question gets ignored, to the frustration of all.
It's not bashing it's asking important questions, and getting frustrated with silence and stonewalling.
Thank You Aoife
Will the IAWM and other anti-war groups around the country support the protest in Shannon on 17 August against the use of the airport by the US to continue the war in Afghanistan (and shortly Iraq)?
It is about time for a large scale co-ordinated protest at the site of the most obvious abuse of our alleged neutrality.
None of the comments (good bad or indifferent) bothered to mention the upcoming war on Iraq.
None of the comments (good bad or indifferent) bothered to mention the upcoming war on Iraq.
Open your eyes man. Iraq is mentioned in connection with my call to the anti war groups to endorse a protest in Shannon on Sat. 17th August.
Does evidence of absence (ie no response) mean absence of evidence (ie no interest)?
If you look at the website you will see one of the phone numbers is of comrade sandeep who has been an activist on the iraqi issue for the last two years or so. Since he came to Ireland. He is not somebody who can be pushed around by the swimmers and if he is involved its most likely alright. From the other post you will see the comrade from the swp is actually answering the questions which is the first time I've ever seen this so that gives a bit of hop too!
Thats not to say it won't become a front or they won't try but to not involve ourselves in any campaign just because of what the swimmers might do is silly. Joe will be supporting any campaign against the war. Although most likely we'll launch another coalition with the other parties and the swimmers will have their own.
What do you think we are talking about! We are discussing organising an anti war movement how to make it nationwide and effective, (ie shannon airport) . I think we are all agreed on the war being wrong and impearialistic and are discussing practical aspects of organisation. This is important otherwise we could discuss all night on a barstool and not actually do anything.
Not to mention being the first subject on the origanal post! and advertising a meeting on it!