The following is not intended to be an attempt at a comprehensive analysis of the current situation in the Occupied Territories of Palestine. Instead, it is a reflection on the past few weeks I have spent with the International Solidarity Movement in the city of Hebron and its environs and what brought me here in the first place. It is completely subjective and deliberately intended to be so. It is merely a personal reflection, and therefore should not be taken as representative of the views of the ISM.

I am a firm believer that the shortest distance between a person and the truth is a story. Many stories I have heard and read about regarding resistance to occupation, capitalism, imperialism have formed my sense of what is right and wrong - and on which side of the fence I am on. So if you manage to read through this lengthy piece of writing, I hope the stories of resistance I have encountered over the past few weeks will inspire you also to keep on fighting the powers that be, wherever and whenever you encounter them.

Related Links: Grafton Group plc - stacks of apartheid produce | Zionism : The rotten beam in the blind eye of a pitiless world? | IPSC pickett : Boycott Israeli Potatoes : TESCO Drumcondra | The Galway Races and the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign : Never the Twain Shall Meet? | Grafton Group plc - no corporate social responsibility | Palestine Solidarity

On Tuesday afternoon there was a sit down protest by about 30 inmates in the yard of Limerick Prison. According to rte.ie the protest was against harsh punishments imposed on those caught with drugs by the prison governor, as the deployment of 'Rocky' the sniffer dog has led to the seizure of most drugs coming into Limerick Prison.

Listeners to Tuesday’s Newstalk’s ‘Lunchtime with Eamon Keane’ were treated to the unappetising performance of Eamon and his Mid-West correspondent crowing victoriously about Rocky’s successes and the resulting problems for users experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

For anyone who hasn’t seen Trainspotting, going off heroin cold turkey is not a pretty picture; one Rehab centre lists common symptoms such as tremors, panic, chills, nausea, muscle cramps, insomnia, stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, shaking, chills or profuse sweating, irritability and jitteryness. Given the generally scant facilities for treatment of addicts in Irish prison it’s unlikely that prisoners received much in the way of assistance. It’s a tad disquieting when it’s acceptable to publicly gloat over this kind of experience in other people.

Related Links: Brazil Prison Riot | Belfast Telegraph's Coverage | Brazil Prsion Riot | Irish Prison Reform Trust | More From the WSM On Represstion | Irish Prison Reform Trust

From Friday 7th to Sunday 9th September 2007 men, women and children from every corner of this island - and indeed from much further away - will gather in Glencolumbkille, Donegal. They will come in busses, by car, bicycle or on foot. They will erect CAMP HAVANA and walk the hills surrounding the valley of Glencolumbcille. Some will take the challenging hike across the Slieve League ridge, some will use a more relaxed walking route and some will only go as far as the bus can take them. Some may even attempt to dance salsa!

All of them will enjoy Europe's highest sea - cliffs which are surrounded by scenery incomparable to anywhere else on this earth (see http://marette.free.fr/panorama_irlande/panorama1.html). Of course we are not just gathering to admire spectacular scenery. We will gather in what is going to be the biggest show of friendship with people from another island - at least since last year’s Camp Havana.

Report from the Free the Old Head of Kinsale campaign's "People's Picnic" at the Co. Cork headland, Sunday 26th August 2007.

Previous Indymedia Coverage: Announcement for this Event · 2006 Event Announcement · 2004 Article · Photos from 2003 · Report from 2003 · Court Report from 2003 · Report of Supreme Court Decision of March 2003 · All Related Stories
Related Links: Report from WSM of the 2002 Picnic · Official Record of Supreme Court Decision

Choice Ireland staged a protest outside the Women’s Resource Centre, a rogue pregnancy counselling agency on 50 Upper Dorset Street on Saturday, 18th August 2007. Choice Ireland is a diverse group of Pro-Choice activists campaigning for free, safe and legal abortion services in Ireland.

Rogue crisis pregnancy counselling agencies advertise themselves as providers of legitimate pregnancy counselling services but they are known to use manipulative tactics, provide misleading information and intimidate women. The sole purpose of these agencies is to stop women from travelling outside the State to terminate a pregnancy. When Choice Ireland activists attended this agency, they were told that having an abortion would increase their risk of developing breast cancer, becoming an alcoholic and abusing children. These are blatant lies designed to scare vulnerable women in a crisis pregnancy situation.

Related Links: Choice Ireland Founding Documents · Report of previous protest outside this agency