Derry Anti-War Coalition visit to Lebanon
Over the past week I accompanied 12 members of the Derry Anti-War Coalition (DAWC), including the Raytheon 9, to visit communities in southern Lebanon which were devastated by the Israeli war last summer. We visited Bint Jbail and A'ita al-Chaab near the Israeli border, both of which received heavy bombardment from Israeli airstrikes and incursions from armoured bulldozers, tanks and troops, reducing civilian infrastructure to dust and pebble, their hearts to shock and fear, their eyes to tears for their lost loved ones. In addition to this, the DAWC protested outside the obliterated Palestinian refugee camp Nahr-al-Bared near Tripoli in Northern Lebanon.

From the Newswire:
Prompt action by some concerned locals in Co Clare and International groups in the past 48 hours has thwarted the plans of trigger happy types who were attempting an illegal mass cull of the Burren wild goat herd. It is likely that when the press and other attention has died down that they will try again so for anyone in the area who cares about what are now some of the last remaining indigenous goats in Ireland please look out and alert others if you see any suspiciously activity,

From the comments:
Is there a reason for the cull. The Burren is a haven for many rare plant types and if the aim of the cull is to prevent over-grazing, I can understand it..............

The wild goats of the Burren who were first brought to Ireland by neolithic farmers about 4,000 years ago and there is evidence some went wild soon after. this means that goats have been wild in this country longer than rabbits, hedgehogs or fallow deer...............

Still and all young goats[kids] are really good eating.They are great in a curry or roasted.Much healthier than beef or pork..........

_41010289_lyntongoats203.jpg 0.01 Mb

While an MEP explains the doubtful legality of the construction work taking place at Tara, Revolt Video get the workers on film, engaging in activities of even more doubtful legality. The guardians of the peace wade in and arrest 7 protestors, including a professor of specializing in Medieval Irish Studies at the University of Maynooth who had presented them with a letter from the EU commission.

Watch Revolt Footage Here

From the Newswire:

As a rumoured additional 20 diggers are told to be arriving onsite, the public step up their protest in protecting Soldier Hill, attracting the likes of University Professors, International delegates on Tourism and EU Member of Parliaments to rush to the scene in aid of the protest.

Between 10am and 2pm a bitter struggle ensued to try to stop the diggers from continuing, as the protestors also disrupt traffic by standing in front of dirt trucks that try to enter the site.

By 12:30pm at least 5 people were arrested for obstructing the construction,

Protestor Being carried off site trying to stop digger 0.32 Mb Dan Malone stops digger by standing on it 0.11 Mb Muirfeann Ni Bhrolchain, Professor at NUI just prior to her arrest 0.06 Mb EU MEP Cathy Sinott observes the tug of war over the gates allowing dirt trucks in and out of site 0.96 Mb Protest Signs after construction decide to cease for the day 0.61 Mb

The current Iranian regime, in power in the so-called "Islamic Republic of Iran" since the 1979 revolution against the Shah, continues to confuse many observers as to its true nature. The intrinsic confusion lies precisely in the fact that it is considered as a post-revolutionary regime.

You constantly hear the argument that whatever it is, and however bad and vicious it may be, it nevertheless is a regime which came out of a revolution against the Shah's dictatorship. Somehow, this mechanistic logic is then used to bestow a certain air of progressiveness upon a regime which for any observer with a little political sense is nothing but a semi-fascistic theocracy defending capitalism.

Torab Saleth is a member of Workers Left Unity Iran and is also a member of the Advisory Editorial Board of the journal Critique. Here, Torab provides an analysis of the class nature of the Iranian Regime.

Related Links: Iranian President’s Website | Outline of Iranian State Structure | Iran Should Cancel Televised ‘Confessions | Leading Iranian Trade Unionist Kidnapped | Jihad in the UK | Peaceful Protest for Human Rights | Successful launch of Hands Off the People of Iran in Ireland | Iran Leads the World in Executing Children | Iran continues mass expulsions of Afghan refugees | Iran continues mass expulsions of Afghan refugees | Irish Times Continues to Misrepresent Iranian 'Threat' |

Last Sunday 15th of July, Galway's Food Not Bombs collective got into trouble with local community warden T.J. for the second time. The first occasion was on the 13th of May in Eyre square, when warden T.J. came up and insisted on seeing a permit (which we didn't have). After a short discussion the event was wrapped up.

Next day we went to the city council to ask for official permission to hand out free food once a week. We were told that even if the council were to approve the setting up of a table every Sunday we would have to have public liability insurance for 6.4 million euro. As one of our principles is to accept only food donations, not money, this is of course impossible.