It was announced today (6th April) after a Cabinet meeting that the proposed 'Citizenship' referendum will indeed be held on the same day as the European and Local Elections. Shortly before the announcement was made a protest took place at the Progressive Democrat Offices against what is widely percieved as an attempt to introduce the race card into the upcoming elections. Speaking on behalf of the Campaign Against The Racist Referendum, Mark Grehan made it clear that the referendum will face fierce resistance:

“This referendum is not progressive but a backwards step. It is an attack on the rights of children, and a blatant attempt to divert attention from the failed policies of this government. We believe all children should be treated equally as advocated by the 1916 Proclamation. It is unacceptable to discriminate against children based on who their parents are or where their parents come from. We are calling on the Progressive Democrats to withdraw this vicious and unwarranted attack on the rights of Irish children.

There is a growing consensus that if this referendum goes ahead it should not be held at the same time as the local and European elections. Since the foundation of the State all children born here have been entitled to citizenship. Any attempt to withdraw this right from children, should be exposed to rigorous public examination. There is not enough time between now and June 11th to have a full and open debate. It is outrageous that government should even consider rushing through such fundamental changes to the rights of Irish children. The PD’s and Fianna Fáil signed a pledge on International Day Against Racism promising not to play the race card during the elections. The proposed referendum makes a mockery of this pledge.”

Campaign Against Racist Referendum Mailing List
Account of Recent Meeting Establishing Campaign Against Racist Referendum
Original Call for Coalition against Referendum
Sinn Fein are against the Referendum
Labour objections to the timing of the Referendum

Click on the 'Feature Continued' link below for a Photo-Essay and fuller report on the Protest at the PD Offices.

While the corporate media froths and sputters over fantasy foreign "armies of anarchists" invading Irish soil and overstretching the "young inexperienced Gardai" a full scale invasion is taking place with the assistance of the government, the Gardai and the airport authorities at Shannon.

Thousands of US troops (and probably munitions) are passing through Shannon every month.

Plane-spotter extraordinaire Tim Hourigan is the only reason that we are aware of this: in this latest report taken from the newswire he details his latest spotting and the petty harrassment of him by a secret police goon and Garda who managed to obtain a banana skin from him. NUJ journalists could learn something about ethics and originality in reporting from Tim.

"Went out to Shannon yesterday following reports of military traffic. Saw plenty, and got a rude visit from a cocky detective.

3 ATA planes carrying troops for the military and 2 USAF Hercules. One had been there since noon on Saturday and the other probably stayed over last night, after depositing a number of passengers."

So a Video (punctuated by visuals of scaremongering 'riot' newspaper headlines on the subject of planned protests on Mayday) posted on this site becomes front page news in the Irish Examiner. Strange days indeed. Here's what the maker of the Video had to say about the video in question on the newswire a few days ago. The journalist concerned - Juno McEnroe of the Irish Examiner - obviously read this. The ironies are multiple:

By Maydayer Wednesday, Mar 31 2004, 9:08pm: "It was a piss-take, a bit of fun. Propaganda can work both ways. It was meant to show how silly (and frightening) the whole thing is. I am sure most Indymedia viewers are smart enough to see what’s going on. Using the media to create fear as justification for violence - that’s what I said in the video. As for attracting "extreme elements" of whatever the cops are calling peace protesters or environmental activists - I think the corporate media has already done a good job of that. The only thing this video advertises is peaceful protests like Critical Mass and RTS. Not one stone let alone one petrol bomb has ever been thrown at a (anti-War / Globalisation) protest in Ireland - It is not the Irish protesters who are arming themselves to the teeth and training for violence is it? Lets look at the facts and look behind the propaganda lie machine. Any violence on Mayday if there is any will likely come from the State against the protesters, the Government is running scared - every day now they make another announcement escalating and militarising the situation. As for the video - tongue in cheek ;) stay tuned for many more..."

Continue at link below for info on the latest Scare Story and an analysis (from an Irish Imcer) of how Juno McEnroe helped the Irish media eat its own Shit .

The Concert has been cancelled. All of the tabloid trailers for the riots have been filed. The 'Powers that Be' are planning a fence around Farmleigh House. The Elites are making their travel plans as are the protesters. The Army are practicing their formations and looking for Wombles in the bushes at the Curragh. Only one piece of the puzzle is missing - An Independent Media Centre to tell the story. We need help to create it. Come and have a look at the space available for the Centre this Sunday – help clean it up, talk about what could happen there and volunteer some time over the next month to make this thing a reality. Click here for more details on how to get involved and info on how to make a donation to the Mayday IMC.

Draft Timetable
Map and Plans of Centre
Clean up meeting

Floor Plan of Festival Space 0.02 Mb

From the newswire:

In the wake of last year's successful Campaign for a Free Education (CFE) something of a ‘new bloom’ of student activism has sprouted up in Universities and Colleges across the country carrying with it an enormous amount of dissatisfaction with and opposition to the direction in which the Irish Education system is currently being steered.

Exemplary of such activism was the recent inaugural sitting of the Irish Education Forum (IEF) and its subsequent plan of ‘building an alternative’ to the threat of privatisation. The IEF is a vital foundation stone in the formulation of a response to the very imminent reintroduction of College fees and the subsequent privatisation of third level education. Continue to a full report on the Irish Education Forum >>