"On May 14, the various Irish groups campaigning on trade issues invite you to join in a public lobby of the Dail. We will meet at the Dail, and collectively lobby our TDs. Under the banner of the newly formed Trade Justice Ireland coalition, we will present our elected representatives with four simple questions about clear injustices:

"1. Why do trade rules allow the economies of third world countries to be undermined both by unfair barriers to products from poor countries, and by unfair practices of export subsidies and dumping?

"2. The new trade agreements that Ireland is currently involved in negotiating are unlikely to benefit developing countries. Poor countries do not have the negotiating capacity to protect their interests in new areas, and their concerns with existing agreement are being ignored. Why is there still a push to create even more trade rules?

"3. Why, in Ireland and within Europe, is there so little transparency and democracy in the negotiation of trade rules?

"4.Why do the rules of international trade, negotiated and enforced through the World Trade Organization, take precedence over all other international agreements on human rights, labour rights, and the environment, and why are the negative effects of trade on social, gender and workers' issues still being ignored by trade agreements?".

Full newswire article

Trade Justice Ireland / Comhlamh / Oxfam Ireland / Trocaire / ActionAid Ireland

Comment on this feature here

"It is effective” says Fatme, of the looting of the museums and ministries, “By destroying a people’s heritage, you destroy their past and future. We have been made - to them - a people without a past - our records and archives are destroyed, burnt in the ministries. We become a people without names, no records to say we exist. It is not the objects themselves we are sad about, it is what they represented to us. We are the oldest civilisation, but we are presented to the world as terrorists, as fanatics. Only people who fight with small guns are called terrorists. Bush, who bombs us with cluster bombs, and strangles us with the embargo, is a ‘civilised man.’".

Continue to full report from Caoimhe Butterly here

New report: 8th May
Previous reports from Iraq by Caoimhe
26th April: Lessons Unlearned
29th April: Crowd Control American Style

"And at times what a brilliant party, a mellow Police presence, a bizzare eclectic mix of music (Cyndi Lauper!)which went down a storm with the crowd. Best of all to me was the crowd. Kids, teenagers, locals, and members of the areas growing immigrant community came together. It was everything an RTS should be - peaceful, joyous, and a celebration of what a city community could be".

Continue to full newswire report here or analysis here.

RTS Photos (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14)
RTS Video (1) (2)
Critical Mass Photos and Reports (1) (2) (3) (4)

The IAWM has called a National Assembly for 10th May in Liberty Hall, Dublin. This article is a critique of the widely published agenda for the Assembly which was posted to Indymedia recently.

"At present, the movement is not a democratic movement. It is ad hoc. Those who assumed responsibility for running a national campaign should be thanked and congratulated. Now, however, we have the time and space to properly and democratically constitute the Irish Anti-War Movement. The forthcoming assembly provides the first opportunity to set this in train. The status of this assembly should be seen as interim or provisional; a preliminary gathering dedicated to the proper establishment of a democratic Irish Anti-War Movement."

Continue to the complete article here

Initial report and reactions from attendees.

Another report.

IAWM 10th May Assembly Agenda and Details

The Reclaim the Glen Group in Cork are appealing for urgent action as developers threaten to destroy a rare nesting place for sandmartins. Last Friday Cork City Council served an Enforcement Order on developers working at the former Murphy's Quarry in Goulding's Glen on Cork's Northside, ordering an immediate halt to work on the site. This was a full week after the builders started to demolish the sandbank which is home to several hundred pairs of nesting sandmartins - a rare species in Ireland.

Incredibly the developers D&J Construction (D&J Coleman) ignored the Enforcement Order and work continued at the site over the weekend. Yesterday one concerned citizen risked personal injury by jumping on the JCB which was demolishing the sandbank. Gardai were called and the protester was taken to Mayfield Garda Station. He was released an hour or so later. Full story

Pictures and original newswire report