Lower Gardiner Street Hunger Strike: "On 13 April about 70 asylum seekers in a hostel on Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin went on hunger strike to protest their 'Fast Track' treatment by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). On 17 April two of the men collapsed and were sent to hospital. All are Nigerian. Most are men. There are also 14 women, 6 of whom are pregnant. Some are in late pregnancy. The pregnant women are not currently on hunger strike..." Other stories: Somali Asylum Seekers Protest outside Dáil | A New Phase In Anti-Racism Activism In Ireland | Indymedia UK: Harmondsworth Detainies Protest After Suicide | Archive of Indymedia Coverage of Migration Issues.

On March 29th, 2006, residents (inmates) of Kinsale Road refugee hostel in Cork, took to the streets to demand that they be treated with dignity and respect. A phone interview with Madu Innocent Chuckwunyere (eye-witness), broadcast live on Near FM's Majority World on thurs April 6th. On march 29th, 2006, residents (inmates) of Kinsale refugee hostel too to demand that they be treated with dignity and respect. Listen here (mp3 12min 128kbps) Below is a transcript of the phone interview with Madu, an eye-witness and himself a resident.

RS: …and on the line here today we’re speaking with Madu Chukwunyere, also known as Madu Innocent Chukwunyere; and Madu is speaking to us from a refugee hostelin Kinsale, Co. Cork. I suppose, Madu, we’ll begin with March 30th, that’s last Thursday: what actually happened?

Madu: Well, it was actually on the 29th, that was a Wednesday, and residents, eh, (well I call it a kind of riot), rebelled against what for a long time they’ve been calling harassement and intimidation here.

RS: Can you tell us more about the harassement and intimidation?

Madu: By Wednesday the 29th thre’s been a lot of times that residents have met together; and looked at the way they are kept here; the way the management behaves towards them; the kind of food they eat; and the policies which the management carries out at will; and by the 29th…there was a lot of frustration and people decided to do something so that there can be a change.

As we approach the 90th anniversary of the Easter Rising this article looks at anti-Agreement Republicanism by reviewing its press.
The three main dissident republican political organisations are the Irish Republican Socialist Party, the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, and Republican Sinn Fein. This article reviews their publications, which are The Starry Plough, The Sovereign Nation, and Saoirse.

These groups are all much much smaller than the mainstream or ‘Provisional’ Sinn Fein, but given the latter’s acceptance of the Unionist veto aka the principle of consent, that is that changes in the constitutional arrangement for Northern Ireland must be endorsed by its electorate, as well as their downsizing of the military arm, it is the dissidents rather than the Provisionals who carry on the spirit of what Irish republicanism meant for most of the 20th centuary.

Related Links: Conflict Archive CAIN Wikipedia on Real I.R.A. Ireland's Own, republican website Davy Carlin article on dissidents The Nationalism Project: site for the study of nationalism
Easter Statements: Na Fianna Éireann Cumann na Saoirse Náisíunta Irish Republican Socialism Movement the leadership of Ógliagh na hÉireann RSY To The Irish People from the Republican Movement IAWM
These Easter statements were all posted to the Indymedia Newswire

For the second Monday in a row Shell to Sea protesters have prevented Shell machinery from entering the Bellanaboy gas terminal construction site.

At 2:30pm a lorry carrying a digger attempted to enter the site, which has been constantly picketed by campaigners since last summer. Around twenty Shell to Sea campaigners and members of Rossport Solidarity Camp formed a line between the lorry and the site entrance blocking access for the lorry. On seeing the protesters the lorry turned away

An interview with John and Sandra Moloney, the parents of "Johner" Moloney, who have joined up with the Wheelock family in their campaign in recent months.

On March 23rd, the family of Terence Wheelock were joined outside the Dáil by the family of John (Johner) Moloney. They linked up with the Wheelock family, as they felt that both of their sons' deaths raised serious questions about their time in Garda Custody. Johner Moloney was found unconscious, bloodied and bruised, behind a church in Rathfarnam in May 2003, shortly after having been arrested for a couple of outstanding warrants for driving with no tax and insurance. He was brought to Tallaght Hospital with massive brain injuries, and never regained consciousness. He died when his life support machine was switched off.

"We got in contact with the Wheelock family for the protest outside the Dáil," says John Moloney, Johner's father. "We met them at a meeting in the Mansion House, that had people speaking who had been victims of Garda harassment up in Donegal. We introduced ourselves to each other, and starting talking and organising after that. Its been working out great with them. Once you have two families organising together, it seems to work better. You do get fed up sometimes with going into town, and its great to have the support."

"I had been following Terence's case in the papers when it happened, and I had called up the Mater Hospital looking for contact details for the Wheelocks, but I was told they couldn't give out that information for confidentiality reasons," says Sandra, Johner's mother. "I kept an eye on the case still because there were very similar circumstances to what happened my son. We make a good team. Terence's mother Esther, she's been through the same pain as me, had the same experiences. When Tallaght Hospital called me to say my son was dying, it was like someone had ripped out my heart. Losing a son is just too hard to describe sometimes. "

Sandra says that the family has recieved letters from some TDs in the Dáil, saying that they would bring it to the attention of the Minister for Justice, to see if an independent inquiry could be established. "That's all we want really, we just want the truth to come out. In my heart as a mother, I feel I know the truth already. But I want answers, recognition of what happened to him. My son was found on a street, at the back of a church, unconscious, approximately 15 minutes after he supposedly left the Garda station.

John Aherne: "I always had strong will power but never acted upon it, so I thought it’s now or never. I am no different to many spinal injuries who took the bull by the horns, so I dusted myself off and got on with life, no self pity, no chip on my shoulder, no “why me?”. The way I look it is “why not me” it can happen to anyone in a heart beat, and it doesn’t discriminate between rich or poor, male or female, young or old. You just got to play the cards you were dealt and make the most of it. I am also of the view which some people find harsh is that some people with disabilities really irritate me, now of course if I was able to walk on shoe leather, to make a statement like that I would be classed as some form of a bigot, I on the other hand have seen it first hand as to how much whining someone can do purely because they think society in general should stand up and take notice. I got news for ye lads; society doesn’t give two fiddlers, so get your balls back and move on."

"I’ve heard it all over the years, even from the mouth of an MEP who while on his visit to the rehab said and I quote “want anything done lads regarding any disability issue, then don’t come to me” so, you see whether you are in a chair or not, it doesn’t give you an automatic right to be a self righteous pain in the rectum. Yes people with disabilities have rights, as does anyone else in this god forsaken country. But what is the point in having all these rights. It reminds me of when I was given my free travel pass, what a load of good that was, I wasn’t able to get on a bus, to try and gain access to a train was like Bertie Ahern trying to get a sentence out without sticking both feet in his mouth."
Account continues here..

Also from the newswire: Garry Toner, an Equality Studies student in UCD is trying to organise an awareness campaign at a national level in relation to the rights of people with disabilities after an incident that occurred last weekend.

"It was obvious risks were being taken with the make shift ramp. Before the wheelchair went down the ramp one of the staff accidentally pulled at the bar on my wheelchair, nearly breaking it. My wheelchair shot down the ramp, I lost control of it and nearly went over the curb into the traffic. Fortunately, I was able to somehow regain control of my wheelchair; narrowly preventing what could have been a very serious accident...
Account continues here.. " (also reported by a friend of Gary on UCDSU.net

More from Indymedia: Holiday Homes For People With Disabilities | New Campaign To Secure Disablity Rights | Challenge to the Disability Act 2005 gathers momentum | Disability Bill - A Betrayal | Archive of Indymedia's Disability Coverage