OPEN, the national network of lone parent groups has expressed its anger and dismay at the latest reported changes to the Community Employment (CE) programme. "During its first incarnation, the FF/PD coalition altered the CE programme so that lone parents under 25 years of age were excluded from participation" said Frances Byrne, spokesperson for the group. "The latest leaked report proposes increasing CE hours from 19.5 to 30 hours per week. This change would discriminate against lone parents with school-going children, who will simply not be available to work the extended hours. To add insult to injury, CE participants would not be paid for the additional hours. Every report, including those commissioned by the government, has shown that lone parents rely on this scheme to overcome poverty and welfare dependency", continued Ms. Byrne, "How then can this government justify punishing some of the most excluded families in the state?"

OPEN has already surveyed their groups in Dublin in order to monitor the local effects of ongoing government cutbacks in CE and other programmes. The results show widespread reductions in staff and services in communities such as Finglas and Tallaght. A group in N.E. Dublin reported that its already relying exclusively on donations in order to continue to provide education and training programmes to lone parents and others in their community. Lone parent groups in Tipperary, Limerick and Mayo have also had to drastically curtail their activities. This means that in many rural areas lone parents and their children are losing vital services.

''What is planned for Saturday, December 6th, is designed to bring protest at Shannon to a new level. Before deciding whether you intend to participate, take some time to examine the context. Shannon airport is effectively a US airbase, with 100,000 troops shuttled through in 2003 alone. In September, 141 US military flights landed at the airport bringing through 10,000 armed soldiers. Moreover, documents revealed in Edward Horgan�s court challenge indicate that Patriot missiles have been transported through the airport. Bluntly put, an Irish civilian airport has been integrated into the US war machine and is helping to kill innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We cannot allow this to continue and, with resistance to the US occupation rising in both Iraq and the United States, we need to take what we�ve been saying seriously. If Shannon airport is helping to kill people, and with the government continuing to ignore the sound of marching feet, then it is entirely justified to disrupt normal business until the US military presence is removed. Enough is enough. Civil disobedience is completely justifiable as a tactic when human lives are at stake. Think of Shannon as a US airbase, and then consider whether you find that acceptable on Irish soil.''
- Fintan Lane, PRO of the Irish Anti-War Movement

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Aron Baker, an Irish Volunteer working with the International Solidarity Movement in Palestine has, since September, been publishing a remarkable series of snapshots of life and protest in the West Bank on IMC Ireland. Collected together his vivid first-hand reports present a unique ground level view of the harshness of everyday life for the Palestinians under Israeli Occupation. The reports are compiled below in the order in which they were published. The most recent report is first in the list below.

Curfew in Asira Army Attack Peaceful Demo to Fence Army Wound Dozens in Nablus Ongoing Balata Refugee Camp Invasion IOF in Balata Camp, West Bank IOF Shoot and Kill 9 Year Old in Nablus Olive Harvest Report, West Bank Internationals Shot by IOF in Nablus House Demolitions in the West Bank Shooting and Checkpoints in the West Bank Nablus Week 2 Life in the West Bank

EXCERPT FROM THE MOST RECENT REPORT:

"5 out of the last 6 days soldiers and border police, more feared than soldiers by Palestinians for their ruthlessness and brutality, have imposed curfew in the town of Asira, north of Nablus. The soldiers and border police drive around in jeeps terrorising the 12,000 people who live there, occasionaly leaving their jeeps to do a foot patrol through narrower streets. People hide in their homes wondering how long the army will remain, and when a silence descends and people think the jeeps are no longer there they begin to venture out, many to buy bread and food, some to disobey and break the curfew. Yesterday the soldiers weren't here in the morning so people attempted to continue their lives, children went to school and people attempted to leave the village for work, etc, only to find the last remaining road leaving the village, which has recently been blocked with an earth and rock mound, manned by soldiers who will not allow people out of the village."

The "Thessaloniki 7" were arrested in Thessalonika in June 2003 during the anti-EU summit demonstrations. They have been subject to a variety of denials of their rights including torture. Five of them have been on hunger strike for periods ranging from 39 to 56 days, and some refused water for a period of two days until they were given access to telephones, their lawyers and paper. Anarchists and anti-capitalists in Dublin called a demonstration at short notice to protest this critical situation.

WSM newswire report Anarchist Prisoner Support (Dublin) Anarchomedia Thessaloniki support pages original demo call A-Infos report IMC-Athens - motorbike demo photos WOMBLES info on Thessaloniki Greek solidarity actions IMC Thessalonika IMC Global Feature Evidence at FreeSimonChapman.org

On Friday Nov 14^th, a number of demonstrators gathered at the Greek Embassy in Dublin. They brought a large black coffin with them which they laid on the steps of the embassy as a symbol of the impending death of those on hunger strike. As one of the demonstrators put it, "Yeah this was a mock funeral but at the end of the day its not a joking matter. There are five people locked up and any of the five could die any day. Our action was sombre and a little morbid but when the situation is so serious there is little room to be upbeat. We will be back here again very soon if things do not improve."

FROM THE NEWSWIRE:

"Focus Ireland claimed today (Nov 14th) that the new changes to the SWA rent allowance system bought in by Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Coughlan could actually act to increase homelessness as the safety net of private rented accommodation is removed as an option for thousands of families and single people. Focus Ireland Chief Executive Declan Jones said: “We could now have the crazy situation where a person who is working and has been renting accommodation for less than 6 months loses their job they could find themselves homeless under the new rule where Health Boards have the power to refuse rent allowance to people who have been renting for less than 6 months.”

Mr. Jones added: “With average rents running at least 800 euro a month for a 1-bed apartment this means people could be expected to pay nearly 5,000 euro in rent over 6 months before they qualify for rent supplement.” Mr. Jones added while the Minister has said there will be provisions for exceptions in relation to people who are homeless or where there are “other compelling reasons” these have not been specified and could vary significantly across different health board areas.

Focus Ireland also maintains the private rented sector has provided a “safety net” for many people nationwide (Even though rents have rocketed in recent years) to prevent them from becoming homeless while waiting for years as one of the record total of 48,413 households on the housing waiting lists.

Mr. Jones said: “This new rule could see more people in this situation being forced into homelessness if they are refused rent allowance under these new changes. It could also mean many people (Vulnerable women and children in particular) could be stuck in an abusive relationship/household or in a very unhappy relationship as they will have no other option but emergency accommodation or living on the streets if they try and leave.”