After a long period of preparation conducted in a refreshingly open and transparent manner, a diverse range of up to 40 citizens groups, organisations and NGOs are preparing to meet in Dublin for the Irish Social Forum Summit of Co-Operation and Solidarity.

The Irish Social Forum is affiliated to the World Social Forum, a Civil Society initiative which developed in opposition to the World Economic Forum. The WSF meets each year at the same time as the WEF and poses an increseangly coherent civil society alternative to the neoliberal economic agenda which holds sway in Davos.

The Co-operation and Solidatity summit was planned as an Irish civil society response to a WEF summit on the theme of Competition, which had been planned to take place in Dublin this October, but which was subsequently cancelled.

The Irish Social Forum website has full details of workshops and plenary sessions which are taking place from 17th - 19th October in and around UCD. UCD coincidentally had a recent eventful visit from a leading Irish cheearleader for the WEF economic agenda - Mary Harney.

- Full ISF Programme

- Indymedia interview with ISF activist

- Significance of Irish Social Forum for NGO's

- Previous Indymedia Feature

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Globalisation And The Media, the award winning Undercurrents documentary will be screened in DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology) School of Architecture on Bolton St. next Thursday @ 6.00 16th Oct 2003.

Globalisation And The Media, an award winning documentary explores how the United States has spend the last fifty years constructing the present New World Order. Aided by its powerful military resources, alongside the IMF, World Bank and the World Trade Organisation, the rules of global trade have been largely imposed to serve its own interests. Globalisation and The Media explores the role of the media in this corporate led takeover of global resources.

More info on this video:
Oxdox.com and Antville.org
Video Activism Links:
Undercurrents Documentaries
v2v: Peer-to-Peer Video Syndication
DemandMedia.net
Dublin Community Television (DCTV) Content Workshop ( Wed. 22nd October )

While Fianna Fail were facing growing pressure over the Bin-Tax in Dublin another facet of their misrule and abuse of the public trust was being exposed at their Ard Fheis in Killarney: approximately 30 protestors reminded the delegates that the craven abuse of our neutrality in the service of an illegal war is not an issue that is going to be forgotten.

The activists surrounded the Gleneagle Hotel so that it was impossible to pass through any of the three exits without being faced with a vocal and immediate challenge. Attempts were made by the Gardai to intimidate these representatives of the huge public opposition to prostituting Ireland to the US war machine. The protestors remained steadfast in maintaining their right to protest despite the arrest of one of their number.

The relatively low numbers for this demonstration have led some to question what is going on with the Irish anti-war community, with activists in general and with the population at large.

(photo: Eoin Rice is arrested for walking on the grass in Killarney)

View previous anti-war features More Photos from Killarney: 1 2 3 4
Watch a video of the demonstration (c. 50Mb Quicktime format)

FROM THE NEWSWIRE:

"In the light of today’s decision to jail ten Anti Bin Tax campaigners, the Fingal Anti Bin Tax Campaign calls for Saturday’s Dublin Council of Trade Unions Anti Bin Tax - Anti Jailings demonstration (Assemble 12 noon Parnell Square and march to Mountyjoy Jail) to be made into a massive show of opposition. We call on the trade union movement to pull out all the stops to ensure this is the case. We call on ordinary people the length and breadth of the country to travel up to join this protest.

To jail ordinary residents for a peaceful protest on their own streets while millionaire crooks and tax evading T.D.’s go free shows the massive double standard in the legal system in this country.

The ten jailings, mothers and grandmothers among them, represents the most significant attack on the right to protest seen in this country in a generation. In particular, they represent an attack on the right of working class people to protest- farmers, middle class professionals and other sections of society would never to treated in this way.

Saturday’s protest will be an anti- Government protest. This Government made the laws, this Government promoted the bin tax; they will suffer very real consequences as a result of the jailings today."

Initial Reactions from groups involved in the campaign
Opinion: Acts of Resistance and The Bin-Tax
Dublin Council of Trade Unions: Motion and Details of Saturday March

Yesterday (October 6th) at least 3 cases were heard arising out of the the 'Reclaim The Streets' demonstration of May 6th 2002...

Amazingly the people on trial were protestors, not Gardaí. Most people would probably be shocked to know that over a dozen protestors are still being pursued for public order offences on the day. These people, most of whom were beaten up by the police, have been forced to show up in court up to 10 times each over the last year and a half. Each time their case gets deferred for a few months, meaning more disruption, days off work and general hassle.

Considering the fact that, when questioned by the Garda Complaints Board inquiry, not a single policeman was able to remember the identity of a single officer present, we should ask how the hell they can continue these prosecutions which are all based on Garda testimony? The reason can only be a spiteful desire to harrass the people whom they had already assaulted.

Indymedia feature on May 6th
Reclaim The Streets Dublin