The right to protest in Iran...

[Jorge Miguel]

...well what about the right to protest in occupied Ireland?

----

Right to Protest Suppressed by Riot Squad in Belfast 28/06/09


As dozens of masked paramilitary police decamped from armoured jeeps onto a Belfast street it could have been a scene from 1969, 1979 or 1989. But it wasn’t. Instead it was June 27th 2009 – the day of Britain’s inaugural ‘Armed Forces Day’.


If proof was ever needed of the unchanged nature of both British policing in Ireland and the wider occupation, it was provided in Belfast today. As one arm of Britain’s occupation forces were ‘celebrated’ with the flying of the ‘Armed Forces Day’ flag above City Hall, another arm of those same occupation forces were busy suppressing the right to peaceful protest.


While republicans are all too used to the PSNI blocking the routes of ‘illegal’ marches, today the PSNI went a step further and prevented éirígí activists and supporters from even reaching the assembly point for a static picket. Those walking on the footpath found their path blocked by baton-yielding paramilitaries clad from head to foot in body armour. Such pre-emptive policing would sit comfortably in the police state of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The picket which was called in opposition to the flying of the ‘Armed Forces Day’ flag over Belfast City Hall was unable to take place as upwards of 120 people were prevented from entering the centre of Ireland’s second city.
As it became apparent that the PSNI were intent on using violence to prevent access to the city centre an impromptu protest was held on Castle Street.


As part of this protest the names of those killed as a result of British state violence was read to the listening crowd. The task of reading this lengthy list of names was shared between Marie Drumm, whose mother Máire was murdered by unionist death squads, and éirígí’s Seán Mac Brádaigh. This dignified memorial to the victims of British state violence stood in contrast to the menacing backdrop of the masked militia.

Speaking after the protest éirígí General Secretary Breandán Mac Cionnaith said, “All the talk of change in recent years has today been exposed as just that – talk and nothing more than empty, hollow talk. Belfast city centre remains a no-go zone for republicans – unless, of course, those republicans are wiling to ask the British state for permission to enter their own city.


“In light of the potential threat to the safety of those attending the picket we decided that it would be best for people from the west of the city to walk together to City Hall. And this is what we did only to find the footpath blocked by the PSNI riot squad. When we moved to the footpath on the other side of the road the PSNI moved ahead of us to block it also. Despite the spin of the PSNI there was no attempt made by éirígí to march to City Hall. What we witnessed today was the actions of a police state where protest and dissent are met with brute force.”

In closing Breandán committed éirígí to opposing ‘Armed Forces Day’ in the future.


“Today was the first so-called armed forces day. By our protest here today éirígí has ensured that it did not pass unopposed. In the years to come we will build on today’s protest and ensure that June 27th becomes a date of protest – not a date of celebration.”


http://www.eirigi.org/images/2009/afd_belfast_27june04.jpg


link: http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest280609.html
more pictures: http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest280609b.html

[ls]

People comparing Iran to Ireland is absolutely brilliant, just brilliant.

[Jorge Miguel]

Connolly Youth Movement
Craobh Mhichíl Uí Ríordáin, Belfast
27 June 2009

NO CELEBRATION OF MILITARISM AND WAR

For years, recruitment to the British army has failed to meet its targets, but as a result of the growing economic crisis the number of young people joining is on the increase, particularly unemployed youth from working-class communities. That has always been the case: they want young people to die defending the interests of the rich and powerful.

Armed Forces Day is an attempt by imperialism to glorify death and destruction, to justify occupation and aggression. This Armed Forces Day is an attempt by the Unionist establishment to encourage more unemployed youth to join up. Unionism has nothing to offer young people from the Protestant and loyalist communities. It has no policies for creating jobs or building social services for working people.

This Armed Forces Day is a reflection of the bankrupt strategy of unionism, and in particular of the DUP, in continuing to foster sectarianism and division. Trade unions in Britain have organised very effective opposition to British army recruitment in schools: they have recognised that it is their sons and daughters who will die in the interests of big corporations and a bankrupt political class.

The British government has dismantled many of the physical manifestations of the British military presence. The watchtowers are largely gone, and soldiers are no longer on the streets. Until recently, more soldiers were stationed here than in Afghanistan.
The watchtowers have been replaced by more sophisticated methods of surveillance, copperfastened by the construction of the largest MI5 installation outside London, at Hollywood, County Down. Counties Tyrone and Derry are used as training grounds for preparing soldiers for Afghanistan and Iraq. This has left dozens of small rural areas plagued nightly by low-flying helicopters.

Shannon and Aldergrove Airports have been and are being used by the CIA in “extraordinary rendition” flights of “terrorist suspects” and also in directly contributing to murder and illegal wars on other countries. More than 100,000 Iraqi civilian have been murdered as a result of the invasion of 2003, with millions more displaced as refugees.

Unionist politicians, like their counterparts at Westminster, have nothing to offer young people. Their policies, not just in the North of Ireland but throughout Britain, have condemned young people to a life on the dole and to poverty. They oversee a society were tens of thousands of young people feel completely alienated from.

The Connolly Youth Movement, as young communists, reject this glorification of war and aggression. This is about the celebration of imperial adventures. The tens of thousands of young people disabled for life by bombs, missiles and land mines dropped or planted by armies of aggression remain firmly hidden.

British troops must and will go!

--- Ends ---

[ls]

Your point being that young unionists who aren't in the army nor racist must become republicans and that that is somehow better?

Neither is better.

[Jorge Miguel]

Neither is better.
Why?

[ls]

Because neither cause stands by the side of the proletariat, furthermore both sides fuel division.

People like that guy who died recently thanks to those UDA sectarian ****s are people who bravely try to unite their communities, meanwhile there are idiots like you who think that it's "one side or the other", fostering division.

[scarletghoul]

You could say the exact same thing of both sides in Iran
" Because neither cause stands by the side of the proletariat, furthermore both sides fuel division."

In both Iran and Ireland there are two sides, neither of which are proletarian. The difference between them is that one side is supporting imperialism (mousavi, british forces in NI) and one side is anti-imperialist (ahmedinejad, republicans)

[Pogue]

I simply can't take seirously the complaints of someone about the brutality of a regime who has a quote from Mugabe in their signature.

[Pogue]

You could say the exact same thing of both sides in Iran
" Because neither cause stands by the side of the proletariat, furthermore both sides fuel division."

Which is why everyone who is pro-protests on this board is pro-people of Iran, not pro-Mousavi. Its a few deluded idiots on this board who can't grasp this, and thus follow the natural conclusion of their fucked up politics - openly supporting repressive anti-working class regimes.

[Jorge Miguel]

Because neither cause stands by the side of the proletariat, furthermore both sides fuel division.So where are the Anarchists, Council Communists, Left Communists or whatever ultra-leftist tendency? They stand on the sidelines explaining their own historical failures to achieve anything by pointing the finger at "Stalinists", "Nationallists" or whatever else.

Yes, I am a nationalist as Marxist-Leninists understand a nationalist to be. I've no problem admitting it.


People like that guy who died recently thanks to those UDA sectarian ****s are people who bravely try to unite their communities, meanwhile there are idiots like you who think that it's "one side or the other", fostering division.
The murder of "that guy" (his name was Kevin McDaid), shows the real nature of the foot soldiers of British imperialism in Ireland, the completely bankrupt strategy of Irish nationalism (ala Jonathan Swift, SDLP, SF, etc) and the completely reactionary and sectarian nature of the Good Friday Agreement.

Sectarianism was fostered in Ireland by British imperialism, it can only be removed by removing British imperialism because that is the primary contradiction. The whole notion of Protestants in the north being "British" appeared after partition, beforehand they considered themselves Irish - and indeed they are Irish.

The murder of Kevin McDaid is a consequence of British invovlement in Ireland. The Brits need to go. Sin é.

[ls]

So where are the Anarchists, Council Communists, Left Communists or whatever ultra-leftist tendency? They stand on the sidelines explaining their own historical failures to achieve anything by pointing the finger at "Stalinists", "Nationallists" or whatever else.

In Ireland? http://www.wsm.ie/ north and south.


Yes, I am a nationalist as Marxist-Leninists understand a nationalist to be. I've no problem admitting it.

You know what, the left-communist praising of Lenin is one thing, the funny thing is that your "marxist-leninism" doesn't even follow Lenin's (imo crappy) internationalism, it's pretty funny really, I don't like lenin much at all either, but your ideology is actually pretty divorced from Leninism.

You are much more like a maoist-stalinist third-worldist.



The murder of "that guy" (his name was Kevin McDaid)

Apologies, I couldn't remember the name.


shows the real nature of the foot soldiers of British imperialism in Ireland

It shows the sectarian anti-proletarian nature of unionism, republicanism has shown its ugly side too and make no mistake - killing innocent workers is inexcusable.


the completely bankrupt strategy of Irish nationalism (ala Jonathan Swift, SDLP, SF, etc) and the completely reactionary and sectarian nature of the Good Friday Agreement.

I agree. Irish nationalism on all sides that is.


Sectarianism was fostered in Ireland by British imperialism

Do you forget that funnily enough it was fostered by a "republican", a one Oliver Cromwell in the first place? :rolleyes:


it can only be removed by removing British imperialism because that is the primary contradiction. The whole notion of Protestants in the north being "British" appeared after partition, beforehand they considered themselves Irish - and indeed they are Irish.

Just like you argue for Mousavi and his supporters to be "removed" no doubt, if you got your way the workers wouldn't win anyway and you would remain with a reactionary government and even more likely.. innocent protestant workers would be killed.


The murder of Kevin McDaid is a consequence of British invovlement in Ireland. The Brits need to go. Sin é.

No the nationalism needs to go on both sides.

[Demogorgon]

The division of the Irish people (in both senses) needs to end, but can anyone tell me what good simply transferring control of Northern Ireland to Dublin would do? The Irish Government isn't exactly noted for being the most progressive in the world so what makes rule by it so wonderful?

At this stage the best thing is trying to bring the Irish people closer together which means both North-South integration and reconciliation between different communities in Northern Ireland. On balance a United ireland is preferable to a divided one of course, but that goal is secondary to the first. The Irish State has been much less oppressive to Protestants in the three counties of Ulster that it administers than the British were to Catholics in Northern Ireland ad that is the best argument for reuniting the country under Dublin, but as discrimination breaks down anyway, uniting people across community lines as well as arbitrary borders becomes more important.

The reasons for conflict in Northern Ireland are well documented, but that does not change the fact that the troubles soon led to a great deal of sectarian animosity little connected to politics with thugs on both sides committing violence dressed up in political violence they didn't care about or understand. I have no patience for those wanting to go back to that.

[Charles Xavier]

Can someone yank the label machine of your hands. Please stop trying to assign labels and fight on political terms not the straw men which the original poster is not linked to. And no Jorge Miguel, we as Marxist-Leninists are not nationalists, we are patriots, for a nationalist fight for his nation, a patriot fights for his nation's people.

[The Ungovernable Farce]

Can someone yank the label machine of your hands. Please stop trying to assign labels and fight on political terms not the straw men which the original poster is not linked to. And no Jorge Miguel, we as Marxist-Leninists are not nationalists, we are patriots, for a nationalist fight for his nation, a patriot fights for his nation's people.
I'm a patriot to my class. Fuck my nation, and fuck its rulers, even though they're a part of "my nation's people".

[Jorge Miguel]

http://shadowwar.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/stalin.jpg

[Patchd]

http://shadowwar.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/stalin.jpg
:blink: LOLWUT.

Nationalist and Socialist eh ... Nationalist and Socialist ... National Socialist ... oh, wait a minute! :scared: