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Recent articles by Andrew
L’Europe de la répression frappe un grand coup contre la protestation ... Mar 08 15 The Europe of repression strikes a blow at social protest in Ireland Mar 04 15 Irlanda: ondata di arresti, lo Stato colpisce il movimento contro la t... Feb 20 15 Wave of arrests in Ireland as state tries to break water charges movement![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
A prolonged revolt is happening in Ireland against the introduction of yet another austerity tax, this time as a charge on water. Across the country housing estates have seen conflict between residents, Garda and private security over the installation of water meters. Marches of tens of thousands have taken place.This week seizing on a minor incident 3 months ago when water charge campaigners sat in front of the Tanaistes (Deputy Prime Minister) car for two hours the Irish police (Garda) have mounted dawn raids against the houses of 21 water charge campaigners. The piece that follows is the Workers Solidarity Movement reportage of these raids as they happened over last week.The enormous use of Garda resources in terms of a 3 month investigation and large squads of Garda arriving on people's doorsteps in the early morning reveal the highly political nature of these arrests. And these carried out in revenge for a minor protest against a deeply unpopular Labour party political. [Italiano]Day 1: Shocking news this morning as we hear that Garda have arrested four anti-water tax protesters this morning in connection with the sit down protest three months ago that kept Joan Burton in her car for a couple of hours. The Jobstown 4 are Paul Murphy, Scott Matherson, Mick Murphy and Kieran Mahon. The arrests were made just before 7am this morning when teams of Garda arrived at the homes of those targeted. Eirigi have described the arrest of Scott as follows "‘At around 7am this morning up to a dozen Gardaí in five vehicles arrived at Scott Masterson’s home. Scott was the only adult in the house getting his two young daughters ready for primary school and pre-school. When Scott’s partner returned to the house, having earlier gone to work, there were eight Gardaí in the house along with Scott and the two children. Scott was then arrested and made to stand in handcuffs on a public road for a number of minutes before being transported to Tallaght Garda barracks.’ The Garda's pet journalist Paul Williams claimed on the news this morning this was the result of three months of 'investigation' The enormous use of Garda resources in terms of a 3 month investigation and large squads of Garda arriving on people's doorsteps in the early morning reveal the highly political nature of these arrests. And these carried out in revenge for a minor protest against a deeply unpopular Labour party political.
Do they expect this repression will intimidate the mass movement against water charges?
A protest has been called at Tallaght Garda station where some of those arrested were taken, Paul Murphy was taken to Terenure and Mick Murphy to Rathfarnham Garda station where a protest is ongoing. A solidarity protest has also been called outside Coolock Garda station. |
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In Ireland an Inquiry by the Garda Ombudsman's office into the death of Terence Wheelock in September 2005 has cleared the Gardai of wrongdoing. Terence Wheelock was taken to hospital from a cell in Store Street Garda barracks in June of 2005 he never regained conciousness and died on September 16th 2005. A crowd of anarchists and activists picketed the Greek Embassy in Dublin on a cold winter's evening whilst a young man who was killed by the state Special forces is buried in Greece.
Join the protest in Dublin on Saturday April 19th
Over 200 people packed into the Royal Dublin Hotel on Dublin’s O’Connell Street in early December for a public meeting on the topic ‘Democracy and Policing: How accountable are the Gardaí to the Irish people?’ On Friday the WSM joined a demonstration in solidarity with those arrested in Copenhagen since the eviction of Ungdomshuset, an autonomous social centre, on Thursday 1st of March. Around 20-30 people from Anarchist Prisoner Support, Polish Anarchist Federation and the WSM gathered outside the Danish embassy on St. Stephen's Green. more >>
Hundreds of thousands of people in this small country have been protesting against this policy and the government has encountered a campaign of civil disobedience without precedent, in which the majority of the population refuse to pay. [Castellano]
Last Thursday the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission released an interim report on the Garda rape-threat tape recordings that were revealed last April. GSOC is the official state body to investigate complaints against the police force of southern Ireland (Garda). The GSOC report contains a major error that suggests GSOC are the source of repeated attempts to spin the story in the media as somehow being the fault of the women the Garda were recorded discussing threatening to rape. The timing of the release of the report was also suspect, coming in the week Shell resumed construction and the day before a national day of action in Erris durig which four Shell to Sea campaigners were injured by Garda and/or private security violence. Such was the level of spin applied that some media made the mistake of leading with the news that the Garda had been cleared of something no-one had ever accused them of - directly threatening the two women with rape.
Around 30 Republican prisoners continue to engage in a ‘dirty protest’ in Maghaberry prison over the failure of the Northern Ireland Administration and the Prison Officers Association to implement a facilitated agreement reached between all parties last August. This is part of a wider criminalisation policy to punish, brutalize and isolate prisoners which includes regular beatings and strip-searching - which remains the outstanding issue to be resolved. Similarly to the 1980/81 prison struggles, the prisoners are simply asking for their rights and dignity to be respected.
A consortium of Shell, Statoil, and Marathon do a deal with the government allowing them exclusive exploitation rights to the Corrib gas field, off Mayo. Not only that, but they are allowed to write off their costs against taxes, meaning that the whole project is being funded by the PAYE taxpayer, who will receive nothing, not even lower gas prices. It may sound a bit iffy but there is no garda investigation into possible bribery or corruption.
The latest issue of Workers Solidarty runs a cover story on recent killings of suspects by the Irish Gardai (police). This has become as issue in the last year due to campaigns by the families of two men who were killed in custody, Terence Wheelock and John Moloney. more >>
[Français] The WSM condemns in the strongest terms the police violence* against students on Dublin's Merrion Row earlier this afternoon. Several members of the organisation where present with almost 1000 others in support of those who entered and occupied the Department of Finance. Mark Malone, student and member of the WSM, present at the protests earlier today said.
Join the protest in Dublin on Saturday April 19th |