Over 30 years of anarchist writing from Ireland listed under hundreds of topics
Drop the charges against the Jobstown 27 - march this Saturday
Date: Thu, 2015-09-17 10:02
At the start of the week the Garda served summons on many of those they've been telling the media on and off they were going to prosecute for allegedly 'unlawfully imprisoning' Joan Burton in a 100,000 euro limo for a couple of hours. It would be laughable if the potential sentences were not so severe and if the reality is all too close to some tinpot dictatorship where the elite live on a cloud far above everyone else.
This Saturday at 13.00 there will be a protest march from the Central Bank to the CCJ in Parkgate Street in solidarity with the men and women who have been summonsed to court.
A good turn out is important, the failure of the anti-water charges movement to mobilise when activist Steven Bennett was jailed without trial for weeks sent out the message to the state that internal divisions would allow them to pick us off section by section. It's important that this impression is reversed by the movement standing together.
An attempt to liberate a vacant council flat for a homeless mother and her children
Date: Wed, 2015-09-16 16:46
Myself and some comrades were approached by a young mother from Coolock that recently became homeless. The woman and her children became homeless a few weeks previous. While her kids are in school during the day the mother either walks the streets or calls into friends or family member’s homes. When school has ended for the day they have to rely on family and friends to let them stay in their homes. Sometimes the mother has to split her children up so that she’d definitely have a roof over all her kid’s heads for the night.
She had to leave the house she was renting because of the condition the house was in. She went to Dublin City Council (DCC) and because of the advice given to her by the council she registered herself as being homeless. She asked the council to be put up in one of the state’s homeless hostels or money for a hotel room or a B&B. She was told there is no more spaces left in the hostels, but the council would give her money for a hotel room or B&B. The young mother spent days then weeks trying to get a room in a hotel or B&B that would be suitable for her and her children, but to no avail. She had to survive from the good will of her friends and family.
Homeless Direct action occupies DCC office in Coolock
Date: Wed, 2015-09-16 11:37
A housing direct action is took place this morning (14 Sept) at the Dublin City Council (DCC) office in Bunratty Civic Centre, Coolock in Dublin. Mother’s and their children who are in need of housing occupied the offices in order to force the council to answer their questions. In particular they want to know why many people are discovering there isn’t even emergency accommodation available.
Some of the mothers are currently living in hotels or B&B's (which DCC pay for) with their kids while others are couch surfing in the homes of friends and relations. There are a huge number of ‘hidden homeless’ in such situations.
A critical view of the Refugees are Welcome Rally in Dublin
Date: Tue, 2015-09-15 10:28
The Refugees Welcome rally saw a good crowd assembled at the Spire in Dublin. The rally was a response where people wanted to express their solidarity with the refugees who are attempting to escape war and death.
Thanks to the work of a few volunteers WSM had some banners to bring to the Refugees are Welcome rally and march at the Spire on Saturday the 12th of September. The banners were important to link up certain struggles. One linked the appalling reaction to the social housing crisis by this government with their slow reaction to the humanitarian crisis on the edges of fortress Europe, which simply stated Homes for All, Refuge for All, and another which read No Borders No Nations.
Racism against Irish refugees - we should know our own history
Date: Mon, 2015-09-14 21:33
"As a housing activist who is seeing directly family after family evicted, fighting with them to stay in their homes, facing court to open up buildings and fighting more generally so that everyone has a home and housing is a right, I don't want to see housing and homeless used to attack refugees. We can help the homeless AND refugees. Get involved in housing and homeless groups, get involved in anti-racism groups, take down this government, tear down this racism, sexist, classist state."
Housing activist Seamus Farrell used this powerful image of anti Irish racism from the 19th century to remind us that the refugees fleeing Syria have far more in common with us than the billionaire's that run this county. He circulated it with the following text during the week
Carrigtwohill lights the road for refugee solidarity
Date: Mon, 2015-09-14 21:23
There are many, many inspiring solidarity actions happening across Ireland at the moment. We've been following in particular the spontaneous formation of X to Calais groups around the county, modelled on the Cork to Calais one.
Before the government had indicated any intention to act these groups were formed in cities, towns and villages right across the country in order to collect needed supplies, form convoys and drive them to the migrant camps across Europe starting with the inspiring site of consistent self organised resistance at Calais.
Border rebellion - Two different futures are fighting to be born in this moment
Date: Mon, 2015-09-14 21:01
Two different futures are fighting to be born in this moment.
One the future of more effective border guards, of dragging refugees off trains and herding them into camps, of war without end, of hatred for the 'other', of wealth for a privilege few and immiseration for the masses.
The other future is glimpsed in the people quietly organising our own aid convoys to Calais, of solidarity with Rojava, of fighting for an equality that will be global in scope and from which no one will be locked out.
Which of those futures will you choose to feed?
Dubliners gather to spell out Refugees Welcome on Sandymount strand
Date: Mon, 2015-09-14 20:25
On a damp Sunday afternoon hundreds of Dubliners gathered to spell out a clear Refugees Welcome mention on Sandymount strand, opposite the iconic Pigeon House chimneys.
The organisers had said "Let's tell our government that people in Ireland want to extend the Céad Míle Fáilte to the thousands escaping conflicts. European ministers are meeting on Monday 14th September to agree a new programme."
Quick interview at Jigsaw about Dublin to Calais refugee solidarity
Date: Mon, 2015-09-14 16:49
One of our reporters was using his van to help transport refugee solidarity donations to Jigsaw, one of the Dublin sorting points of this grassroots initiative. He took a moment to shoot this quick video explainer showing the volume of materials that has poured in.
The 'X to Calais' solidarity groups formed in cities, towns and villages right across Ireland in order to collect needed supplies, form convoys and drive them to the migrant camps across Europe starting with the inspiring site of consistent self organised resistance at Calais.
The government are trying to stop Apple giving Ireland 19 billion in owed taxes - how's that for 'looking after our own?
Date: Mon, 2015-09-14 16:41
How many could we house, educate and care for with 19 billion? Our government is currently furiously fighting the European Union to prevent Apple paying us back taxes it owes us. There has been a lot of ‘concern’ about government plans to spend 48 million looking after 4000 people fleeing warfare in Syria and Iraq. The government and the media defend there ‘our own’ is first - the super rich in Ireland and elsewhere!