Workers Solidarity Movement

The Cork Autonomous Zone has bee functioning for over a year now. The shared space has become an irreplaceable part of the agitational infrastructure of anti-capitalism in Cork city.

The fourth Grassroots Gathering happened at University of Limerick on the St. Patrick's bank holiday weekend. It was a glorious weekend of weather and once again I came away from the experience of meeting fellow activists with renewed vigour for the struggle. The Grassroots Network has succeeded in creating a space for non-hierarchical libertarian groups and individuals to gather and share information and conduct workshops on various tactics used.

This article addresses Direct Action in the context of the sometimes hysterical debate about the Grassroots Network Against War (GNAW) action at Shannon on March 1st.

The statement below was issued before the war by anarchist groups from all over the globe. This included organisations in Ireland (WSM), Britain, France, Sweden, Argentina, Lebanon, Belgium, Turkey, Portugal, South Africa, Germany, Canada, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, USA, Switzerland and Croatia.

One of the most interesting arguments from within and, interestingly from without, the growing anti-war movement is on the use of violence. Typically, the argument takes this form: anti-war protests are peace protests, therefor they must be peaceful. Further, these self-appointed arbitrators within and without the movement have extremely tight definitions of what is and what isn't peaceful.

As we go to press, at least 19 people are currently facing prosecution out of the October and March direct actions at Shannon airport. In addition 5 people are in the courts arising from the Catholic Worker/Ploughshares 'decommissioning' of a US military transport plane. Mary Kelly is facing charges for taking a hammer to the same plane on an earlier occasion, and Eoin Dubsky for spraypainting a warplane.

The campaign against the bin tax is set to enter a new phase before the summer as the government brings forward new legislation to give the Councils the power to refuse to collect the bins of non-payers. The politicians are obviously rocked by the huge level of opposition to their attempts to impose this double tax - in South Dublin, for example, where the bills for the second year of the tax will arrive through people's letterboxes shortly, up to 70% of households are refusing to be bullied into paying.

According to the Financial Times of February 22nd, the after tax income of the richest 1% of Americans rose 115% between 1977 and 1999 while the incomes of the poorest 20% fell by 9%.

'One law for the rich and one' is one of the oldest sayings known. But, old or not, this saying is as true and relevant as ever. In a long-awaited judgement, the Supreme Court ruled against the public's right of access to the scenic walk at the Old Head outside Kinsale in Co. Cork.

In the run up to St. Patrick's Day we had the sight of our ultimate gombeen, Bertie, presenting a bowl of shamrock to George W Bush and telling him it was fine to continue to re-fuel bombers in Shannon. Now in the war of super spin, Baghdad burns yet nobody dies. Over 205,000 people died in the last Gulf war.