Workers Solidarity Movement

Around 200 people took part on the anti-capitalist bloc which marched to the Dail last night, meeting up with the 400 or so people who had already gathered for the Right to Work demonstration.  Unlike the previous week there was no attempt by the Gardai to prevent us marching although once more a large force was deployed both at our gathering point at the Wolfe Tone Statue and at Anglo Irish Bank where Gregor Kerr of the WSM and Brian Leeson of éirígí addressed the crowd.

The Sun Shines on the Anti-Capitalist Block!

For the last two weeks, the State has been busy showing its true colours, with Gardaí battering innocent protestors over the heads with steal batons, arresting peaceful protestors engaged in sit-in demonstrations, providing said protestors with ludicrous bail conditions (such as a barring order from Dublin 2!) and attempting to deny last Tuesdays Anti-Capitalist Block the freedom to march peacefully. They must have been embarrassed by our refusal to back down last week for while they turned out in large numbers, none of the silly behaviour on display last Tuesday was repeated last night.

Protestors gathered at the Wolfe Tone statue, apt perhaps given Saturday was the anniversary of the beginning of the 1798 Rebellion, in similar numbers to last week (close to the 200 mark) from seven. And while Gardaí did their best to intimidate stragglers in standing in a tight cordon around the corner where the crowd gathered and marching a mounted unit through the crowd on a couple of occasions, the march, called by the Workers Solidarity Movement and republican socialist organisation éirígí set off without Garda attack.

Flanked on both sides by lines of Gardaí, the protest made its way to Anglo Irish Bank where speeches were delivered by Gregor Kerr of the Workers Solidarity Movement and Brian Leeson, chairperson of éirígí. Both talked about the shameful behaviour of the state in relation to these protests, the disgusting manner in which this state continues to pull resources from community groups, hospitals, schools and the public services and pile this money into backing banks and big business. Both speakers also called for the building of a mass grassroots movement against the current situation, and spoke of finding genuine alternatives to capitalism.

From there, the march moved on and joined up with the “Right to Work” protest whose numbers matched our own outside the Dáil, before departing the way it started. Without trouble from the Garda.

WORDS: Ciaran IMAGES: Ciaran, Aileen, Andrew, Freda, Kev