Workers Solidarity Movement

Due to a small group of sexist whingers, the beautiful Repeal the 8th mural by Maser at Project Arts in Dublin has been removed.

Over 200 letters of support were sent to the centre thanking them for their support of the campaign to Repeal the 8th Amendment of the Constitution, which equates the life of a foetus to that of the mother and sees that anyone who has an abortion in Ireland will spend 14 years in jail.

Dublin City Council claimed the mural was in violation of the Planning and Development Acts and that the mural changes the tone of the street and impacts on the area. If they think a bit of street art is bad they’d want to take a look at how denying bodily autonomy to half the population and treating them like criminals impacts upon people.

We have learnt from this incident however; art provokes engagement. Every newspaper in the country has covered the mural, the opposition to it and crucially, the support of it. A bit of street art sent the anti-choicers into panic mode and made us all proud that we were on the same side as the artist.

These are our streets and we should decorate them whatever way we want. Why is it that Youth Defence can take out billboards and shame women and they aren’t taken down? Why are companies allowed to use women as sexist props in order to sell their bullshit products but we can’t paint a wall with a legitimate political demand?

We reported a few weeks ago about some pro-choice street art in Belfast. This is the kind of activism we need. We need to make ourselves nuisances to those in power.

We need to force this issue any way we can; the battle won’t be won on facebook and twitter alone. We need to take to streets and make our demands a threat to those in the Dáil.

Let a thousand murals bloom

Let a thousand murals be painted! We have been sent this image of some beautiful Repeal street art down by Arklow Skatepark.

They need to know that this is one movement that isn't going to be painted over. If they remove one mural ten more will show up in its place.

If you would like to be part of this kind of civil disobedience be sure to read our flypostering guide.

More Repeal the 8th Artwork appearing

We're very happy to see that another Repeal the 8th related image has been sent in to us just now. This one was spotted near Christchurch in Dublin. We think there are going to be a lot more of these around the place from now on so if you see one please take a picture and send it to us so we can share it out here!

This situation reminds us of when the anti-choice organisation 'Youth Defense' ran a bill board campaign aimed at shaming women who have had abortions and intimidating those who found themselves in need of one, back in mid 2012.
 

And now the ICC offices

The revolt against the attempt by the anti choice groups to ensure their messages are the only ones the public gets to see is spreading. Yesterday the ICCL reproduced the mural that the anti-choicers managed to get banned from Temple Bar.

For over two decades anti choice groups have had massive fundraising campaigns in the US, selling Ireland as the core crusade to deny women control over their own bodies. Some of the hundreds of thousands that poured in from US bigots every year was used to pay for billboard campaigns around the country. They know the pro choice movement can't match those funds which is why they were so keen to get the first mural censored.

We welcome it's reproduction both in Stoneybatter and also via stickers, fly posting and graffiti in many other locations. The anti choice groups may be awash with US cash but they have very certainly lost the people. The question is how long this government can continue to stall calls the referendum to repeal the 8th.