Workers Solidarity Movement

Yesterday the housing activist occupation at 35 Summerhill Parade entered its third day. Approximately 100 people attended the 'Leo’s Early Risers'* event yesterday evening to show solidarity and support to the local community and all those involved in the occupation.

Speeches came from housing activists and residents in the local area to demand adequate and affordable homes for all and stress the need for direct action to take back housing from slum landlords - such as multi millionaire Pat O’Donnell who evicted over 120 people from five houses on Summerhill Parade in May - and all those who profit from the current housing crisis.

In May five houses on Summerhill Parade in Dublin were evicted on almost no notice with some 120 people being thrown on the street.  All were owned by the same landlord who in order to make super profits had packed people in, 6-8  to a room, charging them 350-450 each  per month for space on a bunkbed.  Last night, August 7th, as part of a direct action month around housing people marched from the GPO to Summerhill and occupied No 35.[see video]

60,000 people marched as part of Pride this year in Dublin according to the organisers. This would make it  the largest to date, this year was also significant as it was marking 25 years since the 1993 decriminalisation of sex between men. 

25 years after the government finally removed the 10 year jail sentence for sex between men the Irish army marched near the front of parade, with many in the army band wearing rainbow angel wings.  There was one lone counter protester marching along the route 100m ahead of Pride with a cornflakes box on the end of a umbrella.   He had stuck a religious icon and the slogan ‘Sodomy is Sexual Abuse’ on the side of the box! While that was pretty laughable we do not forget that on the eve of the pride there were homophobic attacks in Dublin and Laois so we have a lot to fight for even if Pride today can  feel more like a corporate sponsored carnival than a protest. 

The Workers Solidarity Movement held a small demonstration on June 20th in solidarity with political prisoners in the Russian state, outside the embassy of Russia in Dublin. On June the 14th the FIFA World Cup commenced in Russia while it interrogated and tortured framed political dissidents in its dungeons. We in Ireland cannot halt this injustice but we can show that the wider world is watching, that the brutality of the Russian state and the hypocrisy of FIFA has been noted. We can ask 'if I was falsely imprisoned and tortured, what would I want?'. That a group of people over 3000 kilometres away would take time to demonstrate their concern is what makes the human species great what makes our freedom possible. The movement for freedom is global and our bonds of solidarity cannot be severed by national borders.

Sunday 10th June saw Processions2018 take place in Belfast and three other UK cities to commemorate some women winning the vote 100 years ago.

The Belfast event saw quite a large pro-choice bloc under the Alliance for Choice banner which comprised more than half of the entire event. Calls were made for reproductive justice and choice to be enacted in the north.

On Saturday 10 June, loyalist supporters of the far-right anti-Muslim group, Britain First staged a march and demonstration in the name of ‘free speech’ for the founder of EDL (English Defense League), Tommy Robinson (whose legal name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon). Britain First is a militaristic, violent right-wing extremist group who specifically targets Muslims and migrant communities. One fascist group, Generation Identity, which is trying to organise in Dublin was also present at this loyalist organised protest, its lone flag sticking out in the sea of union jacks. [See video ]

Somewhat good news in the struggle for abortion provision in the north, the courts may refuse to act but grassroots activists are taking to the streets on Sunday. Pressure continues to build following the successful Repeal campaign in the south to introduce abortion law reform north of the border. Join Alliance for Choice as part of the Processions march on June 10th, Titanic Slipways at 12 noon.

24th May, the eve of the Repeal the 8th referendum in Ireland there was a demonstration of solidarity with Repeal outside the Irish Embassy in Paris.

The demo is organised by international collective;
Abortion: Let Women Decide!

Last night we received information (screen shot above) that the No campaign intend to engage in Trump style voter suppression methods by trying to get their people appointed as personation officers at polling stations.  They intend to target stations likely to have a high Yes voter the hope that increasing the number of challenges will result in enough Yes voters being unable vote to make a difference if, as is still possible, the result is close. Be sure to bring ID when you go to vote on Friday, the polling card is NOT in itself ID.

This seemingly bizarre tweet from a No campaign leader in their attempt to prevent the repeal of the anti-women 8th amendment gives a few things away about their ideological mind set.

It read "Referendum will repeal our property rights. Ignore the fact the the Goverenment then plans to pass a law nationalising half the housing stock. #8thref #refcom @morningireland"