Workers Solidarity Movement

A new pro-choice group has formed in county Kildare to campaign for the Repeal of the 8th Amendment. The 'Kildare Coalition to Repeal the 8th' is comprised of people new to activism as well as veteran organisers. Around 20 people attended the first county-wide meeting last Thursday.

The new group has already gotten up posters in north and south Kildare for the big pro-choice march this Saturday as well as having articles placed in local papers. Hundreds of leaflets have been handed out and a coffee morning was held in north Kildare to raise funds. They plan to affiliate with the national Coalition to Repeal the 8th Amendment.

The county wide group will be meeting monthly to coordinate the efforts of local pro-choice groups throughout Kildare. Look out for their county banner on Saturday.
If you are from Kildare and would like to get involved, you can contact them at this email address: kildare4Repeal@gmail.com

The 6th annual March for Choice takes place September 30th in Dublin and once more we are bringing together an anarchist bloc for the march - join us on the day.

It's going to be an important march as the government have promised a referendum next year but have not yet announced a date or indeed what we will actually be allowed to vote on.  There is a real danger that rather than a vote to delete the 8th Amendment they will seek to replace it with text that would still seek to deny bodily autonomy and allow abortion access in very restricted circumstances.  Some 12 people a day are forced to travel to access abortion and more use pills at home under the theoretical threat of a 14 year jail term, the danger is that many of these people would still be unable to access abortion and pregnant people would continue to find the 8th amendment denied them control in their own pregnancy.

Emergency gas flaring has had to take place at the Corrib refinery because unscented gas was allowed into the national grid. Terence Conway of Shell to Sea reports from the gates of the refinery in the video.

We are in the 4th decade of the struggle to get rid of the 8th amendment - no one under the age of 52 could even have voted for it.  But this year should be the year and that's why everyone should be on the March for Choice in Dublin, September 30th.

Online ticket sales have now closed. The bus will be leaving Hugh Lane Gallery at 10 am sharp. Please message the WSM Facebook page or email activity@wsm.ie if you wish to be placed on a standby list in the event there are any cancellations in the run up to the Rally.

• Tickets are €10 per person
• If you cannot attend please consider making a donation to help us subsidise tickets for those on low or no income.
• Meeting for the bus at the Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Square at 10am sharp, returning at 7.00pm
• Click on the button, enter the amount corresponding to the number of tickets you want: 1 ticket = €10, two tickets = €20 etc.
• Be sure to leave your Name, Email, and Mobile Phone Number so we can contact you, with confirmation and updates. (Please allow time for confirmation).
• If making a donation, just enter “donation” in the address field

For any queries contact: activity@wsm.ie

We caught up with abortion rights activists in Clare as they held a public information stall in Ennistymon, they will be running buses to the Sept 30th March for Choice in Dublin. [Video]

Members of the Kildare branch of the Irish Housing Network were invited to attend a meeting in Tullamore 9th September  by concerned residents of 'Lann Elo', a facility. Five members of Housing Action Kildare (IHN), two local Offaly county councillors, one Fianna Fail TD and one Sinn Fein TD were in attendance, along with eight residents.

Eight residents and a number of young children were advised in writing on 23rd August that they had to be out of the facility by 6th October or their cases may be referred to the Residential Tenancies Board. This caused a great deal of unnecessary stress for residents, especially those with young children as they did not know what this process would entail.

Saturday 22 July and Youth Defence, the real bottom of the barrel of the anti-choice campaign, brought their roadshow to Kilkenny. They have embarrassing historical ties with neo-nazis and plenty of shady American dollars to pay for their slick corporate stall, glossy flyers and huge banners, mostly featuring mangled foetuses and scare tactic slogans.

An Irish anarchist reports from recent victory in Sydney against wage theft in the hospitality industry. The Sydney Solidarity Network was formed a number of years ago along the lines of the Seattle Solidarity Network.