Workers Solidarity Movement

The following piece is an interview with X, a victim of the police riot that took place May 6th 2002. The ‘Reclaim The Streets’ (RTS) protest tactic, hosting spontaneous temporary street parties in the name of community ownership over public space, emerged out of anti-capitalist and environmental grassroots politics in the UK in the early 90’s and rapidly spread across Europe, Australia, North America and later to South America, Asia and Africa attracting anywhere between a few hundred to tens of thousands of revellers. Following a successful first run of RTS in Dublin the previous year, the 2002 street party kicked off along Burgh Quay with about 400 partyers dancing to music played from a rig blocking one of the city’s main roads. The crowd soon doubled in size and the festival atmosphere continued for most of the afternoon until the police became hostile and began making arrests.

On Saturday the 28th of April, hundreds are expected to gather for Reclaim the Streets. People will be meeting at the Spire on O’Connell Street at 2pm, and the exact location of the event will only be disclosed on the day itself.

A soundsystem, DJs, face-painters and dancers will congregate to turn a small section of Dublin’s city centre into a carnival of hope and creativity. Donal Corcoran, one of the event coordinators comments “There hasn’t been a Reclaim the Streets party in almost a decade and it’s time that changed. This is about reclaiming public space and creating a positive atmosphere and a hub of entertainment for a few hours”.

In times past Dominick Street - developed in the 1750s by the Dominick family - was the “first settlement” of fashionable Dublin and much favoured by “the quality”. It housed such notables as William Hamilton; the mathematician who was elected the first foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA was born in No.36, horror writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu in No.45, and Sinn Fein founder Arthur Griffith in No.4.

There's nothing worse than waiting for a Dublin bus at 8.10 on a rainy November morning. Well possibly one thing, getting a nice big muddy splash from a passing 98 D Volvo or Merc as it trundles by to join on to some tailback on the Rock Road or the Firhouse roundabout.