New Events

Galway

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Declined: Chapter One Wed Dec 25, 2024 09:00 | M. Zermansky
Introducing Declined: a dystopian satire about the emergence of a social credit system in the U.K. that's going to be published in serial?form?in?the Daily Sceptic. Read episode one here.
The post Declined: Chapter One appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Lobbyists Behind the Climate and Nature Bill Wed Dec 25, 2024 07:00 | Charlotte Gill
The Climate and Nature Bill threatens to decimate the UK economy by turbo-charging Net Zero. But where did it come from? Charlotte Gill dives in and finds a glut of Left-wing activists working furiously behind the scenes.
The post The Lobbyists Behind the Climate and Nature Bill appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Wed Dec 25, 2024 00:32 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Starmer Doesn?t Have a Feel for Politics and His Team Lacks the Skills to Run the Country, Says Vete... Tue Dec 24, 2024 19:00 | Will Jones
Keir Starmer "doesn?t have a feel" for the Labour Party or politics in general and his team lacks the skills to run the country, veteran Labour MP?Diane Abbott?has said.
The post Starmer Doesn’t Have a Feel for Politics and His Team Lacks the Skills to Run the Country, Says Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Church of England Tells Clergy to Edit Christmas Carols to ?Avoid Unnecessary Offence? Tue Dec 24, 2024 18:00 | Will Jones
The Church of England has told clergy in Birmingham to watch out for "problematic words" in Christmas carols that imply Jesus is the "true Messiah" or other religions aren't valid. And they wonder why the pews are empty.
The post Church of England Tells Clergy to Edit Christmas Carols to “Avoid Unnecessary Offence” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Occupy accuse Gardai of political policing on 1st anniversary

category galway | rights, freedoms and repression | news report author Tuesday October 16, 2012 12:41author by Anonymous - Occupy Galwayauthor email info at occupygalway dot ie Report this post to the editors

Occupy Galway anniversary assembly disrupted by Gardai: Yesterday marked the 1st anniversary of the establishment of the Occupy movement in Galway. Between the Lisbrook house refugee eviction protest, the hearing of a spurious courtcase against two occupiers for "chalking", a subsequent spontaneous "chalking" reunion in the square and some heavy handed police action, it was not uneventful! ;-)


Occupy accuse Gardai of political policing on 1st anniversary

Yesterday marked the 1st anniversary of the establishment of the Occupy movement in Galway. This people’s movement began with Occupy Wall St. on September 17th 2011 and within weeks had spread to over 2600 towns and cities in almost 80 countries worldwide.

The movement, based on the ideals of economic justice, real participatory democracy and equality of all people, saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets in every major world city. The Occupy camps, which were established in public spaces in Galway, Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford, provided a space for the public to share and discuss information about the state of the country and the alternatives to the current political, economic and social system.

In countries like Spain and Portugal popular movements have brought millions of people onto the streets in protest at economic crisis and resist the governments attempts to enforce more pain on their people.

The day began at 11am with an assembly and march from Eyre Square to TD Brian Walsh’s office in support of the residence of Lisbrook House Asylum Centre and to protest the imminent closure of the centre and relocation of it’s almost 300 residents.

As if by fate, the same day, two members of the occupy movement appeared in Galway District Court on charges of criminal damage to part of Eyre Square for "writing on a wall with chalk". The incident took place on the morning of the 16th of May, a few hours after Gardai and Galway City Council workers destroyed the Galway camp in the middle of the night.

The charges were withdrawn by the DPP due to lack of evidence and Judge Mary Fahy seemed amused at the affair stating that no one in this county was in danger of going to jail for the use of chalk as a 2 year old could wipe it off.

After news of the court case spread a crowd began to gather in Eyre Square, someone brought chalk and members of the public, both young and old began to chalk on the square. A tent was set up as a symbolic gesture but before long around a dozen Gardai arrived and broke up the peaceful assembly of about 50 to 60 people and confiscated the tent.

A short time later 3 Galway city council workers arrived to power hose the chalk away, despite the heavy rain, the judge’s earlier remarks and offers to clean the chalk by a member of the assembly. The response of the Gardai and Galway city council was disproportionate and an obvious waste of resources. The actions of the Gardai further demonstrate the state’s policy of political policing, intimidation, suppression and criminalisation of political movements and normal people who object to the government policy such as the actions taken against the Occupy camps, Galway Alliance Against War and the decade long campaign against local people in North Mayo.

Video taken of the day’s events shows the heavy handed policing towards people who were simply exercising their constitutional rights on the square and writing a few messages in chalk, a "non crime" according to Judge Mary Fahy.

The Occupy movement is alive and well in Galway and will not be intimidated by such tactics and we will not go away. We will not be bullied, the truth is on our side. In Galway and across the country, people are organizing and resisting the government cuts and taxes. Only with a healthy democracy, with fairness, openness, involvement and inclusion as its guiding principles will we be able to make the change needed. Everyone must willingly accept to participate, we are all free.

author by Occupypublication date Tue Oct 16, 2012 18:02author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"Well I can assure you he wasn't at risk because I don't think I would ever send someone to jail for writing with chalk on a wall, that was the alleged charge, chalk can be moved, can be rubbed off by a two year old child and common sense has to come into this so I'm refusing legal aid and I've given the reasons why. There was never ever in my view a chance that anyone would go to jail in this country for writing with chalk and thats my view and certainly while I'm sitting here. Now thats not to say that I'm encouraging everyone to go out and start writing with chalk on the walls."

- Reply from Judge Mary Fahy to defendants barrister

author by serfpublication date Tue Oct 16, 2012 23:12author address author phone Report this post to the editors

in my view, this had little to do with getting a conviction and jail time and everything to do with harassing activists using the gardai and the legal system and just generally wearing them down.

Jails are expensive to run and that's money they could be stealing or giving to their rich bankster / corporate friends

Political policing is not necessarily about putting you in jail. Just wearing you down, stopping you protesting and shutting you up.

From that perspective, this case; which I believe, was postponed twice before finally being thrown out; was yet another success for the state. It harassed activists, stressed them out, wasted their time and drained their energy, yet it costs a lot less to do all this a few times to someone than to put them in prison.

 
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy