Derry City Now A 'No-Go' Area for the Arms Trade

by S. Aerobics Thu Jan 08, 2004 18:59

Raytheon, Shannon, No mans land
Washington, Dublin, Babylon

by Damien Moran - Pitstop Ploughshares Thu Jan 08, 2004 22:06

Congratulations to all the FEICers. Beautiful beginning to what I hope will become a year filled with hope for anti arms-trade activists. Much peace and love to all involved. Keep up the good work. You are an inspiration to those of us going on trial soon and for peace activists everywhere.
Solidarnosc

by Shaner - feic Fri Jan 09, 2004 15:07 shaneocurry at fastmail dot fm

bigger versions available upon request

Street Theatre in front of Guildhall in advance of meeting

Inside the meeting Ernie Hamilton (UUP), Willie Hay (DUP) and Mildred Garfield (DUP) sit while the rest of the meeting stands for a minute's silence in honour of the victims of the arms trade.

After the meeting: Peace and reconciliation; feicer gets down and dirty with Edward VII inside the Guildhall

After the meeting; the message is clear (Guildhall in background)

Ploughshares: Fort George serves as peace billboard. 2 People were detained and released by the PSNI following this redecorating.

by David Fri Jan 09, 2004 17:21

Congratulations to everybody involved!

by Oliver Mc Crossan - Columban Missionary Sat Jan 10, 2004 04:49 ollie.mccrossan at oceanfree dot net

I am delighted with the result from Derry City Council. I want to congratulate all in FEIC for determination, courage, creativity over the last 4 years in keeping issues of Raytheon before the people. I say well done also to the members of Derry City Council for taking this stance.

Where you have gone others will and must follow until we end the need for all arms.

From the people of Ozamiz, who know all about the destruction, loss of life from weapons of death, MABUHAY FEIC , LONG LIVE FEIC!

Ollie Mc Crossan

by Justin Morahan - Peace People Sat Jan 10, 2004 11:09

Congratulations. Brilliant. Keep up the good work

by BlackPope Mon Jan 12, 2004 01:46

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by pc Mon Jan 12, 2004 16:53

but it sounds bit too good to be true will any action on companies come from this resolution?

i just cant see a council refusing any factory or investment for a reason such as this, or maybe derry council would?



i asked how did this come about, hard work i know , how did it come about exactly ? what motivated the council specifically to support this move

by Aunty Plagiarism Mon Jan 12, 2004 19:17

This came about because:

1. We had put in three solid years of grassroots activism and creative, clever enagement with the Derry public;

2. Derry city Council passed a motion opposing the Iraq war;

3. We had a die-in and vigil against raytheon right outside the next Derry City Council meeting. They had to step over us to get into the meeting, many (not all of them) shame-facedly. SF promptly proposed the suspension of standing orders to discuss the issue. The SDLP supported them.

4. They agreed to hold a special council meeting, raytheon declined the invitation(some months later) and we just kept at them until they held the special council meeting. In other words, we didn't go away ...

5. There is still work to be done. The campaign goes on....raytheon are still in Derry... more work, more dialogue with DCC, but we're on wur way...!

by Realist - Planet Earth Tue Jan 13, 2004 16:08

The council have merely thrown the FEIC a bone, as pointed out by Willie Hay. It is a move to shut the FEIC up and the council are now hoping they will go away, which no doubt they won't. Do you really think DCC will ask Raytheon to leave and make enemies of the IDB who have invested a lot of time and money in Raytheon? Do you think DCC will do anything to upset potential american companies coming to the district either by upsetting their precious American pride or give them the impression that they will be shunned on arrival. If you people think you are any closer to getting Raytheon to leave I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken. The council under Cathal Crummley shafted you once - do you honestly think DCC will give up the chance to entice more companies in just to appease a handful of people, i.e. less than those who actually work for Raytheon. Open your eyes!

by Shane - None Tue Jan 13, 2004 18:27

the councils actions are the political equivalent of a parent humouring a child throwing a tantrum just so they will be quiet. tell them what they want to hear and theyll shut up. if another u.s. company comes to derry to set up a factory or software plant and happens to be involved in manufacturing weapons in some part of the world will the council blantantly turn round and say no? add to the equation that say the company intended to invest several billion pounds and create 350 jobs in derry. Id be interested to see the stance the council would take then. the council say they oppose the war in iraq. surprise surprise. what did you expect them to say. the council say they dont want arms manufacturers in the town but they still wont tell raytheon - an arms manufacturer - that they are not welcome. sending a letter from the chief executive. woopie do. and if the council did say raytheon was not welcome (and i agree they wont because of the risk to upsetting local present and future economy) do you think they will just sniffle and walk off. of course not. if the council resinds its welcome then so what. there are no legal implications and it will be nothing more than words. how do you see this as a step towards raytheon leaving? all youve done is bolster eamonn mccanns massive ego for another few hours..

by Shane again - none Tue Jan 13, 2004 18:45

im amazed at the number of articles you feckers have published telling everyone about your amazing success. lets just put things into perspective shell we..

this is a proper demonstration

this is about 20 tossers who think people support them (face it how many showed up?)

by 4th. from the left, bottom photo Tue Jan 13, 2004 22:01

Dude,
You've got a bad case of the colonials to define a demonstration as "proper"

....5 folks disarmed a US Navy war plane sent it packing back to the U.S., with 3 US companies transporting troops abandoning Ireland in the height of war mobilisation.....100,000 march in Dublin and Bertie thinx they are supporting him....what's proper dude...1,2,3 many...quality, quantity?

..."abandon your perfect offering, everything's got a crack in it, that's how the light gets in (Leonard Cohen)"....proper????..you'll have us back eating steak & 3 veg and playing route 1 football....proper?...shed those proper colonial pretensions and embrace pluralism..

Good vibe in Derry, was worth the bus ride from Dublin...lif we had the qulality of the feicers in Limerick we would be kicking ass on Shannon

by Shane (but not that miseryguts) - feic Wed Jan 14, 2004 01:48

I don't know. I couldn't be bothered to fully read that stoned rant/stream of consciousness nonsense that passes for polemic. I really didn't get the relevance of comparing the pictures either. The only thing that came across was the ill-intent of the author.

Do I need to engage with this stuff and say that that was only part of the day's events and that there were many more people involved;
otherwise, why would two political parties shift position so radically?

We forget that people in Derry have experienced war and that 4 years of FEIC stunts have worked because they have mobilised opinion by tapping into people's outrage at the idea that what was inflicted on them - or worse - is going to be inflicted on others in order for 35 people to get jobs.

The point is to exhaust all the 'legitimate' routes - the avenues assigned for us by the likes of the sdlp - and if they don't shift (which they wont) when we expose raytheonderry's ongoing direct involvement in the arms trade (and that is only a matter of time) then public opinion will be with us when we disarm the plant.

by Aunty P. Wed Jan 14, 2004 10:58

Methinks the miseryguts is a green-eyed monster. Our improper demo got results. Good luck to the thousands beseiging the Shannon runways but our particular brand of activism doesn't need to bus gazillions of people in...

by Shane the miseryguts - none Wed Jan 14, 2004 11:59

shane i see you are still basking in the aftermath of you recent whitewash...Oh I mean success. your attitude is fairly typical of the FEIC. abstain from reading the full comments of people when they prove contrary to your own. if they disagree then give up listening ie the way the FEIC did when they met raytheon a few years ago in a public debate, the FEIC had their say and then heckled and intimidated anyone who tried put across raytheons case. and you act all shocked when they refuse any further invitations and use it as a flag to wave. silence means guilty. not in this case pal. more a case of silence means they cant be bothered listening to a bunch of local crackpots.
read the fall out from the meeting shane not just the FEIC propaganda your buddies have been publishing. general consensus is that the council told you what you wanted to here in the hope you go away. read the letters of support for raytheon in the journal and combine this with the fact that if so many people in derry support you then where where all these supporters on the day of you so-called protest. im afraid a few well written letters from FEIC members in the journal does not constitute the mass support of the population of derry you proclaim. as for making raytheon disarm. how do you intend to do this? im afraid that if the council comes to the crunch and it’s a toss up between ensuring local economic development or appeasing the FEIC, the FEIC will end up very disappointed..

by Shane (3) - The Raytheon Employee Wed Jan 14, 2004 12:07

And are sending their minions onto indymedia to engage in some good old-fashioned information warfare.

More likely still, it's some sectarian eejit who can't stand the fact that a campaign that hasn't followed some party line is having some success.

The surest way to know that it is a troll is that our miseryguts attacks the campaign as ineffective, without proposing any alternative strategy. Pretending that he just disagrees with your tactics and supports you in principle, but in fact he hates the idea that FEIC may achieve something.

Rock on FEIC. Keep up d'ol pressure.

by Aunty P Wed Jan 14, 2004 12:57

Miseryguts is definitely a troll. Raytheon never met anyone publicly to discuss their position and thus were never in a position to be heckled. Pick those knuckles up off that floor, troll....

by Shane the troll - none Wed Jan 14, 2004 14:00

so im a troll now. well the FEIC do seem a little tolkien-esk in their view of the world. well I see the FEIC has stooped to name calling and cheap jibes now. how ethical.
as for being secterian my ocurry my dear chap how you derive this from a non political topic in which no reference has been made to religion, well again another prime example of how the feckers twist and distort things in an attempt to boost their argument and make the opposition look bad. as for agreeing with you in principal. dont know where you got that impression. i dont. and as for being a raytheon employee, well when my course finishes in june i will indeed be submitting my cv in the hope of actually working for a living. you know like peter dorian and james king who are both well paid so what do they care if they put 60 odd people out of work. aunty p. look before you leap. there was an event held a few years ago from what i remember in prehen in which some of the raytheon employees attended and left after a torrent of abuse from you and your klan. check the journal and sentinel archives. ill be happy to supply you with a link if i can find the references on line. well time to pick my knuckles up of the keyboard and go down the union and scoff a few orcs. ta ta lads!

by Realist - Planet Derry Wed Jan 14, 2004 19:15

Holy krud!
This place’s turning into a regular Beirut.
Ere I’m off to DuPont to see if they can spare a suit of their Nato issue body armour. Incomingggggggg!

by Realist - Planet Derry Wed Jan 14, 2004 19:24

I'm sure Peter Jackson is at a loose end now he's finished making the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
Maybe he'll come over here and make a new film staring all you guys.
Now I'd definately pay to see that.

by Shane2 (OCurry) - FEIC Wed Jan 14, 2004 21:30 shaneocurry at fastmail dot fm

Your logic is worse than your spelling (& you'd better use a spellcheck before submitting that cv of yours). The sectarianism to which Shane3 (the "raytheon employee") (hello there, if indeed you are, thanks for your contribution, I am getting to know more and more of your fellow disillusioned colleagues and former colleagues) refers is political sectarianism, although it appears you are not from one of the political sects. The term "troll" on indymedia has come to refer to annoying eejits who stirr up arguments by making cheap jibes and spurious claims instead of engaging in serious debate, because they don'y know how to. I think the term fits you, actually.

I have no idea what the event in Prehen was, but it certainly wasn't one that FEIC attended. Like Aunty P says, Raytheon have consistently refused to engage in debate about what they're doing here. I look forward to seeing what references you can produce for this imaginary event.

Actually it's only 35 employees at Raytheon. And I could think of more efficient ways to invest all the INI & MOD money and tax breaks than to create 35 miserable jobs in a company that's going to leave as soon as the tax breaks run out anyway.

Why don't we have a proper debate on the substantive issue instead of all this smart-arse stuff?

by Tantalus Thu Jan 15, 2004 17:46 tantalus68 at hotmail dot com

The FEIC vs Raytheon debate has been on-going for a number of years now. To be honest I've paid it little heed, but the recent upsurge in the media has definitely sparked my interest.

I also remember reading about the FEIC opposing the power station but must hold my hand up to be blatantly ignorant about that one as well.

Is there anywhere I can find out more about the FEIC manifesto/doctrine and what the campaign is about?

Cheers

by shane the troll - none Fri Jan 16, 2004 11:41

will someone please explain the concept of sarcasm to mr ocurry as he doesnt seem to get it. my apologies if my spelling is not up to scratch shane. I do suffer from a mild form of dyslexia so if im not up to par with you intellectually superior types you will have to forgive me. if you consider all sides of the raytheon equation i think youll find they employ more than 35 people. dont forget the CSC subcontract staff who work in the same building and the support staff such as administrators, security and cleaners.
how ethical of you to dictate to me what I should and should not be publishing on this site. i thought you ethical types believed in the freedom to choose and the freedom for people to say what they want. still if you dont like what I write then simply dont read it. you have the freedom to do that. we all do thanks to the brave souls who have fought past, present and future so we could. lets face it if they didnt then you might be called von curry now. i wonder where the people who overthrow mass murders like hitler, milosavic and hussein get the weapons which are a necessity to do so? still get rid of raytheon, disarm our ever decreasing defence forces. and in twenty or thirty years when new dictators spring up and start slaughtering people by the million you can stand around strand road and hold vigils which is of course much more effective at removing despots and dictators than high tech weapons and the people with the guts to use them. i wonder if you lived in a regime where protesting would automatically land you in prison, or even a shallow grave, if then you wouldnt be a bit more tolerant of those who make arms and those who use them to fight tyranny and oppression.

by Aunty P Fri Jan 16, 2004 14:18

The people who 'overthrew' Hussein were the ones who had armed him with all those nasty weapons in the first place. Probably because their muckers are the arms traders. Oh and anyone see free elections on the horizon in Iraq? Not at all, because the people Shane Von Troll lauds are the ones who keep mass murderers and dictators in office all over the world, with the help of raytheon-made weapons. Tell us, Mr Troll, would you, like Willie Hay, support the presence of a cluster bomb factory in Derry? After all, raytheon make 'em and you've already said you want to go work for 'em.

by share von troll - none Fri Jan 16, 2004 15:01

aunty p. perhaps you prefer the old regime in iraq. you know the one that killed people by the hundreds of thousands. didnt hear too many of you boys complaining back then. not that I think the push into iraq was any more than georgie boys thirst for oil and the chance to finish what daddy started. but there are people involved in that war who genuinely believe in what theyre doing and want to do it for the right reasons. unfortunately vampires like bush are there to take advantage of the good intentions of real people. give the dust time to settle and the elections will come to iraq. or are you going to tell me we should have left saddam where he was? tell me aunty. do you think we shouldn’t have a defence force then and would you be quite happy if there was no armed forces in ireland, n.ireland, uk, europe? cluster bombs are like cars. its down to the driver not the company that makes them. tell you what. why dont you stand in front of my renault clio and ill knock you down. then all your mates can jump on board and start trying to get the renault car plants closed down.
a note to mr ocurry on the “imaginary event.” my apologies for my misinformation about the venue - it was some time back. the event in question was the “peoples jury” held in the nerve centre in or around march 2001.

by Miss Impatient Fri Feb 04, 2005 14:53

Over a year later and what have DCC done?
The upper echelons of Derry City Council are about as efficient as the workers in their Roads Department.
More than likely they're too busy squabbling like a bunch of spoiled school kids over trivialities and wasting rate payers money to address the real issues in our community.
Doesn't it make ya sick.

by LOL Fri Feb 04, 2005 18:28

so did Dupont get the NATO contract in the end?
"innovations in blunt trauma armour", though they were pitching it mostly at policeforces in the USA where their profile is pretty high amongst the low tech brigade on behalf of Teflon and Lycra and other space shuttle shite.
There is a Dupont tie-in for your neck of the woods, btw, they did the roofing of Belfast castle. Impressive job, very very ecological insulation technology which if they weren't upto their necks in Teflon and Lycra shite would be exemplary. Oh well got to go back to my fox hole now, generator's giving us gip again beirbua!

:-)

by Praggie - Planet Pragmos Thu Mar 24, 2005 03:19

So Raytheon are being kicked out of Derry are they? The huge advert in last Friday's telly advertising all those jobs says otherwise. Ah well. I guess in the words of the big man THEY HAVEN'T GONE AWAY YA KNOW.

by Praggie - Planet Pragmos Fri Mar 31, 2006 01:34

Well one year on from my last post and Raytheon are still building WMD in Derry.
I guess these bastards are so ingrained into the local economy we will never get rid of them.
So much for asking Derry City Council to do the right thing. Even Sinn Fein have sold out now to the money merchants.
I guess I will have to stay on Pragmos and not return to my home city of Derry as it seems to have fallen foul of the British War machine and imperialist capatilism.
So much for all the campagining and telling the people of Derry whats really going on.
I guess at the end of the day as long as it puts money into their pockets, they just dont care.
So much for the FEIC and all the gormless windbags that dwell therein. Just goes to show that talking and waving plackards achieves nuttin. Neither does standing outside Raytheon on the first saturday in every month...unless your goal is to freeze you ballax off.
The so-called anti-war campagin in Derry is nothin more than a bunch of complete tossers who spend 5 minutes shouting slogans anf then the next 5 hours sitting in the bar talking about how wonderful they are. The whole bloody countrys gone to the dogs.
Even when a united Ireland comes (and it will) Raytheon will be welcomed with open arms and to hell with morals and basic human conviction.
I'd laugh if it wasnt so pathetic!