Anti-war march on O'Connell Bridge

Most of the population would have been getting out of bed this morning with a raging hangover. Mid afternoon people would be wiping the crust from their eyes, and making their way into town for a fry up, trying to recollect all the hazy memories of the night before, when the crowds were out and everyone was fired up with enthusiasm.

Thus I couldnt help but think that this day was very fitting for the anti-war march in Dublin. Approximately eight hundred people marched from the Garden of Remembrance to the end of Grafton Street, stopping briefly on O'Connell Bridge for a barely-registered two minute silence, then looped around back to the GPO. At the start of the rally where people assembled for speeches, there were numerous references made to three years ago where 100,000 people marched in town. This march today just seemed like a bad hangover for the Irish anti-war movement (no capitals). Hazy memories of when the crowds were out and everyone was fired up with enthusiasm, now long lost to the mists of time.

No torture jets. Earlier protest in Dublin featuring poster.

On Saturday 25th Feb 2006, while Dublin was busy rioting against a loyalist paramilitary march, peace activists entered Shannon airport and conducted a peaceful protest against the use of a neutral civilian airport as both a staging point in the occupation of Iraq and as a conduit for the transfer of prisoners of the CIA in "extraordinary rendition".

From the newswire (Justin Morahan, Peace People): Colm and I decided to go in, drove to the car park, parked and went in to the airport. We wandered around for over an hour, sat in the observation lounge and saw three US planes, one Aer Lingus and one Ryanair, two small planes partly out of sight. Unfortunately, we had no camera. We also saw US troops passing up and down the corridor beind a glass panel opposite our window.

We had a cup of tea and decided to do the protest in the middle of the Departure Lounge where there were passengers waiting and people including staff to the left, right and upstairs. Colm took out his favourite poster (with Village pic as in previous vigil in Ranelagh see http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74470) and I mine. As we stood holding the posters I started to say Ed McCurdy's poem "Last night I dreamed" and followed with an impromptu speech. Colm wore his Pitstop T-shirt.

indymedia correspondent harrassed at ogra fianna fail convention

From the video:I've made, made my comments about that during the, the Dail during the week and I said eh that Tanema Bay ... full humanitarian em rights have have to be given to all of the people in it. That's been the Irish position from the start about Gontanema the gay eh people should be eh go through the, the normal system of eh being eh ... they're entitled to the humanitarian protection and rights and the full international standards of ah Kofi Annan has announced that we all stand up to should be given to the people in Guantanemo Bay.

From the Newswire - 18/02/06: At an ogra fianna fail convention this afternoon at the West County hotel in Ennis, Co. Clare an Indymedia video activist was harrassed by Fianna Fail handlers and locked into the press room by plain clothes gardai before being prevented from further filming by a uniformed garda seargent. But he still shed some light on what our politicians are saying about Shannon, Guantamo, Renditions and all that anti-war stuff. Nothing that makes much sense.

Related Stories:While the slimy politicians hide in the dark corners of their incoherence, the newswire has had details of a candle-lit procession next Thurs, 23 February at 5.30pm and and of peace flags flying on Grafton street. The Indymedia calendar has details of an upcoming Anti War Red 'n Black Bloc but it's only by reading an analysis that we learn the red'n'black bloc won't be alone marching.

Meanwhile, the controversy about those images continues, there are Reflections on Irish Neutrality and indymedia brings you media of Tariq Ali speaking in Dublin. Because on Indymedia you can read what the politicians in their dark and seedy corners fear the most - What we won't read this week in our papers

From the newswire: To Ireland, from People of Peace and Justice, with love and peace: a message of peace from friends in St. Augustine, Florida!

We are a coalition of concerned citizens in St. Augustine, FL., who feel called to speak out on issues of justice and peace. We believe that the American people possess all the resources necessary to achieve peace, anywhere, through diplomacy. We believe that the U.S. has a moral obligation to seek peace for all who share this world. We invite all to join us in calling for a just and peaceful resolution to the Iraq war and to all conflicts. Now is the time to take personal responsibility for our individual and collective actions that jeopardize the safety and health of humankind. War is not the answer.

Start Transcript:

"Now I, ehm, I usually have a lot to say and my speech, I have it in my mind and I can rattle it off at any given moment, but, eh, I'm going to be completely honest with you, I've been on a mission and I've been seeking.

In the Marine Corps my primary mission was to seek and destroy, pretty cut and clear. I think the phrase, somebody mentioned the phrase to me today and, eh, it's still with me and I'm going to share that with you, this phrase that was, eh, presented to me today - I was called a criminal. And, eh, you know it really hit me because it is something I have been running from, and then I got a double dose today when I was in the Irish court. The Irish court and the American court are like night and day. And over the course of listening to the prosecutor and the defence, and especially the testimony that the Doctor of International Law and the Geneva conventions, when he got up and gave his spiel.

In a deep, dark space in my heart, I realised today that I am a war criminal. I never wanted to admit that. I knew what I did it was a violation of the Geneva conventions and International Law. But when you tell it to Americans and you explain the scenario of what happens, the Americans dismiss it as 'fog of war' or 'collateral damage'.