RTS on Baggot St. a great success

by Luke Mon Sep 23, 2002 13:47 luke387 at eircom dot net

rts are all scum . I hope u's all get sent down next week in court

by Ray Mon Sep 23, 2002 13:49

...and great reports.

Congrats to everyone involved in pulling it together, and everyone who went and had some fun...

by Joe Sheehan Mon Sep 23, 2002 14:58

Thanks to all who planned and organised the great RTS yesterday, brilliant to see all you lovely people on the streets of Dublin yesterday.

Great Music, people, fun, food and frolics

by daithi Mon Sep 23, 2002 15:10

........pity tis so infrequent and under attended...

by dave - working cyclist Mon Sep 23, 2002 15:18

glad to see u're RTS party went well, without the blue block causing trouble..
best wishes for the ppl in court after the may party...
mutate & survive
dave

by Blisset (slight return) Mon Sep 23, 2002 16:09

Looking at the tapes today - lots of hilarity in interviews with blue bloc and the play looks fantastic. Give us a couple of months and our pressie to RTSers will be complete - Accidental Death of an Anarchist (idoaa) - the movie

by Stephen Mon Sep 23, 2002 16:58

Fair play to the group handing out free sandwiches. Never thought non meat sandwiches could be so good.

by antrophe Mon Sep 23, 2002 17:45 antrophe at hotmail dot com 0857198001

Hi, enjoyed the party immensly yesterday, however a downer was put on it as a mate lost her bagc just as the party wound down on Baggot Street. Its a grey-ish bag and had a Seseme Street hoodie in it, if anyone came across it could they please get in touch?
Get in touch at lorna0brien12@hotmail.com or ring 0857206084.
Much appreciated...

by Lion Mon Sep 23, 2002 17:49

Party mood as protest passes peacefully
By Paul Cullen

A demonstration by over 1,000 anti-car and anti-globalisation
protesters
passed off peacefully yesterday.

Watched by dozens of gardaí, the Reclaim The Streets protesters blocked
off
part of Dublin city centre for a 3½-hour street party.

There was no repeat of the violence which occurred during the last such
protest in May, when scores of protesters were arrested or injured.

An investigation into that incident was ordered after video evidence
showed
gardaí batoning protesters.

Yesterday's protest began at St Stephen's Green, from where most
participants walked to Baggot Street.

There they were met by a group of cyclists which blocked the opposite
side
of the road. Using a set of record decks powered by a generator, the
organisers turned the street into a party venue.

The protest, which was held to mark European Car-Free Day, was an
exclusively good natured affair.

Aside from the rave under Baggot Street's sycamore trees, there was
theatre,
juggling, fire-eating, skate-boarding, badminton, street supper and
fancy
dress.

Throughout the afternoon, Garda helicopters hovered overhead. Up to 100
officers were kept in reserve, while mounted policemen kept watch from
a
distance.

The Garda failed in its attempts last week to contact the organisers
and it
made no attempt to intervene yesterday. A Garda spokesman said there
had
been "absolutely no incidents".

Some participants were handed leaflets advising them what to do if they
were
arrested. Another handbill called for "a direct assault" on the "twin
towers" of private property and law and order.

Shortly after 6 p.m., the protesters ended their street demonstration
and
moved back to St Stephen's Green, where they continued to party in the
park
for several hours.

One of the organisers of yesterday's event, Mr Chekov Feeney, said the
aim
was to demonstrate opposition to "car culture".

It was also designed to give people some control over their public
space, if
only for a short time.

"It's also about empowering people. Most of us have brought our own
entertainment here and there's no commercial stuff."

He said the organisers had gone out of their way to ensure the event
was
peaceful and did not unduly disrupt traffic. They had even brought
along bin
bags for people to clear up litter.

Mr Feeney accused gardaí of "provoking confrontation" at the last
Reclaim
The Streets event, but said they were more "laid back" this time. "The
police are the armed wing of the State so you may have to defend
yourself
during protests," he insisted.

About 20 people who were charged after last May's demonstration are due
to
appear in court this week.

Mr Feeney said this was purely designed to stop them bringing legal
action
against the Garda.

by billy - rts Tue Sep 24, 2002 02:11

it was cool to see someone getting that together. One of the big problems rts faces is that lots of people come with a consumerist mentality: a kind of 'wheres the entertainment?' buzz instead of realising that they should be providing the fun and games themselves.
still, i guess really we're only really starting out and hopefully we'll manage three parties next year where we can continue to improve things

by chris Tue Sep 24, 2002 14:41

"They'll be unaware that yesterday for a few hours reclaim the streets showed what kind of future city is possible for a few hours."

Umm.. how so? Unless that future city is going to consist entirely of people sitting around and drinking, or dancing to electronic music (or some combination thereof).

From what I could see, RTS is a street party, nothing more, nothing less, so don't make it out to be the saviour of all humanity, because it's not. I don't give a bollocks if people want to hold a street party, and neither would most people I know, but this does not make it the model for some future society. It makes it the model.. for a street party. C'est tout!

chris

by Marianne - - Wed Sep 25, 2002 00:27 mixiepix at yahoo dot com

Thanks people,
I thought i could never look at another sandwich again after Sunday morning but by the time they were gone i knew i'd do it again in an instant. People had such weird reactions : )
So anyone who want to give a hand with the next food not bombs, I dunno when next but we were talking about having it outside Mc Donalds, send me an e-mail.

by Stephen Thu Sep 26, 2002 22:57

I don't know about my sandwich making skills but I'll sure eat some sandwiches.