Belfast Anti-War Public Meeting

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday February 18, 2003 19:27 by Socialist Party - Socialist Party socialist at belfastsp dot freeserve dot co dot uk 36 Victoria Square Belfast BT1 4QB 90232962

Joe Higgins TD to speak in Belfast

Joe Higgins Socialist Party TD for Dublin West is to speak at a public meeting on Thursday night (8pm 20th Feb) in the Holiday Inn, University Street, Belfast.

Joe Higgins was one of the platform speakers at the massive demonstration against the war in Dublin on Saturday. He has also been an outspoken critic of the Irish Government on this issue in the Dail and a constant thorn in the side of Bertie Ahern.

Joe said: "The numbers on the streets in Dublin, Belfast and around the world show the depth of opposition to this war for oil. We now need to build on this with further protests and with civil disobedience including the disruption of supplies and munitions to the gulf. The trade union movement in Ireland should take the size of Saturday’s protests as a mandate for industrial action to stop the use of Shannon airport as a stop over point for the US military build up."

Also speaking will be Jim Barbour, Executive Committee members of the Fire Brigades Union and David Semple of Youth Against the War.

The meeting will be chaired by Carmel Gates, the recently elected President of Northern Ireland’s biggest trade union, NIPSA.

Jim Barbour will be posing the question why this Government cannot afford a decent pay rise for fire-fighters when it can spend billions of a war. David Semple, a school student in Our Ladies and St. Patricks Knock, will explain how school students can organise against the war.

David said: "All around the world school students are preparing for strikes and walkouts on day X, the day the war begins. Youth Against the War are organising in dozens of schools across Northern Ireland to make sure that school students here take part in these protests."